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CNN This Morning

"Friends" Star Matthew Perry Dead at 54; Netanyahu: Second Stage of War with Hamas Has Begun; Humanitarian Crisis Worsens as Israel Steps Up Gaza Strikes; Former VP Mike Pence Suspends Campaign for President; UAW has tentative deal with Stellantis. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired October 29, 2023 - 08:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:01:08]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Good Sunday morning, everyone, and welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. I'm Amara Walker.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell.

WALKER: Hollywood is mourning the death of a popular sitcom star. Actor Matthew Perry passed away last night. "The Los Angeles Times" reports he drowned at his Los Angeles home and police say they do not expect foul play. The actor best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the hit '90s sitcom "Friends" was only 54 years old.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW PERRY AS CHANDLER BING: No, I didn't read the box before I opened it, and you can't return a box after you've opened the box.

JENNIFER ANISTON AS RACHEL GREEN: What? Why not?

PERRY: Because it's too delicious!

ANISTON: Chandler, you stole this cheesecake. That is wrong!

PERRY: No, no, no, it is going to be okay, because Mrs. Bradenton is going to send away for a free one, that way we all win. The only losers are the big cheesecake conglomerate, mama's little bakery. I feel terrible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Of course, Chandler Bing was not his only character. From his time on his short-lived "Studio 60" to starring alongside Bruce Willis in "The Whole Nine Yards", he made his mark on Hollywood with both comedic and dramatic roles, but his personal life was just as dramatic, as he detailed in a recent memoir. He struggled with various addictions for years.

CNN's Camila Bernal has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amara, Victor, shock and sadness, that has been the reaction from Hollywood and from fans to the death of Matthew Perry.

Police here in Los Angeles say that they are investigating his death and this is according to a law enforcement source that spoke to CNN, they responded to his home at 4:10 p.m. local time on Saturday. The Los Angeles Fire Department also telling CNN that the 911 call came in at 4:07 p.m. and this was for a water rescue emergency.

Now, "The Los Angeles Times" is reporting that he died in an apparent drowning accident at his home here in L.A., and they cited a law enforcement source and said no foul play is suspected.

Now, we are, of course, waiting for more details on exactly what happened. We know Perry developed a love for acting in his teenage years. He started with smaller roles and eventually landed higher profile roles, but it was being cast as the funny and very sarcastic Chandler on "Friends" that truly made him famous. Offscreen, the actors became as close as the characters on the show and they famously negotiated together to become some of the highest paid actors on a television series at the time.

And despite the joy he brought to audiences, he also shared his struggles with addiction. He eventually was able to share many of those details with his fans and said that he wanted to share this in his book, because he wanted to help people -- Amara, Victor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Camila Bernal, thanks so much.

And this morning, Perry's co-stars and friends and other celebrities are posting tributes on social media. Actress Morgan Fairchild, who played his mother on "Friends" posted on X, the loss of such a brilliant young actor is a shock, and that she's heartbroken by his death.

And Jeffrey Klarik, whose partner is "Friends" co-creator David Crane said that he was brilliantly talented and a lovely man.

WALKER: Fellow actors shared memories as well, including "The Office" star Rainn Wilson who called him a genius and said he played one of the all-time great characters. And Melissa Rivers posting on X as well, remembering her high school classmate and said simply, gone too soon.

With us now is entertainment reporter Elizabeth Wagmeister.

Elizabeth, thank you so much for joining us.

You know, we've -- just reading the stuff online and the tributes and also, you know, just the stuff about his life and how he was open about his addiction issues.

[08:05:03] I think for some, I mean, it comes as a shock, but not as a huge surprise, and we don't know the cause of death just yet. Just want to clarify that.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Absolutely. Matthew Perry was incredibly open in his memoir, which came out just about one year ago. He spoke about his lifelong troubles, really, with addiction. And when this memoir came out, people were really shocked at the severity of his struggle with addiction.

Matthew Perry said that sometimes he was taking upwards of 55 Vicodin per day. That he had attended over 6,000 AA meetings, he had over 14 surgeries and had been in rehab numerous times, spending millions of dollars on his struggle to sobriety.

This is a disease, as we know. The opioid epidemic is a major issue in our country. And Matthew Perry was part of that.

