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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Harris: Trump "Tanked" Border Bill, Prefers To Run On A Problem Instead Of "Fixing" One; Trump Awkwardly Meets With Zelenskyy Day After Criticizing Him; NYC Mayor's Defense Lawyer: There Are No Emails, Texts Or Any Corroboration In Federal Indictment. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired September 27, 2024 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:00:00]
LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING (RET.), FORMER ARMY COMMANDING GENERAL, EUROPE AND SEVENTH ARMY, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: And what we've seen, over the last couple of days, is multiple leaders of the Hezbollah organizations, from area commanders, to missile strike commanders, to rocket commanders, to the chief of Hezbollah, becoming targets. Because they are in a bit of turmoil, communication opens up, the targeting and the intelligence collection by the Israeli Defense Forces, and that's what's happening.
I'd add to the point that on October 8th, the day after the October 7th attacks by Hamas, Hezbollah started firing rockets. There have been over 3,000 rockets fired into northern Israel.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: Yes.
HERTLING: And I think what Israel has been attempting to do is find intelligence to strike the leadership of Hezbollah, during that entire period of time. That's what I would do, as a commander.
COOPER: General--
HERTLING: And I think that's what the Israeli Defense Forces is doing as well.
COOPER: General Hertling. Ben Wedeman. Jeremy Diamond. Thank you.
That's it for us. The news continues. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS: Straight to THE SOURCE tonight.
Vice President Harris at the border, right now, in her first visit as the Democratic nominee, trying to cut into Donald Trump's immigration edge, as he mocks her for showing up.
Meanwhile, a hospital that was surrounded by Hurricane Helene's floodwaters, with dozens trapped on the roof, including patients. We're going to show you that dramatic and dangerous rescue that happened today. Also, we're tracking new explosions, in Beirut, tonight as Israel -- Israel's targeting the leader of Hezbollah, launching a strike in the heart of the capital.
I'm Kaitlan Collins. And this is THE SOURCE.
Moments ago, Vice President Kamala Harris was just visiting the U.S. southern border, for the first time since she became the Democratic nominee, really confronting what has been one of her biggest political vulnerabilities. Immigration.
Harris is in one of the most critical states ahead of this election. That is, of course, Arizona. And she gave a tougher speech on immigration than we've seen most major Democrats give in years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: And that means, again, working together in real-time, grounded on finding commonsense approaches. Not just about some rhetoric at a rally, but actually doing the work of fixing a problem.
To reduce illegal border crossings, I will take further action to keep the border closed between ports of entry.
We will pursue more severe criminal charges against repeat violators.
As president, I will make it a top priority to disrupt the flow of fentanyl coming into the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: And we need clear legal pathways for people seeking to come into our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: With remarks like those, Harris is trying to close the polling gap that she's had with Donald Trump.
She went after him, tonight, for his role in sinking that bipartisan immigration bill, on Capitol Hill, earlier this year, essentially equating his role in all of it, to sabotage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Donald Trump tanked it. He picked up the phone, and called some friends in Congress, and said, Stop the bill. Because, you see, he prefers to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem.
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: And the American people deserve a president, who cares more about border security than playing political games and their personal political future.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Trump, for his part, knew that speech, and that part of it was coming. He tried to undercut Harris, before she even arrived in Arizona, saying in Michigan earlier that he did not block the bill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: She wants to see if she could salvage, make up some lies, like she said about the border bill that, Trump stopped.
Let me tell you, number one, I didn't stop it. The senators stopped it. But that's the worst bill ever drawn.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: That is not what Donald Trump said back then.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: A lot of the senators are trying to say, respectfully, they're blaming it on me. I said that's OK. Please blame it on me. Please.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Harris said tonight that if she is elected, she'll not only try to bring back that legislation to sign it, if she's in the Oval Office. She also assured voters that she will go even further.
My political sources are here at the table with me tonight.
Former New York City Mayor, Bill de Blasio.
I mean, that is not a speech that you typically would expect a Democrat to be giving. We've got 39 days to go before the election. What did you make of what she had to say tonight?
BILL DE BLASIO, (D) FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: I think it is a honest response to a problem that got out of hand. And, look, we have to remember, it's the Biden-Harris administration, but who was making the decisions? With all due respect to Joe Biden, who, I think has been a great president.
[21:05:00]
I think the border situation tremendously alienated people in this country. They felt there was a sense of disorder. They felt there were not rules.
And I'm a progressive person. I want this to be a humane country with a -- with a really clear asylum policy, for people in need. But I don't want to see lawlessness. I don't want to see open borders. I want to see some kind of rules that actually work.
So, I think she's responding to what people feel. And if you look at what she's talked about, with that previous legislation, she's saying, Here are some constructive things we could do, more Border Security agents, a better asylum process. And she's reminding people, Donald Trump stood in the way of it. I actually think it makes a lot of sense, given the way things have played out.
COLLINS: I mean, Margaret, this is her first time at the border since 2000--
Harry's laughing.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Margaret just has such a smile on her face, she's just so teed up, ready to go.
