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Iran Holds Funeral for Slain Commander Abbas Nilforushan; Trump, Harris Campaigned in Battleground Pennsylvania with the Elections to be held Three Tuesdays from Now; Marvel Actor Criticized Cultural Appropriation for a start-up Bubble Tea Company; Two Giant Pandas Heading to Washington. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired October 15, 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 from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to continue hitting Hezbollah targets in Lebanon as more than 20 people are killed in one predominantly Christian village there.
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump making stops around the must-win state of Pennsylvania after Trump calls for U.S. troops to quell any election unrest.
And music mogul Diddy Combs facing new lawsuits including one accusing him of sexually assaulting a 16 year old boy.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. It is 10 a.m. in Lebanon where the Health Ministry reports at least 21 people have been killed in the latest Israeli airstrike. This one hit a Christian majority village in the northern part of the country where displaced people had fled the bombardment in the south. A Red Cross official says teams are searching the site for victims and survivors buried under the rubble.
CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment. Meanwhile, a source tells CNN growing understandings between the U.S. and Israel have led to a pause in Israeli strikes in Beirut in recent days. But that hasn't calmed the rhetoric of Israeli leaders against Iran-backed Hezbollah.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REAR ADM. DANIEL HAGARI, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES SPOKESPERSON: All our enemies should know, whether they are close or far away in Iran, they should know that we are determined. We are determined to supply security and safety to our citizens. (END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The IDF released video on Monday of what it says is a Hezbollah bunker under a house in southern Lebanon. The spokesperson says the group was planning to launch an October 7th-style massacre from that bunker.
We're also following developments out of Iran, which is holding funeral services for a slain commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, the same one that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is expected to say prayers at the ceremony.
And CNN's Fred Pleitgen is live this hour. He joins us from Tehran. So Fred, what is the mood on the streets there as the Iranian people attend the funeral of this slain commander and how will he be honored on this day?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're actually right in the middle of the funeral procession right now. As you can see right now, the people here, many of them have turned out, tens of thousands have turned out.
What you're hearing right now is these people screaming, death to Israel, as we're actually following the casket right now of Abbas Nilforushan, that Revolutionary Guard commander who was killed. It's right in front of me over there. And what we have to keep in mind, Rosemary, is that Iran's massive ballistic missile strike against Israel that happened in the beginning of October was in part because of the killing of Abbas Nilforushan.
And of course, right now, the Middle East here is still in a lot of tension at the moment. And Iran is saying that if Israel strikes back now, that they will retaliate as well. We're seeing that kind of mood, of course, here from the Iranians, but also in the streets of Tehran as well. Here's what we witnessed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN (voice-over): 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 Tekye 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.
[03:05:01]
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: And that's also the vibe that we're getting here on the streets of Tehran right now, as you can see. This procession still in full swing. But just to show you how important it is for the Iranian leadership and their alliance with Hezbollah remains, if we pan over here, in fact, if we make one hand over here, you can see that there's a giant bolster of Hassan Nasrallah on the top of that building. And that's something that you really see through this entire city.
So the Iranians are saying they are not backing down. And they're also saying that the support for Hezbollah is not up for debate, but they're saying that right now, if Israel strikes Iran, Iran will strike back. Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right, thanks to Fred Pleitgen they're right in the middle of that funeral and reporting live from Tehran.
Well, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is warning strikes against Hezbollah will continue without mercy even in Beirut. He visited an IDF training base where four Israeli soldiers were killed. 60 others were injured in a Hezbollah drone attack on Sunday.
More now from CNN's Nic Robertson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Moments after impact, elite Ghulani Brigade trainees struggle to save lives. The worst of the wounded whisked away to nearby hospitals by helicopter. Others taken by ambulance, medics swarming to the IDF base 40 miles from the front line in Lebanon.
Within hours, the toll becoming clear, four dead, eight others seriously injured, making it the deadliest for troops outside of combat zones since October 7th last year.
