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CNN International: U.S. Sending 100 Troops, Anti-Missile System To Israel; Israeli Strike Hits Hospital Grounds In Gaza, Killing Four; Trump Suggests Using Military Against "Enemy From Within". Aired 11a- 12p ET
Aired October 14, 2024 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ERICA HILL, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello, and welcome to our viewers from around the world on this Monday. I'm Erica Hill in New York.
Just ahead on CNN Newsroom, a deadly Hezbollah drone strike targeting an Israeli military base. It is one of the bloodiest attacks on Israel since the war began. Our team is across all these latest developments for you. Plus, the final sprint here in the U.S., Kamala Harris and Donald Trump at a dead heat race with just 22 days to go. And an exclusive update on the unlikely diplomatic exchange that's been warming relations between the U.S. and China for more than 50 years.
From Lebanon to northern Israel to Gaza, war in the Middle East is expanding on multiple fronts this hour. The Lebanese Health Ministry says an Israeli strike hit a Christian majority village about 100 kilometers north of Beirut today. That is far from the Hezbollah strongholds in the south. It says at least nine people were killed across the Israeli border. The IDF is investigating how a Hezbollah drone managed to fly undetected yesterday, attacking an army base near Haifa. Four soldiers were killed in that attack, dozens more wounded. Top military officials visited the base today, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The IDF is vowing to improve Israel's defenses.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REAR ADM. DANIEL HAGARI, ISRAELI MILITARY SPOKESPERSON (Interpreted): We will learn from and investigate the incident, how a UAV entered without an alert at the base. The threat of UAVs is a threat we are dealing with since the beginning of the war. We need an improvement to our defense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Meantime, in Gaza, an Israeli strike turning a hospital, courtyard, housing displaced families into a fiery inferno overnight. Witnesses describing the horrific scene, saying they saw people burning alive in their tents. Officials say four people were killed, dozens more injured. Israel says it was conducting a, quote, "precise strike" on a Hamas command center. The United States, for its part, is deepening its involvement as the
wars escalate, sending one of its most powerful anti-missile systems to Israel, plus around 100 troops, which are needed to operate it. The THAAD defense system is capable of intercepting ballistic missiles at a range of up to 200 kilometers. The Pentagon says it will help to bolster Israel's security after two unprecedented attacks on Israel by Iran this year. A CNN military analyst says it will also be helpful against Hezbollah.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. GENERAL MARK HERTLING (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: What we're seeing is a massive increase in the number of missiles and drones that Hezbollah is firing into Israel. The first 10 months of this war, they were firing anywhere from 30 to 50 per day. Over the last three days, they fired somewhere around 300 per day. This is the best system in the world, and there is only six of them, six batteries of these in the United States inventory. So, loaning one and deploying a group of soldiers to Israel is a pretty big deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: A pretty big deal indeed. For a closer look at all these developments, Nic Robertson is in Jerusalem at this hour, Oren Liebermann at the Pentagon.
Nic, let's begin with you. A lot happening in the last 24, 36 hours, in terms of where things stand. Just bring us up to speed.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, the IDF operations continue along the northern border with Hezbollah. We know that the Defense Minister here, Yoav Gallant, has been in phone conversation again with his -- with Lloyd Austin in the United States, the U.S. Secretary of Defense. They've discussed the safety again, the UNIFIL troops on the border there. They've obviously discussed the defense missile system that's coming here.
But, what we're seeing, the picture that emerges from that northern border of Israel, is that this is going to be a longer, slower conflict with Hezbollah along that border in Gaza, where Israel has ground operations in the north there. Four people were killed in a strike that appeared to hit tents in the compound of a hospital there. 14 people were killed yesterday, including several children in another IDF strike. The IDF says, in the north of Gaza, they're targeting Hamas.
And meanwhile, Hezbollah seems to have, by their own claims after that strike in about 30 miles north of Tel Aviv, in Binyamina, on an IDF training base there, Hezbollah appears to have been successful in targeting that base.
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Four soldiers were killed in that strike, eight injured.
Now, the IDF had earlier intercepted a drone, but they say that one drone that they had been tracking got away, if you will, and that's the one that appears to have impacted the base, and the IDF saying that they need to investigate how this happened and basically give the troops at these bases greater safety. But, it is very significant, not just that Hezbollah has managed to do this, but the timing and where it targeted on that base to cause maximum casualties. That also is a concern.
HILL: It absolutely is, as we look at that, and the fact that this has been the deadliest attack thus far on Israel.
As you point out, this conversation between Lloyd Austin, Yoav Gallant, as they are talking more, there has been so much made of the diplomacy and whether or not it has been effective coming from the U.S. side. As we're seeing more of these conversations, as we're seeing this antimissile defense system, what does that say about this relationship, and just how much, I guess diplomacy, for lack of a better word, is actually happening?
