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Hamas Says One Of Its Senior Leaders Killed In Beirut Attack; Axios: Israel Rejects New Hostage Deal Offered By Hamas; Court Docs Naming Jeffrey Epstein Associates To Be Unsealed; CO Police Department Launches 4-Day Work Week Pilot Program. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired January 02, 2024 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[13:33:14]
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: We are following breaking news out of the Middle East. Hamas saying one of its senior leaders has been killed in an attack in southern Beirut.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: His name is Saleh Al-Arouri and he is considered one of the founding members of the group's military wing.
Back in 2015, the United States offered up to $5 million for information about him. The Treasury Department calling him a specially designated global terrorist.
Let's get to CNN's Nada Bashir live for us in Beirut.
Nada, this is a significant development.
NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL REPORTER: It certainly is. And it's a worrying escalation after weeks of mounting tensions between Israel and Lebanon.
As you mentioned, a senior Hamas official, the deputy of Hamas' Political Bureau, and of course, considered one of the founding members of the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing.
We've heard from Hamas that they have accused Israel of carrying out a strike in the suburbs of southern Lebanon, southern Beirut rather, which they say killed this senior Hamas official.
At this stage, CNN has reached out to the Israeli ministry, but they have declined to comment.
But important to note and underscore that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously vowed to target senior Hamas officials. Not just in Gaza or the occupied West Bank, but wherever they might be located.
We have, just in the last hour or so, heard from Israel's former ambassador the United States, Danny Ayalon, taking to Twitter to congratulate the Israeli military and intelligence services for killing Al-Arouri. But of course, this has raised massive concern for the potential for
this conflict to escalate more broadly.
The Lebanese prime minister, Najib Mikati, has condemned the incident and has accused the Israeli military of trying to escalate and draw Lebanon into a conflict more broadly.
[13:34:59]
KEILAR: All right, Nada Bashir, live for us in Beirut, thank you for the report.
Let's talk now with CNN political and global affairs analyst, Barak Ravid. He's also a politics and foreign policy reporter for Axios.
All right, Barak, you heard Danny Ayalon there congratulating Israeli forces. Has the IDF commented on this yet at all?
BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL & GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Hi. The IDF did not comment on it yet. I think in something like five or 10 minutes there will be a press conference with an IDF spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.
But I do not expect them to take responsibility for this attack. It seems the Israeli policy right now is to keep silent, at least in public, at least on the record.
While off the record and in back in conversations, the Israelis basically confirmed that it was them who assassinated Al-Arouri.
And Israeli officials tell me that now they are preparing for a pretty harsh Hezbollah retaliation for this assassination. They think that Hezbollah might even launch long-range missiles at targets inside Israel, even as far as Tel Aviv.
KEILAR: How significant is this or was this Hamas leader, and how much does the location of the attack matter?
RAVID: First, I think, first, it's very significant, because if you just look at the statement Hamas put out just an hour ago confirming his death, they called him one of the engineers of the October 7th attack.
So if you want to see how significant the guy was, Hamas's own statement tells you everything you need to know.
But he was even more significant than that because Al-Arouri had two roles. One role was a political leader inside Hamas, number two in Hamas' Political Bureau.
But his more important role was the commander of Hamas's military wing in the West Bank. From Beirut, he orchestrated attacks in the West Bank against Israel in the last year. Those attacks have dramatically increased.
But I think the most important thing to know about this attack is that it happened in the heart of Beirut, very close to Hezbollah's headquarters.
And this would lead, I think -- it's very likely this would lead to an escalation in the situation on the border between Israel and Lebanon. It could, in a very extreme scenario, even lead to a war on the northern front.
KEILAR: So Israel would have measured that, which is interesting. They certainly would know that. What does that tell you?
RAVID: Of course. I think, you know, it means that they knew or that they know this could lead to a war with Lebanon, and they still did it because they thought that he's one of the masterminds of the October 7th attack.
And I think they wanted to send a message not only to Hamas, but others in the region that they are ready to act against anybody who's trying to attack is rule, or who was involved in the October 7th attack, regardless what the retaliation might be.
And I think it's very interesting that the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, is scheduled to give a major speech tomorrow. And I think all eyes should be on Nasrallah and what he says and what he does. Because this will determine how the region will look like in the next weeks and months.
KEILAR: You also have some new reporting from Axios on a new hostage deal proposal from Hamas. Israel rejecting that deal.
The Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying today there was a, quote, "ultimatum" from Hamas on the release of hostages today, but that was softened slightly and that Israel is currently in contact with Hamas.
