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Israeli Military Says Missile Intercepted After Sirens In Tel Aviv; Joe Biden Calls For Peace In Middle East In His Final U.N. Assembly Address; Florida Hurricane Evacuations, Schools Closed For Helene; Ryan Routh Charged With Attempted Assassination Of Donald Trump; Israeli Hospital Moves Patients Underground as Rockets Fly; Meryl Streep Advocates for Women's Rights in Afghanistan; Biden Calls for Peace in Final U.N. Address as President; Earthshot Prize Summit to Repair the Planet Underway; Swiss Police Arrest Four after U.S. Woman Ends Life; Futuristic Roman Epic Hits Cinemas Worldwide This Week. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired September 25, 2024 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:28]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Lynda Kinkade. We're getting reports of an air raid siren going off in Tel Aviv. The Israeli military says an incoming missile has been intercepted. I want to go live now to CNN International diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, good to have you with us, Nic.
Israel has been bombing southern Lebanon for two days. Hezbollah firing back. The Iron Dome once again being tested.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, this is a very rare occurrence in Tel Aviv that the sirens should go off responding to an incoming missile from Lebanon, from Hezbollah. That's certainly the direction of the intercepts that we could see, or the intercept that we could see from here this morning, about an hour and a half ago, the sirens woke up the people of Tel Aviv and Netanya, a short way up the coast from here northwards towards Lebanon,
You could see the intercept in the sky. You could see that puff of white smoke where the intercept took place. There have been no reports of casualties or any damage on the ground. It does appear to be just a single missile that was fired.
And as you say, this comes after two days now of multiple strikes the IDF yesterday afternoon saying that they had dropped 2,000 different pieces of ordnance on 1,500 targets inside of Lebanon. There were about 250 missiles incoming from Hezbollah into Israel yesterday, but they were mostly targeting along the northern border of Israel and about 30 miles into Israel, the sort of still very much the north of Israel. So this missile intercept today, it's not clear what it was aimed at,
specifically, but this intercept, very close to Tel Aviv is a very rare occurrence, and certainly it appears to be an escalation in the targeting of by Hezbollah over the past couple of days.
Hezbollah, about a month ago, had claimed to fire missiles, long range missiles at a military target just north of Tel Aviv that was in response to a senior Hezbollah figure being killed in a targeted strike in Beirut that was about a month ago. This -- in this new phase, this new escalation of tensions and conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, this is the first that we're aware of a missile in this phase being intercepted close it appears on a trajectory towards Tel Aviv.
KINKADE: Wow. And of course, those fears, Nic. of a wider war of really growing. Israel has said the aerial bombardment in Lebanon will intensify. What are you hearing about? What's expected in the coming days?
ROBERTSON: The IDF is being asked multiple times about the possibility of a ground incursion by IDF literally on going across the border. Until now, everything has been by airstrikes. We heard yesterday from the Chief of Army Staff saying that the military operations needed to continue at full force, that there should be no reprieve for Hezbollah, and that there would be an increase in the speed of operation. So that seems to indicate that this is far from over.
And yesterday, the defense minister, Yoav Gallant, visited the front lines, well, the northern border, if you will, between Israel and Lebanon. And there, he met with IDF troops who were going through simulation exercises for the potential of crossing the border, of troops going across the border.
He told those troops that the enemy, that they would meet, that Hezbollah would not be the Hezbollah of a week ago, that their command and control have been damaged, that their morale was weak. But he said to the troops, make no mistake, they are out to attack Israel. But he said, you are the best trained troops. You're the best that we have. You've got a year's worth of combat experience.
So, the visual messaging there clearly the defense minister are on the northern border with troops apparently exercising for a cross border incursion.
[01:05:05]
That clearly signals that the IDF has, well, it clearly signals that there's the possibility available. It doesn't say that it's going to happen, but there certainly is a growing expectation that if Hezbollah doesn't pull its forces back from the from Israel's northern border, retreat them deeper into Lebanon, then this remains a possibility that there could be ground forces and not just air strikes, to try to force them to do that.
KINKADE: Wow. All right. Nic Robertson, we will speak again soon. Nic Robertson in Tel Aviv. Thanks very much. Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah is a British Palestinian surgeon working at the
American University of Beirut Medical Center. He joins me now from the Lebanese capital. Thanks so much for your time.
DR. GHASSAN ABU-SITTAH, BRITISH PALESTINIAN SURGEON, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT MEDICAL CENTEr: Thank you.
KINKADE: So the Lebanese Health Ministry said these attacks from Israel have killed over 550 people, including 50 children, and almost 2,000 people have been injured. Can you describe for us what you're witnessing at the medical center? What sort of injuries are you treating?