ROBERTSON: It's clear there are a lot of conversations going on in the region, and the strongest conversations happened between Israel and the United States. In that context, there are other conversations. We know that Amos Hochstein, who has been the U.S. diplomat, who has been trying to work out some diplomacy between Israel and Hezbollah, was in Lebanon meeting with the Prime Minister just a couple of days ago. So, that goes on.
Iran, in the meantime, is having its own outreach all across the region and issuing threats. But, I think when it comes to that THAAD defensive system, it really signals this sort of ironclad guarantee about Israel's security the United States gives, but also, in a way, kind of gives the United States a little bit of buy-in on the timing of when Israel may strike back at Iran, a lot of pressure from the United States on Israel to be proportionate when it strikes back at Iran for Iran's ballistic missile strikes here two weeks ago.
And until that THAAD system is set up, the defense and protection afforded to civilians and the population here in Israel won't be at its best until that's ready and installed. So, when that's installed, perhaps that is the moment, or after that moment that Israel would choose to strike back at Iran. But, before then, when it's still being established, maybe not, and that's why I say the United States has some sort of buy-in of when Israel's strike back at Iran may happen. And this is a sort of diplomacy. That's how it works out.
HILL: Yeah. It's such an important point. Nic, thank you.
Also with us this hour, CNN's Oren Liebermann, who is at the Pentagon, picking up where Nic is leaving off or in looking at the message that this sends, even just this announcement of the fact that this is going to happen, right, is this anti-defense missile system is going to Israel, that sends a broader message in the region as well.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It does. It's not just about the defense that the THAAD system will add, and it is an incredibly capable system designed to intercept short, medium and long-range ballistic missiles, to work with the Navy destroyers that are off the coast there, to work with Israel's own defensive system. It's also a message of deterrence that Israel -- that the U.S. will stand by Israel effectively, regardless of what comes, especially when it comes to Israel's defense, and that's what the THAAD system sends. There aren't that many of these batteries around the world. So, it is an incredibly significant moment when the U.S. decides, OK, this situation is serious enough that it warrants us sending in one of our most advanced aerial defense systems. And that's exactly what this signifies to the Israelis.
Secretary Lloyd Austin told his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, that it would arrive in the coming days. It can be moved fairly quickly. It's designed for that. So, it could be operational here within a simple matter of days, and add to Israel's already very capable air defense systems, short-range Iron Dome, medium-range David Sling, and the longer range Arrow 3.
But, as we just saw with the Hezbollah drone attack, it is not a perfect system, and it can be beaten in different ways, and it can be overwhelmed in sheer numbers. So, the THAAD, not only adds quality, it adds quantity as well. There is simply more interceptors, should Iran -- or should Hezbollah try to launch a sort of massive style attack, even larger perhaps than we saw on October 1st or on April 13. So, this all adds to that capability, as well as sending that broader message to Iran, to its proxies, that the U.S. will be there to defend Israel.
And it's not just the THAAD system and the 100 or so troops that are going into Israel for that. There is also the U.S. Navy assets that are all around the region, a carrier strike group and Amphibious Ready Group, the destroyers.
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So, that message loud and clear across the Middle East.
HILL: Yeah, absolutely. Oren, really appreciate it. Thank you.
Turning to politics now, with just three weeks to go, the race for the White House remains in a dead heat. No clear leader at this point. Taking a look at what some of these fresh polls reveal, the Vice President issuing a warning as well about a potential second Trump presidency, as Donald Trump, he is stoking fears about undocumented immigrants, offering his own warning about a Harris presidency. We've got the very latest on the fight, especially in those battleground states, next.
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HILL: 22 days now until the U.S. presidential election, and this race remains tight. CNN's latest Poll of Polls showing an average of 50 percent of likely voters would support Vice President Kamala Harris. 47 percent say they're backing former President Donald Trump. Of course, you factor in those margins of error. There is no clear leader at this point, as you can see, and especially when we look at those battleground states, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, three of them, you can see just how close this is. The campaigns, of course, also looking at those numbers, and they're
hoping to make gains wherever they can. You've likely heard a lot in the last few days about the focus on black and Latino voters. The latest New York Times/Siena College poll shows Vice President Harris leading Trump with 56 percent of the Hispanic vote. That's a number that's concerning to Democrats, actually, because what it shows is an erosion in support for Democrats compared to the last two elections.
The Vice President has also been struggling with black men. Over the weekend in North Carolina, the Harris campaign unveiling some new economic proposals aimed at black men, specifically Harris talking about a million loans for entrepreneurs and small businesses and the creation of apprenticeship programs. Today, she is at a rally in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. Then it will be on to Detroit Tuesday for a town hall event with the popular radio host Charlamagne Tha God, who, of course, has a massive following and particularly a big following among black millennials.
