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Isa Soares Tonight
Trump, Harris Push into the Final Stretch of their Campaigns Before Election; Trump Visits Hurricane Damaged Areas of North Carolina; Moldova Backs Joining EU By Razor-Thin Margin. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired October 21, 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]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris both push
into the final stretches of this race with efforts to reach any undecided voters who might be left where they're visiting today, we'll give you that
in just a moment.
Also this hour, we are zooming in on Pennsylvania, this blue wall state is one of a number of swing states that will be pivotal, of course, to winning
the White House. I'll speak with a local radio host on the issues that matter there. And Moldovans back joining the EU by the thinnest of margins,
the President is accusing foreign groups of undermining democracy.
We have the details for you coming up. But first, as the number of days before the U.S. election dwindles, the sense of urgency is ramping up,
fueling a dizzying campaign schedule for both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. The Vice President is hitting the so-called blue wall states today,
along with former Republican congresswoman, as you can see there and prominent conservative Liz Cheney.
A short time ago in Pennsylvania, she warned once again of the dangers of another Trump presidency. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES & DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: There are things that he says that will be the
subject of skits and laughter and jokes. But words have meaning coming from someone who aspires to stand behind the seal of the President of the United
States. These are the things that are at stake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, Donald Trump meantime is campaigning in North Carolina including a visit to the hurricane-ravaged city of Asheville. A short time
ago, he took a familiar swipe at the Biden administration's response to the storm. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Americans in this region felt helpless and abandoned and left behind by their government, and
yet in North Carolina's hour of desperation, the American people answered the call much more so than your federal government unfortunately.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And we're 15 days left in the race, Trump and Harris, as you can see are clearly zeroing in on battleground states. We have both camps
covered for you, of course, with CNN's Eva McKend and Alayna Treene. First to you, Eva, Kamala Harris pressing hard clearly as we've just outlined
there in the final two weeks.
Give us a sense of what's on the agenda and what she said in that roundtable that we played a clip of with a Republican Liz Cheney.
EVA MCKEND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: So, she started today in Chester County, Pennsylvania. She now heads to Michigan and
Wisconsin. And the strategy from the campaign is really coming into focus here. They believe that there are universe of voters, persuadable voters,
conservative voters that just have no appetite for supporting former President Donald Trump.
And that, this election is not going to come down only to differences on policy, but about these larger existential questions about the future of
our country. Do you, for instance, trust the former President with the nuclear codes? Is this erratic behavior illustrative of something more
concerning?
That is the message that we hear them leaning on in communities like this one. And they're using Republican surrogates they think to great effect.
That's why she's with Liz Cheney. You know, there is some disagreement among Democrats if the Harris campaign should be using all of their
available resources to juice up energy with the base of the party, with black voters, for instance, who are reliable Democratic voters.
But they will tell you that this is a both end strategy. She spent the weekend doing souls to the polls events, leaning on the black faith-based
community in Georgia. But in addition to this, they see a lot of value in doing these Republicans for Harris events, where they can convince
conservative voters that right now are on the fence.
SOARES: Eva, do stay with us. Let me go to Alayna because Donald Trump -- former President Donald Trump, I should say is also making three campaign
stops, I believe of his own, is going to North Carolina, of course, as storm-batter swing state. And it's a state from I understand that he hasn't
won, right? They haven't won since 2008, right, Alayna? So, what have we heard from him today?
[14:05:00]
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, it's actually a state that Democrats haven't won --
SOARES: Pardon me --
TREENE: Since 2008 --
SOARES: Yes --
TREENE: No, it's OK. I mean, this is a state that he won in 2016 and in 2020, but Isa, in 2020, it was the state that Donald Trump won by the
smallest of margins. And so, they very much recognize that this is not a sure bet that he will win it. Once again, that's why I mean, I think it's
very clear he has three stops there today.
He's going to be there tomorrow as well as again in next week. He is aggressively campaigning in North Carolina because he recognizes that it's
not just the 16 electoral votes that they offer, but that if Harris wins North Carolina, it makes the map so much harder for Donald Trump to win in
the Fall.
Now, to your point about this first stop he did, which was in Asheville, the city that was hit very hard by Hurricane Helene, you know, Donald Trump
said that this was a stop to talk about resources to try and lift up the community. But of course, everything that he is doing as well as the Harris
campaign is doing right now is of course, political.
He even talked about having voters try to get out and vote and vote early, something we know that Donald Trump and his campaign are really trying to
encourage Republicans to do especially after they've spent the last election kind of railing against early voting and mail-in ballots.
