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Connect the World
CNN International: Israeli Strikes Force Closure of Lebanon-Syria Crossings; Obama Appears with Harris for First Time in Campaign; Putin: Russia is "In Contact" with North Korea; Los Angeles CO District Attorney to Recommend Resentencing; SpaceX Crew-8 Splashes Down Off Florida. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired October 25, 2024 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: This is the scene in Lebanon's capital, Beirut. As we're hearing that Israeli air strikes have forced
Lebanon to close its eastern border crossings with Syria. It is 04:00 p.m. in Beirut, and it is 05:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Eleni Giokos. This
is "Connect the World".
And also happening over the next two hours, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapping up meetings with leaders from Lebanon, Jordan and the UAE
ahead of fresh cease fire talks this weekend. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump both head to Texas to try and win over undecideds in the famously --
state.
And Ukraine says North Korean troops are on the ground in Russia near the front lines of war, but leaked intercepts show not all Russian soldiers are
happy about it. All right. Welcome to the show. Let's check in to see how the U.S. futures are faring around 30 minutes to go until the start of
market trade.
As you can see, all nicely in the green, S&P 500, four tenths of percent higher, as well as the DOW Jones, three tenths of a percent higher. What's
driving markets over the past few days is, of course, corporate earnings having a significant impact this week. In fact, we've seen a lot of
volatility coming through as market participants are absorbing some of the profits coming through from these companies.
Well as cease fire efforts appear to be revving up again in the Middle East. We begin with a stark reminder of what is at stake. At least 26
Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes targeting homes and tent camps in Khan Younis in Gaza. Meantime, health officials say Israeli troops fired
on and entered a hospital in Northern Gaza, separating men and women.
CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comment. Now in Lebanon, Israeli strikes on Hezbollah have forced the closure of eastern border
crossings with Syria, as well as about 1/3 of Lebanon's health facilities. Overnight, an Israeli strike on a guest house reportedly killed three
journalists.
Israel's military says it is looking into it. In London, meantime, U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken has been holding security talks with
officials from Lebanon, Jordan and the UAE. The meetings come ahead of cease fire negotiations scheduled for Sunday. A lot going on in the region.
We've got CNN Paula Hancocks joining us in studio today. It's been quite a week, and I just want to talk about what happened overnight, because these
are significant issues we've seen in Northern Gaza, specifically at that hospital. What do we understand is happening on the ground right now?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, Eleni, this is the Kamal Adwan Hospital. It's in the Jabalia refugee camp. It's right in the heart of
where Israel says it's operating at the moment, because they believe that Hamas is rebuilding, regrouping in that area.
So, it's an operation that's been going for almost three weeks. But now we understand from the director of the hospital and the Ministry of Health
that the Israeli military has entered twice into the compound. They have fired upon the complex, according to the director, and there have been
fires in some of the buildings.
And he also said that there were some very sick patients who he was worried were going to die because they weren't able to give them the health care
that they need. He showed a video of him in the ICU, and you have patients and the medical staff huddling in the corner as this is going on now.
Now from Israel's side, they say that they have information that Hamas is in this area. They say that just the night before, they had actually
facilitated the WHO, the World Health Organization bringing fuel to the hospital. They had evacuated some of the sicker patients with their escorts
and children.
And they say that they have eliminated, in their words, hundreds of militants in this area. So, it's a very difficult situation for those
civilians who are left in this area, in particular that hospital.
GIOKOS: Yeah, absolutely. And just the stories that we've been hearing this week about the harrowing experiences of civilians in Northern Gaza, that
story continues. In the meantime, another front is playing out, and has been doing so for quite some time. Now Lebanon has closed its border
crossings with Syria on the eastern part. Give me a sense of what happened and transpired that they had to close up.
HANCOCKS: So, this was because of Israeli air strikes, very close to one of those crossings. We understand it was on the Syrian side, just hundreds of
meters away from the crossings itself. There were two crossings, Al-Qaa (ph) and Masnaa.
[09:05:00]
The U.N. says that over recent weeks, some 425,000 people have fled Lebanon into Syria. The majority of them are Syrian as well. They had fled the
other way previously, when things were difficult in Syria, but it is really a lifeline for some people who are trying to get away from the violence in
Lebanon.
The U.N. says it's simply not acceptable to close this lifeline off. What Israel says is that Hezbollah was using that civilian crossing in order to
transfer weapons into Lebanon itself, which is why they have targeted the area. It's not the first time this has happened.
