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Israel Targets Beirut; Blinken Speaks with Qatari, French, and Saudi Counterparts; Trump's Return to Butler; Harris Visits the Devastation Caused by Hurricane Helene; Florida Braces for Another Hurricane; L.A. Prosecutors Review New Evidence in Menendez Murder Case; High Tensions in Mideast; 30 Rockets Fired into Israel Sunday; New York Heightens Security Near Synagogues. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired October 06, 2024 - 04:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[04:00:00]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

Israel targets Beirut after issuing evacuation orders for parts of the Lebanese capital as Hezbollah fires back across the border. We'll have details in the live report.

With less than one month until election day, Donald Trump returns to Butler, Pennsylvania, the site of an assassination attempt against him earlier this year.

And Kamala Harris visits the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene as a new storm heads towards areas only beginning to rebuild.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: And we begin in the Middle East where fighting is raging on multiple fronts and fears of a bigger war are growing just as Israel prepares to mark the anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7th.

A short time ago, Israel's military announced that it's surrounding the Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza. It says Hamas was detected in the area trying to rebuild its operational capabilities. The IDF says it's working to stop that from happening. And we're also getting word of an Israeli strike on a mosque in Gaza overnight, which reportedly killed at least 21 people. Now, that's happening as the IDF is on high alert for Monday's anniversary of the October 7th attack, and as the region braces for the IDF's expected retaliation against Iran for its strikes on Israel this week.

Now, in Beirut, CNN crews reported near constant explosions this morning as Israeli strikes pounded the city. Israel's military says it struck Hezbollah weapons facilities overnight and suggested there will be more, but Hezbollah is fighting back.

Israel says about 30 projectiles crossed into Israel this morning on top of about 130 that came in on Saturday. Now, some of them were shot down, but others got through. Salma Abdelaziz is keeping an eye on all those developments, and she joins us from London with more. So, Salma, first, on the Israeli strikes, what's the latest?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so yet another round of intense airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut into the overnight hours into the early hours of this morning. The southern suburbs of Beirut are known to be a Hezbollah stronghold, and that's what Israel says it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure. And this area in particular, again, the southern suburb of Beirut, it's been very much caught up in this extremely intense aerial bombardment campaign that's taking place for a few weeks now.

But now just in Southern Beirut, you also have a strike that took place, a very rare one, in Tripoli, that's the northern most city in Lebanon, an attack on a Hamas operative, according to Israel. Again, showing the scope and reach of its offensive on Lebanon. Israel continues to maintain that these are precision strikes, but absolutely civilians are caught in the middle. So, far, this assault -- these three weeks of intensive bombardment, including that ground incursion has cost 1,400 people to be killed across Lebanon. One million displaced. There are calls for ceasefire calls for calm. But Prime Minister Netanyahu is only ever more defiant. Take a listen to a statement he released from his office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Today. Israel is defending itself on seven fronts against the enemies of civilization. For defending ourselves against this barbarism, Israel is defending civilizations against those who seek to impose a dark age of fanaticism on all of us. Rest assured, Israel will fight until the battle is won for our sake and for the sake of the peace and security of the entire world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: I want you to take a note of his tone there, Kim, because this is important. This is yet another dangerous moment in the Middle East. Prime Minister Netanyahu is right now deciding how to respond to Iran's attack on Israel on Tuesday. The concern is that the response, the retaliation, is so large in scope and scale to only drag Iran further into this conflict, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. And speaking of Iran, Israel still weighing that response to Iran's missile attack.

[04:05:00]

ABDELAZIZ: Absolutely. And there's a few questions here that need to be considered. When is this going to happen? Of course, Israel is not going to reveal its military plans, but it's important to know that tomorrow, October 7th, marks the anniversary of that attack on Israel.

U.S. officials were asked if they see that that could potentially be a date, October 7th, as the date for retaliation. Of course, they told reporters, we simply don't know. It's unclear at this time. But there's two things that Israel needs to play at here. Are they going to respond to the intention of Iran's attack? This was the largest ballistic missile attack, the largest attack by Iran on Israel. So, its scope and scale is extremely large, but its impact was small, minimal damage one person killed. So, does Israel respond to the actual result of that attack and respond in a more limited way?

