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CNN International: Trump Out West in Mexico, Nevada and Arizona Today; Elon Musk Case Heads to Court in Philadelphia Today; One Person Dead as Typhoon Makes Landfall in Taiwan; CNN Speaks to Saudi Foreign Minister; Dodgers Clinch Title in Thrilling Comeback; Bronny James Scores First NBA Points. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired October 31, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00]
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, and this is the CNN "Newsroom". Just ahead, just five days to go, Donald Trump leans into Joe Biden's garbage gaff taking to the campaign trail in his own garbage truck.
Kamala Harris today will continue her tour of battle ground states, joined on stage by a pretty big name. And the death toll from catastrophic flooding in Southeastern Spain rises to nearly 100. We're live on the ground with the latest. All right, somehow, with just five days left in the U.S. election, the campaign has turned into a debate over garbage.
It started with a Donald Trump rally where a comedian called Puerto Rico an island of garbage, and then escalated when Joe Biden's comments were construed as calling Trump supporters garbage. Though the White House disputes that. And now both campaigns still in different ways distinguishing themselves on it.
Trump is leaning into the idea that Democrats don't like his supporters, as he wears a safety vest on stage at a rally and then also behind the wheel of a Trump themed garbage truck.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: How do you like my garbage truck? This truck is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Kamala Harris is taking this approach, emphasizing she won't criticize anyone because of who they are voting for. She pledges she'll reach across the aisle and invite Republicans to the table.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Unlike Donald Trump, I don't believe people who disagree with me are the enemy. He wants to put them in jail. I'll give them a seat at my table, and I pledge to always put country above party and self, and to be a president for all Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Later today, Harris will be focused on Hispanic voters outraged by the Puerto Rico garbage comment that originated at the Trump rally. Superstar Jennifer Lopez will join Harris in Las Vegas. And we have reports from both camps. Jeff Zeleny is covering Kamala Harris and Steve Contorno is tracking the Trump campaign for us.
Good to see you both. All right, Steve, you first. Trump's campaign you know certainly is not letting a Joe Biden get away with that garbage slip up, trying to capitalize on --
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: No, they're not, Fred, good morning. In fact, they're getting a lot of mileage out of it. Pun intended, here he is yesterday, showing up in a garbage truck with a Trump campaign sign on it to hammer home this point. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: How do you like my garbage truck? This truck is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden. Joe Biden should be ashamed of himself if he knows what he's even doing and she should be ashamed because she shouldn't let him do it. She's the vice president, but I assume she's acting as the president. She should never have let that happen. I hope you enjoyed this garbage truck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CONTORNO: I think you will see him continue to lean into this message and his response to this because they feel like it is effective in cutting into Harris' argument that she is going to be some kind of uniter. And it is also something that they are hoping pulls out their base and attracts more people who are sick and tired of this kind of rhetoric about Trump supporters and get out to the polls.
The question is, though, is Trump doing enough in these final days to reach beyond that audience and reach beyond those supporters that his team has been targeting now for months and months and months, the Joe Rogan crowd, the Theo von podcast crowd, the comedian crowd, and instead reach out toward women.
Latest polling that came out yesterday from ABC shows that Donald Trump is trailing Harris among women by a margin of 14 points, and that's among likely voters. And we are starting to hear warning signs from several Republicans about what this could portend for the election.
Nikki Haley, over the weekend, saying that Trump's quote, overly masculine Madison Square Garden rally isn't doing enough to add new votes to the mix. And yesterday, Charlie Kirk, a very important influential person in Trump's world, because his organization, turning point, is in charge of the ground game in several key states.
He issued a warning on social media, saying, quote, early voting has been disproportionately female. If men stay at home, Kamala is president. It's that simple. So that is the stakes heading into this final stretch for Donald Trump.
[08:05:00]
He will head out west for a pair of visits in swing states of Nevada and Arizona. He will also travel outside of the battleground map to New Mexico, a state that has not received nearly as much attention, but one his campaign remains optimistic that if there are a groundswell of support coming from the Sun Belt that he could perhaps have an alternative path to the White House through that state.
WHITFIELD: All right, Steve, thanks so much. Jeff, to you, Kamala Harris, well, she got another big day in store. How is her campaign trying to move forward?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fredricka, Vice President Harris will be waking up here in Madison, Wisconsin after three stops yesterday in the central battle grounds of North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and right here she will also be going west, at this point of the campaign. In these late days, the candidates are essentially chasing one another.
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, who are in Wisconsin at the same time. They will be in Nevada and Arizona at roughly the same time later today. But to Steve's point, talking about all this discussion of the garbage truck, the Harris campaign and many Democrats believe it's quite rich coming from the former president that he is trying to call them out for some criticism.
