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Blinken Heads To Middle East In Wake Of Sinwar's Killing; Harris And Trump Woo Undecided Voters; Infants Died At Higher Rates After Abortion Bans In The U.S.; Vladimir Putin hosts BRICS Summit To Show West Pressure Not Working; Former Soviet Nation Backs Joining E.U. by Very Narrow Margin; Musk's Voter Jackpot; OpenSecrets: Project 2028 is Fake Pro-Harris Campaign Scheme. Hyundai Stock Debuts in India; Heavy Rain Triggers Landslides, Floods in Italy; Sean "Diddy" Combs Facing Seven New Lawsuits. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired October 22, 2024 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:00:19]
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome. I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong, ahead here on CNN Newsroom, the top U.S. diplomat is headed to the Middle East, but Israel shows no sign of slowing its military campaign and hopes of fading fast for a ceasefire deal.
Just two weeks until the U.S. picks its next president, both candidates are spending every last minute convincing undecided voters they're the best choice.
And music mogul Sean Combs is facing even more legal trouble, but this time, other celebrities could find themselves in hot water as well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Hong Kong. This is CNN Newsroom with Anna Coren.
COREN: It's 8:00 a.m. in Tel Aviv, where U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is due to arrive in the coming hours, his 11th trip to the Middle East since the October 7 terror attacks. The top U.S. diplomat is hoping to revive Gaza ceasefire and hostage release talks between Israel and Hamas, but there seems to be little clarity on who heads the group after Israeli forces killed Yahya Sinwar last week.
In Gaza, huge crowds of Palestinians have left the Jabalya refugee camp amid a renewed Israeli military offensive. The U.N. says the people are being forcibly evacuated.
Meanwhile, another U.S. envoy is in Lebanon working for a ceasefire there. Amos Hochstein says the key to peace is stronger enforcement of the U.N. resolution that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war back in 2006. Lebanese officials say at least four people were killed by an Israeli strike near the largest public hospital in the country. A CNN analysis shows the area was not under Israeli evacuation orders.
Other strikes targeted a Lebanese financial institution, which Israel claims is managing Hezbollah finances. A Beirut hospital denies its hiding millions in Hezbollah cash and gold in a bunker under the facility.
Syria's Defense Ministry accuses Israel of killing two civilians in a strike on Damascus on Monday. Video from a pro government radio station shows Syrian military officers near a charred vehicle.
Well, far right activists are calling for Israeli settlements in Gaza and the expulsion of the Palestinian population. They held a rally near the border on Monday, CNN's Jeremy Diamond was there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There is much more to this right wing conference on the Gaza border than just singing and dancing. Amid maps of Gaza and children's puzzles promoting the creation of Israeli settlements in Gaza, there are also calls for the mass expulsion of Palestinians.
DANIELLA WEISS, DIRECTOR, NACHALA: As a result of the brutal massacre of the seventh of October, the Gaza Arabs lost the right to be here ever so they will go to the different countries of the world. They will not stay here.
DIAMOND (voice-over): But if you thought this conference was contained to the far-right fringe of Israeli politics, think again. Among the hundreds of settler activists, a dozen members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, parliamentary coalition, including three ministers and several members of his own party.
AVIHAL BOARON, MEMBER OF ISRAELI KNESSET: We want again to establish settlements in order to bring security to the south of Israel, OK. Without it, it won't be peace to the south of Israel, even to Tel Aviv.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The Israeli prime minister has said Israel does not intend to resettle Gaza, but some of his own ministers seem to think he can be swayed.
DIAMOND: Prime Minister Netanyahu has said that there won't be any civilian settlements in Gaza. You're a member of his government. Why are you here?
MAY GOLAN, ISRAELI MINISTER OF SOCEITY EQUITY: First of all, the Likud Party is a Democratic Party, a Liberal Party, we have a variety of opinions, and I came here today from one reason. We have the right, and these people have the right to put everything on the table. Every tool is legitimate in order to protect ourselves and save ourselves.
DIAMOND (voice-over): That push to settle Gaza comes as Israel has killed more than 400 people in northern Gaza over just the last two weeks, according to Gaza officials, where tens of thousands have been forced to flee, and as the U.S. launches another diplomatic push to encourage Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza and strike a hostage deal.
[01:05:03] But it's people like far right National Security Minister Itamar Ben- Gvir who are keeping Netanyahu in power. As I ask him, what will become of Gaza's Palestinians, his response is stark. He will encourage emigration, he says. But on the outskirts of this conference, others, including October 7 survivors, are raising their voices too, rejecting those who point to October 7 to justify settling Gaza.
RON SHIFRONI, KIBUUTZ BE'ERI RESIDENT: They take advantage of the situation that happened in order to further their agenda. And their agenda is not about security. It's about settlement. It's about conquest. We have to find some sort of negotiation with the other side. We can't forcefully come inside and take land and stir up violence.
