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Isa Soares Tonight
Russia Bombards Ukraine with Missiles and Drones; Tensions High in the Middle East As Israel-Hezbollah Trade Fire; Trump Readies Himself for an All-Out Sprint Towards November. U.S. Official Says Progress in Gaza Ceasefire Talks; Durov Arrested as Part of Investigation into Range of Criminal Activity on Telegram; Death Toll Rises in India and Bangladesh Floods; Harris and Trump Hit Battleground States; Captain James Cutfield Under Investigation; NASA Astronauts Get Ticket Home. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired August 26, 2024 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
PAULA NEWTON, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: And a very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Paula Newton in for Isa Soares. Tonight, a massive
aerial attack on Ukraine. Russia launches a major missile and drone bombardment on regions right throughout the country. We'll have all the
details for you.
The Middle East on high alert after Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire over the weekend. What does it mean for the risks of a wider war? We are
live in Haifa and Cairo. And Donald Trump readies himself for an all-out sprint towards November, looking for a new approach to take on Vice
President Harris.
And we do begin with what's being called the most massive air attack on Ukraine since Russia's war began. Officials say more than 200 drones and
missiles rained down on Ukraine and the country is bracing for a new night of terror now that the sun has gone down there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(EXPLOSION)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: This video obtained by "Reuters" captures the scene as a projectile slams into a reservoir. You can also see fires burning at a
power plant in the Kyiv region. Now, the Russian barrage killed at least five people and damaged energy infrastructure right around the country.
Ukraine's Prime Minister says 15 regions were targeted with power outages in several cities. Now, this as the war next door threatens to spill into
NATO again. The Polish military is searching for an aerial object believed to be a drone, it's likely entered Poland's territory during the Russian
attack.
Meantime, Ukraine says its troops are seizing more territory in Russia's Kursk region. The area is home to the Kursk nuclear plant, and there are
fears the new fighting could lead to a disaster. Now, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency is due to visit the plant on Tuesday.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen has been following all the latest for us from Berlin. I mean, Fred, good to see you, especially on this story. We've been listening
to President Zelenskyy who has characterized this as one of the largest attacks of this kind. But he is also accusing the Russian military again,
of deliberately attacking civilians with cluster munitions. What more are you learning?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he certainly has. And you know, one of the things that we've seen from on the
ground is some of the areas that were hits, did appear to be a damage to civilian areas that we could see there. There were Ukrainians, of course,
for a very long time, have also said that the Russians had been using cluster munitions on civilian areas as well.
The Russians so far have not said anything about that. I do have one update that I think is really important because just as we went to air here,
literally, just a couple of minutes ago, the Ukrainian emergency service came out with an update, and they are now saying that actually seven people
have been killed in those Russian missile attacks and drone attacks that happened overnight.
And they also say that the toll of people who were wounded in that now stands at 47. And the Ukrainians are indeed saying that this was one of the
largest, maybe the largest barrage of missiles and drones that were fired by the Russians towards Ukraine, especially at some of that critical
infrastructure.
But of course, some of that also hitting apparently civilian areas as well. It could be some of those missiles that were shot down or some that went
off course. It's impossible to know at this point in time. The Ukrainians listed some of the missiles that were used, and we've been looking at that,
Paula, as some of them are missiles that are normally designed to destroy whole aircraft carrier-strike groups with massive warheads.
Others are hypersonic missiles. The Ukrainians are saying that they actually did manage to take down one of the X47 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles
that the Russians fired. But of course, a lot of the missiles that the Russians did fire did come through. Now, as far as the Russians themselves
are concerned, they claim that this was a large scale attack on energy infrastructure that they say the Ukrainians are using to produce weapons to
then obviously use against the Russians who are invading Ukraine.
They claimed this was a successful attack that took place by the Russians. The Ukrainians for their part, and this comes in the form of Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are saying that there will be an answer to all this. But they're also saying that they are still advancing in the
Kursk region. I want you to listen into some of what the Ukrainian President had to say. Let's listen in.
[14:05:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE (through translator): I have just spoken with commander-in-chief Syrskyi, and there's an advance of our
troops in the Kursk region from 1 to 3 kilometers. Two more settlements were taken under control, active actions are underway in one more
settlement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: So, that's Volodymyr Zelenskyy there speaking earlier in one of his video addresses, and that's really the picture on the battlefield right
now, we have had that large missile attack at the same time, we do see that the Ukrainians still appear to be making progress in the Kursk region,
while at the same time, the Russians of course, appear to be making some progress in the east of Ukraine, specifically in the direction of the city
of Pokrovsk, Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, a lot to parse there especially given the night that they've had, again, just after 9 O'clock in most parts of Ukraine, as they await to
see what another night brings. Fred Pleitgen for us in Berlin, thanks so much. Maria Avdeeva is a security expert who has been covering the war
since it began more than two years ago, and she joins me now from Dnipro in Ukraine.