And then, of course, there's a response to the response, because Iran has already vowed that however Israel retaliates Iran could retaliate even further. It is that tit for tat that continues to draw this region deeper and deeper into a war that only claims more and more lives by the day. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. Salma Abdelaziz, in London. Thanks so much. And U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is reaching out to foreign leaders to try to quell the destruction in the Middle East. The top American diplomat spoke with his Saudi, French, and Qatari counterparts on Saturday.

The talks focused on the conditions for civilians in Lebanon and Gaza, and the importance of allowing people on both sides of the Israel- Lebanon border to return to their homes. Blinken also discussed ceasefire and hostage release negotiations in Gaza with the French foreign minister, and those talks are effectively in limbo.

Well, we are less than a month away from Election Day here in the U.S., as both presidential nominees battle to secure any undecided voters. Vice President Kamala Harris is back in Washington today, and Former President Donald Trump is expected to visit Wisconsin for another rally.

Now, Trump traveled to Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, where he survived an assassination attempt in July. He honored the victims of the shooting during a rally, but he also suggested that his political rivals may have tried to kill him without providing any evidence. It's CNN's Alayna Treene reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Former President Donald Trump returned to Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, exactly 12 weeks after that first assassination attempt on his life in July. Now, one thing of note is they held it in the exact same rally as it was back in July, but some things were different. There was definitely heightened security. You could see more agents on the ground.

But the rally on Saturday was really about the honoring the victims, especially the man who had died in July. His name was Corey Comperatore. And Donald Trump spoke at length about him on stage. He actually paused his remarks at 6:11 p.m., the exact time 12 weeks earlier that the gunman had fired those shots for a moment of silence. Donald Trump also spoke about the victims who were injured that day and thanked local law enforcement on the ground.

However, part of this speech in Butler actually reminded me of the speech Donald Trump delivered at the Republican National Convention just days after that assassination attempt, when he had promised a message of unity and gave one for roughly 30 minutes, but then segued into a kind of the typical Donald Trump we know, by using a harsh rhetoric and attacking his political opponents.

He did the same thing on Saturday, as did his running mate, J.D. Vance. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Over the past eight years, those who want to stop us from achieving this future have slandered me, impeached me, indicted me, tried to throw me off the ballot, and who knows, maybe even tried to kill me.

SEN. JD VANCE (R-OH), REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: First, they tried to silence him. When that didn't work, they tried to bankrupt him. When that didn't work, they tried to jail him. And with all the hatred they have spewed at President Trump, it was only a matter of time before somebody tried to kill him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, both Donald Trump and J.D. Vance have in the past tried to claim that perhaps Democrats and their rhetoric arguing that he is a threat to democracy could have been responsible for the assassination attempt. Of course, there is no evidence to suggest that that is true.

And just one other moment of note on Saturday is that Donald Trump called up Elon Musk to the stage. This is the first time that we have seen Musk not only at a rally but to get up on stage and speak at one. Also, worth noting, Musk first endorsed Donald Trump just moments after the assassination attempt in Butler on July 13th. So, kind of a full circle moment there. And, of course, Musk has become really a top surrogate for Donald Trump on Saturday. He argued that this is going to be the most important election of Americans' lifetimes.

Alayna Treene, CNN, Butler, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[04:10:00]

BRUNHUBER: So, as Alayna mentioned there, Trump invited billionaire Elon Musk to speak during the rally. So, here's what some of what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELON MUSK, CEO, SPACEX AND TESLA MOTORS AND TRUMP SUPPORTER: I think this election, I think it's the most important election of our lifetime. This is no ordinary election. The other side wants to take away your freedom of speech. They want to take away your right to bear arms. That they want to -- it's -- we're -- they want to take away your right to vote effectively. If people don't know what's going on, if they don't know the truth, how can you make an informed vote? You must have free speech in order to have democracy. That's why it's the First Amendment. And the Second Amendment is there to ensure that we have the First Amendment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now, Kamala Harris has pushed back on that claim saying she's a gun owner and so is her running mate Tim Walz, and she says they're not taking away anybody's guns.

