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CNN International: At Least Six Killed After Israeli Airstrike Hit a Municipality Building in Nabatieh; Israeli Airstrikes Hit Beirut's Southern Suburbs; Quarter of Lebanon Under Israeli Evacuation Orders; at Least 94 People Killed in Fuel Tanker Explosion in Nigeria; Harris to Rally With More Than 100 Republicans in Pennsylvania; Zelenskyy Presents His 'Victory Plan' to Ukrainian Parliament; U.S. Warning About the Gaza Humanitarian Situation; FAA Begins Audit of Collision Risks at 45 Major Airports in U.S.; Chinese Pandas Begin 10- year Residency in Washington; Prada, Axiom Unveil Spacesuit for Artemis III Lunar Mission. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired October 16, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:28]
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello, and welcome to our viewers from around the world. I'm Erica Hill. This is CNN NEWSROOM. Just ahead, a new round of Israeli strikes on Southern Lebanon as the U.S. demands Israel allow more aid into Gaza. Almost a hundred people are dead after a fuel tanker explodes in Nigeria, and CNN granted exclusive access to one of Ukraine's long-range drone units, as the Ukrainian president outlines his plan for victory over Russia.
We begin this hour with the crisis in the Middle East. Lebanese state media reporting, the mayor of a major town is among at least six people killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit a municipal building in Southern Lebanon. The IDF says it was targeting a Hezbollah weapons stockpile in an underground storage facility. Israeli airstrikes meantime, once again, pounding Beirut after a short reprieve, amid U.S. concerns about the rising civilian toll in Lebanon.
According to the Lebanese government, Israeli strikes have often targeted crowded areas, leveled residential buildings, and killed more than 1,500 people. One in five Lebanese residents, that's more than a million people, have now fled their homes according to the U.N. and about a quarter of the country is under military evacuation orders. Hezbollah, meantime, says it has launched a barrage of rockets into Northern Israel overnight. The IDF has not reported any injuries.
CNN's Nada Bashir is tracking all of these developments for us, joining us this hour from London. So, Nada, first of all, these latest strikes, what we know about those targets?
NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, you are absolutely right. There had been some hope that there would be a limitation or perhaps a slowing down of Israel's targeting of the entirety of Lebanon, particularly of course, when it comes to the capital Beirut following those warnings from the Biden Administration. But clearly, that is no longer the case. We have seen Beirut being targeted, once again focused on the heart attack (ph) area of the southern suburb of Dahieh.
As you mentioned, the Israeli military has said it was targeting strategic weapons, which they say, was placed in an underground storage facility in this southern suburb. This is a suburb that is known to be a Hezbollah stronghold, but it is also an area that is still densely populated with civilians. It is a very, very crowded neighborhood. There are many residential buildings in this area. And of course, while we know that the Israeli military has issued evacuation orders ahead of a number of its strikes, oftentimes these orders or warnings are not coming with enough time for civilians to actually evacuate to safety.
And it is a deeply distressing situation for many civilians in the area, in the capital city, particularly those of course, who have already been displaced as you mentioned. But we're also seeing yet more airstrikes, of course, in Southern Lebanon as well, earlier today, targeting the Nabatieh. The city of Nabatieh where we saw, again, the Israeli military saying that they were targeting Hezbollah assets there. But again, this strike has targeted a municipality building. People were killed, including municipality workers and even the city's mayor, in this airstrike. So clearly, there is still growing concern for civilian safety across the country.
HILL: In terms of that civilian safety -- about a million due to these airstrikes, what is the latest in terms of where they are, where they can stay?
BASHIR: I mean, the humanitarian situation in Lebanon is only deteriorating. We are seeing more and more people being displaced, as you mentioned, over a million already. In fact, we've also seen hundreds of thousands of both Lebanese citizens and Syrian refugees crossing into Syrian territory in search of safety and refuge there. So you can imagine the desperation of many of these people in Lebanon searching for safety.
We've been hearing from government officials saying that they have seen over 10,000 attacks on Lebanese territory since Israel began its strikes on Lebanon. On Tuesday, they said at least 146 people were killed in just 24 hours. Over 1,500 have already been killed so far. And of course, this is having a devastating toll also on government institutions, on educational institutions. More than 70 percent of schools now unoperational, many of them have now become shelters for the displaced as well. And there is real question as to where is it exactly safe for civilians to go to and search of refuge.