Of course, he has been very demeaning to supporters on the other side of the aisle, but there is no doubt that the comments from President Biden sort of interrupted what the Harris campaign saw as a gift to them, those comments at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
Vice President Harris will be going to Nevada to campaign with Jennifer Lopez and others again, trying to reach out to some Puerto Rican voters and others. But it was that effort to find common ground and common-sense, Vice President Harris said that she's after. Take a listen to a piece of her final message on the campaign trail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Let's be intentional about building community, and let's be intentional about building coalitions. Let's remember that the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: So, Harris clearly trying to close with a bit more of a hopeful, optimistic tone. This has been a very divisive and a dark campaign in many respects. So that is one of the messages she is trying to convey. But at this point of the race, it is about mobilization, both sides, getting out their supporters.
The Harris campaign, though, still believes there's still some persuasion that can be done, perhaps with some Republican or independent women voters who were turned off by the former president's comments on abortion and other matters, we shall see. But Fred, hanging over all of this, even as early voting is underway, tens of millions of Americans have already voted.
The exact shape of the electorate is sort of unclear. So, both sides are trying to turn out their bases through early voting and other matters. But five days left, it is remarkably close in all seven battlegrounds that has not changed over the last several months, so there are no predictions from either side. Some cautious optimism, but still both sides have much work to do before Tuesday --
WHITFIELD: Yeah, it's amazing. All right. Steve Contorno, Jeff Zeleny, thanks to both you gentlemen. Appreciate it. Let's get more analysis now of where things stand in these final moments of the campaign. Five days, Larry. Larry Sabato is with us, the Director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.
So great to see you this morning. So, in these final days, believability is central, isn't it? I mean, Trump is wearing an orange vest sitting in a garbage truck to help divert attention from the fallout from his Sunday event when a comedian compared Puerto Rico to floating garbage.
And then, you know, trying instead to draw attention to Biden's gap. This is all getting a lot of mileage, but which campaign really is truly being hurt most?
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR OF UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CENTER FOR POLITICS: Well, you know, originally, because of the Sunday event in Madison Square Garden, Trump was clearly damaged. And it wasn't just the alleged comedian's comment about Puerto Rico as awful as that was. It was a whole series of comments by several people in that lineup prior to Trump's speech.
Just awful attacks on most groups you can think of. Let's put it that way. So, Harris had a real -- had a steam there, and then came Biden's stupid gaffe, and it couldn't have been more poorly timed. It has transferred the energy, in a sense, of this whole episode, to the Trump campaign.
And understandably, they're making the most of it and stretching it into a second or maybe even a third day. Now, is it going to matter in the end? I doubt it, unless this is another 2000 election where everything comes down to 537 votes in one state. But I'm sure that the Harris people are disappointed.
[08:10:00]
They could have made a lot more of this for the full remaining week, and then the incumbent president threw it away.
WHITFIELD: You know, another truly important issue, the Israeli-Gaza conflict. It is also central to many who are going to the ballot box, especially in Michigan and Wisconsin, where both the candidates have been spending a lot of time as of recent. So, what's notable here is Robert F. Kennedy Jr, remains on the ballot in those states. How could all of this affect voters, you know, and vote results in those states? SABATO: Well, the Kennedy vote is split, the studies that I've seen of it so far suggest that, you know, some is coming from both sides, but he has clearly aligned himself with Donald Trump, so disproportionately he would be hurting Trump. I mean, there's a reason why he tried to get his name off the ballot in these states.
Here's the irony, Fred, essentially, Kennedy has thrust himself back into the headlines with his comments about Trump, supposedly, and one can believe he said it supposedly assigning all kinds of health agencies within the federal government to Robert F. Kennedy, which I've got to tell you, and you know, plenty of doctors too, is the nightmare of the entire medical profession, because Kennedy's views are in orbit.
And I don't mean Earth orbit, I mean Mars orbit. So, the idea of this guy actually having influence on our policy about vaccines or health or food quality, it ought to terrify people. And maybe more attention should be given to that, but it's bound to help Harris and his name being on the ballot is going to take votes from Trump in very close states where a few 1000 votes will matter.
WHITFIELD: OK, let's talk now about the U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing your state of Virginia, you know, to purge some 1600 voter registrations the state says are held by non-citizens. How much is that potentially impacting trust in the fairness and the potential outcome of this election?
SABATO: The Trump people here and elsewhere will believe anything that Donald Trump and his minions say about voter fraud, even though almost all of it is completely and totally false. But they continue to get away with it, and unfortunately, you have more establishment Republicans like the Republican Governor here, Glenn Youngkin, going right along with it and catering to Trump and these ridiculous voter fraud allegations.
