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Hezbollah Official Says Israel Must Choose Ceasefire or Pain; U.N. Refugee Agency Reports More Than One Million in Lebanon Have Fled Their Homes; Chinese Pandas Begin 10-year Residency in Washington; Prague Bans Late-night Bar Crawls; Plans Announced for Sphere Entertainment Venue in Abu Dhabi. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired October 16, 2024 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:29]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Just ahead, the U.S. gives Israel an ultimatum. Help improve conditions in Gaza or risk losing military aid. Smashing records in a critical swing state as early voting gets underway in Georgia. Turnout is hitting new highs.

And bow wow. Giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao arrive in the U.S. after a long trip from China.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Lynda Kinkade.

KINKADE: It is 9:00 a.m. In Beirut, where the first Israeli airstrikes in days have hit the Lebanese capital. State media report the city's southern suburbs were targeted. The bombardment came shortly after the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders to residents in what it called a Hezbollah stronghold. The IDF says it hit an underground stockpile of Hezbollah weapons. The U.S. State Department is speaking out for the first time against Israel's bombing campaign in Beirut, raising concerns about the growing civilian death toll.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW MILLER, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: So, there are specific strikes that would be it would be appropriate for Israel to carry out. But when it comes to the scope and nature of the bombing campaign that we saw in Beirut over the past few weeks, it's something that we made clear to the government of Israel. We had concerns with and we were opposed to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: The U.S. Is demanding action from Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The Biden administration warns military aid may be in jeopardy if Israel doesn't increase deliveries, open another border crossing and allow humanitarian pauses for aid distribution and vaccinations. The U.S. says aid deliveries have fallen by about 50 percent since May and September was the lowest of any month in the last year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTOINE RENARD, REPRESENTATIVE AND COUNTRY DIRECTOR, WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME COUNTRY DIRECTOR OF PALESTINE: It's a constant peak emergency. If you look at what's currently happening in the north of Gaza, it is -- as if we are back in October 2023. We face issue with crossings. We face issue in having our assistance not being under bombs because currently that's what's happening in some of our warehouses.

It's not intentional. It is the fact that our partners, our goods are in an area where you do have active combat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, video from the latest Israeli strikes on Gaza is graphic. Emergency and civil defense officials say at least 40 people have been killed. One strike near Khan Yunis in the south reportedly hit a residential building. Other strikes affected areas around a refugee camp in central Gaza. More now on the U.S. demand for Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza from CNN's Oren Liebermann.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Over the course of the past year, we have seen many times the U.S. express its concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza to Israel, calling on the Israelis to do more. That is, let in more humanitarian aid, allow for the free movement of Palestinians from northern Gaza to southern Gaza, allow humanitarian zones to be true safe areas.

But we've never seen quite something like this. This is a first and it marks a significant step in terms of the U.S. demanding that Israel do more when it comes to humanitarian aid going into Gaza. In a letter from Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the two right to senior Israeli officials that more needs to be done that aid since the spring has dropped by some 50 percent and that September had "the lowest of any month during the past year."

In light of that and because of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, Blinken and Austin call on Israel to carry out an "urgent and sustained actions" by your government this month to reverse this trajectory. Now, the U.S. gives Israel 30 days to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza. They point out that this review is effectively necessary by U.S. law because you have to make sure that countries that get U.S. foreign military assistance are following U.S. law and international humanitarian law.

So that, they say, is the reason for this litter. But there is clear concern about the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza. And that's the driving force here. The real question, does this lead to meaningful change when it comes to the U.S. providing military assistance to Israel? Over the course of the past year, the only thing we have seen consistently held was a single shipment of 2000-pound bombs that remains held to this point.

[02:05:00]

But in theory, at least, that's what this warning is about. A threat that if Israel doesn't take stress -- steps to address the humanitarian concerns, you might see that play out and affect U.S. military assistance to Israel. At the same time, the U.S. making it absolutely clear that will do and provide everything it can for Israel's defensive needs. And on that note, the first parts and the first service members from an advanced U.S. anti-ballistic missile system have already arrived in Israel.

