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Fmr. Pres. Barack Obama and Fmr. First Lady Michelle Obama Headline Night 2 of DNC; Tonight at DNC, Speeches by Bill Clinton and VP Pick Tim Walz; Israel Accepts "Bridging Proposal," Ball in Hamas' Court Now; Dueling Demonstrations Expected Outside Democratic National Convention; Rescuers Seen Carrying Body Bag in Yacht Search; A Mother's Tragic Tale from Gaza; Chinese Premier Meets with Russian Premier; Bennifer 2.0 Ends in Divorce. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired August 21, 2024 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
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ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR AND U.S. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD.
I'm Erica Hill in New York, in today for Becky Anderson.
Your headlines this hour: the Obamas calling on Democrats to do the hard work to win November's election in electrifying DNC speeches.
Iran continuing to promise retaliation against Israel as ceasefire negotiations continue.
Plus divers now searching inside that luxury yacht, which sank in violent weather off the coast of Sicily.
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HILL: Kamala Harris' VP pick, Governor Tim Walz, getting his turn in the spotlight this night, along with former president Bill Clinton. This, of
course, for day three of the Democratic National Convention being held in Chicago.
And those speeches follow a pretty raucous, electrifying, as we have heard from so many people in the hall, night, night two at Chicago's United
Center.
Where former president Barack Obama and his wife, the former first lady, Michelle Obama, gave impassioned speeches, calling on voters to unite, to
elect Harris in November, while also repeatedly blasting Donald Trump. Here's more now from CNN's Brian Abel.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am feeling hopeful.
BRIAN ABEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): During night two of the DNC, the 44th president, Barack Obama giving an authoritative endorsement of
Vice President Kamala Harris, saying why she should be the next to occupy the Oval Office.
B. OBAMA: America is ready for a new chapter. America is ready for a better story. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris.
ABEL (voice-over): Former First Lady Michelle Obama, delivering a twist on her famous they go low, we go high line.
MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Going small is petty. It's unhealthy and, quite frankly, it's unpresidential.
ABEL (voice-over): In a Trump administration alum, Republican Stephanie Grisham arguing why former President Trump shouldn't be reelected.
STEPHANIE GRISHAM, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: He has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth.
ABEL (voice-over): While Harris skipped night two to campaign in Milwaukee.
KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Together, we will chart a new way forward.
ABEL (voice-over): Trump in Michigan Tuesday faulting Harris for the Biden administration's response to immigration.
DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Millions and millions of people are pouring into our country through a border that's unchecked,
unvetted.
ABEL (voice-over): Back in Chicago, Harris' chief advocate second gentleman Doug Emhoff, sharing why the Kamala Harris he knows is who to
vote for in November.
EMHOFF: I learned what drives Kamala. She finds joy in pursuing justice.
ABEL (voice-over): In Washington, Brian Abel reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: I want to bring in now my colleague, Eva McKend, who is covering the Harris campaign, joining me from Chicago today.
So Eva, so much focus on what we heard last night, on the energy in that hall. And there is also a lot of hope that it will continue, that there
will be that Obama effect.
How do they keep it going?
EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Erica, the Obamas are widely viewed as the most popular politicians in Democratic politics.
And last night well underscored why. Not only did they make a strong case for the vice president, they also used this tremendous stage as a call to
action. You heard delegates emerge from the stage, saying that they felt more fired up than ever to get out and organize over the next crucial weeks
ahead.
The former first lady joking with the crowd, saying, essentially, this is it's not the time to be delegate -- delicate. If you don't hear from the
campaign personally, you still need to get out there and vote and make sure that your communities are voting.
So this was them really making just a strong case. They also spoke about the vice president in really personal terms, in a way, Erica, that the
campaign is trying to frame this argument more broadly.
So you had Michelle Obama essentially saying, listen, the vice president is like you and me. She understands what it is like to struggle and that is
why she will work so hard if elected on behalf of working class Americans.
HILL: To set that stage and that messaging, frankly, and to get more people out there.
As we did hear from the former first lady. Tonight, the real focus is going to be on governor Tim Walz, of course, the running mate for Kamala Harris.
[10:05:00]
As much of the country is still getting to know him, Eva. So this is a key, key moment.
MCKEND: It is, Erica, we'll see really a broad spectrum of generational -- different generations speak tonight.
You have Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who will speak. He's only in his early 40s.
He, of course, ran himself for president in 2020 as well as, on the other end of the spectrum, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former president
Bill Clinton and, yes, this highly anticipated address from Harris' running mate, Minnesota governor Tim Walz.
He has been receiving ceaseless attacks from Republicans for how he's described his military record and different parts of his personal
biography, how he has described his biography.
Trump's running mate, JD Vance, even going so far or is to describe Walz as a pathological liar. So I'm curious to see how much the governor really
answers to those attacks tonight as he continues to try to introduce himself to America.
HILL: We will be watching for it.
Eva, great to see as always, thank you.