Now, they're doing the opposite because of course, they recognize they need to have all the tools they can in order to be successful, come November
5th. Now, we also heard Donald Trump during that stop in North Carolina kind of share some of the disinformation he has in the past as it relates
to the hurricane relief efforts.
He claimed that the federal government is not doing enough, he claimed that they're spending -- or FEMA, I should say, the agency that deals with this
is wrongly spending money on housing migrants and not on the hurricanes, we know and we fact-check this before, but I'll do it again that there are two
separate pots of money for that.
So, he goes kind of, you know, obviously playing politics with that stop. But again, his North Carolina visits across the next two days are very
important for him and really important as he tries to make sure he can shore up that support within this final stretch.
SOARES: Can we just take a moment, Alayna, to just talk about the weekend and what we heard from the former President over the weekend, because so
much profanity that really, it was shocking to many. Can I just play this for our viewers who may not have heard it. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: So, you have to tell Kamala Harris that you've had enough that you just can't take it anymore, we can't stand you, you're -- Vice President.
Arnold Palmer was all man. He took showers with the other pros, they came out of there, they said, oh my God.
But when you look at shifty Schiff and some of the others, yes, they are to me the enemy from within.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: In your conversation, I mean, I wonder with senior Trump advisors, I mean, how do they frame this? How effective do they think this is?
TREENE: You know, it's such a good question, Isa, and it is something that I know that Donald Trump's top advisors have struggled with in the past.
However, at this point, with just 15 days until election day, what they've told me is that they've stopped really trying to put Donald Trump in a box.
They're letting Trump be Trump. And we know, and we've talked about this on your show before, that --
SOARES: Yes --
TREENE: A couple of weeks ago over the past several months, a lot of Donald Trump's allies, the people who want him to win in the Fall including
his own advisors, have been pressing him to focus on the issues, to be very -- you know, deliver a clear message when it comes to things like the
economy and immigration issues that they know or they expect Donald Trump will do better than Kamala Harris on.
However, at this point, they are really trying to focus on energizing their base, getting out as many voters to turn out onto the polls on
November 5 as they can. And part of that they're starting to kind of accept is that Donald Trump will do that by using his own language, that some of
this stuff, even though others are arguing it's very vulgar or it's profane, it's language that should not be used by someone who is going to
potentially be the commander-in-chief once again.
They argue it makes him relatable. It's why people like him, and that he's most likely going to keep using this rhetoric in the next couple of weeks.
SOARES: Alayna, if -- appreciate it, ladies, great to have you on the show, thanks very much. Well, election law experts say tech billionaire
Elon Musk's plan to give away millions to voters may be illegal. While campaigning for former President Trump last weekend, Musk pledged to give
$1 million a day to registered voters in seven battleground states.
The first two winners were presented with large novelty checks, you can see there at Trump campaign events in Pennsylvania. Marshall Cohen joins us
from Washington with more. And Marshall, just talk us through this petition on whether really legal objections are being raised there at all.
MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Hey, Isa, it might not be legal and I'll explain why, but let me just say up front -- I'm not saying that Elon Musk
is going to be locked up or put on trial any time soon, what we're saying is that some very respected scholars who study U.S. election law for a
living saw what Musk did over the weekend and immediately raised legal objections.
[14:10:00]
So, let me first play for you a clip of Musk over the weekend campaigning for Donald Trump in Pennsylvania. We'll play the clip and then we'll break
it down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELON MUSK, FOUNDER, TESLA MOTORS & SPACEX: We are going to be awarding a million dollars to -- randomly to people who have signed the petition,
every day from now until the election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: OK, so, he says the money will be awarded to people who signed his petition, but that's not all you need to do. So, if you look at the fine
print on Musk's Super PAC website, it says that you must be a registered voter to sign his petition, which by the way, the petitioners and in
support of the First and Second Amendments.
But you have to be a registered voter to sign the petition, and you can only win the million dollars if you live in one of the battleground states.
That's the problem here. The experts that we spoke to said that federal law makes it a crime to pay people to register to vote. You can't give the
money or a chance to win money through a lottery. Here's what the law actually says.
I'll read it to you here, Isa. It says, quote, "whoever knowingly or willfully pays or offers to pay or accepts payment either for registration
to vote or to vote could face up to 5 years in prison." OK, so, that's the law, and the legal experts that I spoke to said that Musk could be crossing
the line especially for anybody who might hear about the cash prize and then register to vote.