DIAMOND (voice-over): A call so far unheeded by those in power. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Be'eri, Israel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: For more, I'm joined by Aaron David Miller, a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and a former U.S. State Department Middle East negotiator. Aaron, great to see you.
This is obviously Antony Blinken's 11th trip to the region since October 7. I dare say the situation is possibly worse than his last visit. What can he realistically hope to achieve?
AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER U.S. STATE DEPT. MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: You know, right now, no agreements for sure he can press hard on the one issue where the United States has really had some success and needs to have more press the Israelis on humanitarian assistance, particularly in the northern Gaza, which is an increasingly fraught situation, needs to find out from the Israelis exactly what they intend to do, what they are doing in northern Gaza. That's clearly one objective.
Number two, he needs to work with the Qataris and Egyptians to try to identify, or at least through cutouts, try to learn who or what is going to replace Yahya Sinwar, because without a decision maker, there won't be a negotiation.
And finally, I think he's got to talk seriously to the Prime Minister about what is Israeli tactics and strategies are in in Lebanon. So, could be an important trip, but nobody ever lost money betting against breakthroughs the Middle East, and they're not going to do it this time around.
COREN: U.S. Special Envoy Amos Hochstein is in Lebanon. He says the only way the Israel-Hezbollah conflict can be resolved is by enforcing an 18-year-old U.N. resolution. Do you agree?
MILLER: Yes, as a final end state, that's right, but even Amos suggested that 70 go one may have to be certain things might need to be added to 71 to make it more effective. And right now again, who's the negotiator? Hassan Nasrallah, Israel basically killed most of the senior veterans and Lebanese government maybe this is an opportunity to stand up and assert Lebanese sovereignty, but I think it's going to be very difficult.
Even though the Hezbollah threat, organized threat to Israel, has been much reduced. Hezbollah still remains a very potent actor, far stronger than any other Lebanese factory.
COREN: We're saying with Lebanon, Israeli strikes on Hezbollah financial institutions we've seen in recent days and there now claims that Hezbollah is operating beneath a major hospital in southern Beirut, there's a there's a large command center there, and that could now be targeted. Is Israel's remit expanding in Lebanon?
MILLER: Yes, although, on the ground, they're still operating pretty close to the border. Follow the money. There's no question that that's critically important. Without money, Hezbollah can't pay new recruits again, provide social services, even though constituencies badly in need of them, their legitimacy as the protector of the Shiite community, I think, is really at stake.
So the money, staunching the money, tributes in gold or cash destroying that is, I think, pretty basic. But again, you know, it raises the problem of civilian casualties. Some of these bank offices are on the ground floor of residential buildings. This is an increasingly difficult problem, I'm afraid. And the Lebanese are paying the price.
COREN: Settlers held a rally at the border with Gaza with a number of Likud Party members attending. Tell us, what are Israel's plans for Gaza? Do they see a post war Gaza or can Netanyahu be motivated to pursue this far right rhetoric of settling the strip?
MILLER: I mean, look, I think (INAUDIBLE) who built the settlements in Gaza, at least acquiescent them in 2005 disengaged.
[01:10:04]
The IDF does not want to reoccupy Gaza for a long period of time. But I have to say, given the fact that Israelis, or at least the Prime Minister, won't discuss day after arrangements, he's allergic to the PA to the idea of Palestinian statehood, I think there's no alternative.
Israelis are not going to withdraw, as long as there is not some credible security, air protector. It's the same problem in up north, 1701 implemented is fine, but if the LAF, Lebanese Armed Forces and UFL (ph) can't prevent a resurgence of Hezbollah that I think the Israelis will want to have already made clear that they're going to insist not only on overflight rights, but they're going to insist on freedom of action and maneuver in Lebanon as a part of 1701 in Lebanese and most of the international community are not going to accept that.
COREN: Aaron David Miller, always great to get your analysis. Thanks so much for joining us.
MILLER: Thanks for having me.
COREN: 14 days and counting until election day in the United States, both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are working hard to pick up any new support they can. Well, Donald Trump kicked off his week in North Carolina, where he visited with Hurricane Helene relief workers and criticized the White House response to the devastating storm, falsely claiming the federal government had wasted so much money it wasn't able to provide adequate assistance to those in need.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: She didn't get the proper support from this administration. They spent their money on illegal migrants. They spent their money. They didn't have any money left for North Carolina. We will end the looting, ransacking, raping and pillaging of North Carolina and frankly, every other state in the union.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Asked about the arrest earlier this month of an armed man who allegedly threatened to attack FEMA employees, Trump replied, quote, you have to be able to speak. Kamala Harris is also hoping to attract new support from people disillusioned by Donald Trump and on the campaign trail Monday, she brought in backup, former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney joined Harris in Michigan, urging Republicans and others who might not normally vote Democrat to vote their conscience on November 5. Priscilla Alvarez has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Vice President Kamala Harris targeting a small but potentially decisive group of voters, Republicans turned off by former President Donald Trump. Harris is focused on vote rich counties in the key swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, making an aggressive bid to win over independents and moderate Republicans with Liz Cheney by her side.
