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IDF Troops Are "in the Heart of Gaza City"; Israel Will Have "Overall Security Responsibility" in Gaza for an "Indefinite Period" after the War; Palestinians Flee to Southern Gaza; CNN Poll Shows Trump Narrowly Leading Biden in Rematch; G7 Joint Statement on Israel-Hamas War; Videos Appear to Show Ethnic Africans Rounded Up in Darfur; Going Green: Solar Desalination; U.S. House Censures Rep. Rashida Tlaib; Free Speech on Campus. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired November 08, 2023 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
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ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD, I'm Eleni Giokos. It's 7 pm in Abu Dhabi, 10 am in
New York. Welcome to the show.
Israeli forces appear to be tightening their grip on Gaza as the war rages on. Israel's defense minister says the IDF is now at the heart of Gaza City
and targeting Hamas infrastructure and commanders. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli forces will not stop until they are victorious.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL (through translator): Gaza City is encircled. We are operating inside of it. We are increasing
pressure on Hamas every hour, every day. We have killed thousands of terrorists above ground and below ground.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: The IDF also claims it has attacked over 14,000 targets in the last month, killing Hamas militants as well as destroying key
infrastructure and weapons. Israeli leaders say their forces will not stop fighting until all hostages held by Hamas are released.
Despite mounting international pressure for a cease-fire. The World Health Organization among the latest to condemn the fighting.
A spokesperson said, quote, "Nothing justifies the horror being endured by civilians in Gaza."
More than 10,000 people in Gaza have been killed since the war started last month, according to the Palestinian ministry of health in Ramallah.
And in Tokyo, a short time ago, G7 foreign ministers issued a joint statement supporting humanitarian pauses in Gaza. They also condemned Hamas
and called on the group to release all of its hostages. I also want to bring in CNN's Jim Sciutto who's in Jerusalem for us.
Jim, great to see you. Quite a bit happening. I want to start off with the politics and, of course, Benjamin Netanyahu -- something we've been hearing
over the past day -- making it clear that they foresee a scenario where Israel would have -- talking about indefinite security responsibility in
Gaza.
We know that the United States has also said reoccupation is not on the table. Take us through what this means.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: It really comes down to how you define your terms. U.S. officials say they
oppose -- and we heard that again from the secretary of state -- oppose a reoccupation of Gaza.
Netanyahu has not said occupation but he has said "security responsibility" and has set no timeframe on it, an indefinite period of time, in effect
saying until the job is done and it will be Israel who decides when that job of defeating, eliminating Hamas is done.
Secretary of state Blinken today in commenting on, this seemed to acknowledge that a security presence is necessary or could be necessary for
some time there, an Israeli one, but announced his opposition, continued opposition to a full reoccupation. Have a listen to his comments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: When it comes to postconflict governance in Gaza, a few things are clear and necessary.
One, Gaza cannot continue to be run by Hamas. That simply invites a repetition of October 7th. And Gaza will use it as a place from which to
launch terrorist attacks.
It's also clear that Israel cannot occupy Gaza. Now the reality is that there may be a need for some transition period at the end of the conflict.
But it is imperative that the Palestinian people be central to governance in Gaza, in the West Bank as well and that, again, we don't see
reoccupation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: So a transition period, he says there. But add that to the list of open questions.
How long is that transition period?
And frankly when does it begin?
Because the other unanswered question is how long the Israeli ground operation lasts in Gaza.
When will Israel be satisfied that it has eliminated Hamas?
By what standards, what measures?
Again, Eleni, we just don't know at this point.
GIOKOS: We don't and it's really interesting. The timeline here, so many unanswered questions. And we know re-occupation isn't what Israel says it
wants. We know the U.S. is opposed to that as well.
But what would the model look like when we talk about security responsibility in Gaza?
Would it mimic the model of what we see in the West Bank, for example?
[10:05:00]
SCIUTTO: Yes. There has been some discussion of that but that would involve the permanent stationing of Israeli forces inside of Gaza, because
there are many Israeli forces, many thousands of Israeli forces, stationed inside of the West Bank.
That sounds a lot like a occupation, right?
And if the U.S. is saying that it opposes that, U.S. of course being Israel's closest ally, can they come to some sort of an agreement?
Will they have a common understanding that a security presence for a finite amount of time works but one beyond that does not?
That seems to be what Blinken was stating in quite clear terms and even said that, following the conflict, in a post conflict period, that others
would take responsibility for security.
