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Trump Taps Loyalists for Cabinet; Trump Picks Matt Gaetz as Attorney General; Reaction from Russia to Trump's Appointments; Human Rights Watch Highlights Israel's Displacement of Palestinians in Gaza. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired November 14, 2024 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT GAETZ, THEN-U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: I'm Congressman Matt Gaetz.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is a gonzo agent of chaos.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Matt Gaetz is dangerously unqualified.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is going to be a red alert moment for American democracy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To the president, I say, no, seriously. Who is your pick for attorney general? Because this pick is a middle finger to Democrats and sane Republicans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump is clearly putting in people who will do whatever he wants.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trump is signaling to Washington, D.C., I'm not running again. I got I'm holding to no one. So I'm going to do what I want to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Christina Macfarlane.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us from around the world. I'm Max Foster.
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Christina Macfarlane. It's Thursday, November 14th, 9 a.m. here in London, 4 a.m. in Washington, where Donald Trump has made his most controversial pick yet for his new administration. Matt Gaetz is attorney general.
FOSTER: Yes, the Florida Republican resigned from Congress late on Wednesday, effectively ending a House ethics investigation. Gaetz has repeatedly denied accusations, including sex trafficking, having sex with a minor, illicit drug use and obstruction. MACFARLANE: The Justice Department ended a separate investigation last year without filing charges. But Trump's decision to now choose Gaetz as the nation's top law enforcement official has sent shockwaves through the halls of Congress.
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SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): I was shocked that he has been nominated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a confirmation process.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know yet, I'll have to think about that one.
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Do you have any concerns about it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll see.
RAJU: Do you think Matt Gaetz is confirmable?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll find out, won't we?
RAJU: Senator Kennedy, what do you think of Matt Gaetz as attorney general?
SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA) Happy Thanksgiving.
SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): This is going to be a red alert moment for American democracy.
SEN. ALEX PADILLA (D-CA): Trump is following through on his threat to weaponize the Department of Justice, clearly.
REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA): Well, to the president, I say, no, seriously, who is your pick for attorney general? Because this pick is a middle finger to Democrats and sane Republicans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Well, the other pick getting a lot of attention is former Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard to be the director of national intelligence. Now a Republican, Gabbard has a history of positions at odds with U.S. foreign policy.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think Assad is our enemy?
TULSI GABBARD, FORMER U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRAT: Assad is not the enemy of the United States because the United -- Syria does not pose a direct threat to the United States. What we have is unfortunately Democrats, Republicans, the mainstream media, the Washington elite, essentially in the pocket of the military industrial complex.
GABBARD: Here's something you are not going to hear on the mainstream media. What you do hear is warmongers arguing that we must protect Ukraine because it is a, quote unquote, democracy. But they're lying. Ukraine isn't actually a democracy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Well, CNN's Brian Todd has more on Matt Gaetz's rocky role in Congress and his unwavering support for Donald Trump.
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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECT: Matt Gaetz is a great man.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In tapping Congressman Matt Gaetz to be his Attorney General, President elect Donald Trump could be swatting at the biggest hornet's nest of his transition.
MARGARET TALEV, SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR, AXIOS: It would be like the understatement of the year to say that this is an unconventional pick. This is a provocative pick of a provocateur, who has himself faced a lot of legal trouble, and is highly polarizing not just among whatever the American people or Congress, but inside the Republican Party himself.
TODD (voice-over): If confirmed, the 42-year-old from Florida would lead a Justice Department that he has criticized and been a target of.
MATT GAETZ, THEN-U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: I'm a marked man. I'm a canceled man in some corners of the internet. I might be a wanted man by the deep state.
TODD (voice-over): Gaetz, a 2020 election denier has accused the Justice Department of being weaponized under President Biden against people like Trump. He's called for abolishing the department he's now been selected to lead and called for abolishing the FBI, often jousting with its director.