ABU-SITTAH: So the first day, because of the number of people who were on the roads trying to escape the bombing in the south, we had difficulties evacuating the wounded from the hospitals in the southern part of the country. But later on, yesterday and then early this morning, we started to get more and more of the critically moved.
We have received children with, unfortunately, the same pattern of injuries that I used to see in the Gaza, last injuries to the face, amputations to the limbs, multiple shrapnel injuries, crushing injuries, as a result of houses being demolished on top of. So the pattern of injuries that similar to what I had seen in Gaza in October and November last year.
KINKADE: Wow. Absolutely horrific. And these are, of course, other physical injuries that you're seeing, but doesn't even begin to assess the trauma that people are dealing with right families have witnessed the pager and walkie talkies exploding in grocery stores and now entire buildings being leveled. Talk to us about the mental health of those dealing with and fleeing this aerial bombardment.
ABU-SITTAH: So yesterday I received a 12-year-old girl with a blast injury to her face, and I mean really severe fractures to the bones of the face. And the mother had been trying to coordinate the other child who had been sent to another hospital in Beirut while she was with that girl that came to us. And so these families, their lives, have been torn apart.
They've had to flee their homes, and they have, you know, again, like Gaza, people have been hit inside their homes, and so multiple members of the same family are usually injured and it's just -- for me, it's just seeing this unfold again in a similar way.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. And of course, earlier this year, we were reporting on how Lebanon's health system is crumbling amid this economic crisis, which, of course, led to the exodus of dozens of doctors and nurses in the closure of hospitals. How is Lebanon's Health System coping right now, given these, these airstrikes?
ABU-SITTAH: So last Tuesday's pager book left 3,000 wounded, and so that completely overwhelmed the bed capacity of the health system, and then you have -- so we were trying to operate on these wounded and trying to discharge them as early as possible, as the signs were coming in that there was going to be another war. And as you said, there was four years of severe economic collapse,
which meant that a third of the doctors had emigrated. Around the third of the nurses have emigrated. Lot of the hospitals do not have the financial capability to replenish the consumables and the supplies and the medication that have been used up since Tuesday in operating on the wounded from the pager attack.
And so all of the system is really very, very fragile, and this influx of 2,000 wounded in just two days is putting a lot of strain on the medical health system in Lebanon.
KINKADE: And what must be quite frightening is the fact that Israel is warning that these attacks will intensify. Talk to us about the medical supplies the trauma kits. What sort of additional support might be needed if this drags on for many, many more days?
[01:10:05]
ABU-SITTAH: I think what we need is to have trauma teams, well supplied, well equipped, come in and join the health system. The health system also needs a replenishment of the supplies, the medication, the surgical supplies, the kind of consumables that you go through when you're treating these complex, multiple wounds.
And then we -- the Ministry of Health needs financial support, because all of these hospitals, again, are completely dependent on electricity generated, which means that they're completely dependent on diesel, and so the ministry needs to be able to replenish that diesel fuel and that supply to keep these hospitals running.
KINKADE: Well, we wish you and your team all the best there. Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah in Beirut. Thank you so much for your time and sharing your story about what you are witnessing there. Thank you.
Day two of the U.N. General Assembly will begin in the coming hours with more discussions on climate change and other international security matters. The Israeli strikes in Lebanon are at the top of the agenda. Iran's President is calling for swift action on that matter. He's also criticizing the U.S. for their decision to pull out of the landmark nuclear deal proposed in 2015. Here's more now from Iran's President.
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MASOUD PEZESHKIAN, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It is imperative that the international community should immediately stop the violence and bring about a permanent cease fire in Gaza and bring an end to the desperate barbarism of Israel in Lebanon before it engulfs the region and the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: U.N. chief Antonio Guterres also addressed the situation Tuesday. He noted some governments feel they are above international law.
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ANTONIO GUTERRES, UNITED NATIONS SECRETAR-GENERAL: The level of impunity in the world is politically indefensible and morally intolerable. Today, a growing number of governments and others feel entitled to get out of jail free cards they can trample international law, they can violate United Nations Charter, and nothing will happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: CNN's Kayla Tausche recaps the events of day one of the assembly force, including U.S. President Joe Biden's final address to the group.
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JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Today is the fourth time I've had the great honor of speaking to this Assembly as President of the United States. Will be my last.
KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After five decades in foreign policy, a final farewell on the world's biggest stage, drawing on conflicts of the past to outline optimism for the future.
