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Ayatollah States "Resistance Front" to Continue Despite Death of Top Hamas Leader; U.S. and Israeli Leaders See Opportunity after Sinwar's Death; Former President Barack Obama Campaigns for Harris, Slams Trump; U.S. Expects Israeli Counterattack on Iran before Election; Power Plant Failure Plunges Cuba into Blackout; Harris and Trump Hold Dueling Events in Battleground Michigan; Toxic Foam Blankets India's Yamuna River; Tributes Pour in for Singer Liam Payne; Stockholm Open Tennis; Drone Launched toward Netanyahu's Home. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired October 19, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

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ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Anna Coren, live from Hong Kong.

Ahead on the show, Israeli sources float the idea of using the body of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as a bargaining chip to release the Israeli hostages. We will look into that speculation over who might succeed Sinwar.

The fight for Michigan, both U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump campaign in the battleground state.

And King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive in Australia but not everyone is happy about the royal visit.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Hong Kong, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Anna Coren.

COREN: U.S. and Israeli leaders are starting to see a long shot opportunity II following Israel's killing of the top Hamas leader. Israeli sources tell CNN that returning Sinwar's remains to Gaza could be used as a bargaining chip to free the hostages still held there.

Israel's president and prime minister say there's a significant window of opportunity to bring the hostages back and eliminate Hamas for good while U.S. President Joe Biden says there's now a road to peace, even though it won't be an easy one.

Meanwhile, Iran supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says Tehran and its allies will continue their fight against Israel. And all that is happening as Israeli airstrikes killed at least 33 people in northern Gaza Friday night, according to local officials. We are also getting word that Israeli artillery struck the Indonesian

Hospital in the area. Well, for more, let's head to Paris where we're joined by Melissa Bell.

Melissa, what more are you learning about Israel's plan to use Sinwar's body as a bargaining chip for the return of hostages?

MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, even as we've heard, of course, much more about those last few minutes of Yahya Sinwar's life in the shape of that dramatic drone footage that's now been so widely seen.

Anna, the fact also that he died in the end by a bullet wound to the head we understand from Israeli officials, we also understand now that there with all that hope that we just heard expressed, there in what you just explained about what this might mean for a ceasefire agreement.

There's also been a serious dampening down of any possibility of that almost immediately after Sinwar's death was confirmed by Hamas from his very deputy. This is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KHALIL AL HAYYAH, CHIEF HAMAS NEGOTIATOR (through translator): We will tout those who are concerned about the occupation, hostages held by the resistance.

Those hostages will not be returned to you unless you stop the aggression on our people in Gaza and the complete withdrawal from it and the release of our heroic detainees from the occupation's prisons.

We will continue on the Hamas path.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: So those are vast demands, much as they have been for the last year, unchanged by the death of Yahya Sinwar.

But the question now is, amongst others, what happens to his remains?

We understand from Israeli press reports and that the remains are now at a secret location in Israel and the question is whether they should be returned under what terms, whether they can use be used as a negotiating bargaining chip in trying to get at least some of the hostages returned.

They are putting pressure on Hamas to return to the negotiating table in a serious fashion. This is one of the hopes that's been expressed to CNN by Israeli officials. But there are of course, against that to be balanced fears that the return of his remains could lead to a rallying of his supporters.

And of course, the question of whether a burial ground too might eventually be used as a focal point for support and further protests. So a lot of questions about what this means and a determination on the part of Hamas for the time being that it will change nothing to their equation. Anna.

COREN: And Melissa there's also a lot of speculation on who will succeed Yahya Sinwar with his younger brother in the mix.

BELL: That's right.

Mohammed Sinwar, who is understood by Israeli officials to have been fighting alongside his brother for much of the last year since October 7, 2024, last known they say to have been with Yahya in August right now. HIs whereabouts are unknown and he is, we understand, being hunted for by the IDF.

But there are other possibilities of Hamas potential leaders who could take over from Yahya Sinwar, who are outside the Gaza Strip. Amongst them of course, Khalil Al Hayyah, that you just heard there.

