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U.S. Demands Israel Improve Gaza Humanitarian Situation; Kamala Harris Campaigns in Detroit Targeting Black Men Voters; Trump Holds Bizarre Town Hall in Pennsylvania; North Korea Blows Up Roads Near Border with South Korea. Funeral Held for IRGC Commander Killed in Israeli Strike; Inside Look at China's Send-off for Pandas Sent to D.C. Aired 12-12:45a ET
Aired October 16, 2024 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, the U.S. gives Israel an ultimatum. Help improve conditions in Gaza or risk military aid.
Kamala Harris reaches out to black male voters during a radio interview in a key swing state.
And China's panda diplomats touched down in the U.S. but it will be a while before public can see them.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Lynda Kinkade.
KINKADE: We begin with the demand and a deadline. The U.S. telling Israel help improve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza in the next 30 days or face potential restrictions on military aid. The Biden administration says aid deliveries to Gaza have dropped more than 50 percent since May. It wants Israel to allow at least 350 aid trucks a day to enter the territory and implement pauses in fighting so that the aid and vaccines can be delivered.
Israel is weighing its retaliation against Iran. A source telling CNN that Israel has reassured the U.S. will not strike Iranian oil or nuclear facilities, and would only hit military targets. Those attacks would be revenge for Iran's ballistic missile attack earlier this month. The U.S. State Department is also speaking out against Israel's bombing campaign in Beirut, citing concerns over civilian casualties.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATHEW MILLER, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: So there are specific strikes that would be appropriate for Israel to carry out, but when it comes to the scope and nature of the bombing campaign that we saw in Beirut over the past few weeks it's something that we made clear to the government of Israel we had concerns with and we were opposed to.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KINKADE: Well, more now on the U.S. demand for Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza from CNN's Oren Liebermann.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Over the course of the past year, we have seen many times the U.S. expressed its concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza to Israel, calling on the Israelis to do more. That is, let in more humanitarian aid, allow for the free movement of Palestinians from northern Gaza to southern Gaza, allow humanitarian zones to be true safe areas.
But we've never seen quite something like this. This is a first and it marks a significant step in terms of the U.S. demanding that Israel do more when it comes to humanitarian aid going into Gaza. In a letter from Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the two write to senior Israeli officials that more needs to be done, that aid since the spring has dropped by some 50 percent, and that September had, quote, "the lowest of any month during the past year."
In light of that, and because of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, Blinken and Austin call on Israel to carry out a, quote, "urgent and sustained actions by your government this month to reverse this trajectory.
Now the U.S. gives Israel 30 days to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza. They point out that this review is effectively necessary by U.S. law because you have to make sure that countries that get U.S. foreign military assistance are following U.S. law and international humanitarian laws so that they say is the reason for this letter. But there is clear concern about the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza. And that's the driving force here.
The real question, does this lead to meaningful change when it comes to the U.S. providing military assistance to Israel. Over the course of the past year, the only thing we have seen consistently held was a single shipment of 2,000 pound bombs that remains held to this point. But in theory at least, that's what this warning is about, a threat that if Israel doesn't take steps to address the humanitarian concerns, you might see that play out and affect U.S. military assistance to Israel.
At the same time, the U.S. making it absolutely clear that it will do and provide everything it can for Israel's defensive needs. And on that note, the first parts and the first service members from an advanced U.S. anti-ballistic missile system had already arrived in Israel. The THAAD system, terminal high-altitude area defense. The U.S. and the Pentagon said that would arrive in the coming days.
Now the first components of that are beginning to arrive along with some of the advanced troops that will help set that up. It's not the full system, but that is clearly on the way. The U.S. very much concerned about, first, Israel's promise to respond to an Iranian in ballistic missile barrage from earlier this month, and second, Iran's vow to retaliate to any attack. And that's what the THAAD is there for, to make sure Israel has not only high-quality defenses against Iranian attacks, but also a great quantity of defenses because we have seen very clearly how large those Iranian barrages can be.
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Oren Liebermann, CNN, at the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Yaakov Katz is a senior columnist for "The Jerusalem Post" and a fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute. He's also the author of "Shadow Strike: Inside Israel's Secret Mission to Eliminate Syrian Nuclear Power."
Good to have you on the program.
YAAKOV KATZ, SENIOR COLUMNIST, THE JERUSALEM POST: Thank you.