We have seen before where the roads themselves have been closed off because of an air strike and people carrying as much as they could have basically
had to walk across the border into Syria, not knowing where they would go after that.
GIOKOS: All right. Paula Hancocks, thank you so much for that update. Good to see you. Well, as we mentioned, the top American Diplomat, Antony
Blinken, has wrapped up his London meetings with the Middle East leaders and is about to return to Washington. CNN's Kylie Atwood is at the U.S.
State Department.
Kylie, great to see you. We just heard from Paula Hancocks describing what seems to be ongoing escalation in what we've seen in Gaza as well as in
Lebanon. But importantly, Antony Blinken is trying to find a way to look at diplomatic solutions in the Middle East, with leaders here.
And then, importantly, wrapping up meetings with the Lebanese Caretaker Prime Minister in London. Give me a sense of whether these meetings are
yielding any progress or yielding anything at this juncture.
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a really good question. And the Secretary of State, his 11th trip to the Middle East
since this war began last October. And he really set out to try and bring to life what the United States says is this moment of opportunity,
following the death of Hamas Leader, Yahya Sinwar, to actually drive an end to the conflict in Gaza.
Initially, there were a few signs that he was making any progress on that front. Yesterday, after his meetings in Doha, he was able to say that there
would be a meeting of the negotiators over the coming weekend. CIA Director Bill Burns is going to be attending that, the top Israeli intelligence
official will also be attending that.
But significantly, we don't know that Hamas will be at the table. And the Secretary said that in the coming days, it will become clear if Hamas is
ready and able to partake in those negotiations or not. The question of how effective conversations can be without Hamas at the table is an open one.
And frankly, people are concerned that talks can't really go anywhere until you have Hamas at the table, until there is someone who is picked actually
to take over the -- from Yahya Sinwar and become the leader and also the decision maker within Hamas.
Now you have these conversations that happened today with the Secretary, as you said, with the Lebanese Caretaker Prime Minister, also with his
counterparts from the UAE, his counterparts from Jordan. The Secretary used the word urgent multiple times ahead of his trip, with his visit, excuse
me, with his Jordanian counterpart saying that this is a moment to take urgent action to try and drive forth an end to the conflict in Gaza.
He said they also discussed plans for post war situation in Gaza, what that could look like. So, these are conversations that the U.S. has been having
for months now, almost a year now, really. So, the question is, how exactly they dig into the details to make them an actual reality, particularly
given the backdrop here.
We've talked to U.S. officials who recognize that due to the U.S. presidential elections less than two weeks away, Israelis are very unlikely
to agree to any path forward for Gaza until those elections take place, until they see who they're going to be dealing with on the U.S. side as a
result of whomever wins those elections.
GIOKOS: Yeah, that's an important point, because it could be, you know, policy uncertainty, depending on what happens in 11 days' time with the
U.S. elections. Kylie Atwood, always good to see you. Thank you so much. Well, turning back to the realities on the ground in Gaza, there are
troubling allegations that Israel is forcing Palestinians to act as human shields to avoid putting its troops in harm's way. CNN's Jeremy Diamond has
a report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They walked through the rubble at gunpoint into potentially booby-trapped buildings and
down darken tunnels. Some were teenagers, like 17-year-old Mohammed (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was handcuffed and wearing nothing but my boxers.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Others, like Abu Alia Seen (ph) were grandparents.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They placed me in areas where I could be exposed to gunfire.
[09:10:00]
DIAMOND (voice-over): These five Palestinians, all civilians say the Israeli military detained them and used them as human shields in Gaza.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were forced to enter homes. Each time, our lives were at risk. We feared death. We were afraid something might happen. They would
ask us to do things like, 'move this carpet,' saying they were looking for tunnels.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Now, for the first time on camera, an Israeli soldier is coming forward with his own account, describing how his infantry unit
used two Palestinians as human shields.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We told them to enter the building before us. If there are any booby traps, they will explode and not us.
DIAMOND (voice-over): We've blurred his face and changed his voice because he risks reprisals for speaking out, breaking the silence, a watch dog
group which verifies soldier's testimonials, provided photographs and facilitated the interview. The soldier says, a 16-year-old boy and 20-year-
old man were brought to his unit this spring.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Their hands were tied behind their back and they had a cloth over their eyes.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The instructions from the intelligence officer who delivered them were clear.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He told me to take them in the next attack, used them as a human shield. He told me that they have a connection to Hamas.
