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At Least 6 Killed in Church Shooting in Jordan; Two Israeli Soldiers Killed in Shooting in West Bank; One Person Killed, Four Injured After Shooting Near Paris; Early Voting to Begin or Expand in Four Large States Saturday; Trump Shifts Focus to Himself, Muses on Third Term; Israel Begins Demolitions in West Bank City After Shooting Attack; Clean Energy a Major Focus at COP31; Trump Leaving White House to Go to Rally in Florida. Aired 10a-11a ET
Aired October 23, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:26]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome to the second hour of the show. I'm Eleni Giokos live in Abu Dhabi.
We are following two fatal shootings in the Middle East and the West Bank where two Israeli soldiers are dead, and in Jordan, where the country's
public security agency says at least seven people were killed when gunmen opened fire inside a church in Karak Province. It happened in a
predominantly Christian town. One witness telling state-run television the shooting continued for several minutes.
Jomana Karadsheh is following developments for us.
Jomana, devastating story. We have some images from Karak Province. Give me an update on what you're learning, what you're hearing.
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Eleni, first of all, we're hearing from the public security directorate, the PSD in Jordan, now
reporting they're revising the death toll to at least six people who were killed in the shooting, and at least 28 others who were injured.
Now, what we understand happened is people had gathered at this church in southern Jordan, in the city of Karak, in a small town. They are
predominantly Christian town. They had gathered for a funeral. According to eyewitnesses, it was about 150 to 200 people in that church when gunmen
arrived.
And I believe you have that CCTV footage that we have just seen on state media where you see these gunmen outside the church as they're opening
fire. Now, according to the eyewitnesses telling state media, they say that these gunmen began opening fire outside the church and then went into the
church, continuing to shoot. People describing a really horrific incident that unfolded in there.
Eleni, this is not something that Jordanians are used to seeing. Definitely not Jordanian Christians. This is a very rare attack in the kingdom. People
were saying that these gunmen opened fire for several minutes on people who had gathered at that church. And we're still waiting to hear from security
forces, from Jordanian authorities, more on who may be behind this attack.
Still unclear, Eleni, and we understand that these attackers, these gunmen, as we see in that video, it seems at least three gunmen, they are still on
the run. They have not been apprehended by the security services. But we know that there's a massive security operation, according to Jordanian
authorities and state media, that is underway in and around the area to try and apprehend the attackers.
GIOKOS: Well, Jomana, speaking and seeing the CCTV footage, it is remarkable. I mean, very visible the gunmen, and clearly their faces also
visible in this video. As you say, three of them. This church, from what we understand, there was a funeral on the go. One of the eyewitnesses speaking
to state media saying and describing that the shooting continued for several minutes.
What more detail do we have around what transpired?
KARADSHEH: I mean, it is an absolute scene of horror, it seems, based on, you know, piecing together what we're hearing from the eyewitnesses and
some video that has been circulating online. And you hear what authorities are saying.
Absolutely terrifying, Eleni. People had gathered there. And as you can see, you know, this is not something people would have expected in a
country like Jordan that it's known for its security and stability in a very turbulent region, in a region where so many Christian communities in
different countries have come under attack over the years. Christians in Jordan feel very much protected and this is something that you hear from
Jordan's leadership repeatedly.
We even heard that from King Abdullah during his address to the UNGA back in September, talking about protecting the Christian communities. So this
has really sent shockwaves across the country. People are still trying to comprehend what has happened there, and we're waiting to hear more
information from the authorities as to who may be behind this attack -- Eleni.
[10:05:15]
GIOKOS: Yes. And what the motive is, you know, I've been to Jordan many times. Very cohesive community. And importantly, religion doesn't come up.
So I think that's the question. What is the motive? Who could be behind this? All pertinent questions to get to sort of the bottom of this very
tragic incident.
Jomana Karadsheh, great to have you on. Thank you so much.
I want to bring you now more breaking news that we're covering here at CNN.
Israel's prime minister has ordered the closure of the West Bank after two Israeli soldiers were killed in a shooting attack. It happened at an
Israeli military checkpoint. The attack comes just four days before Israel holds elections for the first time since the October 7th attacks.
I want to bring in Oren Liebermann, who is in Jerusalem for us.
Oren, initially, five were injured. Two of those that were critically injured have now been, you know, pronounced dead. Three still injured. I
mean, this is a devastating incident just days before the elections. You've got the announcement of shutting down of West Bank.
What more are you hearing? What is being planned right now?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: So just a short time ago, the Israeli military announced that two of the soldiers who had been critically
wounded in the attack succumbed to their wounds and were killed in this attack. Three others were lightly wounded. This all unfolded early Friday
morning in the occupied West Bank, near the southern city of Hebron, one of the major Palestinian cities there.
That's where authorities say two Palestinian gunmen opened fire on Israeli forces at a military checkpoint. And what's remarkable here is how long
this gunfight lasted. Normally we see incidents like this, and they are over in an instant. This, according to first responders at the scene and
the security forces that responded to the scene, lasted some 20 minutes in a repeated and ongoing firefight between the gunmen who were shot and
killed, according to the Israeli military and security forces, at the scene here.