The THAAD system, terminal high-altitude area defense. The U.S. and the Pentagon said that would arrive in the coming days. Now, the first components of that are beginning to arrive along with some of the advanced troops that will help set that up. It's not the full system, but that is clearly on the way. The U.S. very much concerned about, first, Israel's promise to respond to an Iranian ballistic missile barrage from earlier this month, and second, Iran's vow to retaliate to any attack.

And that's what the THAAD is there for, to make sure Israel has not only high quality defenses against Iranian attacks but also a great quantity of defenses because we have seen very clearly how large those Iranian barrages can be.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, at the Pentagon.

KINKADE: Earlier, I spoke with Jerusalem Post senior columnist Yaakov Katz about the U.S. demands on Israel and I asked how the Netanyahu government might respond.

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YAAKOV KATZ, SENIOR COLUMNIST, JERUSALEM POST: There's been this tension that's been sometimes above surface, but most of the time below the surface and behind the closed door of the room where there has been some tense moments between the Israeli government and the Biden administration over how this war has been prosecuted. From what I hear in my read of the situation is that what we're facing right now is yes, there is an issue definitely with the entry of humanitarian aid specifically into a pocket in northern Gaza, where the IDF, the Israel Defense Forces are currently operating.

It was a place that they operated back in December. They left, they cleared it out, but Hamas has begun to reconstitute itself. Israel is back in there again, trying to clear out that area. And aid has had a difficulty getting in during this period of time. There are still apparently several hundred thousand Palestinians who are left in that area. But I think what's really going on here, though, is that the Biden administration wants this war over.

They want the war over in Gaza. They want the war over in Lebanon. They would prefer not to have Israel attack Iran in retaliation for what you spoke about earlier, the missile assault from just a couple weeks ago. This is just part of that growing frustration as America nears its general election in just a couple of weeks. They want this war behind them. KINKADE: Exactly. And speaking of that frustration. The U.S. State Department did raise concerns about the attacks on Beirut, not only the civilian death toll rising, but also reported on the many attacks on U.N. peacekeepers. How is Israel's war in Lebanon against Hezbollah perceived in Israel?

KATZ: Well, in Israel is perceived as a very necessary war, almost an existential war and also a war that seems to be going quite well in comparison to how the war began a year ago in Gaza. Let's remember, Lynda, that back then, on October 7th, Israel was completely taken by surprise. 1200 people plus murdered. Another 250 people taken hostage. 101 still being held by Hamas. Here in Lebanon, on the other hand, about a month ago, Israel decides that it's changing the equation on Hezbollah.

It's starting to attack. It had the pager attack. It then took out and eliminated the top Hezbollah leaders like Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah and other top officials inside that Iranian-backed organization has eliminated their long-range missile capability and their PGMs, the precision guided munitions for the most part. Yes, they can still fire rockets, but they've been severely impaired in their capabilities.

So, for Israelis, this is a war that was needed also because you have 60,000 people who can't go back to their homes until Hezbollah is pushed away from that border. But you are right, though. that for the Americans, the concern here specifically with the attacks by Israel in Beirut, is that this will weaken the government of Lebanon. It will weaken the Lebanese armed forces. And these are the entities that the Americans, the French and other countries in the West want to see grab the reins from Hezbollah now that it has been significantly weakened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Our thanks to Yaakov Katz in Jerusalem for that analysis.

We're just 20 days left until the U.S. presidential election and early voting has kicked off with a bang here in the state of Georgia. Election officials say a record breaking 328,000 people cast ballots on the first day of early voting in this crucial swing state. Experts say the race will be decided by a handful of key battleground states, including Georgia. And that's why Donald Trump held several events here in the state Tuesday night.

[02:10:05]

And while Kamala Harris and running mate, Tim Waltz will be here on Wednesday, polling shows a razor thin margin between Harris and Trump in Georgia. A state he lost by less than 12,000 votes to Joe Biden in the 2020 race.

Well, recent polling also shows Trump is picking up additional support from Black and Hispanic male voters. At a rally in Atlanta Tuesday, the Republican nominee said he could not imagine why any voters of color would want to vote for Kamala Harris. He ran through his usual list of dark and deceitful grievances over the Biden administration's handling of immigration. Trump argued Harris's policies would destroy the economy and the country as a whole.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Immediately upon taking the oath of office, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history.

