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IDF Claims It Targeted Hezbollah Bunker under Hospital; Blinken in Israel, Pushing for New Talks; Russia Hosts BRICS Summit Intended to Challenge Western Dominance; Former Abercrombie CEO Arrested in Sex Trafficking Men; 2024 Race Coming Down to Handful of Swing States; Israel's Far Right Calls For Gaza Settlements; Swing Voters Inundated by Ads; Israel Gives U.S. Lebanon Ceasefire Document; Interview with Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak on Middle East Crisis; What Matters to Voters in Michigan. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired October 22, 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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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to our second hour of the show. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi, where the time is 6:00 in the

evening.

Shocking scenes in southern Beirut this hour, after an Israeli airstrike hit near to Lebanon's largest public hospital, causing severe damage and

killing at least 13.

Millions of Americans voting early as polls show Kamala Harris and Donald Trump neck and neck.

And Russian president Vladimir Putin welcoming dozens of world leaders to the BRICS summit with Ukraine and the Middle East in focus.

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ANDERSON: The U.S. secretary of state is on yet another trip to the Middle East, pushing for diplomacy ahead of Israel's threatened retaliation

against Iran.

Antony Blinken has been meeting with the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials tools today. This trip to the Middle East

is Blinken's 11th since the start of the war in Gaza and comes amid pessimism in the White House that any headway can be made on ceasefire

talks for either Gaza or Lebanon.

On the outskirts of Beirut today, destruction from an Israeli airstrike near Lebanon's largest public hospital, that was Monday night, health

officials report at least 13 deaths, including a child.

Israel claims it targeted a Hezbollah bunker under the hospital filled with cash and gold. The hospital denies that.

And just a short time ago an attack just outside Beirut, captured in this video, Israel had warned residents there to evacuate the area immediately,

saying it was targeting Hezbollah facilities. Matthew Chance connecting us this hour from Jerusalem.

And these images we have just got in to CNN about a strike just some minutes ago, Matthew, what more are we learning about that and the hospital

strike earlier?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, look, for those latest images that we've just seen coming in, it's clear.

There's no let-up in Israel's military campaign inside Lebanon, hitting areas of the capital in the southern suburbs and other areas as well in the

south and in the east of the country.

Israel saying it's been targeting financial centers or financial buildings affiliated with the Hezbollah militia. It's been targeting banks from a

Hezbollah-linked financial institution in various parts of the country in Beirut and in the south and east of the country as well.

One of those hospitals that was attacked, again, as you rightly say, Israelis say they were targeting a vault underneath a hospital in which

there were gold and other things like that they were trying to take out.

At the hospital as you mentioned, also have denied that. What we do know is that there has been a death toll, at least 13 people killed in the strike

on the hospital in Beirut. And large areas of that facility have been damaged as well, including the pharmacy.

Windows shattered, other buildings damaged by this incredibly large Israeli strike on this medical facility. And so that's something that the Lebanese

authorities are condemning.

In terms of Antony Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, he is still in meetings as we understand it right now with officials from the Israeli

government, including Benjamin Netanyahu, to discuss what prospects there may be for some kind of ceasefire or some kind of pulling back from the

brink in this increasingly volatile and violent region, Becky.

ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Matthew, I'm going to turn to secretary of state Blinken's latest visit now and bring in Kylie Atwood, who is

tracking that trip from D.C.

Is it clear at this point what the secretary of state hopes to achieve on this trip?

All right. We don't have Kyle Atwood.

Let me bring Matthew back, who --

We still got Matthew?

Kylie, are you with us?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

ANDERSON: Great, thank you.

And thank you, Matthew, for standing by.

Kylie, I was asking him -- I think our coms weren't entirely set up -- I was asking whether it's clear what the expectations are as far as the State

Department's concerned.

[10:05:03]

Is it clear what Antony Blinken is hoping or thinks that he can get achieved on this trip?

ATWOOD: Well, listen, State Department officials said that they're hoping to capitalize on what Biden administration officials, the president himself

said last week, was an opportunity following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

But it's not entirely clear exactly how they're going to do that or if they're going to be able to actually accomplish that goal because a senior

State Department official on the ride over with the secretary of state told reporters that the U.S. really doesn't know what the next few weeks in the

region are going to look like.

And one of the key question marks right now, of course, is the leadership of Hamas. After Yahya Sinwar's death, the U.S., Qatar and Egypt, they

really don't know who is calling the shots for Hamas inside of Gaza.