Now, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli defense minister visited the scene. Here is what Netanyahu had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We warned a few weeks ago about attempts by our enemies to harm us, our citizens and
our soldiers ahead of the elections. That is what they tried to do here. Israel Defense Forces soldiers blocked this with their bodies and were also
wounded. The soldiers not only stopped the terrorists but also charged heroically and eliminated them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: Initially, Netanyahu had ordered a full closure of the West Bank, but that looks like it was scaled back to a closure of the city of
Hebron. So that is still significant, but not a closure of the entire territory. Meanwhile, Israel has already begun carrying out demolitions and
evacuations in the neighborhood where this attack happened. Netanyahu said this would be like the operation in the refugee camps in the West Bank.
In other words, this could displace thousands of people as Israel methodically goes through home by home looking for anything that they
describe as terrorist infrastructure and trying to root that out. So this could be quite an operation after this attack. And as you pointed out, it
comes right after or rather right before, just days before in fact, Israel heads to the elections here. So Netanyahu trying to portray the Mr.
Security, the -- which he's tried to show himself as for years here in moving quickly after this attack.
GIOKOS: Oren Liebermann, thank you so much. Good to have you on.
I want to bring in Mairav Zonszein. She is the senior Israel analyst with the International Crisis Group.
Mairav, great to have you with us. And we just heard from Oren Liebermann describing what the plan is in terms of the shutdown in Hebron, what it
entails. Take me through some of these plans and what does it mean in terms of implementation after this attack where we have two Israeli soldiers that
have been killed and three wounded.
MAIRAV ZONSZEIN, SENIOR ISRAEL ANALYST, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: It's good to be with you. I mean, the West Bank, people need to understand, it's
very big. So when there's something that happens in Hebron, it doesn't necessarily have to affect something happening in the northern West Bank.
And it's also important to understand that the West Bank has been under effective shutdown and lockdown in various ways over the last three years
since October 7th.
Whether it's checkpoints, whether it's strangling the Palestinian economy, not allowing Palestinians to work inside Israel, and of course, settler
violence, which has become extremely, just everywhere, conspicuous and against journalists and diplomats, and just every red line that could be
crossed. So the West Bank is already a powder keg as it is, and people might remember that Israel has launched a big operation in the northern
West Bank, in Jenin and in Nablus areas, and has evacuated and displaced thousands of Palestinians there as a result of previous attacks. And so I'm
not expecting this to bring any kind of security, maybe in the immediate term, maybe in some ways to secure certain areas and make people feel more
safe.
[10:10:02]
But people need to remember that there is an ongoing occupation. There's an ongoing strangulation. And the more Israel doubles down and it has built an
accelerated settler outpost and the settlement enterprise at alarming rates over the last few years, the result of that will be further violence,
further cycles of violence, and people like Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, who are the ministers in the government who have pushed the hardest for annexation
of the West Bank, for expelling Palestinians, they are the ones who have been looking for this kind of thing.
Imagine if more and more -- if there were civilians killed today, more Israelis killed, you would see the West Bank completely erupt. And this is
what they're going for. So it's a very, very tenuous and fragile, precarious time. And I don't think that the measures are going to
necessarily bring any kind of security to anyone either.
GIOKOS: Yes. I mean, and as you say, frankly, we've seen so much tension building up over the past few weeks. You know, but it is significant
because it is so close to the elections. What is interesting is that security officials were warning of a combustible situation in the West
Bank, and now you've got this siege, you know, in terms of, you know, focusing on a particular area in Hebron.
Do you believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu has the security situation under control and the latest acts to try and, you know, evacuate and
displace Palestinians is going to reap the rewards and reap that security umbrella that he's hoping for?
ZONSZEIN: You will never have security when you keep people under occupation. It's just not going to happen. I just came back from the West
Bank. I was helping the olive harvest. You know, it used to be that Jewish Israelis would try to help Palestinians harvest their olives, and try to
prevent settler attacks. Now it's Jewish Israelis and international activists who are harvesting the olives for Palestinians because they are
so scared and they have been hurt and damaged and killed just for harvesting olives, which is one of their main sources of income.
So the situation in the West Bank is absolutely awful, and I can't reiterate enough, this government is interested in gaslighting the West
Bank. This is the policy. The policies of the Netanyahu coalition have been to set the West Bank on fire. So as unfortunate and tragic as it is, nobody
should be surprised when Israelis are attacked in the West Bank. This is the recipe for disaster.
This is what some of the people in the government openly call for, for war and expulsion in the West Bank. And there's a limit to how much people will
take that without there being certain cycles of violence.
GIOKOS: Yes. You know, one of the things that sort of struck me in terms of what they say, evacuations of certain homes, the displacement, you alluded
to that. You were already in the West Bank at one point today. As you say, it is a very large area. But describe what that sort of would look like for
people living in that part of Hebron.
ZONSZEIN: Well, Hebron I think is the largest city in the West Bank. And this would, you know, in, again, in the maybe immediate term, it might
bring about certain security for settlers in the area. But in the longer term, it will hurt Palestinian fabric of life, hurt their economy, prevent
them from being able to go about their daily lives. And what do people do when they're desperate? I mean, where does this lead? How is this going to
lead to anything better?
Netanyahu can talk about, you know, operations all he wants, but that's not the answer. The answer is reaching some kind of resolution, obviously. And
it's really devastating to see what's happening in the West Bank. People constantly think that settler violence is the problem, that Palestinian
terror attacks are the problem. They are symptom of a much bigger problem, which is that you cannot control millions of people and prevent them from
leading daily normal lives and expect the life there to be normal. It's not a realistic expectation.
