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One World with Zain Asher
Deadly "Terror" Attack On Major Turkish Defense Company; Harris Prepares For Tonight's CNN Town Hall In Final Push; Israeli Airstrikes Hit Historic Lebanese Port City Of Tyre; Blinken In Saudi Arabia To Push For Halt To Fighting; NY Times: Kelly Says Trump Met "The General Definition Of A Fascist"; Thirteen Days Out: Harris At CNN Town Hall, Trump Campaigns In GA; Aired 12:00-1:00p ET
Aired October 23, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:22]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: All right. Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching ONE WORLD.
We begin with breaking news out of Turkey. An aerospace company located in the capital of Ankara has been targeted in what officials are calling a
deadly terror attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SIRENS)
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GOLODRYGA: This is the scene earlier following a loud explosion and sounds of gunfire outside of the state-owned Turkish aerospace industries. The
country's interior minister says four people were killed, 14 others injured, and he says two attackers, one man and one woman, were killed by
Turkish security forces. So far, there has been no claim of responsibility.
Now, the attack happened while Turkish President, Erdogan, is in Russia, attending the annual BRICS Summit.
Let's get right to CNN's Salma Abdelaziz, who is standing by in London. What more are we learning about this attack, Salma?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I apologize. So we do have an updated death toll and this comes from President Erdogan himself, who spoke
again on the sidelines of this BRICS Summit. Four people killed and 14 people wounded.
We also understand, again from Turkish officials, that two assailants were killed. They say it was a man and a woman. Now, no further clarity on if
there are any other individuals that they are pursuing at this time but that begins to answer the question as to how many people were involved. We
know at least two people were involved in this attack.
You see that active scene on the ground, of course, sirens still going off. You will see police, military, security services, ambulance workers all on
the ground right now trying to contain that situation.
I also want to show you this social media video that we were able to verify that shows the very moment of this terror attack. You can see in this video
there's an explosion. You can see that clear. You hear the sound of it. A plume of smoke goes up into the air. And then there's an individual who's
moving through that area with a weapon.
This scene will absolutely send shockwaves across Turkey. Turkey is no stranger to terror attacks, but it has been spared these types of attacks
in recent years.
And there's two things that are significant about this right now. And I have to highlight them which is, first of all, the location that this is
taking place. And, secondly, the timing of this.
Let's begin with the location. This is an aerospace company that is state owned that manufactures weapons, drones, other military items for Turkey's
army. It also is the country's only licensed F-16 manufacturer.
Effectively, it is a symbolic of the Turkish military and of the country's defense ministry. So that tells you what the target is here and why you're
immediately hearing this reaction from Turkish officials.
And then secondly, the timing. The Turkish government, President Erdogan, had been extending an olive branch to Kurdish separatists, to the PKK. This
was a massive move. This could potentially have paved the way for talks between what has been long-standing rivalry.
This can put all of that into question, especially when we're talking about the timing of this coming just after this olive branch was offered. An
investigation, a judicial investigation, has already been launched. So authorities are working to find out more.
For now, the focus is, of course, going to be on the scene and on helping those wounded and finding out the fate of any others inside.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And condemnation coming quickly from other European nations and other NATO members as well, including the General Secretary, just
moments ago. Salma Abdelaziz, thank you so much.
Well, in the next hour, Kamala Harris is set to depart for Pennsylvania, where later today she will take questions directly from voters at a CNN
town hall. You're looking at a live view there of the set near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and that's where undecided voters in that key
state will pose questions to her on the issues that matter most to them.
Donald Trump will be spending the evening in Georgia. The battleground state backed him in the 2016 race, but not in 2020. This as Trump's
campaign is denying claims made in "The New York Times." The newspaper quotes Trump's former chief of staff John Kelly, who says his former boss
frequently made racist comments, even praising Adolf Hitler.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KELLY, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP: He commented more than once that, you know, that Hitler did some good things too. And of
course, if you know history, again, I think he's lacking in that. But if you know what -- you know Hitler was all about, it would be pretty hard to
make an argument that he did anything good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[12:05:18]
GOLODRYGA: We're covering all the angles of the story. Our Alayna Treene is in Duluth, Georgia, near Atlanta.
But first, Eva McKend is at the town hall site outside of Philadelphia. Eva, let's start with you. And a reminder that this was hoped to be by CNN,
an invitation for both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris to have their second debate. Kamala Harris agreed to that. Donald Trump did not, and thus this
turned into a town hall for the vice president.