KINKADE: So I want to start with the U.S. warning to Israel over the deteriorating situation in Gaza. Increase the aid and pause the fighting, or we will restrict military aid. This certainly sounds like an ultimatum. Will the prime minister listen?
KATZ: That's a great question, Lynda, and we've seen that there has been all throughout the last year of this war, ever since Hamas' attack last October 7th, there's been this tension that's been sometimes above surface, but most of the time below the surface and behind the closed door of the room where there has been some tense moments between the Israeli government and the Biden administration over how this war has been prosecuted.
From what I hear and my read of the situation is that what we're facing right now is, yes, there is an issue definitely with the entry of humanitarian aid specifically into a pocket in northern Gaza where the IDF, the Israel Defense Forces, are currently operating. It was a place that they operated back in December. They'd left, they cleared it out, but Hamas has begun to reconstitute itself.
Israel is back in there again trying to clear out that area and aid has had a difficulty getting in during this period of time. There are still apparently several hundred thousand Palestinians who are left in that area. But I think what's really going on here, though, is that the Biden administration wants this war over. They want the war over in Gaza. They want to war over in Lebanon.
They would prefer not to have Israel attack Iran in retaliation for -- you spoke about earlier -- the missile assault from just a couple of weeks ago. This is just part of that growing frustration as America nears its general election in just a couple of weeks. They want this war behind them.
KINKADE: Exactly. And speaking of that frustration, the U.S. State Department did raise concerns about the attacks on Beirut, not only the civilian death toll rising, but also reported on the many attacks on U.N. peacekeepers.
How is Israel's war in Lebanon against Hezbollah perceived in Israel?
KATZ: -- ones still being held by Hamas. Here in Lebanon, on the other hand, about a month ago, Israel decides that it's changing the equation on Hezbollah. It's starting to attack. It had the pager attack. It then took out and eliminated the top Hezbollah leaders like Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah and other top officials inside that Iranian backed organization, has eliminated their long-range missile capability and their PGMs, the precision guided munitions.
For the most part, yes, they can still fire rockets but they've been severely impaired in their capabilities. So for Israelis, this is a war that was needed also because you have 60,000 people who can't go back to their homes until Hezbollah is pushed away from that border. But you are right, though, that for the Americans, the concern here, specifically with the attacks by Israel in Beirut, is that this will weaken the government of Lebanon.
It will weaken the Lebanese armed forces and these are the entities that the Americans, the French, and other countries in the West want to see grab the reins from Hezbollah now that it has been significantly weakened.
KINKADE: We know that components of the powerful U.S. ballistic defense system known as the THAAD has arrived in Israel and 100 U.S. troops will operate it. This is the only U.S. missile defense system that can engage and destroy short, medium, and intermediate range ballistic missiles inside and outside the atmosphere. It's a type of system that Ukraine would like to have.
What's the reaction to it being there and deployed in Israel? And how do you think it might be used?
KATZ: Well, I think it will definitely be used if Iran were to once again attack Israel. Let's not forget that Iran has crossed a threshold or it crossed it more accurately back in April, when on April 13th it launched about 350 cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and drones at Israel for the first -- it was the first direct attack by Iran ever against Israel. Until then, it had long attacked Israel via proxies like Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis in Yemen, militias that it supports and backs in places like Iraq and Syria.
But this was the first time that Iran itself, from Iranian territory, attacked Israel. It did it again on October 1st with 180 ballistic missiles, several dozen of which struck inside air force bases and near strategic installations throughout the country. So Israel does need help potentially defending itself if Iran were to do this once again.
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But because we are potentially on the cusp of an Israeli retaliation to that attack from Iran earlier in October, this could come faster than we anticipate. If Israel were to attack Iran, whether it's nuclear facilities, oil refineries, or just straight up military targets, Iran would likely once again retaliate. So this is a demonstration I would say of America's commitment to Israel security. And while you might be right about Ukraine, we do have to remember to
some extent, Israel is the most attacked and threatened country today in the world in comparison or contrast to Ukraine, which is, yes, facing a fierce attack from Russia, Israel is facing attacks in seven different fronts, from Hezbollah in Lebanon to Hamas in Gaza, to the Houthis in Yemen, to Palestinian terrorist groups in the West Bank, to militias in Iraq, and of course, from Iran and Syria as well.