Harris started her day in the Philadelphia suburb of Chester County with a warning about the danger Trump poses.
KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: There are things that he says that will be the subject of skits and laughter and jokes, but words have meaning coming from someone who aspires to stand behind the seal of the President of the United States.
ALVAREZ (voice-over): The Vice President swing includes populist suburban areas like Waukesha County, outside of Milwaukee, a long time GOP stronghold, where the Harris team believes they can make inroads. Biden lost the county in 2020 but performed better than any Democrat in decades.
Harris is trying to appeal to those undecided and persuadable voters in places like Oakland County, Michigan, outside of Detroit, including those who backed Nikki Haley in the Republican primary. HARRIS: I hope and I pray that we, the American people, understand not only what is at stake for us in this election, but how much we mean to the rest of the world.
ALVAREZ (voice-over): Monday's moderated conversations centered on a second Trump term, serving as a warning to voters. Harris has been sharpening her attacks on Trump, frequently casting him as, quote, unstable and unhinged, including taking aim at what she described as Trump's off script moments.
HARRIS: Generally for the life of him, cannot finish a thought, and he has called it the weave. But I think we here we call it nonsense.
ALVAREZ (voice-over): She's also resorted to near rapid response of her Republican rival, including his profane criticism of her time as vice president.
TRUMP: 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 shit Vice President. The worst.
ALVAREZ (voice-over): Harris responding on MSNBC.
[01:15:05]
HARRIS: It demeans the office. And I have said, and I'm very clear about this, Donald Trump should never again stand behind the seal of the president United States. He has not earned the right.
ALVAREZ: Now, the vice president and her team are hoping that this message resonates, especially with white college educated voters. That is where they want to make more inroads to try to peel off votes from former President Donald Trump, especially in the suburban areas in the key swing state, states.
Now the Vice President also indicating that reproductive freedom will also feature prominently in the following days as that is another issue that they think that they can capitalize on as they try to shore up support going into Election Day. Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Brookfield, Wisconsin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: I'm now joined by Jessica Levinson, Professor of Law at Loyola Law School, and the host of Passing Judgment podcast. Jessica, great to see you.
Kamala Harris has been campaigning with Liz Cheney in Pennsylvania. Harris has vowed to not be a continuation of Biden's presidency. We are hearing that more and more from her, but with two weeks to go, will that message get through to undecided voters?
JESSICA LEVINSON, PROFESSOR OF LAW, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: I mean, this is the question at this point. I think the conventional wisdom is that it has been and continues to be and will be a coin toss election, and so Harris and Trump, they are both sending out every surrogate that they possibly can.
I think the Harris campaign is focusing on surrogates a bit more to the swing states. We're not going to see campaigning anymore in the Safe States, but to the swing states and the undecided voters. There is going to be hundreds of millions of dollars spent on these voters.
And as you said for Vice President Harris, I think big part of the strategy is saying that one bucket of the undecided voters may be more conservative women who do not like the Supreme Court's decision, for instance, in Dobbs that overturned Roe v Wade, who don't like Trump and who might, if somebody like Liz Cheney is there holding hands with Kamala Harris, might be willing to say yes, I will cast my vote for her. Will it work that we don't know yet.
COREN: Jessica, there are commentators out there who believe that these undecided voters are actually Trump supporters. They just don't want to admit that to pollsters. What are your thoughts about that?
LEVINSON: So I think there are some undecided voters who are truly undecided. They are typically lower information voters, the indications we have this time around is that these tend to be younger voters. Significant percentage of them tend to be minority voters, black voters, Hispanic voters, where they really don't know or they really haven't made a decision.
But then I think there is to your question, there's a real phenomenon of people picking up the phone or responding to a pollster and not wanting to say, Yes, I'm voting for former President Trump, because they don't want to admit that, they think the pollster doesn't want them to say that.
This certainly has been something that pollsters and political strategists have been talking about, and we've also seen former President Trump historically underperform in polls. So this is a phenomenon. We don't know how big it is. I wish we had specific answers, but yes, I think there's something that happens.
COREN: And Jessica, we've been looking at images of Donald Trump. He was in North Carolina visiting communities devastated by Hurricane Helene, once again, he was stoking fears about the invasion of undocumented immigrants. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I will invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 18 oh, of 1798 -- seven. Think of that. 1798 that's when we had real politicians that said we're not going to play games. We have to go back to 1798.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: 1798, I mean, what is he on about? The scaremongering, the misinformation, the lies about immigration. I guess my question to you is, is this working outside his base?