What are you hearing from her campaign about what their expectations are for the evening?
EVA MCKEND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianna, the vice president's closing argument is really coming into focus here. She is
leaning heavily on her personal biography to connect with undecided and persuadable voters on a human level here. Those are the voters that are
going to be asking her questions tonight.
She also is leaning into perhaps the strongest issue for her, which is reproductive rights.
She is running on platform elevating what she describes as the opportunity economy. And then she's also forcefully making the case against former
President Donald Trump.
We have heard her essentially sound the alarm here, argue that the former president is exhibiting increasingly troublesome behavior over the last
several weeks. So that is a mix of what we will hear tonight. It won't be all about Trump. They know that they have to do both things, both talk
about Trump and also make an affirmative case for why she wants to be the next president, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: And, Alayna Treene, no doubt we will likely hear from the vice president in response to the shocking statements and reporting on Donald
Trump's longest serving advisor there and chief of staff, and that is General John Kelly, who in an interview with "The New York Times" and "The
Atlantic" is heard saying that he believes that Donald Trump met the definition of a fascist. And as we played for our viewers earlier there, at
times even praised Adolf Hitler.
How is the campaign responding aside from denying that these statements were made?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: They have pushed back on this very heavily, have claimed that this was -- these are debunked stories that have been
told and argued. This is a quote from Donald Trump's senior advisor, Stephen Cheung, argued that John Kelly is sharing these, quote, fabricated
stories because he failed to serve his president well while working as chief of staff and currently suffers from a debilitating case of Trump
derangement syndrome.
So they are attacking, clearly, John Kelly over this.
But I think what's so, you know, important to point out about this, Bianna, is that it's, of course, not just the Harris campaign and Vice President
Harris herself, as well as other Democrats, who are trying to warn and sound the alarm on what it would mean for Donald Trump to be back in the
White House.
We have heard now from a series of former top administration officials, those who served with Donald Trump in the White House, warning that he
should not be present. Again, that includes Attorney General, his former Attorney General, I should say, Bill Barr, James Mattis, John Bolton,
several other people. And, of course, John Kelly, with these remarks.
I think one thing that's also just really important to highlight here is the timing of these comments. We know many people have criticized those who
have worked with Trump in the past have criticized him over the course of this election.
But these comments, these very harsh and, you know, kind of really critical comments of Donald Trump coming just two weeks now before Election Day, I
think is a stunning development here.
One thing we also heard from John Kelly, though, is he also attacked and criticized Donald Trump's comments about the enemy from within. We know
that a lot of Republicans have tried to argue that when Donald Trump said, you know, we have a lot of enemies from within, that he would potentially
send the military after some of these people.
They have tried to argue that he's talking about protests, about sending the National Guard in to contain protests in this country. House Speaker
Mike Johnson even made that case to Jake Tapper over the weekend.
However, Donald Trump, since then, has made clear that he is talking about Democrats. So that is something we have also heard many Republicans and
those who have served with Donald Trump before really criticize as well.
So I would keep an eye out for that today. I doubt that Donald Trump is going to address it at either of these events. He's going to have start his
day in Georgia with a faith leaders event in Zebulon and then come here to Duluth, where he's going to hold a really big rally hosted by Turning Point
USA, which is, I should note, one of the biggest outside groups that is helping with Donald Trump's ground game strategy specifically in this state
in Georgia, but also in other battleground states.
[12:10:01]
There's going to be a lot of people at that event tonight, including Tucker Carlson, the country music singer, Jason Aldean, RFK Jr., and Tulsi
Gabbard, both very high-profile Trump surrogates.
So this is going to be a huge event, but I think you're really going to hear Trump focus on the things that we've been hearing a lot, him really
leaning into his personal attacks on Harris, painting that dark picture of America when it comes to the southern border, talking about the economy.
One thing I think you'll also expect him to discuss is early voting. Something we know that he's been skeptical of in the past.
However, him and his campaign have really been pushing the idea that people need to get out early and vote and use mail-in voting as they try to use
all of the tools in their arsenal to turn out as many voters as they can on November 5th.
But this, specifically John Kelly's criticism, I don't think you'll hear Donald Trump address. Bianna?
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And what was equally stunning about John Kelly's comments was, in his view, the disqualification of Trump's character alone. He said
one could argue about policies, but it was in his view, given his proximity and time with the president, that his character didn't hold up to what is
required of the leader of the free world.
Alayna Treene and Eva McKend, thank you so much.