We've heard from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that the Israeli military will target Hezbollah with force wherever they are, even in the capital in Beirut. Again, this is a very, very small country. The capital is very densely populated.
[08:05:00]
The idea of one suburb being bombed does not necessarily mitigate or limit the risk to civilians in the area which it is contained in the Dahieh area, at least in this latest round of strikes. But of course, this city has already seen so many bombardments over the last few days, particularly of course in the south where it has almost entirely been emptied out of civilians. But again, that risk still stands, so a huge amount of concern there. And of course, huge amount of concern around the deepening of Israel's ground incursion in the south as well.
HILL: Yeah, and it's important context, Nada, appreciate it. Thank you.
In Nigeria, nearly 100 people killed after a fuel tanker crashed and exploded in Jigawa state. Police say the driver lost control of the vehicle, causing it to somersault. Dozens of people have been seriously injured as well, and that death toll is expected to rise. CNN Larry Madowo joining us now from Nairobi with the very latest. The scenes are just horrific. What more do we know about how this all unfolded and what happened?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Erica, we're watching this overnight tragedy in northern Nigeria. What police are telling us is that this fuel tanker veered to avoid hitting an obstacle, maybe another truck, and it rolled several times before landing in a ditch and then the fuel started spilling from this tanker. And what then happened is, residents rushed to the scene to try and siphon some of that fuel. Nigeria is going through a massive economic crisis, so fuel has become quite expensive after the removal fuel subsidies. So, free fuel is something that many people will rush to.
Unfortunately, it then caught on fire and this spread quite quickly. Some video on social media from the scene appeared to show a big fire covering the entire area. At least 94 people died on the spot, but even more, the police warning that this death toll could likely increase, at least 50 people are said to be in hospital -- in nearby hospitals receiving treatment. Police warning that some of them might not make it.
HILL: At least 50. I mean, the thought of the death toll rising by perhaps even just half of that is devastating. As I understand it too, you talked about the fuel issue, of course, in Nigeria. There are concerns though, I know that this is perhaps not uncommon in some ways.
MADOWO: No, unfortunately, these sorts of truck accidents happen all the time in Nigeria on major highways all across the country. Last month, Niger state, another truck accident led to at least 48 people killed. In 2020, Nigerian authorities say there were at least 1,500 different truck accidents across the nation. More than 535 people were killed. Part of the reason is because some of these trucks are very poorly maintained. They're in bad shape. Some of it is blamed on reckless driving, and some of these accidents are blamed on poor road conditions across the country. So combined, that's why these kinds of accidents are very common, and unfortunately, every time they happen, the death toll can be quite high, Erica.
HILL: Yeah, clearly. Larry, really appreciate it. Thank you.
Well, here in the United States, with no clear leader in the presidential race, the candidates are really looking to expand their support in these final weeks, reach those key undecided voters. Vice President Kamala Harris reaching across the aisle today. She's going to be joined by more than a hundred Republicans who support her candidacy at a rally in Pennsylvania. The campaign billing (ph) this is a bipartisan call to put country above party and says the Democrat's message will focus on patriotism, uniting the nation, and upholding the constitution as she continues to draw a contrast between herself and Donald Trump.
As for the former president, he will appear on Fox News later today in a pre-taped town hall, which is said to be focused on issues impacting women, that's according to the network. CNN Political Director, David Chalian joining me now from Washington. David, good to see you as always. In terms of -- let's start with this bipartisan rally in Pennsylvania for Kamala Harris. What more are you expecting out of that event?
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Let me just explain here. I think it's sort of Republican Day for Kamala Harris on the campaign trail.
(LAUGH)
CHALIAN: Part of the strategy that her team has made clear is their end game here, is that they need to still bring over some Republican or independent, Republican-leaning independents who are Trump resistant. These are some of the same people, if you remember, Erica, we talked back in the primary season, who showed up and voted for Nikki Haley in the Pennsylvania Republican primary, even though she had dropped out of the race and Donald Trump had already basically secured the nomination.
Those kinds of voters are who Harris is targeting at today by standing with a slew of Republicans, including Adam Kinzinger, one of two Republicans that served on the January 6th Committee. And that'll be the message today, putting country over party. She'll be standing where Washington crossed the Delaware back in the revolutionary days. She will be making the argument of putting country first in hopes of wooing some of these Trump-resistant Republicans over to her side in this critical region, this suburban Philadelphia collar county region, where Democrats need to run up the score if they're going to overcome Trump's advantage, basically in the rest of the state of Pennsylvania.