LEVINSON: So first he has to get his base out, and then the question is, how much is the discussion about immigration and the discussion about these old laws that we have not used in modern history? How much will that help? I just have to note that he's talking about the Alien and Sedition Act. There's only one part of that act that still stands because the rest of it was either repealed or declared unconstitutional.
He was talking about specifically, is using presidential power to try and deport or remove people from countries where he's going to say that we are either at war or we're experiencing an incursion, and he's talking about an expansion of presidential power.
[01:20:03]
And I don't know, and we will not know, I hate to say it for two to three weeks, if this is a selling point for the swing voters or not.
COREN: Jessica Levinson, great to see you. Appreciate your time as always. Thank you.
LEVINSON: Thank you.
COREN: Infant mortality rates spiked in the U.S. after the Supreme Court overturned rover suede. Well, that is, according to research published in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics, it shows the increase is largely driven by a rise in congenital anomalies among newborns.
Researchers found infant mortality was 7 percent higher than expected in some months of 2022 and 2023, other data indicates births increased in states with abortion bans, and experts say that some of it's linked to a rise in the number of women carrying fetuses with lethal congenital anomalies to turn.
The U.S. is bolstering its military aid to Ukraine ahead of the American elections. We'll look at the context and timing of this new arms package. Plus, Moldova's President accuses Russia of trying to interfere in its elections the results of two key votes. That's coming up.
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COREN: The U.S. Defense Secretary makes a surprise trip to Ukraine and offers another $400 million in American military aid, which will include munitions, armored vehicles and anti-tank weapons. The visit comes about two weeks before the US presidential election, the results of which could have a sharp impact on the war. Well, CNN's Clare Sebastian explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the U.S. Defense Secretary's visit carries enormous weight for Ukraine, not because of the latest $400 million aid package that was announced or the optics and handshakes, but because we're now two weeks out from U.S. election that Ukraine really sees as existential. Former President Trump's rhetoric has become increasingly negative towards Ukraine and his running mate, J.D. Vance, has actively opposed sending military aid. Now, for his part, Lloyd Austin was there to offer some reassurance that the Biden administration remains committed and was doing what it could to front load aid before the election.
LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: We've moved heaven and earth to help Ukraine, and that inspiring coalition of more than 50 allies and partners continues to stand united to provide your country with the security assistance that Ukraine needs to prevail.
Under President Biden's leadership, United States remains committed to keeping up this support, and so I'm pleased to announce today the commitment of a $400 million presidential drawdown package to provide your forces with additional munitions, armored vehicles and any tank weapons.
SEBASTIAN: All of that will be welcome, but this is a dangerous moment for Ukraine.
[01:25:02]
Russia is inching forward on several fronts. It's counter attacking in Kursk, and it's launching almost daily aerial attacks. In fact, just hours before this visit, Russia launched an attack involving 116 drones and three missiles. It's also, according to Ukraine and South Korean intelligence, actively preparing now to bring up to 12,000 North Korean soldiers into the fight.
Video provided to CNN by Ukraine appears to show North Korean soldiers speaking Korean being issued with Russian military uniforms at a training ground near Russia's border with China. Now, the Kremlin did not explicitly deny this was happening, simply saying its cooperation with North Korea was, quote, not directed against third countries.
Ukraine's president, for his part, is now urging a strong reaction from his allies. Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well more than two years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine triggered global condemnation, the Russian President is hosting a gathering of world leaders. The BRICS summit will get underway in Kazan, Russia in the hours ahead, and a group of leading emerging economies meant to be a counterweight to the west is expanding.
Newcomers include Egypt, Iran, the UAE and Ethiopia. The Summit, which runs through Thursday, marks an opportunity for President Vladimir Putin to prove Russia still has global allies despite Western attempts to isolate it.
Well, military analyst Malcolm Davis is with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, and he joins us now from Canberra. Malcolm, as always, good to see you. We mentioned that $400 million in aid for armaments. President Zelenskyy has also announced that the U.S. will finance drone production to the tune of 800 million. I mean, that is a significant investment in an incredibly important industry. Will that make a difference? All this aid make a difference on the battlefield? MALCOLM DAVIS, SENIOR ANALYST, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE: Look, I think it's clear that the Biden administration is trying to do as much as it possibly can in the remaining weeks before the election and obviously after the election, even if Trump wins, that aid can continue right up until January the 20th of 2025 but there is this real concern that After January 20, 2025 when, you know, potentially President Trump has sworn back into office, that aid could dry up.
And I think that's the critical point. We can provide as much munitions support to Ukraine now as possible, but if at the end of the day in January, that military assistance Ukraine then falters and dries up. Then it leaves Ukraine in a very exposed situation.
