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Sean Diddy Combs Returns to Court for a Three-count Indictment on Racketeering and Sex Trafficking; Nine Killed, 2,800 Injured in Lebanon Pager Attacks; New U.N. Report Finds Gross Human Rights Violations in Venezuela Related to Political Repression; Instagram to Restrict Settings for Teenage Users. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired September 18, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all our viewers watching around the world. I'm Anna Coren, live from Hong Kong. Ahead on "CNN Newsroom."

Music mogul Sean Diddy Combs remains behind bars after a sweeping indictment was unsealed accusing him of sex trafficking. We'll hear what his lawyer has to say.

Plus the latest on an extraordinary attack targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon. Thousands of pagers detonating simultaneously across the country.

And we'll look at the measures Springfield, Ohio has been forced to take over an unfounded conspiracy theory driven by the Trump campaign.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Hong Kong, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Anna Coren.

COREN: In the coming hours, music mogul Sean Diddy Combs returns to court to face a damning three count indictment. He's now in federal custody after prosecutors alleged he ran a quote, "criminal enterprise built on sex trafficking and prostitution among other crimes."

The indictment accuses Combs of hosting drug fueled parties with sex workers and victims in attendance. And reveals in disturbing detail what authorities found when they raided his properties back in March. Combs has pleaded not guilty to the charges, some of which date back nearly a decade to a previous relationship which also resulted in abuse allegations. His attorney claims all of Combs' relationships have been consensual.

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MARC AGNIFILO, ATTORNEY FOR SEAN "DIDDY" COMBS: I interviewed myself the different men who were being brought into Mr. Combs and this person's intimate situation. I've flown around the country, I've interviewed a large number of them. There's not the slightest inkling, according to the interviews that I've done, of anything that's coercive, non-consensual, nobody was too drunk, nobody was too high. These were adults in a relationship, this is a 10-year relationship, we can't forget that. This is a 10-year relationship, and it was adults and consensual, and everybody who was there wanted to be there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has the details on the indictment.

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ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sean Diddy Combs, one of music's biggest stars, ordered behind bars after pleading not guilty to a sweeping federal indictment, charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. The grand jury indictment accuses the music mogul of running a criminal enterprise over decades.

DAMIAN WILLIAMS, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: Between at least 2008 and the present. Combs abused, threatened, and coerced victims to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Combs was seen dining out in Manhattan Friday before his arrest on Monday night in New York. According to the U.S. attorney prosecuting the case --

WILLIAMS: Combs allegedly planned and controlled the sex performances, which he called freak-offs and he often electronically recorded them.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Hotel surveillance footage obtained exclusively by CNN back in May appears to corroborate some of the allegations of abuse against the rapper, now cited in the new indictment. The video captured on multiple cameras shows Combs wearing only a towel assaulting his then girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, at a Los Angeles hotel in March 2016.

Combs has repeatedly denied multiple allegations against him, saying that his accusers are looking for money. But he issued an apology for his conduct on the video only after it came to light.

SEAN "DIDDY" COMBS, MUSICIAN: My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. Disgusting. I was disgusted then when I did it, I'm disgusted now.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): His attorney responding --

AGNIFILO: He's going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his might and the full confidence of his lawyers.

We're appealing the decision to hold him without bail.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Combs faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years imprisonment and could face life in prison if convicted.

WILLIAMS: In addition to the violence, the indictment alleges that Combs threatened and coerced victims to get them to participate in the freak-offs. He used the embarrassing and sensitive recordings he made of the freak offs as collateral against the victims.

[03:05:01]

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): The criminal charges come as Combs faces 10 civil suits, all filed over the last year, nine of which accused him of sexual assault. He has previously denied the accusations of abuse saying, I did not do any of the awful things being alleged.

In March, authorities searched Combs' homes in Los Angeles and Miami as part of a months-long federal investigation by a team that specializes in human trafficking crime that led to today's indictment. Among the items seized, firearms, including three AR-15s, ammunition, more than 1,000 bottles of personal lubricant, such as baby oil, and video evidence of freak-offs, according to the indictment.