But still, with the news of his death yesterday, as you said, at just the age of 54, so young, after his memoir, after that press tour for the book, it seemed like he was really entering a new chapter, where he was helping people. And he was educating people on the struggle with addiction. So really sending shock waves throughout Hollywood, and as you said, throughout the world with his many, many, many fans.

BLACKWELL: Yeah, again, we don't know the cause of death, we don't know if it's related to any foreign substance. But we do know that his body, there were several consequences because of his years of abuse. He had a ruptured colon that he had to spend five months in the hospital. He said he had a 2 percent chance of surviving one night.

That's one part of the story. The other part of the story is this legacy of "Friends" and his career. You posted on social media, Elizabeth, that he gave us so many laughs and will continue to give us laughs, because "Friends" is on streaming, it is still in reruns around the world. So we will have Chandler Bing, a part of Matthew Perry, for a very long time.

WAGMEISTER: Absolutely. And Matthew Perry in the role of Chandler Bing, this is an iconic television character, and one that you rarely see, but certainly do not see anymore. In the streaming era, where people are watching content, consuming content on so many platforms, whether it's a streaming service or whether it's TikTok, there are so many places to go.

But in the '90s, when "Friends" was on the air, there was really only one place to go. And of course, I don't mean that literally, there were more than one network at the time, but Thursday nights when "Friends" was on, if you were not watching, what were you doing? This was truly must-see TV. That's why NBC had that tag line, must-see TV.

And you're absolutely right, Victor. That "Friends" streaming, of course, we know it's on Max, and people are watching it all the time. There are new generations, kids and teenagers are discovering it today. They're seeing Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing when he was in his 20s today, discovering the show for the first time. In fact, "Friends" is even credited with teaching many people around the world how to speak English. There have been so many people who have said that they've watched the show in different countries and that's how they learned to speak the English language.

So, this is not just a show, this is a phenomenon. It will go on for years and years to come. One of the most heavily consumed shows on streaming. And of course, Chandler Bing, with all of those one-liners and zingers, his legacy will absolutely continue on.

WALKER: That is so true. I have cousins in South Korea who are huge fans of "Friends," and I don't know that they learned English from it, but he was a worldwide phenomenon and the show was as well. By the way, must-see TV, appointment TV, I mean, that's something that the younger generation is like, what is that?

BLACKWELL: Very '90s, appointment television.

WALKER: But you and I get it, don't we?

BLACKWELL: Yes.

WALKER: Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you so much.

Still ahead, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declares Israel has entered a new stage of war. We're going to go live to Israel, where the terror attack by Hamas has changed the way many ultra orthodox Jews view serving in the army.

BLACKWELL: Plus, Mike Pence suspends his presidential campaign just over a year ahead of the 2024 general election. A look at the state of the 2024 race, that's coming up.

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[08:13:34]

BLACKWELL: The Israeli military is now in what the prime minister calls a new phase of the war with Hamas. Israeli troops are on the ground in Gaza and aerial bombing is also increasing.

A CNN team says they witnessed a flurry of activity this morning at the Gaza border, and they've heard constant explosions and machine gun fire. They've also witnessed drones, helicopters, fighter jets flying overhead.

WALKER: And new video from central Gaza shows people digging through the ruins after an airstrike on a mosque near a refugee camp. A hospital nearby claims that 13 people were killed in that strike and dozens more were injured.

Many of the families living here were displaced from northern Gaza. CNN reached out to the Israeli military for comment. They said that they hit 450 Hamas targets in the last day. And one appeared to be next to a mosque, but they couldn't confirm if it was this specific one you are seeing now.

BLACKWELL: Let's go now to CNN's Sara Sidner, who is in Tel Aviv.

Sara, when we saw you at the top, and I believe it was the 6:00 hour, you said -- our time -- that you had recently seen rockets or heard some rockets overhead. What's happening there now?

SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it has been quiet for the past hour here, but there have certainly been airstrikes that have been ongoing from overnight into this morning and afternoon in Gaza. The humanitarian crisis there is extreme.

[08:15:03]

It is worsening day by day in Gaza.

Here in Israel, there are still rockets that have been coming over in several areas like Ashkelon, which is much closer to the border with Gaza and Ashdod and Sderot.