I know this state well, Fred, I've lived here most of my life, and I'm telling you, we have a very clean voting system. I'd be surprised if there were 25 non-citizens, and that's what research in other states has shown. 25 or so non-citizens somewhere in that vicinity out of millions of registered voters.
But this governor went right along with it, cater to Trump. And this is a shock. I -- really, I am shocked, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Yeah.
SABATO: The Supreme Court --
WHITFIELD: This close to Election Day.
SABATO: This close to Election Day, but the shock is that the six Republican justices voted essentially for Donald Trump and the position that there is voter fraud, while the three liberal democratic justices voted against it. Who would have imagined this, that the court has become so political and partisan? WHITFIELD: Well, this is what underscores a worry that many have, even after election night, that so many court systems jurisdictions will be gummed up, because Donald Trump, the Republicans are anticipating and already arming themselves with potential legal fights, either while votes are being counted or after the fact, if it doesn't go his way.
SABATO: There's still question, Fred, it's exactly what you just said. They they're already preparing the way. There are only two possible outcomes here, on the Trump side, either Trump wins or Trump loses, but says he wins and it was all voter fraud. We have some difficult days, weeks, and I hope not, but maybe months in front of us.
WHITFIELD: Larry Sabato, great talking to you this morning, I know we will be talking again soon from the Center of Politics at the University of Virginia. Thank you.
SABATO: Thank you, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, the world's richest man is set to appear in court in the coming hours. Elon Musk has been ordered to show up today at an emergency hearing in Philadelphia over his million dollar a day, giveaways to voters in swing states. The city's top prosecutor is calling it illegal. The tech billionaire is trying to move the lawsuit into federal court.
[08:15:00]
Meanwhile, election officials in battleground states are desperately trying to fight back as Musk, the owner of X, uses his massive platform to spread conspiracy theories and misinformation. And they admit there is so much of it. It's extremely challenging. Zachary Cohen is in Washington for us. Good morning to you. Elon Musk, he's been called to appear in court today. Do we think he's actually going to show up?
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah, Fred, we expected a high stakes court battle today where Elon Musk had been ordered and required by the judge to show up in person at this hearing in Philadelphia, but some late-night legal maneuvering from Musk and his legal team may have put this case on ice for now.
And it goes without saying every day this $1 million giveaway at the center of this lawsuit goes on. It's a win for Elon Musk, and so look, Musk is trying to delay this case by arguing that this needs to be moved to federal court now, typically, a motion like that will pause a case while a judge sorts out whether or not to accept that motion or to send it back to the state level court.
So, this move could delay, at least for the short-term Musk court battle. But again, with only five days until the election, we -- that means that this giveaway could continue and look the top prosecutor in Philadelphia, as you mentioned, has argued that Musk's giveaway is not only illegal, but an improper effort to influence and impact the 2024 election.
Obviously, Musk is a key supporter of Donald Trump. He's been using his platform X to really amplify pro Trump messaging online. And so, this giveaway is another component of that, that prosecutors are warning is illegal, but a judge may allow Musk to continue doing it until the election.
WHITFIELD: All right, so he's also Musk using his social media platform X to spread disinformation about the U.S. election, and it is causing a massive headache for a lot of election officials who are, you know, trying to fact check him, but that seems like a nearly impossible task at this juncture, right?
COHEN: Yeah, Fred, one election official in a key swing state told me that, quote Elon Musk, is a major problem, and they're referring to exactly what you just described, this misinformation and this disinformation that has been amplified both by Elon Musk personally to his over 200 million followers on X.
But also gets a boost from that algorithm of the X platform itself, which of course, Elon Musk owns and runs and is in charge of. So, look, this is something that came up in several conversations with top election officials across those seven key battleground states, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia.
And they're all grappling with the same problem, the Elon Musk of it all. Some of them have tried to fact check Elon Musk on X in real time. That has yielded mixed results very and is largely ineffective in terms of combating the misinformation initially raised by Musk. Some of them have said that, look, they think it's important to continue doing that.
Though, because it at least creates a paper trail right in case the same baseless claims come up after the election in some sort of post- election litigation. And other election officials have essentially thrown up their hands and said it's not worth the effort to try to push back on Musk in real time, instead trying to just push their own messaging to voters in their states, making sure that they're armed with accurate information.
And one election official in Arizona told us that he's even had friends try to get friends to pass personal notes to Musk directly, urging him to stop pushing false claims. He's acknowledged those efforts were ineffective so far. So, look that this is a problem across all these battleground states, and Election Officials are really struggling to keep up with Musk and this misinformation megaphone.
WHITFIELD: And if Trump wins, it's already been said out loud that Elon Musk could potentially get some sort of advisory position at a minimum. All right. Zachary Cohen, thank you so much. All right. Coming up, people in southeast Spain are reeling after being hit by the worst flooding in decades.