Joining me now, Chuck Rocha, a Democratic strategist, former senior adviser to Bernie Sanders for his presidential bid in 2016 and 2022.
Great to have you here tonight -- tonight; it's morning but it is today somewhere on CNN International, so we'll go with that.
Last night is what I was about to say. I was really struck by -- we saw the gloves really come off from both of the Obamas, clearly taking aim at
Donald Trump. And I just want to play a little bit more of what they had to say last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It has been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that's actually been getting
worse, now that he's afraid of losing to Kamala.
(APPLAUSE)
B. OBAMA: There's the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes.
MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY: Who's gone to tell him that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: There was also talk about failing forward, about really trying to relate to sort of the more middle-class view of America, really working to
get yourself to where you are.
This is clearly saying goodbye to the, "when they go low, we go high."
How effective do you think that will be?
CHUCK ROCHA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think it'd be very effective. We live in a different time than we did eight years ago. Drawing a real
contrast, letting the American people know what's at risk in this election.
And bringing that to light with two of the biggest superstars that my party has to bear is something that is worth every ounce of gold in the world
when it comes to political advertising, because we'll be talking about what they said today.
So for those of people that didn't tune in last night or didn't have the luxury of being in that energetic hall that me and my wife got to sit in
last night and see it first-hand, it was palpable.
So thinking about how you transfer that to people who weren't tuned in, they're seeing clips of this on their social media feeds. They're starting
to see influencers on TikTok talk about it.
This is how you really start building the momentum, to get your message to folks who may be what we call, in my business, infrequent voters, which
will be the key of winning just a handful of battleground states, which will be the difference in this election.
HILL: He's talking about those influencers. I believe it's some 200 were actually credentialed by the DNC, according to some reporting from my
colleagues here at CNN. As they tried to bring in some of those younger voices, you talk about being in that hall last night with your wife.
Another moment that stood out to me was this call for, frankly, for a little bit of grace and a little understanding from the former president.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
B. OBAMA: We need to remember that we've all got our blind spots and contradictions and prejudices and that, if we want to win over those who
aren't yet ready to support our candidates, we need to listen to their concerns and maybe learn something in the process.
(APPLAUSE)
B. OBAMA: After all, if a parent or grandparent occasionally says something that makes us cringe, we don't automatically assume they're bad
people. We recognize that the world is moving fast. They need time and maybe a little encouragement to catch up.
Our fellow citizens deserve the same grace we hope they'll extend to us.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: I hear some of that applause there.
But from being there in that moment, how did that play in that convention hall and how much do you think that will make its way out there onto the
campaign trail?
ROCHA: I think it brought in the humanity.
I think we've lost a lot of humanity. I'm one of the few people who've written one of these speeches for a convention, who's worked with a
campaign, who's run a presidential campaign.
[10:10:05]
It's built off an arc of telling a story. And last night was a piece of telling that story. And I think you'll see the Harris and the Walz campaign
start using this to try to bring people together.
There's a lot of folks out there that don't like president -- ex-president Trump, who are looking for a reason to vote for Harris and Walz. I think
you saw the Obamas last night, say that that, going back to an old theory, is that there's a lot more that brings us together than what divides us.
And I think that's going to be a common theme as we move into the last 60 days. The story about Barack Obama's grandmothers and the grandmothers and
the mothers of Harris, that's what I heard.
You heard the mother and grandmother analogy so much last night.
HILL: As an adviser, as a former adviser to campaigns, as you look at this, what do you think are some of the weaker spots for this campaign?
And how do they need to address them moving forward in the next, what is it, 11 weeks, I believe?
ROCHA: Right and even sooner than that, when people will start voting in Arizona and Nevada, in these Western states, where they'll get ballots 30
days out. What folks need to stay focused on is these national polls will come and go.
But this election, as you've reported on and everybody's talked about, down to about five or six states and just a small group of people in that. The
Democrats will continue to be demagogued by the other side around immigration or any other talking points.
We've taken the age topic off, so now they'll use other attacks. You got to stay focused on working family issues that will make families' lives
better. And you saw a glimpse of that last night, with what the Obamas were talking about.
If we stay focused on that, that's what American voters tell me every day in focus groups that I'm working in, in the House races and Senate races,
about, look, I don't care which party is in control. Tell me which party is going to help me. And I think that's going to be the message that we have
to stay on to win this thing in November.
HILL: And we see the numbers for some of those key states, including North Carolina, where Donald Trump and JD Vance will be today, of course, along
with Arizona, Nevada and Georgia. We will be watching all of them. Chuck, good to have you here. Thank you.
ROCHA: Thank you.
HILL: Let's turn our attention now to Israel, where funerals are taking place for some of the hostages whose bodies were recovered from Khan Yunis
in Gaza on Tuesday. The IDF says it is still investigating whether they were killed during Israeli military operations in the area.
Meantime a targeted Israeli strike killed the leading Fattah official in southern Lebanon on Wednesday. Fattah, which is the leading Palestinian
faction in the Israeli occupied West Bank, calls that killing an assassination.