But, you can really see the Israeli war machine going at Hamas in Gaza just over and over and over again. You're not only seeing and hearing the sounds of booms, but our reporters on the ground -- and those are from air strikes, but reporters on the ground have been reporting that there has been small arms fire, there are certainly been tank fire that has happened in the past 24 hours. So, full-scale sort of war that is happening here since October 7th, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,400 men, women, and children.

But I do want to talk about what you're seeing on your screen right now. This is from our producer who lives in Gaza, Ibrahim Dahman. He has been here throughout all of this trying to keep himself and his family safe and do his job and he's been doing incredible work, while he is watching just these devastating pictures of the destruction that has been left behind by the areal bombings.

And that crisis that is happening there, where there is not enough food, there's not enough water, there's not enough fuel to keep things running, including the electricity, it has been a real, real disaster for the civilians.

I want to get now to our Melissa Bell, who is going to talk with you about what is just happening inside Gaza and how they are trying to deal with the humanitarian crisis.

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a situation, Sara, as we've been speaking about in the last few days, that has been getting day after day, steadily more desperate. I think one important reflection of that, one measure of that on the ground is the fact that we've been seeing, these images given to us by U.N. agencies show some of their warehouses in which they kept some of those much-needed supplies -- wheat, flour, hygiene supplies. They have been pillaged, because people are so desperate at this stage to get anything they can get their hands on.

I think that breakdown of civil order is an important measure of what's going on in the Gaza Strip. It's certainly what we've been hearing who have been working inside the Gaza strip for decades now. It is their warehouses that are now being pillaged.

And, of course, that breakdown of civil order, Sara, is the result of the fact that over the course of the last three weeks, it isn't just the air strikes, and I could show you also some of the aftermath of the latest overnight air strikes on one of the refugee camps inside the Gaza Strip, the Al-Nuseirat camp, a mosque had been built there a few years ago.

People had in the last few days been sheltering there. People who had left the north of the Gaza Strip, according to the instructions that they had heard over the course of the last few weeks, trying to get to safety who had been sheltering around that mosque as best they could, a strike overnight, 13 people killed. Many more wounded.

And again, the images that we're seeing coming from the journalists that are working with CNN inside the Gaza Strip show families desperately -- people desperately trying to find survivors under the trouble. That is pretty effective, the airstrikes that have gotten so much worse these last few days.

But to your question, Sara, about the humanitarian situation, what the U.N. estimates is that 100 trucks should get into the Gaza Strip every day to see to the needs of the more than 2 million people who live there. Over the course of the last week, we've had just under a hundred, last three weeks, just under a hundred. They've included medicine, they've included some of the food supplies that are so desperately needed. They've included no fuel at all.

And that's why the U.N. agency say they may only have a few more days to continue, the situation on the ground, desperate. The aid trucks, we're being told, will be able to go in faster, but for now, it's been desperately slow, Sara.

SIDNER: Melissa Bell, thank you so much. I know the aid has been coming in from the Rafah border. You were there in Cairo, getting information there. I appreciate you.

Also, what is happening here in Israel is there will be more people that join the armed forces, people who for many decades have fought against being conscripted into the Israeli army like most of the population here when they turn 18.

Take a look at this story. We talked to some ultraorthodox members of that community and they talked about why they have changed their minds about going into military service here.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER (voice-over): Moti Leitner reads the Torah at least an hour every day.

His family is one of the 1.2 million ultraorthodox Jews or Hassidim who live here in Israel.

[08:20:01] For decades, many in his community have fought against Israel's mandatory military service for every Jewish Israeli man and woman as soon as they turn 18. This year, the ultraorthodox tried to get a law passed to exempt them from having to enlist, a major source of friction in Israeli society.

Then, October 7th happened.

Have you ever fired a weapon, picked up a weapon before?

MOTI LEITNER, IDF ENLISTER: No. I've never held a gun, something like this.

SIDNER: That is about to change.

LEITNER: In a few days, I will go to the Israeli army.

SIDNER: Leitner enlisted after the murderous attack by Hamas on men, women, and children in Israel.

It completely shook us, broke all conceptions, he says. We thought we had the privilege to stand at the side and not be part of, and now we realize, it's just not sustainable.