HAGARI (through translator): We need an improvement to our defects.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Israel's prime minister on site inspecting the damage inside the canteen, which appears to have been the target, timed close to 7 p.m. when troops would have been having dinner, uncompromising in his response.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I want to clarify, we will continue to strike Hezbollah without mercy everywhere in Lebanon, including Beirut.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): After the strike, Hezbollah claiming it was a complex attack involving rockets, the decoy, Israel's air defenses and a swarm of drones.
Regardless of this claim, in recent days they've been threatening strikes on gatherings of troops away from the war at Lebanon's border. And in recent months have released what they claim is drone surveillance video of sensitive sites deep inside Israel.
But Hezbollah may have had unwitting help from the IDF in their intelligence gathering. An IDF promotional video of the base 30 miles north of Tel Aviv reveals its layout in detail, including the location of the canteen. As the IDF expands its cross-border raids, it says a targeting Hezbollah in an increasingly protracting campaign there, a new reality is emerging.
After heavy blows, Hezbollah is finding its feet and its wings, becoming a lethal threat far from the front lines. The four trainee troops who died, all 19 years old.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Joining me now from London is Fawaz Gerges, a professor of international relations at the London School of Economics and author of "What Really Went Wrong - The West and the Failure of Democracy in the Middle East." We appreciate you joining us.
FAWAZ GERGES, PROF. OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: My pleasure.
[03:10:08]
CHURCH: So we just saw Nic Robertson's report on Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu warning he will continue to strike Hezbollah without mercy, even in Beirut after four Israeli soldiers were killed and 60 injured in a Hezbollah drone attack. What is your reaction to Israel's offensive in Lebanon so far?
GERGES: Well, I mean, I don't think Israeli Prime Minister needs to threaten that he will strike everywhere in Lebanon. Israel is striking everywhere in Lebanon for the past three weeks. It's striking in the south, it's striking in the Bekaa Valley, it's striking in the southern suburbs of Dahiya, it's striking in central Beirut, it's striking in the mountains, it's striking in the north Tripoli, the second largest city in Lebanon; it's striking even in Christian areas in Mount Lebanon and the north as we've seen yesterday.
This is really all out war. I think what we have seen in the past few days or so is that Israel's and American celebration of victory over Hezbollah was very premature. Many Americans, as you know, officials and Israeli officials have already written the obituary of Hezbollah. Hezbollah seems to be on its feet. It has regained the initiative. It's escalating its attacks. It has fired hundreds of missiles at the heart of Israeli cities, including Haifa and Tel Aviv.
And just yesterday, or the day before yesterday, it targeted one of the most important military bases, training special operation forces and killing and injuring schools of Israeli soldiers. This is all out war. This is a protected conflict. Hezbollah is planning for the long game. I think sadly and tragically, this will turn out to be as badly as Gaza, if not more so, in the next few weeks and next few months, unless a ceasefire is achieved sooner rather than later.
CHURCH: And in the meantime, the world waits for Israel to retaliate against Iran's recent barrage of ballistic missiles. The Biden administration is sending an anti-missile system and 100 U.S. troops to Israel in anticipation of Iran heading back, so how much closer does this take the whole region to a much wider expanded war?
GERGES: Well, as you know, Rosemary, we have been warning for the past 12 months, since the 7th of October, that the war, Israel's war in Gaza, could easily escalate into all our regional conflict. Here we are now. The fact that the United States has deployed the most sophisticated air defense system to, or will deploy it in the next few days to Israel along with 100 American soldiers to man the air defense system, tells me that the Biden administration is expecting the worst.
He's expecting Israel to retaliate big times against Iran, and he's also the Biden administration expecting Iran to retaliate against Israel's response. So we could wake up tomorrow and see really all out regional conflict directly between Israel and Iran.
So the war in Gaza, Israel's war in Gaza, which the Biden administration has been saying, he does not really want the war to escalate beyond Gaza. Not only the Biden administration has failed to bring about an end to the bloodletting in Gaza, the Biden administration has failed to prevent the war in Gaza from escalating into Lebanon and now escalating into a direct war between Israel and Iran.
And finally, I want to say, where are the adults, Rosemary? Where are the firefighters? What you have now are only arsonists. Arsonists really pouring gasoline on a raging fire, and the tragedy is that civilians are paying a heavy price for that. Mostly, I mean, whether it's in Gaza or in Lebanon or in Israel, only civilians are paying, mainly civilians paying this catastrophic price for this senseless war in the past 12 months.