And fires breaking out in several parts of Israeli controlled -- the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights earlier on Wednesday after dozens of
rockets and missiles were launched from Lebanon. All of this, of course, as those negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release police still
continue in Cairo on Wednesday.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond joining me now from Tel Aviv.
In terms of, Jeremy, let's start off with these funerals taking place. The IDF also saying that it's still looking into the cause of death and whether
perhaps the IDF may have contributed to that.
What more do we know today?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. The Israeli military is looking into whether or not Israeli forces may have
been responsible for the deaths of these six hostages.
We know that the Israeli military spokesman, Daniel Hagari, said last night that that was something the military was looking into. And he also noted
the fact that he had announced back in June that four hostages had been killed amid Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip.
He didn't make clear whether or not the Israeli forces were actually responsible for their deaths. But clearly it came in connection with some
kind of Israeli military activity in Gaza. So that is, of course, something they are looking into.
But for the families of these hostages, some of whom are being laid to rest today, their focus is on continuing to call for a ceasefire agreement. We
have heard expressions of anger and frustration for many of them, who believed that their loved ones could have been returned back to Israel
alive rather than in body bags.
And so today they are raising their voices, if not for their family members, who now no longer have a chance of being saved, then at least for
the dozens of other Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza, some of whom are believed to still be alive.
We know that there are more than 100 Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza; at least 30 of those are declared dead by the Israeli government. The
status of the remainder of them still remains unclear.
And as we talk about the urgency for a ceasefire deal, we saw the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, returning to Washington this morning after trips
in Israel, Egypt and Qatar.
And he didn't emerge with any kind of concrete, new sense of where things are going, other than this stated commitment from the Israeli prime
minister, that he backs that current bridging proposal to try and bring these two sides together.
But Hamas for its part, is making very clear that it doesn't believe in this bridging proposal. It believes that that bridging proposal is caving
to a series of Israeli demands.
And so for now, despite the U.S. talk of the urgency and their optimism in reaching a deal as soon as this week, it doesn't appear that these two
sides are much closer to an agreement.
[10:15:09]
And as all of this is happening, we're still watching those cross border exchanges of fire along Israel's northern border continuing; more than
around 50 projectiles crossed from Lebanon into Israel, sparking wildfires in the Golan Heights.
And we've also seen, as you mentioned earlier, this Israeli strike killing a senior Palestinian militant figure in Lebanon, associated with the Al-
Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, which is affiliated with Fattah, the ruling party in the West Bank, Erica.
HILL: All right. Jeremy, appreciate all of those updates there. Thank you.
Meantime, keeping a close eye on Iran, which, of course, has promised retaliation against Israel for the killing of a top Hamas political leader,
saying that it will come, quote, "at a moment of maximum surprise."
That's according to Iran's Permanent Mission to the U.N., which tells CNN in a statement, the response must be, in its words, "carefully calibrated"
as it wants to avoid adversely impacting a possible ceasefire deal.
Which is notable, because, of course, it comes just a day after the country's foreign ministry had vowed a deal was unrelated to Iran's plans
for Israel and any sort of retaliation.
The Middle East, of course, has been on high alert since that assassination last month of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Israel, it's important to note, has
neither confirmed nor denied any role in Haniyeh's death.
CNN senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen has been given some rare access to Iranian parliament in Tehran and joins us now live from the
country's capital.
You've also had a number of interesting conversations, of course, with officials there.
What more are you hearing specifically about a potential response when it comes to Israel, Fred?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a pretty big day in Iranian parliament today, as today the new government of the
newly elected president, Masoud Pezeshkian, was confirmed by the Iranian parliament which means the transition of power here in Iran is now
complete.
And, of course, it comes in an absolutely key time because of what -- exactly what you were just saying, because of the tension here in the
Middle East and that retaliation by the Iranians, which is still very much in the cards.
And there, we have seen not necessarily a shift by the Iranians in the past 24 hours but certainly a bit of a clarification. That was quite
interesting; last night of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps came out. Their spokesman said that the Iranians would retaliate but there could be a
prolonged period of waiting.
And also did not say what exactly that retaliation would look like but that it could look very different than the last time the Iranians retaliated
against Israel, which was, of course, after Iran's embassy compound in Damascus was attacked.
Then they launched hundreds of drones and missiles, many of which were intercepted but some of which did come through.
However, it's also the first time that the Iranians are directly linking a possible ceasefire in Gaza to their retaliation. The Iranians, though, not
very optimistic. This is from members of parliament that I spoke to today about the prospect of a ceasefire actually coming through.
I spoke to the head of Iranian parliament's national security committee. And here's what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EBRAHIM AZIZI, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL, IRAN: I believe the Israeli regime will not accept a permanent cease-fire. They will not feel committed
to any principles, rules or decisions. While we wish that the U.S. would not support a regime that violates international principles and does not
feel bound by commitments and agreements.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: That was the head of the national security committee for Iran's parliament, Ebrahim Azizi, speaking to me earlier today and it's something
that we've heard reflected from other Iranian officials that we've been speaking to over the past couple of days.
