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Israel Strikes Iran's Military Targets In Response To Oct. 1 Attack; Israel Says It Conducted Limited Strikes On Iran's Military Sites; Candidates Hot On The Campaign Trail 10 Days Out From Election; Beyonce Endorses Harris, Joins Her Onstage In Texas; Israel Says It Has Ended Its Response To Iran's Missile Attacks. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired October 26, 2024 - 07:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:00:48]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: You're up early with us, and we appreciate it. Good morning to you, and welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It is Saturday, October 26th. I'm Victor Blackwell.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN SENIOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: And I'm Bianna Golodryga in for Amara Walker. Thank you so much for joining us.

And we begin with breaking news out of Iran. Israel carried out a major and highly anticipated series of air strikes against Iran in retaliation for Iran's attack on Israel earlier this month.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA (voice over): Video from Tehran shows missiles being intercepted by anti-aircraft fire early Saturday morning. The Iranian army says two of its soldiers were killed in the attacks. The Israeli military said it hit, "precise" military targets and did not include energy infrastructure. It also said that the strikes against Iran are over.

REAR ADM. DANIEL HAGARI, SPOKESMAN, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES (through translator): We conducted targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran, thwarting immediate threats to the state of Israel. The Israel Defense Forces has fulfilled its mission.

If the regime in Iran were to make the mistake of beginning a new round of escalation, we will be obligated to respond.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Now, the White House said that it was not involved with the Israeli attack, and responded to the news of the strikes by urging Iran not to escalate this further.

Here is part of the White House statement. "The United States was not a participant in this operation. It is our aim to accelerate diplomacy and de-escalate tensions in the Middle East region. We urge Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation."

Live team coverage we have for you of Israel's retaliatory strike on Iran. Our Christiane Amanpour and Julia Benbrook are standing by. We're starting though with Matthew Chance in Jerusalem. You've been following the developments this morning. How is this strike being seen inside Israel?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it's fair to say there is been something of a mixed response when it comes to the political reaction to this.

I mean, one leading opposition figure inside Israel, Yair Lapid, sort of tweeting or making a statement on X earlier that the -- yes, the strikes were broad enough that they could have gone further.

You know, there was some anticipation that this would have brought in the targeting of fuel infrastructure, of nuclear research sites. That didn't happen. The Israeli military kept it very focused to military sites.

That's been welcomed in other quarters, the opposition figures saying that military logic prevailed, that Israel successfully carried out a strike against Iran in retaliation, but didn't go so far that it would provoke or drag Israel into another direct war, or into a direct war with Iran. And so, again, yes, some mixed responses there.

What the military say, though, is that this was carefully thought out. It was precise, and they targeted military installations that had a symbolic value to show Israel that it -- sorry, to show Iran that it would respond to the missile strikes against Israel, carried out by Iran on October the 1st.

But also strikes that had a practical value as well. It degraded missile production technology, aerial defense facilities, ground to air, missile launch sites, things like that, that would inhibit or degrade Iran's capability in the future, if any further Israeli air strikes were deemed to be necessary to defend against that.

And so, that's the sort of message and the intention the Israeli military says was behind the logic of carrying out these strikes against military targets. Victor.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Matthew Chance, thank you.

With Israel now claiming that it has ended further attacks against Iran, the White House calls on Iran to hold back from any counter attacks. CNN's Julia Benbrook joins us now.

And Julia, the White House expressed support for Israel's operation, calling it targeted and proportionate, and reiterating that while it didn't participate in this operation, if indeed Iran responds, the U.S. is ready to defend Israel against such an attack.

[07:05:12]

What more are we hearing out of the White House? JULIA BENBROOK, CNN NEWSOURCE CORRESPONDENT: The White House is calling for calm and de-escalation. President Joe Biden, of course, briefed on Israel's retaliatory strike against Iran last night, and has been following any developments.

A senior Administration official says that Biden had encouraged Netanyahu to design an attack that would deter future attacks against Israel. And for weeks, the United States has been urging Netanyahu to exercise restraint and avoid attacking Iran's nuclear and oil assets.

And by refraining from striking Iran's oil and nuclear sites, it potentially leaves open the door for de-escalation. Now, it's still unclear how or if Iran is going to respond.