The question would be then, firstly, could Ukraine somehow make up the difference with its own defense industrial capacity? Probably not. And secondly, could Europe fill the gap? Probably not. So that would leave Ukraine very exposed indeed.
COREN: I mean, Malcolm realistically. I mean this could be one of the last sizable U.S. aid packages to Ukraine if Trump is elected in two weeks time?
DAVIS: Absolutely, and where that leads is Russia. We have an increasing military advantage, as your report indicated, bringing in external forces, such as those of North Korea, its military industrial capacity is much larger than Ukraine's. There's talk of the Russian government doing a new round of mobilization that would bring even more forces into the field of battle.
And so Ukraine would then be at the mercy of probably a Russian renewed offensive in the depth of winter, when the grounds freeze over, going into the spring and the summer, and you could then see key towns such as Pokrovsk fall. And that could then allow the Russians to make rapid gains in the heartland of Ukraine, including towards Kyiv.
So, it is a really difficult situation. It's an inflection point, if indeed that Western assistance led by the United States does dry up.
COREN: Over the last two years, the West has tried incredibly hard to isolate Russia, obviously, post Ukraine invasion, and yet today we will see it hosting the BRICS summit, with more than 20 heads of state arriving, including China and India. Is this a clear message that attempts to isolate Russia, make it a pariah, have actually failed?
DAVIS: I certainly think the sanctions have failed. I think the diplomatic isolation has probably failed to in the sense that you do now have this global south and BRICS movement that that is coming together. And I think you need to see the situation in Ukraine as part of a broader context of a confrontation between an axis of authoritarian states, and specifically China, Russia, Iran and North Korea that is coopting the global south into its challenge against Western liberal democracies.
[01:30:04]
Ultimately, what this axis of authoritarian states wants to achieve is to end the dominance of a U.S.-led international system and replace it with a Chinese-led international system with Russia as the junior partner to China.
The BRICS and the Global South are playing into that. They see an opportunity for themselves to actually achieve great things under Chinese leadership.
And so you do see the world now dividing into western liberal democracies on the one side led by the United States we hope even if there's a Trump administration and the Global South and the BRICS led by China and Russia on the other side.
ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR: And then I guess Malcolm we're seeing this offensive from Russia and it's proving to be quite effective. And now you have the arrival of these North Korean troops with numbers estimated to get up to 12,000. I mean, how could this change the landscape on the battlefield?
DAVIS: It largely depends on where the Russians decide to employ them. If they bring them into the battlefield in critical battles in the Donbass towards Pokrovsk. And particularly if these North Korean troops are well-trained and well-equipped then they could be decisive in breaking through the Ukrainian defenses around Pokrovsk, allowing the Russians to capture that critical town.
The alternative is they use -- the Russians use them in Kursk to try and force the Ukrainians out of Kursk. That's another potential possibility.
But of course we're assuming that these North Korean troops are top of the line. It may not be the case. They may be quite poorly-equipped. There's a language barrier to get through. There's command-and-control differences.
And so we still don't know yet just how decisive these North Korean troops are going to be.
COREN: Malcolm Davis, as always, a pleasure to speak with you. Thank you.
DAVIS: Thank you.
COREN: Still to come, Elon Musk opens his wallet to increase voter turnout. What fans of the billionaire innovator had to say about his tactics when we return.
Plus parts of Italy seeing a wave of unprecedented rainfall that's triggered landslides and severe flooding. Those details when we return.
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COREN: Welcome back to our viewers around the world. I'm Anna Coren. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
[01:34:43] COREN: The former Soviet country of Moldova is a step closer to becoming part of the European Union. During a pivotal referendum, Moldovans voted to join the E.U. by an extremely narrow margin with just 50.4 percent in favor.
In a separate vote, the country's pro E.U. president failed to secure enough support for an outright majority and will face a runoff next month.
CNN's Anna Stewart has been covering both of these critical votes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Moldova voted "yes" to the E.U. but by a wafer-thin margin. It certainly wasn't the strong mandate that the incumbent president Maia Sandu had hoped for. She also didn't win an outright majority in the presidential election, which means she'll go for a second vote now on November 3rd.
Speaking after results came in, the incumbent president spoke about the controversy around a Kremlin-backed organization buying votes.
MAIA SANDU, MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT (through translator): -- buying 300,000 votes documented by state institutions and paying 150,000 people to vote shows we must look closely at where mistakes were made and learn from this miserable attack on our sovereignty.
STEWART: Moldova has long being torn between Russian and western influence. Russia's invasion of Ukraine really galvanized the E.U. movement and accession talks began in June of 2022.
Now these talks will continue for the country appears divided, mired in corruption, which won't make the process any easier.
Anna Stewart, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Britain's King Charles met with indigenous community members in Sydney on Tuesday as part of his and Queen Camilla's first tour of a commonwealth nation since ascending the throne.
