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Harris Spars With Fox News Anchor in Contentious Interview; U.S. B-2 Bombers Strike Iran-Backed Houthis in Yemen; Former One Direction Member Liam Payne Dead at 31. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired October 17, 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]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Kamala Harris faces tough questions on her record. On Fox News, Donald Trump gets a chance to win back a voter he lost after January 6th and responds by describing the attack as a day of love.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, U.S. air strikes in Yemen, an unusual mission with the high tech stealth bomber. Why these targets, this method and why now?

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: New details in the death of former One Direction member Liam Payne. The chilling 911 call hotel staff made just minutes before his fatal fall from a window.

I'm Sara Sidner with John Berman and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: Happening very soon, Kamala Harris takes her campaign back to class after courting black voters Tuesday, Republican voters Wednesday, today's first stop, college voters, stopping by the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee with a lot of attention now on these 11 words. My presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden's presidency. Harris said that during her first ever interview on Fox News that quickly became combative.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: It was called the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021. It was essentially a pathway to citizenship.

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: May I finish responding, please? But you have to let me finish.

With all due respect, that clip was not what he has been saying about the enemy within that he has repeated when he's speaking about the American people. That's not what you just showed.

BAIER: I hope you got to say what you wanted to say about Donald Trump. There are a lot of things that --

HARRIS: There's more to say. I have much more to say actually.

BAIER: There are a lot of things that people want to learn about you and your policies. And that's why we invited you here.

HARRIS: I invite everyone to go to kamalaharris.com.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: As for Donald Trump, he told voters last night January 6th was a day of love, and he was -- and also that he was only reporting what he had heard about Haitian migrants eating people's pets in Ohio, which they weren't, and defended his mass deportation plan while making his pitch to undecided Latino voters.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny is on the trail following Kamala Harris today, following all of this for us in Milwaukee. Jeff, as I mentioned, the first stop to court college voters, what's going to happen today? And what's the impact/fallout from last night?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Vice President Harris will be waking up here in Milwaukee. Her blue state tour continues, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and now here in Wisconsin. But it is that interview from Fox News that is still hanging over the campaign trail today as she was trying to present herself as a candidate of change. That has been one central question underwriting this entire campaign. She had this to say about how she might be different from the Biden administration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Let me be very clear, my presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden's presidency. And like every new president that comes in to office, I will bring my life experiences, my professional experiences and fresh and new ideas. I invite ideas, whether it be from the Republicans who are supporting me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: Of course, this has been a central question that's been dogging Vice President Harris, how much distance and space is she going to put between herself and President Biden? Of course, this comes on the heels of an answer about a week ago when she said she wouldn't change anything at all, so clearly adjusting her answer there.

But that is a question that some voters have is she's trying to persuade some and mobilize others to support her candidacy, just how different she might be from President Biden.

BOLDUAN: And persuade some and mobilize others was also maybe was the goal of Donald Trump last night speak speaking at a town hall with undecided Latino voters. What happened there?

ZELENY: Kate, it was so interesting. I mean, Donald Trump seldom is standing before an audience asking some pretty difficult questions. He softened his rhetoric in some degrees on immigration, but it was this exchange with a voter who said he was a Republican and he was looking for a reason to support Donald Trump but was troubled by the actions of January 6th. He gave the former president a chance to sort of explain that, but this is what Trump said.

[07:05:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: You had hundreds of thousands of people come to Washington. They didn't come because of me. They came because of the election. They thought the election was a rigged election.

But that was a day of love from the standpoint of the millions. I spoke, and I used the term, peacefully and patriotically. But they couldn't get me because of the fact that I said, everything's got to be peaceful and patriotic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: Well, of course, there were images and, of course, our memories suggest that it was anything but that. And he did not win over at least that one voter, but standing before some other voters taking questions on the economy, on immigration. It's unclear how much the former president did in terms of reaching out to Latino voters, which is what he was trying to do.

But, Kate, with less than three weeks to go, with early voting underway across the country, both of these candidates remain locked in an incredibly tight race.

BOLDUAN: Yes. It's great to see you, Jeff. Thank you so much, John?

BERMAN: All right. Breaking overnight, the U.S. launches airstrikes using the high tech B-2 stealth bomber. So what was the target and why this high tech mission?