Maria, good to have you with us, and again, I do know it is now dark or approaching darkness in most parts of Ukraine. And again, we've been --
you've been through this many times already since this war began. Can you update us on the situation where you are? You've pointed out that no one
has been spared, and we as viewers have been looking at some of the damage in your region.
MARIA AVDEEVA, SECURITY EXPERT: Right, Paula, the attack was massive. The largest attack I have experienced in Ukraine since the war started, more
than 200 missiles and drones all together were in Ukrainian skies. And though, Ukrainians know and were preparing that Russia will launch this
kind of attack on Independence Day.
So, people are preparing themselves, but still it was very threatening and frightening to see all these missiles and drones flying towards Ukraine
because we started receiving messages of alert since morning, and when people were already going to their workplaces. So, many were urged to stay
at home and not to go -- not to leave houses and to take cover until the attack, Russian attack will be over.
But for example, in Kyiv, the air raid alert lasted for more than six hours today. Though, people were taking cover, taking precautions, but then, the
aftermath was very big, and a lot of energy infrastructure was hit and immediate, there were power outages all through Ukraine, also in Dnipro
where I am now in Kyiv, in Odesa, in many Ukrainian large cities, there were outages of electricity and Ukraine has already experienced this to
several times.
But every time this is difficult because it puts a lot of people into the struggle for everyday life, and they don't have electricity, power and
water, in many places and trying to get it from somewhere.
NEWTON: Yes, and spare a thought, of course, for children and the elderly who really get a sense of the terror that they're feeling, and obviously
have been going through for more than two years now. It seems that the incursion into Kursk, Russian territory, the entire country did receive a
kind of morale boost.
I'm sure it helps with the celebrations for Independence Day as well. But given that, is the country now bracing for more retaliation from Russia,
given -- you know, you commented yourself that you feel that maybe Russia is feeling untouchable and sensing hesitation. What do you mean by that?
AVDEEVA: Yes, because Russia knows that anything they do, they will not have any answer from the western community. So, even the sanctions, there
is still a way to go. So, Russia has this sense of impunity that whenever they do any kind of target, the pickup in Ukraine will be a hospital, a dam
in Kyiv region, how they did today, electricity station.
They will continue and, you know, people and the other leaders will continue talking to Putin and coming to visit Moscow. So, this means that
there needs to be a harsh answer to every Russian attack, and there needs to be a lift of the band for Ukraine to use western-supplied long range
missiles to hit military targets in Russia, because Russia attacks Ukraine from the planes that take off from the airfields inside Russia.
So, we are basically here, every time watch how these planes approach Ukrainian border and launch deadly missiles then will later hit Ukrainian
cities and kill Ukrainian civilians.
[14:10:00]
And this is what I mean by when I say that Russia feels this impunity because they are now wary of, you know, like boasting on social media and
on Russian TV about how they will put Ukraine on its knees, that Ukrainians don't have water, don't have electricity, and now they will beg Russia to
stop -- to stop this kind of attacks.
So, if we talk about the Kursk, this is not a retaliation for Kursk. Russia was targeting Ukraine since the very first day of the invasion, and the
most important thing is that there are no red lines, which many in the West are afraid to cross. Because even incursion in Kursk, Russia tries to
downplay it, Russia tries to show that nothing big is happening.
There is no much deal within the rise to not to show it a lot on Russian media so that not -- those Russian citizens will not dislike the policy of
Putin. But still, this is one of the missions of Ukrainian forces in Kursk region to make Russians feel that the war is in their home. And this is why
Ukraine persists with this operation in Kursk region.
NEWTON: Even though unfortunately, it may in fact escalate things further in the short term. Maria Avdeeva, as I said, another night falling there
and we hope everyone is safe this evening. Thanks so much. Appreciate it. Now, Israel and Hezbollah -- Israel and Hezbollah appear to have stepped
back from the brink after some of their most serious cross-border fire yet.
Israel launched what it called pre-emptive strikes on Lebanon over the weekend. Now, it says fighter jets destroyed thousands of rocket launcher
barrages across dozens of sites, removing what it called a future threat. Soon after, Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets and drones towards Israel,
that was in retaliation for the assassination of a top Hezbollah commander last month.
Now, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called it in his words, a complete success, but suggested further strikes could be coming. Now, the attacks
did not derail a new round of Gaza ceasefire talks going on in Cairo. The White House is reporting progress, but there's still no agreement, I'll
remind you, between Israel and Hamas.
