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CNN This Morning
Israel Launches Ground Offensive in Lebanon; Tonight: Walz, Vance to Square Off in V.P. Debate; Georgia Judge Rules Against Six- Week Abortion Ban. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired October 01, 2024 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: It's Tuesday, October 1. Right now on CNN THIS MORNING.
[06:00:41]
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HUNT: The war's next phase. Israel moves troops into Lebanon despite calls from the White House for a diplomatic resolution.
Plus, a running mate showdown. Tim Walz and J.D. Vance's first and only debate tonight in what may be the last time the campaigns face off onstage.
And --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you think too much about the beautiful Chimney Rock village that I remember from last week, it's hard to handle.
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HUNT: Grappling with Helene. Hundreds reported missing and recovery operations underway as devastated communities are trying to rebuild.
Plus, a milestone birthday. Jimmy Carter becomes the first U.S. president to reach the century mark. We're going to take a look back at his time on the public stage.
All right, 6 a.m. here on the East Coast. A live look at Capitol Hill on this Tuesday morning. Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.
Breaking overnight, Israel launches an incursion into Southern Lebanon. The Israeli military undertaking what it calls a limited ground operation, targeting Hezbollah in and around villages along the border.
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HUNT: Lebanese state media reporting that Israeli attacks have caused, quote, "severe damage" in the South.
As far North as Beirut, several explosions this morning in the Southern suburbs, considered a Hezbollah stronghold. And Hezbollah's responding, firing artillery and rockets into Northern and Central Israel. At least two people reported injured in those areas.
The Israeli government characterizing this moment as the next phase in their war against the militant group.
This latest escalation coming despite an intense effort by the Biden administration in recent weeks to reach a ceasefire deal. Here's President Biden, just a few hours before Israel announced its operation.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Israel may be now launching a limited operation into Lebanon. Are you aware of that? Are you comfortable with their plan?
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm more aware than you might know, and I'm comfortable with them stopping. We should have a ceasefire now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: This offensive is just the latest instance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly defying President Biden. On numerous -- numerous occasions in the last few months, the Israeli leader has chosen not to inform the United States before taking actions that were certain to affect American efforts at diplomacy in the region.
That was the case in April when Israel struck an Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus. And again last week when Israel used American bunker buster bombs to kill Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
All of this further straining the relationship between Biden and Netanyahu.
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JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISOR: These are two guys have known each other for 40 years, Jake, and they have never -- and I suspect they will never -- agree on every single aspect of foreign policy and what we're trying to get done in the Middle East.
But they do agree on the big thing. And the big thing is the safety and security of the state of Israel. And, you know, trying to avoid an all-out war that would put the people of Israel at even greater risk. They agree on that.
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HUNT: All right. Our panel's here to discuss: Isaac Dovere, CNN senior reporter; Elliot Williams, CNN legal analyst, former federal prosecutor; Doug Jones is the former Democratic senator from Alabama; and Mike Dubke, former Trump White House communications director. Welcome to all of you. Thank you all for being here.
Senator, I want to start with you, just because you are -- you have a personal relationship with President Biden. You heard what he said there. His -- his tone a little bit sharp, honestly, in a way that he hasn't always been as this war has unfolded.
What did you make of what he said here? And what kind of position is in -- is the president in as Israel moves forward here?
DOUG JONES, FORMER DEMOCRATIC SENATOR FOR ALABAMA: Well, I think it's a tough position. Obviously, he does not want to see this conflict escalate the way it seems to be escalating right now. I think he's done a lot to try to tone that down and try to get a ceasefire.
We've had -- you know, we've had our diplomats over there all of the time, trying to negotiate ceasefires. And it is a difficult situation.
So, he's in a really difficult spot. He does sincerely want to protect the state of Israel, but I also think he's got some serious disagreements with the way Netanyahu has handled this war over the last year. But particularly now as they step it up.
[06:05:13]
Because, you know, what -- what you've got to keep an eye on is Iran, looking over the so -- shoulder of Hezbollah right now. And that is -- that's -- that's what everybody, I think, is concerned about.
HUNT: So, speaking of Iran, I also want to show everyone: this was what the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had to say in the last day or so, looking at Iran, talking to the people of Iran in a somewhat, certainly, eyebrow-raising way. Let's watch.
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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Iran's tyrants don't care about your future. But you do. When Iran is finally free -- and that moment will come a lot sooner than people think -- everything will be different.
Our two ancient peoples -- the Jewish people and the Persian people -- will finally be at peace.
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HUNT: Senator, I mean, he says that the moment when Iran is going to be freed might come a lot sooner than people think.