WAGMEISTER: Now, Cassie, who is Diddy's ex-girlfriend, who is shown in that disturbing hotel surveillance footage declined to comment on these new charges against Diddy. I reached out to her attorney who says that they will not have anything to say about this indictment.

But we have heard from some of the accusers and their attorneys. Aubrey O'Day, who is a singer from the band, Danity Kane, which is a band that Diddy formed on his MTV show, "Making the Band." Here's what she had to say, quote, "I feel validated. Today is a win for women all over the world, not just me. Things are finally changing."

And Tyrone Blackburn, who is an attorney who represents three Diddy accusers who have filed civil suits against him, said that this was the first step for justice. Quote, "we knew this was coming. The evidence is very clear, and it was only a matter of time." Back to you.

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COREN: The Middle East is on edge after hundreds of pagers in Lebanon simultaneously exploded, killing at least nine people, including an eight-year-old girl and injuring about 2,800 other people, many of them innocent civilians. The Taiwanese company that manufactures the devices says they were made by a European distributor based in Hungary that had rights to use their brand name.

CNN has learned that Israel is behind the attack, which was a joint operation between Mossad and the Israeli military targeting Hezbollah militants. A warning: the images you are about to see may be disturbing.

The pagers exploded simultaneously across the country on Tuesday afternoon. A Lebanese security source tells CNN the devices were new and had been purchased by Hezbollah in recent months. Israeli military officials held a situational assessment meeting on Tuesday evening following the blasts. The Lebanese government blames Israel, calling it a quote, serious violation of Lebanese sovereignty. People of Lebanon are also slamming the attack.

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UNKNOWN (through translator): This is an earthquake that must be met with a response from the resistance, a decisive, destructive, and shattering response, even if it leads to war.

UNKNOWN (through translator): It has to escalate. That's how the situation seems. I don't know, action and reaction, no one really knows, honestly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Schools in Lebanon have been closed on Wednesday in the wake of the explosions. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has more on the attack. Again, a warning, the images in his report are graphic.

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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the fruit display, at the checkout, in the street.

Hard to overstate the psychological impact of hundreds of blasts across Lebanon.

Mostly in Hezbollah areas, pagers exploding at about 3:30 according to the group. Security forces asking Lebanese to stay off the road so the sheer volume of emergency vehicles could get to hospital.

Nearly 3,000 patients, at least 170 critical. Easily the most widespread moment of violence to hit across Lebanon since the 2006 war with Israel, who Hezbollah is now firmly blaming for these new attacks on their TV channel.

We blame the Israeli enemy with full responsibility, the TV anchor said, for this criminal attack that also harms civilians.

Israel themselves declined to claim the attack. To blame, perhaps these tiny devices, according to posts on social media CNN can't verify, the race now to work out how. Was it just one type of device? A cyber attack? A battery bomb? Did they just hit Hezbollah areas?

It comes at yet another critical time. Monday Israel's defense minister hinted, meeting the U.S. envoy, that the time for a diplomatic solution of how to get tens of thousands of Israelis home to the war-plague north, but mostly past, that a military option is all that remains.

[03:10:02]

The hope had been for calm after the death of Hezbollah commander Fu'ad Shukr, also killed in a violation of Hezbollah's stronghold in southern Beirut, led to great fury but minimal fire, with Hezbollah's retaliation restrained, perhaps by pre-emptive Israeli strikes.

Many felt the moment of conflagration had passed, now it seems back again, with Hezbollah once more under pressure to hit back hard. But only because another sophisticated attack has made them look weak. Nick Paton-Walsh, CNN, London.

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COREN: Elliott Gotkine is following developments from London. Elliott, what more are you learning about these attacks?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Anna, as the scale and sophistication of this attack is becoming clearer, we are learning some more details. Now, first and foremost, we have learned that it was a joint operation between the Israeli military, the IDF, and the country's foreign intelligence services, the Mossad.

Now according to the "New York Times" what they managed to do is to get small amounts of explosives inside these pagers next to the battery along with a switch which would enable them to be detonated remotely resulting in those explosions that we can see right now and which have caused chaos across Lebanon.