He says most of the ultraorthodox here believe their jobs are to keep the Jewish religion alive and well, spending their days studying the Torah.

The Israeli military reported between 2019 and 2021 only about 1,200 or so ultraorthodox Jews were conscripted annually. That's out of 12,000 potential applicants.

Why do the Hassidim, the ultraorthodox, not want to serve in the army?

The ultraorthodox people in Israel have an ethos, according to which, studying the Torah gives the nation a metaphysical layer of defense, he says.

But he says he cannot see how that is enough now. He says he knows many other Hassidim feel the same.

I personally sat in my living room and just cried for a day. We can't just go on with our daily lives. We said never again after the Holocaust, and if we want to be able to say that again to the next generation and promise our children a sustainable future, we have to solve this issue.

In Hebrew, this sign says, "together we will win", it's very rare to see this kind of nationalistic language in ultraorthodox neighborhoods like this one in Israel. You're also seeing a lot of Israeli flags plastered all over the place. That just doesn't happen during normal times. It gives you some sense that opinions among the ultraorthodox have changed.

Leitner's wife opinion has certainly changed, but she does worry about one thing. AYALI LEITNER, WIFE OF IDF ENLISTER: I worry more if you don't know

how to hold a weapon, and I also want to know how to -- I want a license for a gun, also. You know, we are not in Switzerland.

SIDNER: There is one more difficult thing he has to do with his family before he goes to serve. Tell his children, Yohada (ph), Elizabeth and Abigail, 9, 7, and 6 years old. They play oblivious to the changes they're about to experience at home due to war.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER (on camera): And we have also learned that his brother, his twin brother who lives in California is coming from California to here in Israel to join the armed services alongside him.

All right. I am now joined by global affairs and contributing columnist for "The Washington Post" and CNN.com contributor, Frida Ghitis.

Thank you so much for being here.

First of all, I want to talk about what is happening in the war and we have heard from Prime Minister Netanyahu, we heard from -- we heard from the defense minister and the former defense minister overnight. We talked a lot about the fact that they say that this war is going to be a long protracted war, but there is no timeline except for an operational timeline.

What does that tell you about what is going to happen here, and especially to those who are in Gaza, who have nothing to do with it, who are civilians?

FRIDA GHITIS, CNN.COM CONTRIBUTOR : Well, they're talking about a war that's going to last a long time, but I have a suspicion that they want this war to last not quite as long as they've been warning. That the international pressure on Israel resulting from what's happening in Gaza is significant and I think it's important. I think it makes a difference, even though for Israelis, this is viewed as an absolutely indispensable conflict, an indispensable victory.

And you've been reporting on this, even the ultraorthodox see this and keep mentioning "never again," that's stemming from the Holocaust. And we heard Netanyahu also say never again is now.

Israelis view this war as a war for their subsistence, for their survival. And that's because when they look at Hamas, an organization that not only carried out this horrific terrorist attacks, they see the tentacles of Iran.

[08:25:08]

They see -- they don't just see Hamas, they see a regional operation, a regional web of opponents that are heavily armed and committed to their destruction. They don't just see Hamas, they see Hezbollah in the north, hoping it's not going to jump into this conflict. They see Iran with its connections to both Hamas and Hezbollah. So, they really feel if they don't defeat Hamas now, they're going to

face some really, really dangerous times and what they saw on October 7th is just the beginning. It's a terrible dilemma. It's a wrenching situation. The crisis, the human suffering in Gaza does not help Israel. So I think they will do what they feel they'll need to do, but I think they'll try to make it as fast as they can.

SIDNER: You talk about it, as fast as they can. But there are a lot of people looking at this and saying that they don't actually see -- some military analysts have told me, they don't actually see how it is actually possible to rid Gaza of Hamas, who are intrinsically intertwined. They're not only considered by the United States and other countries, including Israel, a terrorist organization, but they are also the government there in Gaza.

Do you see this being a very difficult thing to do? Because Israel has to think about a lot of things. If it goes in completely on the ground, will it have to try and run Gaza itself if that's what they intend to do at some point? How will they get out?

And you have the other problem of, the really difficult issue of the hostages that are still there in underground tunnels. So do you think it's even a possibility to, as Israel has put it, rid Gaza of Hamas?

