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Campaigns Zero In On Swing States As Election Enters Home Stretch; Israeli Military Dropping Leaflets In Gaza; Cuba Suffers Fresh Nationwide Blackout Hours After Power Began Being Restored; Former Olympian Wanted On Murder, Drug Trafficking Charges; Netanyahu: Israeli Military Will "Continue Forward Until The End". Aired 7-8a ET

Aired October 19, 2024 - 07:30   ET

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

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When people do need to go to rehab, and then, have a place to put the dog, what we're finding out is how big of a need it is. We provide free temporary fostering services for people that are ready to change their life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Guys, she hasn't seen me in so long. Honey!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it becomes their motivator to stay healthy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, that face.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we find a foster, we will do a temporary foster contract. You are saving that dog's life and the owner's life, and we're able to prevent a dog going to shelter.

We cannot have the solution be euthanized dogs. We can't. I want to be the voice of the dog and to help them, because they don't have that voice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:00:46]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: And for the full story, go to cnnhersoes.com.

The next hour of CNN THIS MORNING starts now.

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to CNN this morning. It is Saturday, October 19.th I'm Amara Walker.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. Here is what we're working on for you this morning.

Our colleague Kaitlan Collins is in Tel Aviv as we follow developments in the killing of Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar. We'll have more with Kaitlan throughout the hour.

And here is what's happening today. Both presidential candidates and their high-profile surrogates are on the campaign trail this weekend. The arguments they are making to voters with a little more than two weeks now until we start counting the votes, and what we know about just how many votes have already been cast.

WALKER: We are following breaking news out of Israel, where a drone was launched toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home. Plus, we're now hearing from Iran, following Israel's killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

BLACKWELL: And nearly the entire island of Cuba, about 11 million people, all in the dark after a massive power plant failure. Details on that and how people there are coping.

WALKER: Election Day is just 17 days away now. But with races tight in several key states, the campaigns are keeping a sharp focus on the battlegrounds.

Former President Trump will be in central Pennsylvania, while Vice President Kamala Harris will campaign in Detroit and Atlanta. More than 11 million Americans across 42 states have already voted in this year's election.

BLACKWELL: The Harris campaign is leading on some star power in the closing weeks to draw more attention and to get people to the polls, to be joined by Lizzo in Detroit and Usher, Usher Raymond in Atlanta.

Yesterday, the Harris and Trump campaigns held dueling rallies in the critical state of Michigan. Trump went back to Detroit trying to chip away a Democratic support in that blue wall state.

The visit, of course, is one week after he compared the city to a developing nation. The vice president was in Grand Rapids, touted her support for labor unions and courting Michigan's large number of Arab American and Muslim voters who were unhappy with the Biden administration's handling of Israel's war with Hamas.

WALKER: Meanwhile, the Trump campaign is pushing back on reports that the former president has backed out of negotiations for recent interviews, citing exhaustion, and Harris seized on that report as she sought to raise doubts about Trump's fitness.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now, check this out. He is ducking debates and canceling interviews.

You saw his own campaign team is saying it's because of exhaustion.

If you are exhausted from the campaign trail, it raises real questions about you are fit for the toughest job in the world.

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What event did I cancel? I haven't canceled. She doesn't go to any events. She is a loser. She doesn't go to any events. She didn't even show up for the Catholics last night at the hotel, it was insulting. They, all they are, are soundbites.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: All right. Let's bring in CNN political commentator and political anchor for Spectrum News, Errol Louis.

Errol, good morning to you. We all know how critical Michigan is. It is -- we are seeing such a tight, razor thin race there, and as such, we are seeing the candidates, both Harris and Trump, tailoring their messages, targeting specific pockets of voters.

Let's listen to Harris and Trump's contrasting messages when it came to targeting blue collar workers. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And now, Donald Trump is making the same empty promises to the people of Michigan that he did before, hoping, hoping you will forget how he let you down the last time.

