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Israel Begins Ground War in Southern Lebanon; Gov. Tim Walz (D- MN) and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) to Square Off in Only V.P. Debate of 2024; At Least 130 People Dead in Six States from Catastrophic Helene. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired October 01, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, Israel launches a ground incursion into Lebanon this morning. New reports on how far they will go in the White House response.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Also breaking, tens of thousands of workers at ports across the country have walked off the job, stopping the flow of countless goods and igniting fears this could set back the economy and potentially spike inflation.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And say it with me friends, it's debate day in America once again. The first and only vice presidential debate this election season is tonight and possibly the final debate of the entire presidential campaign. I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman and Sara Sidner. This is CNN News Central.

BERMAN: Breaking overnight, a dangerous new phase in Israel's war against Hezbollah. Overnight, Israeli forces crossed the border into Southern Lebanon. They are calling it a limited ground operation. And Israel insists there will be no long-term occupation. But it has not provided a timeline for its offensive.

The last time Israel forces entered Lebanon was back in 2006. Some 1,100 people died in that 34-day war. Israel's ground offensive defies pressure from the U.S. to reach a ceasefire. Just yesterday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart. Hours earlier, President Biden told reporters, we should have a ceasefire now.

The White House is reaffirming Israel's right to defend itself but is warning of the real risk of mission creek (ph). This is all playing out, of course, as Israeli forces also targeted Syria's capital with drones and planes.

CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson is in Northern Israel for us this morning. What have you been seeing and what else are you learning now that Israel has also struck Syria along with Lebanon and, of course, the war in Gaza is still ongoing?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, limited, localized and targeted. That's how the IDF is characterizing these raids, as they put them, across the border. They're saying that the troops may be going across tens of meters to houses, maybe a hundred meters, maybe a few hundred meters. They are not saying if tanks are crossing the border. The description that was given to us was that the troops were sort of walking distance across the border.

We know that tanks have been at the border. We know that armored personnel carriers have been at the border. We understand that the Lebanese army at border posts has pulled back from those border posts. The IDF has, through their Arabic language spokesman, reached out a message to the people living in villages in the south of Lebanon, dozens of villages, there telling them to move many miles further north, 30 miles further north from where they are.

In fact, the message is more wide ranging than that. It is saying that Hezbollah is using your homes as protection to hide behind you. Move northwards. Any vehicle moving south in this more than 30-mile zone just over the border inside Lebanon, any vehicle moving south, the IDF says, could be considered hostile and therefore it would be dangerous.

So, although the IDF is creating -- sort of trying to create this wide cordon to prevent Hezbollah reinforcing at the border, at the moment, they won't say if the troops over the border will stay over there tonight. Will they come back? Will they be reinforced by more? The impression that the IDF is creating is that this only has a relatively small focus, and that focus is to stop Hezbollah having bases literally a hundred meters or so from the border from which that they can fire missiles into Israel.

[07:05:07]

And when we say bases, we mean civilian bases, small military compounds, that sort of thing.

In Israel today, two people were injured by missiles fired by Hezbollah, very close to Tel Aviv, just north of Tel Aviv, one of them a bus driver taken to intensive care in a nearby hospital.

SIDNER: All right. Nic Robertson, there's so much going on in that region. Thank you so much for being there, to you and your team. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Also breaking overnight, nearly 50, 000 port workers are on strike as of this morning in what could become the most disruptive work stoppage in decades. Members of the Longshoremen's Union are walking picket lines now to demand higher wages.

The strike is taking place at 14 different ports, major ports all along the East Coast and through the Gulf Coast. Why this could have such a big impact is there's really no practical alternative to the East and Gulf Coast ports for moving goods out of these ports to like basically the eastern half of the country.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich is in New Jersey. She's got much more on this. What's happening behind you and where do things stand with this strike and talks.

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, the clock ran out last night at midnight, and now you have tens of thousands of dock workers on strike this morning. Just here alone at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, they employ over 4,000 union members, and many of them on strike here this morning for the first time in 47years after the Union and the U.S. Maritime Alliance could not come up with a deal before midnight.

Just to show you some of what's going on around me over here over my right hand shoulder, you have containers that are piled up. These are empty. No one, though, is going to be picking them up and loading them because of the members on strike behind me right here. You have a couple hundred of them out here since early this morning. Then if you take a look over my left hand shoulder, those are the ports. Those are the docks. Those they are essentially closed, nothing going in, nothing going out.

Now, Kate, this all comes down to money, wages, and job security. Many of the members behind me are holding signs saying just that. They want to make sure that they're getting paid appropriately, and they want to make sure their jobs are secure.