But I do want to pull up a statement from a White House national security spokesperson, commenting on these recent developments. He said, "Israel has announced that their response to Iran's ballistic missile attack on October 1st is now complete. As the Israelis have stated, their response was an exercise in self-defense and specifically avoided populated areas and focused solely on military targets, contrary to Iran's attack against Israel that targeted Israel's most populous city."

The White House, now calling on Iran to seize attacks and end this cycle of fighting.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Julia Benbrook, thank you so much.

Let's bring in CNN, chief international anchor, Christiane Amanpour, who joins us now.

And Christiane, this is a far cry -- this operation. And the fact that it was so coordinated and Israelis communicated so thoroughly with the United States, compared to other past operations over the course of the last year, where the U.S. expressed some concern about not necessarily been kept up to speed on what Israel was planning. What does that suggest to you about the fact that the Israelis were in constant communication, it appears, with the Americans, as far as what this operation would look like?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And most recently, just this weekend, I mean, the Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, has been in Israel and also in Qatar and other countries, literally, just flew back to the U.S. last night. So, clearly would have been aware of what was underway.

But this is what's been going on ever since this direct contact between Israel and Iran actually started back in April. And each time there has been this missile and counter missile attacks, the U.S. has said, take the win. Take the win. First, to Israel, it said that in April, now to Iran. It is saying, do not escalate. So, what is behind it? The fact that nobody wants a full-scale regional war.

Certainly, Israel is much more powerful, much more sophisticated in its military than Iran is, but nonetheless, nobody wants to see, for instance, at the moment, oil infrastructure attack because of the impact that would have on the global economy.

Nobody wants to see the nuclear sites in Iran attacked at the moment.

First of all, it is very difficult. Israel apparently does not have the bombs or the planes needed to deliver, according to experts, the kind of attack you'd need to get to the heavily fortified in the mountain for the uranium enrichment site.

So, that would have taken U.S. involvement. So, they didn't want that either, because that also would have escalated. They didn't want regime change, the United States. So, clearly, over the last more than three weeks since the October 1st Iranian attack, there is been a huge amount of coordination about what is meant to happen.

And again, as I say, it's really all about deterrence, re-establishing deterrence, stopping it now, and seeing basically whether they can go back to some kind of, not status quo ante, because a Rubicon has been crossed, both sides have now engaged directly for the first time in 45 years. I mean, from April to now.

GOLODRYGA: Yes.

AMANPOUR: The Iranian foreign ministry has also set out a statement that obviously they condemn this. They say they reserve the right, but they also are mindful of their commitment to regional peace and security. So, we'll see.

GOLODRYGA: in terms of reestablishing deterrence, do you think Israel is able to effectively do that despite this being a targeted and precise attack, there have been those in the Israeli opposition that have been asking and pushing Israel to go even further, to go after those energy and nuclear facilities.

Despite this being a limited strike, the fact that Israel was able to dominate Iran's air defense systems for so long, does that in and of itself? Do you think re-establish some level of deterrence?

AMANPOUR: Yes, as they say in the military, deterrence only works when there is no full-scale war. So, whatever the Israeli may be more dramatic desires for much more dramatic action, it's all part of a whole.

[07:10:05]

And of course, there is always going to be, you know, hard liners, political posturing in.

Dramatic desires for much more dramatic action. It's all part of a whole. And of course, there is always going to be, you know, hard liners, political posturing inside. Like there is in Iran as well. That is most of the government there really has let it be known that they don't want a war, but some in the Revolutionary Guard, et cetera, have made all sorts of extremist statements.

So, this is, you know, this is sort of par for the course, the political stuff. The question is, what can you actually achieve, and what is in your national security interest, and what is your goal?

So, right now, if the goal is to stop it now and to send messages, then, the U.S. believes that this is the time to do that, while, obviously, all sides reserve their ability to go further down the line in the future.

GOLODRYGA: What does this mean then, about focusing more specifically on any sort of de-escalation, a cease fire, even a temporary one, not only now in Gaza, but also in Lebanon, Christiane?

AMANPOUR: Well, certainly, the U.S., and there is been all sorts of briefings on this, the United States, and I said, top officials, secretary of state and his people were in Israel, in Qatar, and have been meeting with Arab foreign ministers in London before flying back to the United States yesterday.

So, the goal is to have hopefully successfully managed the obvious Israeli retaliation that was going to come against Iran -- number one.