I mean to be very candid with you, you even including Mike Pence, vice presidents are not critical of their presidents. I think that really, actually, in terms of the tradition of it, and also just going forward, it does not make for a productive and important relationship.

He is the --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:05:02]

WALKER: That was the wrong soundbite at the end there. What we were supposed to hear after Harris was Trump, you know, basically saying that so many of the auto workers support him because he is going to bring back some auto jobs.

You know, it was just a few days ago, Errol, as you know, that Trump was saying insulting auto workers, saying that children can do their jobs. It's so easy comparing Detroit to a developing nation. Are we getting a sense of how union workers are talking about Harris versus Trump?

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look, union households can be very complicated, where one might -- one candidate, one might want the other.

But as far as institutional support, overwhelmingly, as it always has been, or long has been, for Democrats, these are political organizations in their own right, these unions, and they know who is going to be with them, and who is not going to be with them.

LOUIS: You know, you have Kamala Harris, who has walked on a picket line, and then, you have Donald Trump, who has called for basically strike breaking. You know, there is really almost no comparison.

Now, individual household members in a union household might like what they are hearing from Donald Trump, and there is some inroads that he is trying to make, but this is both candidates basically trying to go on the sort of hostile territory and maybe pull over a few people here and there. I think that's what Donald Trump is doing. WALKER: That last sound bite that was supposed to play, now, was of Kamala Harris giving that interview to "NBC Nightly News", and she was asked in -- before she answered, about how her policies would be different from Biden's, and she declined to go there because she said, look, you know, disagreeing with the president, as you know, as the V.P. would break from tradition. It would be unproductive.

Yes. Errol, it is a fine line for her as the vice president to walk. But it seems like this is such an important question that might be on the minds of moderate voters, you know, who may not be happy with the direction of this country, or may not like Trump as a person, but may be a little warm to his policies. Do you think this is a question that Harris should frankly answer, despite, you know, the risks that come with it?

LOUIS: No, I don't actually. The reality is, she had so little time when she, you know, the odd circumstances under which she became the nominee did not really leave a lot of time start drawing fine distinction.

She has got a four-year record. It's not a bad one. He's basically running on the strength of the Biden Harris administration as far as economic performance, foreign policy and everything else.

And, you know, it comes with some work, but it comes with a lot of pluses to the most productive and most straightforward way to deal with it is say, I was part of that team. That's what I did.

Now, we're going to turn the page. Take a look at what I might do in the future, if you make me the president. There is really no other way to make that argument at this point.

WALKER: What do you make of how both candidates are scrambling right now, obviously, with less than three weeks to election day to address this gender gap. As, you know, Trump with women, Harris with men.

CNN has learned that Trump's campaign is in talks with former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley to join them on the trail. But does either candidate have perhaps a gender advantage here? Because I've heard some Democratic pollsters say that women are voting more for Harris than men are for Trump.

LOUIS: Yes, there is a gigantic agenda gap. It's unusual in the sense that women don't necessarily flock to a woman candidate, as Hillary Clinton discovered in 2016. This year, could be an exception, partly, because of the abortion issue that's in front of a lot of voters, partly for other reasons, including the skill of the candidate Kamala Harris, but it's completely unclear.

What you do, do see, though, Amara is both candidates, trying to just snatch a little bit from a hostile territory, so to speak.

Meaning, Donald Trump has never done well with women. He is trying very hard to get just a few because this is going to be settled by just a few thousand people in just a few states, as we've been saying all along. WALKER: Errol Louis, thanks for your time this morning.

And Anderson Cooper moderates a CNN presidential town hall, where Vice President Kamala Harris will face voters and take their most pressing questions. That is on Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

BLACKWELL: A new development in the 2020 election subversion case against Donald Trump. Special Counsel Jack Smith released a massive file of documents that were heavily redacted.

A lot of the information in the documents that still visible was already public, but some new details have been revealed.