Many of them saying they don't believe that the government of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is really serious about a ceasefire and they
certainly don't trust the United States as a mediator.
At the same time, Iranian officials w were speaking to also say that they believe that a ceasefire is necessary and is necessary very quickly.
And as far as their retaliation is concerned, they are now saying that they will take their time to do that. And they're also saying there could be
something with an element of surprise that is unlike anything that had been seen in the past.
In fact, there was one statement that was sent to CNN by Iran's U.N. mission, where they said it could come from the skies, it could come from
the ground or a combination of both -- Erica.
HILL: Wow. Frederik Pleitgen, really good to have you on the ground there.
Appreciate it. Thank you.
Just ahead here, a tale of two cities. And while the Obamas stole the show inside the convention hall in Chicago, this was the scene outside.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILL (voice-over): Protests continuing. We are live on the ground in Chicago with more on how this confrontation played out and what else is
expected.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Plus Donald Trump and JD Vance back on the trail today together. What you can expect from their battleground state rally -- ahead.
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HILL: As day three of the Democratic National Convention kicks off in Chicago, dueling protests there over the war in Gaza are expected to
continue on the streets. On Tuesday, the Michigan delegate representing uncommitted voters directly addressing the current president over efforts
to secure a ceasefire deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABBAS ALAVRIEH, UNCOMMITTED NATIONAL MOVEMENT: (INAUDIBLE) moving because it invited me (INAUDIBLE), look at President Biden and say, President
Biden?
You're lying to us. You're lying to us. You're lying to us when you say you are working for a ceasefire but you are sending more and more bombs that
are blowing up babies into a million little pieces. You're lying to us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: On Tuesday night, pro Palestinian protesters clashing with Chicago police outside of the Israeli consulate. Additional security fencing is now
in place. CNN's Whitney Wild has been covering all of this activity outside that convention hall for us.
Bring us up to speed.
What happened last night in that confrontation?
WHITNEY WILD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we saw were hundreds, if not thousands of protesters striking, taking to the street outside the Israeli
consulate. And Erica, that's actually something that we've seen quite a bit here in Chicago.
We've seen pro-Palestinian protests down Michigan Avenue for months. We've seen protests outside the Israeli consulate. But none has been more
volatile than the one we saw last night.
There was a confrontation with law enforcement. We know that there were some arrests. That is something that CNN crews on-scene witnessed. But we
are still waiting to find out what the total number of arrests was.
Moving forward, law enforcement has been and continues to be prepared for more volatile confrontations with demonstrators and what they say that they
have done over and over is done extensive training to make sure that they can maintain peaceful First Amendment activity.
But further, they're doing what they can to try to mitigate this when these protests burst into (ph) criminal activity. And Erica, what a lot of this
comes down to is these physical barriers, like what you see behind me here at the United Center.
But also, it really becomes a volume game. Law enforcement needs to have enough staffing to match the number of protesters so that they don't get
overwhelmed, to answer that they can help control the crowd, because the reality, Erica, is that it is a pretty small number of people who get into
these confrontations with police.
So they want to be able to control that but also make the experience for the peaceful protesters a respectful, peaceful experience themselves. They
want those people to be able to exercise their First Amendment rights in a safe way as well.
So it's this balancing act that law enforcement is doing. And again, how they make sure that they can balance all of that is simply by having enough
officers.
What we saw last night were a large number of officers and they were in some riot gear, helmets, vests, that kind of thing. And then further there
were law enforcement from different agencies, according to CNN crews that were on the ground that night.
Moving forward again, they are prepared for more volatility. There are two protests today.
[10:25:00]
One kicks off at 4:30, another kicks off at 6:00. They are on opposite sides of this war in the Middle East. One is a pro Palestinian protest. One
is a pro Israel protest. The hope is that they don't collide and that there isn't a confrontation.
Again, it is staggered. The launch locations are different, Erica. So the hope is that they don't run into each other. But law enforcement says they
are prepared for anything -- back to you.
HILL: All right. Whitney, we appreciate it. Thank you.
Well, that is what's happening in Chicago.
In terms of the Republican ticket, just hours from now, former president Donald Trump set to take the stage in state of North Carolina. He'll be
joined today by his running mate, JD Vance, for that rally.
The GOP ticket really continuing this campaign push through key swing states this week. And we're told that today's rally focus will be national
security. CNN's Alayna Treene, who covers the Trump campaign, joining me now.
So we say national security.
What does that, what does that actually mean?
There's been a lot of talk about crime from the candidates.
Is that part of the focus?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's definitely going to be part of the focus. From Donald Trump's standpoint, he does view national security as
hand-in-hand with the border and immigration. And so you can expect a lot of discussion on that today.
But I also think, more generally, trying to get into the foreign wars, about what's happening in the Middle East, what's happening between Ukraine
and Russia.