And that is a main question mark for them when they try and discuss how to get back to negotiations with Hamas, to actually bring about end to the

conflict in Gaza, which President Biden said very clearly last week he believes is possible after the death of Yahya Sinwar. It's just a question

of how they actually get there.

And so U.S. officials are going to be focused on trying to push that forward during these meetings with Israeli officials. The meeting between

prime minister Netanyahu and the secretary of state lasted this morning for more than 2.5 hours. So it was intensive meeting. We don't yet have a

readout of that.

But he's also meeting with other Israeli leaders today. And once we find out more about what was discussed, we will be able to kind of get a sense

for how realistic it is that they are going to actually be able to push forth an end to the conflict.

Of course, there'll be other issues discussed as well: the ongoing back- and-forth between Hezbollah and Israel and, of course, the degrading humanitarian situation in Gaza, because the Biden administration has put an

immense amount of pressure on the Israelis to try and make sure that more humanitarian assistance is getting into Gaza.

And there's a timestamp for that. They need to do that within the next few weeks or they could jeopardize the flow of U.S. weaponry to Israel.

ANDERSON: Given what we are seeing on the ground, there is a real sense of urgency at this point about how and when or whether a ceasefire, a

diplomatic solution to both what's going on in Lebanon and indeed what's going on in Gaza can be met.

Do you get the sense from the State Department that they share that real sense of urgency?

We are, after all, 14 days away from the U.S. election at this point. This Biden administration will continue, of course, until the back end of the

year, beginning of next.

But this could be an outgoing -- well, it will be an outgoing administration as a Biden administration. Some of these players could carry

on were Kamala Harris to continue. We don't know what her teams will look like.

But what's your assessment of the atmosphere at the State Department at this point?

ATWOOD: There's certainly a sense of urgency. They believe that really time is of the essence here, not only because this conflict has been going

on, of course, for more than a year but also, because as you said, President Biden only has about three more months in his entire term.

And there's only two weeks here to the day to the presidential election. So even though they feel that urgency, however, these realities of the U.S.

presidential political dates mean that, for them, those are influential factors.

They know that the Israelis are keenly aware of U.S. politics. We know that prime minister Netanyahu had a phone call with former president Trump in

recent days. So they're concerned about the impact, of course, that that could have.

Meanwhile, they feel like they have no other option but to continue pursuing a path to try and push forward an end to the conflict. Whether or

not they'll be successful, they really don't know. But they don't have really many other options at this point.

ANDERSON: It's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.

Well, some of the world's biggest political heavyweights are gathering in Russia today for the BRICS summit. That, of course, does not include the

United States. But this three-day event hosted by president Vladimir Putin kicking off today with a growing bloc of nations, hoping to shift the

global balance of power away from the U.S.-led West.

In 2009, the group initially comprised Brazil, Russia, India and China. South Africa then joined after its initial grouping and has expanded over

the years to include nations such as Egypt, Ethiopia and, more recently, Iran and the UAE.

[10:10:04]

CNN's Clare Sebastian, joining us now from London.

The West, of course, has been trying to isolate Russian president Vladimir Putin on the world stage. The expanding BRICS alliance is having none of

that. And so one has to ask whether this is stymieing the West's mission to ensure that Russia doesn't have a body of friends to talk to and, very

importantly, to do business with.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think that is partly what this event is showing. Russia is making a lot of the size of it, right. They're

calling it, one Kremlin aide, the biggest foreign policy event to take place on Russian soil ever.

They're promising 36 countries will be represented, 22 of them at the highest level. Obviously, there are now nine members of the BRICS, the

alliance. And you say having expanded this year, I think clearly Russia wants to make that point it's emboldened by what's happening on the

battlefield in Ukraine.

It's looking ahead to the U.S. election in two weeks' time, which, of course, thrown into question the issue of the future of U.S. aid for

Ukraine.

And it's taking this opportunity to try to build this coalition, to try to exploit that lingering sense of anti-U.S., anti-Western feeling among many

of the countries represented here and try to bring more people, including the global South African countries and the like, into this coalition.

So I think that is clearly the type of rhetoric we're seeing, that all the talk of how these economies are growing and the West is in decline, in

terms of actual, concrete deliverables, this is the 16th BRICS summit since it was first set up in the early to mid 2000s.

