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CNN This Morning
IDF Rescues 4 Israeli Hostages During Deadly Raid In Gaza; Soon: Trump To Meet Virtually With Probation Officer. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired June 10, 2024 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[06:01:05]
KASIE HUNT, CNN HOST: It's Monday, June 10th. Right now on CNN This Morning, a daring daytime rescue in Gaza brings four Israeli hostages home. Their freedom did come at a cost.
In politics, Donald Trump, fresh off the campaign trail, scheduled to meet later today with, get this, his probation officer.
Plus.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's attack shark.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Oh my God. Two shark attacks in two hours on one stretch of beach in Florida.
And Hunter Biden's federal gun trial nearing an end. Will the President's son take the stand?
All right, 6 a.m. here in Washington. A live look at the White House on this bright, nearly summer morning here in Washington. Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.
We'll begin with that stunning hostage rescue operation in Gaza and the deadly consequences. The Israeli military freeing four captives from the grip of Hamas on Saturday. Watch this video that the Israeli military just released.
This video is edited and it appears to show Israeli forces escorting rescued hostages toward military helicopters on Saturday. Those four Israelis now reunited with their families and beginning the recovery from months of captivity.
Among those freed, 26-year-old Noa Argamani. Her abduction during the October 7th attack was captured on tape. You may remember seeing it at the time. Noa screamed for help as she was forced by Hamas members onto the back of a motorcycle and driven into Gaza. She would spend the next eight months there.
The rescue operation marks the deadliest day of the war in six months. At least 274 people killed, hundreds more injured, according to Gazan health officials. The Israeli military is disputing those numbers. They claim the casualty count was, quote, "under 100." CNN can't independently verify the death toll and we don't know how many of those were civilians.
We do know that the hostages were being held in residential homes in a densely populated area.
CNN also learning this morning that some IDF soldiers disguised themselves as Hamas fighters and displaced Palestinians to conduct the raid.
Let's bring in our panel. Elaina Plott Calabro, she's staff writer for "The Atlantic." Jonah Goldberg, co-founder and editor-in-chief of "The Dispatch," and "New York Times" journalist Lulu Garcia-Navarro.
Good morning to all of you. Thank you so much for being here.
Jonah, let me start with you on this, because this raid presaged some turmoil, political turmoil in Israel that also played out over the weekend with Benny Gantz resigning.
Clearly, it also highlighted this raid, some of the tactics that Hamas has been using in the course of the conduct of this war.
JONAH GOLDBERG, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, THE DISPATCH: Yeah, I mean, when you say tactics, they've been highlighting. The reason why the casualties are as high, I don't believe the Hamas health ministry and U.N. keeps revising down their numbers and you should never trust them immediately after any operation.
But at the same time, a lot of innocent people died. And the reason a lot of innocent people died is because they hid these hostages in the middle of concentrated civilian centers. And when Israel tried to rescue them, they got involved in a 360-degree firefight. And the weird reaction from a lot of the international community and the media is similar to that, sort of how dare Israel try to save hostages that were stolen from it. And I don't have a lot of patience for.
HUNT: Lulu?
LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think what critics are addressing is the fact that, you know, Israel is one of the most well- funded militaries in the world. It is one of the best trained. And if the United States military, for example, did a raid to rescue hostages and had this high casualty count, there wouldn't simply be applause, there'd also be congressional hearings.
[06:05:07] And, you know, I think a lot of people are concerned, and rightly so, for the high casualty count. I mean, it is important and everyone celebrates the fact that these hostages were rescued. But at the same time, Palestinian life is equally as valuable. And so people are upset about it.
HUNT: Of course, but how do you look at the reality that there is a ceasefire plan on the table right now that President Biden put out there that would release hostages, it would end the fighting, it would prevent a lot of the carnage that we are seeing, and we are waiting on Hamas right now?
GARCIA-NAVARRO: We're not only waiting on Hamas, we're also waiting on the Israeli government. I mean, this is a two-way street. Bibi Netanyahu has also shown himself to be less willing to engage in some of the -- some of the planning for this ceasefire.
And we now see that Benny Gantz has resigned simply because he has no more patience with the leadership of Bibi Netanyahu. We've also seen the Israeli public have very little patience with the leadership of Bibi Netanyahu. And on your show, we even heard hostage family members say that they want this ceasefire to go forward, and they feel like the Israeli right and the hard right, which is part of the Bibi Netanyahu government, isn't actually playing ball with this.
So I think it actually makes a ceasefire less likely that Benny Gantz has pulled out than more likely, because now Bibi Netanyahu is beholden to the very right flank of his own government.
HUNT: Let's take a look at what Benny Gantz had to say. This is, of course, in Hebrew, but it's translated. When he, again, the sort of further to the left, still in the center portion of this war cabinet that, as Lulu outlined, may end up pushing things farther to the right. Let's watch what Gantz had to say.
