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One World with Zain Asher

IDF: Israeli Military Expands Operations In Lebanon; Israel: Will Strike Hezbollah "Until It Collapses": Candidates Criss-Cross Battleground States In Final Stretch; U.S. Defense Secretary Austin Announces $400 Aid For Ukraine; Moldova Backs Joining E.U. By Razor-Thin Margin; Israel Steps Up Airstrikes On Lebanon, Gaza; Turkish Cleric Fethullah Gulen Dies At 83; Sean "Diddy" Combs Hit With Seven New Lawsuits; Aired 12:00-1:00p ET

Aired October 21, 2024 - 12:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[12:00:47]

ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. My colleague, Brianna Golodryga, is off today. You are watching ONE

WORLD.

As the humanitarian crisis deepens, Israel is stepping up its military operations in Lebanon and in Northern Gaza as well. Across Lebanon, the IDF

says it is broadening its attacks to include financial institutions linked to Hezbollah.

Since Israel ramped up strikes against the Iran-backed militant group last month, more than 1,800 people have been killed in Lebanon, with a fifth, a

fifth of its population now displaced.

At the same time, the U.N. is warning that Israel may be destroying the Palestinian population in Northern Gaza. All of this has America's top

diplomat, Antony Blinken, heading back to the Middle East today.

The U.N. secretary of state -- U.S. rather, secretary of state, will try to kick start stalled ceasefire talks to end the Gaza War and bring the

hostages home. His visit follows the death of Hamas' leader, Yahya Sinwar, just last week.

CNN's Kylie Atwood is standing by at the U.S. State Department. We've also got Paula Hancocks who is live for us in Abu Dhabi.

Paula, let me begin with you. Israel has been targeting what it says are Hezbollah's financial institutions in Lebanon.

Meantime, the U.S. is desperate for some kind of diplomatic institution. Just give us the very latest here.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Zain, what we've been seeing from Israel is, as you say, this -- the financial institutions, Qard al-Hasan,

which is an association that has branches in Beirut, also in Southern Lebanon.

And we know that a number of those branches have been targeted by Israel. They say that they have destroyed some 15 buildings following evacuation

warnings.

Now, we know from the Israeli military. They say that's -- that this institution does hold money for Hezbollah. So it holds the funds that

Hezbollah then uses for its military activities. And that is why it has become a target.

But we also know that it does also supply, for example, interest-free loans for some of the poorer elements of the Shia community as well. So it would

have affected a number of the Shia community.

One senior Israeli intelligence official tell CNN that what Israel is trying to do is to drive a wedge between the Shia community and Hezbollah

by targeting these financial institutions. But what Israel is doing is it is showing that it will go after anything that is affiliated with Hezbollah

at this point.

Now, we also heard comments from the Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant. He was meeting with troops up on the border between Israel and

Lebanon. And he said that they are moving from defeating the enemy to destroying it.

Now what we had been hearing from Israel is that their intention was to push Hezbollah back far enough that they were able to allow tens of

thousands of Israeli residents displaced from Northern Israel to move back to their homes, those who had to move because they were in range of

Hezbollah rockets.

But what we're now hearing more and more is that there is an intention to destroy Hezbollah. We heard from the Israeli foreign minister as well,

saying that they will continue to hit Hezbollah until it collapses.

Now, of course, this is having an impact on the civilian population as well. In Lebanon, we have an updated death toll of more than 1,800 people

having been killed. That's according to Ministry of Health figures, which CNN has tallied together. We know that more than 9,000 as well have been

injured.

And on top of that, you do have more than 1,200 -- excuse me, 1.2 million who have been displaced. So a very difficult situation on the ground for

the civilians.

Also, the U.S. Special Envoy, Amos Hochstein, was in Beirut today. He was meeting with the speaker of the parliament, Nabih Berri, who is also the

leader of the Shia Amal Party affiliated with Hezbollah.

So trying to see if there can be anything to be done to prevent the hostilities from expanding even further than they are at this point.

[12:05:08]

But what we are hearing certainly from the Israeli side is that they will continue until Hezbollah has been defeated.

ASHER: All right. Paula, stand by.

Kylie, let me bring you in just to jump off of that last point that Paula was making there. This idea that Amos Hochstein is, of course, in Beirut

meeting with the Speaker of Parliament, just trying to see if there's a way to bring the hostilities in Lebanon to an end. We also know that Antony

Blinken is on his way to the region as well.