And clearly thus far we haven't seen a whole lot from the BRICS in terms of deliverables. This time, I think Russia would like to see that change. They

are pushing for this sort of financial cross-border payment system as a counter to the Western SWIFT system that they have now been cut out of as a

result of sanctions.

They want to erode the power of the U.S. dollar. And they are getting some traction on that among the BRICS members. So that'll be one to watch.

But I think it's interesting to listen to how Putin presented this in a press conference that they held ahead of this summit. Take a listen to

that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): We never refused the dollar as a universal currency. We were blocked from using it. Now 95

percent of all external trade of Russia is carried out with our partners and national currencies.

They did all this with their own hands. They thought everything would collapse. But no, nothing collapsed. It's developing on a new basis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: So making the point that it's not Russia that has offended the world order but the West. This is something that we do typically hear.

I think it's difficult to get away from the topic of the war that is the backdrop, I think, to a lot of what's happening here. And he has held a

bilateral meeting, for example, with the prime minister of India this afternoon, who did urge for Russia to work for peace in Ukraine.

I think this international spotlight, combined with Russia, will be its slow and costly progress on the battlefield and the looming U.S. election.

All of that is not going to contribute to a mood of compromise among Russian officials.

And certainly, quite the opposite. I think they're feeling emboldened right now, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yes, it's fascinating, isn't it. I mean, this is, this is a grouping of countries that make up something like 40 percent of the global

population.

And when you're talking business, that is an enormous bevy of consumers albeit if this is a bloc that, you know, increasingly doing business with

each other, its political clout, I think you can clearly see, is growing at this point. But it certainly is serving a purpose for Russia at this point

and a very strong one and a purposeful one at that.

Thank you.

Still ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD, the U.S. presidential race is still too close to call. We're going to talk with CNN's Stephen Collinson about where

things stand. That after this.

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ANDERSON: This just in to CNN. Two sources say the former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, Mike Jeffries, has been arrested in a sex trafficking

case along with two other associates. For more on this, let's bring in CNN's Brynn Gingras.

What more are we learning at this point, Brynn?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky, so those arrests happening this morning of Jeffries, his romantic partner and one other person,

happening -- Jeffries in Florida and someone else, his partner, and then that third person in (INAUDIBLE) -- oh, my goodness -- Wisconsin now facing

federal charges.

Now listen to what authorities are alleging. They say they were basically operating a criminal sex trafficking ring, where they would recruit young

men, sometimes as young as 19 years old with aspirations to be a model.

And they would recruit these men from all over the world, internationally, inside the United States and bring them to certain locations for sex

parties. And we're told by sources these sex parties would include drugs. They'd include alcohol in some cases.

The allegations say that they would pump these men with medicine -- not medicines but basically Viagra, to basically stimulate them in order to

conduct these acts with these men. Some of these men are alleged to have been former models with Abercrombie & Fitch. Some are alleged to currently

be employed by Abercrombie & Fitch.

Now this indictment includes a dozen counts. The allegations range from December of 2008 to March 2015. During that time, at least some of it,

Jeffries was the current CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch.

Now if you remember, some of these allegations might actually sound familiar. That's because the BBC did a widespread allegation -- or

widespread investigation on these allegations last year.

In fact, CNN reached out to the BBC about these allegations that were reported by the BBC. And Abercrombie & Fitch said that they were launching

that their own investigation inside the company. They said that they were appalled by these and disgusted by the allegations.

So it does seem like now they are criminally charged. We're hearing again that they will be in court in separate locations today and then eventually

make their way to New York for in the Eastern District. We are expecting a press conference later today to give more details of what's alleged in this

indictment -- Becky.

ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Brynn. Thank you.

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ANDERSON: A race too close to call, Americans voting early by the millions and a handful of swing states now playing an even bigger role in deciding

who will become president. That's the political scene in the U.S. as Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have been out calling those all important swing

states.

Trump heads back to North Carolina today and former president Barack Obama out on the campaign trail in Wisconsin and Michigan for Kamala Harris.

Let's get you more now on the state of play with CNN Politics senior reporter Stephen Collinson.

Let's start with a new poll from "The Washington Post," Stephen. It's showing incredibly tight numbers between the two candidates in Michigan, in

Wisconsin and in Pennsylvania, with Harris leading Trump.

Do you think she can keep up these narrowing margins in what is this final stretch?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Becky. There are a lot of very nervous people on both sides of this race right now. If Harris

wins those three states you mentioned, she wins the White House.

