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Ukrainian President to Address U.N. General Assembly, Lays Out Victory Plan to U.S. President Biden; U.S. Gulf Coast Braces for Helene. Retired NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre Diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease; Federal Judge Ruling Allows U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith's Filing of New Evidence on Trump's Election Subversion Case. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired September 25, 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]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead on "CNN Newsroom", Israel intercepts a missile near Tel Aviv in the latest exchange between Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and the Israeli military.

Ukraine's president tells the U.N. Security Council Russia can only be forced into peace as he prepares to lay out his victory plan to the U.S. president.

And the U.S. Gulf Coast braces for tropical storm Helene, with forecasters predicting it'll be a major hurricane upon landfall later this week.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. We begin this hour in Tel Aviv where the Israeli military says it has intercepted a single surface to surface missile launched by Hezbollah, marking the first time ever a missile fired by the militant group has reached close to the city.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

Hezbollah says it was targeting the headquarters of Israel's intelligence agency Mossad. There are no reports of damage or casualties. The IDF released this footage, which it claims shows a strike destroying the missile launcher that targeted Tel Aviv. Another dramatic video shows an Israeli airstrike on a town along the Lebanese coast.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

Cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has increased over the past few days. Lebanese officials put the death toll in the country at well over 500.

And CNN's Paula Hancocks joins me now live from Abu Dhabi. So Paula, what is the latest on this intercepted missile from Lebanon after sirens sounded in Tel Aviv?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, this happened earlier this Wednesday morning. And the Israeli military has now confirmed that is the closest to the city that has been targeted by Lebanon. We heard from the Israeli military spokesperson saying that it was a heavy and long-range missile.

And we understand also that it was shot down by one of the missile defense systems Israel has, not the Iron Dome, which is the most widely used but by David's Sling, which has a higher altitude in intercepting a missile.

So certainly this does appear as though it is somewhat of an escalation, or at least a step ahead from what we're seeing in Hezbollah. Over recent days we had been seeing a lot of short-range missiles, we had been seeing them targeting northern Israel in particular, military installations.

And what we have heard from Hezbollah in their statement is that they were trying to target the Mossad headquarters near Tel Aviv saying that they were doing it in support of the people of Gaza and also in the defense of Lebanon.

So this certainly is something that is out of the ordinary, the very fact that there was an air raid siren in Tel Aviv and also that there was an air raid siren in Netanya. That's just a little further north. That's the first time they've had a siren since October 7th.

Now we have heard from the Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in the past that if Beirut was targeted then the Israeli economic center would be targeted as well. Rosemary.

CHURCH: And Paula, what impact have Israel's airstrikes on southern Lebanon had on Hezbollah so far? And of course, how likely is a ground incursion in the days ahead and how possible is an all-out war, which is the big concern for everyone?

HANCOCKS: Well, the Israeli military obviously won't be drawn on whether a ground offensive is imminent. They've certainly said that they have the plans in place. We heard from the chief of staff saying that the next phases are already planned.

We did hear from Yoav Gallant, the defense minister. He was visiting with troops just in the north of Israel as well. And he said that Hezbollah today is different from the organization we knew a week ago. So pointing out that Hezbollah has been hit hard saying that they have additional strikes prepared.

[03:05:07]

And that they have suffered a series of significant blows to their capabilities but we are still seeing these missiles coming over from Hezbollah to Israel and of course that missile this morning targeting close to Tel Aviv. So Gallant also warned the troops that Israel that Hezbollah is still very determined to inflict damage and they need to be aware of that. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right, our thanks to Paula Hancocks for that. I Appreciate it.

U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump rolled out a series of economic proposals during a speech Tuesday in Savannah, Georgia. Trump announced he would work with Georgia's governor to deepen the port of Savannah. He also proposed higher tariffs and tax cuts to encourage companies to manufacture products here in the United States. The former president made a lot of promises that he says would bring about a, quote, "new American industrialism."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Here is the deal that I will be offering to every major company and manufacturer on Earth. I will give you the lowest taxes, the lowest energy costs, the lowest regulatory burden and free access to the best and biggest market on the planet, but only if you make your product here in America.

This new American industrialism will create millions and millions of jobs, massively raise wages for American workers, and make the United States into a manufacturing powerhouse like it used to be many years ago. We will be able to build ships again. We will be able to build airplanes at a much higher level again. We will become the world leader in robotics and every other field.