[03:05:02]

He was Yahya Sinwar's deputy, expressing himself there on what his death meant a moment ago but also Khaled Meshaal, others who've been functioning from exile in Qatar, who could step in to the void left behind.

COREN: Melissa Bell joining us from Paris. Good to see you. Thank you for the report.

Well further north, Israel is telling people in 23 villages in Lebanon to evacuate. The notice was issued as Israel continues its strikes in southern Lebanon. The villages are located within 30 kilometers of the Israeli border. And some were affected by earlier evacuation orders.

The United Nations says about one out of five people in Lebanon have been forced to flee their homes. And about a quarter of the country is under Israeli evacuation orders.

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Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are battling for voters in the critical state of Michigan, holding multiple campaign events on Friday with only 17 days left in the race. Early voting is underway now in multiple states with more than 11 million Americans already casting their ballots.

Both candidates heading to swing states later today as they enter the final stretch of a very tight race.

In Michigan, the vice president questioned whether Trump is fit to hold office after "Politico" reported he canceled interviews because he's exhausted. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has more.

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PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Vice president Kamala Harris visiting the crucial battleground state of Michigan as her campaign tries to fortify the blue wall state. The vice president on Friday to think three key counties, one of which voted for Donald Trump in 2015 but for Biden in 2020. The two other counties were counties that Biden won by wider margins in 2020.

And her campaign right to emulate that and build on that with a message targeting union workers. The vice president talking about manufacturing, talking about union jobs and trying to draw a stark contrast with former president Donald Trump, at times talking about criticizing the former president's anti labor comments.

Now here, the vice president at her rally, also leading with remarks on the Arab American community. Of course, Michigan has a large Arab American population. It has been a community as the vice president and the Democratic Party has grappled and struggled with given the ongoing Israel Hamas war.

The vice president telling this to the American community, given this week's developments with the death of Sinwar. Take a listen.

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KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And listen.

I know this year has been very difficult given the scale of death and destruction in Gaza. And given the civilian casualties and displacement in Lebanon. It is devastating. And now Sinwar's death can and must be a turning point.

Everyone must seize this opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza, bring the hostages home and end the suffering once and for all.

And I continue to believe diplomacy is the answer to bringing lasting stability across the Israel-Lebanon border. And as vice president and with your help as president, I will do everything in my power to achieve these goals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: The vice president also delivered pointed attacks at the former president, talking about him ducking debates and canceling interviews. That a quote from her rally that is going to be an ongoing message by the best vice president in the closing weeks of the election.

As again, they try to lock in their coalition but also peel off voters from the former president -- Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Michigan.

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COREN: Former president Barack Obama repeated Harris' message that Trump is unfit for office. Says he hit the campaign trail in Arizona on Friday with Democratic Senate candidate Ruben Gallego.

Obama said America is ready for a president Kamala Harris, adding that the country has had enough of Trump's bumbling and bluster and division. Obama also mocked his behavior at the town hall earlier this week.

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BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I do have to point out that, along with his intentions, there is also a question of his competence.

Have you seen him lately?

He just decided, you know what, I'm going to stop taking questions and then he's swaying to "Ave Maria" and "Y.M.C.A." for about half an hour. You would be worried if your grandpa was acting like this.

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No, no.

I'm not joking.

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COREN: Meantime, Trump went back to Detroit on Friday after insulting the city last week in front of voters.

He's trying to chip away at Democratic support in blue wall states. CNN's Alayna Treene reports from Michigan.

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ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, former president Donald Trump returned to the critical battleground state of Michigan on Friday, actually, the same day that Vice President Kamala Harris was there and offered a bit of a split screen moment for that.

But look, I actually saw something happen on Friday that I hadn't seen yet while covering Donald Trump's campaign, this cycle. And that is just a couple of moments into his speech, his audio completely went out. You could see Donald Trump trying to continue speaking and nobody could hear him.