[10:20:02]

So you can see how important those polls might be. To your question about momentum, what the Harris campaign is banking on is in the final days of

this race, people who --

-- and it seems very odd that there are still undecided voters about Donald Trump -- but people who are seeing the prospect of a second Trump term and

the wildness and the disruption that would bring, will break in Harris' favor and give her the margins she needs in those swing states.

But as you say, it's exceedingly close, the fact that Donald Trump today, as you mentioned, is down in North Carolina for the second day running is

very interesting because Republicans haven't lost that state since Barack Obama won it in 2008.

That could give Harris a back door route to the White House if she loses one of those three Midwestern states, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania,

that you mentioned. But listening to the campaigns and what they're saying, no one really knows how this is going to turn out in two weeks.

ANDERSON: Well, we said we're two weeks out from what is Election Day already, though we have seen over 14 million Americans voting. This is

early voting with record numbers, Stephen, in some key states.

In past years, which candidate benefits from early voting?

COLLINSON: Generally in past elections, Democrats have benefited, because they've put more onus on getting the early vote. They like to bank their

vote so that they can then use their resources to go after less willing voters, the people that haven't turned up to cast an early vote or a mail-

in vote. And it's very useful to them.

Republicans historically have been less keen to vote early and the party has pushed it less. But this year it's changed a little bit,

notwithstanding the fact that Donald Trump seems to regard early voting some kind of fraud in action.

Republican Parties throughout the country, especially in key swing states like Georgia, have been pushing their voters to get to the polls early. So

while there is record breaking turnout at this point, we don't know exactly who is voting.

Are these people that would have voted anyway? And they're just banking their vote early? Or are they low propensity voters who are the most

valuable voters that the campaigns are going after in these final days to try and get them out of their houses and down to the polling places?

So it is a good sign, I think, for democracy and it shows that the country is engaged in this election, that people are voting. Or perhaps it shows

that both sides fear for the country if the other side wins.

But this time I don't think we can say that it's necessarily an advantage for Democrats.

ANDERSON: What we can say is what those, as you describe them, low propensity voters -- and folks, I think you'll hear more about -- more

about that term in the next couple of weeks.

It is those low propensity voters, those who might otherwise not normally vote, getting them out and both sides -- both campaigns are actively trying

to do that with every tool in the box.

How?

I mean, what sort of percentage of voters are we talking about here?

Because the numbers are really small at this point, aren't they?

COLLINSON: They are really tiny, possibly a couple of percent of the electorate in these key states.

But when you think about the fact that the election could well be decided by a few thousand votes in those states, places like Georgia, North

Carolina and Wisconsin, as they have been in the last two election cycles, even getting a few voters out can really help.

You saw yesterday, Vice President Kamala Harris campaigning with Republican former congresswoman Liz Cheney, who has turned against Donald Trump. She's

trying to get wavering Republican supporters out. She's addressing, the vice president, Hispanic voters today.

It's a little bit counterintuitive but some of Trump's wildness and extremism that we've seen playing out over the last few days may actually

help him with some of those voters who don't usually vote, who agree with him on many things and his far-right positions on immigration, for example,

and foreign policy.

That might actually get them out to vote, even though you would think that it would eliminate the crucial middle voters and women voters, that most

analysts think he needs to capture to win this election.

ANDERSON: Well, we talk about election being on a knife edge and too tight to call, neck and neck.

I mean, these feel like hackneyed phrases but, literally, this is too close to call, Stephen, isn't it?

And we are literally talking about a couple of percent at this point that these campaigns are really targeting. It's fascinating stuff.

[10:25:00]

Fourteen days to the day until Election Day. But as we've been pointing out, let's bring that number up again, a significant number of people have

already voted in what is early voting.

And if 160-170 million people are expected to vote, just since we last looked at that number as a team about five hours ago, it is nearly 18

million as we speak. It was 14.5 million when we were having our editorial meeting about five or six hours ago.

So you can see how significant these numbers are at this point. Good to have you, sir. Thank you.

Still to come, far right activists are calling for Israeli settlements in Gaza and the expulsion of the Palestinian population. A closer look at that

is just ahead.

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ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're with CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson for you.

One of the justifications that Hamas used for the October 7th deadly terror attacks was the continued Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the

expansion of settlements there.