At the same time we are also learning that the devices seem to be made by a company called Gold Apollo. This is a Taiwanese-based manufacturer of these pagers. But the chairman of that company says that the model in question, the AR924, was not manufactured by them. Rather, it was manufactured under license by a Hungarian distributor that goes by the name of BAC Consulting. It's based in Budapest.

Now, what we don't know, of course, is at what point these explosives managed to find their way into these pagers. Was BAC Consulting, you know, somehow involved? We've reached out to the company. We will obviously bring you more details on that. We don't know if these explosives were perhaps installed via agents who got into the factory somehow, or if they got them into these devices in the course of shipment, perhaps intercepting the shipment while it was on its way to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and getting the explosives in there at the time.

Now, we don't know the answers to those questions. But what we can see, of course, is the impact that this attack has had, sowing chaos and creating shockwaves throughout Hezbollah and Lebanon itself. Anna?

COREN: Elliott, Hezbollah has made a statement. Tell us about it and are we expecting some sort of retaliatory response?

GOTKINE: Look, there's an element of bluster, as there always is, with the comments that are made by militant groups and others when talking about planned attacks or retaliation against Israel. But of course, we do know that there are actual actions that follow them.

In this case, Hezbollah saying that this criminal and treacherous enemy, referring to Israel, will definitely receive a fair punishment for this sinful assault, both in ways that are expected and unexpected. Now, those ways could involve more barrages of rockets, missiles and drones being fired at Israel, or perhaps attacks on Israeli or Jewish targets overseas. We obviously don't know for now. Anna?

COREN: Elliott Gotkine in London. We appreciate the update. Thank you.

With less than 50 days until the U.S. presidential election, the nominees were back on the campaign trail in states that could be key to the November vote.

Vice President Kamala Harris attended an event hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists in Pennsylvania on Tuesday. She answered questions on a wide range of issues and commented on the threats against schools and other facilities in Springfield, Ohio, calling it a crying shame. She denounced as hateful rhetoric false claims spread by Donald Trump and his running mate about Haitian immigrants eating pets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS (D), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's got to stop and we've got to say that you cannot be entrusted with standing behind the seal of the President of the United States of America engaging in that hateful rhetoric that as usual is designed to divide us as a country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Meantime, Donald Trump was in Michigan for his first campaign event since the second apparent attempt on his life. The Republican presidential nominee walked through the crowd of supporters shaking hands. Well, usually at his rallies, Trump walks onto the stage and waves at the crowd without getting close to them. Trump spoke about the incident in Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know. Only consequential presidents get shot at. When I say something like that, you have countries saying, this guy, but what can you do? You have to do what you have to do, right? You have to, we have to be brave, otherwise we're not gonna have a country left.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:15:08]

COREN: Well joining me now from London is Inderjeet Parmar, Professor of International Politics at City St George's University of London. Great to see you. In the wake of this second apparent assassination attempt at Donald Trump, there are obviously calls on both sides of the aisle to lower the temperature, reduce the rhetoric. Are you seeing any signs of that?

INDERJEET PARMER, PROF. OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS, CITY ST. GEORGE'S UNIVERSITY OF LONDON: Not really. I think the temperature of American politics is very high and it's getting higher and higher as the stakes get higher and the election draws closer. And quite frankly, we've seen the most minimal reduction of the rhetoric of the kind of violence, if you like, after the first assassination even from former President Trump. But basically the temperature of American politics is high and getting higher and the tensions are increasing and one fears for the kind of election that's going to be actually held in November and the aftermath of it in the wake of an election result which goes in either direction.

COREN: Inderjeet, I want to play you now some sound from the campaign trail of both Harris and Trump. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Part of my plan under my economic opportunity plan going forward is that right now, startup entrepreneurs, small businesses only get a tax deduction of $5,000. Nobody can start a small business with $5,000. So I'm expanding that to $50,000 understanding again that when people have the opportunity to have the resources to get started they're going to put the good ideas, they're going to put the hard work into it.