So as a result, this is an illustration of America's coming to Israel's defense, but I would add just one other point, Lynda. It's also America signaling to Israel, maybe you don't have to attack Iran. You can rely on us. We're here at your side. We will help defend you. You don't always have to go on the offensive, and we'll wait to see what Israel decides to do with that.
KINKADE: Yes. You make a good point. Hopefully that is the case.
Yaakov Katz in Jerusalem, appreciate your time. Thank you.
KATZ: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, with 22 days to go until election day in the U.S. Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz will campaign together in the critical swing state of Georgia for the first time on Wednesday. It's part of a wider effort to court black male voters who are so crucial to the Democratic campaign.
CNN's Eva McKend reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: In perhaps the most wide-ranging conversation so far of the campaign, the vice president addressing building wealth in black communities, answering a question on reparations, saying it was an issue that needed to be studied, and saying that she understood that there are disparities in certain communities while pledging to be a president for all of America.
She also pushed back against this sense of complacency coming from some corners. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We should never sit back and say, OK, I'm not going to vote because everything hasn't been solved. I share a desire that everything should be solved, by the way. I think it is what we should all want. But that doesn't -- that shouldn't stand in the way of us also knowing we can participate in a process that's about improving things.
And by voting in this election you have two choices, or you don't vote but you have two choices if you do. And it's two very different visions for our nation. One mind that is about taking us forward and progress in investing the American people, investing in their ambitions, dealing with their challenges. And the other, Donald Trump, is about taking us backward. CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD, RADIO HOST: The other is about fascism. What
can't we just say it?
HARRIS: Yes, we can say that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKEND: When asked if she was essentially pandering to black men by focusing specifically on their issues in a new policy platform, she said that these were part of her longstanding commitments that even prior to running for vice president, these have always been policy views that she has espoused.
The campaign, working hard here in Michigan. She's also going to make her case to voters this week, though, in Wisconsin and in Georgia.
Eva McKend, CNN, Detroit, Michigan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, Donald Trump --
(TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES)
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KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: -- Georgia, before holding a rally with supporters in Atlanta as early voting begins in the Peach State.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let's not do any more questions.
HOLMES: This comes after Trump cut questions short at a town hall in Pennsylvania. Instead swaying to music on stage for nearly 40 minutes. Shortly after Kamala Harris taunting Trump. The vice president writing, quote, "Hope he's OK."
It's just the latest in the back-and-forth between the two candidates as Trump faces public calls from his Democratic rival to release his medical records after the White House released a letter summarizing Harris medical history over the weekend.
HARRIS: He's not being transparent, so check this out. He refuses to release his medical records. I've done it. Every other presidential candidate in modern era has done it.
HOLMES: In an overnight post on social media, Trump baselessly attacking Harris's medical history, saying the vice president is, quote, "dying to see his cholesterol," while claiming to have, quote, "put out more medical exams than any president in history," despite not releasing basic information that presidential candidates traditionally make public.
Kristen Holmes, CNN, Atlanta, Georgia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein is with us from Los Angeles. He's also the senior editor at "The Atlantic."
Good to have you with us.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good to be with you.
KINKADE: So record turnout in Georgia on day one of early voting. What does that tell you?
BROWNSTEIN: You know, it's hard to know which party benefits anymore from this. In 2020, clearly Democrats were voting earlier than Republicans. Now it's not 100 percent clear. What it says, though, to me, above all, is that when it was a Biden-Trump race, there were concerns that turnout could be significantly lower than it was in 2020, maybe 20 million lower, but all the indications we have from the early voting is that while it's hard to kind of say which party is necessarily benefiting, there is a lot of interest and it looks like we will have a high turnout election again, maybe not all the way back to where we were in 2020 but substantially higher than what we have seen from most of the 21st century.
KINKADE: Yes, fascinating. And of course, I want to turn to Trump's rally Monday night, which seemed to turn into an awkward dance where he swayed on stage for some 40 minutes to different songs. I just want to play some of that.
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KINKADE: I mean, it's hard to imagine this lasting 40 minutes, but during that time, multiple attendees fainted in the heat. Some people left. To others said I hope he's OK. What did you make of that?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, look, I mean, Donald Trump's campaign has kept him since the debate largely in front of friendly audiences and away from big where he is at this point. In terms of his capacity to kind of sustain an argument or, you know, maintain a coherent train of thought.