Got more now from CNN's Katelyn Polantz.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: The federal court in Washington, on Friday, released nearly 2,000 pages of evidence in the 2020 election case against Donald Trump, but much of it looks like this, blank, were sealed, redacted.

[07:10:00]

That's because this evidence is backing up what the justice department says a trial court must look at that would be shown to jurors at a trial to try and prove Donald Trump was conspiring against the federal government as a candidate for office, not as the president.

So, at this point in time, we've heard the narrative from the justice department, they have written that and they've described what Trump was doing and the evidence that they've gathered. But now, as on Friday, the Justice Department has this evidence put into the court record, in largely these blank pages, these sealed records.

There are some things in this evidence that we can see that we know the justice department wants to rely on for their case that's already been public. Things like Donald Trump's tweets, speeches, and transcripts of speeches he was giving after the 2020 election, saying he didn't believe that he had lost, even though the justice department says he knew very clearly that he had.

There are other things like Mike Pence's book. That is also in this Court record that we can see publicly. Photocopied pages of Pence's book were things that Trump was saying to him, that he wrote about as when he was during the vice presidency, that are highlighted by the prosecutors.

All of this is going to be looked at by the trial judge as she considers whether this case can move on to trial. It also is very likely to be looked at by appeals courts in the future, again, to determine whether Trump can go to trial or whether he has protection because of the presidency, but his team has been digging in. They do not like the fact that any of this has been released in Court at this time, especially before the election, they claim it's election interference, which the judge says it absolutely not -- is not, it's litigation. But they also are trying to build a record to say this judge has just not handled things appropriately. Whether that is going to be an argument that goes far in the appellate courts, we will have to see, but it's very likely this case is going to go back to the Supreme Court before a trial is even on the calendar. Kaitlan Polantz, CNN, Washington.

BLACKWELL: Some of the top stories we are following for you this morning, a failure at one of Cuba's electrical plants has shut down the national power grid, leaving at least 10 million people in the dark.

The U.S. embassy in Cuba issued a notice saying that there is no information on when power will be restored. We have a live report from Cuba later this hour.

This morning, President Biden is back in the U.S. after a quick trip to Germany yesterday. His visit focused on a renewed push for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, after the death of Yahya Sinwar.

Speaking after meetings in Berlin, the president said, "We think there is a road to peace there. It's going to be harder. It's going to be difficult, but we're all on the same page."

He added that there's a possibility for a ceasefire in Lebanon, but it's going to be harder for Gaza, he says.

New this morning, hurricanes Helene and Milton have triggered a rise in flesh eating bacteria cases in Florida.

The Tampa Bay area sees the largest increase in infections. Statewide, confirmed cases rose from six pre-storm to 76 so far this year. The bacteria commonly found in warm coastal waters can multiply really quickly in flood waters.

Florida officials urge people to avoid those waters and cover wounds to prevent infection.

WALKER: President Biden is hopeful that the death of Hamas chief, Yahya Sinwar will create a path to peace. But can Israel and Hamas agree to a ceasefire and a hostage release deal for those still held in Gaza.?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:18:25]

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Kaitlan Collins in Tel Aviv, Israel, where we're tracking the latest developments on the Israel-Hamas war.

Israeli officials say that one Israeli is dead in the northern region after a recent barrage from Lebanon and others have been hurt in that moment. We are learning that as the Israeli military is dropping leaflets in Khan Yunis area of southern Gaza, promising free passage to anyone who helps return Israeli hostages. I want to warn you that this image that you're about to see is disturbing, but the leaflets feature a picture of the Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar's body, with a message that says Sinwar was, "eliminated while fleeing in panic."

It goes on to tell people that Hamas will not govern Gaza anymore. We have new details right now about how Sinwar was found and killed on Wednesday. CNN's Matthew Chance is here with me in Tel Aviv.