TRUMP: There are certain countries, I can tell you every one, I can give you from top to bottom, China's the toughest of all, but we were taking care of China with the tariffs, so we're going to do a reciprocal trade. If anybody charges us 10 cents, if they charge us $2, if they charge us 100 percent, 250, we charge them the same thing. And you know what's going to happen? Everything's going to disappear and we're going to end up having free trade again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Inderjeet, the economy, obviously number one issue for most Americans listening to the two candidates. Their focus is very different. Trump talking about tariffs being the answer, making big promises, offering little detail. Harris, on the other hand, talking about investing in small business. What is resonating at the moment with voters?

PARMAR: Well I think, the rhetoric even there is very, very divisive. It's about setting up the United States against the rest of the world, the Democratic Party as a sort of friend of the rest of the world, the Republican Party is the only party which, if you like, fights for America and so on. The rhetoric's still divisive.

But there are sort of distinct policy differences between the two candidates. But as Liz Cheney said just a couple of weeks ago, the kind of economic policy put forward by Kamala Harris could have been made in speeches by President Reagan and President George W. Bush, which is to say that there is a kind of a neoliberal right-wing kind of economic strategy behind both candidates, which underpins the way they see the world. And quite frankly, if you like, the kind of policies they're suggesting haven't really solved most ordinary Americans' economic precarities, their insecurities and so on.

And quite frankly, I think when you look at the political donations and their sources for both candidates, 25 billionaires behind each of the two candidates, and the kind of promises on taxes and so on that they're making, I think really that I don't think these are going to resonate very deeply with the electorate from either of these two candidates.

COREN: When you speak about Kamala Harris, she remains quite an enigma for many voters. Why is that the case?

PARMAR: Well, in a way, vice presidents tend to be overshadowed by presidents. She was doing a great deal behind the scenes or hidden in plain sight and so on. She's only recently been accepted as a Democratic nominee, and therefore her profile is going to be far lower than any other candidates.

But the thing is that Kamala Harris has faithfully served under the Biden administration. Her politics and broad economic outlook is not that different. She's appointed Tim Walz as her running mate. He's very much a kind of labor union, organized labor kind of candidate. So the kind of approach that she's taking is not that different from the Biden administration itself.

[03:20:01]

Now, it may well be that the Biden administration has the elements of an economic or a grand bargain which they're offering, which is a kind of foreign policy of the middle class and the working class, which I think Kamala Harris may continue.

That may have some resonance in solving some problems. But whether it goes far enough or deep enough and whether offering people $50,000 for a startup is going to really resolve the problem of a large proportion of the American electorate hardly even afford a $400 emergency bill and remain out of debt.

That's the level that we're talking about. And whether the policy she's suggesting and what Trump is suggesting go anywhere near that, I think is the biggest issue here.

COREN: Inderjeet Parmar, we appreciate your analysis. Thank you for joining us from London.

PARMAR: Thank you.

COREN: Well Senate Republicans blocked a bill on in vitro fertilization for a second time as Democrats tried to spotlight the issue ahead of November's presidential election. The Right to IVF Act would have guaranteed access to fertility treatment nationwide and forced insurance companies to cover the costs. The vote was 51 to 44 with Republican Senators Lisa Mokalski and Susan Collins siding with Democrats in favor of advancing the measure. Well the vote appears to put Senate Republicans out of step with their presidential candidate Donald Trump. In August, he claimed if elected, he would require IVF to be covered by insurance.

Well, still to come, countries across Europe battling floods and flames will have the latest on severe weather affecting the region.

Plus, how the sea is proving to be a threat to Palestinians seeking shelter on the beaches of Gaza. That's ahead.

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[03:25:00]

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COREN: An entire village in northern Hungary has been submerged amid flooding caused by torrential rainfall. With no streets or other means of travel available, residents have to use boats to get around until the water recedes. It's the latest example of extreme weather events brought on by climate change across the continent. CNN's Melissa Bell has more details.