We reached out for comments to Musk Super PAC, they did not respond. And like I said, this doesn't mean Musk is getting indicted tomorrow. If the
Justice Department has a problem with what he's doing, the next logical step would be something like a cease and desist letter. But Isa, I'll tell
you that there is at least one former prosecutor who is calling this out, and that's Pennsylvania's Governor Josh Shapiro.
He's a Democrat and he was the former state attorney general. Here's what he said yesterday on "Meet the Press" when he was asked about this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): I think there are real questions with how he is spending money in this race, how the dark money is flowing not just into
Pennsylvania, but apparently now into the pockets of Pennsylvanians, it is deeply concerning. But when you start flowing this kind of money into
politics, I think it raises serious questions that folks may want to take a look at.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: All right, Isa, so, a lot of scrutiny facing the most richest, the wealthiest man in the world, Elon Musk, as he tries to play a big role in
the upcoming election.
SOARES: Yes, I saw one UCLA Professor, law professor called it illegal vote-buying. It'll be interesting to see what Republicans are saying about
this in the coming days. Marshall Cohen, appreciate it, thank you, Marshall. Now, back to the unlikely duo of Kamala Harris and Liz Cheney.
The two have hit the campaign trail as you heard our Eva McKend saying just a few minutes. Today, they'll campaign together, hoping to sway voters in
three battleground blue wall states, Wisconsin, Michigan, as well as Pennsylvania. Voters in these states tipped the race for Donald Trump in
2016, but Joe Biden pulled them back four years later, if you remember.
Harris and Cheney are appealing to independents and moderate Republicans in these areas who may lean Democrat this time. The two are describing what
they say are the dangers a second Trump term would bring, of course. With me now, from Philadelphia is radio host and "Philadelphia Daily News"
columnist Solomon Jones.
Solomon, welcome to the show, great to have you here. Let me just pick up if you don't mind with where my colleague just left off. And this is Elon
Musk giving away $1 million in Pennsylvania. I mean, how is that being received there? Any questions over the legality of this move you think?
SOLOMON JONES, PHILADELPHIA RADIO HOST: Well, the governor certainly raised questions over the legality of it as well as elections experts.
Everyone who knows anything about election law is looking at this and saying it clearly violates federal law. The question is, can anything be
done about it with the election so close until after it's already done?
SOARES: And clearly, it just shows how crucial the status and some may even say act of desperation, money being given away. We've also seen in the
last 24 hours what former President Trump manning the frying machine, I think it's at McDonald's, I'm not even sure if we have video of this here.
And then we had this profanity-laced comments, which I'm not going to play again because our viewers just heard in the last few minutes. But does this
-- what we've heard from Trump in the last 24 hours, just over the weekend, does that move voters at all? Is this effective at all you think?
[14:15:00]
JONES: I think that most people have already decided how they're going to vote. I think people who are saying that they're undecided don't want to
tell anyone how they're going to vote. And so, this is going to be clearly razor-thin. The latest polls from CNN say that it's about a half-point that
Harris is ahead in Pennsylvania.
And so, I think that whatever happens now, people kind of already know the candidates, already know the issues that are important to them. And I don't
think that Donald Trump doing fries at McDonald's is going to make any difference.
SOARES: All right, let's up -- you have been hearing from so many of people calling into your radio show. What are the issues that are important
to them? We know the economy is always number one. What are you hearing this time around, Solomon?
JONES: Well, I think that the economy is number one, and that's what most people are concerned about. Those who would -- who would vote for Donald
Trump, I think in the black community believe that maybe he might be better for their wallets, maybe might be better for their bottom line.
I think for the majority of my listeners, I think democracy is important. I think racial justice is important. I hear a lot about women's rights from
women in my community. I think that is the number one issue for them. And I think for the vast majority of the black community, when you look across
the male, female divide, people are concerned about just equal treatment, equal justice, just having the rights that everyone else has, and American
people are very concerned with that, with a second Trump administration.
SOARES: Can we focus on that? I want to focus on black men in particular, because if we look at the polls, I'm just going to get my producer,
Sarah(ph), to bring those polls up. Kamala Harris, what -- from what we have been seeing seems to have a problem with black voters.
If we look -- if we just put the banner down, thank you. If we look at our screen, you can see there, Obama 85 points plus, this is black men, right?
In terms of margins, and it's been decreasing over the years. You can see Kamala Harris there, 54 points. Why do you think she has a problem with
black men? Why do you think Solomon, she's not connecting with them? What have you been hearing from your listeners?