GAETZ: People trusted the FBI more when J. Edgar Hoover was running the place than when you are.
TODD (voice-over): Could Gaetz now weaponize the Justice Department and help Trump go after his enemies?
REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ (D-FL): I'm pretty sure with this pick they're not just going to go around and shut down puppy mills, right?
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This is a very serious pick and Donald Trump is obviously telegraphing that he means business. Matt Gaetz is one of his best weapons in Congress. He's taking him out of Congress and he's giving him the attorney general's office.
TODD (voice-over): It was Gaetz who led the charge among some far right Republicans in Congress to oust Kevin McCarthy as House speaker last year. GAETZ: This House has been poorly led.
TODD (voice-over): But before that, the man who could become America's top law enforcement official had been accused of serious crimes. The Justice Department investigated Gaetz over allegations that he violated federal law by paying for sex, including sex with women who are under 18 years old.
Gaetz repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. And last year, the Justice Department announced it would not bring charges against him. One analyst says getting Gaetz confirmed could be a challenge, even in a Republican-led Congress.
TALEV: This seems destined not only to be a selection that is going to test the loyalty to President-elect Trump of Republicans in the Senate, but that is meant to provoke.
TODD (voice-over): Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
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FOSTER: Reaction from legal experts to the Gaetz pick has been less than enthusiastic. Here's CNN's senior legal analyst Eli Honig.
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ELI HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: The two fundamental qualities that you need in an attorney general are one, qualifications and two, independence. OK, qualifications.
Matt Gaetz has never worked a day in his life as a prosecutor. He has no idea what it means to stand in a court and say representing the United States. He has no idea what it means to indict someone and to potentially take their individual liberty away. He's only practiced law for a few years at the very local level.
We've had AGs before who've never been prosecutors, but they've all had serious positions in the Justice Department in non-prosecutorial roles. Matt Gaetz is completely unknown to this profession.
With respect to his independence, Matt Gaetz is a firebrand. Matt Gaetz is the Trumpiest congressman on Capitol Hill. And that's not me talking. I pulled that word for word off of Matt Gaetz's congressional bio about the congressman. He brags about that. He says he wears that as a badge of honor.
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MACFARLANE: Well, and also such a crucial juncture in the war in Ukraine. Let's go to Moscow now and our Fred Pleitgen, who's standing by. Fred, tell us how Russians are reacting to Trump's picks and how they, as to how the Trump administration is shaping up.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Christina. Well, so far there hasn't been any official reaction from the Kremlin just yet. There is going to be a conference call most probably, maybe in an hour or so with the spokesman of the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov.
Unclear, however, whether or not the Russians are going to make any official comments about how this cabinet of Donald Trump is taking shape. Usually they don't do that. Usually they say that they believe that this is something that is -- that the U.S. needs to solve on their own, that the Kremlin isn't going to talk about.
However, what I have done is I've watched a lot of state TV over the past 24 hours as some of these picks have been coming in. And certainly one of the things that we have seen is a lot of discussion about the new secretary of defense or the incoming secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, and then also the incoming national security advisor, Mike Waltz, where Russian TV has been ripping into them for in the past, as the Russians have put it, Russophobic positions. In fact, there was one moderator on Russian state TV who called it a Russophobic dream team or an American dream team, obviously ripping into those picks, saying that they believe that they could be detrimental for relations between Russia and the United States.
Of course, Russia right now really contemplating what exactly a Trump presidency means and whether or not relations with Russia could actually improve, as Donald Trump has said he wants to do in the past.
Of course, one of the picks that's also being discussed here as well, Christina, is Tulsi Gabbard as the director of intelligence. Definitely also someone who in the past has been very favorable to Russia, who when the invasion of Ukraine started in early 2022, really had some understanding for the Russian position. And so that's someone who, at least as far as state media is concerned, is being viewed more positively.