The U.S. auto industry, which has been decimated over many, many decades, will once again be the envy of the planet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: But economists have warned that raising tariffs will lead to higher prices for American consumers.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is promising that if she becomes president, she would get rid of the filibuster delay tactic in the Senate in order to pass a bill codifying abortion rights.

That stance has cost her a potential endorsement from Senator Joe Manchin, a former Democrat turned independent. Critics say some lawmakers have abused the filibuster and prevented the Senate from doing what the American public wants. But Manchin and others say the filibuster forces the Senate to reach consensus, unlike the House, where legislation can be rammed through by a simple majority vote.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

SEN. JOE MANCHIN (I-WV): Shame on her.

REPORTER: So I knew that you've been considering endorsing her. Does this change your view?

MANCHIN: Oh, no. That aren't going to happen.

REPORTER: You're not going to endorse her?

MANCHIN: I'm not endorsing her. Never. I think that's basically something that can destroy our country and my country is more important to me than any one person or any one person's ideology.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meantime, Harris is planning to visit the U.S.-Mexican border while she's in Arizona on Friday, according to a source familiar with the discussions. She's trying to narrow Trump's lead in the polls on immigration, one of the main issues in this year's election.

Joining me now is Jessica Levinson, a law professor at Loyola Law School and host of the "Passing Judgment" podcast. Appreciate you joining us.

JESSICA LEVINSON, LEW PROFESSOR, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: Good to be here.

CHURCH: So, a new CNN national poll shows a presidential race virtually tied with just six weeks to go to the election. 48 percent of likely voters support Kamala Harris, 47 percent support Donald Trump. That is within the margin of error, of course, and represents the tightest race in modern history.

But national polls, of course, shed very little light on the outcome of elections like this. It's the swing states that will decide this. What shifts are you seeing in those critical states and what do you make of those latest poll numbers?

LEVINSON: Well, I think that what you said is the most important thing to think about when we think about national poll numbers, which is they really don't make much difference.

And I actually just came from giving a speech to my old high school, about 500 girls, and I explained the electoral college and how we really shouldn't focus on these national polls at all because it is, Rosemary, exactly as you said, there are 50 different contests. And that's how we determine who the winner of the presidential election. Each state votes, except for two states, the winner of that state gets all of the electoral votes.

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So we're focused on about nine to 12 different states and it's those polls and it's demographic shifts that we look at in those particular polls that we need to focus on.

CHURCH: Right, indeed. And what do they tell you?

LEVINSON: So I think what they tell us is that when it comes to youth vote, when it comes to women, when it comes to many minority voters, Kamala Harris is gaining ground. And you can see that number from September, or excuse me, from the summer after President Biden stepped out, where Kamala Harris' numbers just kind of start to go up and up and up.

But there is some softening for non-college educated white men, for instance. And there are places where I think when she's looking at that so-called blue wall, those Midwest states that are key where her campaign will have some anxiety.

CHURCH: And of course this latest CNN poll does show that the economy ranks as the most important issue for likely voters at 41 percent, despite the U.S. economy bouncing back from the pandemic faster than any other nation across the globe. 50 percent of likely voters say they trust Trump to handle the economy, while only 39 percent trust Harris.

Why has the Biden administration failed to get the message across to voters that the U.S. is actually in good shape, with inflation down from 9 percent to 2.5 percent, interest rates coming down? I mean, it's actually better than most other nations. Europe looks with envy at the United States, doesn't it?

LEVINSON: That is absolutely true. I think two things are going on. One, absolutely, this is a failure of the Biden administration in the sense that they have a real success story to tell, and they haven't been able to tell that in a compelling way. Having said that, yes, our economy and many aspects of our economy are not only strong, but getting stronger. And I think that is helping Kamala Harris' polling numbers.

But when it comes to certain products that we all purchase on a daily or weekly basis, a lot of people very rationally feel like we're paying more than we used to. That is inflation. Inflation has come back down. But it's very difficult to explain to people.

But look at other aspects of the economy when the thing that is hitting their pocketbook the most directly, which is at the market, at the gas station, things cost more, it's hard to convince them that the Biden-Harris administration has actually done good things for the economy. Except, again, if they could, they have a great story to tell when it comes to a lot of these big pieces of legislation that have helped bolster our economy.