Just a short time ago, a U.N. official said U.N. humanitarian operations in Gaza have been suspended at least for today because of the new Israeli
evacuation order. For more on all of this, I want to bring in our Jeremy Diamond, who is in Haifa in Israel, our Nada Bashir in Cairo.
Jeremy, I go first to you to really make sense of what we saw in the last 24 hours. Can you lay out exactly how this unfolded, and why many believe
that right now, both sides -- and I'm talking about Hezbollah and Israel have decided, that's enough for now, and they may not escalate further, at
least in the short term?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it really is incredible how quickly we went from a pretty significant escalation yesterday to both
parties very much signaling their intention to de-escalate going forward. And that's because early yesterday morning, we saw the Israeli military
carry out what they've described as a pre-emptive strike on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.
About 100 fighter jets carrying out simultaneous strikes on dozens of Hezbollah rocket launch facilities, and about an hour-and-a-half later,
sirens sounding across northern Israel is one of the most significant barrages of rockets and drones from Hezbollah was fired into Israel.
Hundreds of rockets and drones, but the Israeli military says that all of those drones were intercepted. None of the rockets hit bases in central or
northern Israel. And that's why they're characterizing that aerial defense operation as a success of the Israeli Prime Minister did yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER, ISRAEL (through translator): The Israeli army destroyed thousands of short-range rockets, all of which were
intended to harm our civilians and forces in the Galilee. Additionally, the Israeli Army intercepted all of the drones that Hezbollah launched at a
strategic target in central Israel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAMOND: And so, even as the Israeli Prime Minister and the Israeli military make the case that, that pre-emptive strike thwarted what could
have been a much more significant attack. And also saying that they effectively were able to thwart Hezbollah's actual attack yesterday
morning.
Hezbollah for its part still claiming success, still claiming some measure of victory in retaliating over the killing of Fuad Shukr about a month ago
in the Lebanese capital. And that has really given both parties the opportunity here to claim victory and then to move towards de-escalation.
And that does indeed appear to be what is happening.
Although, we should note that both parties have still made clear that this is clearly not over yet, left open the possibility for further attacks in
the future, but at least, for the immediate future, things have calmed down.
[14:15:00]
And then of course, there is also the possibility still very much looming of an Iranian attack on Israel. They have vowed to retaliate over the
killing of Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh late last month in the Iranian capital. Iran still vowing to carry out that attack, although we
don't know when that will actually come, Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, and that's why all eyes now on Cairo, Jeremy, thank you. We do go to Nada now who is in Cairo for us. This, Jeremy, just explain that,
look, both have come back from the brink. This is a bit of a pause, at least in the fighting. Does that make room for the ceasefire deal? And I
ask you specifically because as you've been reporting, the key officials now have left Cairo.
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: That's right, Paula. We have seen these key delegations leaving Cairo. But as we understand it, there are still
officials present in the city taking part in working-level discussions to try to iron out, hammer out those final details, those key sticking points
which continue to persist.
And of course, the regional security situation has ramped up pressure on both sides and on mediators to try and push for an agreement to be struck
as soon as possible. But also the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip. As you mentioned a little earlier, Paula, U.N. agencies now being
forced to temporarily pause their operations because of security concerns there.
We're seeing yet more evacuation orders in the Gaza Strip as well, and the U.N. warning that there is something there, well, safe left for civilians
to turn. And this is really one of the crucial reasons why we have seen continued debate, continued discussions around those sticking points,
namely around the permanent ceasefire turn.
Now, Hamas yesterday upon leaving Cairo reiterated its position that it wants to see guarantees that there will be after that initial six-week
pause in the first phase of what is a three-phase proposal, that there will be guarantees of a transition to a permanent ceasefire in that second
phase.
That is something that Hamas have said they have not seen guaranteed by the Israeli side just yet. And we have heard in the past, remember the Prime
Minister Netanyahu's coalition, including Prime Minister Netanyahu himself in June suggesting that after that initial six-week pause, there would be a
continuation of the war.
That is something that, of course, Hamas does not want to see mediators continuing to try and work towards the establishment of some sort of
guarantee that we will see a ceasefire. But of course, there also continues to be debate around the presence of Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip,
questions around the terms of the negotiation of the deal rather, and what constitutes populated areas in Gaza.
Now, Israeli officials want to see a continued presence in this ceasefire process of Israeli forces on the Philadelphi Corridor, a buffer zone
separating the border between Egypt and southern Gaza. They have revised their proposal over the last week, introducing a reduced number of troops
and military posts.