Today when he was being interviewed by my old friend John Micklethwait at the Bloomberg, you know, Bloomberg event at the Chicago Economic Council, he again made the argument about, well, I'm weaving in some sort of way that you can't comprehend, all of these ideas together. There is, you know, once Biden got out of the race, suddenly Trump is the 78 year old guy in the campaign and concerns about his fitness for the job are real.
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He has dominated the last few weeks I think or at least had the upper hand in the last few weeks by shifting the focus to Harris in the battleground states with advertising portraying her as soft on crime on the border and extreme on transgender issues. But the question of whether he can get all the way to the finish line without voters focusing again on all their hesitations about him, maybe the most important question in the campaign.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. We know that Trump will participate in a FOX News town hall, a women-only event, and he does seem surprised that he's not doing better amongst women. He said in the past, I'll be your protector. Most women it seems want a leader, not a protector.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
KINKADE: How do you think this event will bode for him? How will it play out for him?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, the protector language is -- I wrote a whole column about it, was really, is very revealing not only in the sense that he is emphasizing security and threat as a way of trying to hold women voters, but also as a reminder that as in many things that J.D. Vance has said, the Trump campaign is sending a message of very traditional gender roles. The idea of the man as the protector, childless cat ladies, parents should get more votes if they have kids.
And that appeals to a segment of female voters, but not to the largest segment. If you believe as I do that Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, the three former blue wall states, are still the most likely places to decide the election, what Trump is really aiming at in events like this is the very large population in those states of white women without a college degree. It's pretty clear, I think the odds are pretty high that Kamala Harris is going to run even better than Biden did in 2020 among white women with a college degree. After all, the right to abortion was not overturned until after the 2020 election.
KINKADE: And polls do show that, you know, Harris is well ahead with black and Hispanic voters. But not as well as previous Democratic nominees.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
KINKADE: She is trying to appeal to black men. What is the biggest hurdle?
BROWNSTEIN: Yes. The biggest hurdle is the economy. I mean, I think especially with black and Hispanic men, you know, a significant percentage of them say that they are worse off because of Biden's policies, and in the kind of hydraulic fashion of politics anywhere in the world, when you're dissatisfied with the economic results of the party in power, you are more open to the party out of power.
There's also a strain of culturally conservative man in both the black and Latino communities. And there is a portion that responds to what I just mentioned. This kind of tradition gender roles signaling that Trump, for example, by having Hulk Hogan, the professional wrestler, you know, the idea that he's a tough guy at the convention.
Harris I think, you know, has focused a lot on trying to convince black and Latino voters that she will fight for people like them, economically, and she's made up some ground on that. But I don't think that in the end would be enough for her to get her back to where she has to be because too many of those voters think they were better off under Trump for that argument alone to succeed.
KINKADE: Ron Brownstein, good to have you with us. Thank you.
BROWNSTEIN: Thank you for having me.
KINKADE: Well, North and South Korea have been separated by the DMZ for decades, but now the North has taken an explosive new step to deepen that divide. Details after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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KINKADE: Warning shots in South Korea after a bold move from the North. On Tuesday Pyongyang blew up parts of two major roads that once connected the two countries. The explosions were a largely symbolic gesture as the roads haven't been used in years. And the two nations have long been divided by one of the world's most heavily fortified borders.
CNN's Mike Valerio has the details from Seoul.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, dramatic video shows the moment that North Korea demolished two road and railways, routes that used to link the two Koreas. So let's go to the video and on the right-hand side of the screen, you can see a blue sign that says, "goodbye to drivers from South Korea." And then we see the explosion. A cloud of debris blown into the sky. North Korea demolished this roadway and another one on the other side of the country, two of the last remaining road and railways linking the two countries.
This video is certainly compelling, but what is it all mean? Well, it's certainly a physical reminder that a policy of peaceful unification may be a thing of the past. In January, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said, peaceful reunification should no longer be pursued and monuments like this one, the Arch of Reunification in North Korea's capital, have presumably been blown up. Kim Jong-un said he was going to do it and it no longer appears in satellite imagery.
So this is also a movie we've seen before. In 2010, North Korea was upset about leaflets sent by balloon from South Korea. Balloons like these, and the leaflets described what life is like in the free world. A version of that balloon drama is still happening today. So back in 2020 to retaliate, North Korea blew up this building near the border, which was supposed to be a cooperation office between North and South Korea.