CHURCH: So, Professor, what is the solution? How does the international community break this cycle of violence? I mean, we've already seen so many efforts when it comes to a ceasefire and a hostage deal, and they have failed. So what happens next? What needs to happen next to stop this fighting?
GERGES: You know Rosemary, please let's stop talking about the international community. We're talking about the United States of America, not the international community. The United States has a monopoly. Israel does not listen to anyone. Israel listens to one primary audience that is the United States.
[03:15:06]
CHURCH: But Professor, they're not listening to the United States.
GERGES: Exactly, exactly. That's exactly what we have been saying for the past 12 months. The United States feeds the war. The United States arms Israel. The United States now is deploying American forces to Israel. The United States shields Israel in international Security Council. Yet the United States does not really seem to be able or willing to use leverage again, I mean to convince Israeli prime minister and his coalition to have ceasefire. What we need to do.
And the bloodletting in Gaza have a political vision. We know what the political vision. The political vision is ending Israel's military occupation of Palestinian lands, granting the Palestinian self- determination. Israel and the Palestinians live side by side in peace. My take on it, if you really ask me, I mean, what I really would like to see.
I really believe deep in my heart, Rosemary, the Palestinians are Israel's only salvation, not the United States. The Palestinians could become Israel's moral conscious in the same way that the African- American community is the moral conscious of the United States. Israel's really, I mean, long-term security and peace lies in genuine, genuine reconciliations with the Palestinians, not basically becoming a bigger and a more lethal military fortress as the United States has turned Israel to be.
CHURCH: Fawaz Gerges, thank you for joining us live from London. Appreciate it.
GERGES: Thanks.
CHURCH: Well, sources tell CNN the prized American anti-ballistic missile defense system, bound for Israel, we've just been talking about that, was actually requested several weeks ago. Right around the time Israel assassinated Hezbollah leader and Iranian ally Hassan Nasrallah. The missile defense system could help Israel better defend itself against any future attack by Iran or its proxies. CNN's Oren Liebermann picks up the story. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: The Pentagon won't be specific on how soon this advanced U.S. anti-ballistic missile system will arrive in Israel, but Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin did tell his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant that it would be there in, quote, "the coming days".
The THAAD system, as it's called, Terminal High Altitude Aerial Defense System, is one of the most advanced U.S. systems for intercepting ballistic missiles, short, medium, and long range. It shoots them down in their final dive towards their target, so about a hundred or slightly more miles out, but it can detect them more than ten times as far based on its radar.
Crucially, it can work with not only the Navy destroyers that are operating in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and intercepted ballistic missiles of their own on October 1st and April 13th, but it can also work with Israel's own complex and layered air defense system. There is the shorter Iron Dome, the medium-range David's Sling, and then the longer-range Arrow.
So the THAAD system, when it's deployed, when it's set up in Israel with a hundred U.S. troops, about a hundred or so operating it, it will add not only a quality system, but crucially it will add quantity, simply more interceptor missiles that are capable of intercepting an Iranian barrage. And that of course is what the U.S. is watching for here.
Israel has vowed that it would respond to that Iranian barrage of more than 180 ballistic missiles on October 1st. Iran has in turn said that it too would retaliate for any attack. So it's into this situation that the U.S. has deployed this advanced anti-ballistic missile system to Israel, preparing for the possibility of an Iranian attack. It also adds more defenses in Israel, should Hezbollah continue to launch rockets, missiles, perhaps even drones.
So again, it adds a quality system to Israel's layered defense, and it also shows the U.S. commitment to Israel's defense. And that message of support for Israel and a message of deterrence to Iran and its proxies, that's just as important as the military capability itself.
Oren Liebermann, CNN at the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: On the campaign trail, Kamala Harris calls out Donald Trump for his enemy from within remarks, while she says another Trump presidency would be dangerous for the United States. That's next here on CNN. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Two commonwealth countries are locked in a diplomatic crisis over an assassination on Canadian soil. Canada expelled six Indian diplomats on Monday, including the High Commissioner, after police linked them to the murder of Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in June last year, as well as other acts of violence against Sikh separatists in Canada.