I want you to take go listen to some of that.

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TREENE: That actually went on for about 18 minutes. And during that time, Donald Trump had been pacing up and down the stage while the crowd was cheering and chanting for him. But after that, he picked up once again.

And look, it was a typical stump speech where he talked about immigration. He talked about the economy, he talked about specifically wanting to reinvigorate the U.S. auto industry here in Detroit.

But one thing that was interesting that I was watching for was whether he would address some of the comments he had made when he was in the city last week, speaking to the Detroit Economic Club. He had actually insulted Detroit while being in the same city. He

didn't do the same thing on Friday but he did almost try to clarify some of that.

He said, quote, "You know Detroit has such great potential. But Kamala and the Democrats have been wreaking havoc on this place."

He went on to say that they would make -- he would make America -- or, excuse me -- he would make Detroit great once again. And his team had put up some signs around saying, "Make Detroit great again."

So clearly leaning into that message and certainly not running away for it.

Now just to take a quick step back and give you sense of how important Michigan is to the Trump campaign, not only because it has 15 electoral votes but also because, out of all of the so-called blue wall states that also includes Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in addition to Michigan, Trump's campaign is actually the most confident about this state.

And that's why you've really seen him aggressively campaigning here, particularly in the leadup in these final few days until November 5th -- Alayna Treene, CNN, Detroit, Michigan.

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COREN: U.S. President Joe Biden made a quick trip to Europe for meetings with some of America's closest allies. We will have the details about it, about what he talked about with the leaders of Germany, France and the U.K.

And Cuba finds itself in the dark after a power failure causes an island-wide blackout.

Those details next on CNN.

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COREN: U.S. President Joe Biden is back home after a quick visit to Berlin to receive a medal and for critical meetings with close European allies.

The president held talks with the leaders of the U.K., Germany and France about Russia's war in Ukraine and the war in Gaza. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more from Berlin.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: President Biden was on the ground here in Berlin, Germany, for less than 24 hours but he did cram a lot of meetings and other events into that very short time on the ground here.

He reserved (sic) the Order of Merit from the German government, specifically from German president for his commitment to German American relations but also to transatlantic relations as well.

He also had a meeting with the so-called European Quad, which involves the United States and some of the U.S.' top allies here in Europe, France, the United Kingdom and Germany.

After that meeting the president said that there was near unanimity as far as the support for Ukraine was concerned. But also that the Middle East, after the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, was also a main topic. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's an opportunity, in my view and my colleagues agree that you can probably deal to the Israel and Iran in a way that is (INAUDIBLE) the conflict for a while.

QUESTION: Say that again?

BIDEN: To end the conflict. In other words, it stops the back-and- forth. We think that there's a possibility of working for a ceasefire in Lebanon. And it's going to be harder in Gaza but we agree that there has to be an outcome.

What happens the day after?

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PLEITGEN: This was President Biden's first bilateral visit to Germany since becoming President of the United States. Nevertheless, he has very close relations with German chancellor Olaf Scholz, especially as far as the support for Ukraine is concerned.

Now of course, here on the European continent, there is a lot of concern about transatlantic relations with the election and the uncertainty that brings with it looming. Olaf Scholz mentioned some of that when he praised President Biden.

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OLAF SCHOLZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR: Thanks again for taking the time for this visit. It is a strong signal of our transatlantic unity and our friendship.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: President Biden has said that he believes that the killing of Yahya Sinwar of Hamas is what he calls an opportunity now to try and seek some sort of ceasefire for Gaza.

And that's certainly something that the president will be working on back in the United States -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

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COREN: Meanwhile, U.S. officials are expecting an Israeli retaliation against Iran for its October 1 attack to come before the U.S. presidential election on November 5th. Earlier CNN spoke to one of the top experts on Iran about the rising tensions.

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TRITA PARSI, QUINCY INSTITUTE FOR RESPONSIBLE STATECRAFT: If there is a very limited reprisal, only targeting some specific military sites, no casualties, then there is a small possibility that the Iranians will do what they did last time, which is essentially pretend as if they had not been attacked at all.

