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Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 22 in Central Beirut; Russian, Iranian Presidents Meet Amid Escalating Conflict; U.N. Raises Concerns Over Peacekeeping Forces in South Lebanon; Human-Caused Climate Change Fuels More Intense Storms; Obana Campaigns for Harris, Slams Trump; Boeing 737 MAX Crash Victims' Families Object to Agreement; Saving the World's Fastest Animal; Atomic Bomb Survivors' Group Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired October 11, 2024 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:11]
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome to our second hour. I am Becky Anderson.
Coming up, the United Nations peacekeeping missing in Lebanon hit by explosions for the second time in 48 hours. Its spokesperson joins us live
from Beirut.
And Hurricane Milton is expected to cost insurers tens of billions of dollars. Our chief climate correspondent on the ground on the east coast of
America. Plus Barack Obama hits the trail in Pennsylvania to try to shore up support amongst black men for Kamala Harris.
Well, we begin with the deadliest Israeli strikes on central Beirut in almost two decades. Lebanese authorities say at least 22 people were killed
and more than 100 injured in an attack on a densely populated part of the capital late on Thursday.
You are looking at new images of the aftermath of these strikes. The worst on the area since 2006, some near 20 years. This as Israel has still not
reached a decision on how it will retaliate after last week's missile strikes by Iran. Well, a source tells CNN that the gaps between the U.S.
and Israeli positions on what that strike or action might look like are narrowing.
And against this backdrop of escalating warfare, the president of Iran and Russia have met in the past few hours. That meeting in Turkmenistan, where
they said they share a, quote, "very close view of the world."
Well, we are covering all angles of what is a complex region and a very complex and developing story. We will speak to Fred Pleitgen in Tehran in a
few minutes, get the perspective from there. First, though, I do want to get straight to Ben Wedeman, who is in Beirut.
And Ben, what more are we learning about this strike on central Beirut last night and on the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, on the strikes last night, Becky, there were two strikes. One was on an eight-story
building. The missile hit the third floor. It looks very much like other targeted strikes we've seen. The other was a four-story residential
building in a very densely populated area. As a result of the Israeli strike that building completely collapsed, pancaked.
The rescue workers have been working since then to try to find either any survivors or any dead. Now these two strikes are significant because they
aren't in the southern suburbs behind me where we can still see some smoke rising. Those areas, where Hezbollah has a strong presence, have largely
been the focus of Israeli airstrikes. By my count in the last few weeks, we now have had four strikes in basically Beirut proper.
And this, in fact, the strike, one of the strikes last night, that four- story building that collapsed, is not far from where last week there was a strike on a building also very close to the CNN bureau that left nine
rescue workers dead. So definitely when these strikes happen outside the areas that are normally hit, there's a lot of worry because many of the
people who were in that building had gone there thinking that they were escaping more dangerous areas and were in a safe place.
As far as the UNIFIL, the United Nations Interim Force for Lebanon, in south Lebanon, what we've seen is that according to UNIFIL for the second
time in 48 hours, you know, UNIFIL positions have come under fire. Yesterday, the Italian defense minister summoned the Israeli ambassador to
protest this. Two Indonesian peacekeepers were injured yesterday. And today the French Foreign Ministry has summoned the Israeli ambassador in Paris to
say that this is a violation of international law, endangering United Nations peacekeepers.
This is all happening in the south of Lebanon. We've just come back from spending some time in the city of Tyre where we've seen that the city is
essentially paralyzed. It's largely deserted because of the bombing, because of Israeli evacuation warnings, and there's just a few stubborn
souls still hanging on.
[10:05:01]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN (voice-over): You have to walk carefully through the rubble, all that remains of three buildings in Tyre demolished by Israeli bombs.
Neighbors say the bombing killed at least five people including women and children.
The Arabic spokesman for the Israeli military will occasionally, over Twitter or X, put out evacuation orders for specific buildings in Beirut
before they're struck. Here in Tyre, there have been no warnings.
(Voice-over): For 35 years, Baha (PH) has run a small clothing shop next door. Now in shambles.
History is repeating itself, she says. A three-story building fell over our heads during the 1982 Israeli invasion.