Who those others are, discussions of an international force of some sort, what nations in this region or around the world would want that job, would
take on that job and for what period of time, again, an unanswered question.
But it does not seem, certainly from the U.S. perspective, that they are discussing an outline for security following the conflict that mimics that
that we see in the West Bank today.
GIOKOS: Yes, really good point. It just seems like there isn't visibility of what will happen, what the next step is at this point. Many questions
coming to the fore. Jim Sciutto, good to have you on. Thank you.
You can follow more of the White House's warning to Israel against reoccupying Gaza in our "Meanwhile, in the Middle East" newsletter. The CNN
publication drops three times a week. Subscribe to our newsletter by scanning the QR code at the bottom of your screen.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is warning the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah not to enter the war, saying that it will be the biggest
mistake in its life. As CNN's Ben Wedeman shows us from the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, residents near the border are caught between
expecting the worst and carrying on with life as usual.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A family, a village is in mourning. Samira Ayoub and her three granddaughters, Layan,
10; Taleen, 12; and Remas, 14, were killed in an Israeli drone strike on their car Sunday afternoon near the border with Israel.
Their uncle, Samir, was in the car in front of them.
"Their mother was screaming," he recalls. "'I want my children. Where are my children?' as she watched her children burning inside the car."
The Israeli military told CNN the vehicle was a, quote, "suspected transport" for terrorists, adding they are looking into claims there were
civilians in the vehicle. Clearly, there were only civilians in the vehicle.
Every day, the border area is rocked by incoming and outgoing fire, enough to keep the area on edge, not enough yet to set off a full blown war. The
ancient city of Tyre lies just 20 kilometers, or around 13 miles, north of the frontier.
Pulling in his nets, Deeb says now is not the time to take risks.
"Us fishermen are not going far out to sea," he tells me. "We stay close to shore just in case something happens."
The normally bustling port in the heart of Tyre is subdued.
"Usually, this place is full of people," Mohammed (ph) (INAUDIBLE) fisherman says.
"No one's going out. Everyone is staying home."
Elias' family has been making fishing boats for generations. He lived through all of Lebanon's wars and doesn't want to see another one.
"Everyone is scared," he says. "Many people have gone elsewhere. Who wants to stay here and be bombed?"
Until or unless that happens, the fishermen mend their nets. Life must go on -- Ben Wedeman, CNN, Tyre, South Lebanon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Thousands of Palestinians have been fleeing south from northern Gaza by foot, taking advantage of windows being opened by the IDF. Today's
passage was only open for five hours following similar windows on Monday and Tuesday, when the U.N. reports at least 5,000 people passed through.
Most of the people carrying little to nothing with them, you can see on the screen here. Some waving white flags or holding up government IDs as they
moved, hoping for safe passage. We have CNN's Salma Abdelaziz reporting the story for us.
Salma, I want to talk about the overall humanitarian scenario that's playing out in Gaza. We have heard from many organizations just how dire
the situation is.
[10:10:00]
GIOKOS: We have heard from the World Health Organization, saying that nothing justifies the horror that the people in Gaza are enduring right
now.
Could you take me through the latest on that front?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and just to begin, I will start by quoting the U.N. secretary general yesterday, saying that this is not a
humanitarian crisis but a crisis of humanity that we are seeing play out in Gaza.
After more than a month of conflict, you are looking at the Strip running absolutely everything -- food, water, fuel, basic supplies, medical
equipment. Meanwhile, the bombs continue to rain down and Israeli forces are intensifying their assault on Gaza City.
The IDF says it is now in the heart of that capital. The Israeli defense minister making a statement just yesterday, I believe, essentially calling
the entirety of Gaza City a target, saying the whole place is a base for Hamas and, therefore, Israeli troops, he says, can carry out legitimate
attacks.
You've seen the evacuees leaving. But when you talk about them heading south, you have to remember that that is not a safe place as well. You have
1.5 million Gazans now, that is three-quarters of the population of the Strip, bombed, besieged, forced out of their homes with no refuge, no safe
place to go to.
The shelters in the south are absolutely overwhelmed. I will leave you with one last number, Eleni. In one of those shelters, one of those U.N. run
shelters, there is one bathroom to every 600 people.
GIOKOS: Yes. Really difficult number to get your head around. And a really important point that you make is that it is not safe in the south
essentially because we are still seeing airstrikes today. We've heard one too many stories of the civilian death toll coming through from the south.