India has called Nijjar a terrorist. Canada had asked India to revoke the diplomatic immunity of the half-dozen diplomats so they could be questioned in the murder investigation. Not only did India refuse, it retaliated by swiftly expelling six high-ranking Canadian diplomats. Canada's Prime Minister is defending the need for a police investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: The evidence brought to light by the RCMP cannot be ignored. It leads to one conclusion. It is necessary to disrupt the criminal activities that continue to pose a threat to public safety in Canada. That is why we acted. Because we will always, first and foremost, stand for the rights of Canadians to feel safe and secure in their own country. We will never tolerate the involvement of a foreign government threatening and killing Canadian citizens on Canadian soil.
(END VIDEO CLIP0
CHURCH: The Indian government released a statement accusing Canada of smearing India for political gain and said the aspersions cast on the High Commissioner are ludicrous and deserve to be treated with contempt. Canada is home to the largest population of Sikhs outside their home state of Punjab in India.
With just three weeks to go until election day in the United States, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump both found themselves campaigning in the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Monday. Harris slammed Trump for his comments describing his left-wing critics as the enemy from within, saying a second term with her Republican opponent would be dangerous for the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS (D), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's talking about the enemy within Pennsylvania, that he considers anyone who doesn't support him or who will not bend to his will an enemy of our country. He is saying that he would use the military to go after them.
We know who he would target, and we know who he would target because he has attacked them before. Journalists, whose stories he doesn't like. Election officials who refuse to cheat by filling extra votes and finding extra votes for him. Judges who insist on following the law instead of bending to his will.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: The warning comes as Harris is working to lock down more support ahead of next month's vote. She unveiled a series of proposals on Monday aimed at giving black men more economic opportunities and announced she will sit down for her first major interview with Fox News on Wednesday. Observers say the unexpected appearance will give Harris the chance to get her message out to moderate Republicans who want to distance themselves from Donald Trump.
[03:25:04]
Well as Trump continues to push and expand his dark rhetoric about those he considers his enemies, Harris is looking to highlight the differences between his message and hers. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Vice President Kamala Harris slamming former President Donald Trump at her rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, critical state, and a crucial county as she looks to lock in a victory in November.
Now, the Vice President outlined her vision for the country, talking about issues like the economy and reproductive rights, as well as healthcare, but then taking a portion of her rally to also draw that stark contrast with former President Donald Trump and his policies. Notably, however, the Vice President of playing clips of the former president's rallies and interviews at one moment, rolling the tape.
HARRIS: Please roll the clip.
DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The worst people are the enemies from within. The enemy from within. Those people are more dangerous, the enemy from within, than Russia and China. These people should be put in jail the way they talk about it our judges and our justices.
Now, if you had one really violent day, one rough hour, and I mean real rough. I think the bigger problem are the people from within. We have some very bad people, we have some sick people, radical left lunatics, and I think they're the, and it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military.
ALVAREZ: Now one of the comments of the Vice President was focused on was the former president's suggestion that he'd use the military to handle what he calls quote enemy from So the vice president seizing on those comments as she continues to make her case for her candidacy.
Now, she also said that former President Donald Trump is quote, "increasingly unstable and unhinged." Now this is the beginning of what is going to be a travel list for the vice president across the Blue Wall state. She has traveled as well to Michigan and Wisconsin this week and is also returning to Pennsylvania. It is this type of line of attack that the vice president is expected to use over the course of the next several days as she continues to also talk about her proposals and outline her policy vision.
Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, here in Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Maria Cardona is a CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist, and she joins me now from New York. Appreciate you being with us.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Thanks Rosemary, thanks for having me.
CHURCH: So sources from within the Democratic Party are saying there is major panic within the ranks over where this presidential race stands right now, essentially deadlocked. How pervasive is that panic and how much hope remains?
CARDONA: You know Rosemary, we're Democrats so panicking is in our DNA, especially as things get closer to an election and especially this election which we all knew was really going to come down to the wire. But here's why I am not panicking as much as my Democrats' brethren, and I hope that they focus their panic on doing more and worrying less. And here's why.