Matthew, one, just on those leaflets. The -- that they are dropping those. I mean, after Sinwar was killed, Netanyahu came out and said, you know, lay down your arms, return the hostages, and you'll have free passage was the word, I believe, that he used.

But obviously, this is a moment where they are -- they are trying to make this, this appeal.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I mean, look, I think the Israeli government have made this actually public. They said they see this as a potentially big opportunity, a window of opportunity to get some of the Israeli hostages, that there are 101 of them still being held in Gaza, dead or alive. We don't know the condition of all of them.

And with the death of Yahya Sinwar, there is a potential that the organization of Hamas is sort of disintegrating, at least, that's the, you know, one of the lines of analysis of what might be happening now.

[07:20:02]

It's in a state of chaos and in a state of flux. It's been dealt a heavy blow. That there is no doubt about that.

And so, Netanyahu has been appealing directly to sort of on the ground Hamas commanders to release hostages they may be holding in exchange for some kind of clemency. He said he'll let them live. Of course, that wasn't something that was extended to Sinwar.

And now that this leaflet drop, as well, you know, showing that these rays are pressing every button they can, pulling every lever to try and get some advantage in terms of hostage release, you know, from the killing of its most reviled Hamas enemy.

COLLINS: Yes. And of course, this comes as we're learning more about his death. I mean, obviously they are hoping that his death, the way he died, could hope to spur on some change from the Hamas militants. Who knows if that will actually happen.

But tell us more what we're learning about how Sinwar was actually killed?

CHANCE: Yes. I mean, there is been a bit of a discrepancy in the -- in the -- in the narrative, in the account, coming from the Israeli Defense Forces, the Israeli military, and a pathologist who carried out the autopsy on your Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader. That pathologist, has told CNN that he was killed by a gunshot wound. And that's sort of carried out, you know, if you look at the photographs, if you had the misfortune to see those photographs, you can see he's got a bullet hole in his head.

And so, that makes sense. The Israelis military had previously said that, you know, it was a tank round that caused this, his death. And so, that's a discrepancy.

You know, and Israeli sources that I've been speaking to as well say that they are keeping his body now in a secret location with a view to possibly using it as an exchange in the future for some of those Israeli hostages.

Again, another attempt by the Israelis to use this killing to their advantage.

COLLINS: Yes, a big question of what that will look like if it actually will work. Matthew Chance, thank you for that reporting.

I should note, Sinwar's death is raising hopes right now in Washington for an end to this war. Raising hopes, but still a lot of questions on whether or not that will actually happen.

President Biden says he is going to send his Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, here to the Middle East in the coming days, to Israel, specifically, as he is putting pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to seize this chance to try to get peace.

CNN's Camila DeChalus joins me now from the White House.

Camila, obviously the White House is hoping this will be a moment of leverage here, but that still seems like a big question mark, the further we get from Sinwar's death, especially with what we are hearing from the Israelis saying, you know, this is the beginning of the end, but this is not the end in and of itself.

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, that's right, Kaitlan. President Biden, had a very clear message, and that is that he still believes that it's possible to have this road to east -- to peace in the Middle Eastern region.

And he told reporters that he still believes it's possible to achieve a ceasefire deal in Lebanon, but noted that it will now be a little bit more difficult to achieve the same type of agreement in Gaza.

Now, Biden has made it very clear that he wants to spend the remaining time that he has in the Oval Office really trying to end this conflict and bring a release to these hostages on both sides.

But there is a lot of political implications here, especially for Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running on the Democratic ticket. She has been met with constant protests from Pro-Palestinian protesters, while she's hit the campaign trail, and some voters, especially in Michigan, have really been trying to advocate and push her to try to distance herself from how Biden is approaching this conflict. So, this rising tensions in this region really have political consequences for Biden and his legacy in office, but also for Vice President Kamala Harris, while she is running to be elected in this upcoming election.

COLLINS: Yes, a tricky aspect of that for her to navigate over these next 2-1/2 weeks. And then, of course, if she is ultimately elected. Camila, thank you for that.