And I don't think you'll hear anything very different from what Donald Trump has said on all of these issues in the past. This idea that Joe Biden
has been handling the wars abroad not well and criticizing that he's going to try to tie Vice President Kamala Harris to that approach.
And kind of argue, as he has been doing that she's somewhat of a mastermind behind the Biden administration's policies, which, of course, she is vice
president. She does not call the shots.
But that is what Donald Trump and his team has been trying to do. But I also want to point out, Erica, just how interesting the visit to North
Carolina itself is, because this is actually Donald Trump's third visit to the state since Joe Biden ended his campaign roughly a month ago.
And just underscores how important they see this state. And really with all of the places that Trump is visiting this week, it's very similar. He's
clearly going to the battlegrounds that his team view as must-win states in November.
On Monday, he was in New York, Pennsylvania, talking about the economy yesterday. He was in a suburb of Detroit in Michigan today as we sat in
North Carolina. Tomorrow, he will be visiting the border in Arizona and then Friday he'll be in Las Vegas.
Of course, Nevada is another battleground. And then back in Arizona. And all of these events, they're actually not rallies other than the one you'll
see Friday evening in Arizona. They're messaging events as the Trump campaign is trying to call them.
And that's because they're much smaller venues, they're smaller crowds and they're really focused on Donald Trump, trying to get him to focus on the
policy issues that they believe are going to be the most important to Republicans and particularly the areas where they believe Donald Trump is
polling higher than Harris.
Now one thing we did hear Trump yesterday bring up is an area that he's not polling higher than Harris on, which is suburban women. We know, Erica,
that Donald Trump has long struggled to make inroads with that type of voting bloc.
But he argued that he thinks suburban women like him. Take a listen to what he said in Michigan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I keep hearing about the suburban woman doesn't like Trump. Well, I think it's a fake poll.
Because why wouldn't they like me?
I stopped low-income towers from rising right alongside of their house. I think that they like me a lot. I think it's a lot of fake polls. We've seen
a lot of fake polls over the years. I hope they like my personality. I have a nice personality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TREENE: So he's discussed polls. He said fake polls but, of course, we know that's not true when it comes to the polls that we vet ourselves here
at CNN. But the polls have shown that the gender gap between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, ever since she topped the Democratic ticket, is widening
with female voters.
And so it is something I know from my conversations with the Trump campaign that there is concern about and that they are working to further make
inroads with those types of voters.
HILL: Alayna Treene, appreciate the reporting as always. Thank you.
Just ahead here, a Palestinian woman recounts the attack in Gaza that killed her husband and daughter. And the harrowing encounter with Israeli
soldiers who wound up saving her life.
Plus we are live in Sicily this hour, where there is new activity at the site of that sunken yacht, where recovery teams are searching now for a
third day.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
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[10:30:00]
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HILL: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD.
I'm Erica Hill in New York. And there's some news just in to us here out of Sicily where, of course, we have been watching for developments involving
that super yacht which sunk just at the start of the week.
Italian authorities, a bit of activity there happening on the ground. Here's some live pictures of the rescue operations at the scene. I want to
go straight to my colleague, Barbie Nadeau, who is there in Sicily in Porticello with the very latest for us.
So some activity, what else have you witnessed happening?
There was apparently a body bag, Barbie?
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. No, we would witness the sort of very grim procedure of taking this body bag off for the rescue vessels with
the divers there with it and then taking it onto the dock and it'll be taken, we understand, to a morgue, where they'll be doing autopsies on all
of the victims that they find.
We understand that they located two bodies and we're not entirely sure if they retrieved that second one or not. There's some talk that maybe there's
a second body bag with these vessels behind me.
But this is very good news. If you can put in that context for these divers there in the third day now searching this sunken luxury yacht, trying to
find these bodies. It's very important, obviously; at this point, they're not looking for survivors but for closure for this story.
It's very important that they find the bodies as soon as possible. And so, with the location of these first two, if that's the end of the retrieval,
at least of one, that is moving in the right direction.
We're not sure if they're going to go be going back out tonight. There is no activity out there at the dive site, at the crash site at the moment.
But we could see some activity a little bit later on. But it's a sad day in this story but it's at least a step forward, Erica.
HILL: Yes. It certainly is both of those things, incredibly sad and also perhaps a step forward and some answers for those families, of course.
Just remind us, there were there were a number of people; while six remain missing, a number of people rescued. Some of them did end up in the
hospital.
Where do things stand with those survivors and are they speaking out at all?
NADEAU: You know, they're all being interviewed by the investigator.
We should mention that this is the second confirmed death or third different (ph) death because they did find a body in those first hours
after the ship went down. So there were 15 survivors who, miraculously, including 1-year-old baby, who miraculously made their way to a lifeboat.
And now they're interviewing all of these survivors who are witnesses and especially the captain. We understand that they interviewed the captain
today for more than two hours to try to understand. Of course, this was a storm. It was a waterspout that hit this luxury vessel.