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MELISSA BELL, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Death tolls are continuing to rise in several parts of Europe as a result of extreme weather conditions. First of all as a result of some of the havoc that's been caused by storm Boris in parts of Eastern and Central Europe. Some of the worst hit areas along Poland's border with the Czech Republic, where towns have been evacuated, bridges have collapsed, and there are fears that there could be more damage to come.

In some parts of Central Europe, it was a month worth of rain that fell in a matter of just days, with many of those parts of Europe simply unprepared for the amount of water that fell from the sky. We've seen dams burst, bridges collapse and tens of thousands have to be evacuated already, with much of that chaos now spreading southwards to parts of Europe along the Danube.

There are also fears about the wildfires that have gripped parts of Portugal in the center and the north of the country, Portugal and Spain that have been for many years now subject to forest fires over the course of ever-heating summers.

This summer not so bad for those parts of southern Europe, but it is the late surge in temperatures over the course of the weekend that appears to have caused several of those wildfires to start. Many thousands of firefighters involved in several parts of Portugal in trying to put them out, but fear still that they could continue to spread.

Melissa Bell, CNN, in Paris.

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COREN: Earlier I spoke with Eric Fisher, an environmental science lecturer, about what the continued progression of climate change will look like in the future. He says the threat of severe weather will keep growing unless we're ready to make some big sacrifices.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERICH FISER, LECTURER, DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: We expect because the CO2 concentration and the other greenhouse gasses are still continuing to rise, that the warming is going to continue into the future. And this will further bring up these weather extremes.

So we're going to we expect to see more intense heavy rainfall, more intense temperature records, more fire weather etc. So this continuation will go on. I mean the only way to stop it is basically to limit the warming and to do so we need to bring down the greenhouse gas emissions.

COREN: So Eric, what can we be doing? How can we as individuals, our audience watching, what can we be doing to try and make a difference?

FISHER: I mean, to reduce the emissions, we have aptly our different options, right? So depending a bit on where we live, we can try to exchange or reduce our mobility, right? Drive less cars, fly less and burn less fossil fuel. In other places, we also need to replace our heating. That is an important factor where you can make a difference. And obviously also our diet to reduce the eating less meat can make a difference for the carbon emissions and the methane emissions. So these are clearly things that we can do.

Then on another level obviously we also can try to adapt a little bit but that has limitations and large costs but what we've seen is that in some places people were, thanks to flood protection for instance in Austria, we had less damage in some places.

Also flood preparedness helped that due to very well, very good forecast of these events. Some water dams have been lowered before the event actually happened. So we can reduce some of these consequences, but this comes at lot, at high costs.

COREN: Now, but we all need to do our bit to save this beautiful planet. Erik Fischer from Zurich, we appreciate your time. Thank you.

FISHER: Thanks, a pleasure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Ahead, an expanding investigation into the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump, what the governor of Florida is saying about his state's efforts to get justice.

[03:30:00]

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COREN: The apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump has prompted swift reaction on Capitol Hill and a call for more protection for both presidential nominees. A group of Republican senators has sent a letter to the acting Secret Service director demanding Donald Trump receive the same level of protection as a sitting president. Others in the party also believe more resources are urgently needed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): So what I worry about is that we don't have enough personnel to deal with the threat levels that exist in this election and beyond. And I'd like to give them more resources, hire more agents to give those who are in the field a bit of a break.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: But Democratic Senator Chris Murphy says the Secret Service cannot hire new agents to make a difference between now and the inauguration. And his committee has asked the agency to get creative in their requests for additional resources.

Well meantime, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise says minor changes are being made to a bill that would mandate that both Kamala Harris and Trump receive the same level of Secret Service protection as President Joe Biden. He said the goal is to put the measure on the floor this week.

CNN's Randi Kaye has more from Palm Beach County, Florida.

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RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Next time Donald Trump hits the links, there may be substantially more security around him. That's what acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe told Trump this week, according to three people familiar with the meeting. Rowe told Trump there were concerns about securing his private courses given the large amounts of space and proximity to public roads, sources said.

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): The state of Florida has jurisdiction over the most serious straightforward offense, which is attempted murder.