COLLINS: Well, I just wonder, because it is her first time at the border since 2021.
MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, HOST, PBS "FIRING LINE," VETERAN OF TWO GOP PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS: Right.
COLLINS: I was listening. She talked a lot more about her time as California Attorney General than really as Vice President. Obviously, we've seen what the numbers are. We can see politically why she's doing that.
But I wonder what you made of what she had to say tonight, from a Republican perspective.
HOOVER: Well, what I love, first, is that a progressive New York Mayor, Bill de Blasio, is saying that an essentially conservative border speech by the Democratic nominee makes a lot of sense, OK? That just shows how much the Overton window has shifted to the right, from the Democratic Party.
I mean, basically, the policy she laid out today equates to the mainstream Republican position in 2012. I mean, I wrote a book about reviving the Republican Party to connect to a new generation in 2011. And the immigration chapter that I wrote about, secure the border, E- Verify, make sure that people are working legally, create a pathway for citizens who are -- people who are here, who have been working and paying taxes for years.
COLLINS: Which to me there are--
HOOVER: That's only difference -- the only difference between her speech and what Republicans thought then, was that fentanyl is now an issue.
And she said, We have to prosecute people who are coming in with fentanyl. There are two cartels. We have to give the Border Security money to do.
I mean, this is a conservative borders policy circa pre-Trump era. And Democrats would never have supported this previously. But it is the practical political reality.
I'm totally for it, by the way. This is what has to happen. I mean, we know how to solve the border. This is not a mystery. It's just that both sides, Democrats and Republicans, over the last 20 years, have wanted the politics of the issue on their side, not the practical solution.
COLLINS: Well, and that was the point she kind of made tonight, about Trump. And you're talking about Republicans. And they probably wouldn't recognize this plan either. It's not something that you'd hear from Donald Trump, and J.D. Vance.
HOOVER: Well, unless you rewind the tape and listen to Mitt Romney or, frankly, John McCain, or George Bush circa 20 -- 2004, 2006 after he won. He tried to get immigration reform with Ted Kennedy, OK? It looked and sounded a lot like this.
ENTEN: Look, this is electoral politics at its finest, right? How many days are we until the election? Was it like--
COLLINS: 39.
ENTEN: 39. I was going to say 40. We'll go to 39.
And we know, in poll after poll after poll, when asked who is more trusted, on the issue of immigration? It's Donald Trump. Our CNN poll, our last CNN poll had Trump up by double digits over Kamala Harris, on this particular issue.
When you ask Americans, What's the most important issue, what's the biggest problem facing this country? Immigration has consistently been listed in either the first position, second position or third position.
The bottom line is, if this election is about immigration, then Donald Trump's going to win this election.
What Kamala Harris is going out and trying to do? Look, she's not going to win on the issue of immigration. But she's trying to cut the margins down, at least a little bit, and this is part of the effort. Whether it works or not, who knows? It may be a little too much -- a little too much, a little too late. But the bottom line is that this type of speech definitely reflects the political realities of today.
COLLINS: Well, she always goes after him, for his role in tanking the Senate bill, which I think--
ENTEN: It's a good -- I think--
COLLINS: --James Lankford would agree with her on.
ENTEN: And I would agree it's a good political attack, because if you look at the polling, most Americans approved of that particular bill. But I think Donald Trump wants to keep the issue at the forefront, and that is why he, let's be honest, tried to tank that, and was ultimately successful. COLLINS: OK.
ENTEN: Despite what he's saying, on the line (ph).
COLLINS: Because she said he wanted to run on it.
But listen to what she said tonight, because she went even further than just on that bill tonight. This is what she had to say about Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: He separated families. He ripped toddlers out of their mother's arms. Put children in cages. And tried to end protections for DREAMers. He made the challenges at the border worse. And he is still, and he is still, fanning the flames of fear and division.
And let me be clear. That is not the work of a leader. That is not the work of a leader. And that is, in fact, I think we all believe, an abdication of leadership.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: I think the question is, Mr. Mayor, it's is what Harry's saying, is that enough? Is criticizing Donald Trump on that, is that going to help cut those margins for her?
[21:10:00]
DE BLASIO: Well, I think what she's saying there, and I want to note the sort of synthesis of her true belief, which I can feel right there, that a lot of what Trump did was divisive, racist, anti-family, let's go down the whole list. And that is a historic Democratic position, and that's not changing. But also a recognition that the situation the border, up until now, has been an unacceptable status quo. I think she is trying to knit the pieces together.
To me, when I listen to that, I say, a lot of people are going to resonate with that. Remember, during that crisis at the border, I was down there, as Mayor, and I saw those detention facilities for the unaccompanied young people. I think America was repulsed by that. I think people across the board felt that that was not consistent with our values.
At the same time, I think as people have seen the border situation become more and more complicated, they do want to see order, and they do want to see something that feels better.