It comes just a day after a First Nation's lawmaker confronted the royals in parliament shouting, quote "You are not my king".
The king and queen have not commented on the incident, but during a speech to lawmakers, King Charles acknowledged Australia's First Nation's people who lived on the land for tens of thousands of years before the arrival of British settlers.
King Charles will head to Samoa for a commonwealth leaders meeting after wrapping up his Australia trip.
Elon Musk's voting lottery scheme is drawing criticism from legal experts and lawmakers with some calling it clearly illegal vote- buying.
Well, Musk is offering millions of dollars to voters who register to cast their ballots in swing states.
CNN's Donie O'Sullivan spoke with people attending a voting event hosted by Musk in Pennsylvania.
Some were there to meet the innovator, while others felt more of a kinship to the conspiracy theories he's brought into it.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Elon Musk is the smartest man in the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Elon is a genius. This is a one-time opportunity to see him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a super Star Trek geek. When those rockets came down, I'm like, you've got to be kidding.
CHRISTINE, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: I respect his opinion. I understand the way he thinks. Being an engineer myself, I can understand some of the quirky things that maybe other people take the wrong way.
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Elon Musk is holding this town hall happening here in Harrisburg, trying to get the vote out for former President Donald Trump.
Musk is pouring tens of millions of dollars into getting Trump elected, even offering cash prizes to registered voters in battleground states.
ELON MUSK, CEO, TESLA: So every day between now and the election, we'll be awarding $1 million starting tonight.
O'SULLIVAN: This experts say could be breaking election law.
So you're a big fact-check guy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I've been to a lot of Trump rallies, but this has the feel of like part Comic Con party, right?
DAVE FOX, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: There's tons of young people, which I was like surprised that they could usually, you know, like, there's a lot of people like me at a Trump rally, you know, like getting ready to drop over. These are Elon Musk's fans.
SHRAGA FEINBERG, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: He's so cool, man. Why not, right? I mean, he's just so inspirational. What an amazing guy.
What I think he offers is being able to use his platform to bring the truth to more people, people that may not otherwise even give a crap about politics.
DEVIN MOUSSO, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: With all the polarization that there is now, I feel like it's really tough to yank somebody out of their camp. Everybody sees what the algorithms show them. I think most of the people that are big Elon Musk fans are probably on the side of Trump and all that already.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I voted for Biden, you know, in 2020.
O'SULLIVAN: You did?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did. I did.
O'SULLIVAN: And what changed?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What changed is nothing like positive, that's for sure. So you know, I know when Trump was in office, I saw more money on my paycheck.
MOUSSO: I was definitely a bit of a Trump hater, I guess.
O'SULLIVAN: So 2020, you weren't a Trump guy?
MOUSSO: No, no, no. I think I was more on the down the middle, didn't really care about it. I felt everything's just too crazy. I don't want to get involved.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes.
MOUSSO: And this is, I guess, is the most involved I'm getting. I haven't gone to any other rallies, and I probably won't. But --
O'SULLIVAN: So you haven't been to any other political event?
MOUSSO: No, not at all.
O'SULLIVAN: And you either, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, me neither.
MUSK: This might be the very last election that's a real election.
[01:39:49]
O'SULLIVAN: At some of these town halls, Musk has just been repeating election conspiracy theories.
MUSK: Statistically, there's some very strange things that happen.
O'SULLIVAN: You're not worried about Musk critics who say he's a conspiracy theorist.
(CROSSTALKING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People make critics all the time. He's doing what is right for America and the people.
DONALD BICKEL, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: I'm big into science. I do IT for a living --
O'SULLIVAN: Yes.
BICKEL: -- so I'm here to see Elon. That's literally why I'm here.
O'SULLIVAN: We met Don Bickel, a Musk superfan and a Pennsylvania state government employee.
BICKEL: My appeal for Elon is a lot of the way he likes to break conventions. Working in government for as long -- I like to sometimes smash the silos and just break everything down and build everything back up again.
I had voted for Trump in the past. I traditionally vote Republican. I don't think I'm going to vote Republican this time.
O'SULLIVAN: You don't think Musk is going to change your mind?
BICKEL: I mean, a meteor could strike me. It's possible.
O'SULLIVAN: Don says Musk's debunked conspiracy theories are dangerous.
BICKEL: I think probably Elon's problem is he's so down the rabbit hole what he is in X now that it's really hard to know what's right and wrong.
MUSK: There's always a sort of question of like, say, the Dominion voting machines.
O'SULLIVAN: At one town hall, Musk brought up Dominion voting machines, a frequent subject of conspiracy theories.
MUSK: In my view, we should only do paper ballots, hand counted. That's it.
BICKEL: Here's the funny thing. Even with Dominion, there's still a paper trail.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes.