[03:35:05]

KAYE (voice-over): This, as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis adds his name to the dueling investigations into the apparent attempt on former President Donald Trump's life. A staunch Trump ally, the Republican governor announced a state probe and injected politics into the investigation, repeating his often used attack line against the federal government.

DESANTIS: In my judgment, it's not in the best interest of our state or our nation that the same federal agencies that are seeking to prosecute Donald Trump leading this investigation.

KAYE (voice-over): DeSantis also revealed the investigation into Ryan Routh is expanding in the state of Florida, where he says the suspect is believed to have broken state laws in three counties, and as authorities work to track the stolen license plate found on his black Nissan.

KAYE: That could really speak to his whereabouts.

SHERIFF WILLIAM SNYDER, MARTIN COUNTY, FLORIDA: They'll go back now to the scene of the crime where the tags were stolen, and they'll look at video camera. I think they're going to find his digital fingerprints all over the place. They'll go back to the registered owner say, where was the last time you saw your tag on there?

KAYE (voice-over): The investigation is also heating up in Hawaii. The FBI searched Routh's home in Hawaii on the east side of the island of Oahu. Agents executed a court-authorized search warrant. Ryan Routh's mugshots are a roadmap of sorts to his criminal past.

Court documents obtained by CNN show in 2002, Routh was charged in Greensboro, North Carolina, with possessing a weapon of mass death and destruction, a binary explosive device with a detonation cord, and a blasting cap. He pleaded guilty.

KAYE: Picking up on the Secret Service's concerns about Donald Trump's safety on Trump's golf courses because they're so expansive and so close to the road, even Ron DeSantis talked about that at the press briefing. He recalled how he played golf with Donald Trump here at Trump International Golf Club, and he remembered being at that fifth and sixth hole where the suspect is believed to have been laying in wait. He remembers being there and he recalled just how exposed he felt at that time during their game.

Randi Kaye, CNN, Palm Beach County, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: On the campaign trail, Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz slammed his Republican rival over the false claims that Haitian immigrants are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio. During a stop in Asheville, North Carolina, Walz attacked J.D. Vance after the Senator told CNN he was willing to create stories in defense of those claims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN), U.S. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He got called out by a fair and free press that are a part of our democracy and fundamental to the freedoms of this country. They asked him if maybe it was an accident. He didn't mean it. No, he said I admit it. I'm willing to create stories to spread fear, to drum up support for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Well those stories have wrought havoc in Springfield. The city's schools reopened on Tuesday under heavy security after being closed for days due to the threats made over the false claims about pets being eaten. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine directed state troopers to sweep each of the district's 17 school buildings before classes began. And bomb-sniffing dogs are being stationed across the city. CNN's Brian Todd has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Vice President Kamala Harris weighing in on the tension in Springfield, Ohio, the fears of the Haitian immigrant community there and the threats directed toward them.

VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS (D), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's a crying shame, literally, what's happening to those families, those children in that community, not to mention what is happening in terms of, look, you say you care about law enforcement, law enforcement resources.

TODD (voice-over): And those resources have been pouring in. On Tuesday, an influx of state police sweeping all of the district's 17 school buildings and staying on campuses all day. Bomb detection dog teams roving the city, tower cameras installed. Officials say schools in Springfield have received more than 30 bomb threats since last week, along with threats of shootings.

MAYOR ROB RUE (R), SPRINGFIELD, OHIO: We were not receiving threats before at this level when we were highlighted on the national stage. Now we have threats. Now we're having to respond.

TODD (voice-over): Public schools in Springfield reopened today under this veil of fear. But two local colleges have shut down and gone to virtual learning for the rest of the week because of the threats. Last week, two area hospitals had to shut down because of threats. Haitian community leaders say the strain for some is unbearable.

ROSE-THAMAR JOSEPH, HAITIAN COMMUNITY LEADER: The Haitian community in Springfield are a little bit -- are shocked and frustrated. And a lot of them may be talking about living in Springfield.