What are you learning here?
RAVID: I think that after what happened in Beirut today, the hostage talks will go into the deep freeze. I don't know how long it's going to take, but I cannot see any possibility of renewed hostage talks anytime soon.
This is a major blow for Hamas. And they're not -- I don't think they are going to -- that this would make Hamas soften their position and agree to what they have not agreed to so far.
If anything, it will cause Hamas to toughen their position and refuse to negotiate.
KEILAR: All right, Barak Ravid, thank you for that. We appreciate your new reporting as well.
RAVID: Thank you very much.
[13:39:43]
KEILAR: And we are standing by for dozens of documents naming Jeffrey Epstein's associates and victims. It could be made public as soon as today. What we could learn, ahead.
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SANCHEZ: So right now, we are watching for the court-ordered release of the names of Jeffrey Epstein's associates, some of whom are expected to be high-profile figures who were friends with the late sex offender.
KEILAR: This release could shed new light on their exact ties to Epstein and his convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
We have CNN's Kara Scannell following this for us.
Kara, tell us why the information is being released now and who's expected to be on the list, and if there might be some surprises.
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Brianna and Boris. This is part of a long running lawsuit brought by the outspoken Jeffrey Epstein accuser, Virginia Roberts Giuffre.
She sued Epstein's former girlfriend and accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of helping Epstein in his sex trafficking operations.
This has been a long-running lawsuit. And numerous media organizations have asked for materials to be unsealed since it was settled several years ago.
The judge saying that a lot of this information and these identities have already entered the public domain, either because people have spoken up publicly, or through Maxwell's trial.
[13:44:59]
But she said she was going to unseal all these documents that could have references to about 150 different people.
Some of them may be some accusers who have gone public and been outspoken about this. There are others from Roberts Giuffre's lawsuits. She has made accusations against some prominent men.
She has accused Prince Andrew of sexually abusing her. They reached a settlement after she filed a lawsuit against him.
She's also said Epstein made her a sex slave and she was forced to have sex with the former New Mexico governor, Bill Richardson, former U.S. Senator George Mitchell. Representatives for both of those men have denied they ever knew her, let alone had any sexual relations with her.
But she also has talked about, in depositions, in other public domains, other famous men, including former President Bill Clinton, who she says had traveled to Jeffrey Epstein's private island.
Clinton's spokespeople in the past have said that he was on Epstein's private planes, but he never went to this island, which was the source of a lot of this alleged assault.
She also has mentioned publicly former President Donald Trump, who publicly said he thought Epstein was a terrific guy in 2002, but later said that he kicked Epstein out Mar-a-Lago, his club.
So it's very likely we will see more information about these names and references to them. But the big question will be, what more will we actually learn about what they allegedly did or did not do that has not become public?
So we will be looking very closely at all of these documents when they are unsealed to see what blanks it might fill in on Jeffrey Epstein's sorted life -- Boris, Brianna?
KEILAR: All right, Kara Scannell, thank you for that. We will be awaiting to see what comes out of it.
Now to some of the other headlines that we are watching this hour now.
Wander Franco, the shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays, under arrest in the Dominican Republic. He's accused of having an appropriate relationship with a minor.
He is a Dominican native who was arrested Monday after appearing before prosecutors to respond to the allegations. Franco has been on administrative leave from Major League Baseball since the accusations came to light last summer.
And a surprising discovery on a California beach. Yes, that is a rusty old bomb that washed up on shore just days after the heavy surf pounded the coast.
Look at that. That is an ordinance disposal technician there. The bomb squad with the Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office responding, determining that it actually was safe.
Then personnel from nearby Travis Air Force Base collected the weather device. The beach where that explosive was found was among the areas evacuated last week because of those 25- to 30-foot waves.
And someone is starting the new year a whole lot richer. Winning that ticket for the $842.4 -- can't forget that .4 -- I guess it doesn't mean much considering it's $842 but still -- million-dollar Powerball prize that was purchased in Grand Blanc, Michigan, which is near Flint.
It was the second-largest lottery jackpot ever won in Michigan. And the person who won has not contacted Michigan lottery officials yet.
So, hey, if you recently bought a ticket at the Food Castle in Grand Blanc, check your ticket now, pronto. The winning numbers are 12, 21, 42, 44, 49, and the Powerball, 1.
Man.
SANCHEZ: That 0.4 -- KEILAR: .4.
SANCHEZ: -- could mean a lot though. You know? If you are out there and went to the Food Castle, and you don't really care --
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SANCHEZ: -- about the .4 --
KEILAR: Get after it.