So, I think she's striking the right balance. And I think she's right to say, Trump created not only a lack of ability to get to a solution. He also infused the whole discussion with a negativity towards people-- HOOVER: Yes.
DE BLASIO: --from other countries that actually doesn't fit the American history.
HOOVER: I think that's right. I think she's, in her own voice, adding humanity to the issue that Donald Trump hasn't added.
I mean, Donald Trump has vilified Mexicans as rapists, from his very first speech, when he entered the scene, coming down the golden escalator, and worked it, in his rhetoric, dehumanize migrants, who have come across the border.
And she's here trying to -- trying to strike a tone of seriousness, and yet -- and yet, a sense of empathy and humanity.
And this notion that it isn't consistent with our values. I mean, we all know that the -- and, by the way, the reason Donald Trump had to fix the border crisis, when the children -- the child separation policy was in place, was it was so unpopular with evangelical Christians, a major base of the Republican Party.
So, I just think, also, look, Trump has a record to run on. He has his, what he promised in 2015, 2016, is that he would build a wall, and Mexico would pay for it. And now, he's promising not just to -- he's not really saying the wall part anymore. But he's saying he's going to round up a 11 million people and ship them home, right?
ENTEN: Ah--
HOOVER: So I just, I think, she -- you have to take both of them, what they're saying at face value, and consider what's real and what's not. But what she's saying strikes me as far more credible than what he's saying.
ENTEN: I would just say, support for the border wall's, actually, it's all-time high. He should go back to that. But of course, as Donald Trump normally does, he goes too far, and leaves an opening for let's see if she's able to take it.
COLLINS: Well, it would also contradict with his claim that he built the border wall.
ENTEN: Well--
COLLINS: So, you can't say you're going to build it, if you're arguing that you built it.
ENTEN: Donald Trump contradicting himself? I would never have heard such a thing.
COLLINS: Thank you all so much for being here.
ENTEN: Thank you.
COLLINS: Harry. Up next. We're going to take you to coverage that we had here, last night. Unbelievable rescues that happened just hours ago, as the danger from Hurricane Helene still not over tonight. There was one hospital, where patients and staff were stranded on the roof by rising floodwaters. It was too dangerous for boats, they had to bring in helicopters to save people.
Plus, explosions are still rocking Beirut, tonight, on the heels of Israel's massive strike, earlier, targeting a major terrorist leader.
[21:15:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tonight, we're learning more about the devastating impact that Hurricane Helene has had, leaving at least 45 people dead, across five different states.
In Asheville, North Carolina, today, there was devastating and historic flooding from the storm. It drowned the city in several feet of water. People there, describing what they said was complete pandemonium, as government officials put the city under a curfew, at 07:30 p.m.
In Tennessee, today, a dangerous rescue mission unfolded, after rising floodwaters from the hurricane completely surrounded an entire hospital. That caused more than 50 patients and staffers to be stranded on the rooftop, and others on rescue boats who had nowhere to go. Eventually, helicopters were able to land on the roof.
And tonight, we can report all hospital personnel and patients have gratefully been rescued.
Joining me now is the Erwin Police Chief, Regan Tilson. He was there, on the roof, rescuing people today.
Chief, it's just great to have you.
Can you just, first, I mean, seeing the video itself seems almost just surreal. Tell me what happened today.
REGAN TILSON, ERWIN POLICE CHIEF (On Telephone): It was, the water rose very quickly. The dam broke over in North Carolina.
And while we were there, trying to evacuate patients, to avoid this, we ended up being surrounded by the water, and were able to get to the roof. Myself, several team members from the PD Johnson City Search and Rescue, the Swiftwater rescue team, and the hospital staff, we were able to get everybody to the roof.
And Virginia State Police sent two helicopters, and the Tennessee Army National Guard sent two helicopters. And we were able to evacuate approximately 64 people from the roof, be it patients and staff and the first responders. But it was absolutely catastrophic.
COLLINS: So, when you got there, the -- and you were conducting rescues, that was before the water had gotten as high as we can see here, where it's -- where it's nearly at the roof. Is that right?
[21:20:00]
TILSON (On Telephone): Yes, ma'am. When we first got there, it was very easy to access. And while we were trying to move patients, the water rose very quickly. My understanding is a dam broke over, towards Asheville, and it caused our river to rise even more. And by the proximity of the mountains, it was -- it rose quick, and we kind of got stuck on the roof.
COLLINS: How fast did that happen?
TILSON (On Telephone): Within 15 or 20 minutes, we were inaccessible even by boat, because of the swiftness of the river. The Interstate is still shut down on I-26. It went all the way across. And the building itself was actually compromised. But thanks to the pilots and the staff of those aircraft, we were able to get everybody out.
COLLINS: Well, and obviously it's a lot of -- a lot of nurses there, but also -- and doctors, but patients as well. I mean, these are people who are in a hospital for a reason that have their own medical issues. And I imagine that played a factor.
I mean, was there a moment ever, where you were on the roof, thinking to yourself, how are we going to get these people out of here safely?
