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Isa Soares Tonight
Pressure on Biden to Ease Restrictions on U.S. Weapons; Ukrainian Hospital Train Transporting Wounded Soldiers; Joe Biden to Meet with Keir Starmer on Friday; Trump and Harris Campaigns in Swing States; Hurricane Francine's Aftermath in Louisiana; "Particularly Dangerous" U.S. Wildfires. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired September 12, 2024 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, pressure mounts on the U.S. to allow
Ukraine to use long-range missiles in the fight against Russia. Antony Blinken says U.S. policy will adapt, so, are we about to see a shift in
strategy?
Plus, this horrific violence must stop. That's the message from the U.N. Secretary General as six UNRWA staff are among those killed in Israeli
airstrikes. We'll speak with the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council Jan Egeland, about whether the situation is worsening.
And a giant leap for a civilian kind, as the first-ever non-professional astronauts take a walk in space. We'll have the details in the trip of a
lifetime and what it means for the future, of course, of space travel. But first, tonight, we could be looking at a tipping point in the war in
Ukraine.
Pressure keeps mounting on U.S. President Joe Biden to lift limits on the use of U.S.-made long-range weapons against Russian territory. Kyiv has
been asking the White House, as you know, for some time to approve the use of these precision-guided missile systems, which you're looking there on
your screen.
The head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Democrat Ben Cardin says the U.S. must quote, "act swiftly and lift restrictions." But his
fellow Senate Democrat Jeff Merkley says it is a weighty issue with the risks of further escalation. While pressed today, while visiting Poland,
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken would only say their American policy will adapt. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE, UNITED STATES: And as what Russia is doing has changed as the battlefield has changed. We've adapted and as
you've seen through the provision of some of the most sophisticated weapon systems we've had through the extraordinary provision of military
assistance.
Overall, more than a $100 billion from the United States, the sharing of Intelligence and many other things at every step along the way as
necessary. We've adapted and we've adjusted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, we'll go to our Fred Pleitgen in Kyiv in just a moment. But first, I want to go to Alex Marquardt, who joins us from Washington. So,
Alex, we heard that little clip of Secretary Blinken basically saying that the battlefield has changed and it has changed, I think from what I've
heard from many on the ground, including our own correspondents. This changed some time ago.
And now, we're hearing these growing calls to lift restrictions. What are you hearing about a possible timeline as to when this may happen?
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly, Isa, the pressure is growing, and this is language that we've
heard from Secretary Blinken in the past, that as the battlefield shifts, as it evolves, then too does American policy evolve, and indeed it has.
We have seen that growing list of American weaponry getting bigger and bigger that was -- has been sent to Ukraine. We've seen the U.S. allow
Russia -- Ukraine to fire into Russia with some of its missiles. The question at hand here, Isa, is whether Ukraine can use the longest-range
missiles that the U.S. has given to Ukraine inside of Russia.
These are missiles that fly some 300 kilometers, they're called ATACMS, and there is significant concern among the Biden administration that, that
could really escalate the fight and really provoke Russia in a way to really make their fight bigger against Ukraine. Now, at the same time, the
pressure really is building.
There's some speculation, Isa, that perhaps David Lammy; the U.K. Foreign Secretary and Secretary Blinken, while they were in Kyiv yesterday, might
announce that Ukraine could use not just the ATACMS, but the British Storm Shadows missiles are kind of an equivalent inside of Russia, that didn't
come.
So, what we're all watching right now is this meeting tomorrow between President Biden and the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer here in
Washington. We don't know whether that announcement is going to be made, but certainly, when you listen to what is being said by Secretary Blinken
and others, when you start to read the tea leaves, you could -- it might not be surprising that this announcement could come soon.
That pressure building not just from Ukrainian officials, and we've seen them coming through Washington lately. But as you noted from members of
President Biden's own party, Jeanne Shaheen from New Hampshire Senator, Senator Ben Cardin; the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
[14:05:00]
But there are concerns, as I mentioned, about that fear of escalation. There are also concerns about the supply of these missiles. These ATACMS
are -- have a -- there's a finite supply, they are not endless. And so, the U.S. thinks that they could be better used elsewhere, perhaps in eastern
Ukraine that has occupied Russia, perhaps in Crimea.