This ancient city is just 12 miles or 19 kilometers, from the border with Israel. Most of the residents have fled north. Those who stayed behind live
under constant threat.
It was terrifying, the missile hit and it collapsed, says 70-year-old Miqdad (PH), describing another Israeli strike that destroyed multiple
homes in Tyre's old city.
For more than half a century, every generation has witnessed destruction and death.
We're used to it, says Miqdad's (PH) neighbor, Youssef (PH). We're used to wars. We've seen wars.
Going back to the days of the Phoenicians, Tyre has looked to the sea, now a forbidden zone. Israel has warned people to stay off the beaches and
fishermen not to take their boats out. So in Tyre's port, Abu Ibrahim (PH) sits and smokes his water pipe.
We go to sea so we can eat, he tells me. Now we can't. How can we eat? An old man, deprived of his sea.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN: And before we left Tyre we did hear outgoing rockets earlier in the morning. We saw smoke rising from the area where U.N. headquarters is
located near the border with Israel. And multiple times Israeli jets are breaking the sound barrier over the city that is Tyre, an ancient city, is
very much in the front lines in this war between Hezbollah and Israel -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Israel continues its assaults from the air and on the ground on Lebanon.
Let's stay on this. Ben, thank you. And new focus to Iran for a moment because of course we are still awaiting a response from Israel to what was
the recent huge ballistic missile attack from Iran on Israel.
Fred Pleitgen is standing by.
What are we learning at this point? There are two or three threads here, aren't they? Firstly, the presidents of Russia and Iran have met for the
first time. I know you've also been at Friday prayers there in Tehran. Let's tackle the first. What was the point of this meeting between the two
presidents in Turkmenistan today, is it clear?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Becky. Well, first of all, this was a meeting as part of a larger summit of the
countries of that region. However, of course, the main event, if you will, or the main focus internationally was that meeting between Vladimir Putin,
the president of Russia, and then the new president of Iran. Masoud Pezeshkian. The first time those two leaders have met face to face.
And for the Iranians and for the Russians certainly this meeting was extremely important. I think right now these two countries have over the
past couple of months really grown stronger as far as their bilateral relations have been concerned. If you take, for instance, the Russians,
they are really in bad need you could almost say of Iranian military technology. At least that's what the U.S. and Ukraine have been saying.
The Russians, of course, have been using those Shahed drones that Ukraine says have been brought to them by the Iranians and then also recently, and
this is something the U.S. has said, has been a big escalation in the Ukraine war, short-range ballistic missiles coming from Iran as well. The
Iranians continue to deny giving any sort of military technology to the Russians, but that certainly is something that the United States has been
saying has been happening.
At the same time of course right now the Iranians looking for diplomatic support in many ways and also other support, economic support as well, as
they face this standoff with Israel here in the greater Middle Eastern region. And that was quite interesting to hear Vladimir Putin say that
relations between Iran and Russia have grown a lot stronger and continue to move in that direction.
He kept praising the fact that Iran seems to be going closer to being a member of the BRICS group of countries. And then you had Masoud Pezeshkian,
who was saying that he believes that Russia should support -- the two countries should support each other on the international stage. So clearly
both the Iranians and the Russians have identified those bilateral relations as something that are extremely important.
[10:10:05]
Of course very much to the detriment of the United States as both countries are big adversaries of the United States in this region and in Europe as
well -- Becky.
ANDERSON: What was the atmosphere at Friday prayers today in Tehran?
PLEITGEN: Yes, you know what, the whole thing, everything that Ben was talking about, that big military escalation that's going on there in
Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel, obviously really the main focus. And of course that possible Israeli retaliation as well. And, you know, we went
inside the Friday prayers, there were death to America and death to Israel chants going on very frequently.
There was also a big poster of Hassan Nasrallah pretty much overlooking those Friday prayers and especially in the political part of the sermon a
lot of references were made to that possible Israeli retaliatory strike, but also warning the United States and Israel.