I will rescue every town across America that has been invaded and conquered. They've conquered our country.

But we will put these vicious and bloodthirsty criminals to jail or kick them the hell out of our country, ideally the second.

Kamala's migrant invasion, and that's what it is, is also devastating our great African-American community, stealing American jobs, crushing wages, undercutting the voting power of our own citizens and bringing drugs, crime, and death to our country.

And the African-American community and the Hispanic community is being devastated with the jobs.

And I'll tell you what, any African-American or Hispanic, and you know how well I'm doing there, that votes for Kamala, you got to have your head examined because they are really screwing you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: With the race in the homestretch, Kamala Harris is making her own push to court black male voters who are so crucial to the Democratic campaign. CNN's Eva McKend has more.

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: In perhaps the most wide- ranging conversation so far of the campaign, the Vice President addressing building wealth in black communities, answering a question on reparations, saying it was an issue that needed to be studied. And saying that she understood that there are disparities in certain communities while pledging to be a president for all of America.

She also pushed back against this sense of complacency coming from some corners. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS (D) UNITED STATES DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We should never sit back and say, OK, I'm not going to vote because everything hasn't been solved. I share a desire that everything should be solved, by the way. I think it is -- what we should all want. But that doesn't -- that shouldn't stand in the way of us also knowing we can participate in a process that's about improving things.

And by voting in this election, you have two choices. Or you don't vote. But you have two choices if you do. And it's two very different visions. For our nation, one mind that is about taking us forward and progress and investing in the American people, investing in their ambitions, dealing with their challenges. And the other Donald Trump is about taking us backward. CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD, AMERICAN RADIO HOST: The other is about fascism. Why can't we just say it?

HARRIS: Yes, we can say that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: When asked if she was essentially pandering to black men by focusing specifically on their issues in a new policy platform, she said that these were part of her longstanding commitments, that even prior to running for vice president, these have always been policy views that she has espoused.

The campaign working hard here in Michigan, she's also going to make her case to voters this week, though, in Wisconsin and in Georgia. Eva McKend, CNN, Detroit, Michigan.

KINKADE: CNN Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein is with us from Los Angeles. He's also the Senior Editor at The Atlantic. Good to have you with us.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good to be with you.

KINKADE: So, record turnout in Georgia on day one of early voting. What does that tell you?

BROWNSTEIN: You know, it's hard to know which party benefits anymore from this. In 2020, clearly, Democrats were voting earlier than Republicans. Now it's not 100 percent clear. What it says, though, to me, above all, is that when it was a Biden-Trump race, there were concerns that turnout could be significantly lower than it was in 2020, maybe 20 million lower, but all the indications we have from the early voting, is that while it's hard to kind of say which party is necessarily benefiting.

There is a lot of interest and it looks like we will have a high turnout election again, maybe not all the way to back to where we were in 2020, but substantially higher than what we have seen for most of the 21st century.

KINKADE: Yes. Fascinating. And of course, I want to turn to Trump's rally Monday night, which seemed to turn into an awkward dance where he swayed on stage for some 40 minutes to different songs. I just want to play some of that.

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[02:15:11]

KINKADE: I mean, it's hard to imagine this lasting 40 minutes, but during that time, multiple attendees fainted in the heat. Some people left. Others said, I hope he's OK. What did you make of that?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, look, I mean, Donald Trump -- Donald Trump's campaign has kept him since the debate largely in front of friendly audiences and away from big set piece kind of public appearances, right? I mean, he canceled the 60 minutes interview, was refusing to do another debate. The first debate, I think, raised a lot of questions about kind of where he is at this point in terms of his capacity to kind of sustain an argument or, you know, maintain a coherent, train of thought.

Today, when he was being interviewed by my old friend John MicKlethwait at the Bloomberg, you know, Bloomberg event at the Chicago Economic Council. He again made the argument about, well, I'm weaving in some sort of way that you can't comprehend all of these ideas together. There is, you know, once Biden got out of the race, suddenly Trump is the 78-year-old guy in the campaign and concerns about his fitness for the job are real.