Now, Harris was in North Carolina Saturday where Hurricane Helene had its deadliest impact. The vice president met with volunteers at the Dream Center, a primary care facility in Charlotte, and help them pack essentials for hurricane victims. She also thanked members of the Air National Guard for the work they were doing in disaster relief. And she said the purpose of her visit was to see for herself what federal resources were needed to aid the recovery process and to get the help to people who need it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: So, I came here to find out what's going on the ground, to find out what more we can do in terms of federal aid, such as what we announced today and the federal support we're giving to Mecklenburg County in terms of disaster relief, the work that we are doing, which is $100 million to assist with the rebuilding of Interstate 40. And also, again, just to thank the folks on the ground for what they're doing every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: I want to bring in Natasha Lindstaedt, who's a professor of government at the University of Essex, and she joins us now from Colchester, England. Thanks so much for being here with us again.

So, I'll get back to the response to Hurricane Helene in a moment, but I want to start with Donald Trump's return to Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump paid tribute to the man who lost his life. He did say that the movement stands stronger and more united. He projected strength and resilience. What did you make of his remarks?

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: So, I think his return to Butler was about recapturing the momentum. Some of Trump's rallies, it's had -- it has been reported, haven't been that well attended, people have been leaving early. And in this particular rally in Butler, there were people waiting for hours. And I think for Trump's case, he wanted to have a chance to do this all over, because right after his assassination attempt, there was just a lot of momentum behind him.

Five days later, he had his Republican National Convention. It seems like a lock that he was going to be the next president. And then, a few weeks later, you have Biden dropping out of the race, and none of the attention was on this assassination attempt, this incredibly momentous event.

So, they were trying to portray him both as this human person and trying to humanize him with some of the speeches talking about the way that he responded to the assassination attempt, but also portraying him as this hero, this invincible figure that could face down assassins, and as Vance said, while Harris was afraid of taking interviews.

BRUNHUBER: Yes.

LINDSTAEDT: So, this was more about gaining momentum.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. You know, facing down assassins. You almost implying that they were Democratic assassins. I mean, it's curious that Trump and his running mate has said that the assassination attempt was a result of you know, heightened rhetoric. So, what do you make of the fact that then Trump now suggesting basically his political opponents tried to kill him?

LINDSTAEDT: I mean, it's just ridiculous. If you really think about what happened in January 6th and the rhetoric, the incredibly violent, destructive, and divisive rhetoric that Trump was using that led to the deaths, according to The New York Times, of at least five people and led to a siege on the Capitol, and then him claiming that the Democrat's rhetoric was the problem. When we also know that the assassin was a registered Republican. There wasn't any evidence at all that Democrats were behind this.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So, we saw Elon Musk, the world's richest man by Trump's side. Musk has helped prop up many of the right-wing conspiracy theories with his platform X. So, what effect do you think his support might have in the race, if any?

LINDSTAEDT: So, I don't see Elon Musk in this moment as a very popular figure amongst the U.S. public. He's been criticized for the way that he has managed Twitter or X, and he's been criticized as just being incredibly transactional.

[04:15:00]

You have to remember that he was the beneficiary of billions in contracts from the federal government and subsidies. And then, when it appeared that the Biden administration wanted to help support other companies in producing electric cars, then he changed his tune. And now, he wants to head some kind of efficiency commission if Trump is elected. And then he spouted out complete lies about the Democrats trying to infringe on free speech, the right to bear arms, as was mentioned, and voting rights.

I mean, this is actually something where the Republicans have been engaging in serious attempts at voter suppression. So, I don't know what impact he will have on pushing people to vote for Trump. His main impact, I think, has been financial, because he's become a big donor.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. All right. I want to go back to Hurricane Helene. Now, we saw Harris visiting North Carolina. I mean, sometimes these major storms can become major political events as well, like we saw with Hurricane Katrina. And that seems to be what's happening with Helene, which hit battleground states, Georgia, North Carolina, especially Republican areas were hit really hard.