And U.S. officials, American officials, have really been pushing for Israel to use the killing of Yahya Sinwar as some kind of an off-ramp. Very few

people believe that is likely to happen, and that is likely to signal the end of this war.

So, what exactly is the American strategy going to be in order to push for some kind of a diplomatic solution here, Kylie?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, U.S. officials aren't being explicit in describing what that strategy actually looks like

other than to really drive home, as you said, this message that this should be a moment of opportunity, a moment to drive forth and end to the conflict

in Gaza.

The secretary of state, his top priority item as he heads to Israel and then on to other states -- countries, excuse me, in the region, is to

discuss that and to figure out how to galvanize not only the Israelis, but the other countries that the U.S. has been working on, post-conflict plans

with, to really cement those plans and see what is possible here.

So, as we watch, this is a trip that really tests their proposition that this is a moment of opportunity because they can state it, but whether or

not they're able to capitalize on it will really be dictated by what the Israelis are saying to them, of course what the other countries in the

region are saying, and then also the question of who is negotiating on behalf of Hamas going forward.

With the death of Sinwar, obviously, the U.S. had said that was the major impediment to getting a hostage release deal, a ceasefire deal in place,

but they also don't have a clear answer today as to who is the decision maker for Hamas going forward.

And so that's something that they'll be discussing with, of course, Qataris and Egyptians, potentially, who have been in touch with Hamas throughout

the ongoing efforts over the last year to try and drive forth a solution to this issue.

And so this is a pivotal week for the secretary of state heading back on the road, of course, while the backdrop is that U.S. elections here,

presidential elections, are just two weeks away from tomorrow.

So time is truly of the essence for the Biden administration, and they are highly aware of that.

ASHER: All right. Kylie Atwood, Paula Hancocks, live for us there. Thank you both so much.

All right. The U.S. presidential candidates are turning up the heat in the last 15 days of their campaigns. Right now, Kamala Harris and former

Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney are sitting down for a moderated conversation in the key state of Pennsylvania.

Harris has enlisted the conservative politician to help in the so-called blue wall states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin. And Donald Trump

is in North Carolina at this hour. Of course, that state still recovering from Hurricane Helene. He's answering questions for the media. And then

will hold a rally and meet with faith leaders in that state as well.

Kevin Liptak is joining us live now from Washington, of course, with details.

So just in terms of Kamala Harris working alongside Liz Cheney, I mean, we've seen Kamala Harris work with quite a few anti-Trump Republicans. How

important are these figures? We saw them feature prominently during the DNC, by the way.

How important are these figures for the Harris campaign? And how much of a difference will they actually make in the next two weeks?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. Liz Cheney is probably the most prominent of the Republicans who have backed Vice President

Harris. And I think, you know, who she's speaking with today is very important. Certainly, Liz Cheney, they believe, could potentially be an

influential voice for some conservative women who may be turned off by what Donald Trump has been saying on the campaign trail over the last several

days.

But where she's doing it is equally important. And she's in these three counties. They're all suburban counties in all three of the blue wall

states. She'll be in them -- all of them today. These are counties that swung away from Donald Trump between 2016 and 2020, but they're also places

where Nikki Haley gained thousands of votes during this year's Republican primary contest, including after she had dropped out.

And so it does give you a sense of the type of voter that the Harris campaign thinks they can target with these types of events. You know,

conservative women, maybe moms, maybe people who are looking at Donald Trump and saying, you know, I don't know if I can support this kind of

rhetoric, this kind of demeanor in the Oval Office.

[12:10:03]

And it just shows how the Harris campaign is really kind of methodically trying to target individual demographics as they look to squeeze out votes

anywhere they possibly can.

You know, yesterday she was doing that in Georgia. She was attending church services, really trying to target black voters in that state. Today, it's

conservative women. And it just goes to show how neck-in-neck this race is, that in a place like, say, Chester County, Pennsylvania, where she is now,

or Waukesha County in Wisconsin.

If she can get, you know, 500, a thousand votes from conservative women who would otherwise be supporting Trump, that could help in the margins in a

race that will be won by thousands of votes in these seven battleground states.

Now, she did gain an advantage over the weekend. We learned she raised a significant amount of money more than Donald Trump. She raised a billion

dollars in the last quarter. That's far and away more than any presidential candidate in history.

What it allows her to do is focus less on raising money from donors and more on campaigning in the battleground states, which is exactly what

you're seeing her do today, and really sharpening that closing argument, claiming that Donald Trump is unfit for office, suggesting that he could be

mentally unstable, really trying to show the contrast of voters ahead of election.