BIDEN: Things can get better. We should never forget that. I know many look at the world today and see difficulties and react with despair, but I do not. We stand behind the principles that unite us. We stand firm against aggression when we end the conflicts that are raging today.
TAUSCHE (voice-over): A new war is raging in the Middle East since Biden's last United Nations address, 18 days before, Hamas launched an assault on Israel that sent the region spiraling into a wider fight with Hezbollah. Biden calling for a ceasefire deal, two state solution and detente in the region.
BIDEN: BIDEN: Full scale war is not in anyone's interest. Even a situation has escalated, a diplomatic solution is still possible.
TAUSCHE (voice-over): In discussions at the U.N., Biden and his top aides working to stabilize that and other conflicts around the world. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calling for a new peace summit before another winter at war.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: They are preparing to target our nuclear power plants, three of them. We have this information. If Russia is ready to go that far, it means nothing you value matters to Moscow.
TAUSCHE (voice-over): Outgoing NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says the West will keep arming Ukraine to convince Putin he can't win.
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATIO SECRETARY GENERAL: He realizes that he will not get what he wants on the battlefield, the total control of Ukraine, then he may be willing to accept the solution which is acceptable for Ukraine. TAUSCHE (voice-over): That outcome no guarantee but Biden crediting vice president Harris for standing up to Russia and offering this parting shot to autocrats.
BIDEN: I decided after 50 years of public service, it's time for new generation of leadership to take my nation forward. My fellow leaders, let us never forget, some things are more important than staying in power. We are here to serve the people, not the other way around.
TAUSCHE: As President Biden works to burn (ph) his legacy, foreign leaders are now jockeying for their own meetings with Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, either of whom could be representing the U.S. here at the General Assembly next year.
[01:15:10]
So far, the only meeting that has materialized is one between Zelenskyy and Harris that's set for the White House on Thursday. Kayla Tausche, CNN at the United Nations.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Tropical storm Helene is threatening parts of Mexico and Cuba as it barrels towards the U.S. state of Florida, a hurricane warning has been issued for parts of Florida's Gulf Coast, and evacuations there are underway. CNN meteorologist Chad Myers reports.
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CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Helene still a tropical storm and is going to become a hurricane and then make a swipe at Cancun. Temperatures are in the upper 80s when it comes to the water temperatures, so this could rapidly intensify, and it's forecast to do so all the way up to 120 miles per hour at landfall.
We're still going to have to see if this is going to be on the left side or the left side of the right side of the cone, because that makes a significant difference here with the amount of damage that could possibly occur along the west coast of Florida, for sure.
And if we start to push some of that surge into Tampa, we could start to see that coastal salt water flooding there.
Your hurricane warnings are in effect there, from Anclote River all the way over to about Mexico beach, and this is the area that's going to see most of the surge, 10 to 15 feet of salt water surge pushing back into the rivers, into the estuaries and into the marshes here.
By the time overnight, Wednesday night and into early Thursday, that's when the first tropical storm force winds will hit the US. But then by later on in the evening, we will start to see those hurricane force winds as well, probably 110 plus, certainly forecasts for 120 but that 110 plus goes all the way almost to Tallahassee. Can't imagine what that town will look like with all of those beautiful trees getting pushed around by 100 mile per hour wind. Also the threat of a tornado or two, that always happens with a land falling hurricane. We have a front across parts of the southeast. All of that moisture is going to bump into the front and make significant rainfall. So yes, we have flood watches in effect, and this area in purple, that's 10 inches of rainfall or more over the next few days.
And look how wide of an area that is from Asheville, almost over towards Charlotte and toward Atlanta, so much rainfall in the hills, southern Appalachian Hills could see significant flash flooding, fresh water flooding, not the salt water, simply because of all the heavy, heavy rainfall that's going to be coming down for days on end, be careful out there.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Thanks to Chad Myers there Well, still ahead, an alleged government waiting in the bushes for hours with a view of where Donald Trump was golfing. New details about what prosecutors say was an attempt on his life.
Plus, Trump pushes his economic agenda as he struggles to win over women voters. We'll have a closer look at the latest strategy.
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KINKADE: The Trump campaign says there are threats from Iran to assassinate Donald Trump, and that U.S. intelligence officials briefed him about those real and specific threats on Tuesday. The Trump campaign said Iran's goal is to, quote, destabilize and soak chaos in the United States. A Trump spokesperson alleged that the threats have grown in recent months as the election nears.
When asked for a comment, a spokesperson for the Director of National Intelligence acknowledged the briefing that declined to address any specifics. New charges in the attempted assassination of Trump at his Florida golf club, revealing new details about that incident.