Is he talking about regime change? What do you hear there?
JONES: You know, I -- you hear a lot. You can read into that a lot of different things right now.
You know, look, Iran has been unstable. There has been -- there's a lot of opposition to the government in Iran that has been going on for a long time.
I think what we're seeing now is Israel trying to step that up, to create that. Clearly, that was a message to people to say help yourself a little bit. Whether that means something greater militarily, I don't know, but it is certainly something that folks have got to keep an eye on.
HUNT: Isaac, let's talk a little bit about the politics of all of this, because it's obviously an issue that has dominated a lot of the domestic political conversation here.
It's been, obviously, much more focused on the war in Gaza. But I think you can see that political influence in how President Biden was talking just there. And obviously, Kamala Harris is trying to figure out how to thread this needle herself.
I mean, it seems hard to argue that the death of Hassan Nasrallah, who is a terrorist who has much, much blood on his -- so much blood on his hands, is a bad thing. But at the same time, there does seem to be some uncertainty among Democrats on this.
EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Look, think about where we've been over the last year. It's -- we're six days short of the anniversary of October 7th.
A year ago right now, Joe Biden and people in his administration in thought we were headed toward a possible multilateral peace deal with Saudi Arabia and towards a two-state solution.
This is a war that has gone on longer than any war Israel has ever been involved in. It has torn the Democratic Party apart. And then it seems like there's been some mending of that from where things were in the spring.
Kamala Harris has clearly tried to put herself forward as someone who has a slightly different view of this than Joe Biden, while also saying she actually has the same view as Joe Biden, right? And it's a matter of tone.
HUNT: So, it's not what you say, it's how you say it? Is that what you're saying?
DOVERE: In talking to people who are part of the Uncommitted Movement in Michigan, what they have said is they feel better about Kamala Harris than they did about Joe Biden. I say --
HUNT: Anybody that's married will say tone matters, even if the content remains the same. DOVERE: But I have said to them, substantively, she has not been a different place. And they feel, nonetheless, like she's taking a fresh view of this, that if she were president, that it would be fresh.
Now, I do think it's also just -- it's not just about the Democratic Party. You talk about Nasrallah. We are three days now since he was killed. We have heard from Joe Biden and Kamala Harris about it. We still have not heard from Donald Trump, even a mark of "this was a good thing," which is what the Biden-Harris statements were.
So, this is not just an internal Democratic Party thing.
MIKE DUBKE, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Look, I -- I mean, I don't know this qualifies as an October surprise, because this -- this has been going on. But we have strife politics, we have storm politics, and we have strike politics.
What we're not talking about here is it's not just Lebanon. Now, Israel is in a three-front war. They fired missiles into Yemen.
So, you've got this -- this international crisis that Biden is trying to handle but Harris has to answer for. And that's where we're at right now.
HUNT: All right. We've got a ton more to talk about today. So, coming up next on CNN THIS MORNING, a polarizing abortion ban in a critical Southern battleground state is struck down, putting the spotlight back on reproductive rights.
How will the ruling impact voters at the ballot box in November?
Plus, it's debate night in America. J.D. Vance and Tim Walz meet on the stage for their first and only time facing off. We're going to take a look at how each it has been preparing.
And more than 100 dead and hundreds more missing. We bring you the latest on recovery efforts across the Southeast United States.
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GOV. ROY COOPER (D-NC): You know, it makes no difference who you are.
If you need help, we are going to provide it. And if there's ever a time where we all need to come together and put politics aside, it is now.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Admiral Stockdale, your opening statement, please?
ADMIRAL JAMES STOCKDALE, FORMER VICE-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Who am I? Why am I here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We give Admiral Stockdale a chance to jump in here if he wants to or if he dares to.
STOCKDALE: I would like to get in. I feel like I'm an observer at a ping-pong game.
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HUNT: All right. That was a look at a vice-presidential debate past. And tonight, Governor Tim Walz and Senator J.D. Vance will each get their own chance to create such a memorable moment in a vice- presidential debate.
Walz has been hunkered down in Michigan for the past several days. Just anywhere in Michigan, Petoskey, Michigan. It's a fabulous place. I highly recommended it. For several days with top aides and advisers, preparing for tonight, although some of those advisers tell our Isaac Dovere that the Minnesota governor may be feeling some nerves in the lead up to tonight's showdown.
I think this is expectation setting.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor, what do you want voters to learn about you tomorrow?
GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN), VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Just doing our best for folks.
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HUNT: Walz's opponent in the debate now in New York. He, J.D. Vance, arrived on Monday. He hasn't talked publicly about tonight's showdown much in recent appearances, but his running mate has certainly shared plenty of thoughts.