Listen to the president of the ILA union just last month talking about what they're fighting for.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAROLD J. DAGGETT, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL LONGSHOREMEN'S ASSOCIATION: You got to draw the line. These companies that work in the maritime business come from overseas. Not one of them belongs to America. They want to come into America and build fully automated terminals and get rid of American jobs, good paying jobs that support families with medical, pensions, annuities, and pay taxes. They want to get rid of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YURKEVICH: And USMX says that they've made an offer of up to 50 percent in wage increases over six years, as well as keeping language in the current contract that would help stop automation of jobs. But the union's saying that is not enough.

Now, in terms of this port, a lot of fruit and vegetables come into this port. You're talking about cherries, fresh fruit, chocolate, alcohol. Also going out, you have auto parts that are being shipped across seas, none of that happening right now.

As for the Biden administration, they are monitoring this very, very closely. They say they are in touch with both sides. One thing that business leaders around the country and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is calling for is for President Biden to invoke the Taft Hartley Act. That is a way that he could -- that the president could potentially stop this strike. However, President Biden says he is not looking to do that right now. Kate?

BOLDUAN: All right, let's see what happens today. Thank you so much, Vanessa. John?

BERMAN: All right, new reporting on how the vice presidential candidates are spending their final hours before what could be the last debate for anyone before the presidential election.

And President Biden expected to visit North Carolina tomorrow as the death toll from Hurricane Helene rises again overnight.

And today, one southern state will become the first in the nation to classify abortion pills as, quote, controlled dangerous substances. Just having them without a prescription could land women in prison for up to five years.

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[07:10:00]

BERMAN: So, Kate is indisposed at the moment, but if she were here, she would say it is debate day in America, vice presidential debate day, in fact. Tim Walz and J.D. Vance will face off. I think I hear her back there. This will be their first time on stage together, likely the first time millions will ever see them debate, but quite possibly the last general election debate at all this year.

Meanwhile, a new CBS News poll finds that 87 percent of voters will be watching to learn something about them.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez just up the street at the debate site here in New York. What can we expect, Priscilla?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, this is going to be high stakes and uncharacteristically so because it is likely the last debate of this election cycle and because the race is still so close.

[07:15:02]

So, Governor Tim Walz, he's been in a debate camp in Michigan. That's where he's been going over videos of J.D. Vance's previous debates, and also doing mock sessions with stand-in Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Now, as you mentioned there, this is an opportunity for voters to get to know these campaigns better, and one of his tasks will also be to convince voters of Vice President Kamala Harris, particularly those voters who still say in polls that they don't know enough about her.

Now, J.D. Vance, he is more experienced with debates. In fact, it was his debate performance during a Republican primary for a U.S. Senate seat that impressed former President Donald Trump. And he too has been doing debate prep and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer has been the stand-in for Tim Walz.

Now, what's this going to look like? Some debate roles to go through here. No live audience. They'll both be standing behind podiums and they'll have those two-minute closing arguments. Of course, you can imagine the issues are going to range the gamut. You have the economy, Israel, immigration and health care.

But in many ways, John, this is also a reminder of how much this presidential election has changed. It was only over three months ago that this debate was being eyed by Vice President Kamala Harris because she was the one that was preparing to go up against J.D. Vance. So, this campaign had been preparing for this moment and all parties know how stakes it's going to be just so close to Election Day. John?

BERMAN: How is the Harris campaign viewing this moment, Priscilla?

ALVAREZ: Yes. I've been talking to Harris aids who say what they want from Tim Walz is for him to come across as the every man, for him to lean into his likability. And all of them tell me, yes, he doesn't have the same debate performance as J.D. Vance, but they're hoping that part of that personality of Tim Walz can show the stark contrast with J.D. Vance, and that ultimately it's about tying Vance to former President Donald Trump and casting him as just as much of a risk.

Now, the Vice President, she was in Las Vegas on Sunday where she said that she'd be cheering on Governor Walz. She's going to be behind closed doors today and she will be watching from her residence. John?

BERMAN: All right. Priscilla Alvarez, you're about 20 blocks. Come say hi when you're done there. Thank you very much for your coverage.

And, of course, you can watch the simulcast of the CBS News debate right here on CNN. CNN special event coverage of the vice presidential debate starts at 9:00 P.M. Eastern Time. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. The devastation from Hurricane Helene is still unfolding. More families learning they have lost loved ones this morning. And rescues are still happening a full four days after the storm kicked.