We have seen these corridors now open, moving people from north to south. And we are seeing the images of people walking with very little, holding up
white flags and passports or documents so that they are not potential targets. It just goes to show the extreme situation that people are facing.
ABDELAZIZ: Absolutely, Eleni. And people are carrying, again, just as you said, only what they can hold, only what they can carry on their backs.
That might be just their child, just their elderly relatives, just the person that they care for.
Some Palestinians feeling that this is a forced exodus and the U.N. calling this forced displacement. Take a look at what is taking place on the ground
today as thousands of people flee Gaza City.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Taking only what they can carry, families are fleeing Gaza City. They wave white flags of surrender made of anything they
can find. And as the sounds of war echo around them, they signal yet again that they are innocent.
"I am a cancer patient. And I can't find treatment or food or water," this woman says.
"We saw with our own eyes last night. The whole ground shook."
The Israeli military has been calling for weeks on all those living in the northern part of the Strip to move southward. Most recently, opening what
it called safe corridors for limited windows of time.
"We're running down the streets with nothing, endangered every moment. The bombs won't stop," she says.
The only way to reach (INAUDIBLE) is by foot or by cart (INAUDIBLE).
"We were forced to flee," this man says. "We have to use these donkey carts because there is no fuel. They cut everything off and forced us out of our
homes."
Israeli troops are now in the heart of Gaza City, as Israel's defense minister apparently declared the entire city, the enclave's largest
population center, a legitimate target.
YOAV GALLANT, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): Gaza is the biggest terrorist stronghold that mankind has ever built. This whole city
is one big terror base. Underground, they have kilometers of tunnels connected to hospitals and schools. We continue to dismantle this
capability.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): But the U.N. calls this exodus forcible displacement and accuses Israel of the collective punishment of some 2
million people.
And these routes are dangerous and deadly. This was Salah al-Din street just a few weeks ago. CNN geolocated and authenticated these videos showing
the aftermath of explosions that killed evacuees. You can see luggage among the bodies.
And for those who do make it, bombardment and siege await them in the south, too. There is no true escape.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABDELAZIZ: Now the evacuations taking place today are over; that window, the opportunity is over. We're hearing from eyewitnesses on the ground,
Eleni, who describe an absolutely harrowing journey on foot, walking for hours, some of them wounded, some of them with their children, some of them
with their elderly relatives with little food, fuel or water to carry them through.
[10:15:03]
They describe seeing bodies strewn along the streets, being called on by tanks, by Israeli troops with tanks. Some of the youth being forced to take
their clothes off.
Again, these are eyewitness accounts obtained by our CNN camera man on the ground. That exodus is absolutely horrifying journey for those civilians
trying to make it to somewhere that is also not safe.
GIOKOS: Salma Abdelaziz, great to have you on. Thank you.
Ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD, a closer look at CNN polling on U.S. President Joe Biden and what it could mean for the 2024 presidential race.
And Ivanka Trump taking the witness stand in the civil fraud trial against her father and the Trump family business. Why prosecutors think she may
have information important to the case.
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GIOKOS: Welcome back.
Now results from key offyear elections around the U.S. have brought glimmers of hope to Democrats ahead of next year's presidential showdown.
And the power of abortion politics is becoming increasingly clear in Kentucky.
Governor Andy Beshear has won reelection, making him one of the few Democratic leaders in red or predominantly Republican states. And he made
abortion rights a major issue in his campaign.
In the key swing state of Ohio, voters delivered a strong rebuke to Republicans trying to restrict abortion access by enshrining a right to it
in the state constitution.
A key win also in Virginia, where Democrats took full control of the state legislature.
We are one year out from Election Day 2024 and a new CNN poll showing former U.S. President Donald Trump narrowly leading President Joe Biden, 49
percent to 45 percent among registered voters in a hypothetical rematch.
Biden is also getting low marks for how he's handling his job as president, with an approval rating of just 39 percent and 61 percent disapproving of
his performance.
A poll also showing support for Biden is significantly weaker now among several groups that he previously won by wide margins. About a third of the
respondents say the economy is the most important issue heading into next year's election.
Do U.S. Democrats have a Biden problem?
It is a question making the political rounds today after Tuesday's off-year election results. In the handful of key races on ballots, Democrats buoyed
(ph) by abortion rights came out on top almost every time.