Now some far-right Israeli activists are calling for the same thing to happen in Gaza once this war is over and they are getting some government

support. Jeremy Diamond has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There is much more to this right-wing conference on the Gaza border than just singing and

dancing. Amid maps of Gaza and children's puzzles promoting the creation of Israeli settlements in Gaza, there are also calls for the mass expulsion of

Palestinians.

DANIELLA WEISS, DIRECTOR, NACHALA: As a result of the brutal massacre of the 7th of October, that Gaza Arabs lost their right to be here ever. So

they will go to the different countries of the world. Then we must stay here.

DIAMOND: But if you thought this conference was contained to the far- right fringe of Israeli politics, think again. Among the hundreds of

settler activists, a dozen members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's parliamentary coalition, including three ministers and several

members of his own party.

AVIHAI BOARON, MEMBER OF ISRAELI KNESSET: We want again to establish settlements in order to bring security to the south of Israel. OK?

Without it, it won't be peace to the south of Israel, even to Tel Aviv.

DIAMOND (voice-over): The Israeli prime minister has said Israel does not intend to resettle Gaza.

[10:30:02]

But some of his own ministers seem to think he can be swayed.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has said that there won't be any civilian settlements in Gaza. You're a member of his governments. Why are you here?

MAY GOLAN, ISRAELI MINISTER OF SOCIAL EQUITY: First of all, the Likud Party is a democratic party, a liberal party. We have variety of opinions.

And I came here today from one reason, we have the right and these people have the right to put everything on the table, every tool is legitimate in

order to protect yourself and save ourselves.

DIAMOND (voice-over): That push to settle Gaza comes as Israel has killed more than 400 people in northern Gaza over just the last two weeks,

according to Gaza officials, where tens of thousands have been forced to flee. And as the U.S. launches another diplomatic push to encourage

Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza and strike such deal.

But it's people like far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben- Gvir, who are keeping Netanyahu in power, as I asked him what will become of

Gaza's Palestinians, his response is stark. We will encourage emigration, he says.

But on the outskirts of this conference, others including October 7th survivors are raising their voices, too, rejecting those who point to

October 7th to justify settling Gaza.

RON SHIFRONI, KIBBUTZ BE'ERI RESIDENT: They take advantage of the situation that happened in order to further their agenda and their agenda

is not about security, it's about settlement. It's about conquest.

We have to find some sort of negotiation with the other side. We can't first fully come inside and take land and stir up violence.

DIAMOND: A call so far unheeded by those in power -- Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Be'eri, Israel.

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ANDERSON (voice-over): Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that we are following for you on our radar right now.

And Ireland has signed extradition treaties for the United Arab Emirates that those agreements will help bring an alleged senior member of the

Kinahan organized crime gang back to Ireland Sean McGovern was arrested in Dubai earlier this month.

Well, in Pakistan, officials report more than a dozen new polio cases in October, bringing the total number of infections this year to 39. Health

officials say eradicating polio is difficult when 1 million children missed their polio shots last month. Most of the world eradicated polio a long

time ago.

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Kuwait to try and lower the temperature there between Middle East nations. Before he arrived,

he held talks with Bahrain's leader and called for joint efforts to reduce tensions in the region.

In a news conference in Kuwait, Araghchi said Tehran did not seek war in the Middle East but was prepared for any conflict.

Let's get you back to our other top story, which is the U.S. election in the U.S. Anyone who is still undecided in the presidential race has just

two weeks to make up their mind.

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have been out courting a handful of all important swing states that will decide who wins. And it is hard to get

away from this election, especially in one critical battleground. CNN's Danny Freeman reports from Pennsylvania.

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DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The question was simple. How would you describe the onslaught of political ads so far this year?

ALFRED HAGAN, PENNSYLVANIA REPUBLICAN: Chaos. Complete chaos.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): They're ridiculous.

MEGHAN FINNEY, PENNSYLVANIA HARRIS SUPPORTER: It's so overkill. We're all sick of it.

I think it's overwhelming.

DREW NIELSEN, PENNSYLVANIA REPUBLICAN: And all of a sudden it's nothing but like, oh, illegal immigrants. She's the border czar. She's not the

border czar. And we're just trying to get into the false spirit. You know what I mean?

FREEMAN (voice-over): We know battleground states get flooded with political ads in the home stretch of every presidential race. But this

year, Pennsylvania is getting hit more than any other.