But according to that statement that we received from Hamas yesterday evening, that still is not acceptable. They want to see a full withdrawal
of Israeli forces as part of disagreement. However, we have been hearing from U.S. officials telling CNN that they believe there may be some
flexibility around these in terms that Hamas may well agree to an allowance of Israeli troops being present within that first six-week pause.
But again, that really hinges on the definitions that we see present in this agreement. And that is exactly why we continue to see these working
level discussions taking place. U.S. officials say they believe this is moving in a forward direction. But at this stage, we aren't seeing any
indications of breakthroughs from either the Israeli delegation nor Hamas.
NEWTON: Yes, we've been here before and it would be nice to be able to take U.S. officials at their word, but there are still -- I'll remind
everyone, no ceasefire. Nada Bashir for us in Cairo, thanks so much. Still to come for us tonight, the first debate between Kamala Harris and Donald
Trump has hit a snag of sorts.
What's the issue at the center of this back-and-forth between the two campaigns. We'll explain. And the stranded NASA astronauts get their ticket
home finally, but it won't be with Boeing, we'll bring you the details on their return to earth later this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:00]
NEWTON: So, at this, hour, Donald Trump is in the battleground state of Michigan speaking at the National Guard Association Conference. Now,
earlier, he laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery to mark the third anniversary of the deadly bombing that left 13 U.S. service members dead in
the American withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Now, in a social media post blaming President Biden for the deaths, Trump called the attack the most embarrassing moment in the history of our
country. The former President later visited a Vietnamese shopping center to help campaign for a Republican candidate. And we are joined by CNN's Oren
Liebermann at the Pentagon and our Steve Contorno in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Good to see both of you. Oren, to you first. I mean, obviously, he wanted to make a very fine point going to the cemetery, I mean, obviously a
tragedy as well. For those military families and not the U.S'. finest moment in foreign policy. In terms of the lingering feeling though about
this, both in the country and with military families. Will it resonate?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: That's an excellent question. Look, Afghanistan, you know, these are the conversations we had with
officials here. Afghanistan mattered to the wider public at two different times, when the U.S. went into Afghanistan and when the U.S. came out of
Afghanistan.
And certainly, in the withdrawal, the death of 13 U.S. service members and then includes 11 Marines, a sailor and a soldier in the Abbey Gate bombing
was the horrific moment, that's the moment that everyone remembers three years ago today. But beyond that, has it lingered? I'm not quite sure that
it hasn't, certainly not as a political issue, one that decides for example an election or swings a large amount of the population.
Still, it is a point in which former President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked both President Joe Biden and now Kamala Harris, pointing out, as
you said, that he said it was the most embarrassing moment in the history of the country. So, there he is on your screen visiting Arlington National
Cemetery.
He was joined by several family members of those fallen service members. Meanwhile, of course, Biden, Harris, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin put out
their own statements about the Abbey Gate bombing the deaths, the killing of 13 service members in that suicide attack.
Speaking of essentially what it takes to serve and the importance of that service, not only to family and to loved ones, but to the country overall.
So, you'll continue to see Trump and other Republicans attack the Biden administration over this. But whether it lingers, whether it matters,
certainly when you compare it to issues like the economy, inflation, the cost of everyday items, it's difficult to see it stack up anywhere close to
issues like that.
It is worth pointing out also that House Speaker Mike Johnson will give congressional gold medals to the families of those 13 fallen service
members next month.
NEWTON: Yes, and a reminder, what a devastating day it was, not just for the U.S. military, but for the Afghan people themselves. Steve, Donald
Trump back in Michigan today, a battleground state, he obviously is hoping to get a bit of a boost now that the Democrats are out of the spotlight,
and he can get back down to business.
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: That's exactly right. If you look at his campaign schedule from last week, he was in a different battleground state
nearly every single day. In fact, he had two events in battleground states on Friday, and I think this is the schedule you can expect to see from him
going forward.
[14:25:00]
He has maintained a pretty light calendar, least by conventional campaign standard. Now, part of that was because he had all these legal issues he
had to deal with, but at most, he was holding basically two rallies a week since the nomination was wrapped up in March. And there have been people
within his own party who have been saying that he needs to be more aggressive in going after Vice President Harris and matching this new
energy we are seeing from the Walz-Harris ticket or Harris-Walz ticket, I should say.
And so, they're going to be doing a lot more events, so, there are going to be more of these kind of events that we saw last week where there's a
little bit of a focal point trying to keep him in a box by having the emphasis beyond the economy or national security or immigration or
inflation.
But as we've seen from Donald Trump at all of those events in the last week, you know, when he starts speaking, he's bound to say anything. And
last week, he was mostly using a lot of his time to sort of rebut and provide -- running commentary of the Democratic National Convention, we'll
see what he actually talks about today in Michigan.