Ahead of that sit-down, Harris is painting a dark picture of what she says would be a second Trump presidency.
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KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Just imagine Donald Trump with no guard rails, he who has vowed, if reelected, he would be a dictator on day one, that he would weaponize the Department of Justice against his political enemies.
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HILL: Donald Trump, meantime, also focused on Pennsylvania today. The former President hitting the suburbs of Philadelphia, where he is expected to talk about the economy, although in recent days, he has been more focused on immigration, with increasingly dark and often inaccurate rhetoric about undocumented immigrants. In Arizona, the former President accusing Harris of importing, quote, "an army of illegal alien gang members and migrant criminals from the dungeons all over the world." There was also this moment in an interview with Fox when asked about potential unrest on Election Day.
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DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think the bigger problem is the enemy from within, not even the people that have come in and destroying our country, by the way, totally destroying our country. The towns, the villages, they're being inundated. But, I don't think they're the problem in terms of Election Day. I think the bigger problem are the people from within. We have some very bad people. We have some sick people, radical left lunatics. It should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Our team is, of course, tracking Trump and Harris' fights in those battleground states.
I want to begin with my colleague, Priscilla Alvarez, who is in Erie, Pennsylvania, covering the Harris campaign. This is really kicking off what is going to be a very busy three weeks. What are we expecting specifically today, Priscilla?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, today and for much of this week, it's going to be doubling down on black voter outreach and trying to fill the void of what her agenda would look like, if she were to win in November. And so, today, that focus especially is on the economy and her economic proposals. Let me read you some of what her team has unveiled that she'll speak more about later today, which includes forgivable loans to entrepreneurs up to $20,000, apprenticeship promotion and legalizing recreational marijuana, along with some other measures that, again, she'll detail here at a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania.
When taken together, it is a sweeping proposal and plan, but it is also coming at a crucial time, at a time when Democrats and the Vice President's campaign have seen an erosion of support with black voters. Of course, they still have the majority of black voters backing the campaign, but the main concern is that people either won't show up to vote or that they'll vote for her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump. So, they are trying to make up that ground.
Some of this, of course, is an extension of what the Vice President was doing over the weekend in North Carolina, where, for example, yesterday in Greenville, she spoke at a church service, and over the course of the weekend, she met with black faith leaders and black elected officials. So, certainly, an all-out effort here to try to make sure that she can lock down this part of the coalition. Tomorrow, she'll also be in Detroit, where she is going to participate, as you mentioned, in that radio town hall with Charlamagne Tha God, who also has -- is popular on the radio and has more than half, millions of listeners, more than half of whom are black.
Now, of course, the other part of the messaging here in Pennsylvania is going to be something that we also heard from the Vice President this weekend, which is that the former President's team is trying to hide him by not releasing his medical records or putting him up to do that 60 Minutes interview. Of course, the Vice President did both of those over the course of the last several days. So, that is also a threat that the Vice President is likely to be pulling on this week, which is essentially describing her own proposals, but also including this line of attack against the former President by suggesting that he is not being transparent with voters. Erica.
HILL: Priscilla, appreciate it. Thank you.
Also with us, CNN's Jeff Zeleny, who is tracking the Trump campaign. And Jeff, really this increasingly dark rhetoric that we're hearing on the campaign trail, does the campaign see that as effective?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, we'll find out, Erica. But, they clearly -- it's showing their strategy, and their strategy clearly is to not search for really the handful, the sliver of undecided voters, perhaps, but it is to find people who are like-minded, who agree with this rhetoric and may be inspired to vote by this. At this point, the Trump campaign believes that sort of expanding his base, trying to find some voters who perhaps like him, but have not voted before, sporadic voters to come out. That's what they believe this rhetoric does.
The question here, though, hanging over this entire campaign is, is some of that rhetoric, of course, it follows him when he goes to the suburbs of Philadelphia this afternoon, does some of that rhetoric potentially turn off one of the biggest targets of the Harris campaign, and that is Republican-leaning independent voters. So, that -- of all the questions here hanging over this race in the last three weeks, all the mathematics and the calculations of trying to get all the voters, yes, it is a base election. But, is Donald Trump sort of turning off some potential moderate Republican voters? We will find out. But, he clearly is not changing his strategy.
But, you played a clip there about the enemy from within. He is talking about something that really is quite extreme in terms of motivating and calling up the military post election. But, one thing is different from four years ago. Former President Donald Trump is not in charge of the military. He would be if he won election and he was sworn into office at noon on January 20th, 2025, but he is not in charge of the military, and he will not be in November. So, that is empty rhetoric that he clearly is using to try and incite or inflame.
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But, that is one of the many, many things that this campaign is coming down to at the end, a very base, divided election and electorate.