GIOKOS: It's a cycle of violence that is perpetuated. Look, we have no idea who was behind this particular attack. We know that Hamas as well as
Islamic jihad, the two militant groups, have praised the incident but have not taken responsibility for it, which I think is pretty notable.
What is your assessment of what happened in terms of the firing, the attack on that military outpost?
ZONSZEIN: I mean, I don't have any information beyond what we've all seen in the news and the headlines. And, you know, Hamas always takes some kind
of credit or praises these attacks. That's part of their M.O. so that's not surprising. Again, this is just something that unfortunately will continue
to happen if things don't change, if there isn't a real change of policy, if there isn't real pressure on Israel to change what it's doing.
It has built something like 180 settler outposts in the West Bank in the last few years, and every outpost has an armed settler who is, you know,
interested in either preventing or obstructing Palestinian life. And this, unfortunately, is what it leads to. In this case, it was military check
posts, as you said, that was attacked. And again, it's important to remember Israelis deserve to live in security.
But that military checkpoint is part of an occupying army, occupied territory. It's not, you know, it's there for a reason, to protect Israelis
and not Palestinians, even though under international law, they're supposed to also protect the occupied population. So, again, this is just
unfortunately, a recipe for disaster.
[10:15:12]
GIOKOS: Mairav Zonszein, thank you so much. We appreciate it.
One person has been killed and at least four more injured in a shooting west of Paris. The local mayor told French network BFMTV that a man fired
shots from his car apparently at random. BFM also reports that a 12-year- old girl is among the injured. President Macron thanked law enforcement agencies and says that the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office has
taken over the case. The interior minister also praised the response. Take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURENT NUNEZ, FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): The suspect has been arrested so I want to salute the reactiveness of the local
authorities, the police of the Department of Yvelines. I also salute their reactiveness and the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor will have the
chance to talk about this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: For more on this shooting, here's what CNN's senior correspondent Melissa Bell told me about this past hour.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Just on that 12 year old girl, one of the four people who's in critical condition at this hour,
Eleni, she was eight times so it's actually remarkable that she's still clinging to life.
What we understand about what went on this morning in this small town of Trappes, this is a sort of suburban town to the southwest of Paris, is that
a man who was driving his car used an automatic weapon, stopping at several locations to shoot at random strangers, killing one, leaving those four
others in critical condition.
What we know for the time being is that he stopped in several locations outside a clinic. He stopped outside a playground, and in these different
locations, sort of shot his weapon at these random strangers. We know that an anti-terror investigation has been opened. They believe that this may
have been racially motivated. That's part of the investigation as it begins.
Eleni, we also know that this is a 39-year-old man. We know nothing more of his motives, simply that he was armed with this automatic weapon and took
on these strangers in this small town at about 10:30 a.m.. This, of course, in the context of France being under extreme tension ahead of what we
expect to unfold tomorrow -- Eleni.
GIOKOS: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. And still to come, more details on a shooting in the West Bank and how Israel is responding just days
before it heads into an election. And later, we have an expert on Jordan and telling me why he calls the deadly shooting there at a church
unprecedented. That is all coming up after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Welcome back. It is 11 days to go until the U.S. midterm elections and already more than 20 million American voters have cast their ballots,
and that is according to data collected from 47 states and Washington, D.C., as of Thursday.
[10:20:07]
And we are expecting that number to ramp up as in-person early voting will begin or expand in four large states Saturday, including Michigan, Florida,
New Jersey, and New York.
CNN's Dianne Gallagher is live at an early voting location in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Good to see you. So North Carolina is seeing higher early voter turnout than in 2022. What are you hearing from voters out there?
DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And Eleni, this is one of the few states that has more than a million votes cast already in pre-
election ballots. As of yesterday, Thursday, more than 1,269,000 pre- election ballots have been cast in North Carolina. That is through early in-person voting and also through absentee by mail voting.
Now, why that is key is that this state has a very competitive Senate race that Democrats believe they can flip in their favor, and also several
competitive congressional races as well. North Carolina has a bit of a split electorate. It's kind of a purple state. But what we're seeing in the
data from early in-person voting is that Democrats have a clear enthusiasm advantage right now when it comes to turnout.
Forty-two percent of the pre-election ballots that are cast in North Carolina come from registered Democrats. They are outpacing their
percentage at this same time, in both 2022 and 2024 elections. Registered Republicans, meanwhile, make up just about 23 percent. That is behind where
they were in past elections.
Now, I can tell you that looking through this data, we are seeing Republicans gaining a little bit of ground each day through early voting
and Democrats losing just a little bit as well. But there's a very wide gap between them. When I talked to party officials and strategists, they point
out that this is typical in how we see Democrats often front load. Republicans come in later or vote on election day.
But right now, the gap is extremely large. And if Republicans do not start making this up, they say that this could be basically insurmountable. Now,
again, this is all early election data. You can't extrapolate too much because you don't know how people vote. That's just how they're registered
at this point. And 40 percent of voters in North Carolina are registered unaffiliated.
So you're just sort of looking at tea leaves right now, trying to see what data we can get. But the only real way to know how it will turn out, of
course, is once the votes are actually cast and counted after election day.
GIOKOS: Well, time is ticking.
Dianne Gallagher, good to have you on. Thank you so much for that update.