[08:10:00]
HILL: You talk about it being Republican Day, both candidates, for Harris, but both candidates are going to be spending some time on Fox News later today. We have that town hall, of course, that Donald Trump has already taped, that's set to air today. And for Kamala Harris, the fact that she is sitting down for an interview tonight with Bret Baier on Fox, that also speaks to, I guess, the strategy of this day.
CHALIAN: No doubt about it. First of all, the two of them being on Fox News -- one, it's friendly territory for Trump, obviously, and its enemy territory in many ways for Harris.
(LAUGH) CHALIAN: So she's going into the lion's den for a bit, but that is attention grabbing, which is also in these final 20 days part of the mission for each of these candidates, to dominate the attention of a given day on the campaign trail by doing her first-ever sit down Fox News interview. That's her approach to that. For Trump, it was, Hey, I will sit with an entire audience of women, a group of voters, female voters, that I have a deficiency with and try and work to shore that up. We do see in their schedules, he's also doing an Univision Televisa town hall today to target Latino voters.
These are not two candidates who in this -- in this final 20 days, are just like doing generic rallies across the country and all the battleground states. They are very clear in each one of their events and audiences and interviews, who they are targeting because this race is razor thin and they're just trying to affect the margins here.
HILL: It is razor thin, the CNN poll of polls, I don't have to tell you this, but just letting our viewers know that latest one still shows no clear leader. I was struck though by a recent Marquette poll. One of the questions asked of registered voters was whether they see a strong record of accomplishments for the two candidates. 53 percent say that's what they see for Donald Trump versus 43 percent for Kamala Harris. This is still an area where she is struggling with a number of voters to point to a record of the last three-and-a-half years, specifically as vice president.
CHALIAN: Right. Always a little tough for a vice president, no doubt. But I think you would see maybe even worse numbers if it were Joe Biden there. It also speaks to what we'd be seeing him polling throughout and this is what is, I believe, keeping Donald Trump so competitive in this race, perhaps poised to win it, is that there is a more positive memory of his presidency than he ever got in real time, in terms of approval of the job he was doing from the American people.
There seems to be with distance, with time, not -- and it's not just feelings about the economy that people -- prices weren't as high back then, though that is clearly part of it. They just -- Americans seem to have with time, a slightly increased perception of Trump's overall handling of the presidency. And that is something, in an environment with a very unpopular Democratic incumbent right now, that plays to Trump's advantage and you see it right there in that poll finding you presented.
HILL: It certainly does. A question for you, an issue that Democrats have really been struggling with, frankly over the past year, is the issue of Israel and Gaza. So this letter that the Administration put out, calling on Israel to really address the humanitarian situation in Gaza, this 30-day window that was given, of course, that deadline falls after the election. This is without question an urgent humanitarian crisis. The fact that this is coming out now though as well and that the deadline is after the election, at risk of being too political, I wonder if in some ways it actually gives the vice president some cover given how difficult this issue has been for Democrats to address.
CHALIAN: No doubt, having the letter out there, even if the deadline itself is after the election, no doubt gives her some cover as say. She also, when you ever hear Kamala Harris talk about this issue, she always in her answer, which includes a full-throated defense of Israel's ability to defend itself and America's support for Israel to do so, always includes language about, that there is a right way to and wrong way to go about doing that, and the real humanitarian crisis on the ground that needs immediate addressing.
But we've seen -- we have seen her go to Michigan where there's a significant Arab American population and talk about this and address this. And what we have not yet seen are Arab American groups coming to her side in this election In fact, we've seen a couple say, hey, we're not going to endorse in this race. So every little bit could help here in terms of trying for Harris to piece together the coalition she needs in these critical states. But again, I just want to stress, day after day, survey after survey, foreign policy just is not rating as a very highly important driving issue for voters in this election. It is part of the background upon which this election takes place, no doubt about it.
[08:15:00]
But again, as we said, when it's this tight and everything's at the margins, even those low-rating issues such as --
HILL: Yeah.
CHALIAN: -- foreign policy could make a difference.
HILL: They could. David, always good to talk with you. Thank you.
CHALIAN: You too, Erica, thanks.