HILL: Yeah. That's for sure. Jeff, appreciate it. Thank you.
ZELENY: You bet.
HILL: Young voters are expected to play a key role on November 5th, especially in some of these places, of course, which we are laser focused on, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin. Who better to discuss that with us than Carolyn DeWitt. She is the President and Executive Director of Rock the Vote. Great to have you here.
When we look at young voters, young voters, no matter which group of voters in the U.S. we're talking about, whether it be women, black men, Latinos, young voters are not a monolith either. So, it is not one solid voting bloc that all goes the same way. That being said, have you noticed any differences in some of these younger voters, as you're out there trying to recruit people to register to vote, versus 2020 even?
CAROLYN DEWITT, PRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ROCK THE VOTE: Yeah. Well, thanks for having us, Erica. I think what's unique about this year, obviously, especially compared to 2020 is there is an online- offline game. So much of 2020 was digital. So -- and what we're seeing actually in the digital space, and social media in particular, is this escalating of misinformation that we saw in 2020 that is taking -- kind of being taken to a whole new role, both directly related to the election and indirectly related to the election.
HILL: When you talk about that misinformation, is that --
DEWITT: It was very hard to combat.
HILL: To combat. Exactly. So -- and the numbers in terms of where Gen Z, for example, gets its information incredibly high if social media is the source. Traditional media, traditional news organizations do not account for much there, which is interesting too, because we're also seeing the candidates go after some of those arenas. I wonder, does it seem that that's effective in terms of reaching young voters?
DEWITT: Yeah, absolutely. As you mentioned, that is where young people are getting their information. If they grew up with social media, so, in the digital space. So, that is a very real world for them, both in terms of where they get their information, but also a lot of times creating community in those who align with their values and encouraging and sharing information.
HILL: CNNs most recent poll from late September, I was struck by the number of voters, likely voters, who were still essentially undecided, saying their vote could change. So, if you look overall at that poll, it was about -- it was 12 percent overall. But, broken down by age for voters under 35, 18 percent, so, more, said they could still change their mind. There is this real push, again, for the candidates to meet them where they are, as we were just discussing, but also to better understand them. Do you think that's an accurate number in terms of just how, I guess, how many votes are up for grabs among younger voters?
DEWITT: Yeah. I think the reality is that polls are almost never accurate when it comes to young people. They're incredibly hard to reach. What we do know is young people are not a monolith, as you mentioned, and they're also far from apathetic. They're incredibly passionate about the issues at stake, and the reason that they don't vote at the same rates as older voters is because they're new voters. They're going through this process for the first time. That looks very archaic compared to their daily lives.
So, it's important for organizations like Rock the Vote, or campaigns who want to be able to turn them out to actually walk them through the steps to vote, including from registration, but also helping them find their polling place, helping them understand what's at the ballot, that this election is about the presidency, but also there is so much more on the ballot down to local races and ballot measures as well.
HILL: What do you think we miss when we talk about young voters?
DEWITT: We talk -- one of the pieces is that they're new voters, that they're new to this process, and so, sometimes it is really the logistics of it. We've seen this generation break turnout records in 2018, 2020, and again in 2022, despite low expectations. And as a result, we've also seen several states try and pass laws to make it harder for young people to vote, things like restrictive voter ID laws, moving polling places off college campuses. So, there is a real effort to try and suppress the youth voters, which goes to my message to campaigns of young voters are critical. There are 41 million members of Gen Z who are eligible to vote. 16 million of them will be voting in their first presidential election, and candidates can't win without the support of these voters.
HILL: It's such an important point. We see too, through efforts of Rock the Vote, you've had incredible efforts. You bring athletes really into the phone, also celebrities. I want to play, I think a little bit, I think we have maybe a clip of something Andy Cohen did for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDY COHEN, TALK SHOW HOST: Hey, I'm Andy Cohen. A lot of people are having trouble deciding who to vote for this year, but not me. I can't think of anyone smarter or more deterrent than Lucy.
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Yeah. That's right. That does describe my daughter, but I'm actually thinking of your friend, Lucy Van Pelt for President. You can cast your own vote in the Peanuts election by going to peanutsrocksthevote.com. And while you're there, you can register to vote in the real election this November. Right, Snoop?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: So, we've talked a lot about Taylor Swift, of course, over the summer. But, the Andy Cohen-Snoopy pairing, why is that an effective way to reach younger voters? How does it speak to them in a way that it may not resonate with older voters?
DEWITT: Yeah. So, young voters are coming into this space for the first time. We've done very little as a society to prepare them to participate in the election. And so, we're not expecting them to come to us to find the political homes, if you will. We are going out and reaching them through cultural touch points, such as some of their favorite brands, trust in messengers, whether that's athletes or musicians or artists, and reminding them about what's at stake and welcoming them into the political space that then we can empower them with tools to help them. So, whether it's our registration tool or whether it's my favorite, our ballot information tool that allows young people to see who and what are on their ballot and see the endorsement so they can identify who most aligns with their values.
