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12 Million Ballots Already Been Cast in Early Voting; Harris And Trump Crisscrossing Key Battleground States; Trump's Bizarre Rally Comments; Harris Campaigns in Michigan and Georgia; Harris Puts Abortion Rights Back in the Spotlight; U.S. Investigates Highly Sensitive Intelligence Leak; Iran Denies Any Role on Drone Attack Netanyahu's Home; Netanyahu Under Pressure to End War; Netanyahu Vows to Continue the War; Deadly Collapse Off U.S. Coast; Cuba Suffers Second Major Power Outage; Rise of Christian Nationalism in the U.S.; Latest Investigation on Liam Payne's Death; Israel's Hidden War Currently Unfolding; New York Yankees Advance to World Series. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired October 20, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all our viewers watching in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Anna Coren, live from Hong Kong.

Ahead on CNN Newsroom. Kamala Harris puts abortion rights back in the spotlight, while getting star powered support in two key states on the campaign trail. Donald Trump's apparent closing message to voters, a bizarre story about golfer Arnold Palmer, and using an expletive to describe Harris time as vice president. And the U.S. is investigating a leak of highly sensitive intelligence involving Israel and Iran. The latest on what one official calls a deeply concerning situation.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Hong Kong, this is CNN Newsroom with Anna Coren.

COREN: 16 days and counting until Election Day in the United States. With the clock ticking down to November 5th, nearly 12 million ballots have already been cast in early voting and the race could not be much closer.

The latest CNN average of national polls shows Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in a dead heat. The election is likely to come down to just a few key battleground states, which themselves show polling differences within the margins of error.

Well, Pennsylvania is one of them. Both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are expected to focus much of their attention there in the remaining weeks of the race.

Well, CNN Data Reporter Harry Enten shows us just how close things are and how Pennsylvania's vote could make all the difference.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRY ENTEN, CNN DATA REPORTER: I decided to go back, look at the polling at the end of the campaign for every single cycle back the last 50 years to see if there was ever a race this close in the polling. There has never been. There has never been a race this close in the polling since 1972 in the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Keep in mind right now Kamala Harris has less than a one-point lead, it's actually less than half a point. Here's the deal, chance they win the election if they win Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is just really, really important. So, if Kamala Harris wins in Pennsylvania, she has an 87 percent chance of winning the election. If Donald Trump wins in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, he has a 92 percent chance of winning the election.

Now, the one -- there are two ways you can look at this, right? Number one, Pennsylvania is extremely important to both of their paths to 270 electoral votes. But it's actually a little bit more important to Kamala Harris' path because if she does not win the State of Pennsylvania, she only has about an 8 percent chance of winning the White House. Donald Trump has about a 13 percent chance.

Now, those are still pretty small percentages, but the bottom line is this, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania. It's extremely important to both of their chances to win the White House, but it's perhaps a little bit more important to Kamala Harris than it is to Donald Trump's chances of winning the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Harry Enten reporting there. Well, Donald Trump is expected to participate in a town hall Sunday in Pennsylvania. On Saturday, he held a rally in suburban Pittsburgh that campaign aides described as the start of his closing argument to voters.

It included promises of a return to the golden age for the U.S. if he is elected, along with a 10-minute-long story about Arnold Palmer that contained a graphic reference to the gold legend's genitalia. And he made some personal attacks on his opponent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So, you have to tell Kamala Harris that you've had enough, that you just can't take it anymore. We can't stand you, you're a -- vice president. The worst. You're the worst vice president. Kamala, you're fired. Get the hell out of here. You're fired. Get out of here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Well, Trump says he'll swing by a Pennsylvania McDonald's restaurant on Sunday to, quote, "work the French fry," meaning he will work the fryer at the fast-food chain.

The visit comes as Trump, without any evidence, continues to accuse Harris of lying about having worked at McDonald's when she was a student.

Well, Harris hit two battleground states on Saturday, holding rallies in Michigan and Georgia. She again called Trump unstable and unfit to hold office, and took aim at the former president for supporting restrictions on reproductive rights.