HILL: Still to come here, Ukraine's president taking the wraps off what he has been calling his 'victory plan'. We're going to take a deep dive into this five-point blueprint, which is intended to end Russia's war on Ukraine. Plus, CNN gaining exclusive access to one of Ukraine's most-elite and most-secretive battle units. That's just ahead after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Volodymyr Zelenskyy rules out ceding any Ukrainian territory to Russia. Ukraine's wartime president making that declaration just a short time ago while addressing the parliament in Kyiv as he unveiled what he has called his 'victory plan' to lawmakers. And this comes ahead of Mr. Zelenskyy's address to EU leaders in Brussels this week. CNN's Clare Sebastian joining us now with more. So, there has been a lot of talk about this victory plan. We haven't really seen the details. What's being revealed in terms of those details now?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. So Erica, this is long trailed. As you say, there's five points in this plan. There are also three secret annexes to those points which have not been declassified, but Zelenskyy says they have been shared with certain of Ukraine's partners. This is in essence Ukraine's wish list that we've already heard much of. It is not new, but it is being repackaged as a way to force Russia to the negotiating table and to strengthen Ukraine's hands in those negotiations.
It also interestingly, contains some sweeteners for Ukraine's Western allies to avoid, I think, the impression that it's simply a list of demands. So let's take a look at what we actually learned here in terms of the points there. The first one is geopolitical. This would be an invitation. This is what Ukraine wants, to join NATO immediately. So the invitation would happen during the war. They would potentially then join after the war. The second point to strengthen Ukraine's defense. This of course, we've heard a lot about. It contains issues like lifting the limitations on using Western long- range missiles, allowing Ukraine's neighbors to help shoot down missiles and drones over Ukrainian territory if they are within range of their air defenses. Also, continuing to occupy land inside Russia as a buffer zone.
Deploy a non-nuclear deterrent in Ukraine. We haven't heard this one before. There wasn't a lot of detail around that, but this, the idea is to deter further Russian aggression. In terms of further points, there's also the joint protection of Ukraine's natural resources. This is where we get the sweetener for Ukraine's allies. The idea that they would help protect Ukraine's natural resources, everything from critical minerals like lithium to energy and agricultural resources, and then would share in the profits from the exploitation of those resources, so sort of try to bolster Ukraine's economy. And the final point, another sweetener for the allies. This is a post-war plan that Ukrainian troops could actually replace some of the U.S. brigade stationed in Europe as part of the sort of NATO defense there because of their real battlefield experience.
[08:20:00]
So those are the sort of five points. I think the critical thing is that he needs buy-in from Ukraine's partners, and that has been something that has eluded him so far. And this he alluded to in his speech. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I want to be frank with you on certain behind-closed-door communication with Ukraine. We hear the word talks from our allies much more often than the word justice. Ukraine is open to diplomacy, but to the fair one. That is why we have the peace formula. It's a guaranty of negotiations without forcing Ukraine to injustice. Ukrainians deserve a decent peace. The 'victory plan' will pave the way for this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: So this is something that, of course, we'll be watching for reaction from Russia. The Kremlin did talk about this before. Zelenskyy came out and made this speech, revealing the peace plan and really just dismissed it and said that, look, there is a peace plan that's possible. But this, in the words of the Kremlin spokesman, requires Ukraine to sober up, he said, and realize the reasons why this conflict started in the first place. But clearly, this is a measure of the urgency of the situation for Ukraine, both in terms of the sort of global political climate and indeed the battlefield.
HILL: Yeah, absolutely, Clare, really appreciate it. Thank you.
Well, on the ground, in Ukraine, CNN has been given exclusive access to one of Kyiv's long-range drone units. These drones are among Ukraine's most top-secret weapons controlled by its most clandestine agency. Their target deep inside Russia. Here is CNN's Fred Pleitgen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Ukrainian drones attacking southwestern Russia, sowing panic among local residents. Russian air defenses frantically trying to take them down before they slam into their targets. This massive drone strike carried out in late September by Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Agency, the GUR.
And they granted CNN unprecedented access to the entire mission. Their target, a Russian ammo depot, the Ukrainians say, is storing missiles supplied to Moscow by Iran, even though Tehran vehemently denies giving Russia ballistic missiles.
PLEITGEN: All of these missions have to move extremely quickly. They have to be very precise because, obviously, if they get discovered by the Russians, the Russians want nothing more than to kill everybody around here.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): When you're as badly outgunned as the Ukrainians, even strategic airstrikes become hit-and-run operations. The launch location totally secret; the mission run in near complete darkness. We can only identify the unit commander by his call sign, 'Vector'.