In general, over the past couple of days, as we've been talking to people here in Russian society, on the streets here in Moscow, there is a good degree of optimism, I would say, in the incoming Trump administration, with many people believing that it is going to be Donald Trump himself who is going to take on relations with Russia. Of course, the two main key points for the Russians is direct relations between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, but then also what will happen in regards to the war in Ukraine.
And there certainly are a lot of people that we've been speaking to who believe that there could be an end to the war in Ukraine, essentially negotiated by Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, and that could happen on favorable terms for Russia.
So there is a lot of debate here about these cabinet picks that are incoming and some of the track records that they've had speaking about Russia and dealing with Russia. But certainly, in the end, the Russians that we've been speaking to believe that it will be Donald Trump himself who will make this, obviously, a priority for his new administration.
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And that there could be some serious repercussions for relations between Russia and the United States, but then also for the war in Ukraine, guys.
FOSTER: And personal relationships, very important to Donald Trump, aren't they? How do you see that shaping up with President Putin?
PLEITGEN: Yes, I think -- first of all, Max, I think you're absolutely right. I think for Donald Trump, personal relations are extremely important. And quite frankly, I also think for Vladimir Putin, personal relations are very important as well. We see that in the relations between Russia and China, where the personal relations between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, which, of course, are exceptional, have been one of the driving factors, also, in relations between China and Russia. Of course, some of it is also by necessity, as both of them are adversaries of the United States and the other NATO nations.
I do think that from what we're hearing from folks here on the ground in Russia, they believe that the personal relationships between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump is going to be a lot better than between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, or than it was between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden. And they do believe that that could also be a driving factor as far as possible negotiations around Ukraine are concerned, but also as far as relations between the United States and Russia are concerned. I think that is something that the Russians really believe could be an important point going forward as these two leaders will deal with one another and as they will speak with one another.
Of course, we know that Vladimir Putin has said that he's very open to speaking to Donald Trump even before he takes office. The Russians have so far telegraphed that they are not going to be the ones who are going to initiate those types of conversations, but they certainly say that they are very open to them. And there does also, in the Kremlin itself, seem to be at least a sense that the Russians are willing to speak to Donald Trump, that they believe that there could be an inroad for them, not just, of course, as far as the topic of Ukraine is concerned, but as far as the general relations are concerned, as the Russians do want to put those relations on a different footing than they have been over the past four years, guys.
MACFARLANE: Fred, just briefly, we saw Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday in Brussels announcing that the U.S. were going to send as much aid as possible within the timeframe left before the new administration comes in. What can be done in such a short window of time? And what is he proposing, do you know?
PLEITGEN: Well, as far as -- I mean, as far as Ukraine is concerned, yes, I mean, I think that the U.S. obviously wants to, as long as the Biden administration is still in office, send as much aid as possible, as you've just said. And I think a lot of that, as far as the Ukrainians are concerned, is going to be ammunition for the various weapon systems that the U.S. has already given to the Ukrainians.
One of the main points, though, of course, is air defense weapons for the Ukrainians. That's something that is key for them to protect their cities, to protect their infrastructure. And right now, if you look at Ukraine's air defenses, they are completely 100 percent reliant on Western technology. The Patriot systems from the United States, some of the other systems from some of the other NATO members as well.
But then, of course, also ammunition in general, artillery ammunition, those kinds of things, ammunition for artillery rocket systems like the HIMARS, which only the U.S. can deliver. All of those things appear to be things that the Biden administration wants to push through. How much that will translate into the next administration, of course, we don't know.
And I also think that there is a great deal of uncertainty here in Russia about what exactly Donald Trump is going to do, how exactly he's going to define those relations with Russia and also his stance on the war in Ukraine as well. Is he going to cut off some of the aid to Ukraine? Is he going to cut off all of the aid to Ukraine? Or is he even going to bolster aid to Ukraine and try and force Russia into negotiations that are more on par with the Ukrainians and the Russians?