In Atlanta, Harris slammed Georgia's restrictive laws, citing the case of a woman who died after waiting 20 hours for treatment of complications from abortion medication.

[04:05:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: Donald Trump still refuses to take accountability, to take any accountability for the pain and the suffering he has caused, or even to just acknowledge the pain and suffering that has actually happened.

It is my pledge to everybody here, when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom nationwide, as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: The vice president was joined in Detroit by singer Lizzo, who encouraged voters to cast their ballots as soon as possible. Well, superstar musician Usher took a break from his own tour to join Harris in Atlanta, telling the crowd she has a vision for the country that includes everyone.

Well, Natasha Lindstaedt is a professor of government at the University of Essex. She joins me now from Colchester, England. Natasha, good to see you.

CNN Poll of Polls reveals a dead heat. Which candidate at this stage should be most concerned? And I guess, what does this reveal?

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: I mean, if you're the Democrats, you have to be really concerned because if you were to look at the polls in 2016 and 2020, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden were doing much better in all of these swing states, and of course, Clinton lost, and Biden barely won some of these swing states. So, just based on the polling, you have to be really, really concerned.

But what Harris is banking on is that she has a much better ground game, that there's somewhere between 10 to 14 points greater levels of enthusiasm amongst Democrats versus Republicans. And that she's just got this wide coalition of people who maybe haven't voted before that this will be their first time either participating in a campaign or voting that are actually going to vote.

There's some promising signs from the early voting in the State of Georgia where 1.4 million people have already voted. And remember in 2020, we had 5 million people in total that voted. And that tends to trend well for Democrats. So, they're banking on enthusiasm, hopefully saving the day for them. Republicans should be optimistic, if you're just looking at the polls though.

COREN: Natasha, obviously Harris is going hard on Trump's lack of energy. I mean, we discussed this yesterday, but she poked fun at him in Atlanta. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And when he does answer a question or speak at a rally, have you noticed he tends to go off script and ramble. And generally, for the life of him, cannot finish a thought. And he has called it the weave. But I think we here would call it nonsense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Well, some of that nonsense, Natasha, might be Arnold Palmer's genitalia. And then you've got, you know, Trump's offensive language, what he called the vice president. How does this all play with those undecided, those crucial undecided voters?

LINDSTAEDT: I mean, you would think it would turn them off. I've never heard a candidate speak this way. I mean, he's definitely showing signs of mental decline. And as The New York Times reported, analyzing his speech, signs of disinhibition and tangentiality. So, he's becoming more and more profane, more and more vulgar and tangentially, meaning he just keeps just going off on tangents, which is what, as she mentioned, he calls it the weave.

He doesn't seem to be able to focus on anything. He's become angrier, more sexist, more racist, more vulgar. He's experiencing memory lapses, confusing people with one another. You would think that this wouldn't play well. But it doesn't seem to affect his favorability ratings. In fact, he's even seen his favorability ratings rise in the last several weeks.

So, it is a bit of a mystery to me. And I think part of it may be that people who want to support Trump are not seeing these gaffes. They're not seeing some of these town halls or, you know, where he obviously had music playing instead of answering questions, it's just not getting reported to about half of the population. And so, that's an issue that people don't know how bad it is, I guess.

COREN: As we've seen in the polls black men are a problem for Harris. We just saw beforehand the artist Usher on stage, obviously campaigning for the vice president. Barack Obama also stumping for her. Will these displays of support, will it be enough to make an impact there?

[04:10:00]

LINDSTAEDT: I mean, it's really hard to say. She definitely has a problem with African American men under the age of 50. She has support with about 72 percent which is high, but is much lower than when Obama ran, Clinton and Biden, of course. She does better with African American women over 50. She has almost 90 percent support there.

So, that's why they're bringing out people like Obama, who is such a powerful and impressive figure in the Democratic Party, that his speeches really resonate with people, and he's focused on a couple of things. He's focused on the fact that when you vote, it really matters. It's going to affect you. It's going to affect abortion rights. It's going to affect the Affordable Care Act.