PLEITGEN: How fast do you guys have to be able to do all this now?
VECTOR, LONG-RANGE UAV UNIT, UKRAINIAN DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE GUR: I hope it will be in 20, 40 minutes.
PLEITGEN: OK. Tell me how much the Russians want to kill you.
VECTOR: They want very much. Because we are the -- one of the major goals for them. Because these UAVs, which going up to 1,000 to 2,000 kilometers, these UAVs move the war inside their country and they're afraid of that.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): After installing the warheads and punching in the flight path, they push the drones to the takeoff area. The pilots going through final checks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We have been preparing the route for several days. The task was set in advance. We have calculated everything and are confident that everything will work out.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Then, they get the go.
PLEITGEN: The launch is always one of the most difficult and most sensitive parts of the mission. They have to follow the UAV very fast with their cars to make sure it gets into the air all right.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The drones disappear quickly into the night sky. The GUR has been behind hundreds of long-range missions into Russia, they say, including this September attack on an ammo depot between Moscow and St. Petersburg, causing massive explosions visible for miles. The Ukrainians believe they hit hundreds of missiles and explosives. And in July, they hit an oil refinery on Russia's Black Sea Coast, causing a major fire there.
In total, the GUR says these drone units are responsible for about a third of the successful strikes deep into Russian territory.
It all starts with accurate planning. In a secret location, the team gets the mission brief from their boss, whom we can only identify as "Serge". Serge tells me he has overseen more than 550 missions into Russian territory since Russia's full-on invasion in 2022. Vector takes the laptop with the mission details and they're off. Staying on the move means staying alive.
PLEITGEN: Operational security is extremely important for this team. So, we're on our way to the next secret location right now.
[08:25:00]
They remain on the move almost all the time. Right now, we're going to a place where they're going to do the detailed planning for the flight paths and where we'll see the actual drones.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The weapons depot is about 400 miles from the Ukrainian border in the southwestern Russian village of Kotluban. A major problem, a mesh of powerful Russian air defenses guarding the area.
PLEITGEN: How good are the Russian air defenses and how difficult is it to overwhelm them?
VECTOR: Unfortunately, especially last year, it's really good. It's really good. Not -- maybe not perfect, because we are successful guys and we find the windows in this work, in these techniques.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The drone pilots try to find even the smallest corridors to avoid Russian radars. They gave us permission to show a simplified version of the flight path they calculated for this mission, with dozens of way points and changes of direction. But they'll also launch dozens of decoy drones like these, which they want the Russians to detect and to shoot down. They even put tin foil on the wings to give them a bigger radar signature.
PLEITGEN: So, you want the Russian radars to see this?
VECTOR: Yes.
PLEITGEN: And think that it's a bigger drone?
VECTOR: Of course, yes, very good.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): But these are the actual strike drones. The Ukrainian-made Antonov An-196 named 'Looty,' Ukrainian for fierceness or rage. They carry up to 500-pound warheads and fly around 1,300 miles, and they fit into the back of these nondescript trailers for covert deployment. The Ukrainians say they get good results with the Looty drones, but what they really need is permission from the U.S. and its allies to use Western-supplied, longer-distance weapons.
PLEITGEN: Why do you need the permission for using Western weapons deep inside Russian territory?
VECTOR: We want to win. We want to finish this war as soon as we can. And we understand that if you have better equipment, better weapons, we can finish it very quickly. I don't want my son or other children have war in the future, so I want to finish it in my life, so for protecting their life from such disaster like we received from Russia.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): So far, the U.S. is not allowing Ukraine to fire American-supplied weapons deep into Russia, as Russia has escalated its own aerial attacks against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, using heavy guided glide bombs, cruise missiles designed to take out whole aircraft carrier strike groups, and nuclear-capable strategic bombers. All the Ukrainians have are their little drones, launching them in swarms to even have a chance to penetrate Russia's air defenses.
They blast the Ukrainian folk song, "Hey, Falcons," as the GUR's own birds take to the skies. Back at base, it's crunch time. Russian social media starts exploding with reports of an attack on the Kotluban weapons depot.
(LAUGH)
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The GUR operatives sometimes chuckling as they listen in. While the Russians claim to have shot down the drones, a video posted on social media shows what appear to be those drones impacting and major explosions in the area of the arms depot. And Ukrainian defense intelligence showed CNN the unblurred version of this video, now heavily blurred for operational security reasons, and it shows 11 blasts coming from the same place, they say, so large they're confident they hit their targets.