ASHER: Yes. Meantime, Donald Trump is campaigning in North Carolina, speaking to folks who have lost quite a bit because of Hurricane Helene.

And, by the way, worth noting that Kamala Harris has made that state that much more competitive. And Donald Trump has been really fighting

aggressively to make sure that it stays red the next two weeks.

Kevin Liptak, live for us there. Thank you so much.

All right. As the U.S. election looms, the future of American aid to Ukraine hangs in the balance. A short time ago, U.S. Defense Secretary

Lloyd Austin took the wraps off of $400 million in new aid for Kyiv. He's in the Ukrainian capital, where he's been meeting with President Volodymyr

Zelenskyy.

Clare Sebastian joins us live now. Clare, what more can you tell us?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So this, I think, is a really significant meeting for Ukraine, Zain. This may well be the last senior

official under the Biden administration to visit Ukraine now that we're just over two weeks out from the election.

And 400 million is certainly good. That's the third aid package promised of that type of size in the last month and it's bigger than the ones that

we've seen in the preceding months. Aid definitely has been ramping up. The Biden administration has really been, I think, frontloading it, trying to

accelerate it ahead of the election.

But obviously that is the elephant in the room here. Ukraine is incredibly concerned. This election is existential for it. At least that's the way it

sees it. President Zelensky just in the U.S. had to contend with being entangled in partisan politics and the rhetoric from former President Trump

becoming increasingly negative towards Ukraine, as well as the fact, of course, that his running mate, J.D. Vance, has actively opposed aid for

Ukraine.

So I think messages like this one from Lloyd Austin will be welcomed, but also will be tinged with the shadow of that upcoming election. Take a

listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We've moved heaven and earth to help Ukraine, and that inspiring coalition of more than 50 allies and partners

continues to stand united to provide your country with the security assistance that Ukraine needs to prevail.

Under President Biden's leadership, the United States remains committed to keeping up this support. And so I'm pleased to announce today the

commitment of a $400 million presidential drawdown package to provide your forces with additional munitions, armored vehicles, and any tank weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: And that equipment is very much needed because this is a dangerous moment for Ukraine in this war. Russia is inching forward in

multiple fronts. It's counterattacking in Kursk. Aerial attacks have gone up exponentially in the past few months.

And just overnight into this morning, just hours before Secretary Austin's arrival, Russia fired some 116 attack drones and three missiles at Ukraine,

roughly half of which Ukraine was able to shoot down. So it is really in need of more air defenses.

I think one thing that didn't come out of this that Ukraine is very much watching for is that issue of long-range Western-provided missiles,

including the U.S. ATACMS and whether restrictions will be lifted so that Ukraine can use them to hit military targets inside of Russia.

That did come up in the discussions, but as yet, we don't see any change in U.S. policy on that.

ASHER: Yes. But as you point out, you know, despite billions of dollars in military aid, despite heavy Western sanctions against the Russian economy,

Ukraine is in a tough spot when it comes to this war. You point out that the U.S. elections couldn't be more crucial for them.

Clare Sebastian live for us there. Thank you so much.

All right. Voters in the former Soviet Republic of Moldova cast their ballots Sunday in pivotal elections on two really crucial issues. They

backed a move to join the European Union by a razor-thin margin.

[12:15:05]

In a separate vote to select their president, neither the incumbent, nor her opponent, reached 50 percent, setting the scene for a runoff on

November 3rd. The European Union is slamming interference by Russia and its proxies in Moldova too.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER STANO, E.U. SPOKESPERSON: We were watching very closely the votes, both votes, the referendum and the presidential elections in Moldova.

Moldova is a very important partner of the European Union.

We noted that this vote took place under unprecedented interference and intimidation by Russia and its proxies, aiming to destabilize the

democratic processes in the Republic of Moldova.

This is a long-term effort that we have observed a long time ago. The most recent examples include the allegations about vote buying, bussing of the

voters. The proofs that we have from Moldovan authorities about the fact that votes have been -- have been -- or there were attempts made to buy --

to buy votes. Then the huge propaganda from Russia or Russian proxies spread in Moldova.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: CNN's Anna Stewart is tracking developments from London, joins us live now.

So, Anna, I mean, you know, you heard it there laid out clearly. There's a lot of concern about Russian interference here after Moldovans voted by a

razor thin majority on securing a path towards E.U. membership. But, you know, overall, it really does also highlight the deep divisions in this

country as well.