Then, to try to figure out how to successfully end this strike and this expanding military operation by Israel in Lebanon.

And number two, how to end this terrible war that's gone on for more than a year now in Gaza. And the U.S., for instance, says that Israel has eliminated, killed, assassinated, all its major targets. It's killed the Hezbollah leader and potentials subordinates. It's killed the two top Hamas leaders. The political one was assassinated in Iran. Sinwar was, you know, killed in in Gaza.

So, the question is, OK, you've done this, now, what's the political plan? We've got to make a political plan to make sure that we keep this war down, and we keep you secure, we -- and then, obviously, the U.S. wants a political move towards Palestinian rights as well.

So, it's complicated, and it's big, but they got to start with ceasefires. And to get off to --

(CROSSTALK)

GOLODRYGA: Yes, and there is a ceasefire -- right, there is a ceasefire, a hostage negotiation that's resuming, I believe tomorrow in Qatar.

AMANPOUR: Yes, yes.

GOLODRYGA: Where you have CIA director Bill Burns and Mossad director as well, meeting with their counterparts there.

What leverage, if any, do you think the U.S. specifically brings to these talks, given that we are just days away from an election here in just months left in the Biden administration?

AMANPOUR: Well, look, we've all been talking a lot about, gosh, where is the U.S. leverage? It has said so many things about trying to get Israel to be restrained in terms of Gaza, right? To respect the human and civilian life, to respect international law, not to be siege, not to deny humanitarian aid, food, and water, which they have been doing consistently in the last year, and not to keep, you know, killing civilians for want of a better way -- to say it.

Now, they all say -- it's not our intention, but as you can see, it's continuing. Hospitals are still being besieged. There is reports from the Gaza health ministry that over the last 24 hours, 88 or more people were killed, and this is going on.

So, the leverage is that Israel still has its most powerful ally in the United States, but perhaps, perhaps, and we don't know, because the Israeli government has been conspicuously absent with an actual political plan. What is the exit strategy? We don't really know.

And increasingly, people like Dennis Ross, who's involved in the current attempts to get a cease fire, very close ally of Israel. Conservative, very long-term U.S. peace negotiator.

As you see, Bill Burns, the secretary of state, all these people want to try to take this moment where Israel, they think, has done a lot of winning, and then, have a political resolution.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, and perhaps, a short window here, where there has yet to be a successor named for Yahya Sinwar as well.

AMANPOUR: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: Christiane Amanpour, thank you so much. Good to see you.

AMANPOUR: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: All right. The last 10 days of this race for the White House, but the latest CNN poll tells us about the national outlook. Plus, how the Harris campaign is planning to use President Biden in these final days.

[07:14:52]

And the grand ending in extra innings of Game One of the World Series.

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BLACKWELL: All right. 10 days. That's all you have left to vote in this election, and it's crunch time for the candidates. More than 30 million people have already voted. The tickets are separated by a razor thin margin.

This is new CNN polling released just yesterday. The two are tied. 47 percent likely vote each.

They are hitting the campaign trail this weekend. Former President Donald Trump arrived in Michigan last night.

[07:20:02]

He was almost three hours late for his rally in Traverse City, after he taped a podcast episode with Joe Rogan. He wasted no time doubling down on border policies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think the biggest thing is the border, because they have allowed millions of people to come in from prisons and from mental institutions, and destroy our country. And we're not going to let that happen.

But I really believe -- does anybody agree with that they say? (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Trump will stay in Michigan for another rally today, before heading to Pennsylvania. Vice President Kamala Harris will also be in Michigan today, joined by former First Lady Michelle Obama.

Harris held a rally in Texas last night alongside superstar Beyonce, where they both stressed reproductive rights.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: One in three American women lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban. Many of these bans are causing care to be denied until a woman is at death's door.

And let us agree, one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do with her body.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: While former presidents, Obama and Clinton, and other big names have joined Harris on the campaign trail, one has been mostly absent, President Joe Biden.

It's left many to wonder how he is helping or hurting Harris' campaign.