And he's also been talking about how easy it is to vote. When he was in Nevada, he was focusing on that, to try to drum up early voting, which tends to benefit the Democrats. So, you have some big names on the Democratic side. Usher in Atlanta, Lizzo in Detroit trying to drum up support for Harris. And this is all part of just that last ditch effort in the final weeks of the campaign to get the vote out. That's where the Democrats have a bit of an advantage. They have a much more complex and sophisticated organization where Trump outsourced this. But we have no way of predicting this. As has been said many, many times, this is the closest race we've ever seen.

COREN: Natasha Lindstaedt, good to see you. Thank you very much, as always.

Well, no one has explained so far how details of Israel's preparations for an attack on Iran apparently ended up on Telegram for all the world to see. And just as shocking, those documents originated with the Intelligence Community of Israel's most important ally. CNN's Natasha Bertrand has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: These two documents that were leaked on Telegram on Friday do appear to be authentic, and they are highly classified documents that suggest that the U.S. has been essentially spying on Israel's plans to retaliate against Iran for that massive missile barrage that Iran inflicted on them on October 1st.

And these documents are marked top secret. They are also -- they also have markings suggesting that the only entities that should be viewing these documents are the U.S. and some of its closest allies, the Five Eyes partnership. And so, this is obviously very concerning to U.S. officials.

And while we are not going to quote from these documents or share them directly, we can outline them broadly. One of them, for example, which is sourced to the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency discusses Israel's movement of certain munitions in order to prepare for a possible strike on Iran. Another document, which is sourced to the National Security Agency discusses the Israeli Air Force's preparations and exercises for a strike, including information about the Israeli Air Force's use of air-to-surface missiles.

And so, this is obviously going to cause some consternation, to say the least, in Israel itself. And, of course, it comes at a very delicate moment between the U.S. and Israel, and it really reveals, I think, something interesting, which is that for all of the United States' efforts to get information directly from Israel and, you know, intelligence about what they're planning to actually do in Iran and having all of these conversations, they're still collecting intelligence on them and doing surveillance on their activities so that the U.S., of course, can get its own understanding of what might transpire.

And so, for now, what we're hearing from U.S. officials is that they're not going to confirm the authenticity of these documents for now, when we reached out for official comment. But we are told that one of the main focuses of the investigation at this point is just determining who had access to these documents to begin with.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Natasha Bertrand reporting there. Well, Iran is denying any role in Saturday's drone attack that the Israeli Prime Minister says was an attempt on his life. The drone targeted Benjamin Netanyahu's home in Central Israel but didn't cause any casualties. He later said the attack was a bitter mistake and blamed what he called agents of Iran for it. Tehran says it was the work of Hezbollah. Even though the group has not claimed responsibility.

Meanwhile, Israel has released a video of the slain Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, just hours before last year's October 7th attacks. Israel's military says this footage shows him and his family hiding in tunnels in Gaza. According to the IDF, the video proves Sinwar prioritized himself over the people, which Hamas calls the people a blatant lie.

But with Sinwar now out of the picture, pressure is mounting on Mr. Netanyahu to end the war and reach a hostage deal in Gaza. Protesters has held a new rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday.

[04:15:00]

Well, top U.S. and British leaders also urged the Israeli prime minister to de-escalate in Gaza and Lebanon, but he's making it clear he's not ready to stop fighting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prime Minister, how is it going?

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Well, two days ago we took out Yahya Sinwar, the terrorist mastermind whose goons beheaded our men, raped our women, burned babies alive. We took him out. And we're continuing our battle with Iran's other terrorist proxies. We're going to win this war.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, will something deter you?

NETANYAHU: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Meanwhile, these have been scenes in the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital, Beirut. Explosions overnight and into the morning. It comes after the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings early on Sunday for those areas. Israel warning that it will strike what it describes as Hezbollah facilities and interests.

For more, Nada Bashir joins us now with London. And, Nada, obviously after Yahya Sinwar's killing, U.S. officials hoped that there may have been an off ramp to this war, but as we're hearing from Israel and Hamas, you know, both sides are digging in.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. There has certainly been some hope that the killing of Yahya Sinwar could provide the Israeli government with the opportunity to paint his killing as a sort of victory. An opportunity to at least put a pause in fighting at this stage and to move forward with the diplomatic processes to reach some sort of political resolution. But clearly, that is not what we're hearing from officials, both on the Israeli side and from Hamas.