GHITIS: You're exactly right. This is incredibly difficult. I notice that yesterday in his speech, Netanyahu said that what they're trying to do, the first time he said it, is get rid of Hamas' military capabilities and governing capabilities.

He later talked about destroying it, but I think, destroying Hamas completely, I don't think it's feasible, but it's possible to make them much, much weaker and make sure that Gaza is not under the absolute control of Hamas, which is how it has been since now when Israel withdrew all of its citizens and forces from Gaza almost 20 years ago.

So I think the objective right now is to defang Hamas, to get rid of the military leaders of their weapons, which obviously they still have. They're still firing into Israel. I think they will -- one of the reasons that it took so long for this operation to begin is, in my view, they were trying to figure out what to do assuming that they remove Hamas from power, what goes in next because I do not think that Israel wants to be in charge of Gaza again.

It was -- they did it for many years and it was difficult, nobody wanted it. It's going to be very difficult to find a different set-up, so that Israel can have security and Hamas is not in power.

And you know, having said that, in addition to the military situation, in addition to what happens in Gaza, Israel needs to launch some kind of an alternative for the Palestinians. Hamas has been a nightmare for Palestinians and for Israelis. And Israel needs to provide an alternative for the future. I think we're going to see more of that once the political winds start blowing harder. The Netanyahu government has shown itself incapable of keeping Israel safe. And right now, Netanyahu is trying to not just defeat Hamas, but

protect his legacy. But his theory of the -- of the conflict just did not work.

SIDNER: Frida Ghitis, thank you so much. Appreciate your analysis there.

Let's toss this back to you, Victor and Amara.

WALKER: Sara, thank you.

Coming up, he was a face, he was a friend to many people across America. He was known as Chandler Bing. And now, fans are mourning the passing of star Matthew Perry. Hear from one of his close friends, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:33:06]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW PERRY, ACTOR: Hey, this is going to be really fun. It's a new experience for me. It's exciting. It kind of reminds me of -- yes, kind of reminds me of when I won my first Emmy. We were -- I'm sorry, what? Oh, right, I haven't won a damned thing. Huh.

Well, maybe today is the day. You know, maybe I guest host this show so well -- huh, what? Not a chance. Who is talking into my ear?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: That was '90s sitcom star Matthew Perry when he guest hosted Piers Morgan live on CNN a decade ago, that was 2013.

Well, Perry was found dead from an apparent drowning accident at his Los Angeles home last night. He was 54 years old.

According to the "L.A. Times", no foul play is suspected, but the incident is under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Perry's most iconic role was the character Chandler Bing on the famed sitcom "Friends". It earned him an Emmy nomination in 2002 and more roles on TV and on the silver screen.

Listen now to what his friend, longtime radio and TV host, Billy Bush told CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILLY BUSH, RADIO AND TV HOST: Instantly I thought, oh, no, how horrible. And then I started thinking about what a difficult life he led. He struggled so much off-camera.

For a guy who was so effortless on camera, his timing and his, you know, his good nature, always just upbeat and quick. And then you realize it's the exact opposite when he's not. And he just struggled, struggled, struggled so hard with painkillers and addiction. And I think, you know, we're hearing there's no foul play.

But immediately, you think, what wear and tear that poor heart of his took, you know, over these years.

[08:34:50]

BUSH: So while I'm crushed and sad and I just sent a text over to Lisa Kudrow, with whom I'm friends, to see what -- you know, send her my condolences. The cast is really tight. There is a part of me that's like, ah, I'm not overly surprised, because I thought something was off with him, and that he had -- he had hurt for too long.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you say you thought something was off with him, what do you mean? And when?

BUSH: Well, you know, a couple of years ago, in the "Friends Reunion", I think when he was slurring some words and appeared to not be himself. I think he had just gotten some veneers done, so that was part of it, but I think everybody -- we all felt that something might be, you know, not quite right with Matthew. And I was hoping to God it wasn't a relapse. I don't think there's evidence of that.

But definitely, he was, he was, you know struggling alongside the rest of them in that special.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: He was 54 years old. We'll have much more reaction to the news of Matthew Perry's passing throughout the day.

Just ahead, the 2024 GOP field continues to shrink. Former vice president Mike Pence has suspended his campaign. We'll look at what led to that decision and what that means for the remaining candidates.