DIAMOND (voice-over): For two days his unit followed those orders. This haunting photo captures the scene the silhouette of a Palestinian man
flanked by two soldiers ordering him forward.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we went to the attack, before they enter a building, we took the cloth up so they could see. In my company, one of the
soldiers knew Arabic. We just shouted in Arabic, open the door, walk to this building or the other.
DIAMOND: You're using them because you think this building might be booby traps.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, my soldiers didn't like that at all, and they refused to do this anymore.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The soldiers decided to take their concerns to their senior commander, telling him they believe they were violating
international law.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The commander told this fellow, a simple soldier, doesn't need to think about international law.
DIAMOND: He didn't say, you guys shouldn't be doing this? This shouldn't be happening?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said that we need to do this. He said that our lives are more important.
DIAMOND: So, he didn't just tell you, don't worry about it. He said, keep doing it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Eventually, the commander relented, telling his soldiers they could release the two Palestinians.
DIAMOND: Suddenly you're allowed to release?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. It made it sure to us that they are not terrorists.
DIAMOND (voice-over): In a statement, the Israeli military said the IDF's directives and guidelines strictly prohibit the use of detained Gaza
civilians for military operations. The relevant protocols and instructions are routinely clarified to soldiers in the field during the conflict.
But the Israeli military's use of human shields in Gaza appears to have been widespread, so common, it even had a name mosquito protocol. Both
Israeli and international law, banned the use of civilians in combat. Israel also accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields. There is
ample evidence for it. Tunnels dug beneath homes and rockets fired from residential neighborhoods.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For me, it's more painful with my own army. Hamas is a terrorist organization. The IDF shouldn't use terrorist organization
practices.
DIAMOND: And so, when you hear, you know, spokes people for the Israeli military, Israeli government officials saying, you know, the Israeli
military is the most moral army in the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's -- Of course, I don't believe that.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Dr. Yahya Al-Kayali, who worked at Al Shifa Hospital, knows that all too well. Months after, he says, Israeli soldiers forced him
to risk his life. He cannot shake this terrifying experience.
DR. YAHYA AL-KAYALI, AL-SHIFA HOSPITAL: Soldier asked me to come. He was talking to me, to English, told me, I will kill you if you didn't enter
there. I was thinking that I will be killed or die within minutes.
DIAMOND (voice-over): His brush with death and the day he feared he would never again see his family. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Right, with just 11 days to go until Election Day and millions of Americans having already cast their votes, both major presidential
candidates will be campaigning in Texas today, but with very different messages. Democratic nominee Kamala Harris will be focusing on abortion
rights.
Mega star Beyonce will be joining her at the event on Thursday, Harris turned to even more star power in Georgia. All right. Well, Bruce
Springsteen, along with Samuel L. Jackson, Tyler Perry and Spike Lee, all heading for Harris in the battle ground state. Also appearing together with
Harris for the first time, Barack Obama.
All right, so during her remarks to protesters, to supporters, rather pardon me, Harris said Donald Trump is consumed by revenge while she's
focused on a to do list for Americans.
[09:15:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's either Donald Trump in there stewing over his enemies list, or me working
for you, checking off my to do list.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: All right. CNN's Eva McKend is following Harris's campaign for us. Eva, great to see you. I mean, what a lineup star power for the VP. And I
guess the big question is here whether we know that it's galvanizing her base, but whether it's assisting in shifting the people that are still
undecided.
EVA MCKEND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, that is certainly the hope of the campaign. And this is not new for Democrats. For
several decades, they have leveraged the power of celebrity in order to get people engaged. I think sometimes it is easy to forget, especially if you
are so wrapped up in politics and paying attention to all of the twists and turns that many Americans are not.
They don't know about these candidates and their different policies, what have you. And so, their favorite celebrity drawing attention to the
candidate, elevating them, endorsing them, it brings a new set of eyeballs, and that is what the campaign is banking on, because at this point it is a
get out the vote effort. It is about which side turns out the most voters.
GIOKOS: Yeah, it's a really good point. It is going to be come to --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Still refuses to even acknowledge the pain and the suffering he has caused. He insists that, quote, everybody wanted for Roe versus Wade to be
overturned, which is just a further example of how out of touch the man is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKEND: And you heard there the vice president talking about reproductive rights abortion. That is really central to her closing argument here.
That's why she's going to Texas. It's not a battleground state. It's not viewed as competitive, but the vice president's team calling it the
epicenter of abortion bans.
And she is going to lean on women to elevate their own personal stories. The campaign views abortion rights as not a partisan issue. They think that
they can appeal to moderate voters, independent voters as well, worried about the erosion of basic freedoms in this country and using abortion as
illustrative of that. And so that is what lies ahead for the vice president, Eleni.