He has dominated the last few weeks, I think, or at least had the upper hand in the last few weeks by shifting the focus to Harris in the battleground states with advertising portraying her as soft and crime on the border and extreme on transgender issues. But the question of whether he can get all the way to the finish line without voters focusing again on all their hesitations about him, maybe the most important question in the campaign.

KINKADE: Yes, exactly. We know that Trump will participate in a Fox News Town Hall. A women-only event and he does seem surprised that he's not doing better amongst women. He said in the past, I'll be your protector. Most women, it seems want a leader, not a protector. How do you think this event will bode for him? How will it play out for him?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, the protector language is I wrote a whole column about it was really -- is very, very revealing, not only in the sense that he is emphasizing security and threat as a way of trying to hold women voters but also as a reminder that, as in many things that J.D. Vance has said, the Trump campaign is sending a message of very traditional gender roles. The idea of the man as the protector, childless cat ladies, I think parents should get more votes if they -- if they have kids.

And that appeals to a segment of female voters but not to the largest segment. If you believe, as I do, that Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the three former blue wall states are still the most likely places to decide the election. What Trump is really aiming at in events like this is the very large population in those states of white women without a college degree. it's pretty clear, I think the odds are pretty high that Kamala Harris is going to run even better than Biden did in 2020 among white women with a college degree. After all, the right to abortion was not overturned until after the 2020 election.

KINKADE: And poll -- polls do show that, you know, Harris is well ahead with Black and Hispanic voters, but not as well as previous democratic nominees. She is trying to appeal to black men. What is the biggest hurdle?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. The biggest hurdle is the economy. I mean, I think especially with Black and Hispanic men, you know, a significant percentage of them say that they are worse off because of Biden's policies. And in the kind of hydraulic fashion of politics anywhere in the world when you're dissatisfied with the economic results of the party in power, you're more open to the party out of power.

There's also a strain of culturally conservative men in both the black and Latino communities. And there is a portion that responds to what I just mentioned. This kind of traditional gender role signaling that Trump, for example, by having Hulk Hogan, the professional wrestler, you know, the idea that he's a tough guy at the -- at the convention. Harris, I think, you know, has focused a lot on trying to convince Black and Latino voters that she will fight for people like them economically, and she's made up some ground on that.

But I don't think that, in the end, would be enough for her to get her back to where she has to be because too many of those voters think they were better off under Trump for that argument alone to succeed.

KINKADE: Ron Brownstein, good to have you with us. Thank you.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you for having me.

KINKADE: Well, North and South Korea have been separated by the DMC for decades, but now the North has taken an explosive new step to deepen that divide. We'll have the details next.

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[02:22:02]

KINKADE: Ukrainian officials say at least six people have been killed by Russian attacks across the country in the past few days. Russian forces have struck the southern city of Kherson multiple times since Sunday, killing four people and wounding several others. Military officials say the Russians targeted infrastructure, educational and medical facilities.

A Russian missile strike on the city of Mykolaiv killed at least one person and damaged homes and cars. Thousands of people in the eastern city of Kupiansk are being ordered to evacuate due to constant Russian shelling.

U.S. President Joe Biden plans to convene a meeting of the so-called European Quad to discuss future support for Ukraine as its war against Russia moves closer to the three-year mark. President Biden and the leaders of France, Germany and Britain had been scheduled to meet with Ukraine's president last week, but that was postponed due to Hurricane Milton. Now we're being told the Quad will meet in this coming week in Berlin.

The four Western allies are the top arms suppliers to Ukraine, delivering about $90 billion in direct military aid to Kiev since the war began.

And Ukraine's president will meet with E.U. leaders in Brussels this week. The European Council president says he's invited Volodymyr Zelensky to present his victory plan and to discuss the latest developments in the war. Mr. Zelensky has been traveling throughout Europe seeking more military aid from western allies. Ukraine is facing its third winter at war with Russia. The country is pleading for more help as Russian forces continue to make gains in the east and Moscow targets Ukraine's power grid.