So we've looked at the national polls, and the vice president is up three to four points in most national polls. But we all know that what really matters are the battleground states. If you look at the battleground states, there's been so many polls that have been out there. She is up in many of them, tied in others, maybe one or two points behind, still in others.
What that tells me, Rosemary, is that what she has to continue to do is exactly what she's doing now. She is going out and she's talking to voters where they are. She's talking to young voters on podcasts. She's talking to men voters on the venues where they listen to.
She's talking to conservative voters. She's going to be talking to Fox News, as I'm sure you heard. She did "60 Minutes". She wants to do another CNN debate, but Donald Trump is scared to come and debate her again because she wiped the floor with him last time.
And so I think that she's going to continue to talk to voters in these last 20 to 21 days of the campaign and focus on the contrast at hand, Rosemary. And that is that Americans have a choice before them between a candidate he's going to wake up every day fighting for them to expand the economy, to fight for working class and middle class voters, to make sure that they cannot just get by but to get ahead.
And she's put forth very specific policies to do just that, to help lower prices at the grocery store, to help them be able to afford rent, to buy a house, to start a business, all of it, expanding healthcare, versus Donald Trump, who every time he opens his mouth, he lies, he disseminates misinformation, disinformation, he attacks American cities, he attacks Americans, he puts targets on the backs of vulnerable communities in our country.
[03:30:00]
He is somebody who doesn't understand that we are a country whose better days are in front of us, not behind us. He talks about a dark, dystopian, divided, demented future that is not what the majority of Americans see when they see this country.
And so I think he's proving every day to Americans just how unfit he is for another four years in the Oval Office. And that contrasts Rosemary is what Vice President Kamala Harris is going to continue to talk about from now until election day.
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Maria Cardona, thank you so much for joining us. I Appreciate it.
CARDONA: Thank you so much Rosemary. I Appreciate it.
Ahead flames tear through the grounds of a major Gaza hospital. We will have the latest details on the deadly strike.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: At least 21 people are now confirmed dead after an Israeli strike on a Christian majority village in northern Lebanon. The Lebanese Public Health Ministry says DNA tests are being done to identify the remains. At least eight others were wounded in the attack and more victims may be trapped in the rubble.
Also, Israel insists it is not going after the U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon. The Israeli Prime Minister accused Hezbollah of operating near peacekeepers' posts, adding that Israel had repeatedly asked the peacekeepers to get out of harm's way and to temporarily leave the combat zone.
Well meanwhile, an Israeli strike on the grounds of a major hospital in Gaza has killed at least five people. That is according to Medecins Sans Frontieres, which says the Al-Aqsa hospital has been hit seven times since March.
CNN's Nada Bashir is covering this and she joins us now live from London. So Nada, the death toll is rising as a result of that Israeli strike on the Al Aqsa hospital. What more are you learning about this?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, the death toll has risen and we are also learning more about the number of people injured. According to the Israeli government, the death toll has risen and we are also learning more Two doctors without borders, the International NGO, which operates and supports medical staff in the Al-Aqsa Hospital, the compound of which, of course, the strike took place, have said that at least 65 people were wounded in this attack, many of them serious.
[03:35:10]
Among them, at least 10 children were treated at the Al-Aqsa Hospital. But of course, this is one of Gaza's last remaining, last functioning hospitals. It is already overwhelmed, doctors without borders saying some patients had to be referred because they were simply at capacity.
And just looking at the images from that strike overnight, Sunday into Monday, you could see the sheer scale of the devastation, the chaos which ensued afterwards as the flames engulfed the tents which have of course occupied these hospitals grounds for months now over the course of the war.
Many civilians of course seeking shelter hoping that the hospital would remain a safe space. And we've been hearing from doctors on the ground describing that scene of chaos. Take a look at what unfolded following that Israeli strike.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASHIR (voice-over): What once was a shelter for the displaced, now ablaze after a deadly airstrike by the Israeli military targeting a hospital complex in central Gaza.
Desperate attempts to quell the fire, seemingly hopeless. Some of the footage from this devastating night is simply too harrowing to show. Displaced civilians, still alive, engulfed in flames.