TILSON (On Telephone): Yes, ma'am, absolutely. I'm not going to lie, it was very, not only chaotic, but concerning that we weren't going to be able to get anybody, much less the patients, out. And again, if not for those helicopters, I don't know what would have happened.
COLLINS: Did you have any more time left to spare, would you say?
TILSON (On Telephone): I think no, we didn't. They got us out at the precise moment. Otherwise, I don't know what would have happened.
COLLINS: I imagine everyone was incredibly grateful, when they were able to get off that roof. What did they say?
TILSON (On Telephone): They had a lot of things going on. And we had a command post set up, and we were getting the patients there. We had EMS from other counties, because we lost most of our ambulances during the rescue. I lost four police cruisers. We lost a fire truck.
However, we didn't lose any lives. And it was because of the teamwork from everybody that came to help us. And we really needed them, and they were there in our time of need.
COLLINS: Had you ever witnessed anything like this in your time as the Chief of Police?
TILSON (On Telephone): No, ma'am. I've been Chief here since 2008. I've never seen anything like this, ever.
COLLINS: Chief Regan Tilson, you did some heroic work today. I mean, just seeing those videos alone would give anybody chills. Thank you for what you did today. And thank you for joining me tonight.
TILSON (On Telephone): Yes, ma'am, I appreciate y'all. But I promise you, it was all good teamwork. It wasn't just me.
COLLINS: Well, thank you for being so gracious. I really appreciate you.
We also have joining us now, the Chairman and the CEO of Ballad Health, Alan Levine, who was also there, this afternoon.
I mean, Alan, just to hear what this was like today, is just remarkable. And you're someone, who has a lot of experience with natural disasters. This is not something really that it's like you've never worked in this before, had to deal with this. What did you make of what happened today, and what unfolded?
ALAN LEVINE, CHAIRMAN & CEO, BALLAD HEALTH: Well, the Chief is right. It was a very difficult situation.
This morning, we started to evacuate the hospital, and we learned quickly that we weren't going to be able to get people out safely.
So, I actually reached out and spoke directly, about 10:15 this morning, to the Director of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. And immediately, the Governor of Tennessee, the Governor of Virginia, and their teams, got together, and started putting a plan together.
Each of the steps of the plan, we found, were failing. The boats, we couldn't get the boats in and out safely. We made a decision to get the patients that could get to the roof, and the employees to the roof.
And there was a lot of praying and -- but really, today, a lot of people worked together. Two states got together, and came up with a plan, and they saved about 60 lives. And we're very grateful for that.
The building, the hospital, it was one of America's newest rural hospitals. We were proud to open it, about five years ago. It's a total loss. But thankfully, no lives were lost.
And the Chief is right. There were a lot of heroes today. And we're grateful for all of them.
COLLINS: Well, I mean, and if you're from a rural area, you know how valuable these hospitals are to people. They're few and far between, unfortunately, these days.
But when I heard the Chief say that they didn't have a lot of time to spare before, luckily, these helicopters did show up, to help get people out of there. I mean, is this ever a crisis that you thought you'd confront and that you'd be having to kind of plan for?
LEVINE: No, in fact, there was a point today, where I had a chance, this afternoon, to go out there, with our Congresswoman, and a state representative, and actually lay eyes on the hospital, after everybody was rescued. [21:25:00]
And I'll be honest, I don't know how that building is still standing. This could easily have gone the other way. And the fact is that I don't know how much longer that building will stand. But it could have been a lot worse.
And thankfully, everybody was safe. I had a chance to talk to each of the patients. They're all safe, tonight, at other hospitals. And the employees are at home with their families, which is where they belong.
And, look, there wasn't -- the Chief is right. There wasn't a lot of time to spare. The hospital was not safe. And the fact that they were able to land Black Hawk helicopters on top of that hospital, as difficult of a shape the hospital was in, it was a miracle, to be honest with you.
COLLINS: Yes, grateful for that miracle, and grateful for everyone who was able to work together.
Alan Levine, thank you for joining.
LEVINE: Thank you.
COLLINS: Up next. We're going to take you to the Middle East, because Israel is striking inside Lebanon's capital, tonight. They have been on a mission to kill a leader of Hezbollah -- the leader of Hezbollah. We're seeing more explosions tonight. We'll tell you why.
Plus, we're going to dig into that awkward meeting, earlier, between Ukrainian president Zelenskyy, and former President Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We have a very good relationship. And I also have a very good relationship, as you know, with President Putin.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: I hope we have more good relations between us.
TRUMP: We're going to have -- oh, I see.
ZELENSKYY: Yes.
TRUMP: Yes. But--
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think Ukraine could win the war?
TRUMP: But, you know, it takes two to tango, you know?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[21:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: Some breaking news for you, this hour, as we are looking at live pictures of Beirut, right now. It's dark, but you can see in the background, large explosions that are happening, across southern Lebanon, tonight, as the Israeli military is striking a series of buildings in Lebanon's capital city, buildings that the IDF claims are storing Hezbollah's missiles.