That is despite the U.S. President's very low approval rating. As of now, Joe Biden slightly trails Republican front-runner Donald Trump in a CNN
poll on the 2024 election. "The New York Times" poll --
[10:20:00]
GIOKOS: -- has Trump leading in most of the key swing states. I want to talk more about this and last night's election results and what they could
mean for 2024 with Stephen Collinson.
Great to have you on and what a time to be having this conversation. Look, Democrats stealing the show overnight. We know abortion issues are very
much front and center. But Democrats still have quite a bit of work ahead of them. And it seems that Biden's approval rating could be weighing it
down for the party.
I want you to take me through what you make of the numbers that we saw yesterday and the direction of this.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I think that we have a paradox here, because as we saw last night, Democrats are doing very well
on the issues. That ballot measure in Ohio, enshrining abortion rights into the constitution of what is now a very Republican state, was especially
interesting.
Even in some districts that were won by Trump last time around, the abortion ballot measure succeeded. So this shows that it is a very powerful
issue for Democrats outside of their own coalition.
But the paradox is, that while Democrats seem to be doing very well and perhaps are closer to the American public on the issues, President Biden is
getting terrible ratings from the public for his presidency, for his global leadership, for his handling of the economy and, perhaps most importantly,
over the age -- over his age.
He turns 81 later this month. In our poll, only a quarter of Americans said they believed he had the stamina and the capacity necessary to serve as
president. More than 50 percent of Americans thought that Trump did. And Trump is 77, as you know.
So the big question I think is, one year out from the election, is, are Democrats going to -- and other independent and moderate suburban voters,
are they going to stick with Biden because they agree with Democrats mostly on the issues?
Or is this going to become a referendum on Biden's ability to serve a second term?
GIOKOS: Fascinating, really well put. It is a paradox, right?
You see Democrats really performing well on one hand. But it is a different story when it comes to looking at the man leading the Democratic Party.
So the question that I think everybody is asking, do Democrats have a Biden problem?
And then the question becomes, how do they solve it?
COLLINSON: It's looking very late for anyone to challenge the president in the Democratic primary. Anybody who believes that they have a future in
Democratic presidential politics does not want to be seen as wounding a sitting president and being responsible there for his loss of a general
election.
Biden says he is running at this point and there is no indication that he will change his mind. The White House position is that, if Trump becomes
the Republican nominee and we get a repeat of 2020, what you are going to see is that direct comparison between the president and ex-president Donald
Trump.
Trump has not been that present, apart from his social media rants, in American public life. That comparison has not been that clear. For
instance, during his very volatile showing in the court case in New York, the civil fraud trial on Monday, that was not televised.
And most Americans did not see that picture of what Trump is really like, again, that we did see every day in the White House. And so the White House
basically is arguing and the Biden campaign is that, once that comparison is clear, the polls will tighten and Biden's character will get him over
the line.
The problem is that, four years ago, Biden was the challenger, Trump was the incumbent. But now Biden is being judged by voters on his own record,
his own economic performance. So it is not clear that the comparison will be quite as sharp as the campaign says it will be.
GIOKOS: Yes. As we saw before, of course, we know Trump is facing a lot of legal challenges and what impact that would have on him still remains to be
seen. But here's the thing.
Just looking at Joe Biden right now, the question of where the election stands on Israel-Hamas war, that could shift the polls. And I know that the
economy is front and center in terms of one of the most important issues. We don't know what the economy is going to be doing next year. There's so
much uncertainty around that.
But on the war itself, do you believe that it could shift the thinking from younger voters, who seem to be more divided on the issue?
COLLINSON: Yes, that is very interesting, because Democratic voters have traditionally been very pro Israel. Most Jewish Americans actually vote
Democrat. We know that because of the polls. The war in Israel has shown that younger Americans are --
[10:25:00]
COLLINSON: -- far more sympathetic toward the Palestinian cause and that, of course, has hurt the president, who has been very adamant about Israel's
right to defend itself and has not called for a cease-fire in the conflict, that many Democratic politicians want to see.
This could hurt the president, I think, among Muslim American voters, who are quite important in one particular swing state, Michigan. But it is also
widening the gap between the president and those younger voters, who are already a little bit worried about his age.
They find it quite hard to identify with him and the war is exacerbating that. The problem I think is not that a lot of these younger Americans will
vote for Donald Trump; it's that they won't show up at the polls.
Last time around in about five or six swing states, the election was decided by about 10,000 to 20,000 votes in each of those states. And so
significant numbers of people not willing to vote could hurt Biden as much as anyone crossing the line and voting for Trump.