These smoldering structures are all that remain of the tents which have occupied the grounds of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital throughout this past year of relentless war. Several people were killed and dozens more badly injured.
As dawn breaks, the severity of this latest nightmare becomes clear. Little has been left untouched by the blaze. Many of those who survived the night were spared only by a matter of meters.
It was extremely difficult. The fire consumed people before it consumed anything else, Abu Yousuf says. There were people in the midst of the fire that we couldn't pull out.
Nearby, Muhammad gathers whatever belongings were not destroyed in the fire.
The shoes of her daughter and granddaughter, both injured overnight, she says. I quickly woke my daughters up. I kept chatting, wake up, wake up, the fire is above us, she says. We ran to the hospital. I saw people injured with shrapnel wounds, people who were completely burnt. My neighbors were killed, all burnt alive while they were sleeping.
The Israeli military has acknowledged responsibility for the strike, saying its forces were targeting a Hamas command and control center they say was embedded within the hospital complex, adding that steps were taken to limit civilian harm. But no evidence has been provided by the Israeli military to support these claims. It was, however, known to the military that civilians had been sheltering on the grounds of the hospital complex for months. At least 5,000 people, according to hospital officials.
Inside the hospital, another gut-wrenching scene. These are the victims of a different strike, which targeted the al-Mufti school in Nusairat on Sunday. Among the bodies, little Yaman. His grandmother, overcome with grief, as she cradles her grandchild. Yaman is one of at least 22 people who were killed after Israeli forces struck the U.N.- run school, which had become a shelter for many.
Another sanctuary targeted in a war which has shown no mercy for so- called safe zones. Another name added to the growing list of more than 42,000 killed in just over a year. Another reminder that it is civilians who continue to pay the highest price in Gaza.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASHIR: And over the last week we have seen a number of strikes targeting central Gaza. The Israeli military also deepening its siege on parts of northern Gaza where we've been hearing from civilians and aid workers who have said they've been unable to evacuate to leave for fear that they will be targeted by the Israeli military. U.N. agencies also saying they've been struggling to get aid to parts of northern Gaza and all this of course as the U.N. attempts to roll out its second phase of the polio vaccination campaign across the Gaza Strip. Rosemary?
CHURCH; Our thanks to Nada Bashir, bringing us that report from London. I Appreciate it.
Well, on October 7th of last year, Hamas took 250 people hostage. Hersch Goldberg-Polin was one of them. The Israeli-American was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival on October 7th. He suffered a grievous wound while trying to protect his friends from Hamas' grenades. In August, Israeli forces discovered the bodies of Goldberg- Polin and five other hostages in tunnels beneath Gaza. They had been murdered shortly before they were found.
[03:40:09]
CNN's Anderson Cooper spoke to Goldberg-Polin's parents to see how they're coping with their unimaginable loss.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, "AC360" ANCHOR: Rachel, for you, what has this been like?
RACHEL GOLDBERG-POLIN, HERSH GOLDBERG-POLIN'S MOTHER: Well, I think that in order to get through the 11 months before day 330, I was using so much psychological suppression in order to function. You know, there was so much trauma and terror that we were experiencing as parents of someone there that I was shoving all of this emotion and fear and terror in.
I like to think of it as suitcases and shoving those suitcases into a room and not dealing with that because we were in battle. We were on a mission. And in order to function, I had to suppress so much. So I don't want to look back at those 11 months. I don't want to unpack those suitcases. I also don't want to look ahead at what does life look like without Hersch in it?
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: Rachel Goldberg says their family is determined to live and not just exist in order to honor Hirsch and his love for life.
Well, still to come, new allegations of sexual assault leveled against Sean Diddy Combs. More on his deepening legal troubles, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Last week, North Korea threatened to completely cut off its territory from South Korea. And a few hours ago, it took small yet explosive steps in that direction. North Korea blew up two major roads that once connected the two countries.
The explosions happened on the north side of the military demarcation line that separates the two Koreas. This was mainly a symbolic gesture, since their shared border is one of the world's most heavily fortified. And the roads had not been used for years.