NEWTON: OK, Steve Contorno for us in Florida. Thanks so much as well as Oren Liebermann at the Pentagon. Thanks to you both. Now, just 15 days from
now, former President Trump will face off against Vice President Kamala Harris, we believe in their first debate, but yes, I want to tell you,
there is new debate about those debate rules.
At issue is whether the microphones should be muted for the debate when it's not their turn to speak. The Harris campaign wants the mics to stay on
in those circumstances, while the Trump campaign says they should be turned off. But earlier today, the former President said he'd rather keep the
microphones on throughout the whole debate, which appears to be a break from what his campaign is saying.
We want to turn now to CNN national politics correspondent Eva McKend, who is in Washington for us. And yes, you have the job of trying to make sense
of this for us because it seemed to go back and forth, but it gets to a very important issue, right? Each candidate wants to handicap the debate in
their favor, and they have different opinions about how the miking works, right?
EVA MCKEND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Paula, it is really important. We have seen with the stakes so high, how debates have become so
consequential in this election cycle. Nikki Haley, who ran for President during the Republican primary, she was long-viewed as a long-shot
candidate, but then she got a lot more attention following a breakout moment she had during the debate.
And then of course, President Biden, he made a grave mistake during the debate and he's no longer in this contest. So, these debates really matter,
and that's why you see these jockeying between the teams to get the best conditions possible for their candidates. So, the Harris campaign wants
those mics live and not -- and hot for the duration of the debate.
Trump's team seems nervous. They had a good thing going in the last debate in their view, and they say they agreed to the terms already with the mics
muted when it was not someone's turn to speak, when President Biden was the nominee. But the Harris campaign, they're pushing for this hard, saying the
American people can see both candidates for who they are, suggesting that Trump will interject, he'll rant, he'll wave, he'll air his own personal
grievances.
And we're getting a statement from the Harris campaign, Brian Fallon, the chief spokesperson. He says "our understanding is that Trump's handlers
preferred the muted microphone because they don't think their candidate can act presidential for 90 minutes on his own.
We suspect Trump's team has not even told their boss about this dispute because it would be too embarrassing to admit that they don't think he can
handle himself against Vice President Harris without the benefit of a mute button." So, some fighting words there. Paula, we'll have to see how this
ultimately resolves itself. But the former President expressing some openness different from his team to having those mics not muted.
NEWTON: Yes, and I guess the bottom line for American voters is that it will happen on September 10th because we know how highly anticipated they
are and how they want to see that face-to-face matchup. Eva McKend, I'm sure you'll bring us up to date as this continues to be an issue.
Appreciate it.
Now, still to come for us tonight, emergency services are absolutely overwhelmed in Bangladesh, meaning it's up to volunteers to save the lives
of flood victims. We'll report from the scene of the disaster. Plus, CIA Director Bill Burns leaving Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo, but U.S.
official says it's not for lack of progress. An update on those critical negotiations ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:00]
NEWTON: Ceasefire talks for Gaza are limping along despite a massive exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah over the weekend. Now, CIA
Director Bill Burns has now left Cairo where the negotiations are taking place. A senior U.S. official tells CNN that progress has been made in the
negotiations. And the remaining sticking points between Israel and Hamas appear workable. The talks are expected to continue at a lower level,
though, throughout the week.
We want to get more now from CNN's Jim Sciutto, who is in Tel Aviv for us. And, Jim, it is good to have you there for this specific reason, because
you tend to bring us the reality about what's going on behind the scenes. So, I get the optimism that perhaps U.S. officials are outlining, and yet,
you know, you were there reporting on it, right? We had a week where we had the families from the hostages still in agony and apparently children in
Gaza scrounging for everything from a morsel of food to water.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF U.S. SECURITY ANALYST: Yes, both those things have not changed. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza and also the impatience --
understandable impatience of the families of the hostages. I am told by a U.S. official familiar with the talks that mediators did make progress on
the weekend. And that they're now at the stage where they're discussing the final paragraphs of a potential agreement down to nuts-and-bolts issues, as
described to me, including things such as the names of the Palestinian prisoners who will be released in exchange -- or would be released, I
should say, in exchange for those Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
That does not guarantee that they will reach a final agreement. But it does provide some sense of progress. And I'll highlight one issue in particular,
Paula, and that has been the question of the presence -- continued presence of Israeli forces in Gaza. This, you know, quite a hot button issue. Hamas
opposes a long-term presence. Israel has insisted on some presence.