BLACKWELL: CNN's Betsy Klein joins us now. So, what is the president's role going to be over these last 10 days? Do we have a clear picture?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Well, Victor, we have seen former President Obama crisscrossing the trail, drawing huge crowds. We've seen former President Bill Clinton also on the campaign trail, even First Lady Jill Biden has been very active in recent weeks. But in the final weeks of this campaign, President Biden has largely been on the sidelines, and that has, in part, been by design, as he has really emerged as somewhat of a liability for the Harris campaign, and that is because his popularity is really underwater.

The latest CNN poll of polls of his approval rating puts it at about 38 percent approved, 57 percent disapprove. And with a race that's this close between vice president Harris and former President Trump, Trump has been really successful in painting Harris as a potential continuation of the Biden presidency.

And so, Vice President Harris here has to strike a very delicate balance between both being loyal to President Biden, without whom she wouldn't be on this top of this ticket, but also trying to play some strategic difference, distance, and daylight between them.

GOLODRYGA: And what do we know the president do -- is doing today? What's on his schedule?

KLEIN: Well, President Biden has said that he is going to be as helpful as possible as a surrogate to the Harris campaign, and there are places where he still enjoys a lot of support, like older voters, blue collar voters, voters in places like battleground Pennsylvania. That's going to be so critical to the Harris map.

But so far, he really has just been doing these official White House events in battleground states, kind of touting a lot of his accomplishments. That changes today as he heads to Pittsburgh, where he's going to rally union workers from LIUNA, that's the construction and energy union.

And really, I cannot underscore how high the stakes are in this election for President Biden, because former President Trump has really run on vowing to dismantle some of Biden's key accomplishments in office.

And so, there is this implicit recognition that if Biden needs to stay a little bit under the radar to be helpful to Harris. He is going to do so. Bianna and Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right. Betsy Klein, for us, traveling with the president in Wilmington. Thanks so much.

Joining me now is Washington correspondent for the Atlanta Journal- Constitution, Tia Mitchell.

Good to have you back in Atlanta, covering the swing state in the last stretch.

All right. So, let's start with Beyonce, with Vice President Harris in Houston. Let's play a bit of what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEYONCE KNOWLES-CARTER: AMERICAN SINGER: I'm not here as a celebrity. I'm not here as a politician. I'm here as a mother. A mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children living. A world where we have the freedom to control our bodies. A world where we are not divided.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: OK. So, typically, Beyonce performed. She performed at both Obama inaugurations, performed that last day before the 2016 election for Hillary Clinton.

What's the value of not just showing up, not performing, but delivering that?

TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: Yes, I think it was interesting. Beyonce is a different woman than she was even during the Obama years. She now is the mother of three children. She now is, you know, entering her middle age years as well.

[07:25:02]

So, I think she brings a different perspective, and she wanted to stress that she is not here to perform. She is here to make a statement, to send a message, particularly around reproductive rights.

And again, as a mother, I think she is a lot of the messaging from Democrats is about, this is not just about abortion, this is not just about unwanted pregnancies, this is about a wider healthcare conversation, and I think that's something Beyonce was trying to drive home.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about this Joe Rogan podcast went on for close to three hours with former President Trump. And one of the elements here -- I mean, back when RFK Jr. endorsed former President Trump. There was a question of quid pro quo if, you know, he got out of the race, would he offer him a job?

Well, we don't know if that happened, but Joe asked the former president if there is a role ahead for RFK Jr. in a potential second Trump administration. Here is that exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: But RFK is going to be very -- you know, I think he's a great guy. I think he is great.

(CROSSTALK)

JOE ROGAN, HOST, THE JOE ROGAN EXPERIENCE PODCAST: I would love the fact that you guys teamed up.

TRUMP: Yes, in combination.

(CROSSTALK)

ROGAN: And are you guys -- are you completely committed to have him a part of your administration?

TRUMP: Oh, I am. But the only thing I want to be a little careful about with him is the environmental, because, you know, he doesn't like oil, I love oil and gas. I think, you know, I think the fire --

(CROSSTALK)

ROGAN: Just keep him out of that.

TRUMP: So, I'm going to sort of keep him out -- I said, focus on health.

ROGAN: Yes.

TRUMP: Focus -- you can do whatever you want, but got to be a little bit careful with the liquid gold, you know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: RFK, focusing on health.

(CROSSTALK)

MITCHELL: I know.

BLACKWELL: Yes, let's remember, this is the man who said there is no safe and effective vaccine.