Since President Biden dropped out of the race and Vice President Harris took over as the Democratic nominee, the campaigns and outside groups have

spent more than $350 million on ads in the Keystone State.

That's over $100 million more than the next battleground of Michigan. And voters in Pennsylvania are set to see over $80 million more worth of

campaign ads over the final two weeks of the race.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): He murdered a father of three.

FREEMAN (voice-over): This is one of the ads former President Trump's campaign has spent the most on here in recent weeks, attacking Harris over

her past support of certain rights for transgender people, including detained immigrants and federal prisoners.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Kamala was the first to help pay for a prisoner's sex change.

KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The power that I had, I used it in a way that was

about pushing for the movement, frankly and the agenda.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Kamala's agenda is they, them.

FREEMAN (voice-over): Trump supporter Drew Nielsen thought the ad was effective.

NIELSEN: It's inflammatory but I think the majority of people aren't affected by that. All they're hearing is, oh, she's just wasting tax .

[10:35:00]

FREEMAN (voice-over): But not all Republicans we spoke with liked the ad.

FREEMAN: Do you think that ad focused on this trans issue, that is effective to persuade voters here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, because it's a side issue and it's not what most people care about.

FREEMAN (voice-over): Republican Alfred Hagan said language in ads like this make it impossible for him to vote for Trump.

HAGAN: Is that really the biggest issue confronting America today?

We've got climate change issues. We've got hurricane issues, we've got relief issues. These are fundamentally difficult, challenging questions

that should be dealt with on the federal level. That's bullshit and it's just nonsense.

FREEMAN (voice-over): Bucks County mom, Meghan Finney, said all of the ads have been hard to watch, especially when her young children ask questions.

FINNEY: You want to explain what's going on, who's running for presidency but you don't really want to feel like you have to explain what rape is and

incest and all these things that they're putting out there.

ALFRED HAGAN, PENNSYLVANIA REPUBLICAN: This is one of the ads the Harris campaign has spent the most on here in recent weeks. Finney finds this one

appealing.

HARRIS: Look, everyone is tired of the petty destructive politics. Let's turn the page and chart a new way forward.

FINNEY: That's positive. That's, to me, what it should be about. It shouldn't be about all those other things that, you know, are negative.

FREEMAN: Do you think messages like these can help sway voters?

JOAN JENNERJAHN, PENNSYLVANIA HARRIS SUPPORTER: I think some people are just already predetermined. They're going to vote Trump or they're going to

vote Harris.

I think those people that are not decided, I think if you compare the two ads side by side, do you want kind of crazy hateful speech or do you want

something that's much more hopeful and how do we work together as people to bring the country together?

FREEMAN (voice-over): Danny Freeman, CNN, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: We're taking a very short break. Back after this.

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ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're with me, Becky Anderson, out of Abu Dhabi for you. This is our Middle East programming hub.

And returning to one of our top stories this hour, the U.S. secretary of state's new diplomatic push to end the wars in Gaza and Lebanon. Finding

peace, of course, is proving to be extraordinarily difficult -- impossible at this point.

And in the case of Lebanon, a new report in Axios is outlining the stark hurdles ahead of any potential negotiation, citing various officials. It

says Israel has provided the U.S. with a document listing its demands for a ceasefire.

[10:40:00]

They include Israeli forces being allowed to engage in active enforcement, to make sure Hezbollah doesn't rearm and rebuild its military

infrastructure close to the border, and allowing its air force to have freedom of operation in Lebanese airspace.

Well, the Axios report also says Lebanon and the international community are unlikely to accept those conditions. This is all tied to enforcement of

U.N. Security Council resolution 1701, which requires Lebanon's military to be the only force with arms in southern Lebanon. Former Israeli prime

minister Ehud Barak joins us now.

Israel has taken a maximalist stance when it comes to ceasefire plans and demands to date. Its demands, let's start with Lebanon, are a non-starter

at this point for the Lebanese state.

Do you expect -- and this is, of course, with the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, in region, trying to effect a ceasefire for both of these

conflicts.

Do you expect to see the Netanyahu government compromise or be willing to compromise on its stances at this point?

EHUD BARAK, FORMER ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I think the experience of the last year with the Hezbollah, who joined the attack on Israel voluntarily,

so to speak, Israeli is -- if the U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 and 1559 would have perfectly led to (INAUDIBLE) executed, Israel need no such

conditions.

But having our experience that neither of them were really implemented, it's clear that Israel cannot afford the Hezbollah deployed a few, few

yards from its civilians once again.