BICKEL: So you can still hand recount that. I've been working for the state for many years, and heck, my father before me, like Obi-Wan Kenobi, my father before me, he worked for the state for many years.
So I've -- I grew up as a state kid, and I know how the state works in a lot of respects.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes.
BICKEL: So, yes. It's kind of sad when, you know, people like me, who are considered like the, quote, "enemy within" or the deep state, we're just doing our jobs.
O'SULLIVAN: Musk is adding fuel to that fire, right of the demonization of public officials.
BICKEL: Look, the volume for this needs to be taken down. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Donie O'Sullivan reporting there.
Well offering incentives to prospective voters is not the only way Elon Musk has opened his wallet to influence politics. "The Washington Post", "New York Times", and other outlets report the billionaire contributed to a political action committee called Building America's Future.
Government transparency group, OpenSecrets reports the PAC is responsible for a fake Web site posing as pro-Harris campaign material.
Well Project 2028. And obvious nod to the controversial Project 2025 appears to lay out a fake progressive agenda that would be enacted if Harris is elected, all in an effort to confuse voters.
A representative of OpenSecrets talked to CNN about the wide range of deceptive practices they're seeing during this election cycle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNA MASSOGLIA, EDITORIAL & INVESTIGATIONS MANAGER, OPENSECRETS: Building America's Future has really operated behind the scenes for a number of different groups. This cycle they've come out of the woodworks and are spending on ads directly but also under multiple different names, Progress 2028 being one of them.
But they also spend under other names like the Americans for Consumer Protection and have also given money to other super PACs that are then spending more explicitly on elections.
One common tie between all the different groups that are either fictitious names of Building America's Future or funded by it is that many of them have emulated Democrats, imitated. Democrats, or mocked them, sometimes in ways that aren't always discernible, where you can't tell, is this something that's promoting Republicans or Democrats.
And so in many cases they are spending on ads to divide Democratic voting blocs, taking on all of these new identities and aliases that people might not know to look for them.
The average person might not be seeing messaging that says it's paid for by Building America's Future. But they are seeing a number of other groups that are actually just aliases.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: A much-anticipated debut in India's markets for Hyundai. Coming up, a look at how its stock is performing after the country's largest IPO ever.
[01:43:35]
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COREN: Cases of polio are striking in Pakistan where more than a million children have missed the vaccine doses, highlighting the challenges in eradicating one of the world's most intractable diseases. Health officials report more than a dozen new cases this month, bringing the total number of infections this year to 39.
Well, that's compared to just six cases last year when the country appeared to be on the verge of eliminating the virus.
Well, the highly infectious disease mainly affects children under five. It attacks the nervous system and can cause paralysis, respiratory issues and death.
Hyundai Motor, India made its public trade debut a short time ago after a record setting IPO. It was India's largest IPO ever that's (ph) offering $3.3 billion worth of shares. But demand was so great they received $5.5 billion in bids. It's the world's second largest IPO this year.
CNN's Mike Valerio is joining us from Seoul following the story. Mike, how is it performing?
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it may be a rocky road for Hyundai.
Let's look at the chart, just checking my screen right here. Trading now, Anna, down 2.62 percent. But you know, this is not something that analysts are saying could be cause for long-term alarm.
A few years ago, Facebook had a very rocky IPO. Ditto that for Uber as well, so it could be a disappointing first day for Hyundai, making this blockbuster IPO. But this could signaled weaker than expected demand from retail investors, people who invest in the stock market like you and me, Anna.
Institutional investors seem to be behind this stock and the larger trend lines of why we are brought here today for the story still hold firm.
So let's talk about that, shall we? How we got here, India is now the third largest auto market on the planet, joining the United States and China, leapfrogging over Japan to take that number three spot.
So what Hyundai is trying to do with this IPO of its India unit is to try to make eventually a boatload of cash with this IPO and try to make its India unit a real bastion of regional exporting EVs and SUVs in Southeast Asia and the broader region writ large.
But you know, there's a lot of interesting analysis here in Seoul, also published in the pages of "The Financial Times" a few days ago. They ask, why not China?
What is the Hyundai play for India? And really analysts are saying that this makes sense for Hyundai because we have all of these government subsidies that are coming out of Beijing and regional governments that are making a lot of these domestic Chinese automakers thrive and pushing out so many of the international automakers.
So Hyundai already has a position in India. It wants to try to close the gap that it has with Suzuki's arm in India, which is number one, Hyundai is number two.
So disappointing at the moment. But we still have a lot of hours of trading to go. It seems as though the institutional investors be it the government of Singapore, Blackrock, Vanguard, Fidelity are behind this stock for those long-term plays and those long-term themes that we just mentioned. But we're going to be watching in the hours ahead, Anna.
COREN: Mike Valerio there. Good to see you. Thank you.
Well, parts of Italy remain on red alerts as heavy rainfall brings severe flooding that's led to dramatic rescues and at least one dead.
