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One World with Zain Asher
Israel Minister Signals Potential Lebanon Ground Invasion; U.S. Plans To "Further Reinforce" Air Support In Middle East; Hundreds Of People Still Unaccounted For After Storm; Children Sleep On The Streets Of Beirut As War Arrives; Trump Ramps Up Abuse Of Harris On Campaign Trail; Basketball Hall Of Famer Dikembe Mutombo Dead At 58. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired September 30, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:29]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST: The U.S. says an Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon could be imminent.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: ONE WORLD starts right now.
A new phase of war. Israel ramps up its attacks even as some of its closest allies are appealing for the fighting to stop.
ASHER: Also ahead, almost four days since Helene made landfall and some people are still unable to get in touch with their loved ones. Last hour,
President Biden announced his plans for recovery.
GOLODRYGA: Plus, the basketball legend who used his unique voice to lift up African people. We remember, Dikembe Mutombo.
ASHER: Welcome to you live from New York. I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You are watching ONE WORLD.
Ramping up attacks on multiple fronts and sending the clearest indication yet of a potential ground invasion of Lebanon.
ASHER: Israel is intensifying its war on Iranian-backed militant groups in the Middle East with the prime minister warning, there is nowhere in the
region it can't reach.
We're also learning Israeli Special Forces have carried out raids inside Lebanon in recent days. And for the first time in almost a year of
fighting, there have been Israeli- airstrikes within Beirut's city limits.
GOLODRYGA: The IDF continues to bombard other parts of Lebanon as well. Hezbollah, however, is vowing to fight on and says that it will choose a
new leader as soon as possible.
On Friday, an airstrike killed Hassan Nasrallah, its leader, for more than 30 years. The U.S. says Hezbollah's capabilities have been significantly
degraded. But a short time ago, U.S. President Joe Biden had this message for Israel when asked about the ground raids.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Israel may be now launching a limited operation into Lebanon. Are you aware of that? Are you comfortable with their plans best
of all?
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm more aware than you might know, and I'm comfortable with them stopping. We should have a ceasefire
now. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Lebanon, meanwhile, is facing its largest ever internal displacement crisis, with hundreds of thousands of civilians trying to get
away from falling bombs and rockets.
ASHER: So much to get to right now, CNN's Jim Sciutto is in Tel Aviv. We've also got Ben Wedeman joining us live now from Beirut. Also, we've got Oren
Liebermann following the news from the Pentagon.
Ben, let me start with you. How ready is Lebanon -- is Hezbollah, for an Israeli ground invasion? What awaits the IDF when they cross that border?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNTIONAL SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, as far as Lebanon's concerned, no, they're not. In fact, the country is reeling from
this massive movement of people out of the southern suburbs of Beirut, out of South Lebanon, out of the Beqaa Valley, as many as a million people.
People are even streaming as many as 100,000 into Syria to get away from this Israeli bombing campaign. And the government is struggling with very
limited resources to try to provide for those people who have left their homes.
As far as Hezbollah is concerned, that's a very good question, and nobody really knows the answer.
Today, Naim Qassem, who is one of the senior deputies of Hassan Nasrallah, came out with what appeared to be a recorded speech, and he insisted that
Hezbollah did not collapse. He said, we're going to carry on despite the pain and sacrifices and continue to confront Israel in support of Palestine
and the people of Lebanon.
Now, one point is interesting to note, is that even though it appears that the senior leadership of Hezbollah has been gutted by these Israeli
attacks, and they certainly took some heavy blows in terms of the pager and walkie-talkie attacks, but the firing of rockets into southern -- into
Northern Israel from Southern Lebanon, oddly enough, doesn't appear to be affected.
So there does appear to be a continued Hezbollah presence in South Lebanon that continues to operate despite intense Israeli airstrikes on that area.
We have yet to see, of course, any sort of ground incursion of any sort of significant nature by Israel into the South. That's obviously where the
Israelis are going to face a serious challenge, because, obviously, Hezbollah has had a long time to prepare for this. They know the terrain
very well. They have lots of experience in conducting guerrilla warfare against Israeli forces in South Lebanon going back to 1982 with the Israeli
invasion of Lebanon. Zain?
[12:05:16]
ASHER: Ben Wedeman, live for us. Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: Jim Sciutto, let's turn to you now in Tel Aviv. We heard from Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, today saying that the next phase of
the war with Hezbollah will begin soon. And their purpose, obviously, as they've been saying for months now, is to see the return of 60-plus-
thousand residents to the north.
What are you hearing in terms of what that next phase will look like?