So I think a way should be found to rearrange the authorities and the capacity to execute of UNIFIL or any other body and to make sure that 1701

and 1559 will be literally implemented.

If this offends Israel, we'll be ready to consider kind of no further conditions.

ANDERSON: Without that though -- and those resolutions, of course, weren't enforced and the rest is history. There were some 70,000 Israelis displaced

in northern Israel and goodness knows how many now displaced as a result of this war in Lebanon.

According to Amos Hochstein, the U.S. Lebanon envoy at this point, we've kind of gone beyond 1701 at this point.

What's the next solution here?

BARAK: You know, if there is no 1701 and no 1559, which is even better, Israel will have to keep its freedom even without any permission from

anyone. It slid off (INAUDIBLE) to make sure that Hezbollah cannot shoot into the civilian houses of (INAUDIBLE) in Israel and no other country on

Earth would have allowed it to happen on its own border.

So I hope that the way will be found, that the U.N. Security Council resolution will be followed and executed.

ANDERSON: There was much discussion last week after the killing of Yahya Sinwar in Gaza and some weeks before with the assassination of the

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon to an extent, that those killings would leave open an opportunity for ceasefire deals.

Let's concentrate on Gaza, because Sinwar's death was only, what, a week or so ago, less than at this point.

Do you see a drawdown of this war as a possibility or not at this point?

BARAK: No, I'm not sure whether the situation would really be right, right now. It's up to the other side, I don't know. It's only for the Egyptians

and the Qataris, the Americans to be capable of creating any contact with the -- whoever runs the Hamas right now and find them ready for something.

[10:45:02]

If they are not, well, nothing will happen. If they will be ready to consider, I think that Israel should be ready to make quite daring (ph)

steps in order to make sure that our hostages will come home. It's very important to the Israeli public, it's very important for the unity of the

country. And it's a major objective of the war.

I personally think that we had to take probably different approach from day one, many months ago, to have this exchange of hostages and find the time

later on to make sure that Hamas cannot win over Gaza at all, which means that other bodies should be (INAUDIBLE).

ANDERSON: You have been a very harsh critic of Benjamin Netanyahu throughout this period of more than a year now since the deadly terror

attacks of October the 7th. And yet it sounds to me as if you aren't more resigned to his strategy at this point.

Indeed, do you now support his strategy, which, at present, at least, unless we see evidence to the contrary, is to continue with the conflicts,

both in Gaza and in Lebanon?

BARAK: I think that the real problem with Netanyahu is he doesn't have any kind of strategy. It appears that he has nothing. Probably has something in

his mind that he doesn't share with his members of cabinet and so on.

So it seems, on the face of it, that his only strategy is basically to continue the war. I should tell you, honestly, that the recent successes of

Israel, both in the south, killing Sinwar, and the (INAUDIBLE) death and (INAUDIBLE) and the other, on the other side only knows (ph) the killing of

Nasrallah is a major part of its leadership.

And much of each army work it has now (ph). These are very impressive achievements that resuming a way, the kind of respect to Israeli

capabilities and the self-confidence of Israelis contribute to better deterrence.

But nothing can compensate for the total absence of strategy. I keep repeating it.

If you don't know which, which quote (ph) you want to reach, no wind will take you there. We have to have a plan, how we see the end game, how to put

an end to it. Any kind of conflict has to end at certain point. We felt an political arrangement, a bag of diplomacy and security.

And we should know, we have, we are not going to recompel (ph) Lebanon. We are not going to destroy or eliminate Iran from the map of the history. And

so even to deploy against this axis of chaos, as Netanyahu calls it, we need an alliance with the Americans, with the neighboring (INAUDIBLE)

including Saudi Arabia. And we need to deploy to them together with them to face this alliance so far --

(CROSSTALK)

BARAK: -- chaos, as Netanyahu calls it.

ANDERSON: Ehud Barak it's always good to have you. Thank you very much indeed, for joining us today.

The analysis and insight there of the former prime minister, Ehud Barak.

We're going to take a very short break, folks. Back after this.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:00]

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ANDERSON: We've looked at a lot, haven't we, at how important the Arab American vote in Michigan is in this year's presidential election in the

U.S. But that's not the only vote that matters in what is this historically Democratic state. My colleague, CNN's John King, with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Signs of the season. Macomb County, Michigan.