As you heard there, we had that clip from the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. He has reiterated that the Israeli military will continue to push forward, in his words, until they have achieved a full victory.

He was clear that nothing will deter the Israeli government in pushing forward with its objectives. And we've heard from the prime minister and the government in the past saying that Israel is intent on fully eradicating Hamas despite the fact that U.S. assessments at this stage suggest that Hamas' military capabilities have been downgraded and diminished to a point where they are no longer able to carry out an attack such as the scale that we saw on October 7th.

And of course, we have seen a number of top Hamas officials, including Yahya Sinwar and the political chief Ismail Haniyeh assassinated, killed by the Israeli government and the Israeli military. But of course, we are also hearing from officials within Hamas, Khalil al- Hayya, the chief negotiator for Hamas, saying that they will not release any hostages until there is an end to Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip, until there is a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from within Gaza and until Palestinian prisoners are released from Israeli jails. These are terms which we have heard, of course, before in the ongoing ceasefire negotiations, which for weeks now, if not more, have stalled.

But of course, there is pressure coming from members of the International Community, including the United States. We know that the U.S. wants to see Israel using this as an opportunity to reach some sort of agreement to bring an end to the war to secure the release of hostages. That has certainly been the message from U.S. vice president and candidate Kamala Harris. We heard, of course, from the defense secretary speaking just last week, saying that this is, in his words, an inflection point. The opportunity should be taken.

But also, we've heard from the U.S. President Joe Biden saying that the -- that it will be difficult to get any sort of deal, but it's still intent on seeing this as an opportunity. So, clearly significant challenges that clearly the U.S. very much aware of those challenges.

At this stage, it does not appear as though this will be used as an opportunity by the Israeli government to use this as an off ramp, so to speak. And of course, we are still waiting to see how Israel will respond to Iran's attack on Israel on October 1st and how that then impacts the regional situation and the war in Gaza.

COREN: Nada Bashir joining us from London, many thanks. A deadly accident on a Barrier Island off the coast of Georgia. Those details ahead on the collapse of a ferry dock that sent dozens of people plunging into the water.

Plus, protest is growing as power outages continue throughout Cuba. Those stories, after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:00]

COREN: At least seven people are dead and several others have been injured after part of a ferry dock collapsed on Sapelo Island in the U.S. State of Georgia on Saturday. At least 20 people plunged into the water when a gangway collapsed. Crowds had gathered on the island for a celebration of its community of black slave descendants.

Sapelo is a Barrier Island off the coast of the state. and home to about 70 people. It suffered serious damage from Hurricane Helene. The cause of the dock collapse has not yet been determined.

Cuba is coping with an extended nationwide blackout after its power grid failed for the second time in two days. It happened Saturday morning. Just hours after officials said power was being restored from the first blackout on Friday. Millions are without power and there are fears about food spoilage and the lack of running water.

People banged pots in a street protest as concern grows about how long they will be without power.

And Cuba could face four to six inches of rain thanks to Hurricane Oscar. The Category 1 storm is packing maximum winds around 136 kilometers or 85 miles per hour. Oscar is the 10th named hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.

Right now, the storm is between Cuba and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Hurricane watches and warnings also are in effect for parts of the Bahamas. Forecasters say the storm could get stronger over the next few days. Hurricane Oscar is unlikely to hit the U.S. mainland, but there are other weather systems to worry about. Well, CNN Meteorologist Tyler Mauldin has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TYLER MAULDIN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: There are three big weather stories across the country right now. Number one, this high pressure controlling the eastern seaboard leading to very tranquil weather east of the Rockies.

[04:25:00]

Then you've got a stubborn weather system meandering over the Central Rockies and the southern plains, creating some, not just heavy rain, but also some wintry mischief here. And then, yes, our first atmospheric river event is coming to the Pacific northwest.