And you can watch CNN's town hall with Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris at 9:00 P.M. Eastern.
Turning now to the Middle East, where Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon continue, with several airstrikes on the historic southern port city of
Tyre, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Earlier, Israel had warned residents there to evacuate. Now, this says the Israeli army said dozens of projectiles were launched from Lebanon into
northern Israel today.
Israel is also intensifying its assault on Northern Gaza. The U.N. warms in a new report that the impact of the war there could erase over 69 years of
progress in the crowded Palestinian enclave.
And U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is calling on Israel to turn its military success in Gaza into a strategic success. Secretary of State is
now in Saudi Arabia after stopping in Israel. He discussed Gaza and Lebanon with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other key officials.
CNN teams are on this story. Alex Marquardt is in Washington for us. But let's begin with Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv.
And, Jeremy, Hezbollah now confirming what the IDF reported yesterday, and that is the death of one of the potential successors to Hezbollah leader
Hassan Nasrallah. What significance, if any, does this news bring?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. Hashem Safieddine was viewed as a potential successor to the Hezbollah leader,
Hassan Nasrallah, and he was actually killed in a strike that the Israeli military carried out in Beirut on what they described as an underground
intelligence facility in the Lebanese capital about three weeks ago.
But just yesterday, the confirmation finally came in from the Israeli military that strike was indeed successful in taking out Hashem Safieddine.
And today, Hezbollah now confirming that. And he, of course, joins a very, very long list of senior Hezbollah officials who have been killed in
strikes carried out by the Israeli military over the course of the last month.
Even just in the last 48 hours, the Israeli military has said that they killed three senior Hezbollah commanders in strikes in Lebanon. And today,
we are watching as those Israeli strikes are continuing to expand, with evacuation orders issued early today in Tyre, a historic city in Southern
Lebanon.
The evacuation order was sweeping and it was directed at the central part of the city, which we have not yet seen before in the history of this
conflict over the course of the last year.
This is a historic city and it prompted the evacuation of thousands of people who were living in that part of the city.
Shortly thereafter, we saw thick plumes of smoke emerging from that city where the Israeli military carried out those strikes. We've also seen
strikes by the Israeli military in other parts of Lebanon as well.
Hezbollah, for its part, fired barrages of rockets at Northern Israel today. Actually, several of those rockets actually did make impact in both
Qiryat Shemona in Northeastern Israel, but also in the city of Nahariyya, where a man in his 50s was wounded by shrapnel as well.
And we are seeing as diplomatic efforts are certainly underway to try and resolve this war between Israel and Hezbollah with a special envoy for
President Biden, Amos Hochstein, who has been in the Lebanese capital this week.
But there are no signs of real de-escalation at this point, as it also becomes clear that Israel is taking a much harder line at the negotiating
table, saying that 17 -- Resolution 1701, which resolved the 2006 war, is simply not enough at this stage, that much stricter enforcement of that
resolution is going to be needed, with the Israelis reportedly even pushing for being able to enforce it themselves, with Israeli planes in the skies
of Lebanon following this conflict.
So a lot of very tough work to be done and for now the situation just continuing to escalate. Bianna, Zain.
[12:15:05]
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And this is where anticipating Israel's retaliatory strike against Iran, at any moment, one would assume that would likely happen once
the secretary of state and other U.S. officials leave the region.
Alex Marquardt, let's talk about Secretary of State Blinken's trip to Saudi Arabia, meeting with officials there. One would assume that wouldn't have
happened had we not seen the death of Yahya Sinwar last week.
The United States viewing this potentially at least this administration, as the last opportunity for this administration to really make inroads even on
a short-term ceasefire hostage deal. What more are we hearing about this specific leg of the trip?
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly one key component to all of this effort by the United States is to try to
eventually get normalized relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Israelis.
For now, it does not appear that that is close at hand, despite the wishes of many in this Biden administration.
So certainly, Blinken is going there with his team to keep the Saudis apprised of his conversations with the Israelis. Of course, the Saudis
could play a major role in the so-called a day after plan when it comes to what happens in Gaza following this war between Israel and Hamas.
Blinken will go on from Saudi Arabia to the Qatari capital of Doha. Of course, Doha -- the Qataris have been pivotal in the negotiations with
Hamas when it comes to a ceasefire.
Blinken will then go on to London for further discussions with more leaders from the Middle East.
But, Bianna, certainly I think the most important spot -- stop on this trip was the one in Israel, those discussions with Netanyahu and other top
ministers. It is not clear that Blinken is walking away with any kind of real achievement or deliverable, as they say in diplomatic speak.