CNN was also able to independently verify through a source what seems to be a direct hit on the facility. We're not publishing the image to protect the source's anonymity, but it showed an explosion at the facility and what seems to be wreckage scattered around. A Maxar image shared with CNN shows the same heavily-damaged building with some debris still lying on the floor, signs that the Russian military may have cleaned up the site.
A small, but important victory in their ongoing covert war against a powerful enemy.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Still to come, a stern warning from the U.S. about the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and what it could mean for U.S. military aid to Israel. Plus, the growing concerns over runway risks, how are they being addressed? That's just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:32:00]
HILL: Returning to our top story now, the crisis in the Middle East, specifically in Gaza. The U.S. urging Israel to address the catastrophic humanitarian conditions there. The State Department says aid has fallen by more than 50 percent. In fact, last month, marking the lowest levels of aid entering the enclave since the war in Gaza began. The Biden Administration sending a letter to the Israeli Government, demanding it act within the next 30 days to address the situation. That letter on Sunday, written jointly by the U.S. secretaries of state and defense also suggested U.S. military aid could be in jeopardy if the situation is not addressed.
CNN's Kevin Liptak joining us now from the White House. So this is a known condition, frankly, of U.S. aid, but it's also not the first time that the U.S. has warned Israel, has raised concerns about the situation in Gaza that happened again in the spring, and there was some action taken. Any signs that that will happen again now?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, certainly, that's the hope here at the White House and across the Biden Administration, and you do hear deepening concerns, as you mentioned, the aid reaching Gaza has reached its lowest level since the start of this conflict. And that has generated quite a deep level of concern here at the White House, and particularly when it comes to Northern Gaza, American officials watching very closely as Israel continues to go after Hamas targets in that area, aid has essentially stopped making it into that part of the Strip. And that has generated this stern warning from the secretaries of state and defense, warning Israel that it needs to urgently ramp up the aid in a sustainable way.
And certainly, we have heard these warnings. President Biden has issued them in private to Prime Minister Netanyahu. We've heard all kinds of cabinet officials talking about the necessity of allowing more aid to reach the Strip. But what we haven't necessarily seen is them warning about conditioning military aid and that at the end of the day is what makes this letter so unique. And certainly, President Biden has stopped short of using that kind of leverage until now in Israel -- with Israel. It remains to be seen whether or not he would actually take that step if this letter isn't heeded.
But, I don't think you can separate this from the fact that we are only three weeks from the American election, and certainly President Biden has faced a significant amount of pressure from those on the progressive left to do more, to use what leverage he does have to encourage Israel to alleviate the humanitarian suffering in Gaza. And so, it remains to be seen what effect this letter will have. You do hear some skepticism from folks who are close to this conflict who say, certainly, the U.S. is not looking to cut off aid in a significant way. And President Biden, given his history with Israel, given his relationship with Netanyahu, doesn't appear like someone who's poised to cut off military aid altogether. But he does clearly need to show some effort to try and improve the humanitarian situation there.
[08:35:00]
It is significant. This letter wasn't signed by him or by the Vice President Harris. In a way, that insulates him from any accusations that he's trying to pressure Israel to end its war in Gaza. But I think, the president clearly under pressure here to show that he's doing what he can to help alleviate the suffering of civilians.
HILL: Yeah, absolutely. Kevin, you also have some new reporting, this morning, about Israel's plans for retaliation against Iran's recent missile attacks. What are you learning about the timing?
LIPTAK: Yeah, and this is according to American assessments. They do believe that Israel will launch its counterstrike against Iran before the November 5th election. They don't believe that it's necessarily timed to coincide with the election, but certainly, it will thrust this conflict back into the spotlight as Americans begin to cast their votes. And that is certainly something that they're watching very closely.
Of course, Netanyahu is a keen observer of American politics. He is among the most attuned to how the U.S. political system works of all the foreign leaders. And I think that they believe that he is aware that this will have some effect on how voters make their decisions. But, President Biden certainly is of the mind that the growing conflict in the Middle East is not going to do anything to help his vice president in November. Certainly, a wider regional war is the last thing that Kamala Harris wants as voters head to the polls. And that is one of the reasons why President Biden has been working to try and encourage Israel to take a measured response to Iran's missile strikes earlier this month.