Amara, Victor, a major questions here of what this means, as we are listening and speaking with Israeli officials, the hopes that this was going to lead to some immediate ceasefire that we had seen from U.S. officials seem to be dimming, though as of this moment.

BLACKWELL: Yes, and there is been this intersection at other periods during this war that there have been hope that a certain event would lead to a cease fire, and thus far, has not come to fruition.

Kaitlan Collins, for us there in Tel Aviv. Thanks so much.

Coming up, the island of Cuba, dealing with a near total blackout after failure of a power plant. People are now setting fires in the streets. We're joined by our correspondent in Havana next.

WALKER: And tonight, a few new voices will be added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

[07:24:34]

Next, a preview of tonight's ceremony and a look at the new exhibit in the Hall of Fame's Museum.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: I want to update you now on a story that we've been following this morning, a failure at one of Cuba's electrical plants has shut down the national power grid, leaving millions of people in the dark.

BLACKWELL: CNN's Patrick Oppmann is on the phone from Havana -- on the phone, maybe because there is not much to show in the dark.

Patrick, a second blackout now. What can you tell us about that?

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is a setback, and it comes hours after Cuban officials have been saying that power slowly was being restored.

Of course, remember, on Friday, there was this nationwide blackout, really unprecedented blackout, 10 million people in the dark in Cuba. We all spend a very long night without power.

The fortunate here who have generators, you know, users for as long as they could, but of course, gas and diesel is also very hard to come by.

[07:30:00] So, most people are like me right now, sitting in a darkened house, wondering when power is going to come back on. The concern, of course, is, oh, when you don't have power, certainly in Cuba, you don't have water, you don't have running water, your food starts to spoil and it gets hard to, you know, go about your daily life, and you -- what had become an inconvenience in the beginning is now really trained into something of a crisis, because most people here don't have reserves or food, don't have the ability to go out and buy new food, you know, go stay in a hotel or anything like that.

So, driving around the street last night, there were very few generators on and mostly in some hospitals and some hotels. But for the majority of people in this country right now, they are in the dark, and there is not really any sense of when the power is going to be restored.

Despite officials, (INAUDIBLE) unable at this point to turn lights back on.

BLACKWELL: Well, we are also having some issues with your signal there on the phone. Patrick Oppmann, I thank you for the report, and we'll keep checking back in.

The death of Hamas chief, Yahyah Sinwar could lead to progress on a hostage deal in the Middle East. But, is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu open to negotiations, and what is Israel's new focus?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:36:09]

WALKER: The FBI is searching for a former Olympic snowboarder accused of running a billion-dollar international drug ring and helping orchestrate multiple murders.

BLACKWELL: The investigators say that this ring moved more than 60 tons of cocaine a year from Colombia to Canada and some places in the U.S.

CNN's Polo Sandoval reports.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Amara and Victor, good morning to you, and recently unsealed federal court documents. Ryan Wedding is portrayed as a former Olympic snowboarder turned associate of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel, and federal documents I've had a chance to review, he's often referred to by his alias, as El Jefe, or the boss.

Federal prosecutors alleging that he was the head of a massive cocaine trafficking and distribution operation that bears his name, one that allegedly smuggled large quantities of cocaine last year from Mexico into the United States.

Investigators alleging that a lot of those loads were actually hidden in stash houses throughout Los Angeles before eventually being transported to Canada using long haul semi-trucks.

In addition to various drug related charges, Wedding also faces murder charges, investigators alleging that he ordered the killing of two people in 2023 in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment, and then, another person in May of this year to settle a drug debt.

Before becoming this alleged drug lord, Wedding was representing Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. Wedding, a Canadian citizen, however, he, at least his last country of residence is Mexico.

The FBI, offering up to $50,000 at this point for any information leading to his arrest. Wedding, also actually did serve some prison time for a cocaine distribution conviction from 2010, but he's believed to have then resumed trafficking under the protection of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico.