I think there were two main goals for the top U.S. diplomat in going to Israel, essentially to convey, as we have heard from President Biden and
others, that this is a moment following the death of Yahya Sinwar to end the war in Gaza, to start rebuilding of the Gaza Strip, to move on, and to
get those hostages home from inside Gaza.
And also, the second priority is to really, at this moment, get more aid into the Gaza Strip, particularly in Northern Gaza.
And from what we hear from those traveling with Blinken, Bianna, there was an interesting moment in which the U.S. side said that there is an
impression that Israel is carrying out what's being called the general's plan. This has been talked about quite a bit, in which the Israeli army is
telling residents of Northern Gaza to get out of that area, so that they could essentially attack anyone who remains and starve anyone who remains.
Now, we're told from a senior administration official that Prime Minister Netanyahu and others have denied this, said very firmly this is not their
policy. But the U.S. made clear that is the impression and that Israel should come out and deny that publicly. We have not seen any kind of denial
from Netanyahu or from others.
But what is clear from the U.S. side is they do not believe there is enough aid getting into the Gaza Strip, particularly in Northern Gaza, where
Israel has been really focusing their efforts against Hamas in recent days.
And it is lost on no one, Bianna, that there is very much this ticking political clock here in the United States less than two weeks before the
election. This could be essentially -- it is almost certainly Blinken's last trip to the region before the election. And, of course, in a few
months' time, we will have a new administration.
So you could imagine that there are many in the region, particularly the Israelis, who might be waiting to see what happens in under two weeks
before making any dramatic decisions. Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, Blinken's 11th visit to the region since October 7th. Alex Marquardt, Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much.
Let's talk about these developments with Barak Ravid, CNN's political and global affairs analyst who's also a politics and foreign policy reporter
with "Axios."
Barack, great to see you. Once again, you had broken news earlier this week that now others are reporting, and that is the U.S. now picking up on
pushing what appears to be at least a short-term ceasefire hostage deal that you report was initiated by the Egyptians with their Israeli
counterparts. Walk us through this deal. And is it realistic at all?
BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Hi, Bianna. Well, idea was discussed earlier this week in a meeting between the head of the
Israeli Shin Bet, the domestic intelligence agency that is focused on Hamas and the new director of Egyptian intelligence.
The meeting to place in Cairo. And during that meeting, both spy chiefs discussed how to jumpstart negotiations over the hostage and ceasefire in
Gaza which were deadlocked over the last two months, maybe a bit more than two months.
[12:20:09]
And the idea was, let's do a small deal first. For example, let's say Hamas will release three, four, five hostages, and in return, Israel would agree
to let's say two or three-week ceasefire in Gaza. And from then -- from there, we could go to a more comprehensive negotiation.
This idea was presented to the Israeli cabinet, Netanyahu approved it. The problem is that, at least at the moment, it hasn't been transmitted
officially to Hamas and Hamas hasn't said yes. So I think we still wait and see whether this thing could go forward.
I have to say that many Israeli officials and U.S. officials I speak to think that this is a very, very low chance that Hamas would agree to this
proposal.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And you report that the Israeli Defense Minister, Gallant, had been receptive to this deal and some of the far-right members of Prime
Minister Netanyahu's coalition had the opposite reaction to it. And we have thus yet to see a successor to Yahya Sinwar announced either.
Also in the meeting between Secretary Blinken and Prime Minister Netanyahu, it's reporting that according to their statements from both offices, they
discussed the big unknown that has not been addressed yet from the Israelis, and that is what the day after would look like in Gaza.
What more, if anything, do you know about that you can tell us about?
RAVID: So, you know, the Israelis and the Emiratis, to be honest, has been -- have been talking a lot about this day after plan for many, many months,
and they've been trying to sell their ideas to Blinken.
And I have to say that in recent weeks, at least my impression, is that they're having more success than I thought in convincing Blinken to take
their ideas and turn them into an American plan that will be presented right after the election and we'll try and get the most regional support as
possible.
And Blinken raised this thing again with Netanyahu and with his confident Ron Dermer in Israel, but also in his conversations today in Saudi Arabia.
And I have to say that at least most of the people I talk to think that there is a very, very low chance that Blinken can pull such a thing off
after an election, especially when there's quite a reasonable chance that the next president will be Donald Trump.
And if that's the case, why would anybody in the region make any moves before Trump comes into the Oval Office?