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And this round of escalatory fire may actually have been put out. But that is still an unlikely scenario. The much more likely scenario is that the Israelis will strike pretty hard, perhaps limited to military sites but also go after military individuals. Quite a few casualties.

And then the Iranians will respond very forcefully. And that's why the Biden administration pressure on Israel not to strike oil installations, not to strike nuclear facilities is in some ways somewhat meaningless because, if the Israeli strike is nevertheless large enough that it actually fuels this escalatory cycle.

Then we will get two strikes against a nuclear site, against oil facilities, et cetera, which will spark a much larger war.

Anyways, if you want to stop it, you should stop it right away instead of thinking that there's a possibility of just having a little bit of war.

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COREN: Well, there was a show of force this week, literally encircling Taiwan.

China's Coast Guard played an unprecedented role in military drills around the island. As its ships and jets participated in a simulated blockade of Taiwan. The maneuvers came just days after Taiwan's president rebuked China's claims of sovereignty.

Well, CNN's Will Ripley picks up the story and reports on China's bizarre propaganda image of the exercises.

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WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: On Friday, the president of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te, paid a visit to the island's Coast

Guard, where he thanked them for their service and pledged to build 11 new Coast Guard vessels over the next seven years, significantly beefing up the

island's Coast Guard defense at a time that Taipei is sounding the alarm about China's Coast Guard and the key role it played in the Joint Sword-

2024B drills that simulated a Taiwan blockade earlier this week.

This was the first full encirclement of Taiwan by China's Coast Guard, Taipei says, including using a 12,000-ton vessel, one of 17 vessels that

Taipei says it detected around it's territorial waters during the drills. They also say China's Coast Guard intruded into restricted waters near

Taiwan's outlying Matsu Islands.

Now this is not the first time this year that China's Coast Guard has been accused by Taipei of playing an increasingly large role in intimidating the

island. It was back in February when China's Coast Guard actually boarded a Taiwanese tourist boat, checked everyone's ID and detained them, giving

people quite a scare and sparking an online frenzy here about the role of China's Coast Guard, something that Taipei has long referred to as a gray

zone tactic, nonmilitary but nonetheless, coercive and intimidating force sanctioned by Beijing.

In addition to the Coast Guard activities near Taiwan, they posted a propaganda image showing the track of the vessels that encircled this self-

governing democracy that appeared to be in the shape of a heart. In fact, Chinese propaganda even referred to Taiwan as sweetheart, seen as creepy by

some locals here in Taiwan.

Taiwan's Coast Guard has called the Chinese Coast Guard actions harassment, not law enforcement. And they say that this is being stepped up at a time

that Beijing is trying to put pressure on Taipei while falling short of triggering an actual military confrontation.

The Taiwanese Coast Guard even said they intercepted a Chinese smuggler near the outlying Kinmen Islands, another suspected gray zone tactic that

they say this island and the world needs to be on the lookout for, because it's not just happening in Taiwan there have also been confrontations between China's Coast Guard and other Coast Guards particularly in the Philippines over disputed shoals there -- Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

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COREN: Almost all of Cuba and its 11 million residents are without power at this hour after one of the country's aging electrical plants failed. That shut down the power grid nationwide.

People are setting small fires in the streets to provide some light. Cuba's aging infrastructure is run down and blackouts are commonplace. Well, CNN's Patrick Oppmann shows us how people are coping.

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PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All of Havana, pretty much all of Cuba is like the street right now in total blackout. And you can see people are hanging out on the side of the road, giving the last little bit of light.

But other than hotels, hospitals, a few other places that are lucky enough to have generator and fuel, most Cubans are in total darkness at this moment. That's not something that new because there are blackouts all the time but the entire island is in blackout because there's a severe fuel shortage.

And that the remaining power plants that were working were knocked out because there was so much to demand. Officials say they are working around the clock to restore power.