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really does. And for years now, Moldova is someone that has grappled with both the West and the Russian influence.

Ever since the invasion of Ukraine, there's been this big push to join the E.U.

The accession talks began in 2022, in June of 2022. And the expectation was, at least in the months heading into this, is that there would be an

overwhelming vote for yes. They would like to join the E.U.

As you say, a razor thin majority. I think it equates to just 11,000 votes or somewhere in that region, which means they don't really have the

overwhelming mandate that they were hoping for to continue with these E.U. talks.

As you say, so much controversy here. CNN was reported just last week that a kremlin-linked organization, spearheaded by a Moldovan oligarch, was

effectively buying votes for cash. All of this feeding into it and the incumbent president speaking in the last few hours said, the Moldovan

authorities had clear evidence that these criminal groups aim to buy 300,000 votes, a fraud of unprecedented scale. Zain.

ASHER: All right. Anna Stewart live for us there. Thank you so much.

All right. At least one person has died in northeastern Italy after heavy rain caused extensive flooding. Emergency services and volunteers are

working to help people stranded in the Emilia-Romagna Region, including a 3-month-old baby who was rescued by a fire service helicopter.

Over the weekend, the island of Sicily in Southern Italy was also inundated by heavy rain. It caused severe flooding and triggered landslides.

All right. Still to come here on ONE WORLD, Israel escalates offensive in Lebanon and Gaza, even as it weighs a retaliatory strike against Iran. More

on our top story and some analysis when we come back.

Plus, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on the campaign trail this hour hoping to find an edge in a race that is deadlocked in the polls.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:20:55]

ASHER: Israel's foreign minister says his nation will strike Hezbollah, quote, until it collapses. This as a series of Israeli strikes overnight

targeted at a Hezbollah-linked financial institution in Lebanon.

A senior Israeli intelligence official says the aim is to sever trust between Hezbollah and the Shia community.

Other Israeli strikes also caused casualties and a lot of damage as well. Lebanon's health ministry says more than 1,800 people have been killed

since Israel ramped up operations last month.

And as Israel keeps up its airstrikes on Gaza, the United Nations is warning that Israel may be destroying the Palestinian population in the

north. This as the U.S. secretary of state heads back to the Middle East today.

Antony Blinken is going to try to kick start stalled ceasefire talks to end the war right after the death of Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, just last

week.

Meantime, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that the missile system sent to Israel is now in place as Israel prepares to retaliate

against Iran after its attack on them on October 1st.

Let's bring in Joseph Bahout to talk about all of these developments. He's the director of Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International

Affairs at the American University of Beirut.

Professor, thank you so much for being with us. Let's just talk about what's happening in Lebanon right now. We're seeing these Israeli strikes

targeting financial institutions that they say, the Israelis are saying is linked to Hezbollah in terms of financing Hezbollah.

Obviously, this is a marked shift away from purely targeting military sites, purely targeting Hezbollah military sites. What does that mean? And

what does that tell you about Israel's strategy going forward?

JOSEPH BAHOUT, DIRECTOR OF ISSAM FARES INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT: Thank you for having

me. Good evening.

Actually, there's nothing really new. I mean, it's only the widening of the Israeli air bomb campaign that has been started maybe two months ago with,

you know, the killing, the targeted killings and then the pager operations and then the ongoing striking campaign.

I think we could have seen it coming. Israel is widening the circle of its targeting. I think it's now targeting the civilian infrastructure of

Hezbollah. And then probably later on the civilian infrastructure of the country itself.

The aim is actually very obvious. It's to really push the Lebanese government and then the Lebanese society to, quote-unquote, distance itself

and maybe rebel at some point against Hezbollah in order to obtain a ceasefire or a completely new security arrangement the like of which the

American special envoy today, Amos Hochstein, was bringing on the table to the Lebanese officials.

So I think that we have to expect for the coming two, three weeks, until at least the American elections, a widening of this Israeli campaign that is

now hitting, as you said, the financial infrastructure of Hezbollah, maybe tomorrow the civilian infrastructure, not only of the party, but of the

country itself.

ASHER: Yes. I mean, it is important to note that Hezbollah is, of course, deeply entrenched, deeply linked with the Shia community in Lebanon.

And so when you move away from just sort of military targets and military strikes and you start to target financial institutions, what sort of effect

and impact does that have on Lebanese civilians?

BAHOUT: Now, the intended effect by Israel is, of course, to drive a wedge between the constituency of Hezbollah and the party itself and gradually to

push these people to say, Hezbollah and this party has led us to a sort of foolish adventure, et cetera, et cetera.