Therefore, I think while Blinken is still, you know, toying with the idea of presenting something after the election, and maybe he will, there's a
very low chance that it would move further than just the presentation of an idea.
GOLODRYGA: And finally, Barak, I do want to raise the retaliatory strike we're expecting from Israel against Iran following its unprecedented nearly
200 ballistic missiles it launched a few weeks ago.
What are you hearing about when that could be, and what, if any, impact has it had given the revelation of the leaks from the U.S. Defense Department
here that some of the planning had actually been exposed?
RAVID: Well, the Israelis didn't like it, to say the least. I think Blinken got an earful about this during his visit, but it did not change the plans.
Israeli Minister of Defense Gallant just said a few hours ago in a meeting with Air Force fighter pilots in the Hatzerim Airbase, which is the base
that one of the leaked documents focused on.
And he told them that maybe as a sort of even like a message to the U.S., he said, when you're going to attack Iran very, very soon, everybody will
know what you've been training on, which is that training was something that was mentioned in those leaked documents.
And I think this could happen any minute. The only reason it hasn't happened this week already is operational considerations, mainly weather.
And therefore, if those conditions are met, it can happen today, it can happen tomorrow, it can happen, I assume, sometimes by the end of this
week.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And a reminder, that's why the U.S. sent the THAAD missile defense program and batteries to Israel as well, in expectation of what is
likely to be a counter-response then from Iran.
[12:25:08]
Barak Ravid, thank you, as always. Great to see you and yet again great reporting.
RAVID: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: I appreciate your time.
And this is just into CNN, the U.S. and Israel are warning of a potential attack on Sri Lankan tourist locations. The U.S. has posted to social media
that it has credible information warning of an attack on coastal locations popular with tourists. Israel is calling on its citizens to leave Sri Lanka
immediately.
And still to come for us, more on the deadly terror attack in Turkey, where at least four people have been killed after assailants targeted a top
aerospace firm in the capital. We'll have the latest just after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: OK. Let's get back now to our top story and what officials are calling a deadly terror attack in Turkey. It happened in a state-owned
Turkish aerospace industry in Ankara, one of the largest defense companies in the country.
You can see here an army tank along with police and ambulances rushing to the scene following a large explosion. The interior minister says at least
four people were killed, 14 others injured, three of them in critical condition.
Video geolocated and verified by CNN shows two attackers armed with rifles jumped out of a car outside the headquarters and then shoot at people
leaving the site.
Borzou Daragahi is a journalist and a former fellow at The Atlantic Council. He joins me now live in Ankara. Welcome to the program, Borzou.
First of all, your reaction to this attack and more specifically, the location of the attack, the significance of that.
BORZOU DARAGAHI, JOURNALIST: Well, I would say that it comes at a time when things in Turkey are rather calm and copacetic. There's a lot of praise
being heaped on Turkey for its lowering of the inflation rate and its raising of interest rates. Business is going well. So this puts a fly in
the ointment.
As far as the target itself, there's been no claim of responsibility. The government has not accused any political organization or terrorist
organization, but it bears all the hallmarks of a Kurdish extremist or leftist organization. This is the kind of target they would hit as opposed
to the other terrorist organization that is very active in this part of the world, ISIS.
[12:30:10]
GOLODRYGA: And by targeting a defense establishment and one of the largest companies at that in the country, one that has been known for its sale of
drones in particular worldwide, what message would that send, the symbolism?
DARAGAHI: Not only the -- yes. I mean, not only the sale of drones, but actually it's been a key engine of the Turkish drone industry over the last
few decades. And these drones, they, you know, they grew up, so to speak. They were fine-tuned before they were exported to places like Ukraine or
Libya. They were fine-tuned fighting against these very same Kurdish rebels in the mountains of Northern Iraq and in Southeast Turkey.
So I think that is the reasoning behind the likely supposition that the Kurds or affiliated leftist organizations were behind this particular
attack.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. The state-owned company we should note also makes F-16 parts for Boeing and Airbus civilian aircraft as well.
In terms of the expectation now from the government and its response, we already noted that Erdogan, President Erdogan, is out of the country. He
is, in fact, in Russia, which created his own thorny issues, given that it also maintains a NATO membership.
Nonetheless, we've heard from NATO countries, including its secretary general, condemning this attack. What do you expect the response to be from
Erdogan and his government once he returns?
DARAGAHI: I think it will be measured. Sometimes Erdogan and leaders like him like to use these opportunities to create some kind of political
advantage to cry out loud very forcefully to make a big deal out of it.