GIOKOS: All right. Eva McKend, great to see you. Thank you so much for that update. Well, as for Donald Trump, he is using his final days of the
election to amplify his immigration threats before a cheering crowd in Tempe, Arizona, Thursday. He put millions of immigrants on notice. Take a
listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will launch the largest deportation program in American history -- I will
rescue every town across America that's been invaded and conquered. These towns have been conquered, and we will put these vicious and blood thirsty
criminals in jail, or we'll kick them the hell out of our country as fast as we can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Trump also revealing something else he intends to do immediately, if re-elected.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUGH HEWITT: You're either going to have to pardon yourself, or you're going to have to fire Jack Smith. Which one will you do?
TRUMP: It's so easy. I would fire him within two seconds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Right. Trump is set to talk immigration again today in an event with Senator Ted Cruz, before moving on to a rally in the swing state of
Michigan. CNN's Kristen Holmes joins us now. Kristen, in the final days of the race, Trump seems to really be using fear to motivate his base. Tell me
whether that is working.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it seems to be, if you're looking at any of the polls, that it certainly could be working. The
polls have all shown that the race is essentially neck and neck, and none of the people who have been supporting Donald Trump appear to be going
anywhere, particularly as his rhetoric gets darker and darker.
Now, Donald Trump himself believes that this kind of rhetoric is what helped him get to the White House in 2016. And he certainly believes that
it could help him get to the White House again in 2024. But all of what he is saying about immigration, none of it is new. He has been calling for
mass deportations.
He has been talking about how he would handle immigration for the last year. The only difference is every day now it seems to get a little bit
darker, a little bit more fear based. Now, generally speaking, his team believes that there is a lot of fear in the country right now.
A lot of fear about immigration, a lot of fear about the economy and what's next, a lot of fear about crime, Donald Trump is tapping into that. Now,
whether or not we believe that it is divisive or polarizing or harmful language, which sometimes it can be.
[09:20:00]
It should remain clear that people don't seem to be shying away from him, despite the fact that he is using that language. Now, this event in Texas
was not originally on his schedule. He's going down there just to tape a podcast with Joe Rogan, who is one of the most popular podcasters in the
entire country, if not the entire world.
He has millions and millions and millions of followers. They tacked on this event because of the fact that he is going to be in a border state, and of
course, he wants to speak on immigration. One thing to note, as we talk about the economy, as we talk about crime, as we talk about other issues
that matter to voters, Donald Trump himself believes that his closing argument is deeply rooted in immigration.
Again, one thing that helped him win before hoping that if he doubles down on that messaging, it will help him win again.
GIOKOS: All right. Kristen Holmes, thanks so much. Well, what we do is our business. Vladimir Putin, response to reports that North Korean troops
could be closer than ever to fighting for Russia in Ukraine. The details coming up after this break. Also ahead, Elon Musk's super political action
committee resumes its daily sweepstakes. Why these payments to registered voters might violate U.S. law.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Welcome back. Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow is, quote, in contact with North Korea, in response to a question about Russia
getting military assistance from Pyongyang. But Mr. Putin would not confirm or deny the presence of North Korean troops inside Russia and whether they
would fight in Ukraine.
The U.S. says thousands of North Korean soldiers arrived in Russia recently, and Ukrainian intelligence says some North Koreans were spotted
in Russia's Kursk Region, seen here in orange, close to the front lines. Meanwhile, Russian soldiers have been heard raising concerns about the
North Korean troops in leaked audio recently obtained by Ukrainian intelligence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's standing there talking to this mother--r about the "K Battalion." He was just talking about the "K Battalion." I asked, "Who
gets the weapons, the ammo for them? We did get f -- rations. And from what I hear, the f -- brigade gets it." And he's like, "why the f -- brigade?
You receive everything."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: All right. CNN's Marc Stewart joins us live to give us the reaction from both the Kremlin as well as Beijing. Lots happening around Russia this
entire week, Marc, we had the BRICS summit, which has wrapped up. Importantly, many leaders are going for this summit, a show of force,
frankly.
Then in Russia, we've been hearing this audio reaction from Russian soldiers, with regards to the North Korean soldiers there. There's a lot at
stake at this point in time. How has this been viewed?
[09:25:00]
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Eleni, I should tell you that as we come on the air, we are just now getting reaction from the North Korean
government to these allegations, these claims that North Korean troops are in Russia, preparing to go to Ukraine. We are getting a statement from its
foreign ministry.