Federal prosecutors said in court filings that Ryan Routh, armed with a rifle, stalked Trump for hours with the intention to kill him. Earlier this month, the U.S. Attorney General and FBI said on Tuesday that the assassination attempt endangers democracy. More now from CNN's Evan Perez.
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EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: The alleged gunman accused of stalking Donald Trump that his golf course in Palm Beach, is facing four new charges, including one count of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate.
Ryan Routh could face life in prison if he's convicted of the attempted assassination charge, and it's one that the FBI and prosecutors have said that they would try to pursue in this ongoing investigation. Prosecutors say Routh camped outside of Donald Trump's West Palm Beach Golf Course for hours on end, armed with a rifle that he pointed through a chain link fence with a clear shot to the next hole where the former president was headed to on September 15.
According to court documents, Routh spent more than a month tracking Trump in Florida. Prosecutors told a federal magistrate judge that cellphone data showed Routh at the golf course as well at Trump's Mar- a-Lago resort over several days beginning in mid-August.
According to prosecutors, investigators found a handwritten note after detaining Routh that included venues and locations where Trump had or was planning to visit in the months leading up to the 2024 election. Routh allegedly also left behind a letter in a box of belongings saying, this was an assassination on attempt on Donald Trump, but I failed you.
The case has been assigned to Judge Eileen Cannon. She's the federal judge who oversaw the federal charges against Trump for allegedly mishandling classified documents. She dismissed that case, and that's a decision that remains under appeal. Evan Perez, CNN, Washington.
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KINKADE: Well, the U.S. Congress unanimously passed a new bill this week guaranteeing Trump and Kamala Harris the same level of Secret Service protection as a sitting U.S. President. The measure sailed through both the House and the Senate through Democratic Senator Chris Murphy -- he is though Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said he believes the extra funds won't change the way the agency assesses threats. Senate Republican Rick Scott praised the bill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SCOTT, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: Asking the enhanced Presidential Security Act today, with unanimous consent of the Senate, sends important message to the American public and the world that we will not ignore these threats, which are truly an attack on our democratic process and have rightly shocked the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: The Secret Service is under scrutiny after two assassination attempts on Trump in recent weeks. The legislation now goes to President Joe Biden to sign into law.
The new CNN poll shows the U.S. presidential race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris remains extremely close. There's no clear leader among likely voters with Harris holding the slight edge, 48 to 47 percent well within the margin of error.
About four in 10 likely voters consider the economy the most important issue. That's a positive for Trump. Half of those surveyed say they trust him more with the economy, protecting democracy and reproductive rights were further down the list of priorities for voters.
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is again stressing that if she becomes president, she would get rid of the filibuster delay tactic in the Senate in order to pass the bill codifying abortion rights, and that stance has cost her a potential endorsement from a key moderate senator. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Vice president Kamala Harris reiterating her call to eliminate the filibuster to restore Roe v Wade, a position that she also held in 2022 again in her argument to support reproductive rights and voting rights.
Now, of course, reproductive rights has been a galvanizing issue for Democrats, one that the Vice President has talked about extensively on the campaign trail and on Tuesday, doubling down on that message and radio station in Wisconsin, a crucial state for her come November.
Now, that statement did also lose her the endorsement of Senator Joe Manchin, who had this to say.
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JOE MANCHIN, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRAT: Shame on her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I know that you've been considering endorsing her. Does this change yoru view --
MANCHIN: Oh, no. That ain't going to happen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not going to endorse her.
MANCHIN: I'm not endorsing her. Never. I think that's basically something that can destroy our country and my county is more important to me than any one person or any one person's idealogy.
ALVAREZ: Now, defenders of the tool say that it forces consensus in the upper chamber. So some division over her statement, but certainly the bottom line from the Vice President is that she will support the end of a filibuster to again sign legislation codifying Roe v Wade. Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, Trump is hoping his economic message will win over voters, even as he and Republicans in general struggle with their messaging towards women, especially when it comes to reproductive rights. CNN's Kristen Holmes explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former president Donald Trump making an economic pitch to voters in Savannah, Georgia today.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Not only will we stop our businesses from leaving for foreign lands, but under my leadership, we are going to take other countries jobs. HOLMES (voice-over): As polls continue to show the economy is a top issue for voters, a trip to the critical battleground state coming as the former president seeks to make gains with women voters.
TRUMP: I always thought women liked me. I never thought I had a problem, but the fake news keeps saying women don't like me. I don't believe it.