However, the unintended effect is manifold. First of all, I don't think that these people will distance very easily from Hezbollah if they don't

have another platform to land on, and this is something that the Lebanese politicians and political class has to think about.

And second, there are the collateral damages of all this. You know, you have today in Lebanon 1.2 at least billion -- million displaced who are

living in the open air in Lebanon, in all villages, in Beirut, in the capital, sleeping on sidewalks, et cetera.

[12:25:11]

And I think that this is potentially putting a sort of very high pressure on the Lebanese society. And I think that the risk and maybe it's something

that Netanyahu himself is expecting because he has talked about it in one of his statements two weeks ago.

The risk is to see the country drifting towards the seeds of a new civil war, the like of which its history has been through very often,

unfortunately.

ASHER: As you point out, Amos Hochstein is in Beirut. Obviously, he is very committed to working on some kind of formula that is going to create, not

just a temporary ceasefire in Lebanon, but a permanent ceasefire in Lebanon between obviously Israel and Hezbollah.

He also talked about this idea that merely committing to a previous U.N. resolution simply wouldn't be good enough. A lot of people are saying that

you have the likes of Netanyahu, who really deep down is not interested in any kind of ceasefire because it doesn't benefit him politically.

So therefore, what is the right strategy for the U.S. to be pursuing in terms of ending the conflict in Lebanon diplomatically?

BAHOUT: Yes. You know, Amos Hochstein's visit today to Beirut is probably the last move by this ongoing -- I mean, outgoing administration. We have

elections in two weeks in the U.S. So I think Hochstein brought with him one of the last attempts by the Biden administration to put a halt to the

war between Lebanon and Israel or between Hezbollah and Israel.

I'm not sure that, first of all, this attempt is very serious, I would say, because it included some conditions that I think the American party knew

the Lebanon -- the Lebanese government could not accept, at least until now, with the prevailing balance of powers between Hezbollah and Israel.

Second, I think Hochstein, I mean, the U.S. administration knows very well also that Bibi Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, is really not interested

today in a ceasefire in Lebanon, unless or until he has succeeded in radically changing the balance of power and the conditions on the ground,

which are far to be actually changed.

So I think that this was an attempt to be saluted and to be commanded, but I think that this attempt will unfortunately join other attempts at

ceasefires that were vain and non-conclusive.

ASHER: All right. Joseph Bahout, appreciate you coming on the program. Thank you so much for being with us.

All right. With just over two weeks to go until the U.S. presidential election, the focus is on the battleground states. And that focus is

getting way more intense ahead how Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are spending their final days on the campaign trail. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:30:06]

ASHER: All right. Welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher.

With just 15 days to go until election day, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are making their final pitches to voters in the battleground states that

will decide the presidential election.

The vice president is teaming up today with a high-profile Republican, former U.S. House member Liz Cheney. They're holding moderated

conversations in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

All three states help democratic President Joe Biden to victory in 2020. And Harris is hoping she can win them this year too.

Trump, meantime, is campaigning this hour in the swing state of North Carolina. He has two other stops planned there today, including an address

to faith leaders in the city of Concord.

CNN's Stephen Collinson joins us live now from Washington. So, Stephen, let's talk about Kamala Harris enlisting the help of Liz Cheney, a

Republican who is obviously staunchly against Donald Trump. How important are voices like Liz Cheney in order to help Harris clinch the win come

November?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Hi, Zain. Yes. This is very interesting, actually. The theory of the Harris campaign is that there

moderate Republicans, people who are old-fashioned Republicans who can't stand Trump and conserved to be leading independents who might be out there

for Kamala Harris to pick off and add to her column.

And in these swing states which you mentioned, which are very close to these blue wall states that helped Biden win the presidency four years ago,

you know, a few thousand votes could be very important.

This is particularly interesting because Liz Cheney is a deeply conservative former member of the House. She basically sacrificed her

career in the House leadership to campaign against Trump, who she sees as a massive threat to the Constitution.

So this is pushing forward Harris' argument in the last few weeks that Trump is a great danger. He would threaten American democracy and that he's

unfit for the Oval Office.

ASHER: And just in terms of Elon Musk, Elon Musk saying that he's giving away a million dollars to a potential voter, a registered voter. Just

explain to us whether or not that's even legal.