That's straight ahead. Then a race to the finish with a focus on a handful of pivotal U.S. states. CNN speaks to voters in Wisconsin about the trends they are observing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [08:20:00]
WHITFIELD: All right, Spain is reeling from its worst flooding in decades. At least 95 people have been killed by severe flash floods, and officials say dozens are still missing. The damage is extensive. Many areas in southern and eastern Spain were hit with up to 30 centimeters or 12 inches of rain in just hours, marking the worst rainfall in Valencia in 28 years.
And then take a look at these cars piled up in a street swept together by floods. A local official compared the rainfall to a dam bursting and traumatized survivors are trying to cope with the clean-up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The sorrow is the people who have died. And there have been many. There were many people who lost their lives.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Powerless, really. That you see that in half an hour, because the river rose for half an hour. We have lost almost everything, also a tremendous scare, because my family, my wife, my son. My wife had to carry my daughter in her arms when the water was almost chest high to escape to a hotel. It's a helplessness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Atika Shubert is joining us now from the region. Atika, the death toll is astonishing. What is the focus for authorities there?
ATIKA SHUBERT, JOURNALIST: It's really just clearing the streets and searching for bodies frankly. So far, 92 people have been killed here in Valencia, and I'm actually in La Torre. This area was one of the most affected. It's just outside of the city, and I can see here that the flood reached almost chest high, carrying these cars with it from the river.
And they just swept these cars down the road here. The only way to get here is to walk, at this point, and so hundreds of people, thousands really, have been streaming in and out, those coming in to try and clean up -- what's left. Others are leaving with what they've been able to find, rescue pets that were left behind, for example, manage to do the best they can.
It's a pretty grim scene, and I think the clean-up is going to take many, many more days. This area, for example, is still cut off from electricity, water. There's no service here, so restoring all of that is going to take a long time.
WHITFIELD: And Atika, while they may have anticipated there was going to be some rain or flooding. I mean, certainly no one could have prepared for this. What were they expecting?
SHUBERT: Yeah. I mean to be sure this is a seasonal phenomenon that does happen in the Mediterranean region. They do get what they call -- these cold drops, sudden rain storms that can dump a lot of rain, but the amount of rain that was dumped here a year's worth, in less than eight hours.
It really hasn't been seen in decades. And so, this is the worst catastrophe Valencia has seen in a very long time. Alerts were sent out in the midst of the storm. For example, I got an alert on my phone. Everybody did in this area, but that was too late for some of the people that were already trying to get out but were immediately inundated with flood water. So, a lot of questions being asked now whether or not that alert should have gone out earlier.
WHITFIELD: Wow! Mind blowing images. Mind blowing conditions there. Atika Shubert in Valencia. Thank you so much. Typhoon Kong Rey has made land fall along Taiwan's southeast coast. Winds were approaching 200 kilometers per hour, equivalent to a Category 3 Atlantic hurricane when it made land fall.
One person has died. This is the largest typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan since 1996. Offices and schools have been off or ordered rather by local authorities to temporarily close.
[08:25:00]
This is the third typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan this year. And returning to our top story, the U.S. presidential election is among the closest, if not the closest, in American history, and in a race this tight, every vote counts. CNN's John King spoke with voters in the critical battleground state of Wisconsin about the upcoming election and the trends they are observing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sunrise in the suburbs, Pewaukee on the red side of a critical dividing line in battleground Wisconsin. Octane coffee is a startup, your morning -- prepared by a robot. Adrian Deasy is the founder and CEO.
ADRIAN DEASY, WISCONSIN RESIDENT: This is all of the robotics.
KING (voice-over): He grew up in a democratic household, voted twice for Barack Obama, moved to the Milwaukee suburbs a decade ago.
DEASY: Toppings, cold phones.
KING (voice-over): A self-described moderate ready to vote a third time for Donald Trump.
DEASY: I just see that Donald Trump from a business minded standpoint, from a let's Make a Deal standpoint, and from an economics and financing perspective, I think he's got the right mindset for how the country should be run, how to support small and medium sized businesses.
KING: Are there downsides to him in your view?
DEASY: It does. He has some character or personality things that go on, for sure, but I say you have to separate the message from the messenger sometime. KING (voice-over): Trump won suburban Waukesha County in both 2016 and 2020, but his margin was smaller the second time and Wisconsin flipped back to blue. Deasy believes Trump is stronger this time.
DEASY: I would say, over the last, say, 6 to 12 months, definitely a large Trump bump, if you want to call it that.
KING (voice-over): Waukesha is a key test of whether Trump can reverse his suburban slide. And across the county line in Milwaukee, a pivotal test for Kamala Harris too. This is the Tricklebee Cafe on Milwaukee's north side. Pay What You Can is the motto here. We found a lot of apathy on our first visit to these predominantly black neighborhoods a year ago. Chef Zakiya Courtney says the switch to Harris ended that.