HOLMES (voice-over): A new CNN national poll today finding a significant gender gap among likely voters. Vice president Kamala Harris leading Trump 53 to 43 percent among female voters, while Trump holds a nine point lead over Harris among male voters. The poll also finding among independent women, Harris with 51 percent support compared to 36% for Trump.
In campaign stops, Trump reaching out directly to women.
TRUMP: So let's talk about our great women, those women have gone through a lot. They've gone through a lot.
HOLMES (voice-over): Monday in Pennsylvania, casting himself as a quote protector of women, while claiming they would forget about reproductive rights under a Trump presidency.
TRUMP: As President, I have to be your protector. You will no longer be abandoned, lonely or scared. Women will be happy, healthy, confident and free. You will no longer be thinking about abortion.
HOLMES (voice-over): The comments come as Trump has grappled with how to handle abortion this election cycle, both wanting to take credit for the overturning of Roe v Wade while casting all responsibility onto states.
TRUMP: We did a great thing when we got Roe v Wade out of the federal government, got it back to the States.
HOLMES (voice-over): Trump's allies have also received backlash for recent comments about women.
GOV. SARA HUCKABEE SANDERS (R) MICHIGAN: Thank you, Mr. President.
HOLMES (voice-over): In Michigan, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders swiping at Harris a stepmother for not having biological children.
SANDERS: My kids keep me humble. Unfortunately, Kamala Harris doesn't have anything keeping her humble.
HOLMES (voice-over): And Ohio Senate candidate Bernie Marino quipping that women over 50 didn't need to care about reproductive rights in a recording first obtained by WCMH from a viewer.
BERNIE MORENO (R) OHIO SENATE CANDIDATE: There's a lot of suburban women. Lot of suburban women. They're like, listen, abortions is it. If can't have an abortion in this country whenever I want, I will vote for anybody else. OK, a little crazy, by the way, but especially for women that are like past 50. I'm thinking to myself. I don't think that's an issue for you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, ground parking garage has become an off grid hospital in Israel as Hezbollah and the IDF exchange rocket fire leaving managed to wonder if an all out war is coming. Report from Haifa next on CNN.
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KINKADE: Welcome back. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
More now on our breaking news story this hour.
The Israeli military says it's intercepted a missile fire from Lebanon in a rare attack on Tel Aviv.
Sirens sounded in the city as a surface-to-surface missile was identified coming from Lebanon. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The attack comes days after Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah killed more than 500 people in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged rocket fire since Israel began its war on Hamas last October. The militant group has not yet commented on the attempted strike on Tel Aviv.
As Hezbollah rockets fly from southern Lebanon into Israel, a hospital has gone underground to keep patients safe.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond takes us inside.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Another Israeli airstrike rocks the Lebanese capital. Once extraordinarily rare, it marks the third time Israel has struck Beirut in just the last week.
At least six people were killed and 15 others wounded, according to the Lebanese government. Israel says it was targeting a senior Hezbollah commander in charge of the group's missile units.
As Israeli jets continue to pummel Lebanon, Hezbollah fired volley after volley of rockets at northern Israel. Most of the more than 215 rockets and drones intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome System.
But in some Israeli communities terrifying explosions. Firefighters dispatched to extinguish fires caused by Hezbollah rockets. And on this highway, cars pulling over amid air raid sirens, nearly struck by rocket fire.
A casualty from one of those attacks soon arrives at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa. The man, a soldier in his 20s, is rushed into the emergency room with shrapnel injuries. He will soon join the hundreds of patients now being cared for in the hospital's secure underground facility. A dual-use parking lot built with war in mind.
DR. MICHAEL HALBERTHAL, DIRECTOR, RAMBAM MEDICAL CENTER: We thought that we mobilize patient at 12:00 at noon and by 8:00, 600 to 700 patients were in underground. And we're fully operational in the underground.
DIAMOND: Dr. Michael Halberthal, the hospital's director, has been preparing for this war time scenario for years. For the first time he is now putting that plan into action.
DR. HALBERTHAL: We can be first self-sustaining without any help from the outside for three days, right? If something happens, you know electricity-wise, water, oxygen, food, three days.
We can stay here as much as we need according to the scenario.
DIAMOND: Walking through the facility, it is hard to imagine this was an empty parking lot just two days ago.
DR. HALBERTHAL: What we are seeing over here is operating rooms.
DIAMOND: Surgical operations are already underway.
Outpatients needing dialysis are getting care underground. All of the hospital's departments now fully functional, capable of treating as many as 2,000 patients.
[01:34:44]
DIAMOND: Nine premature babies in protective incubators now, also transferred to Rambam Hospital. Among several groups of vulnerable patients from other hospitals now being treated at this war time facility.