MITCHELL: Yes, I -- you know, I think that if people are listening to Trump and paying attention to Trump, and paying attention to some of the people he either has indicated would be in his orbit or who are already in his orbit, there is a lot troubling there. You know?

Not just being a vaccine skeptic, but RFK talks a lot about positioning himself as this health and wellness expert without any credentials, often with pseudo-science. And that's not necessarily someone you want with any influence on public health.

The question is, though, well, I think the point is, who's listening to Joe Rogan?

BLACKWELL: Yes.

MITCHELL: In the -- in the types, the -- his audience is a very specific conservative audience, young men, and these types of messages might resonate with them. You know, supporting Joe Rogan, supporting RFK Jr., supporting Donald Trump, even if the core of the message isn't really rooted in good public policy.

BLACKWELL: We just got the list of speakers at the big Madison Square Garden event tomorrow, Trump's closing message event. Let's put up some of the faces and names. Rudy Giuliani, RFK Jr., UFC chief Dana White, Elon Musk, Tulsi Gabbard.

While Vice President Harris is reaching out to Republicans trying to expand, what does this list of speakers, and there are others, the Speaker of the House and Elise Stefanik. What does this tell us about his intended audience in the home stretch?

MITCHELL: Yes, it's clear that -- and this has been kind of Donald Trump's M.O. throughout the campaign. He has been speaking mostly to his base, even when he brings in former Democrats like RFK Jr. or Tulsi Gabbard, they are very conservative. These are Democrats that have moved away from the party.

Trump continues to talk to his base, to conservative Republicans, to conservative Christians. And at the end of the day, when all is said and done in this election, I think there will be a lot of analysis and soul searching about the two different approaches of the campaigns, depending on which one is successful.

You know, if it -- if it's no longer in vogue to try to build a big -- remember, Republicans used to say we're the big tent party, and they wanted to bring everyone in.

If that's proved to not be successful in our current deeply divided politics, you can expect more partisanship and more divisions moving forward.

BLACKWELL: All right. 10 days until they start counting the votes. We'll see how long it is until we have a winner.

All right. Tia, thank you.

MITCHELL: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Still to come for us, election workers across the U.S. are preparing to deal with a flood of poll watchers, the concerns the poll watchers' efforts to keep an eye on voting could disrupt the vote.

[07:29:36]

Plus, Israel strikes back on Iran. We're following the latest developments next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Israel has ended its targeted airstrike campaign against Iran. Iran's foreign ministry is calling it a "clear violation of international law".

Now, the retaliatory attacks hit military sites in Iran. They were Israel's response to Iran's ballistic missile attack from the first of this month. Iran says two Iranian soldiers were killed. The explosions and air defense systems firing back lit up the night sky around Tehran.

Joining me now, CNN military analyst and retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.

Colonel Leighton, do you think from what we have seen thus far, given how limited and targeted this strike was compared to what others had been advocating and some -- in some areas even concerned about going after nuclear and oil facilities.

Do you think this strike sent a message of deterrence, once again, being re-established for the Israelis?

[07:35:02]

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, good morning, Bianna. I think, it did, at least, for the moment. And so, the reason I say that is looking at the way they designed the target sets, the Israelis went after certain installations in the Tehran vicinity. So, there were some military installations not too far from the center of Tehran.

Then, they also targeted two provinces in the extreme southwest and west of Iran. One of them, Ilam Province is not really very populated, but it is the site of missile launch facilities, and same with Khuzestan Province, which down in the southwest part of the country, again, in missile launch area and right at the top of the Persian Gulf.

So, these areas were designed to send a message. They border Iraq, and they are also staging areas for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as the regular Iranian military.

So, in this sense, as far as we can tell right now, what the Israelis did beyond it was basically go after certain military installations that directly affected them on October 1, on during that attack against Israel. But they also sent a message that the command-and- control aspects of the -- any military operation that the Iranians conduct, whether it's with the IRGC, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, or the (INAUDIBLE) military, those are all at risk.

And they were, quite frankly, also very much able to go into the Iranian air defense system and not be impacted by that at all. So, they were able to penetrate that without much difficulty. So, that's -- that is a huge issue from a military standpoint.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, and it possibly opens the door to future attacks. I mean, sending a message to Iran that you could do basically whatever you want in their airspace over a number of hours, with some 20 sites being struck. If that doesn't suggest to Iran that they could possibly the next time do something more significant, I don't know what else does.