So President Donald Trump picks up his week long campaign blitz later today when he hits the trail in Fort Myers, Florida. The president has repeatedly
told voters while stumping for midterm candidates to pretend that he is on the ballot. And it was no different in Iowa Thursday when he again turned
the focus on himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know who's going to be your next president, and I think the law said, I'm not 100 percent sure,
but I think the law says that I'm not allowed to run again. I studied that phrase forever. Unfortunately, it's quite concise. There's not a lot of
wiggle room.
But one thing is different. They cheated us on the second one because we won it three times. So I think I have the right to run again. I think I
have the right to run again. There's a cheater.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Not a lot of wiggle room. CNN's Steve Contorno joins us now live from Chicago to break that sentence down and a lot more.
Steve, good to see you. Look, here's the reality. President Trump has been saying, pretend I'm on the ballot, and that's sort of being the message.
But I want to point your attention, turn your attention to a Pew poll that was out. And it says male voters under 30 are now nearly twice as likely to
say that they'll vote Democratic than Republican. That is a sharp shift from what we saw in 2024.
What is driving it? Is pretending that President Trump is on the ballot not working in Republican favor?
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: It's certainly not working for young people. I just spent some time in West Eastern Michigan, which has
become a political hotbed in a key battleground state. Talked to young people who went to college there, who went to community college, who worked
for the union factories there. And what you hear from them is overwhelming fear about the current state of the economy, not only because of the effect
its having on their wallets when they fill up their cars with gas, or when they're trying to buy groceries or beer for the weekend, but also because
of the effect its having on their futures.
[10:25:02]
There's just this belief in this -- it's a concern that young people just don't have access to the same American dream as their parents, that it's
becoming more challenging to buy a home. There are more people now who are graduating from college and living with their parents than there were in
previous generations. The average age of buying a home is -- for a first- timer is up to 40 years of age. That's historically high.
And what is striking is that many of these young people believe that Donald Trump would fix this because he said he would back in 2024. There has been,
though, a growing disillusionment with young men. I have been following them since that 2024 campaign, and you can slowly see them shift from
exuberant joy for Donald Trump to come in and make some drastic changes to a growing dissatisfaction with his policies. And right now, you are seeing
an outright abandonment by him among some of the Republican young men who once supported him.
GIOKOS: Yes. And it seems to be about the economy. It seems to be about the cost of living, all of that playing such a big role. And I know that you
spoke to young men in Lansing, Michigan. What surprised you the most about their thinking around the midterms and the way that they plan to vote?
CONTORNO: The fact that some of them are willing to say at this moment that they are going to vote blue after considering themselves Republican, one
person told me he was a, quote, hard right conservative when he was in high school and he supported President Trump last election. Now he's doing a
complete 180 and supporting the Democrat in the race, who is Abdul El-Sayed someone who has been closely aligned with some Democratic socialists.
So just the total whiplash and 180, and we've seen this across demographics in American politics right now, where there is just this pendulum swinging
back and forth among groups that aren't tethered to a specific political party, and they're trying to find whichever party and they're willing to
latch on to whichever party is promising them change. And so far, neither of them can deliver on that. And right now, that frustration is falling
squarely on the shoulders of Donald Trump.
GIOKOS: All right, Steve Contorno, great to have you with us. Thank you.
And still to come, a deadly shooting at a church in Jordan leaves at least six people dead. The latest on the search for the attackers. We'll be back
after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:30:13]
GIOKOS: Welcome back. I'm Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. These are your headlines this hour.
Israel has started forcing residents to evacuate a neighborhood in the occupied West Bank hours after two Palestinian gunmen opened fire on an
Israeli military checkpoint, killing two soldiers. The attack comes just four days before Israel holds the elections for the first time since the
Hamas-led attack on October 7th, 2023. It is seen as a crucial test for PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
In Jordan, at least six people are dead after gunmen opened fire in a church in a largely Christian town, according to the country's security
agency. Witnesses say dozens of people were believed to be inside the church. Authorities say security forces are hunting for the attackers.
A drive-by shooting in a town west of Paris has left one person dead and four more injured. French President Emmanuel Macron praised law
enforcement, who have arrested a suspect and said the Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office is investigating.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
GIOKOS: -- fire inside a church in Barak Province and authorities say they are trying to find the gunman. One witness says the shooting continued for
several minutes. In the last hour I spoke to Hassan Barari, professor of international relations of the University of Jordan, who emphasized how
unexpected this was.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HASSAN BARARI, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF JORDAN: This is really a tragic and deeply disturbing incident. And this is
also unprecedented in the history of Jordan. We've never seen such an attack on the Christian community in Jordan. So this is one thing that I
need to underline here, that this is an I think we can't really jump into premature conclusions now. And we have to wait for the investigation. And
we have to work in Jordan to bring those responsible to justice.
So we have to wait. And I think the Jordan is a stable country, and we know that there might be some non-state actors in the region that want to fuel
sectarian tension in Jordan. And I think Jordanians are actually aware of that.
GIOKOS: Yes, and that's a really good point, because we don't know what the motivations are. We don't know, you know, why the gunman specifically chose
this funeral. And, of course, who is behind it and why. So a lot of unanswered questions right now. But I think at this point, it does thrust
into focus, you know, the safety of churches in Jordan. I mean, is there a sense of, you know, concern at this point that you perhaps hearing of?