We spoke to some folks after the prayers and here's what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They will see a very harsh response from the IRGC, the army, and the people of Iran ensure that this will
happen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Israel has experienced this before. And if they repeat this experience, they will definitely be destroyed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They are brutally overseeing the bloodshed of innocent children which is taking place, and both America and
Israel have a share in this crime. They should overthrow the leadership of their countries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: As you can see there, not surprisingly some pretty tough talk there at the main Friday prayers here in Tehran as the Iranian leadership
has said that if the Israelis strike Iran that there will be a crushing response coming from Tehran in return -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Well, we know that the U.S. and Israel have closed the gap, narrowed the gap as it were on what those options might be. That a source
telling CNN here in the UAE.
Thank you.
A regional diplomat tells me that the country will not allow its airspace to be used for any attack against Iran and I'm told that the UAE is, quote,
"seriously concerned" as tensions in the region continued to sow. Now calling on the U.S. to step in to defuse tensions. The diplomatic adviser
to the president has said very specifically, quote, "We need a ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza as soon as possible. At this critical juncture, the UAE
believes a robust and effective American role is extremely necessary."
Amwar Gargash added that there was a need for de-escalation along all fronts including Israel and Iran. Of course, the UAE has such strong
economic ties with both countries.
The reality on the ground, of course, anything but de-escalation at this point. The United Nations sounding the alarm after its peacekeeping
positions in southern Lebanon were hit twice in 48 hours. Now the latest incident happening Friday morning with two peacekeepers injured in
explosions close to a U.N. observer tower that just hours after the U.N. peacekeeping chief said the safety of U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon was
increasingly in jeopardy.
The U.N. observation post was hit by Israeli tank fire on Thursday. That incident, which also injured two peacekeepers, sparked condemnation from
several countries.
Well, the UNIFIL spokesperson, and that is the U.N. peacekeeping force on the ground, the spokesperson, Andrea Tenenti, joining me now.
And so it's good to speak to you. I have to ask, what are the details of the incident today? What happened?
ANDREA TENENTI, SPOKESPERSON, UNITED NATIONS INTERIM FORCE IN LEBANON: The last 48 hours have been highly concerning because of the incidents, three
yesterday, three positions were hit by the IDF yesterday. Today one position inside our main headquarters in Naqoura was hit by -- and two
peacekeepers were injured, one more seriously.
In relation to the last incident of today, we are still very fine, the responsibilities. It's still not 100 percent clear, so we don't want to
start getting responsibilities to what happened today. Yesterday and the day before, there were three clearly IDF hits on our positions. Two injured
yesterday and to our bases also.
ANDERSON: Hit by what, sir?
TENENTI: Well, one was --
ANDERSON: Hit by what?
TENENTI: Yes. The one where two peacekeepers were injured yesterday was a tank, a Merkava tank, and the other bases there were also shelling but
drones and one camera was hit and also illumination of the base. And the drone was very close also to the bunkers where our peacekeepers were
sheltering.
[10:15:05]
Today, for the incident of today, we really need to verify before giving more information, but definitely it is very worrying because a few days ago
the IDF told us to move from positions close to the line and we have 29 positions along the line, but the decision was taken to stay.
ANDERSON: The IDF put out a statement after the incident yesterday claiming Hezbollah operates near these UNIFIL posts. Do they? And are you concerned
UNIFIL troops could be at risk from further attacks at this point?
TENENTI: Well, the attack inside our compounds, the main headquarters of UNIFIL, it's pretty clearly marked area position. It's the largest one. And
the tower is pretty far from anything else. Hitting also the cameras of a position. I don't know how much us to do with the other fighting force in
the area. And the same thing for illumination and having a drone going close to the bunkers where peacekeepers are.
So very difficult to understand why it happened. We are still asking for clarifications and we said that this development is not only serious, but
it's also a violation of international humanitarian law and Resolution 1701. So it's very serious also because, as I said, we were asked to move,
but we decided to stay because it's important to keep an international presence in the region.
ANDERSON: If this escalates, will you have to take the decision to move?
TENENTI: The decision will be taken not by the mission but by the Security Council. The Security Council asked us to be here. We were deployed because
of Resolution 1701 by the Security Council and the Security Council will need to decide. At the moment, we are staying. It's important not only to
be present, but it's also important to ensure humanitarian assistance to the population.
There are still thousands of people that they are stacking villages with the very little left so this is another relevant role that we are trying to
play together with U.N. agency, assisting U.N. agencies to reach certain areas that now they're very difficult to reach.