CHURCH: And support for Harris, as you mentioned, has skyrocketed since she entered the race, but not enough to attract support from former Democrat, now independent, leading Senate moderate Joe Manchin, who says he won't be endorsing Harris because of her plan to get rid of the filibuster in order to codify abortion rights. How significant is this? And particularly with CNN polling showing Harris has a double-digit lead over Trump among women, a factor he won't accept.

LEVINSON: Well, I think that Joe Manchin frankly does not have huge coattails. And so obviously Kamala Harris wants to win every state. She doesn't want to lose any Democrat slash independent support. But let's be honest, I don't think Joe Manchin sways elections. I think he knows that. And I think the fact that we're talking about him is probably a win in the sense that he went for him in the sense that he said. Well, maybe I'll run, maybe I'll throw my hat. And when President Joe Biden said, I'm not running anymore. I think when all the winds turned towards Harris, he realized that was untenable, but there is not a lot of support either in the party or otherwise. And I don't think his failure to endorse is going to become outcome to determine here.

CHURCH: Jessica Levinson, always a pleasure to get your analysis on these issues, I Appreciate it.

LEVINSON: Thank you.

CHURCH: Tropical Storm Helene is gaining strength. It's expected to become a hurricane soon as it barrels toward the U.S. state of Florida. Evacuations are underway. Helene could hit as the strongest storm to make landfall in the U.S. in over a year. CNN meteorologist Chad Myers has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, Helene's still a tropical storm and it's going to become a hurricane and then make a swipe at Cancun. Temperatures are in the upper 80s when it comes to the water temperatures rapidly intensify and it's forecast to do so all the way up to 120 miles per hour at landfall.

We're still going to have to see if this is going to be on the left side or the right side of the cone because that makes a significant difference here with the amount of damage that could possibly occur along the west coast of Florida for sure. And if we start to push some of that surge into Tampa we could start to see that coastal salt water flooding there.

[03:15:01]

Your hurricane warnings are in effect there from Anclote River all the way over to about Mexico Beach and this is the area that's going to see most of the surge. 10 to 15 feet of saltwater surge pushing back into the rivers, into the estuaries and into the marshes here.

By the time overnight Wednesday night and into early Thursday that's when the first tropical storm force winds will hit the U.S. But then by later on in the evening we will start to see those hurricane force winds as well.

Probably 110 plus, certainly, forecast is for 120. But that 110 plus goes all the way almost to Tallahassee. Can't imagine what that town will look like with all of those beautiful trees getting pushed around by 100 mile per hour wind.

Also the threat of a tornado or two that always happens with a land falling hurricane. We have a front across parts of the southeast. All of that moisture is going to bump into the front and make significant rainfall. So yes, we have flood watches in effect. And this area in purple, that's 10 inches of rainfall or more over the next few days.

And look how wide of an area that is from Asheville, almost over towards Charlotte and toward Atlanta. So much rainfall in the hills, southern Appalachian Hills, could see significant flash flooding, fresh water flooding, not the salt water, simply because of all the heavy, heavy rainfall that's going to be coming down for days on end. Be careful out there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, Iran sends a strong message to world leaders. Israeli strikes in Lebanon cannot be ignored. We'll have the latest from the U.N. General Assembly.

Plus, Ukraine's president prepares to present a plan to U.S. President Joe Biden to defeat Russia. But will it be approved? We'll discuss.

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[03:20:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Day two of the U.N. General Assembly will begin in the coming hours with more discussions on climate change and other international security matters. The Israeli strikes in Lebanon are at the top of the agenda. Iran's President is calling for swift action on the matter. He's also criticizing the U.S. for its decision to pull out of a landmark nuclear deal proposed in 2015. Here's more from the Iranian President.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MASOUD PEZESHKIAN, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Naturally, blind Israeli state terrorism over the past few days in Lebanon, followed by a massive aggression with thousands of victims, cannot go unanswered. The responsibility for all consequences will be borne by those governments who have thwarted all global efforts to end this horrific catastrophe and have the audacity to call themselves champions of human rights.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meantime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address the U.N. General Assembly in a few hours from now, a day after he told the Security Council that Russia can only be forced into peace. Ukrainian official says Zelenskyy is expected to meet U.S. President Joe Biden in the coming hours.

CNN's Clare Sebastian joins me now live from London. Good morning to you, Clare. So, what's President Zelenskyy expected to say today at the U.N. General Assembly after his address yesterday at the Security Council and what will likely come out of his meeting with President Biden?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, good morning, Rosemary. I think to this broader audience, the second of his two big U.N. speeches, it was interesting that we saw yesterday in the Security Council that this wasn't just about making the point that Russia is the aggressor here and dangling issues of escalation, that he really seems to be trying to build his coalition, not just firm up support from existing allies, but to try to bring more countries into what he is pitching as a very inclusive vision for peace.