GIOKOS: And change the margins on that, really fascinating. Stephen Collinson, great to have you on. Thank you as always.
Former U.S. president Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka, is testifying in court now as the final witness for the New York attorney general and the
civil fraud case against her father, their company and family.
Once Ivanka Trump's testimony is done, the state is expected to rest its case and the defense plans on starting its case on Monday. As with the
previous hearings in the case, there will be no cameras during testimony. For more, I want to turn now to CNN chief legal affairs correspondent
Katelyn Polantz in Washington, D.C.
Great to have you on. Look, Ivanka taking the stand in court right now.
How significant is her role in this case?
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, she's not a defendant here. But the attorney general of New York, Letitia James,
she says that Ivanka Trump was involved and has very relevant knowledge about the Trump Organization, putting forward false information about their
properties.
That is because Ivanka Trump -- and we already know that she is on the stand and she is being questioned about how much knowledge she had whenever
the Trump Organization was working on two particular projects.
One, the property in Doral, Florida, that they had, whenever she was working on getting financing for that property; the submissions that the
Trump Organization made to banks about their values, that is one of the things that they have already been -- the judge has already found them
culpable of, that they submitted fraudulent information to get better deals on loans.
And then the other property that she was involved with -- and it seems to take a lot of pride in her work there, at least from how she is testifying
about it -- was the old Post Office building. So that is a historic building in downtown Washington, D.C., that is owned by the federal
government but was leased to the Trump Organization to have a hotel.
Essentially during the time period that Donald Trump was the president, just a couple of blocks away in the White House and Ivanka Trump not only
worked on some of the pitch to the federal government there to get that property for the Trump Organization, she also apparently benefited from the
sale. She earned some profit off of the sale of that property whenever Trump put it up for sale and no longer was holding on to that property.
And so she is testifying now following the testimony of her father, Donald Trump, on Monday and then her brothers, Eric and Donald Trump Jr.
previously. And all together it's going to be comparing and contrasting how much each of these people knew about exactly what the Trump Organization
was doing, what their financial statements were and what they were saying to banks and their own accountants, whether they were making -- whether
they individually knew that there were false statements being made so that they could make more money as a business.
All of this is going into the attorney general's case to claim damages because they believe that there should be many millions of dollars assessed
against the Trump Organization.
The judge has already ruled against the Trump Organization and Donald Trump in this case and just has to put a number on things and determine how
severe the punishment should be for the Trump Organization for what they did. So Ivanka, the last witness.
GIOKOS: Yes. Katelyn Polantz, that you so much for breaking that down for us.
Just ahead, G7 foreign ministers speaking with one voice on the Israel- Hamas war. They're calling on Israel to take urgent humanitarian action.
New reports of a surge in killings as fighting continues in Darfur, Sudan. We will hear from one refugee who says that her brother was killed and her
father is missing.
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GIOKOS: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD, I am Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi.
U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk is due to visit the Rafah border crossing with Gaza in the coming hours.
Volker Turk's trip is part of a five-day visit to the Middle East, including a stop in Cairo on Tuesday. And in a statement, he described the
Israel-Hamas war as "a vortex of pain," saying that human rights play a central role in finding a way out of this.
The U.N. human rights chief is scheduled to travel to Jordan's capital, Amman, on Thursday.
Foreign ministers from the G7 group of nations are pressuring Israel to ease the suffering in Gaza and curb the rising violence in the West Bank.
G7 ministers saying in a joint statement that they support humanitarian pauses in the war to allow more aid into Gaza, although they stopped short
of calling for a cease-fire.
The G7 statement also calls violence committed against Palestinians in the West Bank "unacceptable." Marc Stewart is following the story for us from
Beijing.
Marc, great to see you. Yesterday we're talking about whether they were going to be able to reach consensus on the language and here we have a
communique. And the big point here is that humanitarian pause and not an outright cease-fire. Take us through what it took to get to this final
statement from the G7.
MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, Eleni. It was exactly 24 hours ago we were having this exact conversation about how
tricky it would be for the G7 to come up with the right language, in their view, when it comes to the Israel-Hamas war.
Secretary of state Antony Blinken had made it pretty clear that he was not in favor of the phrase, "cease-fire." He did suggest that he was open to
this idea of humanitarian pause, or in the cases, here humanitarian pauses.
Keep in mind, he flew to Japan for these discussions with these G7 foreign ministers after spending some time in the Middle East, talking to people in
Israel, in Iraq, in Jordan, in the West Bank.