ANDERSON: Part of the UNIFIL statement said, and I quote, any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian
law and of these Security Council Resolution 1701 that you've just referred to.
Do you in reading that that seems to suggest, but I want to just confirm this with you, is -- do you see these as deliberate attacks on UNIFIL?
TENENTI: We also mentioned in our statement yesterday that was deliberate attack for sure the position where the cameras was it and then illumination
of the base was it. So we mentioned clearly that was a deliberate to attack against our peacekeepers.
Again, this is very serious, but what's important now is really to, not only to ensure the safety of our troops, but for the whole community to
find a solution to this conflict because what's happening right now is not only a conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, this conflict can really
expand and become a real regional conflict. And everybody has a responsibility at this moment to try to find solutions to prevent a
disaster or catastrophe to happen in the region injured.
ANDERSON: How many peacekeepers have been injured? And what is their state at this point? Where are they and how are they?
TENENTI: The last 48 hours we had four peacekeepers injured. Two yesterday, they were not seriously injured, and two today, one is seriously injured in
the hospital with shrapnel in the stomach, so it's more a serious situation. So four peacekeepers in the last 40, 48 hours, and definitely
this is a very high concern for the mission and for the international community.
ANDERSON: Yes. Sir, I have to say there will be people watching this show who see the term peacekeeper as an oxymoron at this place, given what we
have just been discussing, given that there have been discriminate attacks on the UNIFIL positions.
What is the point of UNIFIL being there at this point? There is no peacekeeping work going on, is there?
TENENTI: It's very challenging. Our monitoring capabilities are very limited, but I just want to put to the public the idea of what would be a
south of Lebanon right now without anyone, no international community at all, not 10,500 peacekeepers.
[10:20:06]
I understand the limitation that we have at the moment, but no one, no one reported to the Security Council as little as we can right now but we're
still reporting, and also assisting local communities. That's the most important part. The deconflicting activities that can bring assistance to
thousands of people in the south of Lebanon. I think it's still relevant. Difficult, challenging, but still relevant.
ANDERSON: We read out part of an IDF statement. I am seeing a number of statements being posted by members of the IDF from some of their press
departments.
What sort of contact do you have with the IDF at present? Very specific. Are you in direct contact with the IDF?
TENENTI: Yes. The communication channel is still open and that's what's important. That's the positive part. The head of mission and force
commander of UNIFIL, General Lazaro, is still in touch. The communication channel is always open and not only with the IDF, but also with the
Lebanese authorities and is still aimed at deescalating the situation. But as I said, the situation is very difficult right now. Challenging monitor
capability is very limited, but communication is still ongoing.
ANDERSON: Right. Just how concerned are you? I mean, I'm going to close with this. Given that there is a clear goal by the IDF to go after
Hezbollah assets wherever they are, and they have been warning residents across southern Lebanon to get out if they are close to Hezbollah assets or
infrastructure. We've been reporting it is almost impossible for civilians to know whether or not they are anywhere close to Hezbollah assets and
infrastructure.
You have said, we've read out the IDF statements suggesting that there were Hezbollah assets or infrastructure close to or in the area where the UNIFIL
units are. But how much confidence do you have that you -- that you are going to continue to be a target at this point? I guess my point is very
simple. The IDF have made Hezbollah targets, their target, and as far as they are concerned, it seems, your units are close to those targets. That
must be a significant risk to you.
TENENTI: It's definitely a concern. It's a concern and we decided in coordination with all the other troop contributing countries at the moment
to stay. And it's also the responsibility and the obligation of the parties to ensure the safety and security of our peacekeepers. We are still here
and we are still looking, hoping for a solution. The solution is there as we mentioned several times. The solution is the full implementation of
1701.
1701 is there, 1701 the main provision are still valid. What we do not have is the commitment of the parties and the implementation is not up to the
mission. It's up to the two countries. But definitely the concerns are there, but it's important again the international presence is there to
deconflict the situation, and again to provide the much needed assistance, which is also an important role and part of our role in the south of
Lebanon.
ANDERSON: Yes. Understood. Understood. Thank you for your time. You and I have spoken a number of times recently under very trying circumstances for
you and it's important that we get your perspective. Thank you.