BARARI: You know, not really. There is no concern about the security of the Christian community or the holy places or the church, for instance. We know
that Jordan is very stable and very secure country and having said that, Jordanians have enjoyed a high degree of coexistence between different kind
of sectarian sects in Jordan, whether Muslims and Christian, or even among the Muslims themselves.
Jordan is a place for prosperity and security. And this is something that everyone knows about it. So this is unprecedented. We really don't know the
motives behind those people. And we don't know who sent them and what for purpose. So as I said before, we have to wait for the committee. I know
that there's a press conference by the government maybe in one hour from now.
And the government will let us know about the updates and the latest information about the incident. So I think we have to wait a little bit
before we pass our judgment.
GIOKOS: Yes, Hassan. Correct. And I visited Jordan many times. And, you know, the sense that you get it is very cohesive as a community. I think
this is why it's -- it is so shocking to see this transpire. You know, while the authorities are now looking for these gunmen, you know, clearly
there's going to be a lot of movement to investigate the reasons and also to find the gunman, post this shooting. Are you hearing anything on that
front at this stage?
BARARI: And not yet, I mean, all we know that they ran away and so they fled the scene after they commit their crime and their massacre. So -- but
as I know that the security apparatus are actually chasing them somewhere, I mean, they don't tell us exactly about the update, but I'm sure that, you
know, given the past experience of Jordanian security apparatus, they're good at that. They're going to chase them and they're going to arrest them
soon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Well, Israel has started demolishing buildings and forcing evacuations in a West Bank city after two gunmen opened fire at an Israeli
military checkpoint, killing two soldiers. The Israeli military says both gunmen were killed after the shooting. The IDF said it was imposing, quote,
"a full siege on Hebron."
[10:35:03]
Hamas praised the attack in a statement but did not claim responsibility. This comes just four days before Israel's first election since the October
7th attacks in 2023.
Joining us now is Danny Citrinowicz, former head of the Iran branch for Israel's defense intelligence.
Danny, really good to have you with us. I want to start off by just getting an assessment from you in terms of this incident. You've got two Israeli
soldiers that were killed, three more that have been wounded. This is an attack by two gunmen on an Israeli military outpost. The significance of
this just days ahead of the election.
DANNY CITRINOWICZ, FORMER HEAD, IRAN BRANCH FOR ISRAEL'S DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE: Again, thank you very much and good evening from Israel.
Definitely a tragic event today in Hebron. And I'm sorry for the loss of the life of the soldiers of the IDF, but I think that we have to look at
the broader level. I think that before the Israeli election, definitely after, the Israeli government, the new Israeli government, we need to
reassess our policy towards the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
Continuation of the current policy will only lead to more violence, more bloodshed, unfortunately, and I think that we need to use a word that we
didn't use, maybe since the 7th of October, hope. To give hope to Israeli people, to the Palestinian people to preserve the ability to separate
ourselves from the future Palestinian autonomy state, whatever they will decide at the end of the day.
But I think we cannot continue as it is continuing and annexing, continue - - thinking that only kinetics will work with the Palestinians. And I think if we do that, we'll have normalization with Saudi Arabia. We'll have the
ability to preserve Israel as a Jewish democratic state. And unfortunately, continuation of the Palestinian will only bring suffer to the region.
GIOKOS: You know, on the back of this news, we know Benjamin Netanyahu announced the closure of parts of Hebron. Initially, it was also parts, you
know, the entirety of West Bank. That has now changed. But the latest we have is that Israel has started demolishing buildings and forcing residents
to evacuate a neighborhood because of this attack.
What does this mean practically in implementation and for the Palestinians that are going to be evacuated, but also in terms of the security issues
that this could create?
CITRINOWICZ: Well, definitely it won't bring stability. Now, Israel tried to do that also in other places in the West Bank, like in Jenin, in the
refugee camp in Jenin, doing the same thing, thinking that that will lead to more security, but just demolishing homes and taking out residents from
friction area with the Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
Now, I definitely understand the security need to understand what happened in the attack and prevent that from happening again. But I'm not sure that
collective damage will just help. It's just creating or fueling the cycle of violence within the West Bank. So again, returning back to that,
operationally maybe there is things we need to take, but strategically, this is not a solution. This is not to make Israel more safer.
I think it's only pushing towards another intifada in the West Bank, and returning back to what I said at the beginning, at the end of the day,
operationally, we need to do what we need to do, but strategically we cannot continue what we're doing right now because at the end of the day,
only, again, we'll see more uprising coming from the West Bank because the situation there is unbearable.
So this is where we are right now. And I'm hoping for a change, the (INAUDIBLE) government to rethink our strategy and change our actions in
the West Bank because the continuation of what's happening now is really troubling.
GIOKOS: Yes, it absolutely is. I want to also talk about the security officials that have been warning around this combustible situation in the
West Bank. Do you believe that Benjamin Netanyahu heeded those risks and the calls for more tightened security to avoid incidents like this one? And
how does it affect the elections that are happening four days from now?
CITRINOWICZ: Well, definitely we are heading to an historical election in Israel, maybe the crucial one then since the establishment of the country,
since the first election in 1949, because it's also a referendum about the way that Israel will continue towards the future, whether Netanyahu is far
away, the relying on the F-35 and F-15, and the possibility of the -- what we call the unity bloc or change bloc, that once we need to rethink about
our policy strategy and interact more with the West, preventing any future sanctions on the state of Israel.