The head of the D.A. in the L.A. field office, wrote in a statement, "Wedding, the Olympian snowboarder, went from navigating slopes to contouring a life of incessant crimes." And now, he remains on the run.

Amara, Victor, back to you.

BLACKWELL: All right. Polo, thank you. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:42:53]

COLLINS: Good morning. I'm Kaitlan Collins from Tel Aviv, where we are following the latest developments on Israel's war with Hamas.

We are watching all of this closely as we are just hearing new comments from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who says in a new video that Israeli forces will "continue forward until the end" after the death of the Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar.

World leaders have been reacting with a mixture of unease but also a lot of hope, especially in the United States, for the potential for a ceasefire and the return of hostages that are still being held in Gaza right now.

President Biden has acknowledged that ending this war is still going to be difficult, after Sinwar was killed, but he is sending his secretary of state, Antony Blinken, here to the Middle East, to Tel Aviv, especially, in recent day, in the coming days, I should note, as they work, and hope that there could be some kind of momentum here as part of this.

With me now is the former State Department Middle East negotiator, Aaron David Miller, and it's great to have you.

Because, you know, we've seen so much hope from the White House initially, that this could be what spurred momentum or an inflection point in this war, I know you have been skeptical of that, just based on the fact that what we've heard from Hamas and still waiting to see who it is that's going to be the person at the negotiating table for them, and also what we've heard from the Israeli prime minister. What do you make of these new comments from Netanyahu this morning?

AARON DAVID MILLER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Thanks for having me, Kaitlan.

Look, I've been around negotiations for a long time. These are quite extraordinary negotiations, to be sure. But in order to close the deal, you need urgency. The parties have to be in a hurry. They have to conclude that the benefits of reaching an agreement essentially outweigh the risks of concluding one.

And during the course of the last year, when Sinwar was alive, the reality is that he was not persuaded, and frankly, either was the preeminent Israeli decision maker, Benjamin Netanyahu.

And now, Sinwar is gone. Hamas is struggling with their command and control. We don't know, is it going to be Mohammed Sinwar, is it going to be Sinwar in cooperation with some of the key brigade commanders in Rafah and Gaza City.

[07:45:02]

What role will the external leadership play? We don't know any of these things.

But what we know is that Hamas is not in a position right now to make a deal, as far as Netanyahu is concerned.

The deal that was on the table, which involved Israeli concessions, withdrawal from parts of Gaza and the return of large numbers of Palestinian prisoners, there is actually no way that Benjamin Netanyahu is on a -- on a roll, is going to agree to return hundreds of Palestinian prisoners who have either accused or convicted of killing Israelis.

And add to that, Iran, the shoe that is about to drop, Mr. Netanyahu is holding a lot of cards, and right now, I think he's drawing to an inside straight. We'll have to wait and see what happens when the Israeli strike Tehran and whatever other target sets, they have in mind.

COLLINS: Yes, that's a great point, because I think, you know, when you look at this, obviously, they have wanted Sinwar dead for decades. But especially, obviously, since October 7th, they have been trying to kill him. This was a chance encounter that happened during a routine patrol. They weren't expecting this to happen this week. Certainly, it didn't seem it wasn't some kind of intelligence operation that led to his death.

And that attack on Iran is expected to happen, the retaliation for the attack here in Israel.

If you're in the United States and you're hoping that this is going to temper what that attack, could that response could look like, or what Israel does next, I mean, how likely do you think that is?

MILLER: I mean, I think the administration -- look, the Israelis have waited on this too. October 1st was the Iranian ballistic missile attack. They've waited now, we're almost nearing the third week without a response.

Some of that had to do with the Jewish holidays. A lot of it had to do, I think, with consulting, at least, with the Biden administration.

I think that the president probably has assurances that the target set will not include nuclear sites or economic infrastructure, but I think it -- when that -- those assurances only go for the first round.