Now, I know what you're thinking. You have seen the moon before. You see it a lot almost every night. Well, there are some people so excited about this look at the moon that basically they're stopping everything gazing up at the sky. You're going to want to know what's going on here. I know I do.

And new this morning, a major settlement reach between an archdiocese and hundreds of victims of clergy abuse.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:10:00]

BERMAN: All right. Breaking overnight, American B-2 stealth bombers struck targets inside Yemen, underground facilities used by the Iranian-backed Houthis to attack U.S. ships. The Pentagon says, the strike showed the U.S. can reach its targets, quote, anytime, anywhere.

Let's get right to CNN Pentagon Correspondent Oren Liebermann. Oren, what's the latest on this strike? OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: John, the Red Sea in the Gulf of Aden may not get the attention of other parts of the Middle East, but the Houthi attacks on U.S. Navy warships and on commercial vessels have continued. Just last week, for example, we saw the Houthis hit an American oil tanker with ballistic missiles, and the Houthis have successfully or claim to have downed U.S. multimillion dollar drones over Yemen.

The U.S. has made it clear that if those attacks continue, then the U.S. will hit, and in this case, the U.S. hit hard, using B-2 stealth bombers to carry out attacks. You see the locations there on five different underground storage facilities for weapons, the weapons the Pentagon says are used to carry out those attacks. And that was the purpose here, to degrade, to take away from the Houthi's abilities to target shipping.

You don't see the U.S. carry out strikes of this magnitude every day, but when the U.S. essentially has seen these attacks continue long enough, they do act. And that's exactly what we saw happen last night with strikes from B-2 stealth bombers against these facilities.

BERMAN: Yes. And we keep mentioning the B-2 because this is not a usual thing, even by military standards, Oren.

LIEBERMANN: That's right. This is the first time we've seen the B-2 stealth bomber used to attack the Houthis over the course of the last year. So, the question, why this specific bomber? Normally, the U.S. uses fighter jets to carry out these strikes. But B-2s, obviously strategic bombers, have a much heavier payload, a much heavier bomb load they can carry, and that perhaps is the reason why they were used.

The Pentagon pointed out that these were hardened bunkers, so it's possible the U.S. used these to be able to carry perhaps bunker busters or heavier bombs that are able to target armored or hardened underground facilities. And that may be the reason we're seeing this used here.

The U.S. also pointing out that they were Navy assets as part of this strike. So, you see the force that the U.S. brought here. And it also sends a very clear message to the Houthis that if the attacks continue, and every sign indicates that they will, then these U.S. strikes will continue against their facilities, their radars we have seen targeted before, and other sites.

BERMAN: It certainly does seem using the B-2 does involve some kind of messaging.

Oren Liebermann, thank you very much for that. Sara?

SIDNER: All right ahead. What the 911 tapes just released tell us about what happened before One Direction member Liam Payne fell to his death, the latest in that investigation.

And first on CNN, how the federal government is using A.I. to root out a billion dollars in financial fraud. Those stories and more ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:15:00]

SIDNER: This morning, we have what may be the last video recorded by former One Direction member Liam Payne before he fell to his death. It's the Snapchat video posted hours before the 31-year-old fell from a third floor balcony at a Buenos Aires hotel. And overnight, we obtained the 911 call made to first responders just moments before his death.

Joining us now is CNN's Lisa Respers France with new details for us. What did you learn from about his state of being from these 911 calls?

LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN REPORTER: Good morning, Sara. What we learned is that the staff at the hotel were very worried. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we have a host who is overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol. And, well, even when he's aware, he breaks things up. He is tearing the whole room apart. And, well, we need someone to be sent, please.

That is under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Yes, sir?

Yes, that's right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANCE: Yes, we know that the room appeared to have some damage to it. We see from a photo that was released that it looked as if a T.V. may have been broken in the room. And as you could hear, they mentioned drugs and alcohol. We don't know at this point what role drugs and alcohol played, if any, in this, but we do know that Liam was very open in the past about his issues with substance abuse and mental health.

People are devastated by this, Sara, because we've known Liam since he was 14 years old back in 2008 when he auditioned for the X Factor before returning two years later to audition and become a part of One Direction.

[07:20:04]

X Factor actually released a statement that they put on social media in which they said, we are heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne. He was immensely talented and is part of One Direction. Liam will leave a lasting legacy on the music industry and fans around the world. Our thoughts are with his friends, family, and all who loved him.