TENENTI: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Well, in other key developments, U.N. investigators are accusing Israel of war crimes over attacks on Gaza's health care system. In a new
report a U.N. panel says Israel has had a concerted policy of destroying hospitals and targeting medical workers.
Now this report claims Israeli security forces have deliberately killed, detained, and tortured medics in Gaza. The U.N. experts also investigated
the killing of a 5-year-old Palestinian Hind Rajab who was killed along with her family after their car came under Israeli fire while trying to
flee northern Gaza.
CNN has asked for comment from the IDF, the Israeli prime minister's office, and the Israeli foreign minister. We have yet to get a response.
Well, the U.N. also says no food has entered northern Gaza since October 1st, putting a million people at risk of starving. The World Food Programme
says Israeli military action has forced it to stop distributing food parcels.
[10:25:04]
And it's not that food is unavailable. In fact, 100,000 tons of food aid is positioned at various corridors such as in Ashdod in Egypt, or in Jordan.
That is enough to feed over a million people for five months. But most of it is prevented from going in due to the closure of crossing points and
disruption to transport routes. Instead, the people of northern Gaza are facing starvation.
We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're with CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson.
Rescues, recovery and repairs all happening in earnest right now in Florida after the second major hurricane to slam into the U.S. in two weeks. The
death toll from Hurricane Milton has now risen to 16 people with millions of people with no electricity. Crews trying to restore power, water, and
remove the debris. Meantime, the flooding hasn't stopped nearly two days after the storm hit. There are more rescues underway in the Tampa area.
Well, the devastation from Hurricane Milton likely caused between $30 billion and $50 billion worth of insured losses, and that doesn't include
uninsured losses of course. The estimate comes from Fitch Ratings, one of the biggest credit rating agencies in the U.S. And new analysis found
climate change made Milton's wind speeds 10 percent stronger and increased rainfall by up to 30 percent.
CNN's Bill Weir has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As earth overheats, these are the kinds of storms that take lives and livelihoods.
But as families reel in private grief, it's the material loss that is so obvious everywhere in Pinellas County. From the tower construction crane
that crashed down on neighboring buildings, to Tropicana Field peeled like an orange by Milton's winds.
The Tampa Bay Rays already have plans in the works to build a new stadium with taxpayers kicking in hundreds of millions of dollars. But what happens
now is anyone's guess, especially after the loss of entire neighborhoods, retirees and working-class American dreamers.
SANDY DAUGHTRY, FLORIDA NATIVE, PINELLAS COUNTY RESIDENT: I'm just really concerned for all these people. It's just devastating. It's like World War
III or something, you know?
WEIR: Sandy Daughtry hid in a closet during landfall and the day after rides her bike through the mingled wreckage of back to back hurricanes,
praying for neighbors she knows now have nothing.
Long after all of these pieces of people's lives have been picked up, what will remain in Florida is a massive insurance crisis. In just the last
couple years, dozens of different carriers have gone insolvent or stopped accepting new customers or been placed on state watch lists.
[10:30:00]
So as a result, flood insurance for a home like this can be over $20,000 a year, way more than the mortgage. So most of these families had no coverage
at all. And so many folks are uninsured, right?
DAUGHTRY: Yes, yes. I know. That's why I just like it breaks my heart. I'm riding through here just like my heart is just shattered. I just can't even
-- it's just unbelievable, really.
WEIR: What do you think becomes of communities like this?
DAUGHTRY: I don't know. I really don't. I'm hearing a lot of people saying they're going to leave the state and head back up north, but I don't -- I
don't know if that'll happen, you know, maybe a mass exodus or something.
WEIR: Do you connect all of this to a changing climate, a warmer planet?
DAUGHTRY: You know, I don't -- I'm not sure. I couldn't answer -- I can't really answer that.
WEIR: Really?
DAUGHTRY: I just -- maybe it's just 100-year cycle or, you know, some kind of a cycle that we go through.
WEIR: Even though all the scientists are telling you this is what climate change looks like?
DAUGHTRY: Well, yes. Well, that's the point. I'm not sure all the scientists are agreeing with that.
WEIR: They are. I can tell you they are.
DAUGHTRY: So that's why I'm kind of like, I don't know.
WEIR: I'm here to tell you they are.
DAUGHTRY: Yes. Oh, OK.