So, I'm wondering what effect that that might have on the race, either affecting turnout because folks might have, you know, bigger issues to worry about than voting or the Republicans trying to use misinformation to demonize the Biden administration's response.

LINDSTAEDT: Right. And I think that's the important thing to focus on, the misinformation around the response that Trump had stated, that Biden hadn't called the governor of Georgia, when it turned out that indeed had happened, that they had communicated and that the Biden administration had not provided enough of a response.

Harris is there in her role as vice president, of course, and she's touring the damage and trying to offer her support, but it's also critical that the Democrats try to provide accurate information about what is happening and about the federal support that's being offered. And I think it's important to also draw a contrast of what happened when Trump was president back in 2018, and he didn't want to provide federal aid to the State of California because it hadn't voted for him, he said, even though they had been ravaged by wildfires.

And it wasn't until someone let him know, well, actually, there were more Californians that voted for you in the election than the entire State of Iowa that aid was to be provided. I think the Harris campaign is trying to draw a contrast between someone who is very personalistic, very focused on loyalty tests and a president who can offer supporting aid to all Americans.

And of course, that's what they're trying to explain to the American public, but also offer tremendous supports to the ravaged regions in the U.S.

BRUNHUBER: All right. We'll have to leave it there. Always appreciate your insights. Natasha Lindstaedt, thank you so much.

LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.

BRUNHUBER: All right. When we come back more on Vice President Kamala Harris' recent trip to the storm zone and the ongoing hurricane relief efforts.

Plus, Florida is bracing for what could be another major hurricane, less than two weeks after Helene made its devastating landfall. We'll have all that and more when we come back. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:00]

BRUNHUBER: More now on Hurricane Helene. The death toll has now climbed to at least 227. Two more deaths were reported Saturday in South Carolina. Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to the region again Saturday to see relief efforts, thank people helping with recovery, and gauge federal aid requirements. CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Vice President Kamala Harris traveling to Charlotte, North Carolina on Saturday, trying to show leadership, trying to project competence as the southeast continues to dig out after those devastating storms last week.

Now, Harris received debriefing from the FEMA administrator. She spoke with North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. She also met with families whose lives have been upended from the storm, including one family who was forced to temporarily relocate from Western North Carolina to Charlotte with their six-month-old baby. Harris also met with first responders and thanked them for their efforts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The work that is happening here and that continues really is the best of what we can do to bring federal, state, and local resources together in a way that is coordinated with one purpose and one purpose only, which is bringing relief, support, and help to the people who are most in need and desperate for help and desperate to be seen and heard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: Now, notably, Vice President Harris made this trip in her role as a vice president, not as a candidate. But this is now only about a month until election day. And certainly, this is coming at a critical moment on the campaign trail.

We heard her for her opponent, Former President Donald Trump, out on the campaign trail when he was visiting in Georgia this week, really blast the administration saying and claiming without evidence that they were withholding aid to those in need. That is something that we heard the White House and President Biden pushed very forcefully back on and something we certainly heard her echo out when she was touring North Carolina on Saturday saying, we are here for the long haul. We're putting all hands-on deck.

Sunlen Serfaty, CNN, at the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Now, less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida. The state is bracing for yet another hurricane, potentially a major Category 3 storm. Tropical Storm Milton formed in the western Gulf on Saturday. It's expected to quickly intensify and bring life-threatening conditions to parts of Florida's west coast around midweek.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in advance for 35 counties on Saturday. The U.S. National Hurricane Center is also warning people in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and the Northwestern Bahamas to closely monitor this new storm system.

[04:25:00]

Prosecutors in Los Angeles are reviewing new evidence in the murder convictions of Erik and Lyle Menendez. The brothers were found guilty of killing their parents more than three decades ago, but now they're asking the court to set aside those convictions of life in prison. CNN's Camila Bernal has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The attorney representing the brothers says he is now optimistic about the Los Angeles D.A. reviewing some of the evidence in this case. The question is not whether or not these two brothers killed their parents back in 1989 in that Beverly Hills mansion, they have admitted to doing so.