JONES: Well, I would disagree with whether or not she's connecting with black men. I think that black men, the vast majority of them are going to
vote for Kamala Harris. Certainly, the numbers have been going down, but not just with Kamala Harris. I think they went down from Obama to Biden
because frankly --
SOARES: Yes --
JONES: Biden was not Obama. Obama had the kind of numbers with black people where almost all of the black community was in support of him
because he was the first black candidate that actually had a chance to win. I think now people are looking with a little bit more scrutiny at both
candidates, at both parties.
And I think that black men, again, when I look at the "AP" poll that I examined from the last month or so, says that black men and black women are
going to vote for Kamala Harris in overwhelming numbers. Is it less for black men? Yes, but men tend to be more conservative whether they are
black, white, Latino or otherwise.
SOARES: And you know, we heard, of course from former President Obama, who has been trying what? Two weeks, three weeks ago, I've lost track of time.
Who have been trying to convince black men, right? To vote for Kamala. What did you make of his lecture? Do you think that was productive you think,
Solomon?
JONES: I think that Barack Obama said what needed to be said, perhaps he - -
SOARES: Yes --
JONES: Could have said it in private, perhaps that would have been better because I think that there are those who have an interest in stoking
divisions within our community and especially among black men. They see that as a movable demographic, and so, you use whatever you can in order to
stoke division.
But he didn't say anything that was untrue in terms of those who would vote based on sexism or not vote based on sexism. I've had a man call my radio
show and said, I'm not going to vote for Kamala Harris because she is a woman, because the Bible says men should be in charge.
I've had younger men say to me, look, you know, I'm voting based on my wallet. I think I'm going to get another check from Donald Trump, which the
first one wasn't from Donald Trump, but that's what they believe. And so, you know, you have -- you have that. But certainly, sexism is at play, but
it's always at play in every interaction that we have, and this election is no different.
SOARES: Solomon Jones, really appreciate it, I've learnt so much from our conversation. Thank you, Solomon.
JONES: Thank you.
SOARES: And still to come tonight, the U.S.' top diplomat is headed back to Middle East again to try to kick-start hostage and ceasefire
negotiations. We have the details of that just ahead. Plus, Moldova barely squeaks by a referendum to join the EU, marred by alleged Russian
interference.
[14:20:00]
What -- we have the latest on what that vote means just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, Israel is ramping up its attacks in Lebanon, vowing to keep pounding Hezbollah, quote, "until it collapses". Israel says the IDF
struck more than 15 buildings in Beirut over the weekend, followed by another series of overnight strikes targeting financial institutions linked
to the Iranian-backed group.
At the same time, Israel's intensified military operations in northern Gaza has prompted the United Nations to issue yet another dire humanitarian
warning, saying that Israel may be destroying the Palestinian population through death and displacement. This as America's top diplomat, Antony
Blinken is headed back to the Middle East today in an attempt to kick- start, stop -- the stalled ceasefire talks.
But even the White House isn't optimistic, can see that negotiations are not about to restart. Our Jeremy Diamond staying on top of all these moving
pieces, he joins us now from Tel Aviv with the very latest. So, Jeremy, I think we have footage if we have it up, we can --we are expecting to see
Secretary Blinken about to depart.
This will be, I believe his 11th trip to the region as we look at these live pictures. He's had little success so far Jeremy. I mean, does this
time feel any different? Is Netanyahu more receptive to a ceasefire now that Hamas leader has been killed? Your -- just your thoughts here as we
look at these live pictures from Joint Base Andrews.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that is of course, the hope for U.S. officials, but there is --
SOARES: Yes --
DIAMOND: No real indication that those hopes will actually come to fruition. In fact, in the wake of the killing of Yahya Sinwar, what we have
heard from the Israeli Prime Minister more than anything else, is a defiance and a vow to continue on with this war until that picture of total
victory that he has been talking about for over a year now is actually achieved.
Yes, he talked about the killing of Sinwar as beginning perhaps -- as representing perhaps the beginning of the day after Hamas. But he also made
clear that it was not marking the end of the war, and he has vowed to continue on until that victory is actually achieved. And so, as Secretary
Blinken arrives here tomorrow to meet with the Israeli Prime Minister as well as the Israeli President and other officials I expect as well, he will
be pushing to see if that window of opportunity that President Biden talked about last week in the wake of the killing of Sinwar can indeed be achieved
to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
[14:25:00]
But it is hard to see exactly how that will actually materialize. We know of course, that the White House itself is keenly aware of the dynamics
here. We heard just today from the White House spokesman John Kirby, who said that he is quote, you know, "not optimistic about ceasefire talks
restarting at this point, that although there is a flurry of diplomatic activity to lead towards that. They don't expect that this will happen
overnight.