[14:35:00]
I'm told that in phase one of this agreement, the discussion now is really down to what areas are considered populated versus unpopulated? Because by
the outlines of the proposal for phase one of the agreement, Israeli forces will leave populated areas but would be able to stay in some unpopulated
areas, specifically along the border between Gaza and Egypt.
Of course, as always in these negotiations, the devil is in the details as to what one side says is populated versus to what the other side says is
populated. So, there is certainly still distance to go. But my understanding is from this official is that they have made at least some
progress and that even some of the public pronouncements you've heard from Hamas and others might be more pessimistic in public than is actually
taking place across that negotiating table.
So, listen, I think things move slowly here. But the other fact, too, I would say, Paula, is the fact that the talks went ahead yesterday, despite
yesterday, all that barrage of fire we saw across the northern border, Hezbollah firing towards Israel and Israel carrying out a preemptive strike
to head off what it said was a quite significant -- in fact, a more significant Hezbollah attack than we saw in the end.
NEWTON: Yes, and it is interesting again that we have both pulling back from the brink, which perhaps allows the space and time for these kinds of
negotiations to go forward. Jim, really appreciate your reporting, and you will continue to be there throughout the week. Appreciate it.
Now, the Kremlin is denying President Vladimir Putin met with the founder of Telegram during a state visit to Azerbaijan last week. Now, the
messaging app's Russian-born CEO, Pavel Durov, was detained outside of Paris on Saturday after his own visit to Azerbaijan. He now remains in
custody. The French prosecutor says Durov was arrested as part of an investigation into a range of criminal activity on Telegram. President
Emmanuel Macron says the billionaire entrepreneur's detention is in no way a political decision. CNN has confirmed that Durov is also a French
citizen.
Now, at least 44 people have lost their lives as floods continue right across Bangladesh and parts of India. 11 districts in Bangladesh and nearly
5 million people have been impacted. Rescue crews continue to try and recover those who have been stranded. And close to 300,000 people have
taken refuge in relief camps.
Now, much of Bangladesh relies on its rivers and waterways as a vital life support, for fishing and farming rice patties. Scientists have raised
concerns that human caused climate change worsened cyclones, flooding, and other extreme weather events.
OK. Still to come for us, both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have their eyes locked on battleground States. Our panel will discuss what the
candidates need to accomplish going forward in this final stretch of the 2024 U.S. election.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:40:00]
NEWTON: And we now return to our 2024 U.S. election coverage. Both Vice President Kamala Harris and Former U.S. President Donald Trump hitting that
campaign trail with the same target in mind, obviously, those battleground states. Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, are set to kick off a bus
tour in Georgia Wednesday.
But right now, Trump is in the country. crucial swing state of Michigan, where he's expected to speak soon at the National Guard Association
Conference in Detroit. Now, the former U.S. president is also set to campaign in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania this week.
For more on the race to the White House, you want to turn to today's panel. Joining us from Massachusetts is CNN Contributor Elaine Kamarck, and in New
York, CNN Senior Political Commentator Scott Jennings. OK. Guys, I'm going to try out a theory on both of you. The debate about the debate is a debate
about nothing. Apologies to people who are not old enough to really clue in on that Seinfeld reference.
But, to both of you, there will be a debate, right? Going back about microphones. They're going to do this, right? Scott, first to you.
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO GEORGE W. BUSH: Yes, I think they'll debate and I think some
of these back and forths are a little tedious about, you know, who wants what arrangements. You know, Biden and Trump had a little back and forth
too.
But ultimately, they need to debate. And I think it's actually pretty vital for both candidates. Trump needs to try to prosecute a case to define
Harris as the incumbent and part of an incumbent administration that people don't like. And Harris also needs a chance to prove herself to the American
people who I do think expect their presidential candidates to be tested. So, I think there's incentives for both of them to do this. So, I
ultimately think it will happen no matter what the rules are.
NEWTON: No matter what the rules are. Elaine, what do you think?
ELAINE KAMARCK, CNN CONTRIBUTOR AND SENIOR FELLOW, BROOKING INSTITUTION: Well, I think that the debate about the debates illustrates something
that's been going on for the last couple of weeks in this campaign, which is while all the focus has been on Harris, of course, and her convention
and the newness and the youth and all that stuff, Trump has a problem. He is undisciplined. He can't stick to the program.
And so, it's interesting that it's his campaign that's arguing for a closed mic, because they know that their guy is apt to go off into La La Land and
that's actually pretty destructive and the country's kind of sick of this stuff.
So, it's interesting. I think the debate about the debates is indicative of a bigger problem the Trump campaign is having, which is they can't control
their candidates.
NEWTON: Elaine, I do want to try and get to what kind of problems the Democrats may be having, and I do turn to none other than James Carville.