But as the hours go on, as we go into the first night of this island- wide blackout, people are personally frustrated. Someone said to me just a minute ago that if they could get on a plane right now, they would.

[03:25:00]

And that is really the sentiment that people are afraid that, if this continues on for hours or days more, their food will begin to spoil. It's still quite hot in Cuba and it is going to becoming more and more uncomfortable. Can't get water in your homes if there is no power.

And so this becomes something of a domino effect where life gets harder and harder. Cubans are used to blackouts. But for one to take place across this entire island without a hurricane or natural disaster taking place first is really somewhat unprecedented.

When the fuel shortage was announced ahead of the blackout, Cuba's prime minister promised people that this island was not going to fall into what he called an abyss. But at this moment right now, that's what it feels like -- Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

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COREN: U.S. and Israeli leaders see a potential opening up. The top Hamas leader was killed by the IDF. Still ahead, Yahya Sinwar's death could be used to help release the hostages still held by Hamas.

And both U.S. presidential nominees hit the campaign trail in Michigan on Friday, hoping to bolster support across the important swing state .

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COREN: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is expressing sorrow over the killing of Yahya Sinwar but he says Iran and its allies will not cease in their resistance to Israel. But with top Hamas leader now dead, some U.S. and Israeli leaders are seeing fresh opportunity to put pressure on the militant group.

[03:30:00]

Israeli sources are telling CNN that Sinwar's body could be used as a bargaining chip to help bring Israeli hostages home from Gaza.

An autopsy is raising new questions about how exactly Sinwar was killed. Israel initially said he died after a tank fired into a building where he was holed up. But as Jeremy Diamond reports, the autopsy suggests there could be more to the story. And we warn you, his report contains images that may be disturbing.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The final moments of Yahya Sinwar's life captured on an Israeli military drone's camera.

The Hamas leader is visibly wounded. Israeli troops, who don't yet know Sinwar is the man in the headscarf, have surrounded him and he is about to be killed. But how?

After an initial exchange of gunfire, the Israeli military says this tank fired on a building and has suggested this is how Sinwar was killed. But at Israel's National Forensic Institute, the doctor who conducted the autopsy on Sinwar's body, has drawn a very different conclusion.

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CHEN KUGEL, CHIEF PATHOLOGIST, ISRAEL NATIONAL CENTER OF FORENSIC MEDICINE: The cause of this is gunshot wound in the head. There's a bullet in his head and there's a severe traumatic brain injury.

He has injury from other sources like a missile injury in his right forearm, fallen masonry on his left leg or thigh and more and many shrapnels that -- shrapnels that entered his body but only in the chest they caused the severe damage. But the cause of death is the gunshot wound in the head.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND (voice-over): Asked for comment, an Israeli military spokesman told CNN, they are still working to learn all the details of how Sinwar was killed. Kugel said he is confident in his analysis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KUGEL: We see the bullet in his head. So -- and there's no another entrance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND (voice-over): He was also involved in the DNA analysis that confirmed the body recovered by Israeli troops was in fact Sinwar's.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KUGEL: They have a suspicion that this is Sinwar. And they sent the sample, a finger, that they cut from his body in order to make the DNA profile.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND (voice-over): Sinwar's left index finger cut off of Sinwar's body in Gaza, delivered to Dr. Kugel's lab and confirmed to be a DNA match. This is where Sinwar was killed in the Tal al-Sultan area of Rafah in southern Gaza.

CNN has geolocated this as the building where Sinwar met his end in an area empty of civilians and ravaged by war in recent months. In this video from the scene, emaciated buildings line a street torn up by tanks as Sinwar's body lies in the rubble.