[10:35:00]
But they also want to understand exactly what all the circumstances were around that. And if there is any culpability, certainly they'll be looking
at it from every angle. Erica.
HILL: Absolutely. Barbie, appreciate the update. Thank you.
Stay with us.
The news continues here in just a moment. We're going to fit in a quick break. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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HILL: As we continue to monitor the delicate negotiations for a possible ceasefire and hostage release deal, it is impossible to ignore the lasting
impact of these many months of war on tens of thousands of families. CNN's Jeremy Diamond introduces us to one family struggling in the wake of loss.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DIAMOND (voice-over): Five-year-old Sham's eyes are a portal to the past she cannot forget. There are the streets and homes scarred by war, this
building where she recited her final prayers and then there is the indelible sight of her father and sister shot dead before her eyes.
Sham's mother, Sanaa, who suffered burns as a child, will never forget that day.
SANAA ABU TABAQ, ATTACK SURVIVOR (through translator): I wish we hadn't returned. I lost the most precious people. I lost the most precious thing
for me, my daughter.
DIAMOND (voice-over): But there is more to that story than tragedy and loss in war-torn Gaza. Sham and Sanaa's story is unlike any other we have
come across in 10 months of war. That's because Sanaa doesn't just accused Israeli troops of killing her husband, Akram and daughter Yasmeen, an
Israeli soldier may also have saved her life.
On November 24th, the week-long truce between Israel and Hamas begins, thousands of people begin heading back to their homes in northern Gaza.
Sanaa and her family are among them. But as they approach the Salaten (ph) neighborhood where they lived, they find themselves walking alone and then
shots ring out.
SANAA ABU TABAQ (through translator): May God bless her soul, Yasmeen. One bullet in her back and one in her shoulder. I was hit in my leg and my
husband was hit in his stomach. So we all sat on the ground. We couldn't move and we were bleeding. Sham is the only one who wasn't hit.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Her husband soon decides to crawl away to try to find help. But moments later, he is shot again, fatally. Sanaa lies on the
ground bleeding, cradling her eldest daughter, Yasmeen.
SANAA ABU TABAQ (through translator): She was saying, "Mom, did you die?
"Please don't die and leave us. I'm still alive."
I held her and I told her, "No, my dear, we are not going to die. The ambulance is coming."
I was trying to give her hope even though I know there was no hope.
DIAMOND: As a mother, I mean, you must have felt absolutely helpless in that moment.
[10:40:03]
SANAA ABU TABAQ (through translator): I wasn't able to do anything and that was the hardest situation. I couldn't. She was even asking for water
and I couldn't give her water.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Yasmeen soon died in her mother's arms. For hours, Sanaa lies here with Sham, unable to move, until she finally finds the
strength to crawl down the street and into this nearby home. We obtained footage from that house after our first interview with Sanaa. This is the
first time she and Sham are seeing it.
SANAA ABU TABAQ (through translator): This is the bathroom we hid in.
DIAMOND (voice-over): And Sham begins to tell my colleague, Abeer Salman, what happened to her.
ABEER SALMAN, CNN PRODUCER (through translator): What happened in the morning?
SHAM ABU TABAQ, SURVIVED ATTACK THAT KILLED FATHER AND SISTER (through translator): The tanks came.
SALMAN (through translator): How do you know the tanks had come?
SHAM ABU TABAQ: I heard their sound.
SANAA ABU TABAQ (through translator): I told her, 'They've reached us.' We recited the Shahada. She said, 'Hid me so I don't see them when they shoot
me.'
DIAMOND (voice-over): An explosion then rocks the bathroom. Israeli soldiers enter the house and call out in Arabic. What happens next is
captured on muted body camera footage provided by the Israeli military. Two soldiers treating Sanaa's gunshot wounds.
SANAA ABU TABAQ (through translator): I told him, "Please have mercy.
"Didn't you see my daughter who was killed at the door?
"I beg you, please don't kill us, it's enough."
He told me, "It wasn't us who killed her. It was Sinwar."
I told him, "I have nothing to do with Sinwar or anyone else. You took my daughter and you took everything."
DIAMOND (voice-over): The medic soon realizes her condition is serious. She needs to get to a hospital.
SANAA ABU TABAQ (through translator): The one who spoke Arabic started to make his calls.
Then he told me, "We decided to help you and take you with us."
DIAMOND (voice-over): Israeli soldiers carry Sanaa out of the building on a stretcher, her hands clutching Sham. Nothing about this footage should be
extraordinary. Militaries must protect and care for wounded civilians when possible under international law. But in this war, this site is exceedingly
rare.
For eight months, Sanaa and Sham have lived in this Jerusalem hospital. Their journey here was no less traumatic. Interrogation and strip searches
came before treatments at an Israeli hospital. Israeli authorities are now planning to send them back to Gaza next month, unless another country takes
them in.
The Israeli military for its part told CNN in a statement that Sanaa and her family were caught in the crossfire. The IDF says its soldiers issued
verbal warnings after the family stumbled upon a concealed military position, drawing a militant attack.