And so that in many ways likely framed this conversation. Let's look at some of the specifics in this G7 statement that addresses a number of
issues. But first and foremost, there is this agreement that there is this --
[10:35:00]
STEWART: -- urgent action needed to address the humanitarian crisis, which you have been reporting on now for several weeks. Again, support for
humanitarian pauses in corridors to try to facilitate the need for aid, especially among civilians.
Also stressing the immediate release of all hostages without precautions -- or preconditions, I should say. And finally, the need to allow foreign
nationals to be able to continue to depart the region.
But you, know this is just a momentary discussion in this broader issue of Middle Eastern peace and stability. It's something that we heard from
Antony Blinken when this was released in Tokyo just hours ago. Let's take a listen to the secretary of state.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: All of us want to end this conflict as soon as possible and, meanwhile, to minimize civilian
suffering. But as I discussed with my G7 colleagues, those calling for an immediate cease-fire have an obligation to explain how to address the
unacceptable result that would likely bring about.
Ultimately, the only way to ensure that this crisis never happens again is to begin setting the conditions for durable peace and security and to frame
our diplomatic efforts now with that in mind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: Eleni, it is very interesting that the use of this language, of a humanitarian pause, and not calling for a cease-fire -- and the specific
phrase, cease-fire -- it puts these foreign ministers from the G7 at odds, in contrast with their Arab counterparts.
So that could be a point of contention. So it'll be interesting to see the reaction that you get in your part of the world in the hours ahead as the
full scope of the statement is digested.
GIOKOS: The G7 agenda was absolutely crisis laden this round. So fascinating to see the consensus that came through. Marc Stewart, great to
have, you thank you.
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GIOKOS (voice-over): Let's get you up to speed now on some of the stories that are on our radar right now.
Climate scientists are sounding the alarm once again after yet another month of record breaking temperatures. The E.U.'s Copernicus Climate Change
Service says that October was the warmest on record across the globe.
It is the third straight month of record temperatures, making it virtually certain that 2023 will become the hottest year on record.
India's supreme court is enforcing a nationwide ban on firecrackers in northern parts of the country. Crop burning is also banned, as air
pollution worsens in the capital of New Delhi. The timeframe for how long the bans will last has not been given.
Eight children were among a group of 40 migrants killed in a fire at a commune in Coronel, Chile. That is according to the city's chief
prosecutor. The victims appear to be Venezuelan.
And while it is still being investigated, it appears to have started from a stove in the home.
Moving to Sudan now, there are reports of a new surge of killings in West Darfur. Aid agencies operating in Chad say arrivals from Sudan described
the deadly violence as they were fleeing the country.
The fighting between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces first broke out back in April. On Saturday, the RSF
announcing they had taken over the main army base in the capital of West Darfur and, of course, Sudan is seeing a significant increase in its
ongoing displacement crisis.
CNN's David McKenzie joins us now from Johannesburg.
Great to have you on, David. We have seen millions of people who are displaced -- and this is not just a war between military factions. We are
seeing civilians being killed and we have heard firsthand accounts of just how that is now intensifying.
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's, right Eleni and certainly this violent civil war shows no signs of stopping and
no prospect of a cease-fire.
And very disturbing reports coming out of Western Darfur in particular, Eleni. I want to show you some video that we have geolocated from the
outskirts of Al Geneina, showing what appears to be African, ethnic Africans in that region rounded up, surrounded by Rapid Support Forces or
other Arab militia.
In the audio of that video, you can hear men taunting those who appear, at least in part, to be civilians, older men, young boys, many of them with
terror on their face. You can see there them shooting out over the men as they flee.
And then the second video is equally disturbing, a larger group of people rounded up. Again, they use ethnic slurs toward them. They are discussing
in the background what to do with these men. In one case, someone says, liquidate or kill. We don't know what happened next. But this is part of a
pattern, Eleni.
[10:40:00]
MCKENZIE: In the western part of Darfur, there have been multiple allegations and confirmed reports based on our own reporting that of the
United Nations, of mass graves, of civilian casualties, of targeted killings and the specter of ethnic violence.
This has caused an almost immediate, according to Doctors without Borders, flood of more people fleeing over from West Darfur into Chad into those
precarious camps on the border of Chad. Here's one young woman speaking about her experiences.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): They told me that my brother was killed and we do not know where he is. I, my mother and my sister's
children came. We don't know where my father is. We could not find him. They burnt everything and took everything. We did not bring anything with
us, only God and our clothes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: It is a terrible cycle of violence. The U.S. and Saudi-backed talks between the RSF and the Sudan armed forces appear to be going
nowhere. They seem to have potentially agreed on allowing a humanitarian corridor for aid to get in.