So, the question is, should they be serving this life sentence? Their attorney does not think so, and it's why he's been pushing for that conviction to be vacated, and it's why he's been pushing for a review of this evidence. But it comes in the middle of renewed attention to this case, thanks to social media, thanks to documentaries and the new Netflix docudrama, and even the district attorney here in Los Angeles, George Gascon, saying that this is part of the reason why we're talking about this right now. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE GASCON, LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: The reason why we have become more public is because after the documentary we began to get, you know, many, many requests from media and others about where was the case. The case is actually schedule for a hearing on November 29th. And -- but for the documentary, quite frankly, we probably would not be talking at this point. We may be talking later. But that certainly has increased the attention by the public. And that's what we're being public about where we are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: And the sexual abuse allegations are also back in the spotlight. And it is important because this is the central argument for the defense here. The defense says these brothers killed their parents because they were sexually abused by their father. So, part of that new evidence, they say, essentially backs up this argument.

One of the pieces of evidence is a letter that Erik, one of the brothers, wrote to a cousin detailing that sexual abuse before the murders. The other part of the evidence here is testimony from a member of the music band, Menudo, who says that he too was sexually abused by the brother's father, Jose Menendez.

And so, the district attorney who is now going through a re-election campaign says he's reviewing all of this evidence and will eventually make a decision on what is appropriate in this case. The next hearing is scheduled for November 29th. But one of the things that both the defense team and the district attorney agree on is that essentially what they've said is that if this case were to happen today, sexual abuse would have been seen very differently. Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Tensions are close to the boiling point in the Middle East amid fears Israel's expected retaliation against Iran could push the region over the edge. That's ahead.

Plus, extra police presence near New York synagogues ahead of a gruesome anniversary and an important Jewish holiday. Why the governor says these precautions are necessary. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:00]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

All right. Let's get you up to speed with our developing story in the Middle East. The Israeli military says its troops have surrounded the Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza, saying Hamas is trying to rebuild its operations there. The statement says the troops will stay there until the Hamas infrastructure is dismantled.

CNN crews also reported near-constant explosions in Beirut this morning as Israeli strikes kept pounding the city. Now, this is new video showing the destruction in Beirut's southern suburbs. We're also getting word of an Israeli strike on a mosque in Gaza overnight, which reportedly left at least 21 people dead, and Israel itself is also taking fire. The IDF says about 30 projectiles came from Lebanon this morning on top of more than 130 launched yesterday.

All right. For more on this, I want to bring in Miri Eisen, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Terrorism at Reichman University, and she's also a retired IDF reserve colonel. Thanks so much for being here with us again.

So, I want to start with this, part of Israel's aim in opening this new front in Lebanon against Hezbollah is to allow eventually the return of some 90,000 Israelis who've been ordered or who have chosen to leave the north because of Hezbollah rocket and missile attacks. So, what is the situation there in northern Israel? Give us some context here.

COL. MIRI EISIN (RET.), SENIOR FOLLOW, INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR COUNTER-TERRORISM, REICHMAN UNIVERSITY AND ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES (RET.): So, it's not a new front. Hezbollah started to attack Israel from October 8th, but Hezbollah Redwan Forces, and I wish that we would show more, some of those Hezbollah clips that they're so, so -- what's the word I'm going to use -- proud of is that they were planning to do an October 7th type attack. Only they are much stronger than Hamas. They have way more weapons, much more diverse, and they were deployed on the border on the Lebanese side. So, what the Israeli troops are doing right now is going into the area that the Redwan Forces were deployed in. They are Lebanese. They are Shiites. It's in the towns. It's in the villages. It's also subterranean, underground. It's cache of weapons. It's command and control. But what they were doing there was amassing these weapons to do a cross-border multi-pronged attack against Israel. They didn't do so.

And we have been acting now to make sure that they can't do so to allow, as you said before, Israelis who were both told to leave October 8th because of that impending attack and who left because rockets and missiles have been targeting their homes in Israel every single day since, and they were told to leave to allow them to come back to their homes.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, and the cost of those Israelis to abandon everything is huge. The cost of the Lebanese civilians who are now facing the fallout from these attacks is also huge. The attacks from Hezbollah in Northern Israel, they have resulted in relatively few casualties. But what we've seen from Israel's recent attacks in Lebanon some 1,500 dead, thousands more wounded, including hundreds of children.