SANCHEZ: -- let us know.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Yes.
So it's pretty much every working American dream schedule, a four-day work week. A police department in Colorado is giving it a try. Is it going to stick? We'll discuss, next.
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[13:52:26]
SANCHEZ: If you just Google "four-day work week" and see the pages and pages of results, it will indicate that it's an idea that is starting to catch up with employers. Or at least workers are hoping that it catches on.
KEILAR: That's right. A police department in Colorado among those trying out a four-day work week, with all employees on the clock for just 32 hours a week, but they still get paid for 40.
That sounds fabulous, doesn't it?
SANCHEZ: It does.
KEILAR: All right. So as CNN's Erica Hill tells us, it's an effort to provide employees with greater flexibility and promote better work- life balance.
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SGT. STEPHANIE SIPES, GOLDEN, COLORADO, POLICE DEPARTMENT: Sometimes it's hard to adjust to a new schedule, but this one is actually really easy to adjust to.
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR & NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Until July, Sergeant Stephanie Sipes worked four 10-hours days every week. Now it's four 8-hour days, 32 hours of work, but she is still paid for a full 40.
SIPES: I just get to be the best version of myself every single day, and part of that is that I'm filling my cup at home.
HILL: It's not just Sergeant Sipes. Every employee at the Golden, Colorado, Police Department is also working fewer hours.
SIPES: All right, let me get your transport. Hold on a moment.
HILL: Those compressed work weeks are part of a six-month pilot program for the department, which, if it goes well, it could expand to all city employees.
SIPES: I know a lot of people out there are rooting for us.
SCOTT VARGO, CITY MANAGER, GOLDEN, COLORADO: They have such a diversity of types of jobs. They've got folks out in the field that are covering 24/7/365. They have office personnel. They have sworn people. So it was a good, I will say, microcosm of the city as a whole.
HILL (on camera): Was there any resistance initially?
VARGO: Yes. We really talked through that to explain that we are not expecting people to work less. We are asking them to work fewer hours but asking them to get the same or more than.
HILL (voice-over): To achieve that goal, overlap between shifts has been reduced. Meetings are shorter and more focused. But staffing levels have not changed.
While squeezing everything into just four-days, though daunting at first, crime scene investigator, Latara Durand, quickly found her stride.
LATARA DURAND, CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATOR, GOLDEN, COLORADO, POLICE DEPARTMENT: Professionally, I feel like I am driven more. Personally, I've got four kids and a husband and two dogs. Now I'm able to go to my kids' recitals. I've got cheerleaders. It has benefited me all the way around.
[13:55:02]
HILL: The idea of a better work-life balance prompted Officer Madison Goss to join the department last month.
MADISON GOSS, PATROL OFFICER, GOLDEN, COLORADO, POLICE DEPARTMENT: I think more people will catch on eventually and not get burned out by coming here. Let's work less. Let's enjoy life.
HILL: Each week during the pilot, employees are asked how they are feeling about the reduced hours on the scale of zero to 100. Three months in, those numbers have consistently been in the 90s.
(on camera): Why is that such an important metric and this pilot?
VARGO: It goes back to some of the concerns we had when we sort of first launched this, that they are feeling so much pressure on a day- to-day basis.
Trying to get everything done in a compressed schedule that they are not getting the benefit we are looking for, which is happier, healthier, better-balanced life. All of those things.
HILL (voice-over): Happier employees, but what about the community? Serving the city of more than 20,000 is still the department's top priority. So far, those findings are also encouraging, including a boost in call response times.
VARGO: We just had a three-month check-in with the community and there was essentially no negative feedback, no concerns.
HILL (on camera): Productivity and efficiency basically up, overtime is down, which helps with budgeting. Were you surprised at all by some of the initial data?
VARGO: Yes. I have been very surprised. It has been remarkably effective from the beginning. We are really optimistic with the initial data.
HILL: What made you want to try to do it for the entire country?
VARGO: Yes. We have seen it work in the data and the research in other areas, in other industries. So why not try it?
HILL (voice-over): Erica Hill, CNN, Golden, Colorado.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: What do you think?
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: I enjoy working here five days a week --
KEILAR: I just want to work --
SANCHEZ: -- with you.
(CROSSTALK)
KEILAR: -- four-days a week.
SANCHEZ: Yes, let's go four days.
KEILAR: We both worked six days this week.
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: We can go for five maybe.
Still ahead, this is a story that we have been paying a lot of attention to. We have learned that Harvard's president said she will resign. We will have more on this breaking news ahead.
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