TODD (voice-over): Earlier this month, false internet and social media rumors circulated that Haitian immigrants in Springfield were eating dogs and cats. The threats began pouring in after former President Donald Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, amplified the rumors.

DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They're eating the pets of the people that live there.

[03:40:10]

TODD (voice-over): Local and state officials say the claims are all completely baseless. One analyst who monitors extremism worries about the rhetoric circulating about Springfield on the dark web and elsewhere.

LA'NITA JOHNSON, EXPERT ON EXTREMISM: We know the fear that is thrown in chat rooms. We see the mis- and disinformation that is often in these online spaces. I do fear that this is a different type of rhetoric than we've seen in the past. It's hinging on dehumanization, which is -- it's unfortunately common in the United States.

TODD: Speaking about the people who are actually issuing the threats, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said at least some of those actors are overseas. DeWine said some of the threats are coming from one particular country, but he didn't name the country.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: For Gaza's children, life before and after war could not be more different. They're telling the world they want their happiness back. That's next.

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COREN: Israel launched airstrikes on a refugee camp in central Gaza Tuesday morning. Residents searched desperately for their loved ones buried under the rubble. A Gaza civil defense spokesperson said his teams in the area could hear, quote, "screams of children coming from the crushed buildings." One survivor described the horrifying scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MUMEN AWAD, EYEWITNESS (through translator): The house is full of people, more than 20 people. They are all under the rubble.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Well, Gaza's health ministry says at least 26 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza on Tuesday. CNN is unable to confirm the numbers independently.

Well, every day brings new struggles for displaced civilians in Gaza, the threat of airstrikes, hunger and thirst, constant uncertainty. And for some families seeking shelter on Gaza's beaches, the rising tides are destroying their makeshift homes.

CNN's Schams Elwazer reports.

[03:45:07]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GHAZAL, GAZA RESIDENT (translated): The sea water filled out our tent while we were asleep at night. We moved further so we don't drown more. I'm digging a hole to put the wooden piece inside and fix the tent.

SCHAMS ELWAZER, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR OF COVERAGE (voice-over): Pitching tents on the beach as their last attempt at safety from the war, 8-year-old Ghazal and other families like hers are fighting against high tides, wind and the oncoming cold of winter in their makeshift homes.

These are just some of the families displaced to the shore west of the city of Khan Younis, a target of many Israeli attacks. Almost the entire population of Gaza has been forced to flee their homes in the war.

GHAZAL (translated): I wish we could go back home instead of facing this humiliation. When the sea waters came towards us, I couldn't do anything. I hear the winter will bring us so much water that it might drown us.

ELWAZER (voice-over): Some families are digging sand walls to protect themselves from the rising tides.

BILAL SHELHEIBAR, GAZA RESIDENT (translated): Winter is approaching, it's not about us (adults), we can endure the cold and even death, we are prepared, but it is too much for children. ELWAZER (voice-over): The approaching winter is just one of the many daily struggles that these families must now go through, as nine-year- old Yasmeen says.

YASMEEN, GAZA RESIDENT (translated): We are growing up in a very brutal war. We deserve to live our childhood like other children. We have become like skeletons, carrying water bottles, feeling exhausted. Before the war, we used to play and live happily. But now, we can't live like we use to. The war is still going on, it has destroyed us.

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COREN: I certainly do deserve to be happy. Our thanks to Schams Elwazer for that report.

The Venezuelan government's fierce crackdown on dissent has plunged the country into an acute human rights crisis, well that's according to a damning new report from the United Nations. An independent, fact- finding mission documented what it calls a continuing and coordinated plan to silence, discourage and quash opposition to long-time President Nicolas Maduro.

The report found that Maduro's government escalated its efforts to crush peaceful dissent after the disputed presidential election in July. More than two dozen people died in the protests and more than 2400 people were arrested. Opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez, who experts say won that election, is now seeking asylum in Spain.

In a case that's making headlines in France, a 71-year-old man has admitted to recruiting dozens of strangers to rape his wife for nearly a decade. Begging his family's forgiveness, Dominique Pelicot told the court, I am a rapist, just like all the others in this room. Well prosecutors say Pelicot offered sex with his wife on a website and filmed the abuse.