And a sudden stop to the six-week abortion ban in Georgia, why a judge struck it down, and what happens next. All of that's ahead.

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[07:20:00]

SIDNER: this morning, the number of people killed by Hurricane Helene has risen to at least 130, with hundreds more still missing and unaccounted for. Crews are struggling to reach devastated areas because hundreds of roads remain blocked or damaged and cell service spotty at best. Tomorrow, President Biden will tour the damage in the hard-hit western part of North Carolina.

CNN's Isabel Rosales is joining us now from Asheville. We are hearing from other officials are saying this isn't just a matter of days or weeks. This could be a matter of years to try to deal with all this damage. What are you hearing about the roads, which are significantly devastated and truly they can't get anything in without having some of the roads fixed?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Sara. It's a serious problem when people are stuck. They need access to these roads to get out, to reach loved ones, but instead, they're finding crumbled washout roads, trees, power lines all over the place. People have had to hike 11-plus miles to get out of areas that they've been trapped at.

So, here's a good bit of news. We have found out from Buncombe County that I-40 East leaving out of the county, this is the Asheville area, that portion of I-40 East has reopened. So, that is great news. But, Sara, there are still hundreds of roads throughout North Carolina, throughout this western area of the state, that are still closed. So, getting around and about is extremely challenging.

Before I get into the other challenges, let me also give you this bit of good news from FEMA. They have delivered a million liters of water and 600,000 meals in North Carolina. This is pressing. There's so much need in the community for basic everyday supplies that you need to just keep going and for these residents to take it day by day.

All right, let's talk about the challenges now. Let me show you what folks are dealing with in Asheville, debris all over the place. I'm talking like propane tanks, fuel tanks, nails sticking out, and then things like this. This looks to be like a storage canister, like huge, right? But the floodwaters of the Swannanoa River showing you the power of it managed to just bring about right here in front of a long john silver.

So, challenges like that, challenges to limited it cell service, this has been one of the biggest problems, a lack of communication, people unable to reach 911, unable to reach loved ones, to let them know that they're okay. Slowly, that cell service is restoring, but it's still very spotty, especially in those mountaintop areas.

And, of course, power, 300,000 people in North Carolina without power, without running water, all of these just extremely challenging conditions. And we're hearing from officials that this is going to be a matter of weeks to months, if not years to recover. Hopefully not that long for the basic things like water and electricity, Sara?

[07:25:01]

SIDNER: It is so heartbreaking to see just how much damage there is and how widespread it is.

The small village of Chimney Rock, which is a favorite for townspeople and for tourists alike, one of the hardest hit places, what are you hearing about that particular area?

ROSALES: Just yesterday, I was briefly able to get into the Lake Lure Chimney Rock area and actually speak with the mayor of Chimney Rock. It's a beautiful little destination tourist town that is so loved by tourists. He's calling it total devastation. Everything's gone. 50 percent of his neighbors, I'm sure it's a small tight knit community, but 50 percent of his neighbors have lost their homes.

All of the businesses in the business district, they're gone. They're collapsed, including his own store has collapsed. He's saying that it's 100 percent destroyed. Family members can't reach loved ones. Self-service is nonexistent. He is asking Biden, the administration, for some help, for some financial commitment that they're going to need to rebuild. And he's saying that will take years in his community, Sara. Listen to what else he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR PETER O'LEARY, CHIMNEY ROCK VILLAGE, NORTH CAROLINA: It's hard to wrap my head around it to be honest. I'm seeing the, I saw the pictures before I got here. I see the damage when I'm here and it's just hard to comprehend it. If you think too much about the beautiful Chimney Rock Village that I remember from last week, it's hard to handle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: And clearly a mayor in emotional distress there thinking about his community and the long road ahead toward rebuilding.

Sara, I'll leave you with this. I was also on a chopper yesterday with a nonprofit serving these smaller communities that are so stranded. And it became very apparent how rough the roads are, how difficult of a challenge is ahead for first responders to reach people.

SIDNER: Yes. And it's also a problem with communication, so there are still people missing. They simply can't communicate with anyone.

Isabel Rosales, thank you so much for giving us that picture this morning of what's happening there in North Carolina. Kate?

BOLDUAN: And still ahead for us, a shelter in place, back in place this morning in Georgia after a chemical plant fire there, details ahead.

And Trump turns his focus to Tim Walz ahead of tonight's vice presidential debate. Is it really the last debate before the election?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We'll I'd rather debate. I'd rather have another one. The problem is we're so far down the line.

I'm the GOAT of debates. I think I've done really well in debates, okay?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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