The four people who entered in the area were caught in the intense exchange of fire between the terrorists and our troops. The troops did not open fire
at the four people, nor did they aim at them.
SANAA ABU TABAQ (through translator): They are lying. There was nobody in that area.
DIAMOND: I wonder what would you say to that one soldier if you could see him again.
SANAA ABU TABAQ (through translator): It's true he helped me. But he also took from me the most precious thing I had. I can't even thank him because
he had mercy for us by the will of God, not by his own will. Because if he had compassion, he wouldn't have deprived me of the dearest people to my
heart.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Sanaa's pain is as raw as ever and seeing her home again in footage filmed this spring brings a flood of emotion.
SANAA ABU TABAQ (through translator): These are Yasmeen and Sham's shoes. I bought these shoes for Eid.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Mundane objects are transformed into relics.
SANAA ABU TABAQ (through translator): This is Yasmeen's dress and this is Sham's dress. She always loved pink. This is her dress.
DIAMOND (voice-over): And Sanaa is taken back in time to the life she will never get back -- Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Our thanks to Jeremy for that report.
Also on the radar at this hour, Argentina's government ordering this Liberian flagged cargo ship quarantined after reports one of its crew
members has shown signs of mpox. That ship is anchored in Argentinian waters. Just last week, of course, the World Health Organization declared
the virus a public health emergency.
A bus carrying Pakistani pilgrims overturning in central Iran on Tuesday, killing 28 passengers. Nearly two dozen more injured, according to state
media. A preliminary investigation suggests that crash was caused by a defect in the bus braking system.
And Russian media say Chinese premier Li Chang met with president Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin just a short time ago.
[10:45:05]
Chinese state media says the two countries are pushing toward what's referred to as a, quote, "strategic partnership of coordination for a new
era" to a new level.
A revised U.S. jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealing the true health of the U.S. jobs market. Those numbers for you just ahead.
Plus say it ain't so. Bennifer 2.0 is no more. What we know about the high profile Jennifer Lopez-Ben Affleck split.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HILL: The U.S. jobs. report released this hour showing the U.S. jobs market over the last year may not be quite as healthy as originally
thought.
So this is the revised jobs report, of course. This happens annually but it revised the number of jobs down significantly, in fact, estimating there
were more than 800,000 fewer jobs in March this year than initially reported.
Take a quick look at how the markets are reacting. They don't seem to be too upset about it. CNN's Matt Egan joining me now.
So Matt, take me through this number being revised down. We're used to this coming.
But where does it stand in terms of expectations?
MATT EGAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR WRITER: Well, Erica, we were bracing for jobs to vanish and they did. This number coming out at 818,000 jobs fewer
that were added for the period between April 2023 and March of this year.
This is sort of in line with expectations. It's probably a little bit on the high end. There were some estimates, notably from Goldman Sachs, that
this revision could show about 1 million jobs fewer were added.
And just to take you through where some of these revisions are coming from, we saw some of the biggest drops in employment based on a few different
sectors -- professional, business services, leisure and hospitality; 115,000 fewer jobs in manufacturing.
Of course, some sectors they were actually upwardly revised, including private education and health services and transportation and warehousing.
So just to remind people, this is a normal thing that happens with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They look back at how many jobs were added.
They update those totals. This is actually not even the final revision. That comes early next year.
But this does paint the picture of a jobs market that is clearly slowing down. We knew that. We knew that from the July jobs report. And this does
support the idea that hiring, it's still positive but it's not as strong as it once was.
And the fact that there are such large distortions also reflects the fact that the economy is still being distorted by COVID and the reopening from
COVID, it's just a very hard time for economists and for the BLS to really get a sense for what's happening in the economy.
One last point here, Erica, is this large revision in jobs, more than 800,000, it does support the idea that the Fed is going to start cutting
interest rates, likely next month. The question remains whether or not they do a quarter of a point or a larger interest rate cut.
But again, it does seem like the Fed is clear here to start cutting interest rates.
HILL: Yes, absolutely. And you read my mind, so thanks for answering the question that I was going to ask you, my friend. Matt, appreciate it. Thank
you.
(LAUGHTER)
HILL: Well, following months of rumors on their second wedding anniversary, we get an answer.
[10:50:02]
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are in fact calling it quits and not for the first time. CNN's Lisa Respers France joins me.
It has been too long. It's good to see you, Lisa.
In terms of this split, look, it had been rumored. I believe in love. I am always rooting for love. I wanted them to work it out. Apparently,
splitsville.
LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Not so much. Yes. So Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce on what was their second wedding
anniversary.
They actually had two weddings in 2022. They eloped in July in Las Vegas and then on August 20th, they got married at his estate here in Georgia.
And yes, she -- it was interesting that she picked that day to actually go ahead and file because people had been wondering.
There had been lots of reports and we'd seen them photographed separately. She didn't spend her birthday with him. She was in The Hamptons. Sometimes
they are wearing their rings, sometimes they weren't.