Let's hone in on the stubborn weather system moving over the Rockies right now. You're going to see plenty of rainfall over the same areas across Eastern New Mexico, that could spark the potential for flash flooding because this area has a massive burn scar. Then you get up into the higher elevations and we could be seeing snowfall above two feet in some areas.

Oh, yes. And the season is just beginning with the atmospheric rivers. It's only October. We've got our first one coming our way to the Pacific northwest. This pipeline of moisture which can be rated on a scale of one to five. This one's going to be sitting out of four. Very beneficial rainfall coming this way in this area. However, we could see some impacts due to this strong atmospheric river.

Higher elevations cascades. You could see snowfall, but then closer to the shoreline, you're going to be seeing some heavier rainfalls. Notice the oranges and red here, that means some areas near Seattle could see rainfall amounts above six inches.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: We have the latest on the investigation into the death of British singer Liam Payne. Just ahead, how fans of the British singer and his One Direction bandmates and family are coping.

And critics are raising concerns about the rise of Christian nationalism in the U.S., with some of Donald Trump's supporters saying he was chosen by God.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:00]

COREN: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong, and you are watching CNN Newsroom.

Election Day in the U.S. is just 16 days away. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are focusing on a handful of battleground states that could decide the outcome of the extremely tight race for the White House.

Trump is set to host a town hall in the critical State of Pennsylvania today. As Harris makes several campaign stops in Georgia.

Meantime, former President Barack Obama is also out there throwing his weight behind Harris. He told a crowd in Las Vegas that people need to stop making excuses for Trump's bad behavior.

As we count down until Election Day, some are raising alarms about the role that religion is increasingly playing in politics. That includes some preachers who push the idea that Former President Donald Trump was chosen by God to lead. Well, CNN's Donie O'Sullivan has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DOTTI DAVIDSON, TRUMP SUPPORTER: We have to take God and put him back into the very moral fabric of this country. Otherwise, we will continue to see the decay. Just like Rome. Rome fell, and so will America.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- why are you going to all these battleground states, because I said, it's not just a battleground politically, it's a battleground in the spirit.

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you think Trump was sent from God?

DAVIDSON: I do. I do.

O'SULLIVAN: Tell me more about it.

DAVIDSON: It was divine intervention. God calls people, and they're not perfect people. So, he has to call someone that's going to take a stand. And that's what Trump is doing. He is fulfilling his calling.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): It's a few weeks before Election Day and Christian singer, preacher and Trump supporter Sean Feucht is here outside the North Carolina State Capitol.

SEAN FEUCHT, CHRISTIAN SINGER, SONGWRITER, ACTIVIST: We're going to plead the blood over the Capitol.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Feucht didn't mention Trump's name at this event at all, but the political undertones were very clear.

FEUCHT: We plead the blood of Jesus. Your blood speaks a better word than whatever is happening inside that building.

O'SULLIVAN: You're traveling to every state capital?

FEUCHT: Yes.

O'SULLIVAN: Just tell us the significance of that.

FEUCHT: It feels like it's more acceptable a lot of times in capitals to have a drag queen reading to kids rather than Christians worshiping. And so, my heart is like, hey, let's empower people in the church to understand the significance of what happens in that building. Really, we're, in many ways, putting the politicians on notice in that building, hey, the church is alive, we're aware and you know, there are things that we're going to stand for and things that we're going to stand against.

O'SULLIVAN: There's no official religion of this country, you would agree?

DAVIDSON: The religion that this country was based on is Christianity. I mean, for anyone to go and dispute that, they're completely ignorant and blind.

O'SULLIVAN: Wait. You believe in freedom of religion? DAVIDSON: Oh, yes.

O'SULLIVAN: People can be --

DAVIDSON: People can be of different faiths and practice as they wish. But this is a Christian country, and this is what it was founded on, and that is what makes America so phenomenally great.

BEN MARSH, PASTOR, FIRST ALLIANCE CHURCH: What does that mean, though, America is a Christian country? We have a constitution that is rooted in liberal democracy. You don't arrive at the American constitution with just the Bible, unless you're buying a Trump bible, which already has the American Constitution in it.

This was the flag that went into the Senate when the doors were broken.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): I first met Pastor Ben Marsh almost four years ago.