Warning shots from South Korea after a bold move from the north. Pyongyang has blown up parts of two major roads that once connected the two Koreas. The explosions were a largely symbolic gesture. And CNN's Mike Valerio reports.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, dramatic video shows the moment that North Korea demolished two road and railways routes that used to link the two Koreas. So let's go to the video and on the right-hand side of the screen, you can see a blue sign that says goodbye to drivers from South Korea. And then we see the explosion. A cloud of debris blown into the sky. North Korea demolished this roadway and another one on the other side of the country.

Two of the last remaining road and railways linking the two countries. This video is certainly compelling, but what does it all mean? Well, it's certainly a physical reminder that a policy of peaceful reunification may be a thing of the past. In January, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said peaceful reunification should no longer be pursued, and monuments like this one, the Arch of Reunification in North Korea's capital, have presumably been blown up.

Kim Jong-Un said he was going to do it, and it no longer appears in satellite imagery. So, this is also a movie we've seen before. In 2010, North Korea was upset about leaflets sent by balloon from South Korea, balloons like these and the leaflets describe what life is like in the free world.

[02:25:03]

A version of that balloon drama is still happening today. So back in 2020 to retaliate North Korea blew up this building near the border which was supposed to be a cooperation office between North and South Korea.

So bottom line, tensions have been much worse before. South Korea has actually had islands shelled by North Korea and a battleship also sunk by North Korea that happened back in 2010. Tensions now are nowhere near that point. The two roadways that were demolished in this most recent episode, well, they haven't been used for years. And when South Korea retaliated its gunfire stayed in South Korean territory. It did not reach the North.

Mike Valerio, CNN, Seoul.

CHURCH: Well, Germany's largest airline, Lufthansa, has been hit with a record four million fine for discriminating against Jewish passengers. The U.S. Department of Transportation made the announcement Tuesday. The fine stems back to an incident in 2022 when the airline stopped 128 Jewish passengers from boarding a connecting flight after some alleged misbehavior. The report says some of the travelers disregarded safety instructions and argued with the crew members during the first leg of the flight.

The U.S. officials say the passengers, who are mostly dressed in orthodox garb, didn't know each other and shouldn't have been penalized as a single group. Lufthansa denies discriminating against anyone and says it is cooperating with the investigation.

Well, still to come, CNN goes inside Lebanon with the Israeli troops as they continue a military push against Hezbollah. Much more after the break.

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KINKADE: Hezbollah's de facto leader says Israelis face a choice, either accept a ceasefire in Lebanon or be prepared to face pain. Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem called on the Israeli public to accept a truce two days after the Iran backed group carried out its deadliest attack in Israel since the war started, striking a military base and killing four soldiers.

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NAIM QASSEM, HEZBOLLAH'S DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL (through translator): I am telling the Israeli homefront the solution is a ceasefire. We are not talking from a point of weakness. If the Israelis don't want it, then we will continue.

After a ceasefire via indirect agreement, settlers can return to the north and the other steps will be drawn up. But with the continuation of the war, the number of uninhabited settlements will increase and hundreds of thousands or maybe more than two million will be in the danger zone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:30:00]

KINKADE: We are now getting an up-close look at the Israeli ground operation in Southern Lebanon. CNN reported from Lebanon under Israeli Defense Forces escort at all times. CNN retained editorial control over the final report and did not submit any footage for the IDF to review. Our Jeremy Diamond brings us the inside look.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the ruins of this Southern Lebanese village, amid flattened buildings, crumpled cars and mounds of rubble, there are also Israeli soldiers. Two weeks into their ground operation, they now control multiple villages like this one, but for how long and how much deeper into Lebanon will they go? Israeli Humvees now slice straight through the border into the rocky terrain of Southern Lebanon.

DIAMOND: Nearly two weeks ago, Israeli ground troops came in here in the first major Israeli ground operation in nearly two decades, and they're now taking us to see one of their positions inside Lebanon. DIAMOND (voice-over): Arriving on the ground, it's immediately clear this village is now firmly in Israeli hands. Supplies are being brought in, tanks are parked in a courtyard, and troops have settled into homes where Lebanese civilians once lived.