It's really unclear. And I do think that that sense of uncertainty is here, despite the fact that, of course, the Russians do believe that the personal relations between these two leaders are going to be key, are going to be good, and are going to happen in an atmosphere of both of them trying to bring the Ukraine conflict to an end.
Of course, the Russians, again, right now, as far as the Kremlin is concerned, remain in their maximal position that they have had since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, where they say that they essentially want Ukraine to disarm, to give up a lot of its territory, and to make sure that Ukraine does not join NATO.
That's something that the Ukrainians say is absolutely out of the question for them. And so we're going to have to wait and see how the U.S. will try to mediate that under a new president, guys.
MACFARLANE: Fred Pleitgen in Moscow. Thanks, Fred.
And Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office Wednesday for the first time since January of 2021 to meet with the U.S. President, who promised a smooth transition of power. It was a courtesy Trump did not extend to Joe Biden when he took office. The White House described their meeting as substantive. In front of a fire and cameras, the once bitter rivals chatted politely.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, Mr. President-elect and former president and Donald, congratulations. And looking forward to having a, like we said, smooth transition.
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FOSTER: Well, President Biden showed no signs of resentment, even though Trump made nasty remarks like this one on the campaign trail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: Joe Biden was the worst president in the history of our country.
TRUMP: We're going to knock off the Biden-Grind family.
TRUMP: We have a man that can't put two sentences together. We have a man that doesn't know he's alive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: The former incoming first lady, who hasn't been seen publicly lately, refused an invitation to join her husband at the White House. Officials say First Lady Jill Biden gave a handwritten congratulatory note to Donald Trump to pass along to Melania.
MACFARLANE: Well, meanwhile, sources tell CNN that Mrs. Trump is not expected to live at the White House full-time during her second stint as First Lady. CNN's Kristen Holmes explains why.
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KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President-elect Donald Trump back in Washington for a triumphant return. Among his small entourage, a slate of advisors and billionaire Elon Musk. Notably absent, former First Lady Melania Trump, despite an invitation from current First Lady Jill Biden.
In a statement, Trump's team not giving a reason for her absence.
Instead, writing, quote: Her husband's return to the Oval Office to commence the transition process is encouraging and she wishes him great success.
After carving out her own approach to being First Lady during Trump's first term, sources telling CNN Melania Trump's absence is likely to be a staple of Trump's second term in the White House, with Mrs. Trump unlikely to move back to Washington full-time. She herself indicating she has a better understanding of the role and how to handle it this time around.
MELANIA TRUMP, FORMER U.S. FIRST LADY: I'm not anxious because this time is different. I have much more experience, much more knowledge. I was in the White House before. So when you go in, you know exactly what to expect.
HOLMES (voice-over): Discussions about when and how the next First Lady will spend most of her time are ongoing, though she's expected to split her time between Palm Beach and New York, where her son Barron will be attending college.
M. TRUMP: I could not say I'm an empty nester. I don't feel that way.
HOLMES (voice-over): The decision, unsurprising. On the campaign trail, the former First Lady was rarely seen by her husband's side, appearing only a handful of times, including at his announcement and the convention, her only speaking role at her husband's Madison Square Garden rally.
M. TRUMP: Let us charge together with a shared vision that builds on American greatness. Let's size this moment and create a country for tomorrow, the future that we deserve.
HOLMES (voice-over): Before appearing again on election night after his victory. In a series of interviews promoting her memoir, the incoming First Lady said this about her husband's presidency.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you have married Donald Trump if you had a crystal ball that said he would be president?
M. TRUMP: Huh, that's an interesting question.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Now, Republicans will enjoy a unified government in Trump's new Washington after winning enough seats to maintain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
FOSTER: They captured the 218 required to cross that threshold on Wednesday, even though a handful of races are still undecided. Democrats are sitting at 208 seats, so Republicans will once again have an extremely narrow majority. Republicans flipped several Democratic Senate seats last week to win control of that chamber, too.