So bottom line, tensions have been much worse before. South Korea has actually had islands shelled by North Korea and a battleship also sunk by North Korea. That happened back in 2010. Tensions now are nowhere near at that point. The two roadways that were demolished in this most recent episode, well, they haven't been used for years. And when South Korea retaliated its gunfire stayed in South Korean territory. It did not reach the north. Mike Valerio, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, still to come, the U.N. says a fifth of people in Lebanon have already fled their homes amid Israeli airstrikes and evacuation notice. Humanitarian groups on the ground are warning severe shortages in the face of immense humanitarian needs.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome back. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
[00:30:53]
More than 1 million people have fled Lebanon, their homes. Around a quarter of the population now under Israeli evacuation orders. That's according to the Middle East director of the U.N. refugee agency.
Lebanese authorities report that the total number of Israeli attacks in the country has now passed 10,000, including one attack on Monday that destroyed an entire building serving as a refuge -- a refuge for displaced people, killing at least 21 and injuring eight others.
Humanitarian organizations operating in Lebanon are warning of the deteriorating conditions facing civilians.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOTTE RUPPERT, HEAD OF OPERATIONS IN LEBANON, IFRC: Since last month, since mid-September, the situation in Lebanon, as you know, has worsened significantly. And we're now seeing widespread attacks as displacement and immense humanitarian needs.
And with hundreds of thousands of people on the move amongst hostilities, the need for protection, shelter, food, and medical assistance is crucial.
And as the Red Cross, we're currently facing barriers to procure or to transport humanitarian goods into the country, which is leading to severe shortages.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, in Iran, thousands of people attended a funeral in the capital Tuesday for a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard. He was killed alongside Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli strike in Beirut last month.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is in Tehran.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The crowds here shouting "Down with Israel! Death to Israel" as tens of thousands of people have come out to pay their final respects to Abbas Nilforoushan, who was a Revolutionary Guard commander who was killed in the same airstrike that also killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): As Abbas Nilforoushan's coffin made its way through central Tehran, many handed items to the pallbearers to be rubbed on the casket.
Along with the mourning, anger at the United States and Israel and vows for continued support of Hezbollah.
Fati Maykera (ph) joining in the chants.
"We are one," she says. "These geographical distances do not mean that we are separated from Hezbollah, from Lebanon. We are all one, and we are all enemies of Israel."
Abbas Nilforoushan was a career soldier. Among those paying their respects: much of Iran's political and military leadership, including Esmail Qaani, the head of the Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force, who had been out of public sight since the Nasrallah assassination.
Bashir Rashani (ph) served under Abbas Nilforoushan in the Iran-Iraq War. "We see it as our legal and religious duty to continue the path of the dear martyrs," he said. "The criminal Israelis are killing oppressed children."
And then, the "death to Israel" chants begin again.
Israel targeted Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah with a massive air strike in Beirut on September 27. Abbas Nilforoushan was at the scene, as well, and also killed.
Iran hit back several days later, firing almost 200 ballistic missiles at Israel.
The Iranians now warning that, if Israel strikes back at Iran, Tehran will retaliate, not ruling out further escalation. Music to the ears of many of the hardliners here.
"Definitely, we can destroy Israel," she says. "Iran is stronger, stronger than Israel can even imagine."
Tough words as another senior figure is brought to his final resting place.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, Ukraine's president will meet with E.U. leaders in Brussels this week. The European Council president says he has invited Volodymyr Zelenskyy to present his victory plan and to discuss the latest developments in the war.
Mr. Zelenskyy has been traveling throughout Europe, seeking more military aid from Western allies.
[00:35:03]
Ukraine is facing its third winter at war with Russia. The country's pleading for more help as Russian forces continue to make gains in the East, and Moscow targets Ukraine's power grid.
Well, still to come, panda watch is officially over. The giant pandas on loan from China have arrived at the Washington Zoo, where they will stay. But how long will it be until you can see them in person?
We'll have the story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back.
Developers are bringing a little bit of the Vegas Strip to the Middle East. Officials in the United Arab Emirates have announced plans to build a twin of the Las Vegas Sphere in Abu Dhabi.
The announcement did not include details of the new venue's location, or when it will open. The Sphere in las Vegas opened in September 2023; reportedly cost more than $2 billion.