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BEATRICE ZAVARRO, LAWYER FOR DOMINIQUE PELICOT (through translator): Yes, he confirmed that he recognized his part in the rape of his wife. On the question of whether he raped her on his own, he confirmed that sometimes he raped her on his own. What was the frequency of the rapes? He said that regarding himself, it took place two or three times a week. Then some men who came could be added on top of that.

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COREN: His wife has become a symbol of the struggle against sexual violence in France. Gisele Pelicot insisted on a public trial to expose her husband and the 50 other men accused of raping her over almost 10 years.

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MARTINE, SUPPORTER OF GISELE PELICOT (through translator): This case interests us women, and especially seeing this little woman who is defending herself against all these lawyers and all the accused. We have to support her, and maybe this can happen to anyone, young, old, you never know. And it's important. This hurts. As a woman, this hurts. We can't imagine such things. It's unacceptable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Some of the dozens of defendants say they thought they were participating in a couple's fantasy and that Gisele Pelicot consented to sex.

Meta will soon make some big changes to Instagram accounts for users under 18. Automatic private settings, content restrictions, and much more. Those details ahead.

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[03:50:00]

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COREN: Wall Street is gearing up for what could be a big day of trading, with the Federal Reserve expected to announce its first interest rate cut since 2020 in just a few hours. Investors are betting on a quarter point or half point cut, either of which could send stocks to new record highs. Tuesday's trading was relatively quiet ahead of the Fed's move. The Dow dropped almost 16 points, the Nasdaq was up nearly 36 points and the S&P saw a minimal gain but straight time.

Soaping changes are coming soon to teen accounts on Instagram. The platform's parent company Meta is set to apply more stringent controls. It's Meta's latest attempt to address the issue of child safety on social media. CNN's Clare Duffy has more.

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CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Right. Starting next week Instagram is going to start automatically applying new teen account settings for all users under the age of 18. Here's what that's gonna look like: all new and existing teen accounts will be automatically set to private.

So even if you're a teen influencer your account will automatically be set to private. There's going to be new restrictions on who can message teens who can tag them and photos and comments. Teens will start seeing less sensitive content in their feed. So think for example, a post promoting a cosmetic procedure, they'll see less of that.

Teen accounts will also be automatically set to sleep mode by default, which means they won't be receiving notifications overnight. Messages will receive an auto response and teens are going to start getting a warning when they've spent an hour on the platform each day. But here's what I think is the biggest change here.

[03:55:01] Teens who are 16 and 17 years old, once this change happens, they can automatically by themselves go back in and change the settings back if they want. But teens who are 13 to 15 will have to receive parental approval through the app if they want to change any of these settings.

That means if teens who are 13 to 15 haven't set up parental supervision, linked their parents' account to their account, they're going to have to do that if they want less of these restrictions. So potentially more control for parents here of young teens in terms of their kids' experience on Instagram.

Now Instagram has over the past few years in the face of a lot of pressure rolled out some one-off changes, new policy updates to try to keep teens safe, but this is a much more comprehensive approach than what we've seen previously. Now there may still be ways for teens to get around this. They could pretty easily lie about their age when they're signing up for accounts on the platform for example, but I think certainly some reassurance for parents here that the company is making some effort to keep kids safe.

Clare Duffy, CNN, New York.

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COREN: Well, there's nothing unusual about going on a satisfying shopping trip unless you're eight years old and you are driving. Police in Ohio responded to a call this weekend after a family discovered that their child was missing. A neighbor's ring camera caught the young girl getting into an SUV by herself and driving off.

And another driver caught this video of her on her way to Target. Well police later spotted this car in the store's parking lot and found the girl inside. The police department joked about the incident online, saying, not sure what she bought or if she was even able to use her Target app to save 5 percent. We did let her finish her frappuccino. We're not that mean.

Wonder what mum and dad had to say. Thanks so much for your company. I'm Anna Coren. Newsroom continues with my colleague Max Foster after this short break.

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