But, it's incredibly important to use culture to reach out to young people.
HILL: Carolyn, great to have you with us. Really appreciate it, and thanks for all your efforts in getting folks registered.
DEWITT: Thank you.
HILL: Still to come here, war spreading on multiple fronts in the Middle East, as a drone strike kills four Israeli soldiers. Those details ahead. Plus, panda diplomacy back in action, two giant pandas preparing for their big move from China to the U.S. Where and when they'll make that move and why it's happening now?
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HILL: Welcome back. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Erica Hill in New York.
At least 19 people are dead after an Israeli airstrike hit a village north of Beirut on Monday. That's according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. The attack coming as Israel says it is investigating how a Hezbollah drone managed to get into Israeli airspace without raising an alarm. Four soldiers were killed and more than 60 people wounded in that attack, one of the bloodiest on Israel since the beginning of the war. In Gaza, four people were killed, dozens injured by Israeli airstrike Monday on a courtyard outside the Al Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, and this follows further attacks on Sunday, in which at least 41 people, including children, were killed. Meantime, as the tensions deepen between Israel and Iran, the U.S. is sending Israel an advanced anti-missile system and about 100 American troops to operate that system.
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We have team coverage of this situation across the Middle East. Fred Pleitgen is in Tehran. Ben Wedeman is in Beirut.
Ben, I want to begin with you, more back and forth, more attacks, obviously, as we have seen, and including one outside of what is typically seen as more of a Hezbollah stronghold and Hezbollah areas. Walk us through what is happening in Lebanon at this point.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This strike happened 100 kilometers north of Beirut, in a predominantly Christian area. According to the Red Cross, the death toll from that strike is now 19, with nine injured. Crews are still trying to search through the rubble because they believe more bodies are underneath there. Now, according to the Red Cross, this entire residential building was destroyed. It was home temporarily to many people who had fled from other parts of Lebanon, and of course, being a predominantly Christian area, this is not an area that has been struck by the Israeli Air Force before.
But, what we're seeing is that there certainly is an intensification of airstrikes in southern Lebanon. What we've seen is new orders, more than 20 evacuation orders from the Israeli military for people to leave their villages. In addition, among those villages is actually a city, Nabataea, which, under normal circumstances, has a population of more than 100,000. Of course, many of the inhabitants of south Lebanon have already left because of so many evacuation orders being issued and the intensity of Israeli airstrikes along the border and going deeper and deeper inside Lebanon itself, as we saw from that strike, 100 kilometers north of Beirut. Erica.
HILL: Yeah, absolutely. And as I'm watching all of this play out, there are the questions too about where everyone is going and what this means in Lebanon for those who have been displaced. What is the latest? WEDEMAN: For those who have been displaced, I mean, what we're seeing is that hundreds of thousands have left to Syria hoping to find safer ground there, but really, they're spread out certainly across the country here. And we're in west Beirut. You go around the streets. There is cars triple parked, because people have come here thinking it's a safer part of the country. The schools -- schools have been suspended now. So, most of the schools are packed with the displaced. Those who can afford it are renting apartments. But, of course, the rents are becoming very high.
So, this government here, which is bankrupt for all intents and purposes, is doing what it can to provide people with shelter, with things like mattresses and food, but it's a very difficult effort, given the government's very limited capabilities. In many cases, we've spoken to people who are basically sleeping on the street, setting up tents on sidewalks. They say they get by with a bit of help from the government, a lot more help from private charities or just individuals who come up and offer to give them food.
But, it's an increasingly desperate situation, particularly in the south, where many of the hospitals have been either knocked out of action or abandoned because the staff have left. So, it's a dire situation, and unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any effort at this point, real effort to bring about a ceasefire. Erica.
HILL: Yeah. Ben, really appreciate it. Ben, thank you.
As I mentioned, Fred Pleitgen also with us this hour, joining us from Tehran. Fred, and over to you, as we look at the developments there, of course, in Iran.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, absolutely. And the Iranians really have a dual strategy, it seems, right now in all this. On the one hand, you have a lot of diplomacy going on, on the part of Iranian officials, specifically the Iranian Foreign Minister, who has been touring this entire region over the past couple of days, and then also a good deal of deterrence the Iranians are trying as well.
One of the key things that we've been hearing out of here from Tehran, that talk has really gotten a lot louder over the weekend, Erica, is that the Iranians are now saying that if there is a strike by Israel on Iranian territory, there will definitely be a retaliation on the part of the Iranians. And the Iranian Foreign Minister, he came out in various meetings that he has had, various countries across this region over the past couple of days. It says that Iran is ready for war, he says, but also ready for peace. And certainly, those diplomatic efforts are continuing.