But even as it's dropped of the focus of the world from when that conflict started back in April, the killing goes on; the ethnic targeting goes on
and those atrocities appear to have been happening just last few days -- Eleni.
GIOKOS: David McKenzie, thank you so much for bringing that story.
We are going to a very short break. We'll bring you more news right after this. Stay with CNN.
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GIOKOS: Desalination is a centuries-old method of turning ocean water into clean drinking water. But its high cost and energy expend has held it back
from becoming more mainstream. One Dutch company has invented a more sustainable and affordable approach. Bianca Nobilo has more from our "Going
Green" series.
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SID VOLLEBREGT, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, ELEMENTAL WATER MAKERS (voice-over): When you look at the desalination industry, which is currently responsible
for 5 percent of the water supplies globally, it emits a lot of carbon dioxide, lots of greenhouse gases.
So we knew that we had to do it totally different. My name Is Sid Vollebregt. I'm the cofounder and CEO of Elemental Water Makers. We want to
saw fresh water scarcity using only the sea and sun.
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Today, the U.N. estimates that more than 2 billion people globally do not have access to
clean drinking water.
VOLLEBREGT (voice-over): The idea of Elemental Water Makers originated a long time ago in Madagascar and there we witnessed what it means not to
have access to clean water for a rural community.
NOBILO (voice-over): They built their innovation around reverse osmosis.
VOLLEBREGT (voice-over): Reverse osmosis has been used since the '60s but we actually improved it with energy recovery technology that allows us to
use 70 percent less electricity.
[10:45:00]
VOLLEBREGT (voice-over): The second step is that we made the system suitable to be powered by solar energy. And the last step is that we don't
use any chemicals in the process.
This is one of our solar desalination facilities. Here we have the sea water entering the system. It first goes through the three treatment steps.
Reverse osmosis takes place in these membranes. Here we can tap fresh water from the sea.
NOBILO (voice-over): Sid says that they've built projects in 27 countries to date.
VOLLEBREGT (voice-over): For these remote communities, we help them set up the solution, we install it, we train them to operate and maintain the
solutions.
NOBILO (voice-over): The remote coastal town of Efoetsy, Madagascar, has seen improvements in illness rates as a result of having a desalination
facility, according to a local nonprofit.
PIERRE-FRANCOIS DUBOSC (through translator): It's pretty fantastic. It allows people to drink water that is clean, that is very healthy, that is
very good. And in terms of hygiene and health, it is crucial. We have diseases that may be disappearing now.
VOLLEBREGT (voice-over): For me it was really closing the loop from seeing a problem, developing technology to actually making a solution available
onsite. And the moment that we were starting the machine and handing out water to people, who have never drank clean water in their life, that was
something I will never forget.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Truly fascinating. More on the story at cnn.com/going green.
I will be back with more news in just a moment.
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GIOKOS: Welcome back. This just in to CNN: hundreds of Israeli police officers and the IDF entered the Shuafat refugee camp in occupied East
Jerusalem a short time ago to demolish the home of a 13-year-old Palestinian boy who stabbed an Israeli border police officer in February.
That is according to Israeli police.
Israel's supreme court approved the order to demolish the home back in July. Several Palestinian residents told CNN that, during this incursion,
Israeli soldiers conducted, quote, "humiliating" searches of children on their way to school.
Meantime, the U.S. House approved a resolution to censure Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib over her comments criticizing Israel amid its
war against Hamas. The vote was 234-188, with 22 Democrats voting in favor; four Republicans opposed.
Censure is a symbolic gesture and does not carry any punishment. Tlaib is the first Palestinian American woman to serve in Congress. Supporters of
the censure say her comments amounted to anti-Semitism, something that she denies. Here is what she had to say on the House floor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. RASHIDA TLAIB (D-MI), MAJORITY MEMBER, HOUSE COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND REFORM: The refusal of Congress and the administration to acknowledge
Palestinian lives is chipping away at my soul.
Over 10,000 Palestinians have been killed, the majority -- the majority were children. But let me be clear: my criticism has always been of the
Israeli government and Netanyahu's actions. It is important to separate people and governments, Mr. Chair. No government is beyond criticism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[10:50:00]
GIOKOS: I want to bring in Capitol Hill reporter Annie Grayer.