You know, he's a very shy man, former Democratic campaign guru. He's warning the party that now is the time for caution, not celebration.
I mean, what evidence do you have that Democrats are actually heeding that warning, Elaine, considering we still have heard nothing about Kamala
Harris having a press conference, a town hall, or an interview?
KAMARCK: Yes, I think she's going to have to do those things. But I also think that when a vice president becomes the presidential candidate, she's
got a platform. It's the platform of Joe Biden. She can't go out there and say, oh, I disagreed with Joe Biden. First of all, she'll look like a
schmuck. Secondly, if she goes out and says, I disagreed with Joe Biden, then people are going to say to her, well, wait a minute. What were you
doing in the administration?
So, the calls to give detail to her policy and stuff I think are not as important as they were if she were to come out -- you know, if she had just
come and become the candidate without the four years in the White House.
NEWTON: Interesting theory. Scott, what do you think? Because, you know, James Carville also did point out that Trump has a better chance, right
now, if the election were held today, at that Electoral College. He still goes back to this theory we had from 2016, the so-called under polling,
that you don't catch that many Trump voters in a poll, which is why they skew in the favor of the Democrats.
And, Scott, I will say, I really appreciated you navigating that blue haze of the DNC. I think you kind of -- you did a job for the Democrats. You
brought them down to Earth. So, do you think they should be listening to James Carville? Again, because it is hard to see evidence of that right now
in the Democratic campaign.
JENNINGS: Yes. Look, there's a lot of enthusiasm for Democrats. I get it because previous to Harris being the candidate, when they were stuck with
Biden, they all thought they were going to lose, and not just lose, but lose in a landslide. And so, you know, think of it if you're watching your
favorite sports team and you're way down and all of a sudden, you know, late in the game you're team, you know, ties it up in the eighth inning.
Hey, now you have a chance to win.
[14:45:00]
You know, and momentum and optimism and hope, you know, that's a real real thing. And you could sense that at the Chicago convention. However, that
does not mean you will win. And they do still have some structural issues out there, and Elaine touched on this. And the structural issue is, Harris
works for Biden.
Biden is not popular. People think the country is off on the wrong track. They're worried about the inflation that was caused by the Biden-Harris
policies. They're worried about the border. And so, she is carrying the burden of a very unpopular administration. I have been thinking that she's
going to have to separate herself from Biden and say, look, he made a couple of decisions that I don't agree with. He's number one. I'm number
two. I've learned from it and I won't do it again. Because if she doesn't cast off the unpopularity of the Biden agenda, I think it might make it
hard to win.
Finally, on the polling one, I think Carvel's right. And it wasn't just '16, it was also '20. Trump does under poll. And if you look at the margins
where he was sitting going into election day in both races, you know, he got much closer in both races to the Democrat than the polling would have
predicted.
Now, he didn't win the popular vote in either one, but he doesn't have to win the popular vote to win the presidency. So, the truth is he's in much
better shape today than he was at either this point against Hillary Clinton or this point, against Joe Biden in '16 and in '20. So, I still think
Democrats have reason for optimism, but I wouldn't overdo it because Donald Trump right now -- I still think he's the favorite. Truthfully, I think if
the Electoral College came down to it today, I think he'd probably win.
NEWTON: Yes. And it doesn't do the Democrats any harm to heed that warning and understand where we are.
JENNINGS: Yes.
NEWTON: To both of you, again, Scott, first with you, I believe you're the father of four boys. Is that right?
JENNINGS: You got that right.
NEWTON: I don't think any of them are of voting age, but there is a gender gap apparently in this election. More men and especially young men, you
know, really polling towards Trump the other way around, obviously, for Kamala Harris. Scott, do you think that will be a big factor in this
election?
JENNINGS: Absolutely. I mean, if you look at the two things in the election that best describe how someone is likely to vote, it's what is
your gender and what is your level of educational attainment. Harris is doing very well with women, particularly college educated women. Trump is
doing very well with men, particularly men, working class men who do not have college degrees.
And so, you see these -- it's in all the polling, happens in every state, this widening gender gap that exists. And so, that's why you see Donald
Trump's campaign hooking up with RFK Jr., because he has some appeal to this younger, low propensity voting, you know, male cohort. He's got to
turn those people out. That's really Trump's big strength. He's got to turn out people who don't usually vote, and particularly young males who don't
usually vote. They've got to be attracted to a ticket, probably based on things other than, you know, deep policy white papers. It'll be more on
vibes than policy pronouncements. But that's why he brought RFK with him.