At the same time, the Iranians are also saying that they are not backing down for their support for Lebanon and for Hezbollah, and we saw some of that on the ground here in Tehran as well.
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Here is what we witnessed. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN (Interpreted): We will rise up like a storm, the children's choir sings at a Tehran donation drive for Lebanon and for Iran's ally Hezbollah. Nargis Teqia (ph) gave several pieces of jewelry to support what she calls an existential battle. This is the duty of a human being in this critical situation, she says, in the fight of truth versus falsehood, and this is the command of My Supreme Leader. Death to Israel chants transcending the event named Golden Empathy, aimed at raising funds to help civilians in Lebanon, but also the organizer says, to beat Israel. Women love their gold jewelry, he says, but they are here to donate their necklaces to break the neck of the enemy.
As Israel continues to pound Lebanon with missile strikes, going after Hezbollah fighters and leaders, Iran is vowing not to back down. The speaker of Iran's parliament even piloting an Iranian government jet into Beirut before touring areas heavily damaged by Israeli strikes. I'm carrying a message from the Supreme Leader to the Lebanese people, he said, with assurances that in these difficult conditions, the Islamic Republic of Iran shall stand with Lebanon's nation and the resistance in all areas. This as Iran braces for Israel's possible retaliation for Tehran's massive ballistic missile attack on October 1st.
Iran's Foreign Minister warning the U.S. against deploying missile interceptor systems to Israel and the threat of a major regional war. We're prepared for any kind of circumstances, he said. We're ready for war, but we're also ready for peace. This is the definitive stance of the Islamic Republic, a stance they want to show that also involves mobilizing resources from Iran's population.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN: So, as you can see there, Erica, it's a pretty tough talk here coming out of Tehran. Also, the head of Iran's Aerospace Forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that they were prepared, as he put it, for any missteps by the Israelis, and that force is actually responsible not just for air defense here in this country, but also for Iran's ballistic missile program as well. Again, the Iranians are saying that if there is a strike by Israel, they will certainly retaliate. Erica.
HILL: Frederik Pleitgen live in Tehran at this hour. Thank you.
Well, preparation is underway for two giant pandas to move from Southwestern China to Washington, D.C. A team from the Smithsonian's National Zoo is on the ground in Sichuan province to help with that transition. CNN is the only U.S. media there. My colleague David Culver got an exclusive firsthand look at the bilateral effort to keep this panda diplomacy alive.
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DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We've traveled here to Sichuan, China for a rare look at preparing these pandas for their very long journey. We're in and around the city of Chengdu. It's known for spicy hot pot, its mountainous landscape and giant pandas.
We're actually going to go meet now with some of the folks from the Smithsonian National Zoo from D.C. who have flown here and are part of the transition team to bring Bao Li and Qing Bao back to the U.S. We can't go back there, but that's where Bao Li and Qing Bao are. They're in quarantine, and those you saw there were the zookeepers from the National Zoo, as well as some caretakers from China.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, they both have pretty different personalities. Bao Li has a huge personality. So, he is very vocal. He is very energetic, and he is always kind of like up doing something. Qing Bao is the polar opposite. She can be almost always found in a tree or sleeping on her climbing structure.
CULVER: The panda pair will fill a void at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C. For the past 11 months, the panda exhibit has sat empty. Now, as part of the terms of the Smithsonian's exchange program with China, late last year, the zoo's three pandas were sent back here to Chengdu.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think people realize how attached they're (ph).
CULVER: When you're here, I mean, in this setting, what has stood out to you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here, the sheer number of pandas.
CULVER: It's crazy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's crazy.
CULVER: You turn here, and you're like, Oh, you can go there. You can go there. Nowhere else do we have something like this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nowhere else and the scenery is obviously beautiful, and the commitment.
CULVER: The pandas were on the brink of extinction, but in recent years, they've moved from endangered to vulnerable. But, there is still more work to go. The panda exchange, also called panda diplomacy, dates back more than 50 years now, when China gifted two pandas to the U.S. following President Nixon's historic visit. Today, they're given on loan, and they are a strategic diplomatic tool, serving as ambassadors of hope and spreading global goodwill.
[11:40:00]
Somehow, pandas were able to unite nations, something we could use about right now.
David Culver, CNN, Chengdu, China.
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HILL: U.S. President Joe Biden back in Florida to survey storm damage and also bring a new aid package. Where that aid will be used, after the break. Plus, what Florida is now facing, as it looks to clean up from these back-to-back hurricanes. Among the challenges right now, not just the water you see there, but a shortage of fuel and electricity.