MACFARLANE: Well, House Speaker Mike Johnson will likely keep his job after Trump endorsed him. No challenger has emerged, even though some members of the party's right wing have expressed frustration with his leadership. Johnson will face the floor vote on January 3rd.
FOSTER: Over in the U.S. Senate, South Dakota's John Thune will become the next majority leader. He's currently the number two Republican in the chamber, serving as minority whip. Thune is considered part of the traditional Republican establishment and was elected by a secret ballot.
MACFARLANE: Well, that may have offered political protection to Republicans fearful of offending Trump. Thune was up against Florida Senator Rick Scott, who was recently endorsed by some of the key Trump allies and Senator John Cornyn of Texas.
Authorities in Brazil are investigating two explosions outside the Supreme Court as a suicide attack. They say the first blast happened in a car Wednesday evening. A suspect then tried but failed to enter the court building and was killed after detonating the second blast outside the door.
FOSTER: Police say explosives and a timer were found attached to the man's body and no other suspects were involved. The incident comes just days before Brazil is set to host global leaders for the G20 summit in Rio.
Human Rights Watch has issued a new report focusing on what it says is Israel's mass and forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza. Why it says this amounts to a war crime. [04:20:00]
MACFARLANE: Plus, coastal Spain is once again struggling with torrential rain and severe flooding after getting nearly a month's rainfall in just one hour.
FOSTER: And later, an announcement from Donald Trump puts Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy back in the spotlight and sends the price of cryptocurrency soaring.
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FOSTER: The militant group Islamic Jihad has released a video of one of the hostages held in Gaza. It shows Russian-Israeli citizen Sasha Troufanov, who recently turned 29, marking his second birthday in captivity.
MACFARLANE: It's unclear when the video was taken and he's likely speaking under duress. Troufanov says hostages are running out of food and other necessities and he's afraid of being accidentally killed by Israeli troops. The Israeli group representing hostage families says the footage shows the remaining captives need to be brought home urgently.
FOSTER: Meanwhile, the families of Israeli-American hostages being held in Gaza are met with U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday. Ceasefire and hostage release talks have stalled despite months of efforts by the White House to come up with a deal. The hostage families are now urging both the current and next administration to bring their loved ones home.
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JONATHAN DEKEL-CHEN, SON BEING HELD HOSTAGE BY HAMAS: We impressed upon the president, of course, the urgency of getting the hostages home before another rough winter.
We have asked the president and his senior staff, as well as the incoming administration, to begin work immediately together, arm in arm, in order to not delay in any way, rather to multiply their forces in order to work immediately to pressure all sides, all parties in the hostage crisis to get them home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Well, there are more than 100 hostages still being held in Gaza, and up to one third of that number are believed to be dead.
Now Israel's newly appointed defense minister says the country has expanded its military ground operation in southern Lebanon.
FOSTER: Israel Katz comments come amid continuing airstrikes in Lebanon. State media there reports a third straight day of Israeli strikes in Beirut's southern suburbs, believed to be a Hezbollah stronghold. Katz did not give any details on the move to expand operations, but said this during his meeting with troops. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ISRAEL KATZ, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): We will not make any ceasefires and we will not stop and will not take our foot off the pedal. And we will not allow any arrangement that does not include achieving the goals of the war, which is disarming Hezbollah, withdrawing it from beyond the Litani River and creating the true conditions for the residents of the north to return to their homes safely.
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MACFARLANE: Israel's offensive against Hezbollah has taken a heavy toll on civilians in Lebanon, including children. The Lebanese health ministry says airstrikes across the country have killed at least 20 children since Sunday. In total, more than 2,600 people have been killed since Israel stepped up its campaign against Hezbollah in mid- September.
[04:25:06]
A new report by Human Rights Watch is shining a light on the displacement of the majority of civilians in Gaza as Israel's war against Hamas shows no sign of ending.