There's also some question about how effective they might be, yes, the Ukrainians might be able to target far off air fields. But if not done in
conjunction with other military maneuvers, that Ukraine might not be able to do. They might not just be effective. So, there's a debate on multiple
fronts, but no question, Isa, if the U.S. were to approve this.
This would be a significant political victory for the Ukrainians, and really send a message, not just to Russia, but the rest of the world about
American continued support for Ukraine in their fight against Russia.
SOARES: Yes, the tone seems to be shifting even though there are concerns. Thank you very much, Alex. And Fred, stand by for us because I want to
delve a bit deeper into what Alex was talking about. These ATACMS and what they are, and why Ukraine wants to use them to strike targets deep inside
Russia.
Let me show you then. So, they're basically called ATACMS, they're Army Tactical Missile System, and they're long-range guided missiles, you can
see there. They're produced in the United States, and these can travel up to 300 kilometers, about 190 miles, and can be launched from a mobile
launcher.
They can either carry a single warhead or hundreds of smaller bomblets. Now, we know that Ukraine has been hitting Russia more frequently, like
this one, this attack in the Moscow region just earlier this week, but these have been with drones. And Alex just -- Alex has just told you, in
fact, we heard from him, there is growing pressure now on President Biden to lift the restrictions on Kyiv.
The Institute for the Study of War found that there are more than 200 legitimate Russian military and paramilitary objects that are in range of
Ukrainian ATACMS. Have a look at that. I mean, it's worth noting that U.S. Intelligence indicates that Russia has already relocated many of their
fields out of the ATACMS range, and those are right here in the screen as you can see.
That gives you a sort of idea of the potential for those targets. So, let me bring Fred Pleitgen in, who's covered this, he knows this region very
well. So, Fred, just speak to the risks and opportunities for Ukraine because they have been calling for these ATACMS for some time, Fred.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, Isa, the Ukrainians are saying this risk of escalation they believe is
not as big as many in the West might think. One of the things that Ukraine keep pointing out is that, they have actually been hitting Russia with
longer-distance weapons of their own-making over the past couple of months.
And you alluded to one of the big attacks that happened just a few days ago, where the Russians say they had to shoot down more than 140 Ukrainian
drones. Obviously, it seems as though some of those drones did reach their destination, obviously caused a lot of damage on the ground.
But the Ukrainians have also shown that they can fly far beyond the Russian capital Moscow. They can fly to the St. Petersburg region and possibly even
beyond that. So, the Ukrainians themselves have already been striking within Russian territory, and they believe that, that's not something that
caused a further escalation than we've already seen.
On the other hand, the Russians are already hitting Ukraine with almost everything that they have as far as conventional weapons are concerned. If
you look at the past couple of weeks really, the increase in ballistic missile attacks, for instance, from the Russians -- and the Ukrainians are
saying if they're able to use these ATACMS missiles against some targets inside Russia, they might be able to hit some of the launch sites, for
instance, for the missiles that are being launched towards Ukrainian territory.
I think one of the things that the U.S. had said, and then which the Ukrainians also acknowledge is that, the airfields that the Russians are
taking off from to launch some of those devastating airdrop bombs called glide bombs, that can be launched from about 60 kilometers away from the
actual frontline, those are probably out of reach.
However, the command and control centers that guide these bombs certainly appear to be within reach. Also, other logistical centers for the Russians
appear to be within reach as well, fuel depots, other things like that. So, the Ukrainians definitely believe that they could get a lot of benefits
from using these longer distance weapons, if they are allowed to.
And I think for them, the ATACMS missiles certainly would be one of the key components of that, if they were allowed to do that. But one of the other
things that we also keep in mind is that there are other long-distance weapons that the Ukrainians would possibly be able to use if they were
allowed to.
Like, for instance, the Storm Shadow missiles that were supplied by the United Kingdom. That of course, with -- paired with an F-16, a western jet
can do a whole lot different things than they've been able to do so far, launching these from older Soviet jets. So, the Ukrainians definitely think
that the benefits could be very big if they get the permission to use these weapons.