He said, this will be a peace that matters to all, that is inclusive, just like the U.N. Charter, and that all countries would be invited to what he is now trailing as his second peace summit. So this clearly an attempt to try to isolate Russia in a way that it has yet to be actually fully isolated on the world stage.

That explains why President Zelenskyy is also meeting on the sidelines with countries who have sort of sat on the fence on this war, the likes of India and Turkey clearly trying to firm up international support here as he gets into what he's described as critical months for this war, but he also reverted to basics. He described Russia as the sole aggressor in this war, the sole violator of the U.N. Charter. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: From the very first second of this war. Russia has been doing things that cannot possibly be justified under the U.N. Charter. Every destroyed Ukrainian city, every burned village, and there are already hundreds and hundreds of swords as proof that Russia is committing an international crime. And that's why this war can't simply fade away. That's why this war can't be calmed by talks. Action is needed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: Cannot be calmed by talks. This is a rallying cry to the world. And look, this is a room where Russia's ambassador to the U.N. was also sitting, and his rhetoric really showed. He talked about the Kyiv regime being a cancerous tumor called on the West to sort of exercise that.

That rhetoric really shows, I think, why Zelenskyy believes that Russia cannot be convinced to participate in peace talks, that their hand has to be forced. And one issue that Russia will be watching very closely as this U.N. General Assembly continues is Western military aid, the issue in particular of whether the U.S. and U.K. will give permission for Ukraine to use Western long-range missiles on Russian soil.

That is something where Russia has made it very clear that if that happens they would see themselves as at war with NATO. That hasn't happened yet, but we are expecting today the first of a number of U.S. military aid packages to be promised to Ukraine.

[03:24:58]

Unfortunately for Ukraine they will come with longer delivery times than Ukraine has been used to because of dwindling Pentagon stockpiles but will still be a sign of Western support being steadfast.

CHURCH: Clare Sebastian, thank you for bringing us that live report from London.

And earlier I spoke with CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger about Zelenskyy's address and its parallels to the speech by US President Joe Biden. Here's part of our conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I think the fascinating comparison here is President Zelenskyy's speech and President Biden's earlier in the day. So President Biden celebrated organizing the world to come to Ukraine's defense, but then he warned that the battle isn't over and that if we flag now, it will give Vladimir Putin not only parts of Ukraine but a pathway to take some nearby NATO neighbors if he chooses to, or just to keep going with non-NATO members.

Then you heard from President Zelenskyy, and it was a little more specific as you quoted him saying he basically made the case you're going to have to force Putin into talks, and he basically argued that was the reason he had taken territory inside Russia.

So this will all come to a head on Thursday when President Zelenskyy comes to Washington and again presses President Biden to let him use those long-range American weapons inside Russian territory. And this is the one last red line that Biden has been very hesitant across.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Our thanks to David Sanger for his analysis there.

Sirens ring out across Tel Aviv as Hezbollah fires a missile far from the front lines. The group says it was intended for Israel's intelligence agency. We'll have the details after a short break. Stay with us.

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[03:30:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: For what's thought to be the first time ever, Hezbollah has fired a missile from Lebanon toward the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. Israel intercepted the missile as it approached.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

Hezbollah says it was targeting the headquarters of Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency. The IDF described the ballistic missile as heavy and long-range. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

Meantime, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delayed his trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly due to the ongoing fighting. His office says he will fly to New York on Thursday and is expected to speak at the U.N. on Friday. So let's go live now to Beirut, Lebanon. Ettie Higgins is a deputy

representative with UNICEF. Thank you so much for joining us.

ETTIE HIGGINS, DEPUTY REPRESENTATIVE, UNICEF: Good morning from Beirut.

CHURCH: So Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon have killed hundreds of people so far, including many children and now we're hearing reports of 150 schools being used as shelters there. What is the level of suffering in the country right now and how are citizens coping with these constant bombardments from Israel?

HIGGINS: In fact, since Monday, the situation has rapidly, rapidly escalated and gotten much worse, Rosemary. Even since we shared those numbers publicly yesterday, since then the government has updated us this morning and there are now over 250 shelters that have had to open.