Aboveground the busy streets of Israel's third largest city have gone quiet, a day after Hezbollah targeted Haifa directly for the first time since 2006.
MARIAM RASHAD, HAIFA RESIDENT: In this hour also many people come to eat breakfast or drink coffee. But now no one you can see. We hope to end this war.
DIAMOND: Other restaurants and shops deciding to stay closed, waiting Hezbollah's next move.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN -- Haifa, Israel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to address the U.N. General Assembly in the coming hours. He spoke at a Security Council meeting Tuesday, pleading with leaders to take action against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskyy told them Russian President Vladimir Putin won't stop on his own and must be forced into peace.
A Ukrainian official says Zelenskyy is expected to meet U.S. President Joe Biden Wednesday. Mr. Biden gave his final U.N. address on Tuesday, urging leaders to remember the people they represent and that some things are more important than power.
I'd like to bring in Asha Castleberry-Hernandez now is a former U.S. State Department official and the author of the forthcoming book, "Why National Security Matters".
Good to have you with us.
ASHA CASTLEBERRY-HERNANDEZ, FORMER U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: thank you for having me.
KINKADE: I'd like to get to the president's comments and the global conflicts in just a moment, but I want to start with this speech by Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep, who spoke passionately about the horrific situation in Afghanistan and the lack of rights for women and girls due to the archaic Taliban laws.
Let's just take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MERYL STREEP, ACTRESS: And today in Kabul, a female cat has more freedoms than a woman. A cat may go sit on her front stoop and feel the sun on her face. She may chase a squirrel into the park.
A squirrel has more rights than a girl in Afghanistan today because the public parks have been closed to women and girls by the Taliban.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: I mean it was hard not to listen and take all of that in. Who will that -- who would that message resonate with?
CASTLEBERRY-HERNANDEZ: With women around the world. I mean, it was a very strong message. You know, descriptive especially, you know, doing a comparative analysis with animal compared to women's rights.
I think she did a really good job using her celebrity power, her celebrity diplomacy to promote a critical issue that is happening under the Taliban rule. So this would, I would say, is just a powerful message overall.
And it's calling on the world that we need to address the state of women in Afghanistan and what do we need to do as far as using our external influences to help address that issue because it's extremely critical.
They're characterizing this issue as the gender apartheid so where, you know, women in the country alone under Taliban rule is going to a lot of restrictions.
So it takes a powerful person like Meryl Streep to address this issue. KINKADE: Exactly. It was -- she spoke so eloquently.
This of course, is the U.S. president, Joe Biden's last UNGA after five decades of public service. Interestingly, he says he still has hope.
How hard is that to say at a time like this, especially when this crisis in the Middle East is only getting worse.
CASTLEBERRY-HERNANDEZ: Yes. I was actually deeply impressed with the UNGA speech. And I will say that with President Biden, he did an excellent job with restoring smart global American leadership by, you know, making sure that showing that the United States and along with the rest of the world should be committed to the international rule- based order.
I thought he also did a really good job in showing a good like balancing act. Whether you -- when you're talking about Ukraine, as well as you talk about conflicts in Gaza Strip -- I mean the Gaza crisis, as well as talking about Sudan. So that's really critical to note.
KINKADE: we also heard today from Ukraine's president Zelenskyy, who spoke about Russia's invasion calling on nations to act.
I just want to roll some of that sound.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Russia can only be forced into peace. And that is exactly what's needed. Forcing Russia into peace as the sole aggressor in this war, the sole violator of the U.N. charter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:39:46]
KINKADE: Now, he's going to meet with the U.S. President Biden and Vice President Harris and potentially Donald Trump in the coming days.
And we heard Donald Trump trash him while he's in town, while he was at the U.N. calling him the greatest salesman. I just want to play some of that sound.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Every time Zelenskyy comes to the United States, he walks away with $100 billion.
I think he's the greatest salesman on earth. But we're stuck in that war unless I'm president. I'll get it done. I'll get it negotiated. I'll get out -- we got to get out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: That's what Trump had to say. How is he likely to view another potential Trump term.
CASTLEBERRY-HERNANDEZ: Yes. Thank you so much for the question. I would say just going back to President Biden, I think he did an excellent job with showing his commitment to Ukraine as far as continuously provide security and economic assistance and wanted to continue that -- will wanted to show that continuity where he's going to convey the same message to President Zelenskyy at the white house.