EISIN: Kim, I'm going to hope in the sense that you'll agree with me that we're not supposed to be penalized for the fact that Hezbollah has fired 10,000, 10,000 projectiles into Israel and that we have an air defense system, but we shouldn't be penalized for the fact that we have this protection system that everybody under is in an umbrella, and that we have early warning, and we're told air defense, and also that Israel has tried as much as we can and consistently to give early warning to all of the civilians.

[04:35:00]

My heart goes out to the civilians, but can we call out Hezbollah, who is building this enormous terror army inside Lebanon, in the towns and villages? What are we supposed to do? Just allow it to be there and have an October 7th type attack? We still have 101 Israeli hostages that are held by Hamas. Hezbollah now would like to do a cross-border attack to take more hostages. I want to call out Hezbollah and my heart goes out to the civilians.

BRUNHUBER: You mentioned October 7th, as we approach the anniversary. I mean, what is the mood in the country right now?

EISIN: So, I was just thinking about the fact that 9/11 is a day that I'm never going to forget. And I imagine all of us know exactly where we are. But I think what the rest of the world does not really understand right now is that we're stuck on October 7th, that it's not done, that we have been, as Israelis, in a multifront war from then. It wasn't a singular horrific attack, and it was a singular horrific attack.

250 people, and we never knew the exact number because they've never said, hostages that were taken from their homes on a Saturday morning during a Jewish holiday. So, that the mood here is both talking about the fallen, talking about the hostages. We haven't been able to mourn or commemorate because Hezbollah from Lebanon has been attacking every single day, because we're trying to get the hostages back.

Yes, both militarily and it's harsh. War is terrible, but I say that that mood is that here we are a year later where hostages are not back. The world has turned against us and we kind of sit here and go, so when Hamas attacks and Hezbollah attacks and the Houthi Yemenites attacks, when Iran attacks, it's turned around and seen as Israel, the aggressor that perhaps, for me, personally is the worst part, but right now, I just like to mourn all of the people that were murdered and massacred on October 7th, and to tell the people who have not seen their loved ones, who have been in Hamas captivity from October 7th, that Hamas is the bad guy, that Hezbollah is the bad guy, that what we're trying to do is to bring them home.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. And, you know, I'll say much of the world will join that mourning for the reasons you outlined there, and this is still something that's going on and Israel's enemies might want to use the anniversary to again attack Israel. Here in the U.S., the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have warned the date might motivate extremists.

So, what level of heightened security is there in Israel and how nervous are people about the prospect of another high-profile attack?

EISIN: Kim, we're always aware of that. Most people don't realize that on Tuesday evening because Iran attacked us with cruise missiles. But on that same to Tuesday evening, there was a terror attack, which means the two terrorists came in, opened fire with hard arms with Kalashnikovs against Israelis in the heart of Tel Aviv on the light rail, people that were on their way home. Seven Israelis were killed. It's as if nobody notices that anymore. So, we're on high alert for those kinds of attacks.

We're, in addition, at the end. It's to me the worst part, as you say, they're on high alert, synagogues worldwide. It's the Day of Atonement this coming weekend, a very important Jewish holiday. We just went through a Jewish holiday, he new year, the attack that Hamas did in the first place was on a Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah.

So, what we do is we act as we can in accordance with both the law. We listen to Homeland Security, the Israeli one. We try to keep on living. The best thing for terror is if we stand frozen. So, for me, my resilience against terror is that I keep on working and I keep on having my daily life and I stand strong and I continue to feel that where I live right now, the fact that the bad guys -- and I put it in those really, you know, juvenile type terms, since when are Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, or the Islamic regime of Iran, something that should be glorified?

They are celebrating October 7th. Don't allow that inside the United States or Canada or around the world. Call it out for what it is, and it didn't end on October 7th for us, and we're all on high alert.