MARSH: The Christian flag --

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): After I saw this sermon that was posted online where he explains the role of Christianity in January 6th.

MARSH: They thought they were doing the work of God because pastors and leaders have lied to them.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Marsh says equating Christianity and American patriotism the way some of the Trump movement do is dangerous.

MARSH: It can create a cult like attitude towards the leaders that are there, because they're no longer just, oh, that's the right guy, like his policies. Now, it's, oh, Jesus has chosen that person. So, we have to follow that person to wherever they go.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Pastor Marsh is describing is Christian nationalism.

FEUCHT: I believe that's a term that's been weaponized to kind of try to put Christians into a corner, right? Where we don't exercise our faith in the public square.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): But Pastor Marsh disagrees. He's worried that Christian nationalism could lead to more violence.

MARSH: We are in a time when political violence is just kind of the air that we're breathing, and people are so afraid it comes back to fear. So, Trump supporters, looking at Democrats, if they win, they're going to commit all these atrocities. You have Christian leaders that are saying they're going to lock you up, they're going to take away your pulpits, just rampant lies.

[04:35:00]

TRUMP: Promoting the God bless the USA Bible.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Far from distancing himself from Christian nationalism, Trump has embraced it. Even selling a $60 bible complete with the founding documents.

MARSH: You brought me a Trump bible, God bless the USA. And then we say the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, Amen. And then, all of a sudden, you have the Declaration of Independence. What's the implication there, Donie? That that government has been set in place to enact the will of Christ somehow? Honestly, it breaks my heart.

O'SULLIVAN: What about people who say, you're overreacting. I love my country. I'm a Christian. I love the bible. I love the founding documents. What's so bad about putting them together in one book?

MARSH: I think what's so bad about this, not just this bible, but the whole movement, is it is enticing people to do things that really aren't Christian that make them feel like they're doing something that's Christian. You know, all this partisan nonsense, but it's all designed to make people think that they're doing something for Jesus when they're really not, they're doing something for Trump.

FEUCHT: We're not here to witness a failing nation, we're here to see God break in.

O'SULLIVAN: And the concern, as you heard there from Pastor Ben Marsh, is how Christian nationalism, this belief that Trump was sent by God, how it plays into the wider election denialism movement. We know that in 2020, when Trump lost the election and he claimed it was stolen, these Christians who went on to storm the Capitol did so because, in part, they believed Trump had been sent by God. And obviously, there is a concern that that could happen again. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Doni O'Sullivan with that report. Well, more than 30,000 Boeing employees may soon be off the picket line and back at work. The machinists union announced Saturday that a tentative deal is on the table. Rank and file members still have to vote on the agreement.

If the deal is approved, it would give workers a 35 percent pay raise over the next four years. The five-week strike has been a huge blow for the airline manufacturer. Boeing has been losing nearly a billion dollars a month due to the strike and the company recently announced it would cut about 10 percent of its global staff. That's around 17,000 jobs.

The FAA is investigating a previously unreported in-flight close call near Austin, Texas. This is just the latest near miss that took place near the International Airport in Austin. CNN's Pete Muntean has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Near collisions involving commercial flights have been making headlines since the start of last year, and have had regulators and investigators on high alert, but most have involved flights on or near the runways of a major airport. Rarely are these close calls in midair.

This incident was on Wednesday, but is just now coming to light after new data from flight tracking site Flight Radar 24. It shows an American Airlines flight lining up to land at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas when a private Cessna 182 started to turn toward the commercial flight, putting the plane's nose to nose.

Flight Radar 24 says the American flight passed over the Cessna separated by only 400 feet. We're talking a little more than the length of a football field. The air traffic control recording from liveatc.net details that the American pilots received an in-cockpit alert of an impending collision, called a resolution advisory, which requires immediate action by the pilots.

Now, this investigation is just beginning, but the FAA says the Cessna was operating under visual flight rules. That does not require constant communication with air traffic control. You may remember that Austin was the site of another incident near collision. In February of last year, a FedEx flight nearly landed on top of a departing Southwest flight that was obscured by dense fog. Investigators said the quick reaction of the FedEx crew saved the day and the lone air traffic controller in the tower simply could not see the problem playing out in front of him.