I think that at this point, Turkey wants to give the appearance of stability and calm to draw more foreign investment and so on, including
into its aerospace and defense industry. So I think that it will be a measured response. It will most likely come in the form of airstrikes or
drone strikes on the very same people probably behind this attack.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. So far, as we noted, no claims of responsibility. Four reported to be dead, 14 injured from what is being described as a terror
attack in the Turkish capital.
Borzou Daragahi, thank you so much for your time.
Coming up, are Kamala Harris and Donald Trump doing enough to win over voters in crucial swing states? We'll get perspectives from the key swing
states of Nevada and Michigan just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:35:00]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
The presidential race is won in the swing states, and that's where the candidates and their surrogates have been spending lots of time. Former
President Barack Obama was in Detroit, Michigan, stumping for Kamala Harris, where he got an introduction from one of the city's most famous
sons.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMINEM, AMERICAN RAPPER: Barack Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: If you don't recognize him, that's Detroit's own Eminem. While the rapper and the politician shared the stage, only one of them rapped,
and it wasn't Eminem.
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have done a lot of rallies, so I don't usually get nervous. But I was feeling some kind of way
following Eminem.
My palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy. Vomit on my sweater already. Mom's spaghetti. I'm nervous, but on the surface I look calm and
ready to drop bombs, but I keep on forgetting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: That was quite impressive. Well, once he was done showing off his musical ability, the former president wasted little time in attacking
Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: If your grandpa was acting like this, you'd be worried. You'd call up -- you'd call up your sister, your brother, your cousin, you'd be all
like, let me holler at you. Have you noticed grandpa? He acted a little funny. But this is somebody who wants unchecked power.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Meanwhile, Donald Trump took aim at Barack Obama, calling into his question his value on the campaign trail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I think he's a real jerk because I've watched him campaign over the last couple of -- over the last
couple of days, I watched him campaign. What a divider he is, right? What a divider he is.
They're bringing out Obama. I say, oh, they did that with Hillary Clinton. Good. I'm glad they're bringing him out.
The reason they're bringing him out, because he doesn't want to do it. I think he's -- I think he's exhausted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Time now for The Exchange. Joining me is Zoe Clark, political director at Michigan Radio. And I'm also joined by Tabitha Mueller, the
staff reporter at "The Nevada Independent." Zoe, Tabitha, welcome to the program.
Zoe, let me start with you in Michigan, because it was interesting to hear Donald Trump go after President Obama in North Carolina to a receptive
crowd. And even when he started attacking Obama there, you could hear a few boos in the background to he's saying that Obama is irrelevant to helping
Kamala Trump at this point.
Your reaction to that, given his popularity, given that he remains one of the most popular, if not the most popular democratic leader in the country.
What, if anything, can he do for voters there in Michigan, undecided voters, in these last few days?
ZOE CLARK, POLITICAL DIRECTOR, MICHIGAN RADIO: Right. So the democratic campaign, Harris' campaign right now, they're doing two things. I mean, one
is they need to GOTV, right, get out the vote. And Obama still, to your point, if he's not the most popular, he might be second only to Michelle
Obama.
So he's helping to get voters enthusiastic, to get the base enthusiastic, particularly because, as you noted, early in-person voting is happening for
the first time here in Michigan during a presidential election.
The second thing he's doing is what we know from polling and conversations is the Harris campaign seems to be having trouble with black men.
And so when we're talking about enthusiasm, you've got Obama, but you also have him here, a crowd in Detroit saying, it's time that we support and
really doing some persuading to folks who may not be sure about Harris or may just not even really think about voting at all.
[12:40:00]
GOLODRYGA: Tabitha, Kamala Harris' troubles and weakness in persuading black men, white men, working class men, including Latino men, for her
support is not just unique to Michigan. We're also seeing that in the state of Nevada. Latinos make up 20 percent of the vote there.
And the concerns lie in not only the economy, but also we're seeing a real gender divide in this race, unlike others that we've seen in recent
history. Tell us what you're seeing there among voters in Nevada and what, if anything, the Harris campaign is doing. Is it effective in these last 13
days?
TABITHA MUELLER, STAFF REPORTER, THE NEVADA INDEPENDENT: We've absolutely seen a gender divide and even polling -- there's recent polling from today
showing that as well that men are more likely to support Trump than women.
And I think that what the Harris campaign has been doing is really emphasizing on get out the vote efforts, right? Door knocking. Former
President Barack Obama was actually here last weekend.