These suburbs just north of Detroit are a blue-collar bellwether. Joseph Knowles about to send a message, about to defy his union leadership, about

to vote Republican for president for the first time, about to vote for Donald Trump.

JOSEPH KNOWLES, MICHIGAN VOTER: At this point now, I'm desperate. So I'm willing to try anything right now to make sure that I can fulfill my

responsibility and to take care of my wife and kids. That's all I care about.

KING (voice-over): Knowles is a Union Auto Worker, one of 1,100 just laid off by Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler Jeep. He blames corporate

greed the most but doesn't stop there.

KNOWLES: The second blame, I would put it on Joe Biden and the Democratic Party. Why?

Because of the E.B.s mandates. I thought the Democratic Party was for the working class, people that average Joe like me. That's what I thought.

KING (voice-over): There are more American auto jobs now than at any point of the Trump presidency. But auto workers supporting Trump here echo his

attacks on Biden's clean energy incentives and his claim illegal immigrants are to blame for lost jobs.

KNOWLES: But if you do it the wrong way, I think you should get roundup and just throw it out. I have no problem with that because it jeopardized

my way up above for my kids if they take jobs.

KING (voice-over): Knowles waves off friends who call Trump racist, says he doesn't believe Vice President Harris is up to the job. And he spars

with family members who say he should stay a Democrat.

KNOWLES: Oh man, I took it from my mom, from my auntie, cousins, my sister. They came at me.

KING (voice-over): Will Govier is a 30-plus year union worker at Ford and he has this side business cleaning car underbodies. When we first visited

four months ago, he was a fan of Robert Kennedy Jr. Now he will cast his third ballot for Trump.

WILLIAM GOVIER, MICHIGAN VOTER: RFK joining Trump, effectively, I couldn't script it any better the way I would like it to be. I love the idea of

Donald Trump being the commander in chief. I love the idea of how Donald Trump handles the nefarious characters in the world.

KING (voice-over): Govier believes more than half of UAW members at his Ford plant will vote Trump. He says Harris laughs too much and he can't

take her seriously.

GOVIER: So what is it?

You're the incumbent who wouldn't do anything different?

Or are you the underdog that wants change?

KING (voice-over): And he says critics take Trump too literally.

GOVIER: You know, he does it for effect. I don't believe that Trump really believes someone's eating cats and dogs. I don't believe that he's going to

call the National Guard out and at gunpoint, round up every migrant and force them across the border. I don't believe that for a second.

KING (voice-over): Count this early vote in Wayne County for Harris. And count Tonya Rincon as a Democrat who long ago lost patience with Ford co-

workers who shrug off Trump attacks on immigrants, on judges, on vote counts, on critics.

TONYA RINCON, MICHIGAN VOTER: There's a lot of people that they just take the crazy with Trump as it's baked in the cake and we're just willing to

ignore it. Whereas if we heard that out of our loved ones, we'd be like, OK, Grandpa, it's time to take your keys.

KING (voice-over): Rincon just retired from the Wayne Assembly plant and is helping the UAW register and turn out voters. She says her June bet that

her local would split 50-50 in a Trump-Biden race is still about right, with Harris now atop the Democratic ticket.

RINCON: There's a little bit more enthusiasm among some of my female coworkers. Couple of my male coworkers are pretty ambivalent about Harris.

We may have lost a tiny margin of support because sexism is a real thing, you know?

They're just like, you know, I'm not sure she can do it. I don't think the country's ready for a female president.

KING (voice-over): Walter Robinson, Jr. says there's more energy since the switch to Harris but also more offensive chatter on the assembly line.

WALTER ROBINSON JR., MICHIGAN VOTER: They have been saying some very disparaging things about the vice president, things about how she rolls up

through the ranks and some of the things that she might have done. They only had to say that to me once before they understood they can't say that

to me again. You know, so they period what he -- what he puts out there.

KING (voice-over): Robinson has a side job as a D.J. and trusts he knows how to read the room.

ROBINSON: Before I told you it was about even, right now I would probably say it's about 60-40.

[10:55:02]

I believe that it is a very good chance that we, the Harris-Walz ticket, will come out on the winning end.

KING (voice-over): Time to knock on doors and lobby co-workers is running short. Labor leaders are for Harris. But the rank and file are split.

Michigan's blue collar battle competitive to the end -- John King, CNN, Wayne, Michigan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, that's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "NEWSROOM" is up next.

END