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF U.S. SECURITY ANALYST: Listen, all the pieces are in place now for a ground operation into Southern Lebanon. You have forces,
including armor, mechanized units deployed on the northern border, and we've seen those forces grow.
You now have, as CNN was reporting earlier in the day, smaller special operations, cross-border raids to prepare the terrain, perhaps, to identify
targets. And you've also had this relentless air campaign, not just in Beirut, going after the senior leadership of Hezbollah, but also going
after firing positions, missile launch sites, as well as weapon storage sites over the last several days.
You can call these shaping operations to be ready to go in on the ground in significant fashion. Not clear that political order has been delivered, but
the military pieces appear to be in place.
The question is, what is the intention here, and how long do they plan to stay? To ben's point, Israel's record of ground operations in Lebanon is
long and it's bloody and not necessarily effective, if you go back to the 2006 war or to its long occupation of Southern Lebanon from 1982 to 2000.
That said, given what we've seen in terms of attacks against Hezbollah in recent days, including the killing of Nasrallah, the pager attack, the
complete really destruction of its communications networks, one could argue that they have a weakened adversary in Hezbollah right now. And might that
now is the time to strike.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And thus far, the reporting is that whatever incursions we may have seen already unfold or will unfold in the hours and days to come
appear to be limited and precise. The question is how much deeper, how much longer will they go into Lebanon?
Jim Sciutto, thank you so much.
ASHER: And U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken denounced slain Hezbollah leader as a brutal terrorist and called again for diplomacy. Oren
Liebermann is joining us live now from the Pentagon.
So in response to what is going on, Oren, how much is the U.S. boosting its air defenses across the Middle East, across the region?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, the U.S. remains very aware of the possibilities of a regional war and how those have
significantly escalated over the course of the past couple of weeks, since we saw Israel detonate Hezbollah pagers from afar and then walkie-talkies
all the way leading up to Friday and the killing of Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
So the effort of the U.S. diplomatically remains to try to get to a ceasefire, but given that that seems increasingly difficult and at least in
the immediate short term here, very unlikely with the U.S. expecting the possibility of a limited Israeli ground incursion into Southern Lebanon,
the U.S. has boosted its air defenses and will continue to boost those, sending several thousand troops and that includes fighter squadrons, A-10s,
F-15s and perhaps others to the region.
It's worth nothing that these fighter squadrons were previously scheduled to go, but they will become an addition because the fighter squadrons, they
were supposed to replace and that were supposed to head back, they will also remain in the Middle East for now.
That significantly boosts the U.S. capability of intercepting any major Iranian attack on Israel. Keep in mind, though we saw one of those on April
13th, we have been expecting another one at some point for weeks after the assassination of Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran several weeks ago.
At this point, Iran only promising that that response will come. So the U.S. preparing for that possibility.
From the military perspective, what else could the U.S. do? Well, the U.S.'s Harry S. Truman carrier strike group is right now headed east across
the Atlantic Ocean. It only deployed several days ago. That could be directed to the region anytime in the next several days to help out with
air defenses.
One of the other key questions, and this is worth keeping an eye on over the course of the next several days and weeks, one of the key parts of
intercepting the massive Iranian barrage from April 13th's was the coordination of other countries in the region.
But that didn't seem like it was likely after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran because that was an Israeli operation, an offensive
operation in Iran. So it wasn't as clear that other nations in the region were as willing to help out with the defense of Israel. That remains an
open question at this point. That would be critical in defending against a massive Iranian barrage.
Again, U.S. efforts still to try to make sure this doesn't escalate beyond Israel and Lebanon with ceasefire prospects looking very dim at the moment.
[12:10:06]
ASHER: All right. Oren Liebermann, live for us there. Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: Let's dig deeper into all the ramifications of this escalating situation. Steven Cook is a senior fellow from Middle East Studies at the
Council on Foreign Relations. He's also the author of the book "The End of Ambition: America's Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East." Steven,
thank you so much for joining us.
So it's clear that Israel, unlike its war with Hamas, has been preparing for a war with Hezbollah for many, many years, just given how deeply it has
penetrated the organization, the fact that it, within a matter of weeks, has been able to take out massive stockpiles, not only on bombardments, air
bombardments, but obviously taking out much of their command and the head of the organization, Hassan Nasrallah, as well.
What are you expecting Israel's objectives to be? If the -- these precise and limited ground incursions over the next few days do turn into something
more significant?
STEVEN COOK, SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST STUDIES AT THE COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Yes. It's abundantly clear that the Israelis are planning some
type of ground incursion in order to push Hezbollah back beyond the Litani River, a river that runs about 18 miles north and parallel to the border.