COLLINSON: Well, a lot of legal experts say by the letter of federal law, it's not legal because it's not permitted to offer someone money or to

accept money to register to vote. And the fact that Musk is offering this in seven swing states would play into the idea that he's trying to use

money to influence the course of an election.

Whether this will actually come to anything in the last two weeks, I think we could see some legal challenges. The governor of Pennsylvania, a

Democrat, basically said that this needs to be looked into.

Of course, if they did try to block it, the Pennsylvania authorities, they'd be accused by mask of election interference was exactly what he

wants because he's supporting Donald Trump and he's attacking the institutions of the U.S. government and backing up Trump's claims in that

regard that, you know, the election system isn't fair.

So I think he has them in a little bit of a trap here. But it's going to be interesting to see how it plays out, whether it really makes a big

influence on the outcome of the election in these key swing states is a little bit doubtful.

We've seen tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of new registrations taking place. It's hard to think that even the carats of a million dollars

is going to get thousands of people registering to vote at the end of the day.

ASHER: All right. Stephen Collinson, live for us there. Thank you so much.

All right. Let's bring in Larry Sabato. He is the director for the Center of Politics at the University of Virginia.

Larry, thank you so much for being with us. Let's talk about Donald Trump. Obviously, he's in North Carolina today. The last Democrat to win North

Carolina was, of course, Barack Obama. But Harris has been really going after North Carolina very hard. It is in play.

[12:35:04]

What does Kamala Harris's strategy need to be to turn North Carolina blue once again?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR FOR THE CENTER OF POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: It is in play. And it's close. You naturally give some edge to the

Republican nominee because of the electoral record that you mentioned.

But different situation this year and that the Republican nominee for governor has crashed and burned, is going to lose by a massive majority.

And that's hurting Republicans up and down the ticket.

And second, tragically, you have the hurricane hit the western part not totally Republican but primarily Republican, the western part of North

Carolina. And people have been dispersed its -- the officials they're doing their best to get the ballots to everyone, but it's not going to be easy.

So you have to play in a state like North Carolina. It's important in terms of the electoral votes and its political significance is even greater.

ASHER: When it comes to Kamala Harris, I mean, obviously, the honeymoon period that we were all talking about is clearly, more or less, over.

Remember right after the DNC, I mean, she enjoyed a healthy, at least a five-point bounce in the polls. A lot of people were very excited. That

seems to have dissipated. She has two weeks left.

What does she need to do to win that back? Is it even possible at this stage in the game?

SABATO: I don't think she'll win it back, but she is even with Donald Trump. I know there's just a blizzard of polls coming out every day. We

just had a new bunch dropped on us by a major newspaper.

The truth is that we're at the point where polls have told us everything they're going to tell us. They have told us that this is a dead heat. It's

a dead heat virtually in all seven swing states. It's a dead heat in terms of the national popular vote, which doesn't necessarily translate into the

Electoral College.

So what she needs to do, she's doing right this moment. She has Liz Cheney and some other Republicans who have endorsed her, sending a message to

moderate Republicans that you don't have to vote for Donald Trump.

The people who voted for former South Carolina governor, Nikki Haley, in the primary, for example, many of them are anti-Trump, but they need a push

to get them across that party barrier. She won't win all of them, but she needs a slice, a percent or two is plenty.

So that's what she's trying to do. She's trying to get a slice of Republicans. She's trying to get her numbers up with black men. They're

good numbers, but they're not great numbers. The same with Latino men. And you could go right down the list. This can be done in the remaining 15

days. She's trying to do it.

ASHER: That is interesting, isn't it? Because Donald Trump has made a concerted bid to try to win over black men, to try to win over Latino men,

really focusing on the issue of the economy and also crime as well.

And the fact that he has managed to erode some of the traditional sort of democratic support in that camp has been really alarming to Kamala Harris,

so much so that even Barack Obama had to get involved.

I mean, in the last two weeks, we know that just -- you know, in the past two weeks, actually, Kamala Harris has made a concerted effort to win back

some of those voices but, you know, she's only got two weeks left.

Is there anything she can be doing more of?

SABATO: Well, fortunately for her, partisan identification comes into play. It kicks in right at the end of an election when most of these people who

are not necessarily dedicated voters. They don't think of politics the first thing in the morning or the last thing at night.

And remember, that includes young white males. The 18 to 30 white male group, they don't vote very much, but they've been leaning more to Trump,

just like men of all ages have been, especially white men, of course, non- college white men.

So what she needs to do is get the right spokespeople out there. And she is. President Obama is out there. President Clinton is out there. You have

senior members of Congress who are well recognized, who are campaigning full-time for her.