I don't think that what happened in Hebron today, the unfortunate events happened today and the killing of the soldiers, will change dramatically
the polls that we're seeing right now. I think that in the end of the day, most of the people in Israel already decided what they're going to vote,
and no change in that.
[10:40:08]
But again, I -- and I don't know what will happen in the next four days, but without dramatic events, I don't think that we'll see dramatic changes.
And the recent polls highlighted the fact that Netanyahu's chances to win are quite slim. I'm not saying zero, but quite slim. And I think that,
again, returning back to everything we discussed, there is a need. You know, Israel after the 7th of October very strong in terms of the military
activity. But we have open seven fronts and events today in West Bank.
And actually highlighted, again, that using the F-35 or F-15 is important, but it's not being one cause Israel to be more secure. So really think that
after the Tuesday, the election, the next government will have to rethink about the strategy in that regard.
GIOKOS: All right. Danny Citrinowicz, thank you so much. Good to have you on the show. Much appreciated.
CITRINOWICZ: Thank you very much.
GIOKOS: I want to get you up to speed on some other stories that are on our radar right now.
A deadly earthquake has struck southwest China. The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude seven quake struck the Tibet region at around 10:30 p.m.
local time. State media says 16 people are dead and 65 injured. A rescue team has been dispatched to the quake's epicenter.
A powerful typhoon is bearing down on Taiwan and has shut down much of the island. While the storm is not expected to make landfall, it is still
causing severe disruptions. More than 600 flights have been canceled for the coming day.
The intense heat wave that gripped Europe this summer led to the death of more than 50,000 people, and that is according to a new analysis making
this year's heat the region's deadliest on record. The findings show that two-thirds of those fatalities are directly attributed to climate change,
driven by fossil fuel pollution.
The U.S.-Israeli war against Iran is disrupting global energy supplies, putting a new spotlight on the need for cleaner alternatives. A closer look
ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: U.S. President Donald Trump says foreign made wind turbines and their components pose a threat to America's national security, but he's
stopping short of imposing new tariffs on these imports. In a new proclamation, the White House said a Commerce Department investigation
flagged security risks from imported wind turbines, including cyber threats, potential disruptions to radar and air traffic systems, and
growing U.S. dependence on foreign made products.
The American Clean Power Association, which represents companies in the clean energy industry, has not immediately responded for a request for
comment.
Meantime, amid ongoing disruptions to energy supplies caused by the U.S.- Israeli war with Iran, the push for clean energy has become more urgent than ever. The issue is expected to be high on the agenda at COP31, the
United Nations climate change conference, which takes place next month in Turkey.
For more on this, I want to bring in Catherine McKenna in Ottawa. She is the founder and the chair of Climate and Natures Solutions Coalition.
[10:45:07]
Catherine, really good to have you with us. I mean, you're also a former Canadian minister of environment and climate change. So you have worn many
hats. And it's an important time because you understand the policy side of things and you understand what we need to do practically without
politicians getting involved with sort of what we're seeing.
But I want to start off with talking about how the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran has exposed the vulnerabilities of the world's dependence on fossil
fuels that we cannot live without it. It is an energy crisis that perhaps is going to make us think differently about the transition to clean energy.
CATHERINE MCKENNA, FOUNDER AND CHAIR, CLIMATE AND NATURES SOLUTIONS COALITION: Well, I mean, it's amazing. If you think that some estimates,
one-fifth and higher of all oil and gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz. I mean, that's a huge energy security risk. And I mean, that's
having a huge -- that's having a real impact. If you're an oil and gas importing country, you want to diversify, you have better options out
there.
So that's why you're seeing just so much movement to clean energy. Now there's twice as much investment in clean energy as there is in fossil
fuels. And you're seeing that in people's lives. Like we now have 1 in 5 vehicles that are sold are electric vehicles. That's been a massive
increase. And that's because people are paying more. So it's not just that governments have to worry about how are they going to actually get this
energy that they're importing. So that's a huge risk to them.
But also regular people. We see this in the United States, in Canada and all over the world. If you, you know, are using fossil fuels to oil and
gas, to heat your homes or fuel your cars or even to bring in food and imports, it's costing you a lot more. And that is hurting regular people.
And so you see that the problem is so much worse in terms of climate change. We're seeing the impacts, but the solutions are just so much
better. They're cheaper, they're cleaner. And it's also energy you can produce at home.
GIOKOS: So, I mean, with all that being said, we know for a fact we cannot live without fossil fuels. And I think the war between Russia and Ukraine
really thrust us into that reality. Now, with the war with Iran, again, startling reality. In terms of solutions, I think that's sort of the big
question. And I wonder what conversations are going to be had at COP31, because energy security seems to trump anything and everything else.
MCKENNA: But, I mean, I think we have to unpack that. So energy security -- if fossil fuel companies will tell you we have to burn fossil fuels forever
as an energy security, you know, risk if we get off them, that's actually the opposite of what we're seeing. If you're an oil and gas importing
country, you're like, OK, I better get off these as fast as possible. And the reality is we're not going to be off fossil fuels tomorrow.
But you've seen huge shifts, like when twice as much money are being -- twice as much money is being spent in clean energy than on fossil fuels,
that's a huge shift. And the reality is that solar is the cheapest form of electricity in the history of the world. We now have amazing battery
storage so you're matching solar or wind with battery storage. So there are options.