That diminishes two threats to Israel. One, an October 7th-style attack coming from the north, as well as diminishes the ability of Hezbollah
fighters to use anti-tank munitions to fire into Israeli buildings. That's something that has been happening since October 8th. And those towns along
Israel's northern border have really taken a beating.
So these are all prerequisites, obviously, for bringing Israelis back to their homes. And the Israelis have clearly decided that the air power alone
is not going to do it.
ASHER: I want to talk about the killing of Hassan Nasrallah and the impact on the organization because Hassan Nasrallah is somebody who, at least over
the past sort of three decades, has really built up Hezbollah to be one of the most powerful political forces, military forces, not just in Lebanon
but across the Middle East.
Just talk to us about how diminished this organization is as a result of, yes, of course, the attacks we saw a couple of weeks ago with communication
devices, but also the killing of Nasrallah.
COOK: Yes. It's quite stunning, the Israeli ability to take out so much of Hezbollah's leadership and including Hassan Nasrallah, the longtime
secretary general who had been in place for 30 years, who, in many ways, built up the organization to make it essentially a partner of the Iranians.
In recent years, over the course of the last decade, Hezbollah has become an expeditionary force for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran
and was much feared throughout the region. Hassan Nasrallah was responsible for the deaths of Syrians and Lebanese and Israelis and Americans and
Yemenis.
His departure, at the end of an Israeli 2,000-pound bomb, is a watershed event. Nasrallah was uniquely charismatic, despite, you know, living
essentially in the shadows.
So, Hezbollah is clearly taking a beating as a result of Nasrallah's loss. And it remains unclear whether they can mount a truly effective response to
an Israeli onslaught.
GOLODRYGA: So, where does that leave things with regards to Gaza and the ceasefire hostage deal that has now been on hold? It looked like there
wasn't going to be an imminent deal with Israel turning its sights to the north.
But if we -- if we look back to Sinwar's initial goal, and that was to launch a regional war and to bring Hezbollah in, now that Hezbollah has
been significantly decapitated, including Hassan Nasrallah being assassinated, do you think this puts more pressure on Sinwar to make a deal
now, or, in fact, do you think this further incites the situation, if perhaps we see Iran choose to enter the fray?
COOK: I don't think there is a deal and there really hasn't been a deal. There has been no ceasefire. Yahya Sinwar doesn't want a ceasefire. He's
never thought that there was a need for it. And even now it strikes me that he's unlikely to want a ceasefire, especially since another member of the
Axis of Resistance is taken to beating at the hands of the Israel Defense Forces.
The linkage between Lebanon and Gaza is something that the Israelis are through their military operations in the North trying to sever. And that is
by taking out Hezbollah and making sure that it too cannot threaten Israel's security.
Hassan Nasrallah, before he met his death, indicated that Hezbollah would stop firing on Israel once the war in the Gaza Strip came to an end. That
war is winding down anyway. As Jim Sciutto, who's in Tel Aviv, will likely be able to tell you, most Israelis will tell you and Israeli officials will
tell you, that major combat operations there are ending.
[12:15:14]
So the Israelis don't really need a ceasefire from their perspective. And Yahya Sinwar doesn't want one. So the Israelis are now on the offensive and
trying to sever the links between the Axis of Resistance by doing tremendous amounts of damage to the Axis of Resistance.
ASHER: When it comes to the imminent sort of ground incursion, what will be the IDF's first port of call when they cross that border into Lebanon? Just
walk us through some of the potential targets they're immediately going to go after.
COOK: Well, the Special Forces operators have been in Southern Lebanon identifying targets, and what they are likely to be doing is looking for
weapons caches and Hezbollah infrastructure that could impede a larger Israeli mechanized force into Southern Lebanon.
The ultimate goal, should the Israelis go in and go in with force, is the Litani River, which is 18 miles north of the border.
GOLODRYGA: The U.S. has warned Iran that if it directly attacks Israel in the coming days and weeks, that Israel's response will likely look much
larger than it did back in April.
Do you anticipate Iran at this point, given its vulnerabilities now with its proxies, we've heard the supreme leader threaten to respond? But do you
think the extent of that response will be anything close to what we saw in April, especially the concerns they may now have of Israel setting its
sights on its nuclear program?
COOK: Well, there's two things that may stay the Iranian hands. First is the significant amount of American force in the region there specifically
could deter an Iranian attack on Israel.