If the Iranians choose to respond the way they did on October 1, or they come in heavier, I think the target set on the part of the Israelis is going to -- is going to expand.

And again, Gallant, the defense minister, said it will be deadly, precise, "and surprising". And I wonder, exactly, what the Israelis intend with that comment. I would expect the unexpected, though, to some degree when the Israelis do strike.

COLLINS: Yes, that's a good point there. And we've heard Donald Trump back at home on the campaign trail, urging Netanyahu to do the opposite of what the U.S. is advising him on. We'll see what obviously Israel decides.

Aaron David Miller, as always. Thank you for your expertise.

MILLER: Thanks for having me, Kaitlan.

COLLINS: And we'll take a quick break. We'll be right back with more news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:52:24]

BLACKWELL: An epic night for music. Some of the most iconic names will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at a star-studded ceremony in Cleveland.

Let's talk honorees: Ozzy Osbourne, Dionne Warwick, Mary J. Blige, Cher, A Tribe Called Quest.

Ahead of tonight's honors, a new exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland showcases the honoree stage outfits, some personal items.

Joining us now is Shelby Morrison. She's the V.P. of curatorial operations at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Good morning to you. It is -- it's great to see these people go in, because I'm a fan of some of them. But the idea that Dionne Warwick is in the same class as A Tribe Called Quest, she is been eligible for decades. Cher, Peter Frampton, none of these are on their first year of eligibility. Why the delay for some of these obvious inductees?

SHELBY MORRISON, V.P. OF CURATORIAL OPERATIONS, ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME: Hi, Victor. Thanks for having me. Good morning.

The induction process is unpredictable, and there are so many artists that are deserving, it just takes a little bit for us to catch up and get everyone in.

But you are right, you know, to see Dionne Warwick and this whole class get in, it's really special. And, you know, there's a lot of fan favorites this year, from Cher and Dave Matthews Band and Foreigner. A Tribe Called Quest. It's, it's going to be an amazing -- an amazing event.

BLACKWELL: Yes, and there are a lot of surprises, typically. I mean, the Grammys brand themselves is the biggest night in music, but the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame celebration really has some great performances and pairings. What should we expect tonight?

MORRISON: You know, we're music's highest honor, and I was listening to our -- the president of our board -- or the president of the Hall of Fame yesterday, John Sykes, talking about how, as much as we plan these types of collaborations, we still don't even know a hundred percent what to expect, because these musicians, these artists, get up there and just create magic. And it's really fun for them to get together and celebrate.

For example, when Prince performed for George Harrison's induction, we didn't know he was going to get up there and do that magical -- one of the most impactful guitar solos that -- that's ever been recorded.

So, there is going to be surprises, for sure, and it is a star-studded lineup.

BLACKWELL: Looking forward to it.

Let me ask you about one posthumous inductee, Big Mama Thornton, who recorded hound dog. I don't know if it's 52 or 53 was years before Elvis did it. He became a millionaire. She died with nothing. The importance of her long overdue induction.

[07:55:04]

MORRISON: Yes, you know, we're -- as a society, we are starting to find that there are stories such as this in within our industry that, you know, rock and roll music was created by women, by African Americans, by black people. And, you know, because of society at the time in the 40s and 50s, you know, they were marginalized, and you know, we still see that today.

But one thing about the spirit of rock and roll is that we are changing that, and things are lifting up, and these people are being recognized for all their contributions, specifically women and BIPOC artists.

BLACKWELL: Yes. MORRISON: And, you know, I think, it's a challenge for the world, it's a challenge for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but we're doing it. We are honoring all of these people because they deserve to be honored. And you know, rock and roll music is not just one thing, it's a spirit. And that isn't just for white men who play guitar. It's for, you know, black women, and even Latin artists.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

MORRISON: And, you know, it's the more -- the more -- the more we move ahead in this industry, I think you are going to see the diversity of how we're -- how we're honoring and making sure that all these voices are heard.