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BENNY GANTZ, FORMER ISRAELI WAR CABINET MINISTER (through translator): Regrettably, Netanyahu is preventing us from advancing toward true victory, which is the justification for the ongoing and painful cost of war. That is why we are leaving the emergency government today with a heavy heart, but with full confidence. I call on Netanyahu, set an agreed election date. Don't allow our people to get torn apart.
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HUNT: And, of course, Gantz's comments coming as the administration here in the U.S. continues to put pressure on the Israeli government to accept -- to move ahead with this ceasefire and call on Hamas to accept it. Here was Jake Sullivan, the National Security Advisor, on with us over the weekend. Watch.
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JAKE SULLIVAN, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: He thinks the best way to get all of the hostages home is in a deal where they're brought out diplomatically, where there's no need for military operations to get every last hostage out. What we would much prefer to see is a ceasefire where the hostages come out peacefully. That is available. Israel has said yes to it. Now Hamas needs to say yes to it. That's where President Biden's full effort, energy, and attention is.
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HUNT: So, Elaina, how is the U.S. government thinking through this at this point?
ELAINA PLOTT CALABRO, STAFF WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: There are so many moving parts with this right now. Of course, you have Secretary Blinken in the Middle East trying to galvanize Netanyahu and the farther right forces to get behind this deal. But what I think the implications of this could mean, if Bibi Netanyahu remains reluctant to kind of push for it as hard as Blinken would like for him to, what does this mean for Netanyahu's planned joint address to Congress that's supposed to take place later in July?
You've already heard Nancy Pelosi within the last couple of days say that she, you know, does not agree with the decision to bring him here for this joint address. And, you know, the outcome, I think, of these talks could affect how members of Congress, especially on the left, are feeling with his presence later this summer.
HUNT: All right, we're going to talk a lot more about this throughout the hour. But up next here, will he or won't he? All eyes on the Hunter Biden trial to see if the President's son is going to testify.
Plus, a massive landslide forcing a major mountain road to close. Details from Wyoming, that's out in Yellowstone ahead.
And Donald Trump has an appointment he can't miss today with his probation officer.
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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No third world country has weaponization where they go after political candidates like we have either.
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HUNT: Welcome back. This morning, Donald Trump is scheduled to meet virtually with a probation officer for a pre-sentencing interview. As Judge Juan Merchan weighs the punishment for the former president's historic hush money conviction.
In an effort to prepare a pre-sentence report, the probation officer is likely to ask Trump about his conviction, his employment, and his criminal history. He could even interview family members and friends before next month's sentencing.
The Trump campaign assuring everyone in a statement, quote, "President Trump and his legal team are already taking necessary steps to challenge and defeat the lawless Manhattan D.A. case."
My panel is back. Jonah Goldberg, I think I'm a little bit still kind of like, wow, I'm really reading a script that says all these things here in the year of our Lord 2024.
GOLDBERG: Yeah, all I can think of is the Seinfeld where George Costanza wants to keep his girlfriend in prison because it's much easier relationship-wise where he knows where she is all the time. And he just keeps telling the probation officer, yeah, she keeps talking about getting back to her schemes with the gang, you know, just, I don't know. You can tell that -- you can see how some of the people in Trump's orbit might talk to the probation officer in ways that are not convenient to Trump. Yeah, it's a very strange place. Yeah.
[06:15:09]
HUNT: Yeah, let's see if our production team can dig that up. We can play it on the way out of this block. But, I mean, in reality, I mean, this is -- we're starting to see some of the earliest signs of how this is going to affect things or not. There's a new CBS/YouGov poll. Our official, you know, CNN parlance is that this is too close. It doesn't, you know, show anything one way or the other. But if you compare it to the previous poll, there's like a two-point swing in Joe Biden's direction. Do you think that that is significant, not significant?
GOLDBERG: I like -- well, we've got 146 days or something until the election. I think a lot of this stuff is just going to become fuzzy memories baked in. I think -- and I actually don't think the fact that he's a felon is the thing that's moving the polls to the extent that they are. I think it's just the reminder of the chaos that he brings. And this is one more example of it that is problematic for people.
If the election's a referendum on Donald Trump, the polling suggests Joe Biden wins. If the election's a referendum on Joe Biden, the polling suggests Donald Trump wins. It's very hard for things not to seem like a referendum on Donald Trump when he's meeting with his probation officer.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: I mean, I think this is a sign, though, of how weak President Biden is, that with all of the problems that we're seeing with Donald Trump -- I mean, he is a convicted felon. I mean, there was just a hush money trial about porn stars and all these things. Every time he speaks, you're just hearing over and over again these same talking points and this destructive language, and yet the polls are so close.
And so I think that really does speak to President Biden's weakness. And I think what we're seeing is that people are not adverse to the message of the Democrats. They don't like the messenger, and that's President Biden. HUNT: Yeah, I'm impressed. Last time the two of you were sitting here next to each other, I think it was a little sparkier, but Jonah is not --
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GOLDBERG: This is the first time since 2016 where we have two candidates so unpopular, each of them has a chance to lose to the other.