That body has now been taken to an undisclosed military site.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KUGEL: It's in the military hands. I don't know exactly where is the place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND (voice-over): While the Israeli government decides what to do with Sinwar's body, his final moments are being seen very differently. While some see a terrorist brought to his knees...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YOAV GALLANT, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): Sinwar died while beaten, persecuted and on the run. He didn't die as a commander but as someone who only cared for himself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND (voice-over): -- others see a resistance fighter making his last stand. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MUSTAFA BARGHOUTI, SECRETARY GENERAL, PALESTINIAN NATIONAL INITIATIVE: This image will, will make him look like a hero for most Palestinians and most Arabs and most people who are against Israeli occupation and against the oppression that Palestinians are subjected to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND (voice-over): In the end, he lay dead, surrounded by the rubble of a war he helped unleash -- Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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COREN: We're now only 17 days away from the U.S. presidential election, more than 11 million Americans have already voted. Both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are trying to shore up support in crucial battleground states.

They spent the day campaigning in Michigan on Friday. Later today, Harris heads to Atlanta, Georgia, for a rally with Usher.

Trump is expected to court voters in Pennsylvania. Well, CNN's Harry Enten spoke with Anderson Cooper earlier about the significance of Oakland County, Michigan, and why both candidates went there Friday in an effort to win over its voters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRY ENTEN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Baltimore and Oakland County today, why were they in Oakland County?

Well, part of it is, is that there are more Whites with a college degrees in Oakland County than anywhere else in the state. And where is Kamala Harris doing very well right now? She is doing very well among White voters with college degrees, doing 10 points better than Joe Biden did four years ago.

Donald Trump wants to stop that bleeding, bring that back to where we were back in 2020, where, of course, he did lose the state. But the reason he wants to bring it back to 2020 is because he's doing better amongst other groups.

If you know anything about the great state of Michigan, you know, union households are so important in that state. And although Kamala Harris is still leading amongst those who are in union households, her margin is smaller than it was four years ago at this particular point -- or smaller than Joe Biden's was at this point four years ago.

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) COREN: Natasha Lindstaedt is a professor of government at the University of Essex and she joins us now from Colchester, England.

Natasha, great to see you. Want to get your opinion really from this and from the get-go, how both candidates faring?

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: Well, as has been reported many times, this has got to be one of the closest races that we've ever seen. If we were to just look back at the polling in 2016 and 2020, both Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden were well ahead in the polls in these swing states.

I think that's where the Democrats are really concerned. If the polling is correct, then it -- and Trump has this much support and the polling has, in sometimes underestimated his support, then this could be a big victory for Trump in some of these Rust Belt states and the other swing states in the Sun Belt.

I think what the Democrats are hoping for is that there's greater levels of enthusiasm, which sometimes polling can't really capture. And according to polls, there's 14 points more enthusiasm for Harris than for Trump on the Republican side.

And at this point, it is a game to get the vote out. And Harris' organizational structure is far more sophisticated. There's a lot more effort to get the vote out. And I think that's what they're banking on.

COREN: Trump, if he is to be exhausted, at least that's the reporting from "Politico" and it's becoming the Democratic narrative. Trump obviously lashed out and responded to that.

But are you seeing signs of this?

LINDSTAEDT: Definitely. He seems to be having a very public meltdown where he seems incoherent, where he doesn't want to answer questions in that notable town hall where, instead of answering questions, he decided to just play over a half-hour of random music.

Where he doesn't want to do interviews with "60 Minutes" and where he isn't making any sense. He's going off in incoherent directions, which he calls weaving.

But one of the most interesting things that we've been noticing is, in spite of his complete implosion publicly, for any other candidate, this would just be career ending. He is gaining in popularity.

He is gaining in favorability ratings and the polls are tightening, as we mentioned. So it's all very mystifying but this is something that Harris has tried to capitalize on.

This is why she released her medical records, goading Trump to do the same and trying to put the attention on his mental fitness and the fact that he is not mentally fit anymore and definitely not possessing the right characteristics to be President of the United States.

COREN: Young male voters, I guess across the board, are a problem for Harris.

Why is this the case?

And can she turn it around in such a short period of time?

LINDSTAEDT: It's a really good question why she's doing so poorly with young male voters but just male voters in general, that's where Trump has somewhere around a 15 point lead and where she's doing much better with female voters, with around a 15 point lead as well.