SOARES: And I understand Jeremy, in the last what? Forty five minutes or an hour or so, that hundreds of right-wing Israeli activists, including
government ministers and members of Netanyahu's parliamentary coalition including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir attended an event
today, calling for the Israeli government from what I understand to establish Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip. What more can you tell us
about this?
DIAMOND: Yes, and that is quite the split-screen, right? As you have --
SOARES: Yes --
DIAMOND: The Secretary of State leaving for the region with the hopes of seizing this moment in the wake of the killing of Sinwar to end the war in
Gaza, alleviate the suffering of Palestinians and free the hostages. At the same time, you have members of Netanyahu's own governing coalition,
including at least, three ministers in his government, in addition to that, several members of his own Likud Party not only attending, but speaking at
this conference that is calling for Israeli settlements inside of Gaza.
Calling not only for the continuation of that war, but hoping that it will ultimately end with Israeli settlements inside of the Gaza Strip for the
first time since Israel disengaged from Gaza back into 2005. And amid those calls for settling Gaza, what we also heard today were calls for the total
expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
I also was able to press the National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir about what will happen to the Palestinians in Gaza as he is talking about
establishing settlements there. And he said that Israel should encourage emigration, effectively talking about the expulsion of Palestinians with
through some kind of incentive structure.
So, these are people who are inside of Netanyahu's government. These are people who hold the keys of power to keeping Netanyahu in power. And they
are people who the Israeli Prime Minister, even as he has said that Israel will not establish settlements in Gaza.
These are people who he will be listening to, and who he will be pressured by as the United States and the families of hostages bring countervailing
pressure of their own to bear, towards pushing for an end of the war and a ceasefire deal.
SOARES: Jeremy Diamond for us there in Tel Aviv this hour. I appreciate it, thank you, Jeremy. And still to come tonight, the U.S. Secretary of
Defense arrives in Ukraine with more U.S. military aid, how much and what's in the deal? We'll have a live report from the Pentagon for you.
Plus, Moldova's push for European membership passes by the tiniest of margins as its President condemns interference by foreign actors. We'll
have the latest just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:00]
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Welcome back, everyone. The U.S. secretary of defense personally delivered a new military aid package to
Ukraine today. Meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Austin announced an extra $400 million of supplies for the Ukrainian
military, including ammunition, artillery shells, and missile systems. During an address, the secretary said, American security demands we stand
up to Putin.
Following the story for us is our Oren Liebermann, who joins us now from the Pentagon. And, Oren, it's not just the aid here that it's important,
but the timing of this, right? We're two weeks away from a U.S. election. Just speak to the uncertainty for Ukraine right now.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: So, the U.S. and the Biden administration, the current administration, that is, have made very clear
that they will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. The problem is the administration has two weeks until an election, and then after that,
only a matter of months until it's a new administration, whether it's Former President Donald Trump or vice president Kamala Harris.
So, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was there, first of all, obviously, to announce $400 million in aid, but also to get a bigger sense of things, a
sense sort of on the ground of what Ukraine is looking for and what Ukraine's plan is.
But you're right that it's all so very uncertain because of the future. Whereas you have one side here that is Biden and Harris who made it clear
they will continue to help out Ukraine and supply Ukraine with the weapons it needs to fight Russia. You have the other side, Trump, who declined last
month to answer whether he even wants Ukraine to win the war.
So, two incredibly stark differences in how the future of Ukraine could look and that obviously affects everything for Ukraine. So, Ukraine meeting
with the administration that has helped it over the course of the past two and a half years of war, more of that help coming.
But it's noteworthy here that over the course of the past several weeks and a couple of months perhaps, the U.S. has shifted the Ukraine assistance for
more of a U.S. centric mechanism to one that's multinational and runs more through NATO. And that is the perhaps it's partly because of the concern
about a Trump administration, a potential Trump administration, cutting off aid to Ukraine and essentially leaving Ukraine without one of the critical
aspects, and that is U.S. aid.
So, Austin was there to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to meet with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, but all around this meeting is
the uncertainty of what will happen in just a few weeks' time, Isa.