Well Taiwan's defense ministry says more than 150 Chinese military aircraft have been detected operating around the island as part of a new round of war games started by Beijing. China says it's a response to what it calls Taiwan separatist acts. Taiwan says it's unreasonable provocation.
CNN's Will Ripley explains how the military exercises could cause international waves.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Here in the Taiwanese capital there is certainly no palpable sense of panic. Most people just going about their daily lives even as leaders condemn this latest round of People's Liberation Army drills.
[03:45:10]
China pointing to last week's speech by Taiwan President Lai Qingdao as the reason for launching these drills although experts say they were probably just combing through his speech looking for any line that they could use as an excuse frankly to launch yet another round of military exercises.
They did the same thing after Taiwan's presidential inauguration back in May of this year. Those drills, by Taiwanese estimates, cost China millions of dollars. They say China spent billions of dollars during the whole year of 2023 staging military drills near Taiwan. So people around here are certainly used to this.
In the scheme of things, these drills are not as large or intense as of yet as previous drills that we've seen, even though China did dispatch one of their aircraft carriers off the east coast of Taiwan.
But analysts say these exercises are still very dangerous and problematic and a reason for Taiwan and the world to be concerned.
CHEN MING-CHI, CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY CHINA, NATIONAL TSING-HUA UNIVERSITY: I think they want to impose a new normal. They are approaching closer and closer. So it's highly dangerous that will leave us very short response time.
WEN-TI SUNG, GLOBAL CHINA HUB, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Beijing definitely want to show force, but it doesn't want to show force to increase so much in intensity or quality so as to almost force the hand of American presidential candidates. To come up with much more tougher line posture against Beijing.
RIPLEY: For its part the U.S. is warning that these military drills have the potential to ratchet up tensions in this region. China's Coast Guard also involved. They put out a map on Chinese state media showing those red blocks, the different locations around Taiwan where the drills are taking place also at Taiwan's outlying Matsu Islands.
And what experts say is that this is intended to show Taiwan what a blockade could look like. Of course, a blockade analysts say could be a precursor to an invasion. Taiwan relies very heavily on imports of, among other things, coal to generate energy. So a blockade could very quickly turn the lights off here for a lot of people.
And yet, regular folks who are aware of these drills say this has been happening, they're used to it, and they're going on with their daily lives.
UNKNOWN (through translator): If they actually attack, we'll just have to deal with it. Hopefully they won't.
UNKNOWN (through translator): I think no matter what happens, peace is the most important thing.
RIPLEY: Keeping the peace is certainly a priority of a lot of folks around here and these drills, while provocative, experts say aren't really moving the needle any closer towards an actual armed confrontation.
Will Ripley, CNN Taipei.
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CHURCH: A new round of serious allegations against musician Sean Diddy Combs. The rapper and record label executive has been accused of sexual assault in at least six new lawsuits with the alleged victims including men, women and even a teenage boy.
CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has more details.
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ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Embattled music mogul, Sean Diddy Combs has been hit with six new lawsuits from six separate accusers, all of whom are represented by the same attorney.
Now, all of these accusers filed anonymously, either as a John Doe or a Jane Doe. There are four male accusers and two female accusers. These alleged incidents spanned over the course of decades, the first allegedly occurring in 1995 and the most recent occurring in 2021. That most recent alleged incident comes from a male accuser.
Now another male accuser says that he was 16 years old at the time which of course would have made him a minor. He alleges that back in 1998 he was at one of Combs' infamous white parties which was held at his mansion in the Hamptons in New York.
He says that shortly after meeting him and telling him about his aspirations to make it in show business, that is one Combs' allegedly sexually assaulted him. Now I have reached out to Combs' team and he is denying this.
He says that the attorney who is representing these new accusers is simply looking for media and here as part of their statement that they sent to me, quote, "Mr. Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts, their legal defenses and the integrity of the judicial process. In court, the truth will prevail that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone, adult or minor, man or woman."
Now this denial comes after Combs is nearly a year of repeated denials ever since he was hit with his first lawsuit back in November 2023 which came from his ex-girlfriend Cassie. Now that lawsuit quickly settled but he is still facing 17 other civil suits. Of course this comes as Combs is currently incarcerated in New York where he awaits his criminal trial which is set to begin in May of next year. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[03:50:04]
CHURCH: Coming up next, a Canadian drink company is facing backlash after a Marvel actor criticized the business owners, accusing them of cultural appropriation. We will explain after the break.