Now, these hits are coming just hours after Israeli sources told CNN that the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, and other senior commanders were the target of a strike that we saw happen just a few hours ago.
Right now, a senior Israeli official tells us it's too early to say whether Nasrallah was hit and killed. And if he was killed, I do caution if, it would be a huge blow, not only to Hezbollah, but also to Iran.
We do know the strikes hit what is usually a densely populated area. Rescuers, tonight, are continuing to search for victims.
Joining me now is CNN's Chief National Security Correspondent, Alex Marquardt.
And Alex, we're waiting to see what happened. It doesn't even appear Israel knows if Nasrallah was actually in there.
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Right.
COLLINS: Obviously, they were targeting him.
But what he did for Hezbollah, in order to build it up to become one of the biggest non-state militias. I mean, it would be kind of hard to overstate what his death would actually mean.
MARQUARDT: It's extraordinary to think that Israel actually decided to go after Hassan Nasrallah. He is a legendary figure within this, the Iranian axis. He's, you know, he brought Hezbollah up, to this extraordinary force, of course, with the help of Iran.
I don't know that -- I would have bet that Israel would have actually gone after him, because of the massive repercussions, except for the fact that we have seen this growing series of strikes, against more and more top-level Hezbollah commanders.
You and I were in a briefing, earlier today. They estimated they've taken out more than half of Hezbollah's top commanders, if not more than that. So, this really would be a stunning decapitation of what is really Iran's most powerful proxy.
Now, you look at those pictures, and we believe that huge 2,000-pound bombs were used in southern Beirut, in that very densely populated area of Dahieh. And you can see why it's going to take some time, for them to figure out whether he was actually in there.
The Israelis are saying it was a very tough call, to decide to go after him. But if he was indeed killed, we're told, it would represent a potential pivot in this conflict, because of how important he is, because he is irreplaceable, because the Israelis believe that he represents such a force within this organization. So, you could see a scenario in which they are significantly weakened. This is really an existential question for Hezbollah.
COLLINS: Well, and obviously, we're waiting to see how Iran would respond to all of that, what those repercussions could be.
This happened while Netanyahu was in New York, today. He's here for the United Nations General Assembly. He gave a speech earlier.
What do we know about how the White House, if they had a heads-up that this was coming?
MARQUARDT: Yes, from what I understand, the Israelis have told the U.S., generally, We are going after top Hezbollah commanders. So that would include Nasrallah.
This happened, the green light was given by Netanyahu, while he was here in New York. In fact, he was in a meeting with some of our Israeli colleagues, giving a briefing to Israeli reporters, when this news broke. And he walked out after just a couple minutes, and that briefing was canceled.
So, we are told firmly by the administration, they did not know. President Joe Biden himself saying, on the record, We did not know about this. We were not involved in this, in any way. The Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, says that he was only told during -- while the operation was actually underway.
There is a real communications question, right now, because the White House put out that 21-day ceasefire plan, on Wednesday, which Netanyahu came out, and essentially rejected, right off the bat.
[21:35:00]
And we were told, earlier today, that there was just an honest misunderstanding, between the Israeli and the U.S. sides, whereby the Israelis thought that this was sort of the beginning of a process of a -- to negotiate this proposal, while the U.S. expected it to be put into place imminently.
It's clear that the U.S., and Israel, right now, are on two different tracks. And the U.S. is very, very worried about the escalation that this strike and all these others could cause.
COLLINS: And we can -- we're watching why, tonight, with these strikes.
Alex Marquardt, great reporting. Thank you for that.
We also want to get perspective now, from someone who served in international affairs, for three separate administrations. Most recently, Donald Trump's National Security Adviser. Ambassador John Bolton. Ambassador, if Nasrallah was killed, how big of an impact is this going to have, on what we are watching play out, in the Middle East, right now?
AMB. JOHN BOLTON, FORMER TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: Well, I think it will show what should have been obvious, beginning on October the 7th, that what we're seeing, in the Middle East, is the unfolding of Iran's Ring of Fire strategy.
The White House, for nearly a year now, has had its head in the sand, about what's going on, across the region.
I think Israel and the Netanyahu government understand it precisely. And I think that's why this attack, if it has taken Nasrallah out, is so significant.
And let me say, the vibes out of the Israeli Defense Forces, and what's coming out of Iran too, seem to signal that they both think that it was a success, and may well be a success beyond just Nasrallah, that many other top Hezbollah officials were also caught there.
So, this could lead to further Israeli attacks to go after what the real threat from Hezbollah is, which is this extraordinarily large arsenal of missiles that they've largely gotten from, or have been financed by Iran. And if, in fact, that does follow, that has enormous significance for how the Ring of Fire strategy plays out, all of it negative for Iran.
COLLINS: Yes, and as Israeli officials were telling Alex and I, earlier, sometimes it's hard to know if they actually killed their intended target, because they tried to hide the intelligence.
But Ambassador Bolton, while I have you here, I want to ask you about the other global conflict that we're covering, right now. Ukraine. We also saw President Zelenskyy here in town.