Pete Muntean, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Well, now, the latest on the death of Liam Payne. A source tells CNN his family will not be able to take the body of the English singer home until clinical tests are completed in Argentina. The former boy band member died on Wednesday in a fall from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.

The remaining members of his One Direction band are grieving. along with Payne's family and friends. Bandmate, Zayn Malik, announced Saturday he is postponing the U.S. leg of his latest tour. Meanwhile, Payne's fans are still gathering to mourn outside of that hotel in Buenos Aires.

Israel is mired in growing conflict across the Middle East. But after the break, we'll take a look at the country's hidden war that's currently unfolding. More on that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:40:00]

COREN: U.S. officials are not giving up on the hope that the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar will mark a major turning point in the Israel-Hamas war. The Biden administration says it will redouble efforts to negotiate a ceasefire and hostage deal now that Sinwar has been eliminated. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas both say they are not ready to stop fighting, and looking at the hidden war inside Israel may help us better understand why all of this is easier said than done.

Mairav Zonszein, the Senior Israel analyst for the International Crisis Group, has written about Israel's hidden war, and she says in Foreign Affairs, the growing clash between the far-right and the security establishment is unprecedented, in the words of a former top Israeli intelligence official. It is rooted in Netanyahu's effort to stay in power by tying himself to the far-right and blaming the military and intelligence apparatus for October 7th while denying his own responsibility. She also reports on how Israel's top security officials are sounding the alarm. They believe portions of the Israeli political right are interfering with the national interest.

Well, Mairav Zonszein now joins us from Italy. Mairav, thank you for joining us. Let's start with what you wrote. You note that Israel's top security officials say that sections of Israel's political right are working directly against the country's own interests. I mean, explain to us how that's playing out and the risk, not just within Israel, but for the region.

MAIRAV ZONSZEIN, SENIOR ISRAEL ANALYST, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: Yes. Well, that is most evident in the West Bank with settler violence. You've had several top security officials, the head of the Internal Security Service, the Shin Bet in Israel. The idea of chief of staff has warned about it.

[04:45:00]

When you've had these big settler rampages, they've come out condemning them and they've said that this is something that directly undermines Israel's own national security. This is because the military and the people in charge of security in occupied territory want to keep things as quiet as possible. They don't want settlers making trouble. They want to keep things kind of status quo in the occupation. So, for them, it's really troubling.

And you have a national security minister who is a far-right settler. You have a finance minister who has really reorganized the way the occupation in the West Bank works, his name is Bezalel Smotrich. He's also a minister in the defense ministry. And both of them came into power as a result of Netanyahu's need to rely on them.

And so, they have been doing a lot of damage and really changing the way the security apparatus functions, both in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

COREN: Mairav, you say that top military officials are speaking out or sounding the alarm, but what can be done, I guess, to counter this with a war raging on several fronts?

ZONSZEIN: Well, the thing is that the tension between the military establishment and the far-right only goes so far. It has to do with how security in Israel's understood the coordination with the U.S. Israel obviously relies on U.S. support for prosecuting its war. But when it comes to what's happening in Gaza and the -- and Lebanon and Iran as well, it's a little bit more problematic because there you have much more support both in the public in Israel and also in the security establishment for the continued prosecution of these wars and for the targeted assassinations of leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah. So, it's a little bit more tricky there because there's a lot more support.

However, we have seen that the defense minister, Yoav Gallant, has come out quite clearly against the way Netanyahu has prosecuted the war in Gaza for his failure to come up with a day after plan and his failure to try and bring in Palestinian leaders, which is also somewhat troubling and challenging and unrealistic in the way that Israel has been devising it. So, there is no easy answer here.

But the first thing would be for the U.S., which we've seen the Biden administration is not willing to do it. But ideally, the U.S. would have to step in and really use its leverage to create a ceasefire. That would be the first necessary step to stop the fire, to save lives, and only then can the security establishment try to start to maybe rework the way that Israel has been prosecuting this war.