SOARES: Yes, if -- let's see, we've been here many times on other materials of course, on the ground and other hardware. We shall see what
happens here. Fred, appreciate it, Fred Pleitgen for us there in Kyiv. And later, we show you the real --the very real, in fact, impact this was
having on Ukrainian soldiers and the country's health system.
[14:10:00]
CNN has gained exclusive access to a hospital train operating in complete secrecy. Have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): As the train rolls on, we make our way to the intensive care unit where several
soldiers are on life support. Bed after bed of broken and battered bodies, lives shattered in an instant, 90 percent of the wounds being treated here
are from shrapnel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And do stay with us for that report in about 20 minutes or so. I want to turn now to the Israel-Hamas war. The United Nations and Gaza
officials say an Israeli airstrike on a school turned-shelter has killed at least 18 people, including six U.N. staff members.
The compound in central Gaza sheltering more than 12,000 displaced Palestinians. Wednesday's attack marks the highest death toll of U.N. staff
in a single incident, and the fifth time the compound has been hit since the war began 11 months ago. The Israeli military calls a quote, "a precise
strike on terrorists operating inside the school."
The U.N. Secretary General calling for an investigation, saying, quote, "the incident must be independently and thoroughly investigated to secure
accountability. The continued lack of effective protection for civilians in Gaza is unconscionable. The Secretary General reiterates his call for an
immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. This horrific violence must stop", he writes.
Our Nic Robertson, striking this story and he joins me now from Tel Aviv in Israel. So, Nic, clearly, plenty of outrage there and understandably so,
from U.N. chief Antonio Guterres. What more are we learning about the strike and the casualties here, Nic?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, 18 people killed, 44 injured, six of them are U.N. workers from the UNRWA agency. This is the
main agency operating inside of Gaza to help Palestinian there, food, schools, shelter, everything that they need at the moment, it's channeled
through UNRWA.
Six of their workers killed, that brings the total now 220 UNRWA workers killed since October 7th. That statistic stands out. The statistic that the
school has been hit five times stands out. The statistic that these UNRWA schools that have become places of shelter for people who have lost their
homes, who need somewhere to go to, to get food and to get water.
That become an absolute dependency for so many people in Gaza, 70 percent of those UNRWA schools in Gaza have now been hit at one time or another by
Israeli strikes since October the 7th. But what we are -- what we are hearing from the U.N. as you said, that Antonio Guterres saying it must
stop, the head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini has tweeted on X, saying that if these strikes are allowed to continue with impunity as they have been
for so long, then this undermines international humanitarian law, it undermines the Geneva Conventions, makes them in effect that they cease to
have a relevance is what they're saying.
Now, the IDF have come back and they've said very specifically and clearly, that they were targeting Hamas operatives, they said, who were using the
place, the school as a command and control facility. And the IDF has actually named three of the people they say were members of Hamas who they
say were killed.
They say were also working for the U.N., working for UNRWA. Now, UNRWA has looked at those names and have said there's nothing that the IDF has given
us and the IDF has given UNRWA lists of names of people they say are on their payroll at the U.N., who are actually members of Hamas.
The U.N. is saying those names don't appear on any of those lists. So, the U.N. is clearly pushing back about this contentious issue. Is not the first
time that UNRWA and the IDF have split views of about the IDF's claims that people were members of Hamas or not. However, in this situation, the net
result is that all the innocent Palestinians who are in schools around Gaza looking for protection, looking for food are vulnerable because the IDF
believes that the way to target Hamas if they think they're in these schools where there are civilians then they will target them.
The IDF says it does its best to avoid civilian casualties, but civilians are getting killed nonetheless, Isa?
SOARES: Indeed, Nic Robertson for us there in Tel Aviv, appreciate it, Nic. Let's get more on this discussion, I want to bring in Jan Egeland;
he's the Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council. And Jan, good to see you. You have as you well know, as our viewers will know, you have
staff on the ground.
[14:15:00]
So, let me get -- first get your reaction to that Israeli strike that you heard our correspondent Nic Robertson talking about, that U.N. school-
turned-shelter, which the IDF says was quote, "a precise strike on terrorists". Your thoughts.
JAN EGELAND, SECRETARY-GENERAL, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL: Well, it's a lie. I mean, they targeted a school filled with both -- housing civilians.