And so I think that those are all part of this push to say turn out, show up, vote. We've seen advertisement after advertisement sort of emphasizing
some of the critiques that people have had of former President Donald Trump.
And I think that those are going to be critical to see if it actually pulls out. And we're in the middle of early voting right now in Nevada, six days
in. And I think that everyone is emphasizing turnout and vote.
And what's interesting is this year we're seeing something slightly different than we've seen in the past, I believe, since 2008, which is that
Republicans are actually turn out voting Democrats and early voting in Nevada. So that's a really interesting trend. And we don't totally know
what that means yet. Nevada has a high rate of nonpartisans.
And that's another critical demographic that Harris is going to have to win if she wants to become president or at least win Nevadans' votes here.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And we should note, President Obama won Nevada by 55 percent in 2008, and now you see it really neck and neck, not just in
Nevada, but also, Zoe, in Michigan.
And one of the key voting blocs there that Kamala Harris is having particular concerns over is and getting to support her is the Arab vote in
Michigan. And that in and of itself is creating a bigger picture problem for her on the issue of geopolitics and the Middle East and what her
approach would be, her policy would be for the war in Gaza, which we only talk about expanding at this point.
What are you seeing there among Arab voters now?
CLARK: Right. We should note that Michigan has one of the largest Arab- American populations in the country, more than 100,000 folks voted uncommitted back in the February presidential primary against Joe Biden.
Again, this was in the democratic primary.
And when you consider, right, that Donald Trump only won Michigan by some 11,000 votes in 2016, Biden won by 150,000 in 2020. So, 100,000, it
matters, right, when this is a race that is going to be won by inches, not yards.
And so it is a coalition of democratic voters that the Harris team is trying to figure out, and whether that is, you know, suburban women,
whether that is the union vote or the Arab-American vote, which is just simply unhappy, frustrated, and angry with what the Biden-Harris
administration's response has been so far.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And there are some polls suggesting that Donald Trump may be even making some inroads into winning over some of those disenfranchised
Arab voters there in Michigan.
Tabitha, if I can get you to respond to what we have been covering, this shocking reporting from "The New York Times" and "The Atlantic" from John
Kelly, the former chief of staff, the longest serving chief of staff to Donald Trump, saying what would have been a death knell, right, career-
ender for any other political candidate other than Donald Trump, a disqualifier at the very least, saying that he met the definition of a
fascist.
And anecdotes once again about racist comments that he's made, one in particular. I want to bring up for you now. And that involves a slain U.S.
soldier, a woman who was killed at a military base in 2020. Then President Trump had offered to pay for her funeral. And then was asked for the bill
and how much that funeral cost.
And here's what was reported. Trump became angry. He said it doesn't cost 60,000 bucks to bury an effing Mexican. He turned to his chief of staff,
Mark Meadows, and issued an order. Don't pay it. Later that day, he was still agitated. Can you believe it, he said, according to a witness, effing
people trying to rip me off.
[12:45:11]
The editor-in-chief of "The Atlantic" this morning said, as far as he knows, Donald Trump never paid for that funeral. He promised to pay.
I raise this because I'm wondering how you juxtapose that. And that's not the outlier in terms of language like that we've heard from Donald Trump.
How do you -- how do you then connect that to where we see some of the polling that we just discussed earlier and the fact that he's gaining
traction with Latino men, with black voters? How are you analyzing that in Nevada?
MUELLER: The way that I'm thinking about it in Nevada is also looking at immigration policies and stances. I think that when we talk to voters at
rallies and even Latino voters who are there and ask them about this, a lot of them say that to them, it's this matter of they immigrated here legally,
they're documented and there's some divides between what should be done around the border, right?
And you need to understand that the Latino vote is not monolithic. This is -- this is a group of voters who are very different and distinct and
unique. And we cannot just take all Latino voters as one voting bloc. I know that's really tempting to do and oftentimes we'll say, well, Asian
American issues or black issues or Latino issues, but that's not how people work, right? I don't vote the same way as other people just because of my
gender or my race or my identity. And I think that's a critical component to this.
But I also think that there are -- there are a lot of Latino community members who are really frustrated with the rhetoric around this election
and some of the anger and hatred that we're seeing expressed at different rallies and in different ways.
And I think that some of this is coming down to also a distrust in the media, right? Can we believe these reports? Do we want to share them? And
reaching those voters, just because it's in "The New York Times" or just because it's being discussed on CNN or another publication, doesn't
necessarily mean that is reaching voters.