WEIR: Ninety-nine percent of them absolutely agree. You can ask anybody at NASA.
DAUGHTRY: Well, I can definitely tell you our beaches are eroding in my lifetime. All the beaches. They have -- I've seen the water come up a lot
higher than it ever was before.
WEIR: Yes.
DAUGHTRY:. So --
WEIR: Thank you so much.
DAUGHTRY: Thank guys for talking and --
WEIR: Yes, thank you for talking with us.
DAUGHTRY: Taking an interest.
WEIR: Really. You're a great neighbor. If there's a heaven, you're getting in.
DAUGHTRY: Amen. Amen. And that's, honestly, that's what I do. I ride around and just pray for people and just pray, you know. I just -- it's just --
WEIR: You're a first prayer responder. That's very --
DAUGHTRY: Yes. Amen.
WEIR: That's very sweet. All right. Good luck to you.
DAUGHTRY: Thank you.
WEIR: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Our chief climate correspondent there, Bill Weir, on the ground.
Well, with Kamala Harris and Donald Trump neck and neck in the polls, and by that, I really mean neck and neck, I mean there is hardly any daylight
between them, the Harris campaign leaning on Barack Obama for a campaign boost. More on that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. Just after half past 6:00 in Abu Dhabi here in the UAE. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, and
wherever you are watching you are more than welcome.
On the campaign trail Thursday, Donald Trump claimed that the U.S. would end up, quote, "like Detroit," if Kamala Harris is elected U.S. president.
He also compared the city with a history of economic challenges to a developing nation. It's his latest jab at an urban center in a swing state
that he hopes to win next month.
[10:35:06]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The whole country is going to be like, you want to know the truth? It'll be like Detroit. Our whole country
will end up being like Detroit if she's your president. You're going to have a mess on your hand.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, Trump also said he wants the, quote, "triumph" of the American auto industry to be among his greatest legacies and promised
Detroit would enjoy a rebirth if he was elected president.
Well, meantime, former president Barack Obama was on the campaign trail on Thursday, stumping for Harris and casting Trump as the mascot for a
dangerous and increasingly nasty version of the United States. And Obama said he could not understand why some Americans support Trump when he lies
or cheats or shows utter disregard for the U.S. Constitution. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I get it why people are looking to shake things up. I mean, I am hope we change you guy. So I understand
people feeling frustrated and feeling we can do better. What I cannot understand is why anybody would think that Donald Trump will shake things
up in a way that is good for you, Pennsylvania. I don't understand that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Priscilla Alvarez joins us now from Washington.
It was quite the performance by Obama and we all remember just how good he is on the stump. What else did he focus on during what is his first leg of
this battle ground state? And let's be quite clear about this. It is a battleground sprint at this point.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, his attacks on former president Donald Trump were quite pointed. The whole ark of the message was that the
choice is clear between former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, and that Harris is ready to do the job.
This was a former president who was trying to draw that stark contrast not only on policy, but also on character. On policy, for example, he slammed
Trump for taking credit for the economy, saying that it was Obama's economy, not that of the former president that he has been touting on the
trail, also talking about a range of other issues.
But what he kept coming back to and also went to a campaign office to talk about is men, especially appealing to male voters and to black men because
there has been waning enthusiasm among this bloc of voters for the vice president and before her, President Joe Biden. In fact, the vice president
has been working on trying to shore up that support for months now, but it continues to be a weak spot for Democrats.
And this is what the foreign president had to say about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren't feeling the idea of having a woman as president. And you're coming up with other
alternatives and other reasons for that. So now you're thinking about sitting out or even supporting somebody who has a history of denigrating
you? Because you think that's a sign of strength?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALVAREZ: So a bit of a sobering message there from the former president, and he was essentially suggesting that what was contributing to black men
not voting for Kamala Harris was because of sexism. So that is the type of message that we anticipate seeing on the trail as he hits these
battlegrounds.
Of course, the Harris campaign, happy to take whatever help they can get, especially from a surrogate like Obama, the most popular figure in the
Democratic Party. And it is indicative Becky, of where the strategy is heading now, which is that they are focused on voter turnout. That is going
to be key as some votes have already started or some states have already started early voting.