Annie, great to see you. Give me a sense of what she said that had her censured.
What led up to this move?
ANNIE GRAYER, CNN CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT: So Tlaib has been critical of Israel since the war broke out. But what led to her censure were
statements using the phrase, "from the river to the sea," which many see as a call for the destruction of Israel and view as a direct anti-Semitic
attack.
That led to many of her own Democratic colleagues going up in arms, being frustrated, feeling like Tlaib had officially crossed the line for them and
leading 22 Democrats to vote to eventually censure her last night.
But Tlaib has defended her comments. She is one of three Muslim members of Congress, the only Palestinian member of Congress. She continues to say
that she has an important perspective to bring. Take a listen to the emotion that she brought to this on the House floor yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TLAIB: I can't believe I have to say this but Palestinian people are not disposable. We are human beings just like anyone else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRAYER: What you saw there was Tlaib getting emotional as she was trying to speak out on behalf of Palestinians, who are dying as a result of the
war between Israel and Hamas.
You saw Tlaib's colleague, congresswoman Ilhan Omar, get up to comfort her. Tlaib was also holding a photograph of her grandmother, who lives in the
Palestinian part of the West Bank currently.
And what we are seeing as a result of this censure vote is the broader divide in the Democratic Party over Israel. You have a considerable number
of Democrats who are extremely pro Israel. They support the president and the White House's approach in the war so far.
But then you have an increasingly louder group of progressives, who are critical of the White House's approach, even calling for a cease-fire and
more humanitarian aid. So this censure resolution that passed last night, which is the strongest form of punishment that a member can receive from
their colleagues in the House, is just the latest example of these tensions playing out in real time.
GIOKOS: Annie Grayer, thank you so much.
Right now the U.S. House Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on free speech on college campuses. Protests have exploded at universities in
response to the Israel-Hamas war.
Brandeis University now says it will no longer recognize its chapter of national Students for Justice in Palestine or SJP after claiming the group,
quote, "openly supports Hamas, a terrorist organization."
Let's go now to Rene Marsh in Washington, D.C.
Great to have you with us. Look, opinions are high usually at campuses and universities. This is the makeup of going to college. Emotions are high at
this critical time as well. The situation is playing. Out
But online is now becoming blurred when it comes to the notion of free speech.
RENE MARSH, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I will say that in speaking with many students, speaking with the head of the Education
Department which oversees America's school policy.
There is a struggle on many of these university campuses on how to balance protecting students from discrimination and, at the same time, recognizing
the right to free speech.
Certainly we are seeing that struggle play out on campus to campus. What you are seeing on your screen right now is happening in real time. This is
the House Judiciary Committee here on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. They are focused on this very topic of hate on campus.
I will say quite a start to this hearing. It began a bit late but just as the first witness, who is a recent student, a recent graduate from the
University of Buffalo, began, giving his testimony, there was one heckler who got up and interrupted.
That heckler was taken out. He started his testimony once again. Then a second heckler got up, interrupted. He started his testimony again. Then a
third, a fourth, a fifth and then a sixth. I believe we have some video of that moment where this hearing was essentially delayed for a few minutes
because of these hecklers. Take a listen.
Do we have that?
OK. Sounds like we don't have it.
[10:55:00]
MARSH: But again, tensions are very high in the hearing room that you are looking at, as these students testify. Just a short time ago, there was a
young woman who had the microphone. She was testifying about her experience on campus. And she was on the verge of tears.
She's a young Black woman who is a conservative. She said that oftentimes she is targeted because of her beliefs. So these students here are
essentially laying out what life is like on these college and university campuses as tensions rise following that October 7th terror attack on
Israel.
We are seeing that there have been Israeli students on campus who have been targeted. And now members of Congress are hearing a lot of those anecdotes
and hoping that that they can put policy forward.
That would enable these schools to better handle the situation. I spoke with the Department of Education Secretary yesterday, who recently sent out
letters to all of these schools and universities, essentially reminding them of their legal obligation to protect students from discrimination on
campus.
GIOKOS: Yes. Really important. We saw an image there, of a woman with tape over her mouth that read "Gaza." It just goes to show the emotion that's
emanating everywhere. It is very polarizing.
An important conversation, Rene Marsh, great to have you with us. Thank you.
That is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "STATE OF THE RACE WITH KASIE HUNT" is up next. I'm Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi.
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