BLACKWELL: I certainly hope so. I mean, Courtney Love called out the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year in pointing out the single digit percentage of women inducted or members. And there have been, obviously, in the class of 2023, and this year as well, more women inducted. And good to see Big Mama Thornton getting the long, long overdue induction there.

Shelby Morrison with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, thanks so much.

WALKER: All right. Another nail biter, and the WNBA finals, the Lynx held off the Liberty to force a winner take all Game Five.

Andy Scholes is here to talk about this really incredible back and forth we've been saying.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. Amara, this -- you know, we had a great season, and these finals has been even better. The games have been so exciting. Both teams already came back from 15-point deficits to win the game in this series, Game Four though, it was tied throughout. You had 14 lead changes and 13 ties. No team led by more than six points.

Liberty were down 390 seconds ago. Jonquel Jones gets the bucket down low, plus the foul. She hit the free throw to tie it up.

The Liberty then had three chances with under a minute to go to take the lead, but Breanna Stewart misses twice.

And on the Lynx's next possession, Courtney Williams is going to miss, but Bridget Carleton grabs the rebound, gets fouled by Sabrina Ionescu. Carleton makes both free throws. Could we get more Sabrina magic this time to win the title? No. A shot at the buzzer, no good.

Lynx win, 82 to 80 to force a winner take all of Game Five on Sunday. After the game Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello was not happy with the officiating.

SANDY BRONDELLO, HEAD COACH, NEW YORK LIBERTY, WNBA: If we're getting hit, that's foul, you know, and I'm one of the nicest bloody coaches in this league, but this pisses me off.

Just be fair, you know, if they are getting hit, it's a bloody foul. SCHOLES: All right. The Yankees, meanwhile, went away from the first World Series since 2009. Game Four, another nail biter in Cleveland. Giancarlo Stanton just continuing to be one of the best postseason hitters ever. He homered again. This was his fourth of the postseason. That put the Yankees up 6-2 in the sixth.

Fast forward to bottom of the eighth. Now, two outs. Guardians down a run. David Fry has a dribbler, but Mark Leiter Jr. makes a bad throw. Cleveland ties it at six on an error.

But the Yankees got lucky themselves in the ninth, Brayan Rocchio, drops this ball trying to make a play. New York ends up scoring two in the inning. They would win by the final of eight to six.

Now, over in the NLCS, the Mets staying alive with a big win over the Dodgers in Game Five, Pete Alonso set the tone from the get go, the three run home run in the first.

The Mets, they then put up five in the third after getting no runs off Jack clarity in game one of this series. The Mets getting eight off of him in just three innings last night.

And get this, Mets didn't strike out once. Just the 11th team ever to do that in the post season. New York won that one 12 to six.

The Dodgers do have another chance to close that series out back at home tomorrow in Game Six. The Yankees are going to try to punch their ticket tonight. That's at 8:00 Eastern on our sister channel, TBS. You can also stream that one on Max.

But I tell you what, it barring a big comeback, Amara. Looks like the Yankees are going to get in the World Series. We could have either Yankees-Dodgers, Yankees-Mets, both of the awesome to baseball.

WALKER: Yankees-Dodgers would be awesome.

SCHOLES: Yes.

WALKER: Thanks so much, Andy.

SCHOLES: All right.

WALKER: All right. "FIRST OF ALL," of Victor Blackwell is up next. Victor, what do you have?

BLACKWELL: All right. Early voting kicking off in battleground Michigan today, Angela Rye, Tiffany Cross, Andrew Gillum, are in Detroit, kicking off a tour for their podcast. They are with us to talk about the state of the race.

Plus, have you seen Zelig Williams? Beloved Broadway dancer from South Carolina, been missing for more than two weeks now.

The last sign of him, an emergency notification from his phone.

[08:00:02] His family is with us for a plea for help.

And later, a Muslim woman arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest is suing a sheriff's office in Tennessee.

END