And if it is, it might even be reaching voters via campaign advertisements. And I know that a lot of voters have already started to tune those out at
this point in the election cycle.
GOLODRYGA: Of course. And so many have already voted quickly because we're out of time. Just a yes or no answer. I'm just curious from what you're
seeing on the ground there, both in Michigan and Nevada.
Are you hearing much from voters in response to this news from John Kelly? Zoe, let me start with you first.
CLARK: Yes, absolutely. I think what we just heard is exactly it. People have busy lives. They may have heard it. But is it really making a
difference yet? I think it's a little too early to tell.
GOLODRYGA: Same with you, Tabitha.
MUELLER: Absolutely yes.
GOLODRYGA: Zoe Clark, Tabitha Mueller, thank you so much. Fascinating to hear from both of you. Appreciate your perspectives and relaying to us what
you're seeing in those two respective states.
And this just into CNN. We expect to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris in a few minutes on former Trump Chief of Staff John Kelly's comments to
"The New York Times" that we've just been talking about his former boss. We will bring you Vice President Harris' comments when they happen. And we'll
be back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:50:58]
GOLODRYGA: Well, would you feel safe eating at McDonald's right now? The company says there is nothing to worry about. That's despite the fact that
10 people have been hospitalized with E. coli infection and tragically one has died. Health officials blaming McDonald's burgers. And the Food and
Drug Administration says it could have come from the onions that McDonald's used.
The fast food chain says quarter pounders which are suspected of spreading the infection have been pulled from the menu.
Forty-nine cases have been reported across the Western United States, most of them in Colorado and Nebraska. Health officials say they expect that
number to grow.
And American Airlines is getting hit with a $50 million fine for its alleged mistreatment of passengers with disabilities. The U.S.
transportation department says an investigation has uncovered repeated violations of rules designed to protect airline passengers who use
wheelchairs. For its part, the carrier says it's seen a 20 percent improvement in its wheelchair handling since 2022.
Well, basketball star, LeBron James, and his son, Bronny, making history as the first father-son duo to play together in a regular season NBA game. It
happened Tuesday at the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves on the league's opening night. 39-year-old LeBron, on the
left, appeared in the starting lineup as expected. 20-year-old, Bronny, making his debut in the second quarter. Final score, Lakers 110,
Timberwolves 103.
After the game, James shared his feelings about playing with his son.
Before we bring you that video, I believe we are going to go to Vice President Kamala -- oh, we don't have Kamala Harris yet?
Let's play you a sound of James sharing his feelings about playing with his son.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEBRON JAMES, LOS ANGELES LAKERS FORWARD: It's family. It's always been family over everything. You know, for me, I lost a lot of time because of
this league and committing to this league, being on the road at times, missing a lot of his things, Bryce's things, Zhuri's things. So to be able
to have this moment where I'm working still and I can work alongside my son is one of the greatest gifts I've ever got from the man above. And I'm
going to take full advantage of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: That's incredible seeing the two of them side by side.
Well, it's been called one of the largest treasures found in Poland in recent years and whoever found it could face jail time.
Polish police are investigating how more than 100 Bronze Age artifacts popped up outside a historical association. The collection was full of
spearheads, necklaces and shields all dating back thousands of years.
Police say whoever unearthed these items are looking at up to eight years in prison. The crime? Finding a treasure without permission.
And Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla are in Samoa on a three-day visit. Here you see them leaving Sydney, Australia after a six-day tour.
King Charles will attend a Commonwealth leaders meeting in Samoa. Many of the Commonwealth countries are island nations now struggling with rising
sea levels caused by climate change.
The crisis is set to be a key topic of discussion and the leaders are expected to issue a declaration on protecting the ocean.
All right. We'll be back in a moment with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:55:39]
GOLODRYGA: For the 10th year in a row, Chicago has been named the Rattiest City in the U.S. And that doesn't mean the city is messy. It means it
actually has a rat problem.
American pest control company Orkins' list of top rat-infested cities puts Los Angeles in second place, followed by New York and San Francisco. The
company says Chicago's abundance of alleys provides rodents with hidden havens, offering plenty of space to hide while feasting on trash. I hope
you guys aren't eating lunch right now watching this.
Chicago sanitation spokesperson disputes the ranking. I do have to say as a New Yorker, I've seen my fair share of rats. I love the city, but not that
aspect of it.
That does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Sorry to leave you with that image. Thank you so much for watching. "AMANPOUR" is up
next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