ZAKIYA COURTNEY, WISCONSIN RESIDENT: You know, you got somebody that's younger. You have somebody that's agenda with an agenda. You got somebody that's relatable, you know, you got somebody who understands the issues.
KING (voice-over): Courtney, here's talk more black men are for Trump this time. She doesn't believe it's a big number.
COURTNEY: And I've heard what it is that people have said. I've heard people talk about the fact that she's been a prosecutor and she's put, you know, black men in jail and things like that. Well, you know, you have to look at that closer. You know, if you done a crime, you deserve to come jail. And there's nothing that shows that she has a track record of targeting black men and put them in jail.
KING (voice-over): This line for early voting is in Sherman Park, one of the north side neighborhoods where Harris needs high turnout and giant margins.
COURTNEY: What I'm seeing right now is an enthusiasm and excitement that's even bigger than when Obama won.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING (on camera): The vice president's chances here depend on Zakia Courtney being right, or at least close to right, about that level of enthusiasm in the black community. Joe Biden won only 13 of Wisconsin 72 counties enroute to his victory here in 2020. How did he do it? Run it up big in the Democratic areas like Milwaukee and hold your own in the suburbs. John King, CNN, Milwaukee.
WHITFIELD: All right, still to come, war and diplomacy. Egypt's President meets the CIA Director in Cairo for talks on Gaza and Lebanon. But is a pause in fighting possible before the U.S. elections, a live report from Israel.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:30:00]
WHITFIELD: American officials are making a final diplomatic push to get a pause in fighting in the Middle East, even as Israel keeps up its air strikes on both Lebanon and Gaza. Lebanon's Health Ministry says at least 19 people were killed Wednesday, near the historic city of Baalbek. Israel says it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure. Meantime, the group's new leader is speaking out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAIM QASSEM, HEZBOLLAH SECRETARY-GENERAL: Today in Gaza, Lebanon and the region, we are facing a major project. This is not an Israeli war on Lebanon and Gaza. This is an Israeli, American, European, global war. It has all the capabilities on a global level to eliminate the resistance and eliminate our peoples in the region.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: In Gaza, the director of the only operational Hospital and the north is urging the international community to act to stop the bombardment after multiple Israeli strikes overnight. UN data shows aid entering Gaza has fallen to the lowest level since the war began last year.
Let's bring in now CNN's Jeremy Diamond, who is joining us from Tel Aviv. Good day to you, Jeremy. A continued push towards some sort of ceasefire in the Middle East, the Lebanese Prime Minister yesterday said he was hopeful for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah before the U.S. election. Are others feeling that optimism too?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, perhaps not quite to the extent of the Lebanese Caretaker Prime Minister, who said that he could imagine a ceasefire taking hold within a matter of days, if not a matter of hours. It's important to note that he is not necessarily a decision maker in this process.
The Lebanese government is, of course, a key intermediary, but most of these discussions are happening through the speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, who has been speaking directly to Hezbollah officials. Nonetheless, there is a clear sense that there is a lot of diplomatic capital being spent in this region right now to try and get towards a ceasefire agreement.
Today, we have Amos Hochstein a top adviser to President Biden, alongside Brett McGurk, the president's top adviser on Middle East affairs in Israel today, meeting with top Israeli officials, including the Israeli Prime Minister as well as the Israeli Defense Minister, to try and see if they can indeed get closer to a potential ceasefire agreement.
Yesterday, we reported that there is a potential deal on the table that could see some kind of a month long or two month long ceasefire that would during that time, you would see implementation details worked out in order to get to a kind of final agreement that would end the war between Israel and Hezbollah, as well as lead to stronger implementation and enforcement of UN resolution 1701 which saw Hezbollah withdraw some 30 kilometers north of the Israel Lebanon border at the end of the 2006 war between these two parties.
Hochstein is expected to then go to Lebanon to pursue these negotiations. And of course, beyond Lebanon, we also have active ceasefire negotiations underway over Gaza as well, perhaps not quite as much optimism and sense of progress on that front. But for the first time in about two months, we now have active discussions happening between Israeli and American officials, as well as between Hamas and some of the key mediators.
Hamas has been -- is being presented right now by Qatari officials with the latest for a short-term proposal, although we just got a statement, actually, from Gazi Hammad, a top Hamas official, effectively reiterating the fact that Hamas is only interested in a ceasefire deal that ends the war in Gaza, not something shorter term, which is what Israeli and American officials have been looking at.
So, a lot of questions about how those negotiations can indeed move forward, but certainly there is a sense of progress in the region.