SOARES: Yes, indeed, trying to Trump proof, isn't it, any kind of support and aid for Ukraine. Oren, appreciate it. Thank you very much.
Well, let's turn our attentions to Moldova, because the country is one step, one narrow step closer to joining the EU, with more than 99 percent
of votes counted in a referendum for the small, former Soviet Union republic to join the E.U. by 2030.
Results show the yes vote just a fraction over 50 percent. Moldova's president, Maia Sandu, says Moldovans have won the first battle in a
difficult fight amid allegations of Russian meddling. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAIA SANDU, MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Their target of buying 300,000 votes documented by state institutions and paying 150,000
people to vote shows we must look closely at where mistakes were made and learn from this miserable attack on our sovereignty. Unfortunately, the
justice system did not manage to do enough to prevent theft and vote corruption. And here, we will have to draw the line to correct what we did
wrong and learn our lesson.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, joining me now is Nicu Popescu, the former Moldovan deputy prime minister who was lead coordinator of the E.U. accession process.
Nicu, welcome to the show. Let me start by getting really your reaction to these referendum results, incredibly narrow. Was it what you expected?
NICU POPESCU, FORMER MOLDOVAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND EUROPEAN INTEGRATION: Of course, I hoped for a higher
result, but it's still a win. We do have a quite a -- you know, a number of countries that have joined the E.U. on a narrow majority like Malta or
Sweden and they have been E.U. members for quite some time now.
[14:35:00]
We have a Brexit referendum, which saw the U.K. leave the E.U. based on 52 percent, again, a narrow majority. So, of course I wanted a bigger
majority, but a win is a win. And now, it will have constitutional consequences.
SOARES: Yes, a win is a win, a very razor thin majority. But the numbers though, Nicu, I wonder how you interpret them. Does this speak to divisions
within Moldova, or is this interference? How do you interpret these results?
POPESCU: Well, of course, there's multiple factors behind this rather narrow majority. Moldova has been severely affected by the economic
consequences of Russia's attack on Ukraine. Moldova has been going through really high inflation, loss of, you know, safe energy supplies, electricity
cutoffs. So, Moldova has had really rough two and a half years. Investors have been fearful. So, the economic situation has been quite dire.
You have people being quite disappointed with the economic performance of their governments in quite a number of countries in France, in Germany,
Slovakia. Of course, that feeling in Moldova is even greater. And that played a role. And then on top of it, you've got massive Russian
disinformation and massive Russian work with oligarchs who have lived in Moldova, now they live abroad to buy votes. So, they designed the scheme to
buy more than 100 votes by distributing bank cards to people who have been paid for several months, monthly fees, just for them to vote the right way
from the perspective of the oligarchs.
SOARES: Let's talk, Nicu, about this information because President Maia Sandu has called it a vile -- the foreign interference, a quote, "vile
attack" on Moldova's sovereignty. You were responsible for bringing Moldova closer to the E.U. and you left government early this year. What did you
see whilst you're charge, in terms of Russian interference? How was Russia destabilizing your country?
POPESCU: So, a local oligarch who is now not living in Moldova with Russian support, they have been creating a network of people who received
Russian bank cards and they were receiving monthly payments on these bank cards on the idea that on Election Day, they would vote the way they would
be told that they need to vote.
The Moldova law enforcement agencies assess that the number of that -- the number of people who got these cards is at least 130,000, possibly going
into 300,000, which would make it 10, 15 percent of the number of people who vote in Moldova. So, these are really high numbers by Moldova
standards. But, of course, by the standards of how much it cost is not necessarily a great amount of money for a country like Russia.
So, this is one of the factors that likely led to significantly to election results that did not really register in opinion polls or did not -- do not
have clear continuity with how -- of how Moldovans have been voting for over 20 years.
SOARES: I wonder then what happens next, because President Sandu was talking, and we played that little clip there, you know, we've won the
first battle, the fight though will determine our future. How do you see the road ahead? How complicated is it? How do you think -- and do you think
-- well, critically, Nicu, that Russia will continue to meddle here?
POPESCU: Well, Moldova has not been living in an easy region since its independence. It's been a really difficult region that got even more
difficult in the last two and a half years with Russian attack against Ukraine, with significantly increased the Russian hybrid attacks on Ukraine
and the Russian goals in Moldova. They don't relate just to Moldova, for Russia, it would be convenient to have a country under its thumb that is
used to undertake hostile actions against Ukraine, to destabilize Ukraine's western border. So, the stakes are very high in Moldova.