These things matter, because in the end, this is going to be one of those squeakers, a few votes here, a few votes there. And you're either president

or you're not.

So these 15 days are critical. We run campaigns 24 hours a day in the final two weeks of the campaign. Well, we're in the final two weeks of the

campaign.

ASHER: It's so hard to believe that it's we're already, you know, the 11th hour is here.

Just in terms of Liz Cheney, because you brought her up, I mean, she's interesting, right, because she is a staunch conservative. It's not just

any Republican. This is Liz Cheney, who is obviously very conservative, comes from a very conservative family.

[12:40:00]

Just in terms of how helpful she's realistically going to be as they have these moderated conversations in the three swing states. What are your

thoughts on that?

SABATO: She's more influential with Republicans than Democrats maybe it wanted to admit before this campaign started. And remember, she brought her

very conservative honor along of former vice president eight years is George W. Bush's vice president Dick Cheney.

She knows how to talk Republicans. She uses their language, but now is using it in a way to make the conservative case to vote for Kamala Harris.

ASHER: And finally, Donald Trump, we saw that interesting photo opportunity at a McDonald's, that he was sort of serving out French -- I mean,

obviously, you know, part of it was just to troll Kamala Harris, because she worked at McDonald's when she was younger.

How effective of a photo-op do you think this was for Donald Trump trying to show voters that he is, I'm just like you?

SABATO: Well, no one's going to believe that Donald Trump is just like them.

But I'll tell you what it did do, Zain. This is interesting. It blotted out all of the other substantive news, the serious debate on issues that people

say they always want. No, everybody had to cover that media event wall to wall. It's been the dominant story, at least it was early this morning on

American television.

It meant nothing. They closed the McDonald's. The customers were all Trump supporters who've been lined up and had to drive by the window. I mean,

this is -- it's absurd.

But you know what? That's American politics today. The theater of absurd.

ASHER: Right. Larry Sabato, always good to have you. Thank you so much for being with us.

SABATO: Thank you.

ASHER: Appreciate it.

All right. Still to come, he built a powerful Islamic movement in Turkey, but spent his later years battling accusations of orchestrating a coup

attempt. We'll look back at the life of a very controversial cleric.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: The man who Turkey blamed for trying to overthrow its president in a deadly coup in 2016 has died at the age of 83. The Muslim cleric, Fethullah

Gulen, was a bitter rival of the Turkish president.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To his followers, he was a peaceful man of God, preaching interfaith dialogue. But to many in

Turkey, Fethullah Gulen was a man who spent years building an opaque and vengeful movement to take over the Turkish state and eventually the force

behind a failed coup attempt that claimed the lives of more than 240 people in July of 2016.

[12:45:18]

Turkey's president condemned him and compared him to ISIS. Gulen always maintained he had done nothing wrong, saying in a 2016 statement, quote, "I

have repeatedly condemned the coup attempt in Turkey and denied any knowledge or involvement."

Born in 1941 to modest circumstance, Gulen climbed the ranks of Turkey's religious bureaucracy to become an influential imam. Over decades, he built

a fervent and loyal base of followers. Gulen's work was represented in all facets of Turkish life, including business associations, media outlets, and

financial institutions.

But the linchpin of his movement was a vast network of schools that spanned across more than 100 countries. The schools in Turkey served as the main

recruitment and placement tool for the movement.

Many of its members were lower middle-class pious Muslims, disenfranchised by Turkey's staunch secularist power circles. Many of them took jobs in the

public sector.

In 1999, Gulen moved to the United States, settling in the state of Pennsylvania. His supporters say he left Turkey for medical treatment. But

critics say he went into self-imposed exile, as he'd come under scrutiny, accused of trying to undermine the secular government and replacing it with

a religious one. They were allegations he denied.

In 2002, when a religiously conservative government was elected, Gulen found an ally in Turkey's new Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It was

a match made through political expediency.

KADRI GURSEL, JOURNALIST: The common adversary was the (INAUDIBLE) Republican, pro-secular, military and civilian bureaucracy.

KARADSHEH: For nearly a decade, the alliance worked together, using the Gulen's movement's presence in the police and judiciary to stifle the

opposition. Hundreds of secularist military officers were detained, arrested, and dismissed in shadowy court cases.

GURSEL: As Gulenist networks, they were closely cooperating and fabricating some so-called proofs, to be presented to be put in indictment.