WHITFIELD: All right. Jeremy Diamond, thanks so much. All right, the renewed push to resolve the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon is front and center as the world's top business leaders meet in Riyadh. Last hour, my colleague Becky Anderson spoke to the Saudi Foreign Minister at the Future Investment Initiative, and Becky is joining us right now from that conference in Riyadh. Becky, great to see you. So, what did you hear from the Foreign Minister?
[08:35:00]
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the conversation I just had with Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud explored a whole host of issues as the Kingdom's influence expands here in region and around the world, just as it builds its economy into what it hopes will be a global powerhouse. Top of the mind here continues to be the regional instability, not least the situation in Gaza that has resulted, of course, in more than a year of intense bombardment and unimaginable human suffering. Here's how the Saudi Foreign Minister describes what we are seeing on the ground in the enclave today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAISAL BIN FARHAN AL SAUD, SAUDI FOREIGN MINISTER: If we look at just what's happening now in Northern Gaza, where we have a complete blockade of any access for humanitarian goods as coupled with a continuing military assault without any real pathways for civilians to find shelter or to find safe zones that can only be described as a form of genocide.
It is certainly against humanitarian law, international humanitarian law, and that is feeding a continuing cycle of violence, because this level of destruction, this level of really devaluing of human lives, of the lives of ordinary Palestinians, will feed a cycle that is against everybody's interest, and that's why we are trying to focus, even in this very difficult time, on a better future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, a form of genocide those were the words of the foreign minister. And if that is the reality, as he sees it, here is how he says that reality will impact the future of Saudi Arabia's relationship with Israel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAUD: Normalization with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not just as a risk. It is off the table until we have a resolution to Palestinian state. But I would say more than that. I would say that it is not just the issue of normalization with the Kingdom that is at risk. I would say that the security of the region as a whole is at risk if we do not address the rights of the Palestinians, if we do not find our way to a pathway that leads us to a Palestinian state.
Because that's the only way we can ensure that we can focus on the future, that we can focus on cooperation, that we focus on integration. So, I would hope that the leadership of Israel sees that it is not just the right thing to do, it is not just the moral thing to do. Is not just the just thing to do to give the Palestinians their rights and their state. It is also in the security and strategic interests of Israel to do so, and that's, I think, up to them to decide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Saudi Arabia's priority today is, of course, the implementation of vision 2030. And the primary focus for the Foreign Minister and his team is to enable that vision by working to reduce the threats posed by Saudi Arabia's economic success by instability in this region.
It's that unapologetic Saudi first policy, foreign policy serving the economic interests of the Kingdom that lies at the very heart of Saudi Arabia's increasingly influential role, both regionally and on the world stage, ultimately, to facilitate what are these incredibly ambitious plans domestically for Saudi Arabia in real terms, regional peace is conducive to economic advancement.
Time and again in our conversation, the Foreign Minister said it is the right of people to decide their own political future. In the case of the Palestinians, the Iranians, and you won't be surprised -- in the case of the Americans, he says he's willing to work for peace in this region with whomever, the American President or the American people, sorry, vote in as president next week, and a lot more of that in view, of course, coming up in "Connect the World" after this show.
WHITFIELD: All right, we look forward to that. Becky Anderson, thank you so much in Riyadh. All right, North Korea confirms it tested an intercontinental ballistic missile earlier today. Japan's Defense Ministry says it flew for nearly an hour and a half and fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.
North Korean state media says Leader Kim Jong-Un was at the launch site. South Korea's Intelligence Agency had warned that Pyongyang might attempt a missile test around the time of the U.S. election. Meanwhile, the Pentagon says about 10,000 North Korean soldiers are receiving military training in Russia.
[08:40:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: The evidence now suggests that North Korea has sent around 10,000 soldiers to train in Eastern Russia. Some of these DPRK troops have already moved closer to Ukraine, and we're seeing them outfit it with Russian uniforms and provide it with Russian equipment, and I am increasingly concerned that the Kremlin plans to use these North Korean soldiers to support Russia's combat operations in Russia's Kursk region, near the border with Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: CNN's Oren Liebermann has more from the Pentagon.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: One of the big questions we've had about North Korean troops going to train in Russia and then perhaps to fight on behalf of Russia in Ukraine, is what does North Korea get in return? And this is an area where the U.S. has simply said they're very much watching this space, but they have nothing to say yet.
They won't speculate here, but they have made clear that they're looking to see if there is some sort of quid pro quo between Russia and North Korea in terms of what does North Korea get in return? Now, the U.S. hasn't gone that far yet, but South Korea did.