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DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think J.D.'s going to do great. He's a very smart guy. He's done a great job. People like him a lot.
He's going up against a moron, a total moron. How she picked him as unbelievable. And I think it's a big factor. There's something wrong with that guy. He's sick.
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HUNT: So, Isaac, Trump has apparently not gotten the memo from his campaign official that he's supposed to say that he's -- the expectations are supposed to be, well, you know -- his spokesman is out there saying Tim Walz is really great at debating.
Obviously there -- the Harris people are telling you that, well, he's nervous. Remember he told us he was bad at this when we picked him.
DOVERE: Yes. And that was -- he said it in the interview with Kamala Harris, that running mate interview in August. He said, look, just so you know, I'm a bad debater.
Now, you may look at that and say this is a guy who's been governor for six years, who was in the House for 12 years before that, is a teacher, is a professional politician at this point.
But he is really -- it's not just expectation settings from what I have reported here. He has really caught up in making sure that he makes this case. He makes it for Kamala Harris. He doesn't want to let Kamala Harris down.
He's thinking about what does my resting phase look like when I'm not answering? Well, how --
HUNT: It's actually very important, I've got to tell you.
DOVERE: -- how do I fit it into two minutes?
DUBE: My goodness. I think at how I smile at the intros of all these shows.
DOVERE: Think about it on national televised debate, right?
HUNT: The first thing anyone ever told me when I started getting eyes -- you've got to fix that. Fix that face.
DOVERE: But it's also the answers. Right? And he -- he also very much feels like Donald Trump should not be president again, and he has to make sure to make that not happen.
But he said in an -- at a fundraiser in New York last week, he was asked how's debate prep going? And someone in the room told me that he said, Listen, you know, when you're a teacher, we're trained to answer the question. We train our students to answer the question. That's not what this.
HUNT: No, in fact, the advice is do the opposite.
DUBKE: Well, then he -- then he actually has learned that lesson. Because in every interview that I've seen, he's never answered the question.
And that's what Vance needs to make him do. I hope Vance follows up when Walz is going down some lane opposite of what he was asked the question. That's -- for me, that's what Vance's job is.
And then the second thing is Vance can overreach. He has a tendency to maybe go a little too far. He's got to pull it back, be a little bit more restrained. And then I think we'll see some success.
HUNT: Doesn't he have work to do on, like, the childless cat ladies situation.
ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, actually --
DUBKE: I mean, at some point, don't bring it up anymore.
WILLIAMS: Right.
DUBKE: They keep talking about it. You're going to play that clip.
WILLIAMS: But to the broader question of expectation setting around Tim Walz, if you remember right at the time he rolled out, the -- the narrative was, Oh, he can't speak off a teleprompter. He can't do it. He doesn't know.
And he actually did quite well when doing so. It's all about lowering the expectations.
You know, it's funny. These debates are largely about just managing, not having that viral moment. We saw Admiral James Stockdale there. And we all laughed at it. "SNL," which we were talking about in the break, skewered him.
You forget that Admiral James Stockdale was a war hero and a decorated Navy vet who had been a prisoner of war. But the one thing people remember is that one line. And the goal for both of these candidates tonight is just avoid that happening.
HUNT: Last word?
JONES: Well, it's not a debate. Let's just be candid. None of these are debates in the traditional sense of the word. They're just a series of answers, and you're going to answer what you want to do.
You know, look, I think Tim Walz needs to be Tim Walz. I agree, don't -- you know, he's going to -- he's going to say what he wants to say.
I think J.D. Vance is the one that may go down these rabbit holes with things that he said. He's said some crazy stuff. But you know --
HUNT: He came at Springfield, Ohio, a rabbit hole.
JONES: I know. But -- but Tim Walz needs to talk about where he is in this race, what they're doing.
I'd stay away from the childless cat ladies. I'd stay away from Springfield. Those are going to come out anyway.
Talk about what they're going to do for America and the hope and the joy that Tim Walz brings. I'd talk about my -- my old football team that walked out on that stage at the DNC. That was a moment, folks. I've got to tell you, that moment spoke to a lot of people across this country.
HUNT: All right. You can watch Tim Walz and J.D. Vance's first face- off in their V.P. debate, hosted by CBS News, tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN. And I'll be heading to New York to do some of our pre-debate coverage. So, don't miss it.
[06:20:07]
Straight ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, we continue to bring you the latest on the devastation across the Southeast and the destruction left behind by Hurricane Helene.