But for some of these young male voters, they feel that Trump was just better at running the economy. They think that four years ago they were better off. And maybe they just find it appealing that he tries to present himself with this sort of macho, super great business owner image or business man image.

And that resonates better with them. We can see that, among African American males, Trump is doing much better than Biden was four years ago, than Clinton was and of course Obama was. We can see this with Hispanic males.

And Hispanic American males have been drawn to Trump in spite of the fact that he said horrible things about the Hispanic community. And of course, white American males, they are drawn to him as well for the reasons that I just outlined.

So that's a real problem for her. I think that's part of the reason why she chose Tim Walz as her running mate, that hopefully he would make inroads with this particular group. But its going to be one of the glaring issues she's struggling to conquer.

COREN: You mentioned Barack Obama.

He's obviously been out on the campaign trail for Harris. And he reached down to Black men, delivered a very strong message to them.

What sort of impact will he have on the race?

LINDSTAEDT: So he's one of the most popular figures in American politics, at least among Democrats and independents, where we've seen Gallup polls showing that he has somewhere around 90 percent approval rating. He's definitely an elder statesman in the Democratic Party and a dynamic speaker, a fantastic orator.

[03:40:00]

So he has the potential to really connect with just people in general but particularly African American males. And there's been some mixed reactions.

Was he scolding them too much?

When there has been an overwhelming levels of support from the African American community for the Democratic Party in questions about whether or not the Democrats have really delivered. But he was also just trying to draw contrast between Kamala Harris and

Donald Trump. And he effectively brought up some things that I think were really important, that the economy that Trump brags about so much he inherited from Obama's economy. Growth rates were 2.5 percent lower inflation under Obama in the last several years.

And he was adding more jobs in the last several years than Trump was. So he's trying to really hit at the one issue that some Americans but particularly males and possibly African American males, who are thinking about voting for Trump, are questioning.

Who's better at running the economy? And Obama really hit that clearly, that Trump actually doesn't care about you. He really only cares about himself.

COREN: Natasha Lindstaedt, always great to get your analysis. Thank you so much for joining us.

LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.

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COREN: New documents in the 2020 election subversion case were made public on Friday, despite former president Donald Trump's efforts to delay their release. But many of the nearly 2,000 pages were heavily redacted.

Most of the visible information is already available. But there are new details, including the moment an employee gave Trump a Diet Coke while he watched the January 6, 2021, riot on TV in the White House Dining Room.

The former president has been charged with four crimes stemming from his actions following his 2020 election loss, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction. Trump has pleaded not guilty.

A river flowing through India's capital has been covered in a thick white foam. While it might look like detergent, it's far from clean. In fact, it is toxic. Those details ahead.

And King Charles is visiting Australia, a country that has conflicted feelings about the monarchy. That story after the break.

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COREN: Toxic foam has covered India's Yamuna River, a tributary of the Ganges. Drone footage shows the thick, hazardous foam blanketing the huge river, a sacred waterway for Hindus as it flowed through New Delhi. The pollution threatens the health of millions living along the river.

Just half of New Delhi's daily sewerage output of 3.6 billion liters is treated effectively. The rest gets dumped in the river.

Besides being the British King, Charles III is also king of Australia. The question is, for how much longer?

Right now he's in the commonwealth nation on his first long multi- country trip since assuming the throne. But as CNN royal correspondent Max Foster reports his visit is highlighting Australian divisions over the monarchy's role.

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MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: King Charles would normally hit the ground running on an overseas tour. But not this time.

He's going to begin with a day of rest and that's on the advice of his doctors. He's taking a break for his cancer treatment whilst in Australia, according to Britain's press association.

Australia, the first country he's visiting since he's become king where he's also head of state, which brings us to the main talking point as he arrives.

Is it right that a modern Australia remains a monarchy?