And two, Israel's successes. Israel has been very successful in, thus far, damaging Iran's second strike capability. The Iranians may be in a mode
where they have to use their rocket and missile forces or lose them. Or they may decide to actually holster those in order to not bring them into
the sites of the IDF.
But you're quite right. In April, the Israelis actually held off. They demonstrated that they could penetrate Iranian airspace at will, but chose
not to do a tremendous amount of damage.
This time, should there be a direct attack on Israel, Israelis will not hold back, and they will take out significant Iranian infrastructure,
including, as they have hinted, nuclear infrastructure.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Steven Cook, thanks so much for joining us. Appreciate the time.
COOK: My pleasure.
ASHER: All right. Coming up, a path of destruction from Florida to Virginia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the most devastating thing I've ever seen in our whole city.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Hurricane Helene's wrath felt across six states. What local authorities are doing right now to help the millions of people affected?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:20:46]
GOLODRYGA: Well, Hurricane Helene now ranks among the deadliest hurricanes to hit the mainland U.S. in the last 50 years.
At least 115 people across six states have died. Millions are still without power, water, and mobile phone service.
ASHER: In Western North Carolina, hundreds of people are still unaccounted for, but officials are hoping those numbers are going to go down as
communications knocked out by the storm slowly get back online.
The historic mountain community of Asheville is now isolated, as hundreds of roads remain closed, slowing the delivery of badly needed supplies and
making it difficult to get people out.
President Biden says he plans to travel to the impacted areas later this week. He also had this message for storm victims.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: There's nothing like wondering, is my husband, wife, son, daughter, mother, father alive? And many more who remain without electricity, water,
food, and communications. There's homes and businesses have washed away in an instant. I want them to know, we're not leaving until the job is done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: At least four people are reportedly dead in storm ravaged Tennessee. And FEMA says efforts to deliver much needed aid have hit a major
bottleneck since Helene's catastrophic rainfall washed away part of Interstate 40, the critical highway connecting North Carolina and
Tennessee.
Joining us live now is Patrick Sheehan. He's the director of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
Patrick, thank you so much for being with us. Just first and foremost, just describe to our audience what you're seeing on the ground. And really what
the greatest need is right now.
PATRICK SHEEHAN, DIRECTOR, TENNESSEE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY: Yes. There's incredible devastation along creeks in the Nolichucky River and
other river basins across seven Tennessee counties.
Obviously, our first care is around the Tennesseans, those that were missing, those that have died. And so our prayers and thoughts are with
them. We're working as quickly as we can to get resources there.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation has inspectors out inspecting hundreds of bridges to make sure that they're safe. And we know that we've
lost some, some are damaged in ways that are hard to see and are unsafe. And we're trying to make sure that we're adjudicating that rapidly so we
can get folks out there.
For the missing, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has partnered with TEMA and the Tennessee Highway Patrol to help find, help us make sure that
we're connecting the dots and not missing folks.
So, 1-800-TBI-FIND is the number that we're using to help connect those that are looking for their loved ones. And they're tracking folks down and
investigating and making sure that we're tracking that number against 1- 800-TBI-FIND.
We know that there are people missing. Yes, ma'am.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. I was just going to ask, how many residents are you aware are unaccounted for at this point?
SHEEHAN: We know that more than 100 are not accounted for at this point. It's impossible for us to yet give a specific number, but we have -- we
know at least 100 and we expect more.
ASHER: And how many --
SHEEHAN: We also know -- you've talked about the poor fatalities. We know that there are more fatalities there. And we use a very deliberate process
to do fatality reporting here to make sure that we never have an inflated figure. But we're working on that with our medical examiners as quickly as
possible.
ASHER: Yes. We know that that number is expected to rise. But how many communities are cut off from much needed assistance at this point in time?
SHEEHAN: We're still working on some of that. So we have communications with some of them. We have helicopters that are operating from the
Tennessee National Guard. Constantly, they're all employed right now, working missions, distributing water to those that are isolated, especially
in Carter County.
So, there are people isolated. We're working to try to firm up which roads are in need of emergency repair and can be made safe and to make sure that
we're finding the needs and getting the resources there.
GOLODRYGA: In terms of resources, how severe is the fresh water access at this point? And how -- what are you advising residents to do?
[12:25:07]
SHEEHAN: It is. If someone's utility, if you're in an area that the utility has been damaged, their water tanks are damaged. So they're not able to
draw water to treat and then to pressurize their water system. So that water is not -- there is still pressure. There happens to be pressure
there. So they need to make sure they're following their local advisories, which would be to boil the water to make sure it's safe.