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CHURCH: NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft lifted off Monday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida atop a SpaceX rocket. It's on a long- awaited mission to investigate the potential for life on Jupiter's moon Europa, which boasts a vast ice-covered ocean; scientists believe Europa may contain the ingredients needed for life. The spacecraft is expected to arrive at Jupiter in April of 2030.
Well, an up-and-coming tea company is in hot water after being accused of cultural appropriation on a popular Canadian reality show.
Louise McLoughlin has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SIMU LIU, ACTOR: There's an issue of taking something that's very distinctly Asian in its identity and quote unquote, "making it better", which I have an issue with. LOUISE MCLOUGHLIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): A Canadian drink
company drew the ire of Marvel actor Simu Liu after pitching its Boba product on an episode of "Dragons' Den." It's a "Shark Tank"-style reality series that airs on CBC in Canada.
MANJI MINHAS, "DRAGONS' DEN" HOST: We are here today from Quebec City seeking one million dollars in exchange of 18 percent of our business Bobba.
UNKNOWN: Bobba.
MINHAS: Dragon.
LIU: I've never, has anyone else heard of bubble tea?
MCLOUGHLIN (voice-over): Bubble tea is a Taiwanese tea-based drink with tapioca balls that has risen in popularity in recent years.
In the episode, Liu challenged the business owners about representation on its staff.
LIU: What respect is being paid to this very Asian drink that is blown up around the world? Who is on your staff? Who is on your cap table that is -- that is --
SEBASTIEN FISET, BOBBA CO-OWNER: It's a good question because our best partner is in Taiwan actually.
MCLOUGHLIN (voice-over): Since airing, the segment spurred backlash aimed at the owners, prompting Liu to speak out on TikTok.
LIU: I believe that the entrepreneurs of this business came on Dragon's Den to pitch a business in good faith. There were a lot of things with the pitch that I took issue with and I disagreed with and as a result, I pulled out as a potential investor. But that doesn't mean that I believe that they deserve harassment.
MCLOUGHLIN (voice-over): In a statement, the Bobba Company apologized for the quote, harm we have caused by our words and actions on the show. It also says Liu quote, "raised very valid points regarding cultural appropriation and we welcome this learning opportunity."
FISET: I think we will go with Manji.
MCLOUGHLIN (voice-over): After the controversy, Dragon's Den investor Manji Minhas also withdrew her monetary support for the business.
MINHAS: After more reflection, due diligence and listening to many of your opinions, I will not be investing in Bobba tea. Having said that, I had to turn off commenting on my platforms because it is never okay to send hate and death threats to the entrepreneurs.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And our thanks to Louise McLoughlin for that story. In the coming hours, two Chinese pandas are set to arrive at
Washington's National Zoo. Bao Li and Qing Bao will spend the next 10 years here in the United States on loan from China.
[03:55:08]
A renewal of the Panda diplomacy which dates back decades but comes amid recent tensions between the two countries. CNN's David Culver got an exclusive look at the preparations for the Pandas' long overseas journey.
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DAVID CULVER, CNN SR. 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.
MARIEL LALLY, PANDA KEEPER, SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL ZOO: So they both have pretty different personalities. Bao Li has a huge personality. So he's very vocal, he's very energetic, and he's 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.
UNKNOWN: I don't think people realize how attached you get.
CULVER: When you're here, I mean in this setting. What has stood out to you?
UNKNOWN: Here are the sheer number of pandas.
CULVER: It's crazy, right?
UNKNOWN: 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.
UNKNOWN: Nowhere else. And the scenery is obviously beautiful and the commitment. CULVER: Pandas were on the brink of extinction. But in recent years,
they've moved from endangered to vulnerable. But there's 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. Somehow pandas were able to unite nations. Something we could use about right now.
David Culver, CNN, Chengdu, China.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "CNN Newsroom" continues next with Max Foster and Christina MacFarlane
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