NEWTON: And, Elaine, if we go to the other side of the equation here, do you think Kamala Harris in bringing out the women's vote, I mean, look, a
lot was said in 2016 about that happening for Hillary Clinton, and we know how that turned out.
KAMARCK: Yes. Well, the big difference between 2016 and now is the reversal of the Dobbs decision. OK. So, the abortion issue has continually
-- since 2022, it has continually caused Democrats to overperform expectations. Democrats overperformed in the off-year elections in 2023.
They overperformed in 2022. Special elections. Everywhere, they've overperformed. And every time they've overperformed, it is the choice
issue, the abortion issue.
And then, finally, let me remind you that if you were to pick which gender you'd like to have with you, I would choose the gender that is 52 percent
of the population and 55 percent of the electorate. 55 percent of the electorate. Women are simply more numerous and they vote more often than
men. So, there you go. I pick the women.
NEWTON: Elaine, I will say the stats, because I looked them up before I came, not just that, but there are more women in the east and in the south
right now, even though there are more women than men across the entire country. And as you guys remind us all the time, right, we're talking about
tens of thousands of votes that are going to make a difference in those battleground states.
JENNINGS: Yes.
NEWTON: Scott, Elaine, we'll have to leave it there, but hope to have you back. Discuss it again. Appreciate it.
JENNINGS: Thank you. See you later.
NEWTON: Thanks. Bye-bye.
KAMARCK: Thank you.
NEWTON: Still to come for us, astronauts stuck on the International Space Station get their ticket, finally, back to Earth.
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[14:50:00]
NEWTON: So, we now know the name of the captain of the luxury yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily last week. Italian prosecutors say James
Cutfield is now under investigation. Seven people were killed including British tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.
Investigators question the 51-year-old Cutfield for a second time on Sunday. He faces possible manslaughter and negligent shipwreck charges.
Two NASA astronauts on the International Space Station finally do have that ticket to go home eight months later than intended. NASA says Suni Williams
and Butch Wilmore will catch a ride back to Earth on a SpaceX rocket early next year. The Boeing Starliner, though, the crew was due to travel on,
will return unmanned due to safety concerns.
CNN Space and Defense Correspondent Kristin Fisher is following this for us, as you have been from the very beginning. So, if you can fill us in on
the latest, but also, how the astronauts are reacting, right? They're staying until February, and I add you would be a family member of two
astronauts in your family. This must be a huge shock just on a personal level as well for them.
KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: I think it's probably more of a shock for the people that are left behind on earth than it is for
the astronauts up in space because they really do train for all of these contingencies, in any time you launch on any spacecraft, but especially the
first crewed flight of a brand-new vehicle, you know that you could end up being stuck, stranded, whatever you want to say, up there at the
International Space Station for quite some time. So, definitely, probably not the thing their friends and family members wanted back on Earth.
But you know, Butch and Suni, the two NASA astronauts that are members of this Starliner crew, they train for this, they prepare for this, and both
of them have done long duration space missions up there at the International Space Station in the past.
But what this means, Paula, is that this is really just a huge black eye for Boeing. This Starliner program was already way over budget, way behind
schedule. And essentially, over the weekend NASA top leadership came together and they said this is just too risky for us to risk the lives of
NASA astronauts. We just don't think this vehicle is safe enough, especially when you do have a backup spacecraft ready to come and get them,
and that's -- that backup vehicle is Boeing's prime competitor, SpaceX.
And so, now Butch and Suni are going to hitch a ride home on a SpaceX Crew Dragon. But like you said, not until February of 2025.
NEWTON: Right. And why risk it if you don't have to, which I guess, as they said, safety concerns are paramount. Polaris Dawn will make history.
Tell us how.
[14:55:00]
FISHER: Paula, this is such a cool mission. This is going to be the world's first commercial spacewalk. Up until this point, spacewalks, which
are widely believed to be the most risky thing that you can do in space, they've only been conducted by NASA or government astronauts. Now, you are
going to see four private citizens essentially conduct a spacewalk. And on top of that, they're going to be going deep into the radiation belt, a part
of space that experiences extreme radiation from the sun.
And so, all of these things are really important to help fulfill SpaceX's ultimate goal of getting humans back to the moon and then, of course,
someday Mars. So, you know, a lot of people say, oh, this may be just another billionaire on a joyride into space. The commander here, Jared
Isaacman, partially funding this mission, I interviewed him down in the Kennedy Space Center last week, and he sees this more as a test and
development program, really helping fund SpaceX's ambitions for human exploration in space. Paula.
NEWTON: And as you were just talking about, SpaceX has been a vital part of the space program. Kristin, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
And thank you for watching. Stay with CNN, Newsroom with Jim Sciutto is up next.
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