We are pushing both from the state side with our donated side and with private sector partners, as much water as we can and get staged in places
in those counties that are impacted. And then we're working with those emergency managers to get that distributed and available to Tennesseans.
ASHER: So that's the water aspect of it. But just in terms of power and mobile phone services, obviously communication in certain parts of the
state is difficult right now. What do we know on that front?
SHEEHAN: Yes. Communications and cell phones in that part of the state is pretty tricky a lot of times. This obviously made worse when we have
damaged infrastructure. So we're working to get communication augmentation out there and we're seeking all solutions there.
So we know that AT&T and some other vendors, some other telecommunication companies have damaged infrastructure, and that's causing impacts that are
intermittent in some cases. So we're working to try to get that resolved as quickly as possible as well.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. You mentioned infrastructure. I know at least one major bridge has collapsed. But in terms of other infrastructure that may be
vulnerable at this point, how do you advise residents to get about their local communities?
SHEEHAN: So just -- I would say if they have to get out and about, just be cautious. If you have a signal, make sure you check in with someone so they
know where you are. You know, there are -- a lot of times this flooding damage on roadways is insidious. So it might not be visible as you're -- as
you're going.
So if there's a barrier up, please turn around. Don't try to cross the barrier and get -- and get further down the road. It's something that would
be problematic because someone's assessed that point or has not yet assessed to make sure that safe. Because the rivers, roads, the creeks
roads, and in some cases undermined the bedrock and the underlayment for these -- for these roadways.
So just be cautious if you're out and about. You know, there's going to be problems with power, so some gas stations won't have gasoline. So just be
cautious.
ASHER: All right. Patrick Sheehan, live for us there. Thank you so, so much for coming on the program. We appreciate it.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you.
Now, let's get a check on the big picture. Meteorologist Elisa Raffa is in the CNN Weather Center with the latest.
Elisa, we just can't overstate the magnitude of this storm, one of the worst in U.S. history, and just the scale and scope of the impacted areas.
We were focusing last week on Florida and where it would initially fall. But as you can see, so many states have been impacted, the devastation in
some even worse than in Florida.
ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. And this was an area that we were worried about last week as Helene made landfall. We were worried about
this. And it's so sad and hard as a meteorologist when you see that forecast and you know that it has the potential to be that bad.
And then when it comes to life like this, you know, it is just a really hard pill to swallow. It's hard to find words, really, truly. It's hard to
find words to describe these videos and these images that we're seeing coming in. Just total devastation.
I mean, these are people's homes that are literally sitting in a lake because they were just rampaged by two to three feet of water, you know,
that water getting -- you know, that rain getting up to a meter in some locations. So just incredible to see the amount of rain and just how it
just destroyed, flattened completely some of these communities.
This is what's left of the tropical rain. You can see it's not much. Light showers from Washington, D.C. up to parts of Pennsylvania and into the
Virginia.
So the good news is the heavy rain is over, but we still have a lot of water that needs to kind of flow through the watershed and these rivers. So
the river flooding could still be aggravated in some locations because look at the footprint of rain. Again, we're talking about over 10 inches and
measuring rain in feet close to a meter in some locations.
Look at all of the purples here showing the totals that have been over 10 inches from Asheville to Boone, 30 inches.
For one mountain community in North Carolina, Mountain Home, 17 inches. Fifteen inches in Grandfather Mountain. A foot, Greenville, South Carolina.
Asheville as well. A total is up to a foot.
The river flooding is still a moderate and major flood stage. That's the red and purple that you see there. And notice that it's not just in the
mountain communities, it needs to come down the watershed head downstream. So we'll find some river flooding, even places outside of the mountains,
headed closer to the coast, because again, that water needs to drain somewhere.
[12:30:08]
Additional rain is possible today. We do have that slight risk level two out of four. They're in yellow. Includes Roanoke, near Richmond, Virginia,
where we could see an additional inch or two of rain out of this. So again, not much but, obviously, these areas don't need any more rain at all.
Again, the rain totals here another inch or two through the day today as whatever is left continues to swirl.
Then as we take a look at the tropics, it's really heating up. We have three named storms in the Atlantic right now. Isaac, Joyce, and Kirk. Kirk
is the most recent one that was named. All three of them are what we call fish storms, right? So they could even gain intensity. This one, Kirk,
could be a major hurricane, but again, not really impacting any land at all, staying out to sea for the fish.
But we are looking at an area of development here in the Gulf of Mexico. In this area of development, this was the breeding ground for Helene. Helene
was kind of born out of this area here. So we'll have to watch this closely to see what comes of this.