Many of these are schools, meaning that the new school year, which should have started by now with children going with their new school bags and school uniforms and they should have gone back to education. This is no longer their reality. Instead, we have now tens of thousands of people, we estimate approximately 90,000 people have been displaced since Monday, who are now arriving into Beirut, into other cities seeking safety.

We have shelters that are full, and we have children instead of looking and getting their education at this time of the year, are now instead looking for water, they're looking for clothes, money fled just with the clothes on their backs. They're without any of their personal belongings, medications. We have children with disabilities who are turning up at shelters that are already full and parents who are absolutely desperate to find a place of safety and protection for their children.

Sadly, some of them didn't even survive or manage to make the journey out of their villages in the South and other parts of the country that were bombarded, and we have confirmed the deaths of at least 50 children just since Monday, while we have another 90,000 displaced and up to 2,000 have been injured since Monday, meaning that hospitals now are completely overwhelmed once more.

CHURCH: That is a dire situation, particularly for children, as you point out. And of course, Israeli attacks on Lebanon have so far been from the air, but a ground incursion into the country is now looking more and more likely in the days ahead. What could that potentially mean for the people of Lebanon already suffering?

HIGGINS: Well, I mean, this week presents a remarkable opportunity with the U.N. General Assembly taking place in New York. And we hope that with the leaders convening, that sense will prevail and that cooler heads will prevail and that this conflict can be de-escalated urgently.

Really, the situation in Lebanon, as the Secretary General said yesterday of the United Nations, is already catastrophic. And we cannot afford Lebanon to face more conflict. Already this country has faced many years of economic collapse, and with the hosting over a million Syrian refugees from the Syria conflict next door, and now to add on top of this, yet another crisis is really something unbearable.

[03:35:05]

So families are telling us that they just don't know where to go for safety or how much more they can even bear. We're seeing children, really, the thought of this conflict intensifying, children's mental health is really, really at risk as well. So we would call for the immediate de-escalation and hopefully for peace to prevail.

CHURCH: And on that issue, how concerned are you that this could expand into all-out war and what could that potentially mean for citizens in Lebanon, if that happens?

HIGGINS: That could mean massive, massive further displacement. We have already seen Syrian refugees, for example, who are this morning. I got a call that there's thousands of families, both Syrian and Lebanese, looking for safe places on the side of roads in the south of the country, in the east of the country.

Thousands more arrived yesterday in the north of the country. So to your question, should the conflict intensify further? We are making, of course, plans. UNICEF is flying in supplies this week, continuously planning for worst-case scenario, but we have received approximately 20 percent of the funding required just to manage the existing response.

So for sure, the humanitarian community will not be able to cope should this response further worsen and should more resources be required.

CHURCH: Ettie Higgins, thank you so much for joining us and all of the work that you do. We appreciate it.

HIGGINS: Thank you.

CHURCH: And we'll be right back with more "CNN Newsroom."

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CHURCH: The legal team of American gymnast Jordan Chiles has submitted a new application in Switzerland's Federal Supreme Court over the decision that lost her an Olympic bronze medal.

[03:40:03]

Chiles was stripped of her first individual Olympic medal after the Romanian gymnastics team challenged the decision to revise Chiles' final score in the floor exercise. The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the challenge, so Chiles' bronze went to Romania's Ana Barbasu. However, Chiles' lawyer says new video evidence from a documentary crew that was filming the floor finals proves that the court's prior decision rests on factual error. NFL Hall of Fame Brett Favre has revealed that he was recently

diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The 54-year-old quarterback known for playing for the Green Bay Packers disclosed that he had the progressive brain disease Tuesday at a committee hearing on reforming temporary assistance for needy families.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRETT FAVRE, HALL OF FAME NFL QUARTERBACK: Sadly I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others and I'm sure You'll understand why it's too late for me because I've recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's. This is also a cause dear to my heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Favre has previously said that he could have experienced thousands of concussions across his 20-season NFL career. Studies have found a link between playing football, concussions and a risk of developing Parkinson's.

I'm Rosemary Church. "Marketplace Europe" is up next for our international audience, and for those of you watching here in the United States, I'll be back after a short break with more "CNN Newsroom." Do stick around.

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[03:45:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. In Washington, a federal judge has ruled that special counsel Jack Smith will be allowed to file new evidence in the election subversion case against Donald Trump over the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SR. CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: We are now set for the Justice Department to give to a federal court the fullest collection of evidence that's ever been seen in public before about Donald Trump and the 2020 election case.