DIAMOND: So, we're about two miles inside of Southern Lebanon, and you can see the destruction around us that's been wrought by this ground operation, also by Israeli strikes over the course of the last year. And what we're also seeing is that this is a clear Israeli position that has been established with artillery fire now firing off in the distance. And it's interesting because the Israeli military, of course, is describing all of this as limited targeted raids, but we are also seeing, of course, that they have established positions inside of Southern Lebanon for an offensive that they insist is not going to go much deeper.

This is an established Israeli military position inside of Southern Lebanon. How is this a raid?

COL. ROY RUSSO, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES: Well, as you can see, and as you walk by, those outputs that we are right now holding are temporary. There's no outposts designed, build and operated by the IDF. These are tactical, temporary, time-limited. DIAMOND (voice-over): Colonel Roy Russo, the chief of staff of the 91st Division, says his orders are to clear the area closest to the border and nothing more.

RUSSO: There's no objective that was designed to us to go into Beirut or Dahieh or something like that. No, we need to limit the threat at the tactical range that enables Hezbollah to pose a threat on the communities.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Deeper inside this former Hezbollah stronghold, Colonel Russo and his troops show us what they say that threat looks like.

COL. YANIV MALKA, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES: You can see here anti-tank missiles. You can see rockets. You can see brand new AK47.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Multiple stashes of weapons, which the Israeli military says Hezbollah planned to use in attacks on Northern Israeli communities, a claim CNN cannot independently verify. Israeli troops are now fighting to clear other villages like this one, to remove what they say is a key part of the Hezbollah threat that has displaced some 60,000 residents of Northern Israel.

Soldiers here say Hezbollah has shown itself to be a tough, well- trained enemy, carrying out tactical ambushes that have already killed 10 Israeli troops. Israel's war in Lebanon already stretches far beyond the battlefield of these border communities. More than 2,300 people have been killed in Israeli strikes across Lebanon, including several hundred women and children, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. And more than a million people have fled their homes as Israel intensifies its attacks, ordering residents of a quarter of Lebanon's territory to evacuate.

DIAMOND: And that is an enormous cost for this kind of ground operation, the kind of strikes that you guys are conducting.

RUSSO: Right. I think the responsibility on Hezbollah. I think if they haven't launched an attack on October 8th, we wouldn't be here.

DIAMOND (voice-over): As the cost continues to mount for Lebanon civilians, Colonel Russo says he believes the Israeli ground operation will be counted in weeks, not months. But a smoke rises beyond the tree line, a reminder that this war is far from over.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, inside Southern Lebanon with the Israeli military.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, still to come, Panda watch here (ph) is officially over. Two giant pandas on loan from China have arrived at the Washington Zoo, which they'll soon call home. But how long will it be until you can see them in person?

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[02:36:30]

KINKADE: Well, giant Chinese pandas, Qing Bao and Bao Li can officially call the United States home, but you can't see them just yet. They arrived in Washington early Tuesday and will be in quarantine for at least 30 days. Limited viewing of the bears begins in January next year. CNN's David Culver details the process of getting the pair to the U.S. and looks at just how popular they are.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They are saying, Bao Li and Qing Bao, have a safe trip.

CULVER: You are getting a very rare look at the panda send-off here in China. I've never been this close to a panda, but there she is.

CULVER (voice-over): A few hours earlier, a private farewell for the three-year-old panda pair and a ceremonial transfer of care from China to the U.S. We got here a few days ahead of the send-off.

CULVER: Made it. It's a long journey.

CULVER (voice-over): Traveling to Chengdu and meeting up with panda keepers from the Smithsonian's National Zoo.

CULVER: Thanks for making time. I know you guys are busy, Mariel, Trish.

CULVER (voice-over): We catch them just outside the panda quarantine zone.

TRISH JARVIS, NZCBI ANIMAL KEEPER, SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL ZOO: This was what I worked for and it feels so surreal.

CULVER (voice-over): The majestic mountains of Sichuan Province are the natural habitat for these beloved creatures.