The South Korean Defense Minister, speaking alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, on Wednesday at the Pentagon, said it is, quote, very likely that North Korea will receive help in critical technology areas, including perhaps nuclear weapons, specifically tactical nuclear weapons, intercontinental ballistic missiles, satellite technology, all of the areas we have seen North Korea trying to push forward with some successes and some failures.
Of course, that is technology that Russia already has at its disposal here and a space that the U.S. was watching in South Korea to see if that's what would they would give in return. South Korea didn't say it definitively, but they said that's effectively what their indications are showing and what's very likely to happen.
Now that would effectively mirror a sort of arrangement that Iran has with Russia, where Iran provides drones and ballistic missiles and in exchange, Russia provides technology in the nuclear realm, on ballistic missiles, on drones, as that relationship grows.
Now, this is an area where South Korea and the U.S. will expand their intelligence sharing to see how this relationship grows and in what direction it goes. What sort of steps and advancements is North Korea able to make in these-critical-technology and, crucially, weapons areas.
So, you're likely to see an expansion of that cooperation and intelligence sharing. This, of course, all happens as Western intelligence officials tell CNN that a small number of those North Korean troops in Russia are already on the battlefield in Ukraine, a situation U.S. President Joe Biden called quote dangerous, Oren Liebermann CNN in the Pentagon.
WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, Japanese baseball fans cheer on their hometown hero as the L.A. Dodgers clinch Baseball's World Series.
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[08:45:00]
WHITFIELD: All right, this week, we've been spotlighting pioneers of business, sport and tech as part of a new CNN Series Visionaries. Olympic Legend Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles are two trailblazers in the sport of gymnastics, and they've been telling CNN's Coy Wire the advice that they share with their younger selves, if they could do it all over again with a little help from the archives.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): By now, you likely know the story as young girls, Simone and her sister Adria, spent time in foster care before being adopted by their grandparents, Nellie and Ron Biles, whom they now call mom and dad. Simone began gymnastics at six years old, bursting onto the world scene in 2013 before making her Olympic debut three years later in Rio at the age of 19.
WIRE: All right. Speaking of youngsters, I had to spin through the old CNN archives. And Simone, you shared what you would have told your younger self.
SIMONE BILES, 7 TIMES OLYMBIC GOLD MEDALIST: Yeah.
WIRE: You said, if I could say anything to my younger self.
BILES: It stopped being so stubborn. And because I was a very stubborn kid, very crazy too so.
WIRE: So, I think that kind of halted a bit of stuff. But I think it turned out for the best with everything that's happened since --
BILES: Yeah.
WIRE: -- seven years later here, what would you tell yourself now.
BILES: Still, I feel like there are times where we give a lot of pushbacks because we're so afraid of what's going to happen, so to just not be anxious and to relax a little bit. Obviously, there's more that goes on behind that, but we are so grateful to be in a position where we have amazing resources to help us. So, it's just like for me now, it's just being vulnerable and asking for help.
WIRE (voice-over): Simone's close friend and teammate Jordan Chiles is a two-time Olympian in Tokyo in Paris. Now, at the age of 23 she's found herself center stage like never before, including besides Simone won the Gold over America Tour post Paris.
WIRE: Jordan, what would you tell your younger self?
JORDAN CHILES, 2024 OLYMBIC GOLD MEDALIST: My younger self, I definitely could say just to understand the word no. I did have a lot of times where I would just say yes to everything and being able just to follow the path that you wanted to go in, and not really what everybody is creating for you, and always just let people in.
I think that's where the help comes into play. Because I -- when I was younger, I did not want help from anybody, but just -- you know to really look back and be like, OK, your journey and your path is something that you should write for yourself, and kind of just let it ride in the way that you want it to ride.
And, you know, I look at my life as puzzle. Just put the puzzle pieces in the right spot and just let it all create itself. So, I'm happy that now, where I am now, I'm able to actually say that, because when I was younger, I think that was something I -- you know, I was silent, so I couldn't really speak how I wanted to speak.
WIRE: That's powerful.
CHILES: So, yeah, the vulnerability comes into play for sure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And you can see more from Coy interview with Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles on Visionaries premiering on CNN this weekend. All right, still to come. And then there was one. The World Series is over, and baseball has a new champion. Details of a dramatic final game when we come right back.
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WHITFIELD: All right, the world of baseball has a new champion. The champagne was flowing too in the Los Angeles. Dodgers lock a room on Wednesday after they staged a big comeback in game five of the World Series and won the title.
[08:50:00]
It was a sweet validation of the Dodgers huge off season spending spree, which included a massive contract for free agent superstar Shohei Ohtani. Let's bring in now CNN World Sports Andy Scholes, with all the details that was a lot of excitement there.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN WORLD SPORTS: Oh yeah, always is Fredricka. And you know, it didn't look like it was going to happen last night because the Yankees, I mean, they were just rolling. It really looked like we were heading back to LA for a game six, but then the Yankees just had an epic meltdown in the fifth inning.