This is his federal criminal case in Washington, D.C. It's not going to trial anytime soon, certainly not before the election. There's no major hearings on the calendar in the future. And there's no final report at this time that we're expecting from special counsel Jack Smith that's been investigating and bringing this case against Trump.

So instead, we're getting a dispute over presidential immunity, an issue that Donald Trump took to the Supreme Court. And now that the trial judge in this case, Judge Tanya Chutkan, has to figure out the way she's going to do that is to look at evidence and the way to do that is for the Justice Department to give about 200 pages, they say, to argue over what the facts are of the case against Donald Trump and to also give to the court pages and pages more of evidence, exhibits.

So all of that is going to be handed over to the federal court on Thursday now of this week. And then Judge Chutkan in D.C.'s district court will make a determination of when the public will get to see that, very likely, quite possibly, before election day. It will be a monumental moment in this case against Donald Trump, alleging conspiracy and obstruction during the 2020 election, after the 2020 election, and up to and on January 6th.

Keep your eyes on this because we just don't know how it will play out in court. But my sources are saying Trump's team is -- are very likely to want to challenge some portion of this. They do not want this to come out before the election. But it is poised now, including information about Trump and his communications with his then vice president, Mike Pence, things that have never been heard before in public.

Katelyn Polantz, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: A new CNN poll shows the U.S. presidential race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris remains extremely close. There's no clear leader among likely voters with Harris holding the slight edge 48 to 47 percent well within the poll's margin of error.

About four in ten likely voters consider the economy the most important issue. That's a positive for Trump. Half of those surveyed say they trust him over Harris to handle the economy. Protecting democracy and reproductive rights were further down the list of priorities for voters.

Well, more often than not, many of the most interesting figures in an election season are located outside the polls and the headlines. They're found in cities surrounding metro areas and beyond. CNN's John King explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Ponce City Market, Atlanta's historic old fourth ward, once an old Sears warehouse, near the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

LAKEYSHA HALLMON, GEORGIA VOTER: Everything started here.

KING (voice-over): Now a community anchor that includes Village Retail, a showcase for black entrepreneurs. Its motto, a message.

HALLMON: Support is a verb tells people to do something. That if you love something, it should be action behind it. Support is a verb has told people the way that they can be a part of change.

KING (voice-over): Lakeysha Hallmon started the Village in 2016 as a pop-up market. The retail shop opened in 2020. More proof Atlanta is a beacon of black economic and political power. And now a crucial test of whether Kamala Harris can build a coalition to keep Georgia blue.

HALLMON: We need to feel that things can change in our lifetime, that we're not always waiting on this fictional place where things get better in America. How about we start to do that now?

KING (voice-over): Loyalty to President Biden runs deep in the black community, but the switch to Harris flipped the 2024 vibe here.

HALLMON: It doesn't feel so doomsday anymore. It actually feels hopeful, and there's excitement.

[03:50:00]

Four in 10 Georgia voters in 2020 were people of color, and Biden won 80 percent of them en route to his razor-thin win here. Harris needs to match that, maybe more, beginning with giant black turnout.

HALLMON: Support is a verb. It really takes us to do something. That means if it rains, get out and vote. That means if you have a car and your neighbor doesn't have a car, take them to the polls with you.

KING (voice-over): Chanta Villano-Willis isn't sold, isn't sure the vice president is up to the top job.

CHANTA VILLANO-WILLIS, GEORGIA VOTER: I've been a Democrat my entire adult life. This has actually been the first year where I was considering voting Republican.

KING (voice-over): Her mother isn't happy.

VILLANO-WILLIS: Never thought she'd see a black person president in her life. She did. Now Kamala Harris is for president. My mother says she don't care what she does, let's just get her in there and I simply don't feel the same.

KING (voice-over): Villano-Willis works a mix of gig jobs so she can care for her mother and a son with special needs. She likes when Donald Trump promises more oil drilling and to promote cryptocurrencies, but she sides with Harris on abortion rights and says Trump often talks down to blacks.

VILLANO-WILLIS: Oh, and his favorite color is black. Boy, please. No, we don't have good choices, period.

KING: Will you vote or are there circumstances where you might skip it?

VILLANO-WILLIS: I'm going to vote because that's my civic American duty. Too many people fought for me to vote.

KING (voice-over): Suresh Sharma worked at NASA and G.E. before starting his own business to support manufacturing startups.