FOSTER: The report says Israel's actions have intentionally led to the forced mass displacement of Palestinians, which it describes as a widespread and systemic campaign that amounts to a war crime, crime against humanity and ethnic cleansing. The U.N. estimates 1.9 million people were displaced in Gaza as of last month. That's more than 90 percent of the population.
MACFARLANE: And according to the report, the majority of civilian infrastructure has been destroyed, leaving much of Gaza uninhabitable. Human Rights Watch says Israel's evacuation system has not just failed to keep Palestinians in Gaza safe, but instead put them in harm's way. The Israeli military is denying accusations in the report.
FOSTER: And Nada is with us. They're saying there hasn't been a displacement, but whilst we're not in there, you can see it from the imagery from the skies.
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. And we know that more than 90 percent of Gaza's civilian population have now been displaced over the course of more than a year of war. And this is not the first time that we've heard warnings that Israel's actions on the ground in Gaza could amount to war crimes, both from humanitarian organizations and U.N. investigators looking at the situation on the ground.
But what this Human Rights Watch report details is more than a year of enormous widespread destruction across the Strip and the displacement of civilians. They say a deliberate and systematic campaign of displacement, forcing civilians from their homes, pushing them into these humanitarian zones, which have also become targets, of course, as we've often reported. And we've heard from one Human Rights Watch researcher who has said
that there have been deliberate, controlled and legal demolitions of homes and civilian infrastructure as part of this campaign.
There have been expressed aims by the Israeli military to create so- called buffer zones or security corridors in parts of Gaza, including in southern Gaza and Rafah, of course, where Palestinians are likely to be permanently displaced from their homes.
And what we've seen on repeated occasions, as also detailed by Human Rights Watch, is civilians who are attempting to flee through these so-called safe corridors outlined by the Israeli military, then coming under attack or coming under attack in these humanitarian zones outlined by the Israeli military.
And I can just read you a bit from the report where it says: The Israeli government cannot claim to be keeping Palestinians safe when it kills them along escape routes, bombs, so-called safe zones and cuts off food, water and sanitation.
And we've been talking about the deteriorating humanitarian situation. At least eight aid groups this week saying that they believe that Israel has not only not done enough to improve the humanitarian situation, but actually in the last month has taken action to worsen the humanitarian situation.
And of course, the Israeli military has denied these allegations. They say that the Israeli military abides by international law, that there is no doctrine that aims at causing maximal damage. That really stands in contrast to what we're seeing on the ground and what we're hearing, not only from Human Rights Watch in this report, but from multiple human rights organizations and U.N. agencies.
MACFARLANE: And in light of this devastating report, the destruction that we have seen in Gaza, there is still concern about the expanding military ground operation in southern Lebanon. I mean, we heard Katz's comments there, Defense Minister's comments there. Does this indicate that perhaps Israel are not making the inroads against Hezbollah, that they are claiming they are?
BASHIR: Potentially, and in fact, what we've continued to see is Hezbollah still being able to carry out attacks on Israeli territory as well, particularly in parts of northern Israel. We are still seeing Hezbollah rocket fire along the border. And of course, what we've seen really is no substantial gains from the Israeli military in terms of what is happening on the ground in southern Lebanon.
I know details have been offered by the Israeli Defense Minister as to what this expanded operation will look like, what the next steps are. As you heard there, no clear push for a ceasefire. In fact, the complete opposite. They don't want to see a ceasefire until those military aims are achieved.
But again, we are seeing an enormous displacement crisis in Lebanon as well. Nearly a million people now displaced, not only in the south, but across the city. And this is, of course, the third straight day that we've seen airstrikes targeting the capital, Beirut as well.
FOSTER: Nada, thank you so much.
Now China moves to drive a wedge between the U.S. and its allies at the upcoming APEC summit in Peru. And experts say that has a lot to do with Donald Trump's victory in the polls.
MACFARLANE: Plus, a deeper dive into some controversial comments from Donald Trump's pick for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth. Stay with CNN NEWSROOM for that.
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