Its exterior is fitted with 1.2 million hockey-puck-sized LEDs that can be programmed to flash dynamic imagery on a massive scale.
Well, giant Chinese pandas, Qing Bao and Bao Li can officially call the United States home. But you can't go see them just yet.
They arrived in Washington earlier Tuesday and will be in quarantine for at least 30 days. Limited viewing of the bears begins in January next year.
CNN's David Culver details the process of getting the pair of the U.S. and just how popular the pandas are.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They're saying, "Bao Li, Qing Bao, have a safe trip."
You are getting a very rare look at the panda sendoff here in China. I've never been this close to a panda, but there she is.
CULVER (voice-over): A few hours earlier, a private farewell for the three-year old panda pair and the ceremonial transfer of care from China to the U.S.
We got here a few days ahead of the send-off.
CULVER: Made it. It's a long journey.
CULVER (voice-over): Traveling to Chengdu and meeting up with panda keepers from the Smithsonian's National Zoo. CULVER: Thanks for making time. I know you guys are busy. Mario,
Trish.
CULVER (voice-over): We catch them just outside the panda quarantine zone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This was what I worked for, and it feels so surreal.
CULVER (voice-over): The majestic mountains of Sichuan province are the natural habitat for these beloved creatures.
CULVER: Chances of us actually seeing one out here, we're told, are quite slim.
CULVER (voice-over): We're granted access to a reserve that tourists aren't allowed, joining the researchers from the Smithsonian who specialize in panda rewilding, or efforts to reintroduce them to their natural habitat.
MELISSA SONGER, CONSERVATION BIOLOGIST, SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL ZOO: Part of the reason for putting them in an area like this and keeping them away from people is so that they're not acclimized (sic) to people. You wouldn't want to release a panda and have them approach a village, for example.
CULVER (voice-over): We're told we can meet some of the forest panda trackers. But first, we need to suit up.
[00:40:06]
CULVER: All right. Let's try it.
CULVER (voice-over): A panda suit. Just in case we stumble across a panda cub.
CULVER: They don't want humans to become part of their everyday routine. So it's for that reason that we're suiting up to look like them.
Does it look like a panda?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're not only putting on just the suit by itself. You're also going to put panda's urine and poop on, so you will have the scent.
CULVER: Has that been on this suit before?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's clean. It's been cleaned.
CULVER: Oh.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, if they sense, on the signal, that a cub is nearby, they're going to put on a hood and just -- and go into hiding. CULVER: Conservation efforts like these are funded in part by the
panda exchange program.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our two guys that came over 20 years ago.
CULVER (voice-over): Zoos like the Smithsonian pay $1 million a year to host a pair of giant pandas, adding to the pressure.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just imagine everything we do, the entire world is watching, and there's no margin for error.
CULVER (voice-over): Especially given how beloved pandas are in places like Chengdu. The creatures are larger than life here.
And their most loyal fans stand hours in line to catch a glimpse of their favorite ones.
CULVER: You can say, look, everybody gets super excited. They've already got their positions.
CULVER (voice-over): And there are even panda influencers like A'Qiu, who posts content from his bedroom.
CULVER: So, you're into pandas?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I should -- sorry, before we start, can we just move one big panda to that one there?
CULVER (voice-over): Which doubles as a studio.
CULVER: Why do you love them so much?
A'QIU, PANDA INFLUENCER: Cute, so cute.
CULVER: The pandas that go, part of the exchange program from here in China to the U.S., what do you make of that?
A'QIU (through translator): This is an agreement between China and the U.S. And because I love my country and I love pandas, I support it.
CULVER (voice-over): The panda exchange, or panda diplomacy, dates back to 1972. President Nixon's historic visit sparking China to send pandas to the U.S. and now to many other countries.
Months of planning to pull off this transfer. And in Washington, renovations to make sure Bao Li and Qing Bao's new home is just right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've done some tree trimming here also, because we know they're going to climb. They love to climb.
CULVER (voice-over): The zoo's been advertising pandas are coming, and now they've arrived.
David Culver, CNN, Chengdu, China.
(END VIDEOTAPE) KINKADE: Well, thanks so much for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade. I'll be back with much more news and some more pandas at the top of the hour.
For now, WORLD SPORT is next.
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[00:45:28]
(WORLD SPORT)
[00:55:30]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