We still have multiple days to monitor this. Right now, the message from forecasters is if you live in the Gulf of Mexico, on these states here,
just keep an eye in forecast. Ladies.
ASHER: Elisa Raffa in the weather center, thank you so, so much.
And for more information about how you can help hurricane Helene victims, go to cnn.com/impact. And there, you'll find a list of different websites
where you can actually donate and obviously send supplies as well, cnn.com/impact.
GOLODRYGA: So many Americans now in the path of this storm. Unbelievable devastation.
Still to come for us more on the tensions in the Middle East as Israel ramps up attacks on Lebanon. As tens of thousands flee, we'll tell you
about the plight of children caught up in the war.
ASHER: Plus, we are just one day away from Walz and Vance battling it out on stage. How the candidates are preparing for the vice presidential debate
as well.
GOLODRYGA: And Donald Trump is catching some heat for comments he made about his rival Kamala Harris over the weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: There's something wrong with Kamala. And I just don't know what it is, but there is definitely something
missing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:35:21]
GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher.
We should have a ceasefire now, those words from U.S. President Joe Biden as Israel ramps up attacks on Hezbollah on multiple new fronts.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. The U.S. believes Israel could launch a limited ground incursion into Southern Lebanon imminently. CNN is also learning that
Israeli Special Forces have been on the ground in Lebanon the past few days, carrying out small targeted raids.
ASHER: This is Israel strikes more Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon just days after killing its leader. Also, for the first time since the war
broke out on October 7th, airstrikes hit deep into the heart of Beirut.
GOLODRYGA: You can see the chaos near the city's Cola Bridge. That's a major intersection there as Hezbollah is vowing now to fight on despite
losing its chief, Hassan Nasrallah, and other senior leaders in Israeli attacks. It says it will choose a new leader soon.
ASHER: The U.N. says some 100,000 people in Lebanon, many who fled the violence in Syria, are streaming back into that country. Lebanon's prime
minister says one million people have been displaced by the Israeli strikes.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And terrified civilians are sleeping on the streets and parks of Beirut.
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): War has arrived to Beirut and this is what it's done to so many of its children. Exhausted and
homeless, they now sleep on the streets and parks like this one. Most here fled the densely populated southern suburbs where Israel's rained down
bombs on Hezbollah targets. But like every war, it is the innocent who pay the heaviest price.
Abir's (PH) home was hit in one of the strikes. She grabbed her little girl and ran and they've been out here since.
I've never fled my home before, not even in the 2006 war, the single mother says. But now I have a child. The children are terrified.
Far from the airstrikes, 8-year-old Batool (PH) tells us she's very scared.
The roof was falling on us, she says. Every time my mom would tell me they're not going to strike, they would. I wish the war would stop.
But to a place with new friends she's made, children trying to escape a new reality. They're too young to understand.
But beneath their playful giggles, trauma and fear so deep. 10-year-old Fatemeh (PH) can't hold back her tears.
The whole country is being destroyed, she says. Born in Syria, she fled war a baby. Beirut's the only home she's ever known.
My dad was killed in Syria, she says. I only have my mom. I'm scared my mother and siblings will also get killed.
Syrians, Lebanese and migrant workers all found themselves with nowhere to turn but this park.
Schools now house the displaced, but there are too many in search of shelter, and this all happened so fast. A million people, the government
estimates, have been displaced in a matter of days.
We found many Lebanese families, like this one, camped out on the side of the road. For five days, they say, there was no room for them at government
shelters. Their disabled young girl sleeps in the car. The rest have mattresses outside. No toilets or showers here. They've heard their home is
still standing, the women tell us, but their neighborhood is devastated.
Our area's been emptied out, Ahmed (PH) says. There's no one left.
In the heart of the capital in Martyrs' Square, the remnants of crises passed with a poster that reads, Beirut never dies.
And here, many more with no roofs over their heads for how long no one really knows, but they fear this may only just be the start of a long war.
Amfozi (PH) fled barefoot.
It was real horror, she says. Airstrikes were all around us. People were collapsing and fainting. She only grabbed her medication and these tissue
packs, her livelihood. She sells them for about 50 cents. Amfozi escaped Syria. Her home there is gone.
Wherever we go, she says, death follows us. It's all just too much.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Beirut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:40:31]
ASHER: One stage, one night, one shot to square off, side by side on national television.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. We're talking about Senator J.D. Vance and Governor Tim Walz preparing for tomorrow night's first and likely only vice presidential
debate before the election. Vance has spent time engaging in mock debate sessions while Walz says he's fighting nerves ahead of the high stakes
battle.