But as I mentioned, things started off great. Aaron Judge, hitting his first ever World Series home run in the first then Jazz Chisel, he would connect for back-to-back home runs. Yankee Stadium was just rocking. They were up 3-0 right away. Then they were up 5-0 in the fifth. Some things fell apart. Judge, dropping this fly ball in center field, and Anthony Volpe makes
a throwing error on this grounder, then Garrett Cole doesn't cover first on this grounder. The Dodgers would end up getting 5 unearned runs in the inning to tie the game up. Then in the eighth inning, with it now tied at six, Mookie Betts at the plate.
He had to sacrifice fly. Tommy Edmonds would come into score to give LA the lead. Started Walker Bueller then comes out of the bullpen for the ninth closes it out. Dodgers, wins 7-6 to take the World Series in five games. And Freddie Freeman, who hit four home runs entitled World Series record with 12 RBIs, was your MVP.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FREDDIE FREEMAN, 2024 WORLD SERIES MVP: This is everything I'm telling you. I wouldn't be here without the support of everybody in these shirts tonight. It's been a grind these last three months. But this organization, Stan, Andrew Brandon -- my teammates, my family, it's been, it's been a lot, and this is -- this is it right here. Not this, that one. That's what it's about. That's what it's about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Yes, this is the Dodgers' 8th World Series Title in team history. They win it in the first season after signing Shohei Ohtani to that record 10-year, $700 million deal, and our Omar Jimenez while he was in the clubhouse celebrating with the team.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAX MUNCY, LOS ANGELES DODGERS THIRD BASEMAN: Unbelievable. What you try for it. Why you're playing the game. Now we're here special.
WILL SMITH, LOS ANGELES DODGERS CATCHER: We worked all year -- to win a World Series celebrating these guys special, and we celebrate this season.
BLAKE TREINEN, LOS ANGELES DODGERS PITCHER: Blessed man. Truly blessed. It's so fun to be able to act like a little kid with -- our full-grown adult like husbands, dads. We get to let loose a lot of hard work and stress and pressure behind this career.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: The party was also on in L.A. fans taking to the streets of downtown to celebrate, but some fans were up to no good. A city bus was lit on fire. There were also reports of looting. L.A. Police tweeted for fans not to go to downtown and to celebrate responsibly.
They will have a parade Friday morning in Downtown L.A. to celebrate Fredricka. Ticketed celebrations also going to take place at Dodger's Stadium. And you know, L.A. fans have been pretty salty that -- you know the Lakers won the NBA Title in 2020 the Dodgers won the World Series in 2020 neither of them got parades because of COVID, so I expect just massive crowds this time around. WHITFIELD: They are all going to be -- they'll be on fire. Don't like
the whole bus on fire thing, but overall, love the way people were expressing their excitement. I like the special touch of the goggles too. That's a lot of fun. All right. Andy Scholes, appreciate it. So, if you think that was a lot of exuberation, how about in Japan, millions of fans dropped everything to watch their favorite slugger and Dodger Star, Shohei Ohtani. Here's CNN Will Ripley.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No wonder they call it Baseball's World Series, and some of the most devoted fans are halfway around the globe. The games are in New York and Los Angeles this week, but here in Japan, more than 10 percent of the population is tuning into this iconic showdown between the Dodgers and the Yankees.
Game two alone drew a staggering average of 15.9 million viewers in Japan, the highest MLB postseason viewership ever in the country the league says. Japan's passion for Baseball is legendary. But in this Tokyo bar in the famed Shibuya District, the focus is not just on the game, it's on one player, all-star sensation, Shohei Ohtani, the L.A. Dodgers, $700 million man, a two-time MVP, cross cultural icon and hometown hero.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTFIED MALE: Ohtani is an honorable person in Japan. Everyone shouts Ohtani, Ohtani and it makes me so happy. We've never had anyone like him. He's our dear Ohtani.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[08:55:00]
RIPLEY: Wednesday night, Ohtani's Dodgers deliver. A game five win in New York City, earning them the World Series crown and a place in the hearts of Baseball fans around the world, from the United States to Japan, Will Ripley CNN Japan.
WHITFIELD: That's a lot of fun. All right. And finally, Bronny James has scored his first points in the NBA in the Hometown of Cleveland. That's hometown for his father and for him, with the Cavs ahead in the fourth quarter, the home fans started cheering for the Lakers, chanting, we want Ronny. And so, he entered the game and delivered.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here he is. First NBA --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And there was, what a moment? The Cavs did go on to win the game, however, 134-110. All right, thank you so much for joining me here in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. "Connect the World" with Becky Anderson and Erica Hill is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [09:00:00]