LEIGHTON: Yes, exactly. And the -- you know, it's kind of an escalation from what they did in the response to in the Israeli response to the April attacks against Israel. Will they hit that site in Isfahan? Now, these -- this is a bit of an escalation in terms of the numbers of targets struck and the types of targets struck, but it clearly demonstrates to the Iranians that their systems are not impervious, basically, that they can be attacked at any point of Israel's choosing.

And that is very significant, and should give Tehran a pause -- some pause, actually, before they plan anything else.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, especially since there is been reporting that the Israelis had notified through a third party to the Iranians that they would, in fact, be conducting the strike. And this has been publicly speculated and reported over the course of the last three weeks, following Iran's unprecedented attacks, launching some 200 ballistic missiles towards Israel. Let's talk about these specific sites that were struck, because I'm told by senior Israeli security officials that they view this as pretty significant and expansive in terms of the weapons, the manufacturing, missile storage, and air defense capabilities that they struck.

Specifically, going after some of their long-range weapons. How damaging do you think this strike could have been?

LEIGHTON: Well, when it -- when they strike the specific manufacturing areas and also launch sites, that's pretty significant beyond. And that the reason that's significant is because Iran does have a limited manufacturing capacity for long-range missiles like the Fattah missile, Fateh missile, and other missiles of that type.

So, what the Iranians do is they have basically concentrated their industry, a large part of it, on these weapon systems, on developing these weapons systems, and also their drone industries.

So, when you go after the missiles, that limits Iran's capability to go after Israel. And they do that not only, in essence, they are doing the supply chain attack, they hit the launch areas, but they are also hitting the manufacturing areas. So, you've got both ends of the spectrum, basically, when it comes to missile deployment in Iran, and that has a major impact on what the Iranians are able to do in the future.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. The United States expressing support for Israel's operation, calling it targeted and proportionate. Colonel Cedric Leighton, we'll continue to follow to see what if any response Iran may have in the days ahead.

Thank you so much for your time.

Victor?

BLACKWELL: All right. Still to come, voters are heading to the polls in huge numbers. Tens of millions have already cast their votes, but there is a growing concern about poll watchers and how they could disrupt the vote.

[07:39:54]

Details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Poll workers are bracing for disruption ahead of Election Day. Polling locations across the country have increased security, including bullet proof glass and wearable panic buttons, because of these threats against election workers.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. Another challenge this season will be a group of poll watchers who denied the results of the 2020 election. CNN's Sarah Murray explains how this could cause problems for voters.

[07:45:01]

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: There is some uncertainty heading into Election Day from both election officials as well as voting rights groups, as they look at conservative groups in the Republican National Committee and their efforts to recruit tens of thousands of people to be poll watchers and election observers on election day.

We've seen a number of election skeptics show up and want to be more involved in the process, and that's led to some concerns that there could be more misinformation surrounding voting sites and counting centers, or potentially disturbances.

And what we have seen is, you know, over the summer in Wisconsin, there was an incident where there were some unruly poll watchers who had to be removed by local law enforcement.

Looking ahead at the statewide poll watcher list in Georgia, it includes a couple of people who were fake electors for Donald Trump in 2020, as well as a prominent election skeptic in the state. And the Republican National Committee has been clear that they want to be very aggressive in keeping an eye on what's happening at the polls.

Take a listen to what RNC chair Michael Whatley had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL WHATLEY, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: We are going to be aggressive. If you see things that are out there, send them to us, flag them. We're going to track them down. We're not going to wait until after the election is certified, when it's too late to be able to go in and challenge these things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MURRAY: The good news is, election officials are so much more prepared than they were in 2020 to deal with any potential disturbances that may arise. They have taken steps to make these polling locations even more secure, to have a clearer line if they need it with local law enforcement.

And the message that election officials really want to get across is that they are going to do everything they can to make sure people can cast their ballot safely and securely, whether it's an early voting or an election day.

Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.

BLACKWELL: Is Yankees and Dodgers, and it did not disappoint. Game One of the Fall Classic was an instant classic. We'll show you how it all went down next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:51:16]

GOLODRYGA: Well, we had a Hollywood ending to Game One of the World Series. The Dodgers beat the Yankees in dramatic fashion.