[08:36:12]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: Former vice president Mike Pence has suspended his campaign for president. Pence made the announcement at the Republican Jewish Coalition's Annual Conference in Las Vegas Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Traveling across the country over for the past six months, I came here to say it's become clear to me that this was not my time. Now I'm leaving this campaign, but let me promise you, I will never leave the fight for conservative values and I will never stop fighting to elect principled Republican leaders to every office in the land. So help me God.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WALKER: With Pence out of the race now, that leaves eight Republican presidential candidates vying to take on President Joe Biden in 2024.

I'm joined now by PBS Newshour White House correspondent, Laura Barron Lopez. Great to see you this morning. Good morning.

Ok. So --

LAURA BARRON LOPEZ, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, PBS NEWSHOUR: Good morning.

WALKER: -- As we understand, Mike Pence was running out of money. Of course, there were concerns that he would qualify for the third presidential debate. But Laura, did it come down to Pence having a Trump problem?

LOPEZ: Yes. I think it really does come down to that, Amara which is that the former vice president was not seeing any type of uptick in the polls. Mind you, this is a field where Trump is far and away the leader. He leads the rest of the field by more than 40 points.

But Pence really didn't have a home in this Republican Party anymore, because of his actions on January 6th. Because of the fact that he stood by the Constitution and said he would certify the election results, that he didn't have the power to de-certify, despite pressure by the former president to do so.

And I think what we've seen in this past week really encapsulate where this Republican Party is at which is that the House Speaker that was just newly elected, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, was one of the leading -- excuse me -- was one of the leading architects of trying to overturn the 2020 election and supported lawsuits against it. And he is now the Speaker of the House. And someone who stood by the constitution, the former vice president, sees that he has no ability to increase his standing or any support among the Republican base and had to end his presidential campaign.

WALKER: Yes. I do want to get to Trump's remarkable continuing grip on the party, also in the form of Mike Johnson.

But back to your comment, Laura, about Mike Pence not really having a home because he broke with the president when it came to refusing to reject those electoral votes back in 2020.

The other eight Republican presidential candidates, they spoke at this high-profile Jewish gathering, a gathering of Jewish donors, I should say, including Nikki Haley and Donald Trump, who by the way, made no mention of Pence dropping out, but listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If I were president, the attack on Israel would never, ever, have happened. I think you believe that, right? I think you believe that? Ukraine would never have happened. Inflation would never have happened. NIKKI HALEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: As president, I will not

compliment Hezbollah. Nor will I criticize Israel's prime minister in the middle of a tragedy in war. We have no time for personal vendettas. I will also not compliment Chinese Communist President Xi. Nor will I call North Korea's Kim Jong-un my friend.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: So Nikki Haley referring to Trump complimenting Hezbollah, calling them very smart and then, of course, criticizing Netanyahu several days ago.

But to that point that Mike Pence didn't have a home with the Republicans for breaking with Trump, what about someone like Nikki Haley, you know, who obviously isn't shy about attacking Trump?

LOPEZ: Yes, Nikki Haley has been going after the former president on foreign policy and on just the fact that she says he's not as popular as the Republican base may think he is in a general election. That he's a highly unpopular candidate, which national general polling has shown.

She hasn't, though, been as forceful going after him as former vice president Mike Pence on the issue of January 6th, on the issue of him repeating over and over again that 2020 was fraudulent, that 2020 was a rigged election.

[08:44:53]

LOPEZ: I mean, she -- during the first debate, when the candidates were asked if they would support Trump, even if he were a convicted felon based on these cases that he's facing, she raised her hand and said that she would still vote for him if he were the nominee.

So there's -- and Mike Pence said that he would still vote for him too, but because of his actions on January 6th, there is a difference between the two of them there.

She, of course, has been gaining more traction, I think because she is trying to show this other route for the Republican Party, particularly one that is not isolationist, one that shows that America needs to lead in these global conflicts and she continues to lean into that, and is having some success, but again, she still is more than 40 points behind Trump.

WALKER: I have so many more questions for you, Laura, but they're wrapping me. So I'm going to have to say thank you. Laura Barron Lopez, thank you.

BLACKWELL: Coming up, Palestinian push back against Israeli claims that Gaza's largest hospital is being used as Hamas command and control center. Hear from a doctor who spent decades working in that hospital.