Plus, new this morning, tens of thousands of dock workers go on strike, a potentially massive disruption to the economy just weeks before election day.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We will no longer allow the decisions to be made about our bodies without our input. So today, this is a step in a further fight. But we are not going to take this as just this huge success.
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[06:25:02]
HUNT: A judge in Georgia ruling that the state's six-week abortion ban is unconstitutional. The move paves the way for expanded access to abortion services in that state.
But it might be temporary, as the state has already said it plans to appeal the decision.
The ruling puts the spotlight back on the fight over abortion access in a battleground state just 35 days before election day.
This was Kamala Harris campaigning on the issue just last month in Atlanta.
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KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is a health care crisis, and Donald Trump is the architect of this crisis. If he is elected again as president, Donald Trump will go further.
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HUNT: Donald Trump has tried to downplay the importance of abortion access on the trail.
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TRUMP: I think that abortion has become much less of an issue. It's a very small -- I think it's actually going to be a very small nation (ph).
I think the abortion issue has been taken down many notches. I don't think it's of -- I don't think it's a big factor anymore, really.
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HUNT: Likely hoping that's the case.
Former Democratic Senator Doug Jones of Alabama is still with us. Senator, you heard both of them there, and Trump obviously trying to say this isn't going to be a big deal.
But of course, we also learn turned about the deaths, preventable deaths of two women in Georgia who were struggling to get the care that they needed and were affected by this law. What is -- how is -- how does this, is this going to matter?
JONES: Well, I think you -- you nailed it. You said it is going to put the spotlight back on issue.
You know, we tend to ebb and flow with the issues in a presidential campaign. This is the one true that's been throughout this.
But again, the spotlight has been dim; it's been bright. It's going to be bright again.
And remember, we've got -- you've got, you know, referendums on the ballot in Nevada, in Tex -- in Florida. Those are going to drive turnout.
And I think in Georgia, this is going to certainly drive turnout. It reminds people what is at stake. It reminds women across the country, not just in Georgia, but it reminds women across the country what's at stake.
It reminds men who have daughters and wives and families what's at stake in this election.
So, I think that's a very, very big decision at just the right time for Kamala Harris.
HUNT: There was a Senate candidate in Ohio, Bernie Moreno, who said that it was "crazy," quote, unquote, for women to vote on the single issue. And then he wondered why women over 50, who -- he seemed to be suggesting, well, you can't have children. Why do you care about this issue?
What impact do comments like that have?
JONES: You know, I think you go back in history, and I think comments like that show an insensitivity. It shows that they're out of touch with the electorate. They're out of touch with how people view themselves as individuals.
It didn't matter -- you know, my mom passed away. She was 92 years old last December. She would have been so offended at that.
Now, she had long, long, long since passed --
HUNT: She was well over 15. JONES: But you know what? She -- she had a daughter. She's got a
daughter-in-law. She's got granddaughters, you know, and or had granddaughter.
And so, I just think it's so offensive to people that, if you're not personally affected, then you don't -- then you just don't have a reason to care. That's not true.
That's not really who we are in America. We should care about everyone, not just our own self. And I think that's a real problem that a lot of these Republican candidates have these days.
HUNT: We were talking earlier in the show with Ron Brownstein, who is looking at how Donald Trump is trying to appeal to some women. And what Trump has been doing on the trail is by saying that he will protect women.
Let me just show you that clip where he says he'll be people's protector.
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TRUMP: I always thought women liked me. I never thought I had a problem. But the fake news keeps saying women don't like me. I don't believe it.
I am your protector. I want to be your protector. As president, I have to be your protector. I hope you don't make too much of it. I hope the fake news doesn't say, Oh, he wants to be their protector. Well, I am. As president, I have to be your protector.
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HUNT: I mean, obviously we're playing what he said on a rally here on this show. But what do you make of that message?
JONES: You know, look, it's -- it's the kind of thing that got him in trouble.
I think that there is, you know, hundreds of billions of dollars in judgments against him, based on that kind of I am your protector. I am -- I am the person. Women like me, women love me. I can do anything I want to, because I'm a star.
And I think you've seen that. J.D. Vance has adopted that same kind of paternalistic attitude.
And, you know, look, there are -- there are probably, I'm sure, folks in this country that can relate to that, who see that, both men and women.
But I don't think in today's world that that is something that you're looking for in a -- in a president; that is that paternalistic; that is basically, I think, demeaning the abilities of so many women across this country, both in their personal and professional lives.
Those are the kind of things, I think, that people are going to really pay attention to. And it's going to affect races down the ballot.
HUNT: Very interesting. All right, Senator Doug Jones will be back with our panel.
JONES: OK. Sounds good.
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