ASHER: The closer we get to the election, the more Donald Trump is doubling down with insults about his rival, Kamala Harris.
GOLODRYGA: And at rally, campaign rallies, over the weekend, Trump criticized Harris' stance on immigration, but also went way beyond matters
of policy and way into personal abuse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Kamala is mentally impaired.
Joe Biden became mentally impaired, said. But lying Kamala Harris, honestly, I believe she was born that way. There's something wrong with
Kamala. And I just don't know what it is, but there is definitely something missing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: And just so you know, her name is pronounced Kamala.
GOLODRYGA: He knows that, too.
ASHER: Right. Some allies of Trump have been urging him to stick to the issues and not descend to the level of insults.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham was asked about Trump's remarks. Here's his response to CNN's Jake Tapper.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): No. I just think she's crazy liberal. I don't question her.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: But what do you think about that rhetoric?
GRAHAM: I just think the better course to take is to prosecute the case that her policies are destroying the country. They're crazy liberal. I'm
not saying she's crazy. I'm saying your party policies are bad (BLEEP) crazy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Alayna Treene joins us live now from Washington with more. Just in terms of some of the stuff that Donald Trump has said, and we
obviously played it there. There's something wrong with Kamala. She's mentally impaired. He's obviously in the past called her stupid, weak, dumb
as a rock, and saying that she only just became black.
How is this really going to help him with independence around a month before the election, Alayna?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, I think it's very clear. And I think Lindsey Graham honestly speaks for many Republicans I speak to,
particularly those even on Donald Trump's own campaign.
This is not a strategy that they think will help him. We know, and we have reported this over the last several months now, that people within his
campaign, allies, those who want him to win in November, are telling him to please stop with these personal attacks, the demeaning comments,
particularly ones of this nature where he's arguing that perhaps she is mentally impaired.
[12:45:05]
I mean, these are things that, one, we obviously know are not true, but also ones that do hurt him with particular different demographics.
We know that many people, a lot of independents, moderate voters, suburban women, many people in this country may like Donald Trump's policies, but
they don't exactly like their rhetoric. You see that in poll after poll and in focus group after focus group, that those who are on the fence, and
particularly people who may have been conservative in the past, don't like that type of rhetoric from Donald Trump.
And so he has been told repeatedly by his team not to do this. But, of course, Donald Trump is a 78-year-old man, and he does what he wants. I
actually asked him directly about these types of attacks a couple weeks ago, and he told me that he believes that he is -- he is entitled to
personal attacks.
And we know that a lot of people in Donald Trump's base, however, do come to expect and almost want some of this. But again, will this help him in
the election? I think no, and that's why you heard Lindsey Graham, but several other Republicans.
You also heard from Tom Emmer, who's been helping J.D. Vance prepare for tomorrow night's debate, say the same thing. Stick to the issues, not to
these demeaning comments.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. But especially with the issue of immigration and the false narrative of cat and dog eating migrants there in Ohio, given that this was
originated by J.D. Vance, can we expect him to double down on these issues?
I know you're saying that their advisors are focusing on the policies themselves, but this seems to be something that they are insistent on
talking about from J.D. Vance to Donald Trump.
Does that give us a sense of what we can expect tomorrow night? And what is the Walz pushback going to be?
TREENE: Well, I think, to your point, the Springfield, Ohio rhetoric is a little bit different when it comes to these type of attacks, because a lot
of the advisers I've spoke to are trying to argue that even if these claims aren't true, which we have -- we know that they are baseless claims there
are without evidence.
You have the Republican mayor and the Republican governor of Ohio and the mayor, I should say, of Springfield, who is a Republican as well, saying
that there is no evidence to back these up.
But they argue, this is some of Donald Trump's team, some of Vance's team that at least they're putting the issue front and center about what's
happening in Springfield. But that's aside the point.
I do think you can expect Donald -- excuse me, J.D. Vance to talk about this tomorrow night. We heard from Jason Miller, who has been also -- he's
a Trump campaign adviser, but has been helping J.D. Vance prepare for the debate, said that this will probably be something that he brings up,
showing that they're not running away from that particular attack.
Now, as for how Walz will reply, I think it's unclear. I think we know that he's going to push back on that and try to bring the issue, you know, into
his own words and the way the Democrats have been framing it so far.
ASHER: Alayna Treene, live for us there. Thank you so much.
And a reminder to watch the special coverage of this week's vice presidential debate between Tim Walz and J.D. Vance. Jake Tapper and Erin
Burnett will get things started seven o'clock in the evening, Tuesday in New York. That is 7:00 A.M. if you're watching from Hong Kong on Wednesday
morning.