Republicans have rebranded the visit as the farewell Oz tour, selling T-shirts featuring the faces of the leading royals as if they were members of a rock band on the verge of breaking up.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're absolutely welcoming Charles and Kamala here this time around. We love to wave goodbye to royal reign. Next time they come, we'd love to welcome those visitors, absolutely welcomed by an Australian head of state.

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FOSTER: State premiers have reportedly declined invitations to meet the king and queen and monarchists say that is disrespectful. When the talk does get underway, they'll spend time in the Australian capital, Canberra, whether we welcomed by prime minister Albanese, who supports a republic and other government leaders.

Australian fans often turned out in force for the late Queen Elizabeth. This will be the first test of whether they'll do the same for her heir, King Charles -- Max Foster, CNN, London.

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COREN: Tributes continue to pour in for Liam Payne as investigators try to piece together the events leading up to the singer's death. That's when we return.

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COREN: Fans, friends and former bandmates of the group One Direction, have been paying tribute to Liam Payne. They tried to come to terms with the death of the singer in tragic circumstances in Argentina on Wednesday. CNN's Anna Stewart has more.

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ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Liam Payne's former bandmates said they are completely devastated.

Separate statements from the musicians followed and more recently, a statement from Simon Cowell, who co-created the band, saying, "I always thought of the five of you in the band as brothers. And reading their messages today, I believe you were."

Payne's girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, has asked for the grace and space to navigate this in private, adding a message to Payne, "I want you to know I love you unconditionally and completely. I will continue to love you for the rest of my life."

Prosecutors in Argentina are continuing their investigation into the death of the 31-year old. Authorities said they believe Payne was alone in his hotel room at the time of the fall and may have consumed drugs and alcohol, given the substances seized at the scene.

Toxicology tests have been done, the results aren't yet back. The nature of the fall is being questioned. Prosecutors say, considering the position of the body, it's possible Payne was semi or fully unconscious at the time.

Prosecutors are also trying to piece together what happened prior to the fall. Authorities say six people have now testified to police. Payne's death has resonated with people all over the world. Not least, given so many watched him grow from teenager to adult from a reality TV show through a meteoric rise to fame.

For Payne there was a dark side to growing up in the spotlight. In interviews, he was vocal about his struggles with mental health and substance abuse. Those comments now in sharp focus as fans around the world mourn and process his death -- Anna Stewart, CNN, London.

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COREN: A teenage kayaker who spent a night clinging to his kayak has been rescued off the shore of Hawaii's capital. Night vision video shows the 17-year old being pulled onto a Coast Guard boat Thursday morning.

A family friend who is a lifeguard and helped with the search was driving the boat. According to local media, the boy went missing just before sunset Wednesday after losing his paddle while out at sea. The Coast Guard spotted him at 5:00 am the next day. His mother says he's still recovering in hospital.

And as heavy rains hit southern France this week, a video shows a man paddling through floodwaters on a surfboard. The Nile River burst its banks on Thursday, flooding the city of Bayonne, The floodwaters remained throughout Friday with authorities advising residents to stay vigilant this weekend.

France's weather authority plays six departments in the south. One red alert on Thursday. Well, that was downgraded to orange on Friday and remains in place for the three areas this morning.

The former world number three and tennis Dan Wawrinka showed some of his old form yesterday, beating top-seed Andre Rublev, to reach the Stockholm open semifinals. The 39-year-old Swiss won in straight sets.

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Wawrinka, a three time grand slam champion, meets fourth seed American Tommy Paul. In a few hours for a chance to play in the tournament final.

Just getting word that a drone was launched toward the home of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The prime minister spokesman says the leader and his wife, Sara, were not at the residence in the town of Caesarea and there are no casualties.

It is still unclear who launched the drone. We will bring you more at the top of the hour. Just repeating, there has been a drone launched toward the home of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Neither he nor his wife were at the residence. There are no casualties. Its still unclear who launched the drone.

We will bring you more news. At the top of the hour on this breaking news.

Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong. There is more CNN NEWSROOM ahead with my colleague Kim Brunhuber in Atlanta.