Our Barbie Nadeau has the latest from Rome.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Italian first responders and emergency workers have been dealing with dramatic weather over the weekend. In the southern island of Sicily, many of the roads were turned into rivers and people had to be rescued from their motorbikes and their cars. Across on the mainland in the southern region of Calabria a giant sinkhole opened up on a busy highway, swallowing a car.
But the most dramatic images are coming out of the center of the country near the city of Bologna where rescuers were able to save a three-month-old baby and its parents with a helicopter. They've also had to rescue people from buses and cars that have been abandoned on the roadside.
[01:49:52]
NADEAU: Much of this area is farmland that was flooded last year, meaning that much of the infrastructure is not even back online from those devastating floods.
It was also hit earlier this year by Storm Boris, which left its devastating impacts and left the ground very saturated. And the worst news is that the country's Civil Protection Agency has called for another red alert on Tuesday meaning that whole region in the center is going to be under flood alert as rivers rise.
Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN -- Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Officials in Havana say power has now been restored to most of the capital, but service is believed to still be down in much of Cuba. The island nation first lost power Friday when one of the country's major power plants failed. Since then, Cuba's power grid has collapsed four times. Making matters worse, Cuba was hit by Hurricane Oscar on Sunday as
millions of people had already faced power for days -- without power for days. Well, people headed outside in the dark to escape the heat indoors and to protest the outages.
Sean "Diddy" Combs' legal troubles take another turn for the worse. When we come back the details on the music mogul's latest round of lawsuits.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: New allegations against music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs as he sits in jail awaiting trial on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges. He denies any wrongdoing.
But as CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister reports, the latest lawsuits he's facing allege that other celebrities were also involved.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Disturbing details emerging in seven new lawsuits filed against Sean "Diddy" Combs, including allegations that the music mogul assaulted minors and that other unnamed celebrities took part.
One plaintiff identified only as Jane Doe, alleges she was drugged and raped by Combs at a party after the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000, when she claims she was just 13 years old.
The accuser says that a limo driver, who allegedly worked for Combs invited her to an after-party telling her Combs liked younger girls, and she fit what Diddy was looking for.
She said she was asked to sign a nondisclosure agreement when she arrived at the party and after having one drink, she felt woozy and lightheaded and needed to lie down in a bedroom.
It wasn't long until she claims Combs along with a male and female celebrity entered the room. Plaintiff was held down by Celebrity A, who vaginally raped her while Combs and Celebrity B, a female, watched.
According to the lawsuit. Combs then vaginally raped plaintiff while Celebrity A and Celebrity B watched.
The mention of unnamed celebrities marks the first time since the indictment that claims against Combs have accused other stars of engaging in alleged assault. Combs' parties were known to attract world-famous celebrities.
Another suit filed by a John Doe says at 17 years old, he was invited to a party in 2022 in Manhattan with Combs. After one drink, he says he felt dizzy, weak, and confused and witnessed multiple people engaging in group sex, including Combs and another artist he recognized.
[01:54:46]
WAGMEISTER: Doe alleges that Combs later sexually assaulted him on a bed while others laid next to them, engaging in sexual activities.
Attorneys for Combs did not respond to specific allegations in the new lawsuits, but referred CNN to a previous blanket denial, stating "Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone, adult or minor, man or woman."
Over the weekend, Combs' team requested that the judge overseeing his criminal case block prospective witnesses and their lawyers from speaking out about their allegations outside of court, arguing that the public accusations will interfere with Mr. Combs's right to a fair trial.
The latest lawsuits add to a growing web of legal troubles surrounding the music mogul who now faces more than 25 civil suits. Combs remains in custody in New York as he awaits trial in May.
Now, it's not just the sheer volume of lawsuits that is noteworthy. As the investigations continue into Combs' criminal case, legal experts that I spoke with says that this continuum of lawsuits and these new accusers coming out every week can actually serve as a roadmap of sorts for prosecutors.
Recently in court, prosecutors said that it is possible that more charges or more defendants are added to this indictment. And it's possible that these lawsuits can provide some information to those prosecutors.
Again, Combs denies all of these allegations, not just in these seven new suits, but in any lawsuit that he has faced and he is fighting to be released from jail as he awaits his trial in May.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Before we go, the latest developments in the tragic death of musician and former One Direction member, Liam Payne. Buenos Aires police tell CNN a preliminary toxicology report has been delivered to the local prosecutors office, but the final results have not yet been released.
Payne died Wednesday after falling from the third floor of his hotel in the Argentine capital. He was 31 years old.
The prosecutor's office suspects Payne was potentially experiencing some kind of episode due to substance abuse at the time.
Well, thank you for your company. I'm Anna Coren.
Stay tuned for more CNN NEWSROOM with my friend and colleague, Rosemary Church. [01:57:09]
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