Now, with regards to how he's viewing -- how he views a President Trump a lack of seriousness, not necessarily showing commitment to countering Russian aggression effectively. But feels that he still needs to convey to President Trump that, look just like what the Biden administration is doing, we need -- we need assistance.
We need to continue we need international assistance to continue in order to effectively address -- counter Russian aggression in Ukraine. So I think that that's how he perceives or looks at President Trump.
KINKADE: We'll see if that meeting actually happens between President Zelenskyy and Donald Trump in the coming days. We will be following closely when he does meet with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
Asha Castleberry-Hernandez, good to have you with us. Thanks for your time.
CASTLEBERRY-HERNANDEZ: Thank you.
KINKADE: still ahead, a dire new warning about the climate crisis. Scientists say several boundaries key to the planet's health and humanity's survival have been breached.
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KINKADE: A new report says our planet's vital signs are flashing red. Scientists with the Planetary Health Check says at least six, possibly seven, of the nine boundaries that determine a livable planet for humanity have been breached. That's two more than in 2015.
The report says all signs point to further boundaries being crossed beyond safe limits in the future. Those metrics include data showing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels at a 15-million-year high and persistent global warming means temperatures are now higher than at any point since human civilization emerged on earth.
The report warns ocean acidification is also approaching a critical threshold.
[01:44:47]
KINKADE: The third annual Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit got underway Tuesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly and as New York marks climate week.
The Earthshot Prize was founded by Britain's Prince William. Earthshot challenges people to discover ways to repair and regenerate the planet during this decade. An Oscar-nominated actor had this message.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH, ACTOR: We can encourage new norms here that are cleaner, greener and fairer for all of us. So in so doing, we're hoping to shift the narrative as well from fear and doom to possibility and agency.
We can signal to all (INAUDIBLE) that climate action isn't just about giving things up. It's also about taking things up that can be inclusive, accessible, innovative, and exciting.
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KINKADE: Rocky Sanchez Tirona is the new global head of the Fish Forever program of the non-profit RARE. And she leads Coastal 500, a global network of mayors and local leaders who have come together to protect the world's coastlines, a project which was a finalist for the 2023 Earthshot Prize.
Good to have you with us.
ROCKY SANCHEZ TIRONA, GLOBAL HEAD, FISH FOREVER PROGRAM, RARE: Hi. Happy to be here. Thank you.
KINKADE: So you are with the Fish Forever program, which is spread across eight countries, four continents, revitalizing fishing programs and improving livelihoods in coastal communities.
Just explain your role.
SANCHEZ TIRONA: So I lead a team of over 100 people spread across these countries and basically we are working with local partners on the ground, local governments and communities to establish these areas of both protection and sustainable use.
We believe that communities who are closest to the resource are really the ones who are best placed to protect and manage their resources because they're the ones that ultimately benefit or lose the most if they're not protected properly.
KINKADE: And your organization, of course, was a finalist for the global environmental award known as the Earthshot Prize. What does it mean to be a finalist? And talk to us about the competition for that price?
SANCHEZ TIRONA: Right. So the Earthshot Prize started three years ago, was founded by Prince William. And they basically would select 15 finalists every year around five different Earthshots.
So there are three finalists in each category. We're in the "Revival Our Oceans" category and one winner is chosen. But all 15 go through this incredible year really of support and fellowship. It's really a fellowship where they are providing us with introductions, networking opportunities, a lot of mentoring and master classes to help us with the goal of really supporting all 15 towards scaling their solutions.
And then combining that with the power of all the other finalists and winners from past years.
KINKADE: That's excellent.
I want to ask you about a new report that looks at the world's life support systems and suggests that the earth may have breached seven of nine planetary boundaries.
Can you explain what exactly that means?
SANCHEZ TIRONA: Yes. So it's -- they're really using these different metrics on land, on air and in the oceans with things like ocean acidification, the ozone layer, et cetera. And these are the things that really are critical to the earth's functions. I think what it really says to us is that we're really, really at a critical level.
On the other hand, I don't think it's the first time were hearing this. This is really something that a lot of the science has been building up to in the past and that's helped to provoke action.
That's why the -- on the climate conventions, the countries have pledged to reduce their emissions. In biodiversity last year, they committed to protect 30 percent of the planet in different ways.
So I think these kinds of reports have prompted at least the first part of the problem with just really getting people to appreciate the problem and then come to agreement at least on goals.
I think the next step is really to make this happen in reality.
KINKADE: The U.N. General Assembly, of course, is underway this week. And for years we've heard from world leaders talking about climate change being a major issue.
But right now, there are so many major conflicts that are -- that are certainly taking the focus and the spotlight.