And we did learn that in their telephone conversation last week, Netanyahu did reassure President Biden that he wasn't planning to go after Iranian nuclear sites or oil facilities. He does plan to target military facilities, at least that's according to American officials, whether or not that is what actually transpires or remains to be seen. And I can tell you that American officials watching this very closely, both with an eye towards preventing a wider conflict, but also an eye towards what the political ramifications will be in the lead up to the U.S. election.
HILL: Kevin, really appreciate it. Thank you.
LIPTAK: Sure.
HILL: Well, when it comes to the situation in Gaza, the International Committee of the Red Cross is describing it as devastating, particularly in the North. Hisham Mhanna, the spokesperson for the ICRC, and he is joining me now from Central Gaza. Hisham, it's good to have you with us. On Monday, the ICRC said that families were facing unimaginable fear. Can you just describe for us what you and your colleagues are witnessing on the ground in Gaza?
HISHAM MHANNA, ICRC SPOKESPERSON: Hello, Erica, and thank you for having me. Certainly, the situation in Northern Gaza, particularly for 10 days now after the evacuation orders given to families there to leave, has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian situation into a worse situation now. We have been receiving phone calls from families, civilians in Northern Gaza, asking the ICRC to help them, reach to -- essentially, needed assistance or to simply evacuate their neighborhoods. And the ICRC is taking every single phone call very seriously and immediately with parties of the conflict and the first responders, the civil defense and the Palestine requested (ph) society, emergency medical teams to help support them, reach the families who are in need.
And this is a start reminder that parties of the conflict must allow civilians to safely flee and to arrive to a safe destination where they can find food, water, shelter, access to healthcare, but also if they chose to stay at their homes, they remain protected according to the International humanitarian law.
HILL: In this -- this -- we've been talking about this letter, from the secretaries of state and the Defense Department from the U.S. to Israel, right, talking about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which also asks for assurances that there would not be a policy of forced evacuations from the North to Southern Gaza. In terms of those calls that you are getting, are you able to meet all of those needs?
MHANNA: Absolutely not. We are suffering from limitation on the logistical preparations, the amount of humanitarian aid that actually arrives into Gaza Strip and the lack of security guarantees that are necessary for humanitarian workers to bring this aid to those who need it most across Gaza, not only in the north, but also in the south where the humanitarian situation remains extremely dire. So, we assure that every civilian has the right to return to their home eventually.
[08:40:00]
This is a true fact by the international humanitarian law, and we welcome any efforts on the ground that would help alleviate the suffering, that would help the civilians witness a meaningful level of humanitarian assistance that they can get to or reach to.
HILL: There are so many different needs to be met, as you're laying out. There is of course, the issue of medical supplies, fuel for hospitals. There is also food, basic sustenance. Today, October 16th is actually World Food Day which is meant to promote global awareness action for those who suffer from hunger and for insecurity. In terms of that issue in Gaza, we have heard from folks on the ground there telling our affiliates that they are literally starving. What are you seeing? What are you hearing in terms of access to nutrition?
MHANNA: Well, I have visited Gaza Strip -- sorry, Northern Gaza, Gaza City and the northern government (ph) myself last August. And that was -- that's two months from now. And what we witnessed, besides the unimaginable and unspeakable level of destruction and devastated infrastructure and neighborhoods, the civilians were extremely fatigued. And everyone we met and spoke to assured that there is nothing they can find, but flour to bake some bread or canned food. So, the nutrition level was already in a bad situation back then. Now, it has already exacerbated and become even worse.
So, this is also a reminder that humanitarian aid must be allowed to enter Gaza unimpeded and safely considering the fluctuation we have been witnessing for a long time now. On the other side, or on the other hand, hospitals and healthcare workers are over overstretched. Many of the healthcare workers have already been working for over 12 months now non-stop trying to save lives. Our ICRC Field Hospital in Rafah at Southern Gaza Strip continues to deliver urgently needed medical assistance, but it must be also and constantly supplied with the medical supplies, equipment, medicines, and also doctors and nurses, so that it can continue to save lives. The same for all the hospitals and healthcare facilities across the Gaza Strip. HILL: You discussed that the fluctuations in aid -- the State Department pointing out yesterday that aid is down more than 50 percent going into Gaza. Do you believe this letter is going to have an impact?