And there was just this remarkable scene that played out, in Trump Tower, today. Donald Trump was standing right next to President Zelenskyy. Just listen to a bit of what they said in front of the cameras.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: So, we have a very good relationship. And I also have a very good relationship, as you know, with President Putin. And I think if we win, I think we're going to get it resolved very quickly. Very quickly. I really think we're going to get it resolved quickly.
ZELENSKYY: I hope we have more good relations between us.
TRUMP: We're going to have -- oh, I see.
ZELENSKYY: Yes.
TRUMP: Yes. But--
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think Ukraine could win the war?
TRUMP: But, you know, it takes two to tango, you know? And we will -- we're going to have a good meeting today. And I think the fact that we're even together today is a very good sign. And hopefully, we'll have a good victory. Because if the other side wins, I don't think you're going to have victories with anything, to be honest with you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: I mean, it points, Ambassador, it sounded like Trump was describing just kind of a dispute between two parties, not an invasion of another country.
I mean, how do you think Zelenskyy heard Donald Trump saying for good relations, it takes two to tango.
BOLTON: Yes. Look, if people couldn't see how uncomfortable Zelenskyy looked in that picture, I don't know what else to say, to describe it.
It reminded me of the picture of Zelenskyy and Trump together, in September of 2019, when they had their first in-person meeting, at the United Nations opening of the General Assembly in New York, when Zelenskyy looked just about as uncomfortable.
I think everybody should understand, and particularly Republicans who hope that Trump will continue support for Ukraine if he wins. That is not going to happen.
I think Trump is serious, when he says he's going to try and cut a deal between Zelenskyy and Putin.
And the terms of the deal, Senator Vance announced a few weeks ago. Russia keeps everything that it has. Ukraine says it won't go into NATO. And sweetness and light will break out. That's what's coming for Ukraine, if Trump gets elected.
COLLINS: So, why do you think he met with Zelenskyy today?
BOLTON: I think for political reasons. I think he knew that obviously Zelenskyy had been in Washington. He had met with President Biden. He had met with Vice President Harris.
I think it's designed, to calm the nerves of some Republicans, who are -- who despise Trump and don't want to vote for him, but are afraid of the radicalism of the Democratic Party, and they're rationalizing, in their own minds, Surely Trump won't sell out Ukraine. So, that this is the kind of picture that helps convince them that indeed, Trump won't be so bad.
I'd just like to break that bubble, because I think it's, in terms of American support for Ukraine, if Trump wins, I think it's toast.
[21:40:00]
COLLINS: When Trump said today that Putin wants this war also stopped. I mean, is that your view of what the Russian leader wants?
BOLTON: Absolutely. Absolutely, he wants it stopped, as soon as he -- as soon as he can. Just got a little bit more ground, he'll be ready to go.
Look, I think Putin knows that he has, although he's doubled the amount of territory in Ukraine that Russia controls, since 2014, they have paid a high price for it. He'd like to put -- draw a line under this, so he can help recover the Russian economy, convince the Europeans to buy natural gas from Russia again, and re-equip and retrain his army, so that he can go after Ukraine again, in a few years. And that is exactly what he will do if there's a ceasefire, along the lines Trump is talking about.
COLLINS: Ambassador John Bolton, thank you for your time tonight.
BOLTON: Thank you.
COLLINS: Up next. It's something that you really just have to see to believe. The sitting Mayor of New York, as he walked into court this morning to be arraigned. That was just steps away from his office at City Hall. We'll tell you what happened, once he got inside.
[21:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: New York City Mayor, Eric Adams, walking into a federal courthouse, in Manhattan, today, to plead not guilty to bribery and fraud charges.
Prosecutors are accusing Adams of soliciting illegal foreign campaign contributions, taking lavish airline upgrades, and also accepting stays at luxury hotels. All of that, allegedly, in return for political favors that benefited Turkish interests.
Outside of court today, we heard from Mayor Adams' attorney, previewing how they plan to fight these charges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX SPIRO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: There are no emails, text messages or any corroboration whatsoever that the Mayor knew about anything having to do with these campaign donations.
This case isn't even a real case. This is the airline upgrade corruption case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: I want to get straight to retired New York State Supreme Court judge, Justice Jill Konviser.
And veteran New York political reporter, and consultant at Actum, Andrew Kirtzman.
Great to have you both here.
Judge, first off, tell us your thoughts on this, because we haven't heard from you yet on Mayor Adams.
JILL KONVISER, FORMER NY STATE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE, FORMER NY STATE INSPECTOR GENERAL: Well, I read the indictment. It's, you know, a 57- page indictment--
COLLINS: It's long.
KONVISER: --that lists everything about the corruption. But not just about the benefits and perks he received for travel.
But also about the manipulation of the matching funds, the manipulation of the straw donors, where he was taking, according to the indictment, matching funds to the tune of $10 million, to which he wasn't entitled, because the money really came from the Turkish government. You can't take money from a foreign government.