[01:49:48]
KINKADE: Do you fear that global climate change and its effects are being somewhat overlooked, right now?
SANCHEZ TIRONA: I don't think so. I do think that people know it's worse and that it needs to be addressed and we are seeing a lot of those signs. That's why these discussions at the global level have -- have taken place and these agreements and goals have been set.
However its really in the -- in the Implementation and practice of it where we're failing.
So in Dubai last year, there was commitments from countries to start to phase out fossil fuels. But some of the biggest producers are taking much more shortsighted -- kind of letting shortsighted priorities around pressure to drive the economy, et cetera. And so they're not actually living up to these kinds of commitments.
And I think that's, that's where we have to do more.
KINKADE: Exactly, yes.
Rocky Sanchez Tirona, good to have you with us. Thanks so much for your time.
SANCHEZ TIRONA: Thank you, Lynda.
KINKADE: We're going to take a quick break.
We'll be back with much more news in just a moment. You're watching CNN.
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KINKADE: The Swiss police have made several arrests after a 64-year- old American woman took her own life using a controversial suicide pod. The self-operated capsule causes death by hypoxia where the body is starved of oxygen. It was used at a Swiss woodland location on Monday.
There, assisted dying is legal, but not euthanasia. A spokesperson for The Last Resort, the group behind that device says its legal advice was that the pod could be used.
But on the day it was used the Swiss interior minister said it was not legal.
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ELISABETH BAUME-SCHNEIDER, SWISS INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): The so-called suicide capsule is not legally compliant in two respects.
Firstly, it does not meet the requirements of the Products Safety Act and therefore may not be placed on the market.
Secondly, the corresponding use of nitrogen is not compatible with the purpose of the Chemicals Act.
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KINKADE: The Last Resort says its co-president has been detained along with three other people.
According to the group the deceased, who had health problems, had passed psychiatric tests.
Help is available if you or someone you know, is struggling with suicidal thoughts. You can head to CNN.com for those global resources.
Police in Spain have arrested five people for allegedly scamming two women out of 325,000 euros by pretending to be Hollywood star Brad Pitt. The civil guard says ten others were investigated as part of Operation Bralina.
Police say the fraudsters contacted the victims via a Brad Pitt fan site, telling them the actor wanted to invest in projects with them.
China's economic downturn has led to people there pulling back on spending. And luxury brands are feeling the pinch with many younger shoppers turning to so-called dupes. That is high-quality knockoffs of expensive items without the company logos.
Here's one example, yoga pants -- on the left is Lululemon and sell for more than $100. The pair on the right from Temu (ph) goes for just $12.
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KINKADE: A recent marketing study shows social media searches for dupes have tripled in China in the past few years.
Well, veteran film director Francis Ford Coppola's self-financed sci- fi film "Megalopolis" is coming to cinemas around the world this week.
The Oscar-winning director says this is a passion project that he's been working on for the better part of four decades. Coppola and the film's stars described the making of the futuristic film, which was created right here in Atlanta.
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LAURENCE FISHBURNE, ACTOR: When does an empire die? Does it collapse in one terrible (ph) moment? No. No. But there comes a time when people no longer believe it.
DAVID DANIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Francis Ford Coppola's "Megalopolis" shows a society at a breaking point, or a turning point.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And when we ask these questions and there's a dialog about this, I basically use it.
ADAM DRIVER, ACTOR: For Francis at this point in his life to be making a film about the future as a Utopia is, you know, that they have such faith in humanity to kind of solve our problems.
DANIEL: For Coppola, one kind of Utopia is collaboration.
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA, FILM DIRECTOR: When you make a film you're not just telling people what to do. You're inviting them to collaborate together with you and even the actors collaborate on other aspects of the film.
NATHALIE EMMANUEL, ACTRESS: I just think it was always about asking questions and yes, just keeping that open dialog.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My plan is a city that people can dream about.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It may be rough.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What about those standing in your way?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like it the way it is.
GIANCARLO ESPOSITO, ACTOR: It's a very delicate position trying to figure out how to move forward, help the people, yet still hold onto a relationship with his daughter and his wife and to preserve what he thinks is the way it should be done.
DANIEL: Coppola sees a parallel between the rulers of "Megalopolis" and today's political leaders.
COPPOLA: Their job is to make a world good for the people and yet they're more concerned of who's powerful and who's not powerful. And we are in danger of losing our republic the same way Rome was.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is society. This is the way we are living. The only one that's available to us.
DANIEL: In Hollywood, I'm David Daniel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Thanks for joining. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
CNN NEWSROOM continues with the wonderful rosemary church in just a moment.
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