[08:45:53]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: This just in to CNN, the Palestine Red Crescent Society says it has received a warning from the Israeli military to immediately evacuate the second largest hospital in Gaza ahead of a possible bombardment.

Meanwhile Israel says Gaza's largest hospital where thousands of civilians are currently sheltering is being used as a Hamas command and control center. And Israeli officials said at a media presentation, they have evidence to back up their claim that they cannot yet make public.

BLACKWELL: But Palestinians and others have rejected that claim, including a medical doctor who spent decades working at Al Shifa Hospital.

CNN's Nada Bashir has more but we're going to warn you that the images in this story are certainly disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A flash of light over the chilling imposed darkness that engulfs Gaza every night. A glaring promise of more death and destruction. The ongoing siege and a communications blackout plunging Gaza into eerie silence.

What little video has emerged so far paints a picture of the devastation wrought by Israel's relentless bombardment. Scenes of incomprehensible loss, shrouded bodies the latest among thousands of victims.

Israel says it has targeted Hamas, now also expanding its ground operations. A retaliation they say to the Hamas terror attacks of October 7th, that left almost 1,400 dead and more than 200 held hostage inside Gaza.

But in the besieged strip of land, the number of Palestinians killed also rises with each and every air strike.

"The situation here is dire. Our homes were destroyed in the air strikes. Six of our family members were killed. What can we do? We are all living through this."

This was the scene on Friday at the Al Shifa Hospital, the largest in Gaza. Now not only a lifeline to thousands of patients, but a sanctuary to tens of thousands, including children displaced by the war.

"We're not even asking for food, we're not asking for water. We're asking for safety, for security. Our men, women, our children -- they've all been killed."

Many have come in the hope that hospitals will remain a safe haven, but this safe haven is now being characterized by Israel, with no verifiable evidence as a potential target.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The red buildings, as I mentioned, are buildings that Hamas is using.

BASHIR: It is a claim rejected by Palestinian officials in Gaza, who accuse Israel of falsifying intelligence and say the hospital is only used to treat patients. But the consequence of such allegations is feared by many.

Any suggestion that this hospital could be viewed as a legitimate target by Israel, for doctors who know the hospital well, is a warning of unimaginable bloodshed.

DR. MADS GILBERT, CLINIC OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL OF NORTH NORWAY: I've been walking in all parts of Shifa, in the basement, in the different clinics, in the different buildings. I've been there night and day, peacetime, wartime -- all over.

I have never seen anything that could look like or function as some command center.

BASHIR: On and on, Israel's air strikes lay waste to this already ravaged enclave. Artillery shelling now adding to the devastation. The people of Gaza gripped by a constant cycle of morning, still struggling to comprehend this endless nightmare. Death now woven into the very fabric of their lives.

Nadia Bashir, CNN -- in Amman, Jordan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: And coming up next on "STATE OF THE UNION", CNN's Jake Tapper is in Israel and he will speak with national security adviser Jake Sullivan. That begins at the top of the hour right here on CNN.

[08:54:35]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: A source says the United Auto Workers Union expanded its strike against General Motors last night, hitting the company's Spring Hill manufacturing plant in Tennessee. Negotiations had been moving forward between GM and the union and they were closing in on a deal.

This comes as the UAW announced they reached a tentative agreement with car manufacturer Stellantis on Saturday. And this means that 14,000 UAW members on strike will be returning to work within days, although it could be weeks before the deal is officially ratified.

The details of the deal have not yet been finalized, but will likely include a significant raise for UAW employees. Stellantis says it will also reopen a plant in Belvedere, Illinois, which closed in late February.

[08:59:48]

WALKER: Three of Donald Trump's children are expected to take the stand this week in their father's civil fraud trial in New York. Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump are all expected to testify starting Wednesday.

The former president is expected to take the stand next week and this all comes after the judge ruled on Friday that Ivanka Trump must testify against her father after an appellate court removed her as a defendant in the case.

But the judge is still giving Trump time at the start of the week to appeal the ruling. So both Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are co- defendants in their father's civil fraud case.

That is our time. Thank you so much for being with us this morning.

BLACKWELL: "STATE OF THE UNION" is next. Have a good day.