GOLODRYGA: Something we've all been long overdue for is Saturday Night Live making us laugh by poking at American politics since the show's beginning
while it's been influencing our national conversation around presidential politics since Gerald Ford was in the White House.
ASHER: For its season 50 opener, some favorite SNL alums return to sum up the political players in this election cycle. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My campaign is like the Sabrina Carpenter song, "Espresso." The lyrics are vague, but the vibe slaps.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Folks, I haven't been this excited since I got a 10 percent rebate on a leaf blower from Menards.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I, for one, can't wait to decorate the White House for Christmas. The theme will be Hanukkah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They say that me blaming the Democrats for inciting violence is the pot calling the cattle black. But, frankly, I didn't know
the cattle was black until very recently. I thought the cattle was Indian.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll tell you what I'm doing here, getting this crowd hyped. Yes. You guys are awesome.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Swing and amiss.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And by the way, the fact of the matter is, the rich don't pay their fair share. They got to pay their fair share. We got to
build back better. Build back the better -- the better -- the better -- the better -- build back the better. Can't believe it's not butter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Where was Dana Carvey all this time? He nailed it.
ASHER: He caused it so perfectly. So perfectly. How fun was that?
[12:50:03]
GOLODRYGA: We needed that season opener. Yes.
ASHER: We need a little bit of levity, right, in the U.S. politics. We'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Some sad news to bring you. The NBA says that basketball Hall of Famer, Dikembe Mutombo has passed away from brain cancer. He was a native
of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
ASHER: He's also remembered for his generosity as a philanthropist. Andy Scholes takes a look at his life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR AND REPORTER (voice-over): An iconic finger wag, an unforgettable laugh.
(LAUGH)
And a heart of gold.
DIKEMBE MUTOMBO, NBA HALL OF FAMER: If you have a heart and then love, you can impact -- you can have the impact in a society.
SCHOLES: Seven-foot-two Dikembe Mutombo was larger-than-life and one of the most memorable athletes of his lifetime.
Mutombo grew up with nine siblings in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He went to high school in Africa before moving to the U.S. on scholarship
to attend Georgetown University with the intentions of becoming a doctor.
But he was recruited to play basketball by Hall of Fame coach John Thompson and would quickly become one of the best defensive centers in the game.
Over his legendary career, blocking a shot and Mutombo would become synonymous with one another. Mutombo ended up with the second most blocks
in NBA history. Many tried to climb Mount Mutombo and many failed.
And often, they ended up receiving a finger wag, which became Mutombo's signature and a pop culture phenomenon.
MUTOMBO: Not in my house.
SCHOLES: Mutombo would win defensive player of the year four times in his career. He was an eight-time All-Star and a Hall of Famer.
But he made an even bigger impact off the court. In 1997, Mutombo started the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation to improve living conditions in his native
Democratic Republic of Congo.
In 2007, he opened a $29 million hospital named after his mother who died in 1997. It was the first hospital to be opened in the area in nearly 40
years.
MUTOMBO: When you make sure you're becoming successful, please don't forget, there are all those people who've been able to walk with you. And
my way of doing that, it was my going back home to see I cannot change the society where I came from.
I lost my mother. I lost brothers and sisters, so I know what it's like losing a loved one. So I feel that maybe by building a multi-million dollar
facility, I can change also just save lives.
[12:55:03]
In 2022, Mutombo was diagnosed with a brain tumor and began treatment. He will always be remembered for his finger wag, but his humanitarian efforts
will live forever.
MUTOMBO: I was fortunate enough to play this wonderful game that they do love until today and then make a money. And I said, OK. As I made money,
and that allowed me now to go help people the same way I was always going to do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Beautiful. I had the pleasure actually of speaking to Dikembe back in 2022 about one of his many philanthropic endeavors boosting African
economies through his coffee company and his investment in NBA Africa. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUTOMBO: We are strong. We always wake up the next day, go back to work again. No matter what life, you have to keep going. And I think I addressed
that issue in the best way by building a brand-new hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo 15 years ago, which have treated more than
almost 900,000 women and children.
We continue to provide so many health care services to the poor. And then we just opened the school, say three months ago, my wife and I. So we are
trying to give back to our homeland, to serve our community, and to serve to the place that where we come from.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: An incredible legacy on and off the basketball court.
ASHER: Yes, yes. Larger-than-life.
GOLODRYGA: He was 58 years old.
Well, that does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. Appreciate you watching. "AMANPOUR" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:00:00]
END