It was released through state media North Korea, it is not confirming or denying their presence, but said, if that was the case, it would be in
accord, it would be following the international law. So North Korea is now weighing in on this, a very non-committal statement.
And this is all happening, as you mentioned, as world leaders gathered in Russia, including China, including Russia, as well as Iran and many others,
at a time when the world, or at least some nations are trying to create or portray this idea of a new world order, other than one led by the United
States and its allies, a counter measure almost.
We are now hearing from Vladimir Putin, his response also very non- committal about this North Korean presence, using very vague language, very murky, and basically telling everyone to stay out of Russia's business.
Let's listen to his remarks. They came Thursday morning from Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA: As for our relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as you know, our strategic
partnership treaty was ratified only today. There is article four, and Russia never doubted that the DPRK is serious about Russian cooperation.
But what we will do and how we will do it is our business.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: It is our business. A very stark statement from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Another player that's weighing in all of this is China
during government briefings here in Beijing in the last two days, questions were raised about this to China. CNN does not have information on that, but
China is important because Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un they do have a relationship.
China does help North Korea from an economic standpoint, from a diplomatic standpoint. So, the Chinese perspective is also important in all of this.
And there is concern, Eleni, around the world, that all of these individual alliances between all these individual nations could create bigger problems
and create instability.
GIOKOS: All right. Marc Stewart, thank you so much. And still to come, why the Menendez brothers may soon be released from jail nearly 30 years after
they were sentenced to life for killing their parents. We'll be back after this. Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:30:00]
GIOKOS: Right. That is the sound of the opening bell in New York markets officially kick starting this Friday. It has been a negative week all round
around three days of consecutive losses. And of course, the DOW Jones futures were pointing to a positive start. In fact, all indices were
pointing to a positive start.
One thing that's of course driving the market this week, that we've been seeing so many earnings, coming through, specifically Tesla, which came out
with better than expected, results and started boosting the S&P 500. But overall, we've been seeing negative bias this week. But today, it's a very
different story as you can see, DOW Jones is up four tenths of a percent, NASDAQ up six tenths of a percent, and S&P, half a percent higher.
Whether they can maintain those gains until the end of the trading day, we will find out later. All right, with just 10 days to go until the U.S.
election, a super PAC funded by Elon Musk may be making illegal payments to voters. The pro-Trump Committee awarded $1 million prizes to two voters
registered in Michigan and Wisconsin this week.
It came after news broke that the Justice Department sent a letter warning the group that its daily sweepstakes might be illegal. A spokesperson for
the super PAC decline CNN's request to comment. We've got Marshall Cohen standing by to give us an update on the story, live from Washington, D.C.
Marshall, good to see you. We've asked this question before. You know, is he pushing the legal boundaries here with his $1 million prize? What are we
hearing from the DOJ and whether this is indeed illegal, 11 days to go with to the elections?
MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Yeah, Eleni, it is now officially a standoff with the Justice Department on one side.
GIOKOS: Yeah.
COHEN: Saying that this may be illegal, and Elon Musk super PAC on the other side, moving full speed ahead with this sweepstakes. Remember, here's
how we got here. On Saturday last weekend, Elon Musk, while he was campaigning for Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, announced that his Super PAC
would award a daily million-dollar prize to anyone who signed his petition supporting the U.S. Constitution.
But if you looked at the fine print on his super PAC website, in order to sign that petition you needed to be a registered voter in a swing state,
and that is the problem, because in the eyes of many legal experts that we spoke to and now, apparently also the Justice Department, it is legally
problematic to link the act of registration to these payments.
Registration really cannot be a prerequisite for getting cash prizes or lottery or sweepstakes. It is been long U.S. law. It's been a long-standing
law here in the U.S. to criminalize that the Justice Department polices it every cycle. Things always come up here and there, but it's very rare for
the world's richest man to dole out a million dollars a day in a program like this.
So, Eleni, we reported on Wednesday that the Justice Department had sent that warning to Elon Musk. They did not announce any winners of their daily
prize on Wednesday, but they announced two winners yesterday, so clearly, they are moving ahead. And I checked the fine print on the website, nothing
has changed.
GIOKOS: Fascinating story. I mean, and these two winners announced even after the DOJ warning, so remains to be seen how this is going to play out.
Marshall, good to have you on Thank you. Now moving to California, brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez were sentenced to life in prison for their, parents
murder.