But as we know, the prime minister is holding on to his seat in power, and it's currently not interested in a ceasefire. So, it would have to rely on outside pressure.

COREN: Well, you mentioned the U.S. applying that outside pressure, and I guess there's just so much attention put on the fact that the U.S. has very little influence over what Netanyahu does or how he makes those decisions. Does that reflect perhaps the internal conflicts that you describe? And is there a role for Washington at this point?

ZONSZEIN: It's a misnomer that the U.S. doesn't have influence. The U.S. absolutely has influence. Israel could not -- it needs the weapons. It needs the ammunition. It needs a lot of the infrastructure that the U.S. provides it, not to mention the diplomatic cover and the financial aid. Israel could not do what it's doing for over a year now without the U.S. support.

The U.S. has, in many ways, aligned and supported with some of Israel's war objectives. And when it has differed with it on certain tactical approaches, it hasn't put its money where its mouth is. I think we would have been in a much different situation if Biden had decided to use weapons leverage on Israel early on when he came out with his ceasefire proposal that he said Israel had had endorsed.

And yes, we have a problem with a man in power in Israel who is on trial for corruption, who has overseen the country in its worst moment ever, its failure on all levels of military security and political ability to protect its own citizens. And we're a year in and there are still hostages in Gaza that the Israeli public is demanding be returned.

So, you know, the Israeli public, in large numbers, has come out to demand a ceasefire hostage deal, if only to get back the hostages and try to get a break from what they've experienced. And the world has been calling on a ceasefire because of the tens of thousands of people who are losing their lives in Gaza and now in Lebanon. So, really -- this really does lie mostly with the U.S. and the Biden administration.

COREN: Mairav Zonszein, we appreciate your analysis. Thank you so much for joining us.

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In a moment, we'll show you the dramatic moments that led to a stunning win for the New York Yankees. Now, gearing up for another World Series. Stay tuned.

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COREN: The New York Yankees are heading to the World Series for the first time in 15 years.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Soto, a high fly ball to center. Thomas backing up. Thomas at the track. And long. Soto. A three-run home run.

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COREN: That's Juan Soto hammering a three-run shot in the 10th inning, clinching the win for the Yankees. They eliminated the Cleveland Guardians 5 to 2 in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series. Soto described the winning moment as the best feeling you can ever have. Tonight, the Los Angeles Dodgers could also advance to the World Series if they beat the New York Mets.

The University of Georgia Bulldogs took down the number one ranked University of Texas in convincing fashion on Saturday. Final score, 30 to 15. Running back Trevor Etienne ran for three touchdowns as fifth ranked Georgia never trailed.

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With the victory, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck improved his record to 19 wins and two losses as a starter. The Bulldog defense was strong with seven sacks and four turnovers that resulted in 17 points.

From Cinderella to wrappers to fries and ketchup, dressed up dogs flooded New York's East Village Saturday for the annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade. The volunteer run annual event had more treats than tricks. Many owners joined in the fun, matching their dogs' outfits, while some furry friends attempted to be a totally different creature for the day.

One owner went so far as to put their dog in a hot dog outfit and onto a hot dog cart next to a baby, dressed like a hot dog vendor. Poor puppy. Well, thousands turned out to watch the celebration of New York dog culture now in its 34th year. And in Mexico City, thousands of zombies got some practice for Halloween. This is the annual zombie walk. Entire families celebrated the Walking Dead Saturday. And kids even dress up too.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I love terror. That's why I decided to start coming to the marches. I've been coming for eight or 10 years and everybody should come. It's super fun. There's a family friendly atmosphere and you're going to have an amazing time.

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COREN: That is freaky. Well, crowds gathered in Mexico's capital to watch zombies take over their city and tried not to get eaten. Zombie Walk started in California, but major cities across the globe now welcome the dead, including Sao Paulo in Brazil, Bogota, Colombia and even Frankfurt in Germany.

It's giving me some ideas for Halloween. Well, that wraps up this hour of CNN Newsroom. Thank you for your company. I'm Anna Coren. I'll be back with more news at the top of the hour. See you soon.

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