CULVER: Chances of us actually seeing one out here we're told are quite slim.

CULVER (voice-over): We're granted access to a reserve that tourists aren't allowed, joining researchers from the Smithsonian who specialize in panda re-wilding or efforts to reintroduce them to their natural habitat.

MELISSA SONGER, CONSERVATION BIOLOGIST, SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL ZOO: Part of the reason for putting them in an area like this and keeping them away from people is so that they're not acclimatized to people. You wouldn't want to release a panda and have them approach a village, for example.

CULVER (voice-over): We're told we can meet some of the forest panda trackers, but first, we need to suit up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that one should fit you.

CULVER: All right, let's try it.

CULVER (voice-over): A panda suit just in case we stumble across a panda cub.

CULVER: They don't want humans to become part of their everyday routine. So it's for that reason that we're suiting up to look like them.

Does it look like a panda?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yep.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're not only putting on just a suit by itself, you're also going to put panda's urine and poo-poo on, so you will have the scent.

CULVER: Has that been on this suit before?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is clean, it's been cleaned.

CULVER: Oh.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So if they sense on a signal that a cub is nearby, they're going to put on the hood and just -- and go into hiding.

(CROSSTALK)

CULVER (voice-over): Conservation efforts like these are funded in part by the panda exchange program.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our two guys that came over 20 years ago --

CULVER (voice-over): Zoos like the Smithsonian's pay $1 million a year to host a pair of giant pandas, adding to the pressure.

BRANDIE SMITH, DIRECTOR, SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL ZOO: Just imagine everything we do, the entire world is watching and there's no margin for error.

CULVER (voice-over): Especially given how beloved pandas are in places like Chengdu. The creatures are larger than life here. And their most loyal fans stand hours in line to catch a glimpse of their favorite ones.

CULVER: You can see, look, everybody gets super excited. Oh, they've already got their position.

CULVER (voice-over): And there are even panda influencers like A'Qiu, who posts content from his bedroom.

CULVER: So you're into Pandas?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A'Qiu, sorry, before we start, can we just move one big panda to that one there.

CULVER (voice-over): Which doubles as a studio.

[02:40:00]

CULVER: Why do you love them so much?

A'QIU, PANDA INFLUENCER: Cute, so cute.

CULVER: The pandas that go part of the exchange program from here in China to the U.S., what do you make of that?

A'QIU (through translator): This is an agreement between China and the U.S. and because I love my country and I love pandas, I support it.

CULVER (voice-over): The panda exchange or panda diplomacy dates back to 1972, President Nixon's historic visit sparking China to send pandas to the U.S. and now to many other countries. Months of planning to pull off this transfer. And in Washington, renovations to make sure Bao Li and Qing Bao's new home is just right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've done some tree trimming here also, because we know they're going to climb. They love to climb.

CULVER (voice-over): The zoo has been advertising pandas are coming and now, they've arrived.

David Culver, CNN, Chengdu, China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, Prague is a city famous for its beer, almost as famous for its buildings, but it's banning some late night bar crawls in a bid to discourage rowdy tourists. The Czech capital is the latest European hotspot to push back on crowds amid concerns about the impact on the quality of life for locals. Over the past two decades, Prague has become a popular destination for bachelor and bachelorette parties, particularly from people in the U.K. City officials say the ban only applies to group tours organized by travel agencies and won't prevent individual groups from organizing their own pub crawl.

Well, developers are bringing a little bit of Vegas to the Middle East. Officials in the United Arab Emirates have announced plans to build a twin of the Las Vegas Sphere in Abu Dhabi. The announcement did not include details on the new venue's location or when it will open. The Sphere opened in Las Vegas back in September 2023, reportedly costing more than $2 billion. Its exterior is fitted with 1.2 million hockey-puck sized LEDs that can be programmed to flash dynamic imagery on a massive scale and inside, it boasts what may be the world's highest resolution wraparound LED screen.

CHURCH: Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Linda Kinkade. "World Sport" is coming up next. But stick around, "CNN Newsroom" will continue in about 15 minutes with my colleagues, Max Foster and Christina Macfarlane in London.

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