SURESH SHARMA, GEORGIA VOTER: Strategically and long-term, the economy is in a very good shape. KING (voice-over): Sharma lives in suburban Cobb County, calls himself

a textbook independent, has a three-step test to pick a president. The ability to govern is step one. Sharma says Harris is a blank slate, and he calls Trump a failure because he didn't keep big promises like replacing Obamacare and shrinking the debt. Ability to manage large projects is test two and Sharma says neither candidate has done that. He leans Harris because of test three.

SHARMA: Remember, president is a role model. Therefore morals matter and what you say and what you do has a real life implication. I can't tell my son that, hey, would you like to be president like him?

KING (voice-over): Rebel Tea House is in Decatur, part of DeKalb County in the critical Atlanta suburbs. The Harris literature here is proof of a big change. Owner Christine Nguyen was undecided and unhappy when we first met in April. She sat out 2020 because she had no interest in Biden or Trump and dreaded the idea of a rematch.

KING: Where are you now?

CHRISTINE NGUYEN, GEORGIA VOTER: Knowing the background that she came from, knowing the culture that she has to bring, as well as her values and beliefs. I'm proud to say that there is somebody who is able to voice the things that we as a people have been shouting for the past four years.

KING (voice-over): Nguyen says the Harris Small Business Plan meshes with her goal of opening a second location, and she lists reproductive rights and climate change as top issues.

NGUYEN: We deserve more than the two candidates that were there before who didn't understand us.

KING (voice-over): Debates about whether Trump or Harris are better for business are common and close to home.

NGUYEN: That comes up very often. I hear it a lot, like even in my family of entrepreneurs, it comes up every now and then, right, that Trump just knows business better. But I think at the end of the day, it's what you value and what your beliefs are in terms of your ethics.

KING (voice-over): Four years after sitting out, Nguyen is excited to vote early. Plus, she's hosting a voter registration event at the Tea House just before the Georgia deadline.

NGUYEN: My fingers are crossed and I will make sure to do my best to get my whole community to the polls.

KING (voice-over): Excited for the big event? Well aware the numbers and organization are critical.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: CNN's John King reporting there.

The U.S. Congress unanimously passed a new bill this week guaranteeing Trump and Harris the same level of Secret Service protection as a sitting U.S. president. The measure sailed through both the House and Senate, though Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said he believes the extra funds won't change the way the agency assesses threats. Senate Republican Rick Scott praised the bill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RICK SCOTT (R-FL): Asking the enhanced Presidential Security Act today with the unanimous consent of the Senate sends an important message to the American public and the world that we will not ignore these threats, which are truly an attack on our democratic process and have rightly shocked the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: We are learning new details about one of the attempted attacks on Trump's life. Federal prosecutors said in court filings that Ryan Routh, armed with a rifle, stalked Trump for hours with the intention to kill him. More now from CNN's Evan Perez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SR. U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: The alleged gunman accused of stalking Donald Trump at his golf course in Palm Beach is facing four new charges, including one count of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate.

[03:55:02]

Ryan Routh could face life in prison if he is convicted of the attempted assassination charge and it's one that the FBI and prosecutors have said they would try to pursue in this ongoing investigation.

Prosecutors say Routh camped outside of Donald Trump's West Palm Beach golf course for hours on end armed with a rifle that he pointed through a chain-link fence with a clear shot to the next hole where the former president was headed to on September 15.

According to court documents, Routh spent more than a month tracking Trump in Florida. Prosecutors told a federal magistrate judge that cell phone data showed Routh at the golf course as well as Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort over several days beginning in mid-August.

According to prosecutors, investigators found a handwritten note after detaining Routh that included venues and locations where Trump had or was planning to visit in the months leading up to the 2024 election. And Routh allegedly also left behind a letter in a box of belongings saying, this was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I failed you.

The case has been assigned to Judge Eileen Cannon. She's the federal judge who oversaw the federal charges against Trump for allegedly mishandling classified documents. She dismissed that case and has a decision that remains under appeal.

Evan Perez, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: An enormous diamond necklace that was worn at two British royal coronations is expected to fetch up to $2.8 million at auction. The 18th century piece, weighing about 300 carats, was likely made a decade before the French Revolution. It's believed to contain stones from an infamous necklace at the heart of a scandal involving Marie Antoinette. Today is the last day these diamonds will be on display in London before going on a global tour.

I want to thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "CNN Newsroom" continues next with our Max Foster.

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