So we'll see more of Obama on the trail. We are also learning that First Lady Jill Biden will be hitting the trail as well for the vice presidents.
So an all-out effort to lock in parts of and all of the Democratic coalition for the vice president.
ANDERSON: Thank you.
Well. a U.S. federal judge is holding a hearing today in two Boeing 737 MAX plane crashes. The families of the victims subject to Boeing's agreement
with the Department of Justice to plead guilty for conspiring to defraud regulators. That's the term. They are urging the judge to reject the deal.
[10:40:02]
The DOJ says the plea agreement is fair and just. 346 people died in the 737 MAX plane crashes that occurred both in 2018 and in 2019.
CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich is in New York with more details.
What are we expecting, Vanessa, at this point?
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: It is no doubt going to be an emotional day for many of the families of these victims who
are essentially going to be raising the question whether or not this plea deal is in fact fair and just. And this is underway right now, you have a
judge in Texas who's listening to arguments from Boeing, who made this deal with the DOJ, essentially pleading guilty to being a convicted felon,
essentially saying that they defrauded the FAA in terms of disclosing critical software upgrades to the 737 MAX planes that ultimately caused
these two fatal crashes.
And then on the other side you have the family saying, well, wait a minute, even though you're paying $487 million and spending $455 million on
improving safety and compliance, you're not really taking accountability for what happened. The families are asking for $25 billion. They're also
asking for executives to be personally held accountable for the death of their loved ones.
Now, ultimately the judge today could listen to these oral arguments and then sort of take some time to figure out whether this deal is fair and
just or tell the two parties to go back and try to work something out that would the more fair and just or the judge today could simply say yes, this
deal is good and the families would have to accept it ultimately.
Now, this really stems from the company Boeing defrauding the FAA. There was no charges brought initially. It was essentially Boeing accepting that
they were in the wrong here and they offered to make this plea deal with the DOJ. And as you said, the DOJ is standing by this deal.
ANDERSON: Right.
YURKEVICH: Now since these two crashes, Becky, the company, though, has lost $33 billion. As we know, there's a Boeing strike happening right now.
Some estimates put this at $1 billion in losses a month. So Boeing in some ways is -- really this deal that they made is more, quote-unquote,
"affordable" to the ultimately $25 billion that the families are asking for -- Becky.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Vanessa. Thank you for your reporting.
Well, still to come, the Nobel Peace Prize awarded today to a group working to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. And they have been doing that
work for years. Hear from the chair of the Nobel Committee about why they made their choice. That is ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:45:05]
ANDERSON: Birds of prey including hawks, falcons, and vultures help maintain a healthy ecosystem by keeping other animal populations in check.
Well, today on "Call to Earth," we see how conservationists brought the fastest bird on the planet back from the brink of extinction and the risks
they take to keep tabs on them. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Bluff Country, an area in the Midwest U.S. along the Mississippi River known for its steep
cliffs and rugged landscape. Part of the Mississippi Flyway, one of the largest North American bird migration routes, it's also where one
particular Keystone species had almost vanished.
JOHN HOWE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, RAPTOR RESOURCE PROJECT: Monitoring raptors and specifically here, peregrine falcons, is very important right now.
We've basically succeeded in bringing back a population of raptors that was nearly gone from the continental United States.
There are other threats that are coming out right now. We've got climate change that's creeping up. Monitoring I think is key in making sure that
this population that we successfully brought back is it doing well?
CHATTERLEY: The widespread use of the pesticide DDT during the mid-20th century was one of the biggest culprits in the decline of the apex
predator's population.
HOWE: DDT and its metabolite DDE led to the thinning of the egg shells and crushing of eggs before they could even hatch.
CHATTERLEY: In 1970, the peregrine falcon was one of the first to be listed as endangered on the Endangered Species Conservation Act. And two years
later, DDT was banned.
In the 1980s conservationist Bob Anderson established the Raptor Resource Project and began to reintroduce the peregrine falcon to the Midwest.
HOWE: There was a breeding project where they released 18 falcons down at Effigy Mounds National Monument. It was from a rock-lined hack box so it
was used to simulate the Bluffs that they wanted the falcons to come back and find. So they did that 1998 and 1999.
CHATTERLEY: The project was deemed a success and today the group is back to check on them.