BRUNHUBER: Always appreciate your perspective. Miri Eisen, thank you so much.

EISIN: Thank you, Kim, for having us, and Shana Tova. Happy Jewish New Year.

[04:40:00]

BRUNHUBER: Protesters are gathering in Israel ahead of the painful anniversary of the October 7th attacks. They're demanding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu act quickly and decisively to free the hostages still in Gaza. Huge crowds rallied in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other cities, blocking traffic and handing out ribbons to motorists.

Now, their anger is focused not only on Hamas for carrying out the gruesome attacks last year, but also on Netanyahu. Protesters blame him for letting an entire year go by without securing the release of all of the hostages.

After striking a deal with police, a pro-Palestinian group gathered for a demonstration in Sydney, Australia. Police wanted to block protests on October 6th and 7th, citing safety concerns, but organizers agreed to change the location and route of their demonstration. The group also withdrew a request for protest on October 7th, the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel. The group says it will hold a vigil instead. Similar marches happened in cities around the world on Saturday.

And as we mentioned, New York City is on high alert following multiple bomb threats targeting synagogues. None were deemed credible, but this comes ahead of the grim anniversary of the October 7th attacks. And as Jews around the world prepare for Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. CNN Correspondent Gloria Pazmino has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And it is important to emphasize that we heard from New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Friday after several synagogues across the state received these bomb threats. None of the threats were deemed credible. But as a result of the upcoming Jewish holidays, as well as the first-year anniversary of the October 7th attacks, the governor said that she was deploying a state police force to partner with local law enforcement agencies to make sure that communities across the state are safe.

Now, we are here in front of Temple Emanu-El in New York City, one of the biggest temples in the city and a really important symbol for Jewish people here in New York, but also outside of the city. New York is home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel. And we heard from the FBI as well as the Department of Homeland Security last week that the combination of the upcoming October 7th anniversary as well as the ongoing tensions in the Middle East could be a reason for extremists to commit acts of violence.

Again, important to highlight that there have been no credible threats at this time, but the NYPD will continue their presence here and at other houses of worship across the city for the next two weeks as we approach the anniversary of October 7th on Monday, but also the Jewish holidays later in the week.

Gloria Pazmino, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Well, when we come back, Florida just can't catch a break. The latest on Tropical Storm Milton forecast rapidly intensify into a hurricane before making landfall in Florida this week. We'll have more on that coming up. Please stay with us.

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[04:45:00]

BRUNHUBER: We continue to monitor Tropical Storm Milton, which formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, just hours after it became a tropical depression. It's expected to rapidly intensify in the coming days before hitting the west coast of Florida as a hurricane.

We're going to go straight to CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar. I mean, really the last thing that folks in Florida need, right, and we just got an update on the wind speeds. What's the latest?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. Yes. So, right now, the latest update that just came in, we're now up to sustained winds at 50 miles per hour. It's not much more, but it's showing the gradual progression of this thing continuing to intensify.

So, let's take a look at the map so we can show you exactly what we're dealing with here. The sustained winds are 50 miles an hour, it's gusting up to 65, moving east at about five miles per hour. But that forward speed is expected to pick up here in about the next 24 to 36 hours.

Still sitting over the Western Gulf of Mexico, but it's going to start that eastward trek here as we go through the rest of the day today and really into the upcoming week. And it's going to go -- continue to make its way and strengthen possibly up to a Category 3, which is a major hurricane. The real question is, does it weaken back down to a Category 2 at the time of landfall, or is it strong enough to maintain that major hurricane strength when it makes landfall?

Lots of question here as to exactly where it makes landfall. Still could be the Big Bend, which was just hit by Helene now about 11 days ago, or it could go all the way as far south to say Naples. So, a lot of areas. Still here. The point is, for all of these areas, they are expecting a tremendous amount of rain regardless of where the landfall point is.

It's also going to be headed into very warm waters, despite having Helene in there recently, which usually kind of churns it up and cools the water down a little bit, it's really not going to be the case. It's been able to warm back up pretty quickly.