The discussion at COP, you know, is going to focus on some key issues. Electrification is really key. Like we need to actually be implementing
things. Sometimes, you know, COPs can seem quite abstract. I think the focus is on what are governments going to do in their own country. And
there was a focus on tripling renewables. That was a commitment countries made. Now there's a focus on, OK, we need targets, like actual targets in
countries for renewables.
And of course, there's always a discussion on finance, that how are we going to finance this transition? And that's an issue in developed
countries. But of course a real issue in developing countries. And then there's the move away from fossil fuels. So we have a problem. It's called
climate change. It is driven by the use of fossil fuels. And we have other solutions. So now we need to focus. OK.
How are we going to transition off of fossil fuels, which also have a massive cost in terms of the cost of the impacts of climate change that
we're seeing. You can even estimate it to people. I was looking at a study for the U.S.. It's between $400 and $700 the costs from the impacts of
climate change. That's not increased prices for oil and gas. That's actually like flooding. That's droughts. That's extreme weather.
And then you mentioned that, you know, 50,000 people in Europe died as a result of this extreme heat, and two-thirds of that can be attributed to
climate change. So massive costs, huge opportunity. And I'm really excited. I'm going to be joining a group of experts. It's called the implementation
accelerator. It'll be announced at COP. And it's really about how do we implement. We need to implement the solutions. It's not abstract. Climate
change is here. We got the solutions. Let's get on with it.
[10:50:01]
GIOKOS: It's not abstract. And you're right. I mean, the data is startling. 1.5 degrees Celsius increase in temperature is going to be deadly. We're
seeing signs of that right now. And -- but I look at like the needs of baseload electricity across the African continent. You know, for data
centers, I'm worried about jet fuel. And you think about these vessels that are guzzlers in terms of fossil fuels. And it's all of that stuff, you
know? And I just wonder how you think of it in terms of implementation.
Being a former politician, knowing the issues you have in terms of being able to implement policy effectively and now saying, how do we implement
this and bringing those two worlds and realities together?
MCKENNA: Well, I mean, you just have to be really practical. I think I'm a very practical person, maybe because I'm also a mother. You've got to
figure out how do you manage your money so don't waste money. And get multiple outcomes. And so, you know, we need to invest in clean energy. And
it's often cheaper. And also that helps reduce the impacts overall of climate change. The whole world needs to shift.
And so you just go policy, by policy. I mean, look data centers are a huge concern. How are they for a variety of reasons, but including the, you
know, were building all this new renewables. And actually there's still a ton of renewables being built in the United States despite, you know, the
messaging you see from the president. But the reality is we do we want all of this to go power, you know, big data centers as opposed to using
renewable energy, requiring companies to bring their own renewable energy, which is very practical.
GIOKOS: OK. Well --
MCKENNA: But I think, look, you can do this across the board. The thing is, when I was minister, I mean, we, look, we, you know, had a policy on
phasing out coal. We were focused on, you know, more EVs.
(CROSSTALK)
GIOKOS: All right, Catherine, I have to -- I'm so sorry. I have to interrupt you. We have to go to the White House where we are listening to
President Trump. Let's listen in.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: -- of the trilateral peace talks. That is --
TRUMP: No. But that's the worst idea I've ever heard.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Have you thought about --
TRUMP: What she wants to do is save children, and that's her focus. And both sides are cooperating with her. So doing a very good job.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How did that all come about, Mr. President?
TRUMP: Her initiative and they contacted both sides and both sides wanted to do it.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Any news on a new press secretary that you could give us? A new press secretary?
TRUMP: No. Nothing much. We're in no rush.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: There's a new book out that says Jared Kushner had access to $2 billion from Middle Eastern countries.
TRUMP: It's a falsehood.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: It's falsehood. You don't know anything about that?
TRUMP: It's a falsehood. No, it was a totally false story, total an incorrect story. It was just fake news. Amazing.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President, you must know now who ordered the Starlink access in Ukraine to be restricted. Who was it? Was it CENTCOM?
TRUMP: Well, I wouldn't tell you if I did know. I have no idea. But I wouldn't tell you if I did know. Why would I tell you? Who are you with?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: I'm with CNN.
TRUMP: Why would I tell CNN? Although they did do some nice polls on me, I must say.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: CNN keeps doing those polls, I'll like them more and more.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE) still restricted access, Zelenskyy said they still aren't receiving --
TRUMP: Well, if there is a problem I'll get it straightened.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: President Trump, 20,000 non-citizens from the voter rolls in California. 20,000 non-citizens.
TRUMP: Oh, yes, well, I'm not surprised. It could be hundreds of thousands. That was just a batch. 20,000. Absolutely fraudulent in California for
voting. And it could be 100,000. It could be 300,000, 400,000, 500,000. California is very corrupt voting. So is Minnesota. So are many other
states.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: On Iran, sir --
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President, early voting, early voting is at record levels in a number of states that are critical for Republicans to
hold on to the Senate. In Texas, Ohio, North Carolina. Who do you think that early voting is benefiting?
TRUMP: Well, nobody knows. I mean, we'll find out. I think that we're doing very well against Tala-freako. I think we're doing very well. We have the
best attorney general in the history of Texas running. So I think we're doing well. But we're going to find out. The numbers are very high all
over. The numbers in -- like I was in Iowa, I saw the enthusiasm last night. I think there's great Republican enthusiasm.