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HILL: Millions of people across Florida facing the daunting task of cleaning up following two major hurricanes in as many weeks. The death toll from Milton stands at 23 today. Hundreds of thousands of residents in the state remain without power. Flooding, also a major threat along several swollen rivers, and responders are even, to that point, continuing to respond to people trapped in flooded homes and performing water rescues. The cleanup and the recovery efforts are also being hampered today by a lack of power and fuel in many areas.
Here is CNN' Isabel Rosales with more on just what Florida is facing.
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ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And it is certainly a daunting task ahead for so many Floridians, dealing with roads that are blocked by falling trees and flooding, also dealing with a lack of electricity and fuel.
Speaking of flooding, this is still an ongoing issue, with many active flooding river warnings out in the Tampa Bay area. This includes the Hillsborough River. It includes the Alafia River impacting Valrico and Lithia areas of Hillsborough County, an area that I was in where I saw so many homes under water, cars under water. The sheriff is saying that the waters are not receding as quickly as they would like to see, and this is slowing down recovery.
And then you have things like fuel, GasBuddy, the tracking website, saying that hard hit Tampa and St. Petersburg over in Pinellas County are experiencing the largest outage, three quarters of gas stations without any gas. And we've seen the state giving so many resources to tackling this issue, including escorting gas tankers to the appropriate locations where they need to go, which is great, because we've certainly seen those lines wrapping along blocks, several blocks of people waiting for their chance to get a bit of gas. The state also opening public fueling sites, giving folks up to 10 gallons of fuel for free to help them, again, turn the next page and return to something more normal seeming after this one-two punch of Helene, and then Milton.
And then, of course, there is debris removal, something that Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida has called a major priority, all of that debris from even Helene that has been just all over neighborhoods and is a serious concern, because these are flying projectiles, and we are not out of hurricane season yet.
[11:45:00]
That debris removal process is happening 24 hours a day, seven days a week, says DeSantis. And of course, we did see President Biden touring the area, hard hit
Tampa Bay area over the weekend, where he has approved a major disaster declaration, opening up funding from FEMA so folks can get access to some money to help them with home repairs and temporary housing.
Here is what else the President said.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: This is a whole of government effort, from state and local, to FEMA, to U.S. Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, the Energy Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Defense, just to name a few. FEMA has delivered 1.2 million meals, over 300,000 liters of water, two million gallons of fuel. And so far, we've installed 100 satellite terminals to restore communications in impacted areas.
ROSALES: And another major priority to turning the page on Milton is, of course, restoring the power infrastructure. We just checked, and as of Monday morning, on PowerOutage.us, there is around 400,000 customers without electricity in the state of Florida. Power companies, this is a bit of good news here, say that they expect to get most people back up and running by midweek.
Isabel Rosales, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: President Biden is now in Delaware following that visit to Florida, which is why find -- where we find, rather, my colleague Arlette Saenz. So, the President working on that disaster relief, spending some time in Florida there. This is still a major focus, as is FEMA and that federal help, how it ties in with state and local, of course.
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. And President Biden has insisted that the federal government will be there for the long haul to try to help these communities, not just in Florida, but also places like western North Carolina, as the areas were devastated by Hurricane Helene and then Hurricane Milton. Now, President Biden was on the ground there in St. Petersburg, Florida, for several hours, seeing the devastation firsthand. He was joined there by two Republicans, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna and Senator Rick Scott, though Governor Ron DeSantis was not on hand for this event. But, President Biden has talked about how they have had a very cooperative working relationship, as they had tried to help get resources into devastated communities down in Florida.
Now, as the President saw this damage firsthand, his White House is also grappling with eventually asking Congress to provide more aids for FEMA disaster relief. President Biden has said that that should be a top priority for lawmakers. But, so far, the White House has yet to put a price tag on exactly how much funding they want to ask Congress for, FEMA Administrator, Deanne Criswell, last week, had said that they had already run through about half of the $20 billion that Congress had recently approved for disaster relief funding, are really speaking to some of the challenges that they're facing in this moment. Officials have insisted that they have enough to address the immediate needs of that hurricane response for Helene and for Milton, but their concern now is what other natural disasters could pop up around the corner.
So far, House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he does not plan to bring the House back early to try to address this issue, but this is something that the administration is expected to put some pressure on Congress to do, as they say, that these FEMA funds, that funds for the Small Business Administration, all really need to be ramped up in preparation for other natural disasters.
Now, Biden, while he was on the ground there, did announce about $600 million to enhance electrical grids across the country, including about $94 million for projects in the state of Florida specifically, really trying to show that the federal government is offering assistance where they can to try to help these communities still reeling after this disaster.
HILL: Also, Arlette, I want to ask you about something that happened in North Carolina. FEMA saying that they actually had to pull back some of their workers from going out and doing some of these in-person visits to help people with their disaster relief claims because of threats. These are basically about safety concerns. Can you walk us through what happened there?