And so this was not unexpected but the fact that she filed on what was their two-year wedding anniversary came as a bit of a shock to some
people.
HILL: Yes, a little bit. There is also a whole lot of history here as we know, which we've been talking about frankly for the last couple of years,
ever since they got back together. Just walk us through a little bit of that.
FRANCE: Sure. So they first met reportedly back in 2001 while they were doing the film, "Gigli." And that's a whole 'nother thing.
(CROSSTALK)
FRANCE: And then they got engaged in November 2002. There was so much excitement. He proposed with a pink diamond that was over six carats. It
was gorgeous. But by September they were broken up, so they never even made it down the aisle.
So when you have them reuniting 20 years later and they get back together and they actually get married, not once but twice, there was so much
excitement and people were really hoping that Bennifer 2.0 was going to stick this time.
But it turned out the second time was not the charm, which, of course, begs the question, is the third time the charm?
But I do not think we're going to get a third try at their love. They, you know, we don't know exactly what happened but we know that they are no
more.
HILL: They also had this, what was it?
Was it a documentary or a show, the Prime Video show that they had?
FRANCE: Yes.
HILL: I know, look, hindsight is 20-20. Everybody loves to go through this and look for the signs.
Is there anything in there that may have, I don't know, warned us this was coming?
FRANCE: Absolutely there is. The clues were all there in the documentary, which is tied to her latest project, her latest album. I think we might
have a little bit of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER LOPEZ, ACTOR AND SINGER: He loves me and he knows I'm an artist and he's going to support me in every way he can because he knows this is
business (ph). You can't stop me from making the music that I made and writing the words that I wrote. He can't stop -- you know, that's going to
happen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
LOPEZ: He doesn't want to stop me. He wants to do that. But that doesn't mean he's, you know, kind of comfortable being the muse and being the --
BEN AFFLECK, ACTOR AND FILMMAKER: Jen was really inspired by this experience, which is how artists do their work. They get inspired by their
personal life. It moves you. I know that as a writer and director, like, I certainly do the same things. But things that are private, I always felt,
are sacred and special because, in part, they're private.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANCE: We're seeing definitely a difference. She is very forward facing with her personal life and she shares a lot with our fans. Ben Affleck is
the exact opposite. He's an extremely private person. And so we see right there a difference which may have factored into why they weren't able to
make it work.
HILL: Absolutely.
Is either one of them is speaking out or their representatives?
FRANCE: Not yet. We haven't heard from them yet. But I think at some point they're going to have to break their silence.
HILL: It is fascinating because there's been so much speculation, as you point, over the summer. And that clip is -- it is telling, I guess, in
terms of, look, we all know in relationships how hard it is sometimes to make things work.
But if you are approaching things very differently and if you want to keep the private private and your partner operates differently, that could be a
red flag. We will keep watching for that.
Do either one of them have big moments coming up that we should be preparing for in terms of movies or album releases or anything that I don't
have on my radar, that perhaps I should?
FRANCE: Well, she canceled her tour, remember, so she could spend more time with family. So --
HILL: Which are also lagging ticket sales.
FRANCE: Well, yes. You took it there. I wasn't going to say that but, yes, there's a lot of speculation that maybe it wasn't just about her spending
more time with the family. So we'll see.
And people are waiting to hear is, is he going to say something about it?
I interviewed Ben Affleck back when she was engaged to Alex Rodriguez. And in the middle of the interview, he just starts talking about how amazing
Jennifer Lopez is. And I thought, well, that's odd.
But then shortly thereafter she ended her engagement with Alex Rodriguez and she got back with Ben Affleck. So maybe it was not that odd.
And we also find out from the documentary that, the entire time they were broken up, they were still in communication. He actually put together a
book of all their correspondence. And that was another moment in that doc where we find out that, unbeknownst to him, she shared that book with her
team as her inspiration.
So yes, I know that face that you made, that was all of us. That was all of us watching that moment.
HILL: Mm-hmm.
[10:55:00]
FRANCE: Mm-hmm.
HILL: Lisa Respers France, I can always count on you for the good stuff, my friend. Thank you.
FRANCE: Take care.
HILL: Staying in the entertainment world for just another moment --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILL (voice-over): The fedora worn by Harrison Ford for "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," get this, it just sold for $630,000 at auction. Made
of rabbit felt, it was made with a more tapered crown, specifically for the second movie in the Indiana Jones series.
We're told it's in good condition but, perhaps not surprisingly, there some signs of where it was actually used in a number of key scenes, including
that memorable mine car chase. If you're thinking it's not the only one, you're right. Several fedoras were made for the film.
But this one comes from the personal collection of Harrison Ford's late stuntman, $630,000. Could have been yours.
That's it for CONNECT THE WORLD today. I'm Erica Hill. Thanks so much for joining me. Stay with CNN. Just ahead, "NEWSROOM" with Rahel Solomon picks
things up.
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END