Now, one thing to note is all of those spaghetti plot models that kind of go through that area, most of them still have it kind of going into that similar region. Here you can take a look again at what we're dealing with in terms of the rain, most of it's going to be focused across Central Florida, but really from Gainesville all the way down to Key West, you're looking at widespread totals of four to six inches of rain. But notice that area in the middle here, now you're talking six to 10. There's even a little bit of a pink shaded area in and around Tampa St. Pete region. Now, you're talking maybe a foot or more of rain from now all the way until Thursday.

Now, part of that is we have a precursor event, Kim, which is rain out ahead of the event. So, you've got the flood watch that's in effect for now all the way until Thursday.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Worrisome. We're still, what, two months left of the Atlantic hurricane season, right?

CHINCHAR: Yes.

BRUNHUBER: All right. I appreciate it. Well, a town in Argentina has some unwanted new neighbors. Still ahead, the invasion of thousands of parrots. Look at why they came to town and how it might be hard to get them to leave. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: All right. Have a look at this pretty cool time lapse. All sorts of hot air balloons, getting their burners fired up and being inflated and rising into the air in a colorful spectacle. Thousands of people are in New Mexico for the 52nd annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. More than 500 balloons are expected at the nine-day event, which is considered the largest gathering of hot air balloons in the world.

A parrot invasion is tormenting residents in one town in Argentina, from the screeching all day and night to destroying power and water lines. CNN's Elisa Raffa explains the bird's natural habitat has been destroyed and they're just looking for a new home.

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ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): The town of Hilario Ascasubi is facing a parrot invasion. Thousands of the multicolored birds have increasingly occupied this Argentinian city in a site similar to that of Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 thriller, "The Birds."

In recent years, the parrots have arrived in pursuit of shelter through the fall and winter months, but now, it's spring in Argentina, a biologist at the National University of the South says the parrots have come due to disappearing trees along the hillsides.

DAIANA LERA, BIOLOGIST (through translator): Estimates say that 4 percent of the forest is lost annually in the south of the province of Buenos Aires. It is causing the parrots to have no food available, and they are increasingly moving closer to the cities where they find food, shelter, and water.

RAFFA (voice-over): The parrots, however, have become pests, residents citing a whole range of annoyances, with the birds continuous shrieking, harming electric cables, and leaving deposits of bird droppings everywhere. Despite the various tactics residents have used to scare them away, nothing has worked.

RAMON ALVAREZ, RADIO TAXI FM JOURNALIST (through translator): They bite and damage the cables. Water can then get into the wires when it rains and transmission is cut off. These parrots create daily costs and problems for us. It goes without saying that when the power goes out, there is no radio.

[04:55:00]

RAFFA (voice-over): Argentina's forest land has been gradually lost over the years, but Biologist Lera believes there are proactive steps the residents can take to both restore the environment and allow them to live in peace with the pesky parrots.

LERA (through translator): In the immediate future, we need to start to restore our natural environments, start recovering the hill environments. But until that happens, we have to think of strategies that allow us to live together in the most harmonious way possible in our towns.

RAFFA (voice-over): For now, locals say there can be up to 10 parrots for every one of the town's 5,000 residents. The birds have taken over the town, only leaving during the summer months to migrate south for breeding season.

Elisa Raffa, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Well, it was an unbelievable upset in college football Saturday night. The Vanderbilt Commodores defeated number one ranked Alabama 40 to 35 in Nashville. Now, Vanderbilt has never beaten a top five team in its program's history. And this comes just one week after the Crimson Tide earned their top spot by taking out long-time rivals the Georgia Bulldogs. The Commodores head coach says it took t had to defeat Alabama.

And as you can imagine, fans are so excited, they rushed the field and tore down the goalposts, parading down Broadway, even tossing into the Cumberland River.

Well, over in the Big 10 a shaky first half, number 3 Ohio State found its footing in the third quarter and secured a 35-7 victory against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ohio State quarterback Will Howard threw four touchdown passes in Saturday's game, putting up 21 points in the third quarter alone. The Buckeyes face number six Oregon next Saturday and Iowa will host Washington.

All right. That wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in just a moment. Please do stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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