So, I think, that, you could hear Alex Spiro say, on that -- on that piece of video, this is a, you know, he had hotels. It's a luxury hotel case.
It's not. It's a bribery case. It's a corruption case. It is a very serious matter.
COLLINS: Because the indictment also alleges that he pressured Fire department officials, in New York City, to let the Turkish Consulate open up early, when Turkish officials, I believe, the President, was coming to New York.
KONVISER: That's right. The President of Turkey, Erdogan, was coming to New York, and he wanted to be in his big new, fancy, shiny building.
The Building department had issues with that. The Fire department had issues because of safety issues. So, they called up Adams.
And if you believe what the indictment says? Of course, Adams is innocent until proven otherwise. It says, they called him up, You owe us a favor. We want to be in that building. And his response, according to the indictment, is, I'm on it. This will be taken care of by Monday.
COLLINS: Well, and Andrew Kirtzman, you were here with us, when this news broke, earlier this week. You predicted that Eric Adams would come out, that he would play the race card, in terms of a political sense, of how he's trying to maintain his support.
What do you make of today, him showing up for the arraignment, what this all has looked like since then?
ANDREW KIRTZMAN, AUTHOR, "GIULIANI: THE RISE AND TRAGIC FALL OF AMERICA'S MAYOR": Well, I think you're going to see a pattern of that going forward. I mean, his, the press conference he held yesterday, he surrounded himself with Black clergy and other Black leaders. He's already kind of invoked race, in his response to AOC calling for him to step down. And it's consistent with his pattern, going back years and years.
He's very, very quick on the draw to accuse people of racism. And boy, does he -- you know, he doesn't have a lot of cards to play, right now. And this is what's going to help kind of keep Kathy Hochul in check, not to remove him from office, right? It's going to, he hopes, I guess, keep Chuck Schumer from calling for his resignation, right?
No Democrat, in New York, can afford to disenfranchise their Black support. It's absolutely impossible to win a race, without Black support, if you're a Democrat.
COLLINS: Well, and so far, we've seen Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez, even before the indictment came down, call for him to resign.
KIRTZMAN: Right.
COLLINS: But can I ask you, Judge, about what we saw happen today. It is one of Adams' closest allies, his chief advisor. Her name is Ingrid Lewis-Martin. She had her phone seized today. Her house was searched by state investigators. She just got off a plane, I believe, a trip from Japan, made it through customs. They took her phones at the airport.
She was speaking out, tonight, about -- in a radio interview, about what this -- what she believes is happening. This is what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
INGRID LEWIS-MARTIN, MAYOR ERIC ADAMS' CHIEF ADVISOR: We are imperfect, but we're not thieves. And I do believe that, in the end, that the New York City public will see that we have not done anything illegal to the magnitude or scale that requires the federal government and the D.A.'s office to investigate us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Now, I should note, she was making those comments to the host, it's her defense attorney, Arthur Aidala, who our audience will be very familiar with, from during the Trump trial.
KONVISER: Yes.
COLLINS: But what do you make of the fact that this has now ensnared another person in his orbit, potentially?
[21:50:00]
KONVISER: I think this is somewhat a typical not surprising.
When you're doing an investigation, as a prosecuting authority, whether it's the federal government, or the local district attorney, you investigate, you speak to a lot of different sources. There are tentacles going out there, and you follow leads where you find them. So, someone with whom they're speaking to? And we know they're speaking to a lot of people, who work for Adams, because they're listed in the indictment. They're not named. But they talk about this programmer and this assistant and this, so on. So, they're speaking to people.
And whatever information they have, if they are cooperating with the government, the government says, You tell me everything you know. You don't get to pick. You will be violating your cooperation agreement if you don't tell me everything. And someone is saying something about Lewis.
And what's interesting also is that, you know that it wasn't just the Feds that came after Miss Lewis, but the locals, right? So Bragg's office did. So, there's some parallel-type investigation. But they'll be tied into each other, to some extent.
COLLINS: That's a good point, because it was the SDNY, the Federal that indicted him. So we'll see what plays out here.
Governor Hochul, she did put out that statement last night. It seemed to say, those should consider what they should best do in this position.
Can she remove Mayor Adams from his position?
KIRTZMAN: Yes, she's legally entitled to do so. There's a process for doing it. But she's the only person who can -- who could remove him.
And if -- I guess, you could make a case that the right thing to do is, would be to remove the man, because we're about to enter this kind of unknown, I don't know, six to 12 months, in which -- in which City Hall will basically function just around this kind of criminal situation, and everything will ground to a halt.
But, practically speaking, it is a huge step for a governor, to remove a mayor. Also, you're talking about two very unpopular politicians. His popularity is in the 20s, hers are in the 30s. So, this all becomes really kind of a political calculation, more than anything else, I'm afraid to say.
COLLINS: Yes. And they've had a feud going on between the two of them. So, we'll see how that plays into all this.
Andrew Kirtzman. Judge Konviser. Great to have both of you here tonight.