Now, if we look at the results, my sound of the incumbent has obtained 42 plus percent and there will be a second round in two weeks. The number of
people who voted for her is higher than it was back in 2020, in the first round by a significant amount of voters and the referendum has passed.
So, I would say that the context remains difficult. The weeks and months and years ahead will remain difficult. A lot, of course, depends on
developments in Ukraine. It's not going to be easy, but that's the situation.
[14:40:00]
The referendum has passed, the constitution should reflect that. And now, we're looking at a very close second round.
SOARES: Niku Popescu, really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us. Thanks very much, Nicu.
POPESCU: Thank you.
SOARES: And still to come tonight, a fourth day of power blackouts in Cuba. Islanders take to the streets to protest the government's response.
We have a live report for you from Havana, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: At least one person has died in Northern Italy after torrential rain pummeled the Bologna region. Thousands of people have been evacuated
after 175 millimeters of rain fell on Sunday afternoon in Bologna.
Meantime, in Southern Italy, downpours there caused one road to subside. The sinkhole swallowed a car, according to Italian public broadcaster RAI.
But all passengers are said to be safe.
While millions of residents in Cuba are facing a fourth day without power, as renewed attempts to restore the island's electric grid failed.
And some residents, if you heard there, have taken to the streets to protest the blackout that plunged the nation into darkness on Friday. Many
banging pots, as you heard, and pans, and disrupting traffic. All this as Hurricane Oscar hits the island, making landfall on Sunday afternoon as a
Category 1 storm with winds of a 128 kilometers per hour.
Our Patrick Oppmann joins me now live from Havana. Patrick, you and I were talking about this on Friday evening when the first blackout was reported.
Just give us a sense of what it's like in situations like right now.
PATRICK OPPMANN, CORRESPONDENT: Well, you can hear our generator. and we're not complaining, humming away behind me, and that really tells you
everything you need to know because, yes, in this building, we've not had any power, really, that has not been from a generator, either ours or the
building's, this entire time.
For residents of Havana, who've also been without power since Friday, it has been really very difficult, and we went to one of the poorest
neighborhoods in the city late last night to speak to some of them.
[14:45:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OPPMANN (voice-over): Near empty streets in Havana, devoid of light and life. On the third night and of an island wide blackout in Cuba, residents
of this neighborhood play dominoes to pass the time and distract them from the worsening situation.
Children are sleeping in the street, she says, because there's no food, no water, no electricity in this country.
Tensions are running high as Cubans increasingly are taking to the streets, to beat pots and pans and protest the government's failure to keep the
lights on for more than a few hours.
OPPMANN: Already four times the Cuban government has been in the process of restoring power and had it all come crashing down and a complete loss of
power on this island. So, that is what worries people is that the longer this goes on -- we already know that school is going to be canceled here
for several days, life really can't return to normal until the power gets on.
OPPMANN (voice-over): The Cuban government blames U.S. economic sanctions for the crisis, but has made little investment in the aging jerry-rig power
grid that has been fading for years.
Officials say more than 52,000 workers are on the job 24/7 trying to restore power. And that they understand the growing anger.
Without electricity, there's no water, he says. No medicine production, no food distribution. Electricity affects everything, and it frustrates
everyone.
In 2021, power outages sparked the largest ever protests against Cuba's communist run government. Hundreds of people were arrested and given
lengthy prison sentences following mass trials. Cuba's president on Sunday warned people not to take to the streets.
We're not going to allow acts of vandalism and much less, alter the tranquility of our people, he says. That's a conviction, a principle of our
revolution.
A stern warning, but one that likely falls on deaf ears for the millions of Cubans still in the dark.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
OPPMANN (on camera): And he says some good news, which is authorities say they now have energy service restored to the majority of residents here in
Havana. But before you pop that bottle of champagne, they clarified that they'll be rotating. So, you'll get a couple hours of light and then
they'll take it away to give it to someone else. So, something is better than nothing, obviously, and it's much more than many have in this country.
SOARES: Yes, and we saw some protests just before we came to you, Patrick. I mean, how common are those, if this keeps -- if this is not solved, how
do you see this playing out?
OPPMANN: You know, it kind of strikes a new normal because, you know, this power grid has been suffering for years and people who know just how jerry-
rigged it is says that -- have said at any moment it could collapse, it's, you know, taped together. They just put band aids on it because it costs so
much to bring it back up to standards.
And I think from now on, like other countries in the region where we've been, Venezuela, you're going to have a situation where power comes and
goes if you're lucky or they're just long periods as we've suffered the last three or four days where there's no power at all.