HUNT: So, Elaina, we heard from Trump over the weekend at this Vegas rally. And, of course, the next sort of looming legal issue for Trump is going to be his Supreme Court case. They've got to decide whether he's immune in the January 6th prosecution. So here's what he had to say -- Trump had to say about Jack Smith, the special counsel overseeing that probe at this rally. Watch.
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TRUMP: What they've done is they've weaponized the Department of Justice. The only thing they didn't understand is that we just had the largest fundraising effort in a period of one week than anybody has ever had. I did nothing. We have a deranged individual named Jack Smith. He's a deranged, dumb guy. He's a dumb, son of a bitch.
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HUNT: So that's where we are with Trump and Jack Smith. What is -- what is your reporting? I know you talked to members of Congress, et cetera. What do they say to you about how much the January 6th case might make a difference with voters as compared to what we've seen with the Manhattan case?
PLOTT CALABRO: I haven't heard anything from members of Congress or aides that they expect it to make, you know, a huge difference necessarily. But I think, you know, listening to the clip of that rally just confirms how when Trump went to Vegas, his, you know, sort of isolated efforts to appeal to possibly persuadable voters feel so out of place in a way. I don't know if you all remember, but when he was down there, he was trying to appeal to the Culinary Union to say, you know, once I'm president, I will get rid of taxes on tips and whatnot.
And the Culinary Union immediately fires back with a statement, this is a -- like, you know, we take real candidates seriously, not false promises. But just even trying to kind of put forth and advertise a policy proposal feels so out of place now with the Trump who you see on stage 97% of the time.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: We should also say the Culinary Union is a hugely democratic organization that campaigns for Democrats in the state. But Nevada is so interesting because, of course, it's because it's got Latinos. You know, he's trying to appeal to that demographic. We've seen a swing towards Trump from Latinos, especially working-class Latinos. And so, you know, the message, I know it sounds, frankly, a little
ridiculous coming from him because he doesn't deal in policy, he deals in emotions. And yet, I mean, I think he is finding a more fertile ground, even when it's just a small little snippet in a longer speech.
HUNT: I will say, when I talk to sources about what's going on in Nevada, I think that they would not be surprised if Trump wins Nevada in the fall.
PLOTT CALABRO
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Absolutely, yeah, yeah.
HUNT: All right, coming up next here, the U.S. releasing its first public statement on Israel's deadly hostage rescue operation.
And two shark attacks in two hours on one stretch of Florida beach.
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HUNT: All right, 23 minutes past the hour , five things you have to see this morning.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my god.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's attack shark.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my god. Get what -- get out.
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HUNT: Chaotic moments on a Florida beach caught on cell phone video as two women become victims of a shark attack. Officials are still trying to determine whether two sharks were involved or just one. The women are listed in stable condition.
Take a look at a former firefighter coming to the aid of neighbors stuck on the second floor of a burning building in Denver. Adam Steinbach raced a ladder across the street and began rescuing people through an open window before firefighters arrived for him. Good for him.
[06:25:01]
Three people injured after a bull jumped into a crowd at a rodeo in central Oregon Saturday night. The bull was eventually wrangled and the rodeo did go ahead with its final performance on Sunday. Scary stuff there.
New video shows the super heavy booster for SpaceX mega rocket Starship returning to Earth in a controlled burn and splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. Both the ship and the booster had a successful fourth flight test this weekend.
A critical highway between Idaho and Wyoming shut down after part of the road cracked and then collapsed in a landslide this weekend. Officials say there's no timeline for reopening the pass, which is a key route to the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.
Our time now for weather. More heat in store for multiple states across the west this morning, while South Florida is bracing for heavy rain and flooding this week. Our weatherman Derek Van Dam has it all for us. Derek, good morning.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning. Heat building once again for millions of Americans. This time we're focusing our attention on the Central Valley of California from Southern Nevada right through Arizona, including Las Vegas and Phoenix.
In fact, speaking of Phoenix, you've had 14 consecutive days where the mercury in the thermometer has climbed above 100 degrees. So what is happening? It is a ridge of high pressure, so that brings out maximum sunshine, suppresses the cloud cover, and we get the heat that is going to soar into triple digit territory.
Vegas, Palm Springs, Phoenix, even Sacramento. In fact, Las Vegas, you've had the warmest start to June ever since records have begun since 1937. The other big story coming out of the state of Florida. You know that you've been in drought conditions for much of the southern half of the peninsula, but watch what's happening this week. Go forward. This is the rainfall over the next five days, locally up to 10 inches across the southwestern portions of the Florida Peninsula, including Naples and Fort Myers.
It's all thanks to an approaching cold front tapping into abundant moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, and that is going to bring multiple days with the potential of flash flooding. Kasie, back to you.
HUNT: All right, Derek Van Dam for us. Derek, thank you very much.
All right, coming up next here, new details about the rescue of four hostages from Gaza and how Israeli soldiers pulled it off.
Plus, Caitlin Clark speaking out after being left off Team USA.
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