Just so much grieving today, Sara, people just cannot believe this. He was so young. This was such a shocking tragedy, and it's reverberating throughout the music industry and fandom today. SIDNER: In case people forget, this was one of the biggest bands ever with their popularity.

Lisa Respers Francis, always a joy to see you. Thank you so much. I appreciate you.

FRANCE: Thanks.

SIDNER: Kate?

BOLDUAN: So, as Politico put it today, since Kamala Harris got in the race, the most persuasive knock on the V.P. has been that she's too buttoned up and employing a risk averse strategy that hews toward friendly interviewers who loft softballs. After her Fox News sit down, you can forget all that. What it means for voters now today.

And we are minutes away from the supposedly best view of the super moon. These are live pictures in Dallas. The moon is just moving around all crazy. Derek Van Dam is outside for this big event.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey Kate, it's the biggest, it's the brightest, it's Super Moon 2024. I'll tell you why. There's all the hype around the world around this celestial event coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:00]

BERMAN: All right, happening at this moment, a lunar event so hyped that you would think there was a panda involved. Now, there was not, as far as you know. We are talking about the moon. Now, not just any moon, but a super moon, which happens four times a year. But this one is so special to some people, they call it a super duper moon.

Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is outside in Atlanta. Derek, the only word I can use to describe how I'm feeling right now is tingly.

VAN DAM: Super duper, that's what I've got too, tingly. I mean, that that's the sensation you feel when you come outside. Who knew that a moon could bring the world together? Well, we saw it in April when we had the solar eclipse and the moon blocked out the sun. But, you know, this is more significant.

Before you head outside, let's talk about what we are witnessing this morning at 7:26. That's right now. It is actually at its peak. It is 14 percent larger, appearing 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than the moon at apogee, which I'll explain in just one moment. But you can see the beautiful celestial spectacle over my left hand shoulder just before it crosses the horizon here in Atlanta, Georgia.

So, what in the world is a super moon? Well, it's all about the path of how the moon rotates around the planet. Think of it more like an egg. It's an elliptical path, so it's actually at its perigee and that is its closest approach to Earth. So, that gives us this closer feel, look that brighter component to the moon that you see directly over me.

And this is significant because it's around 40 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than what it would normally be just on a regular full moon or at its apogee, which is its furthest point away from the moon. So, this is coinciding now with the full moon, so we get this spectacle that we're all witnessing this morning, and it's also called the hunter's moon.

And this is -- the reason for this is that its enhanced appearance actually was a sign to hunters in several hundred years ago that they needed to prepare for the upcoming winter, so the fact that they can plan out these super moon events around the autumn equinox and around the hunting season, and also providing for the winter season.

So, we need clear skies in order for it to be visible clearly here in Atlanta. We've got perfect conditions, much of the Midwest and the East Coast, looking fantastic. If you can get outside after this live shot, of course, and see it for yourself, because it is one of four super moons that we're in the third one of this series right now. It's called the hunter moon. John?

BERMAN: Derek, I'm just grateful that you cleared up all that confusion between the perigee and the apogee because we were getting a lot of viewer questions about that.

Derek Van Dam, stand by, if you will.

VAN DAM: I'm sure.

BOLDUAN: Also joining us right now is Kristin Fisher, a senior contributor and Astrophysicist Hakeem Oluseyi. It's great. You're both are here.

Hakeem, what do you think of this thing?

HAKEEM OLUSEYI, ASTROPHYSICIST: You know, I think that 2024 has been really good to us. You know, Kat Williams told us at the beginning of the year, something was going to happen. I didn't know it was going to be a super moon, a total solar eclipse, a naked eye comet. You know, we have our normal meteor showers. This has been just a great year for naked eye astronomy.

BOLDUAN: Because if you like anything, you like naked eye of astronomy.

BERMAN: Anything naked is good. Let's be honest.

OLUSEYI: That's right.

SIDNER: Wow. Don't look at me. Kristin --

BOLDUAN: We're directed. It's 7:00 in the morning.

SIDNER: It's just got weird because of one person.

[07:30:00] BOLDUAN: Now you have a team. Just so you know, we're all pointing at John. Did you Sara? I'm so sorry.

OLUSEYI: That's what I was thinking.

SIDNER: Okay.