BLACKWELL: Andy Scholes, with us now.

I mean, if the rest of the series is this good, it's going to be a movie.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Oh, it's going to be the best World Series of all -- of all time, came and talk about it.

But, I'll tell you what, late October, that's when stars just become legends, and Freddie Freeman, he now is one of the best moments in baseball history. The Yankees and Dodgers with the extra innings in their first World Series game since 1981, New York, they went ahead three, two in the 10th.

Then, in the bottom of the inning with two outs, bases loaded, Freddie Freeman at the plate after the Yankees decided to intentionally walk, Mookie Betts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First pitch swinging. High fly ball. Hit the (INAUDIBLE) and gone!

Freddie Freeman, channeling his inner Kirk Gibson, a walk off home run in Game One of the World Series.

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SCHOLES: Freeman, the first player ever to hit a walk off Grand Slam in the World Series. As you can see, he knew it right away. It's one of the greatest walk-off moments in baseball history.

The Dodgers win Game One 6-3. Freeman, of course, mobbed by his teammates at home play. The Dodgers' first baseman calling the moment, the dream come true.

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FREDDIE FREEMAN, FIRST BASEMAN, LOS ANGELES DODGERS: Those are the kind of things when you're 5 years old with your two older brothers and you're playing football in the backyard, and those are the scenarios of -- scenarios you kind of dream about.

Base loaded two out in a World Series game, and for it to actually happen and hit a home run and walk it off, to give us a one nothing lead, that's as good as it gets, right there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes, it is. And Freeman also ran over to celebrate the moment with his dad, and he said this was his dad's moment, not his.

Fred Freeman, three sons, obviously, all played baseball. Freddie, the best of them. And Victor, I can tell you, it's every baseball dad's dream, right there. You're not hitting a World Series home run to win the game.

As you said. Game One, what a start. Game Two tonight, 8:00 Eastern in L.A. I mean, we could be in for an epic series.

BLACKWELL: Electricity when that ball went to the stands.

All right, Andy --

(CROSSTALK)

SCHOLES: People going nuts.

BLACKWELL: And let's get to a Lozenges.

SCHOLES: Yes, I was fine just when the segment started.

BLACKWELL: (INAUDIBLE) for Lozenges.

All right. Thanks, Andy.

Still to come, nationwide E. coli outbreak has been linked to one of the most popular burgers at McDonald's. The action the chain has taken as it deals with the rise in cases.

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[07:58:10]

GOLODRYGA: All right. Here are some of the other top stories we are following this morning.

Phil Lesh, founding member and bassist of the Grateful Dead has passed away. The news was announced yesterday on his official Instagram account. The cause of death has not been released. He was 84 years old.

BLACKWELL: New numbers released in the E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's. The CDC is now reporting 75 confirmed cases in 13 states. More than 20 hospitalizations and one death.

Now, the FDA says onions of beef patties used in McDonald's quarter pounder burgers could be the source. The chain has now removed these ingredients from affected states, while the investigation continues.

GOLODRYGA: The CDC warns of a rise in walking pneumonia cases across the U.S., especially among preschoolers.

And infectious disease experts say they may need a different antibiotic regimen to treat it. Symptoms often begin with headache, sore throat, mild fever and chills.

The cough could last for weeks, even as it's being treated. Health officials expect cases to continue to increase for about a month for tapering off later this fall.

All right. "FIRST OF ALL" is up next. The best name for a T.V. show, Victor. I love it. What do you have coming up this hour?

BLACKWELL: Well, thank you. And we got a lot coming up.

10 days. We've been saying it all morning. Time is running out for both campaigns to answer these questions. Who is still undecided? Where are these voters and what will it take for them to vote?

My first guests may have the answers. Their organizations are out in communities to help people get to those polls. We'll talk to them about what they're hearing.

Plus, an important moment for a community -- political pundits rarely focus on Native American voters. Battleground Arizona is getting a high-profile visit today. The campaigns are realizing that community could be the key to winning the state and the election. We'll go live to the Navajo Nation.

[07:59:59]

And a story you likely have not seen anywhere else. Seven people killed. This was in a dock collapse, and now, historic and isolated community is reeling. I'll speak to two survivors about what they witnessed and their call for justice.

All right. Let's start the show.