MHANNA: We have high hopes that any political, diplomatic effort can bring a change, a positive change in the lives of over 2 million people in Gaza, including the hostages. And primarily, this is the responsibility of the warring parties to ensure that humanitarian aid is not impeded and is allowed safely. An increased number of trucks or pellets (ph) that enter Gaza does not change the reality as much. What we need is that we need a constant flow of Gaza.
We need humanitarian aid to pour into Gaza Strip non-stop to prevent the humanitarian situation from deteriorating any further, to provide all the essential needs everyone needs in Gaza, including from diapers to cooking utensils, to cooking gas, food, and fresh water, and spare parts for the generators that hospitals are running on. And this has to be constantly maintained in order to prevent, as I mentioned, the humanitarian situation from deteriorating any further, and that people can start to feel an improvement, a simple improvement in their daily life.
HILL: Hisham Mhanna, really appreciate your time. Thank you.
MHANNA: Thank you so much.
HILL: Stay with us. CNN NEWSROOM continues on the other side of the short break.
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[08:46:00]
HILL: If you're a nervous flyer, I hope you're sitting down for this one. There have been a number of troubling near misses on runways at U.S. airports in recent months. So much so that the federal aviation industry -- Federal Aviation Administration, pardon me, is now opening an audit because they want to know why. A report by a government watchdog found that last year, air traffic services were facing significant staffing challenges.
CNN Aviation Correspondent, Pete Muntean joining me now from Washington. So there's this staffing issue. I don't know if that's the sole issue. What more do we know about this investigation?
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, this audit will look at so many things and really, it will ask whether or not there's a structural issue at airports. This really shows that this industry- wide issue hasn't been linked (ph) just yet. And the FAA says it will audit these 45 busiest airports in the U.S. for the potential of these near collisions on runways, known officially as runway incursions that I've been reporting on since the start of last year. And the headlines have really been emerging coast to coast.
The catalyst at New York's JFK in January 2023, an American Airlines flight bound for London taxied in front of a Delta flight that was already accelerating for takeoff. Nobody hurt in that incident, but investigators said the pilots of the American Airlines flight were distracted by paperwork, essentially got lost on the ground. But the list really goes on -- Austin, Boston, Burbank, Reagan National Airport outside D.C. in June. And the most recent incident just last month in Nashville, when the tires of an Alaska Airlines flight that was taking off blew out after the pilots of the flight had to slam on the brakes when a Southwest Airlines flight taxied down in front of them. Now, investigators are still doing interviews in that case.
The FAA says its audit will really drill down on the risks at each airport. Remember, might not always be pilots who are entirely at fault here, could be something a bit more structural. And the FAA wants to know if there are gaps in procedures or issues with equipment, or maybe there's a process at the airport that's causing problems. Investigators have not only been concerned about the design of some airports, but also the lack of early warning technology. 35 airports in the U.S. have that technology that alerts air traffic controllers of impending collisions, but there are about 500 airports in the U.S. with commercial service, so a small fraction.
The NTSB said that technology saved the day in that JFK near collision at the start of last year. And the NTSB Chair, Jennifer Homendy has told me she wants that technology at more airports. Of course, a lot of eyes on this new audit, Erica, and the FAA says it will be finished sometime next year.
HILL: We'll be anxiously awaiting those discoveries. Pete, appreciate it as always, thank you.
The panda population in the U.S. growing by two and CNN has quite the look into their Chinese habitat to see how they prepared for this journey to the States, which in -- which required, yes, a panda costume. More on that next.
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[08:50:30]
HILL: While giant pandas, Qing Bao and Bao Li, now call the United States home, you're going to have to wait a little bit longer to pay them a visit. The pair arriving in Washington from China early Tuesday. They're in quarantine though for 30 days. They're scheduled to make their debut to the public in January. As for how they got here, well, it was quite a journey. Here is CNN's David Culver.
(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.
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)
HILL: Thanks to David for that reporting.
Well, from the catwalk to a spacewalk, Prada branching out a little bit, the Italian luxury brand unveiling its design for the Artemis III lunar mission spacesuit in partnership with Axiom.
[08:55:00]
The spacesuits were made to withstand extreme temperatures at the lunar south pole and to endure the coldest temperatures for at least two hours. Last month, French fashion house, Pierre Cardin unveiled an astronaut training suit set to be used at the European Space Agency. Fashion making its way to the great beyond.
Thanks so much for joining me this hour on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Erica Hill. Stay tuned. "Connect the World" with Omar Jimenez is up next.
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(CONNECT THE WORLD)