Nearly 30 years ago, and now there's a possibility they may soon be released after an extensive re-examination of their case. CNN's Jean
Casarez is following this developing story for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon is recommending a resentencing for Erik and Lyle Menendez. They, of
course, are the brothers that were sentenced in 1996 for premeditated murder of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez in 1989.
At the time of the commission of their crimes, Erik was 18, Lyle was 21. The district attorney says they have served and been in custody about 35
years at this point, and because of their rehabilitation, which it appears he's going to focus in on, he believes that a resentencing is appropriate.
Here are the exact words of the District Attorney of Los Angeles, George Gascon.
[09:35:00]
GEORGE GASCON, LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: After very careful review of all the arguments that were made for people on both sides of this
equation. I came to a place where I believe that under the law resentencing is appropriate, and I am going to recommend that to a court.
CASAREZ: The district attorney says that continuous rehabilitative efforts of the brothers during their incarceration is going to be front and center
in this, but also of immense importance is he says, quote, our office has gained a deeper understanding of the complexities surrounding sexual
violence.
The defense of these brothers was that their father sexually assaulted them for years, and they committed these killings because of the fear that they
had inside of them. Now, the district attorney says that they have done a meticulous review of the filings, they have spoken with family members who
are supportive of this.
They are really looking at the rehabilitation and that the focus has been that prison is where you serve out your sentence. That is your punishment.
And this is according to California statute, and that the prison sentence itself that you have endured is rehabilitative. It is the rehabilitation.
Next step will be it will go before a judge. We'll see if anyone contests this. And the date for a hearing is as yet to be determined. Jean Casarez,
CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Well, let's get you up to speed on some other stories that are on our radar right now. Georgians will head to the polls this Saturday in a
parliamentary election that will determine whether the nation moves politically closer to the European Union or veers towards Moscow.
Critics at home and abroad have accused Georgian the Georgian dream, the ruling party of seeking to restore ties with Russia while deliberately
tanking its prospects of EU membership. King Charles addressed the summit of Commonwealth nations by acknowledging a painful history, but he didn't
directly refer to slavery in the Commonwealth's colonial past.
A number of African and Caribbean countries are asking for reparations for hundreds of years of slavery. Tropical storm Trami has left at least 46
people there in the Philippines after the storm caused flooding and landslides. Authorities in the Northeast have been scrambling to rescue
villages trapped on roofs.
Though, Trami is now moving away from the Philippines, the country is still being pounded by heavy rain. Now it's going to be a big weekend for
baseball fans. The World Series between the Dodgers and the Yankees kicks off tonight. More on all the excitement just ahead in sports.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:40:00]
GIOKOS: Over seven months aboard the International Space Station and NASA SpaceX Crew-8 astronauts are back on Earth splashing down in the very early
morning off the coast of Florida. From there, the crew headed to a local hospital for additional checks, and their Dragon spacecraft goes to the
SpaceX facilities at Cape Canaveral.
While in space, the crew traveled over 100 million miles and orbited Earth more than 3700 times very difficult to get your head around that. Well,
glad they're back at home, right. So, if you're trying to convince your boss to move to a four-day work week, just point to Iceland as proof that
it is a good idea.
New research about the country's shorter work week shows that Iceland's economy growing faster last year than most European nations, and that its
unemployment rate is among the lowest since 2020. More than half of Iceland's working population has been putting in fewer hours with no loss
of pay.
Now the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees both in pursuit of the 2024 World Series title game, one of this best of seven series all starts
tonight in LA. These two storied franchises going at it again in the Fall Classic. Carolyn Manno, joins me now. Carolyn. I mean, what an exciting
weekend ahead! Tell us what we're expecting?
CAROLYN MANNO, CNN HOST: Well, it's certainly a blockbuster match up. There's no doubt about that. These are two iconic American franchises that
really have global reach. They both had incredible seasons, and they both have superstar. So, when you have the Dodgers and the Yankees and the likes
of Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge.
What's not to like fans, even those who aren't rooting for these two teams are just excited about the prospect of having such a highly anticipated
World Series. Ticket sales are through the roof, but we'll break down the match up coming up and tell you a lot more about what else is going on in
the sports world.
GIOKOS: Fantastic!
MANNO: Even though most eyes are singularly focused on this World Series. Back to you.
GIOKOS: Yeah, it seems so. I mean, here in Abu Dhabi, I'm going to have to wake up early hours of the morning to catch this, but it's worth it. I
think.
MANNO: Worth it.
GIOKOS: We'll catch up with you after the break, and I'll be back. Worth it, do you think so? All right, so I'll be back at the top of the hour.
Stay with CNN.
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