I really think, you know, I keep hearing about different things. You've been following me. I've been -- we've been packed. Every house, every house
has people that can't get in. Fort Myers, Florida, they say they've never seen anything like it. So, I mean, if that, if that counts, I think we're
doing very well.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Have you told Elon Musk to stop messing around with Ukraine's Starlink connection?
TRUMP: I have not spoken to him. I might, I might have to, but I have not. I've heard, I've heard it was fixed. But if it's not, I'll speak to him.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: -- minority voters that supported you so much. Now that we're in the midterms, any message to minority and black voters?
TRUMP: I think the minority voters have been great to me. You know, so I've been great to the minority voter. Look what I've done for -- as an example,
with the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, I've taken care of them.
[10:55:02]
I've been very good, the Hispanic voters have been great to me, but I've been great to them, too. You know, there's a reason and I've been great to
Hispanics. I've been great to blacks, I've been great to pretty much everyone. It's a different Republican Party, but we're also the party of
the worker. It's a much bigger party than it used to be. I mean, if you go back 10 years ago before I got on the scene, this is a much more powerful -
- this is a much bigger, frankly, more important party.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: On Iran, sir --
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President, you've been campaigning nonstop for the past few weeks. You'll campaign nonstop next week. Who do you view
right now as the most vulnerable Republican Senate candidates?
TRUMP: Well, I wouldn't want to say that. I wouldn't want to say that. But there are a couple that are a little bit vulnerable. There are a couple
where they had a little bad luck over the last couple of weeks. Something came out about, but the Democrats have that, too. I mean, look at, if you
look at El-Sayed in Michigan, you take a look at that. I mean, he's had more bad publicity. But, you know, we'll see what happens. I do think that
some of the networks give too much airtime to the opponent if you want to know the truth.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mike Waltz said on Iran, Mike Waltz said that there could be a stalemate for up to a year, and the U.S. is preparing for an
extended conflict. But you keep saying it's going to end soon.
TRUMP: Well, it could -- we could end it very quickly. But Iran is a failing nation. We're taking all the oil out that we want. You see that
with the Hormuz Strait, our Navy, we have it blocked up for them, but nobody else. And everybody is taking oil out. In fact, last week we took
more oil out than we have ever taken it out. Even before the war. So that was a big, that was the big sticking point.
So we have that and they have inflation. They have no money. They, you know, the question is, do we want to finish it off or do we let it -- do we
just want to let it wither because we're getting everything we wanted.
Steve, we have more oil coming out of the Hormuz Strait today than they did a year ago.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are you and Melania going to vote -- have you and Melania --
TRUMP: We're going to vote tomorrow I think.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are you? OK.
TRUMP: I think we're voting tomorrow in Florida.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How come Ilhan Omar doesn't have a gag order like you did?
TRUMP: I love that question. I love that question. She should have. But, look, what she did is -- her whole life is a scam as far as I'm concerned.
Her whole life is a total scam.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President, why did your Vice President J.D. Vance should have endorsed Netanyahu, just like you did?
TRUMP: I don't know that he did or didn't. That's up to him.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: He didn't.
TRUMP: I would, I would leave that up to him.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President, if there is -- if there's gridlock for the next two years, obviously you don't want to see that. But if there
is, would that be bad for the U.S. economy?
TRUMP: No, it would be probably good because we're taking a tremendous -- don't forget, when you say gridlock, you're talking about Iran? That would
be --
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: I'm talking about gridlock in terms of your legislative agenda.
TRUMP: Oh, that. Oh. Let's talk about gridlock with Iran. Iran is not able to do much now. And we could if we wanted to just take all of the oil. We
could take the whole country. We could take all of the oil. And as you know, the Hormuz Strait is totally ours. And that's the way we'll keep it.
So in that way, that would be -- the gridlock is very interesting because they have no money and they have inflation that's 301 percent as the
highest in the world right now. So we'll see. As far as --
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Political gridlock.
TRUMP: You're talking about if the Republicans didn't win?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Right. Just political gridlock.
TRUMP: Well, I think the Republicans are going to win. But if there was, as you call it, gridlock, what happens is I veto everything. And then the
Democrats come and they want to make a deal. So we'll work it out.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: I mean, if you look historically, when you have a situation where that would happen, if it happens, you veto, veto, veto, and then they come
and they say, how do we get it done? And you make a deal.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Now that you know the backstory about Amy Acton and her stepfather and why she hasn't talked to her mom for so long, her
stepfather was indicted for rape. Now that you know all that, sir, do you change your mind about the ad?
TRUMP: No. No. It's a mother speaking badly against Amy Acton. And, to me, it's very easy. The mother --
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: But they haven't -- they haven't talked for 15 years.
TRUMP: I don't care. So -- if it were my mother speaking badly about me, you'd be making it the number one story in the news. You know that. Maybe
you wouldn't, but most people.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: But her mother stood by her after her husband had raped or has --
TRUMP: Look, look, you don't know that. You don't know that. You don't know anything. Her mother stood by, didn't stand by. Her mother went on
television and said that the daughter who's running for governor of Ohio is a liar and a bad person. And that's all I know. Whether --
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: But the stepfather raped her.
TRUMP: Nobody knows, nobody knows anything. Can I be honest? You shouldn't even be -- you're -- the press is embarrassing themselves. You're trying to
take a horrible situation --
GIOKOS: All right. President Trump speaking at the White House there. We're continuing to follow all the comments. We'll be back with more news right
after this break. Stick with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