SAENZ: Yeah. There were some portions of the state, some counties in the state where they saw some of their federal assistance halted over the weekend due to the fact that FEMA workers on the ground were starting to receive some threats against them. The Washington Post reported that specifically in Rutherford County, the National Guard had seen and heard of these threats of militias threatening FEMA response workers. That caused Rutherford County and some other areas to put a pause on their in-person relief efforts out of an abundance of caution.
This morning, a FEMA spokesperson said, quote, "For the safety of our dedicated staff and the disaster survivors we are helping, FEMA has made some operational adjustments. Disaster Recovery Centers will continue to be open as scheduled, survivors continue to register for assistance, and we continue to help the people of North Carolina with their recovery."
[11:50:00]
Now, some FEMA disaster teams, who are helping with relief, are currently working out of secure disaster recovery centers, trying to get people the assistance that they need, though it might not be in- person for the time being. It comes at a time when the administration has really warned about the threats that misinformation can pose. We have heard the -- what Biden White House really criticized those who have spread misinformation regarding to the federal response, including former President Donald Trump. There has been a concern that it would make it more difficult for officials on the ground to get resource -- sources into these communities to do their jobs. And so, we will see how else this might play out. I'm told that North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has asked his
Department of Public Safety to work with local law enforcement to try to identify specific threats and rumors. But, it does come at a time of heightened concerns, not just about the safety of these FEMA response workers, but also about the misinformation that's been spreading about the response.
HILL: Yeah, absolutely. Arlette, really appreciate it. Thank you.
For more information about how you can help victims of both Hurricane Helene and Milton, just log on to cnn.com/impact.
We'll be right back.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four, three, two, one. We have (inaudible).
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HILL: Then there it goes. Over the weekend, SpaceX launching and then landed part of the world's most powerful rocket system. The Starship was piloted remotely. And for the first time, the rocket booster was successfully navigated back to Earth. The so-called super heavy booster measures roughly the same as a 20-storey building. It was caught in midair by a pair of metal pincers, which are called chopsticks. It's a key part of SpaceX's mission there to recover and reuse equipment to make space exploration a little cheaper. And not content with just one mission, SpaceX has another one planned in just about 15 minutes, actually. The Europa Clipper is scheduled to launch from Florida with a mission to Europa. That's one of Jupiter's moons.
As my colleague Michael Holmes explains, it's a journey that's a long one. It's expected to take about seven years.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDET (voice-over): A vast ocean in a moon hundreds of millions of miles away. That's what NASA's new and largest planetary spacecraft is set to explore. Scientists believe that Europa, one of Jupiter's many moons, is one of the most promising places to look for life beyond Earth. The moon, about the same size as our own, is thought to have beneath its icy surface an ocean of water, perhaps encompassing the entire moon.
LAURIE LESHIN, NASA DIRECTOR OF JET PROPULSION LABORATORY: We, scientists, have been dreaming about a mission like Europa Clipper for more than 20 years. We've been working to build it for 10 years. It's going to be another 10 years, because Jupiter is so far away, until we have all the science in the bag.
HOLMES (voice-over): The mission is not looking for life on the moon, but rather an environment in which life could survive. The Europa Clipper will gather information on the thickness of that icy shell, investigate the possible ocean beneath it, and study the geology of the surface.
So, how does an icy moon far away from the Sun have the energy to sustain life?
[11:55:00]
Well, Jupiter's strong gravity creates tides that stretch and tug the moon, producing heat.
GINA DIBRACCIO, NASA ACTING DIRECTOR OF PLANETARY SCIENCE DIVISION: Clipper is going to tell us if Europa has all of these ingredients for life. So, what we learn with Clipper and the habitability of Europa, this is going to pave the way for the future, for future missions to Europa and elsewhere in our solar system, where we can search more directly for life.
HOLMES (voice-over): This big venture from NASA requires very big equipment. The Europa Clipper is about 16 feet or nearly five meters tall and more than 100 feet or about 30 meters wide. That's about the length of a basketball court. The scale of the Clipper is primarily due to its massive solar arrays. Another big feat for this spacecraft is a poem.
ADA LIMON, U.S. POET LAUREATE: Still, there are mysteries below our sky.
HOLMES (voice-over): U.S. poet laureate Ada Limon wrote an original poem dedicated to NASA's Europa Clipper mission. The poem will be engraved on the spacecraft as a way to connect the two worlds, Earth and Europa.
VOICE OF LIMON: We point to the planets we know. We pin quick wishes on stars. From Earth, we read the sky as if it is an unerring book of the universe, expert and evident.
HOLMES (voice-over): Michael Holmes. CNN.
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HILL: Thanks so much for joining me this hour. I'm Erica Hill in New York. Stay tuned. CNN continues next with One World.
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