SOARES: Patrick Oppmann for us there in Havana. Thank you very much, Patrick.
And still to come tonight, three women and four men have just filed new civil lawsuits against Sean Diddy Combs. This time, other celebrities are
accused of participating. We have the details, next.
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[14:50:00]
SOARES: Music producer Sean Diddy Combs is facing seven new civil lawsuits and other celebrities are allegedly involved. The suits were filed today in
New York and include allegations of sexual assault, battery, and false imprisonment.
Two of the accusers alleged they were minors when Combs drugged and assaulted them. The alleged incidents happened between 2000 and 2022.
Combs' nine wrongdoing in a raft of similar charges that he is facing.
Our entertainment correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister joins me from Los Angeles, Lemoore. And Elizabeth, this is very disturbing. What more can you
tell us?
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: These are incredibly disturbing allegations in these seven new lawsuits. We are
seeing some patterns in these lawsuits compared to past civil suits that Combs has been hit with. By the way, he now faces 25 active civil suits.
And some of these similar patterns, again, they are just allegations, but many of these accusers, in fact, six of the seven new accusers say that
they were allegedly drugged by Combs.
Also, these come from both male and female accusers. There are four John Does and three Jane Does. And many of these allegations occurring at
parties that were held by Combs. Now, what is different in this new round of seven lawsuits is that for the first time since Combs has been indicted,
there are other celebrities who are mentioned as being complicit and participating in this alleged sexual assault.
Now, the celebrities are not named. We have no indication as to who they are. There were no details provided in these lawsuits as to who they may be
or what the definition of a celebrity is. We don't know if this is an A- lister or perhaps somebody more obscure from Combs' world.
But one of the most disturbing lawsuits comes from a woman who says that she was just 13 years old at the time that she alleges she was drugged and
raped by Combs in 2000. She said that this was at an after party for the MTV Video Music Awards and that after having just one drink, again, she was
13 years old, allegedly, she says that she felt dizzy and woozy.
I want to read you part of this lawsuit. It says, after drinking just one drink, plaintiff began to feel woozy and lightheaded, making her need to
lie down. Soon after, Combs, along with a male and female celebrity entered the room. The lawsuit goes on to allege that she was then raped both by
Combs and one of these celebrities as the other celebrity watched.
Now, another accuser claims that they were 17 years old at the time. And another accuser, a male accuser, says that he is a personal trainer, and
that in 2022, he alleges that he was drugged and sexually assaulted, not just by Combs, but also by another unnamed celebrity.
Now, I do want to point out that when I reached out to Combs' attorneys, they are denying these claims. They are not responding to any of these
specific allegations, in these new seven lawsuits, but they referred me back to a prior blanket denial statement, and they say Mr. Combs has never
sexually assaulted anyone.
SOARES: And I know you'll stay across this for us very incredibly scary and alarming allegations here. Thank you very much. Elizabeth Wagmeister
there. Thank you.
Well, a man who says saving lives is his passion and purpose helped find a missing teenager off the coast of Honolulu, Hawaii, who also happened to be
his nephew. The 70-year-old -- 17-year-old was found dead by his lifeguard uncle who had joined the search. The teen said he accidentally capsized his
surf kayak, lost his paddle, and was swept out to sea by currents for more than 11 hours. With no life jacket, he treaded water and clung to the boat
in hopes that he would be found. Have a listen.
[14:55:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAHIAU KAWAI, RESCUED AFTER 11 PLUS HOURS AT SEA: I was glad to see a familiar face and I just can recognize that Uncle Nolan is a great
waterman. I'm just very grateful that he knew that I was kind of drifting towards Diamond Head side and -- yes, and that really, like, was what saved
me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: His mother told CNN she considered taking her own surfboard to help search for her son.
Well, the bear hug, the group hug, and other hug name embraces can be as long or short as you want them to be. But we now know the max time limit of
the goodbye hug, at least at one New Zealand airport. A new sign imposes a three-minute limit on hugs in its drop off zone. Adding, for fonder
farewells, please use the car park. The director told New Zealand Radio that airports can be hotbeds of emotion and pointed to a study suggesting a
20-second hug is enough to get a burst of the so-called loved, all known. That is very -- that's not fake. You need to get a hug somewhere else.
Thanks for watching tonight. Do stay right here. Newsroom with Jim Sciutto is up next. I shall see you tomorrow. Bye-bye.
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