And at the end of the day, nearly 10 percent of the active generals of the Turkish Armed Forces, a NATO member country, were put in jail.

KARADSHEH: In 2013, prosecutors launched a corruption probe targeting Erdogan's inner circle. It was a break in the alliance and perhaps the

first public sign of a power struggle between the two men. Erdogan later outlawed Gulen's movement and branded it a terror group.

But it was the events of July 15, 2016 that would change the country for years to come. F-16s bombed parliament in the capital city, and armored

tanks rolled into positions on the main bridge connecting Asia to Europe and Istanbul.

Erdogan quickly blamed Gulen for that failed coup. And his government began a major crackdown. Thousands of people suspected of having links to Gulen

were fired from their jobs and arrested.

Gulen, meanwhile, lived a quiet life in Pennsylvania despite multiple requests to the United States to extradite him back to Turkey, leaving

behind a devout following and a controversial legacy that made him one of the most influential men in Turkey's modern history.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: All right. Still to come, Sean "Diddy" Combs is facing more lawsuits for alleged abuse. And for the first time, other celebrities are being

accused of taking part. A live report for you, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:50:22]

ASHER: All right. There are disturbing new details laid out in seven new lawsuits filed against Sean "Diddy" Combs.

For the first time, other celebrities are accused of taking part in the alleged abuse. These new lawsuits include accusations of rape, sexual

assault, sexual harassment, false imprisonment as well.

Currently, Combs is locked up. He's in jail, as he awaits trial. He is denying the allegations.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister joins us live now. What more do we know?

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: These are incredibly disturbing allegations. Now, as you said, Combs is denying them, but these

are the seven latest lawsuits to add to this deluge of lawsuits that Combs has been facing for the past year. This is the 26th civil suit that he is

facing.

And what is different about this group of lawsuits, Zain, is that it's the first time in print in a lawsuit that other celebrities are also accused of

wrongdoing.

We know that in the indictment that federal prosecutors had said that they do not believe that Combs acted alone. Remember, that they have accused him

of running a criminal enterprise, but this is the first time that actually in lawsuits it is in print that celebrities also allegedly sexually

assaulted some of these accusers.

Now none of these celebrities are named. The lawsuits actually point out that they are unnamed at this moment. But one of the accusers, Zain,

alleges that she was a 13-year-old girl at the time that she was allegedly drugged and raped by Combs. She says that this happened in the year 2000 at

an after party for the MTV Video Music Awards.

She said that she was brought to the party by a limousine driver who said that he worked for Combs and told her that Combs allegedly liked younger

girls.

Now, I want to read you part of her lawsuit, Zain. It says, quote, 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 then goes on to say that she was sexually assaulted, both

by Combs and by that unnamed male celebrity.

This is not the only accuser today who is alleging that a celebrity was also involved and a active participant in the alleged sexual assault. There

is a male John Doe, who is a personal trainer who says that in 2022 that he was also allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted by Combs and a celebrity.

ASHER: All right. Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you so much for that reporting there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIDIA THORPE, SENATOR OF AUSTRALIA: You are not our king. You are not sovereign. You are not our king. You are not sovereign. You committed

genocide against our people. Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: A noisy protest against Britain's King Charles. That was during his visit to Australia. The King had just given a speech to Australia's

Parliament in Canberra when Lidia Thorpe, a senator of indigenous heritage, shouted at him saying, "You are not my king."

As well as being Britain's head of state, Charles is also the monarch of Australia and other Commonwealth countries.

In his speech, Charles had praised of Australia's first nations people for, as he put it, sharing so generously their stories and culture.

[12:55:59]

The L.A. Dodgers eliminated the New York Mets Sunday night to win the National League pennant and advance to the World Series against the

Yankees.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, in the air to center field. Taylor coming on, can't get there. And the ball kicks away from him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: The Dodgers won game six against the Mets, 10 to 5. The clash against the Yankees will feature two superstar sluggers, L.A.'s Ohtani and

New York's Aaron Judge. Game one is Friday night in L.A.

And finally, celebrations in New York after the Liberty came out on top in game five of the WNBA Championships. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The original franchise has its very first title.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: So much excitement. The New York Liberty became the WNBA champions for the first time ever after defeating Minnesota Lynx 67 to 62 in an

overtime nail-biter.

Breanna Stewart clinched the trophy for New York after hammering two free throws with just over 10 seconds left in overtime.

All right. That does it for this Hour of ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher. Thank you so much for watching. "AMANPOUR" is up next. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END