HOWE: We're ready.
CHATTERLEY: And hopefully place ID bands on the young falcons which can be a precarious task.
AMY RIES, STAFF, RAPTOR RESOURCE PROJECT: So we're going down to find a young, get them, put them in a kennel and haul them up top to band them up
a little bit more safely than we'd be able to do on the cliff.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
RIES: Yes. Pull the kennel.
DAVID KESTER, FIELD RESEARCHER, RAPTOR RESOURCE PROJECT: We put the bird banding land, federal marker band on it, which is like the Social Security
number for each, each birth individually. And then we also put an auxiliary marker on it. It's just a way of knowing who's where, as this population
has been growing.
CHATTERLEY: Once banded, the babies are then returned back to their nest.
While the peregrine falcon was removed from the federal endangered species list in 1999, continuing to monitor them helps to keep a pulse on the
surrounding ecosystem.
KESTER: They're like the canary in the mine, OK, where, you know, how things are going with the top of the food chain is telling you how
everything is going, you know, all the way through the system.
HOWE: It's one of the most amazing and successful recoveries of species and population right here in the U.S. So we've made a lot of progress there by
helping people understand that we need to be careful and we need to be thoughtful. That's a very important story.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And let us know what you are doing to answer the call with the hashtag, "Call to Earth." I'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:51:11]
ANDERSON: Well, startling new warning about the global economy from one of the business world's best known figures. Jamie Dimon is the CEO of the
banking giant JPMorgan Chase is singling out the impact of the conflict in Ukraine, as well as Israel's war on Hamas and Hezbollah saying that the
world is in a dangerous place geopolitically.
In a press release, Dimon says, and I quote, "Recent events show that conditions are treacherous and getting worse. There is significant human
suffering and the outcome of these situations could have far-reaching effects on both short-term economic outcomes and more importantly on the
course of history."
Well, the horrors of war inspiring this year's Nobel Peace Prize which was awarded earlier today. A group made up of atomic bomb survivors from
Hiroshima and Nagasaki received the honor for their efforts to help rid the world of nuclear weapons. Over decades Japanese grassroots organization
known as Nihon Hidankyo has collected thousands of witness accounts and sends annual delegations to the U.N. and other peace conferences, pressing
for nuclear disarmament.
Watch the co-chair of the group react as the winner was announced.
(VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well earlier, I spoke to the chair of the Nobel Committee about their selection. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERGEN WATNE FRYDNES, CHAIR, THE NORWEGIAN NOBEL COMMITTEE: The nuclear threat is on the rise. There are new nuclear threats being made regularly
to use nuclear weapons. That is a challenge for what we call the nuclear taboo. This strong international norm stigmatizing nuclear weapons as
morally unacceptable. But if this norm is under pressure and has been broken, that would be devastating for mankind.
So in this particular year, we find it appropriate and important to highlight the important role of the Hibakusha, the survivors of the atomic
attacks in 1945 because they have, through seven decades, but not least to this day, highlighted their testimonies, highlighted their pain and
suffering, and by doing so creating and maintaining this nuclear taboo.
ANDERSON: And the co-chair of the organization that won the award this year broke down in tears at a press conference after the award was announced. He
compared the situation in Gaza to what Japan faced at the end of World War II, saying this, and I just want our viewers to hear this quote. "In Gaza,
bleeding children are being held by their parents. It's like in Japan 18 years ago."
I wonder to your mind, to the mind of the jury, how the testimony of these survivors can and should be relevant today, and what sort of power you
believe the Peace Prize can or should wield in 2024?
FRYDNES: Well, it is the testimonies, which is the important aspect of their work in creating and maintaining the international, global norm
against the use of nuclear weapons particularly because they create the human face of why these weapons should not be tolerated, why these weapons
or morally unacceptable.
[10:55:21]
And that is important for all of humankind. It's of course important in the specific regions of the world where nuclear threats are being made. But
nuclear war in 2024 could result to millions of people losing their lives. It could mean catastrophic consequences for our climate. So this is also a
price that addresses how nuclear weapons will affect all of mankind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD today at least. It's Friday here so we wish you a very good weekend. Back next week. Stay with CNN,
though. NEWSROOM is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