Also, among the many rescues, in the wake of Hurricane Helene, a best friend got his buddy, he's working on it, getting him to the biggest football game of the season, one of them, at least, that's happening in Tuscaloosa, tomorrow. He bought a raft. He paddled them both to dryland. We're going to talk about that next.
[21:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: The presidential campaigns set to blitz college football, this weekend, as Donald Trump is going to attend the much anticipated and, for me, a little bit anxiety-inducing showdown, that is happening, tomorrow night, in Tuscaloosa, between Alabama and Georgia.
Trump is, of course, the sitting president, the last time he saw these two teams play in 2018. That was when the Crimson Tide won the national title, I should note.
Meanwhile, tomorrow, we're also going to see Democratic vice presidential nominee, Tim Walz in the Big House, when Michigan hosts Minnesota.
Joining me now, to talk matchups, is Damon Amendolara, Host of "The D.A. Show With Babchik" on SiriusXM's Mad Dog Sports Radio.
Great to have you here.
But let's just talk about the politics of this, first. Because I'll also say what's burned in the memory of Alabama fans is when Trump came, when we played LSU at home, and he was in office, and Alabama lost.
Worst game of my life, because I had to get on Air Force One, when he left halfway through, and there's no Wi-Fi for reporters on Air Force One, so I didn't even know the outcome of the game, until we landed in New York. We lost.
DAMON AMENDOLARA, HOST, "THE D.A. SHOW WITH BABCHIK" ON SIRIUSXM'S MAD DOG SPORTS RADIO, HOST, "WATCH D.A. LIVE" SUNDAY NIGHTS ON YOUTUBE, HOST, SIRIUSXM'S "NFL RADIO TAILGATE SHOW": Oh.
COLLINS: But politically speaking, like, what do you think that Trump and Tim Walz, what do they get out of this, going to games, and having fans see them, in this kind of a place?
AMENDOLARA: Well, in NASCAR parlance, this is called bump drafting, where you take somebody else's momentum and you get to draft off the back of it.
For Trump, going to Georgia, Alabama, it's a massive game, the biggest game so far of the season, in an area of the country that obviously usually goes red.
And for Tim Walz, you have one of the pre-eminent programs in -- and brands in college football, Michigan, in a battleground state.
And so, I think it just is strategically, place your -- place yourself amongst excitement, optimism, energy, the flag and kind of show that you are a sports fan.
COLLINS: Yes. And of course, Georgia, they've got a lot of voters there that I mentioned. We'll see what happens.
What's your prediction? Just asking for a friend, for tomorrow night, for-- (CROSSTALK)
AMENDOLARA: Asking for a friend. I like Alabama. I'm not just kissing up. I like Alabama. 28-24. They're at home. I didn't like the way that Georgia played against Kentucky. I think it comes back to bite them, tomorrow.
COLLINS: Yes, Kentucky kind of choked at the end of that game.
AMENDOLARA: That's right. They had them, and they let them off the hook. George is a really good team, but haven't played their complete football yet, this season. Playing Tuscaloosa's tough. That's a really good Tide team.
COLLINS: Yes, tough. It's an evening kickoff. I mean, that's like, when you go in the stadium, it kind of makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up, because it's dark. There's, like, the light show. It's like a -- it's a pretty fierce environment.
But I don't know, I'm nervous about Georgia, because, I mean, obviously Kirby Smart, they have a great dynamic defense, you know?
AMENDOLARA: Well, they have tons of talent, five-star recruits all over the place. And so, this is such a great even matchup.
But I think if Nick Saban was on the sideline for Alabama, you wouldn't feel so nervous, because it's an unknown of Kalen DeBoer, suddenly, there's nervous.
COLLINS: Right.
AMENDOLARA: But I think the Tide pull it out. And boy, a big night game of the SEC. There's nothing like it.
COLLINS: Yes, and I think Coach DeBoer's done a really good job so far. I mean, I've been -- he's so different than Nick Saban, but he's been really impressive.
We also have Ryan Williams on our side, so that's the other thing, giving me a little bit of hope--
AMENDOLARA: Very nice.
COLLINS: --a 17-year-old kid.
I have to -- do want to ask you though, we have -- Trump is sitting in a box with this businessman from Alabama, Ric Mayers. And he was asked about what Trump requested for the box.
AMENDOLARA: OK.
COLLINS: And I got a big kick out of this.
[22:00:00]
It was two Filet-O-Fish sandwiches with cheese from McDonald's. Stadium dogs, those are stadium hotdogs. Domino's Pizza and a Diet Coke.
What's your favorite out of that order?
AMENDOLARA: Boy, it would probably be the stadium hotdogs.
COLLINS: Yes.
AMENDOLARA: It's a classic. It's a tradition.
But that feels like a lot of sodium. At 78-years-old, you got to watch out. That makes you a little puffy. That's a lot of different salty items there.
COLLINS: Damon, great to have you. Thanks for being here.
Thank you all so much, for being here, on a Friday night.
"CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" starts right now.