And even if, if, there's a big if, the Hamas did the war crime of having some of their fighters blend into the civilian population, it's still a war
crime to smash the school, kill women, children, aid workers because it's indiscriminate warfare, which the Israelis have undertaken with western
arms continuously since October of last year.
And they have set a world record, world record and killed aid workers, killed children, women, killed nurses, doctors, teachers. It has to end.
And they -- these western powers that have provided arms have their fingerprints all over a crime scene.
SOARES: Yes, and 220 UNRWA staff have died. Important to point out to our viewers since --
EGELAND: Yes --
SOARES: The beginning of this war, and today of course, was the school, but early this week, Jan, as you know, was an Israeli strike on a
humanitarian safe zone, Al Mawasi, right?
EGELAND: Yes --
SOARES: You have teams --
EGELAND: Yes --
SOARES: On the ground. Well, just tell -- just tell us, what are they telling you? What are they reporting back, because they must be so fearful,
but also so helpless at the same time, Jan?
EGELAND: Indeed, I mean, the Norwegian Refugee Council has been in Gaza and the West Bank for more than 20 years. I had 100 colleagues inside Gaza,
still, we have around 50 operational there. Many of these are family mothers and fathers, they fled 6, 7, up to 9 times with their families.
We have had to relocate our offices, our warehouses, our international aid workers time and again, because we're herded around like some kind of
animals by this war machine, 16 relocation orders in August alone, in Al Mawasi, that right, you mentioned, supposed to be the humanitarian safe
zone is now 13 percent of this small area. There are more than 30,000 civilians now per square kilometers.
And even there, Israel is attacking, it has to stop, I've written out to the Foreign Ministers of these western powers that are --
SOARES: Yes --
EGELAND: Our allies, just write them and say, they have an enormous responsibilities to end this, enough of this bloodbath among women and
children and aid workers.
SOARES: Yes, and let me bring in that letter because you have written a letter --
(CLEARS THROAT)
SOARES: Excuse me, to Foreign Ministers of Israel's allies, of course, and in that letter you write -- I'm just going to read part of it, Jan, you
write, "I write to express my deep concern regarding the grave violations of international humanitarian law taking place in Gaza and the West Bank."
And you go on -- "in August alone, Israel issued 16 relocation directives in southern Gaza, displacing over 260,000 Palestinian civilians."
So, we're almost a year now, Jan, into this war. What are you hoping to get out of this letter first of all?
EGELAND: They do their job now. These --
SOARES: Oh, we think -- we're trying to see if we can reconnect --
EGELAND: That they provide arms and pull their support to have -- end this with a ceasefire. They can, they must, and you just heard an important
report now from Ukraine, for the war, it is astronomical hypocrisy that it is -- the West is so concerned with occupation in Ukraine, but not when
done by Israel. The killing of civilians by the hands of Russia, horrible things, same is done by Israel. They had -- they have become consistent in
their moral policies.
SOARES: On that letter, Jan, did you get a response? Did anyone acknowledge your letter and your concerns. Is -- you know, as Secretary-
General, the Norwegian Refugee Council, what have you heard?
EGELAND: Not so far, but I do get an answer back. I mean, we are getting funding from these countries. They are -- we are among their most important
tools in terms of humanitarian work.
[14:20:00]
They listen to us, I hope they are reading the letter that we worked on with our own lawyers, international experts in humanitarian law, where we
also told them that International Court of Justice have come in now with an opinion that binds these member states of the U.N. to act against Israel as
they are doing this illegal occupation on the West Bank and in Gaza, that are costing too many civilian lives, they have to act.
Of course, we condemn what Hamas is doing. Of course, we condemn their horrific taking of hostages still, et cetera. But this is a state, this is
a member of the U.N., and this is an ally of the West that is undermining also the western policies in Ukraine and elsewhere.
SOARES: And, you know, you mentioned the West Bank. We have been seeing growing escalation, I think it's fair to say, of violence pretty much
playing out there, airstrikes in the north killing eight Palestinians according to local health officials. And again, Israel says it's targeting
terrorists. And of course, just last week, as you well know, Jan, we saw a Turkish-American activist who was killed by the IDF --
EGELAND: Yes --
SOARES: Who says she was shot indirectly and unintentionally. I mean, just your reaction to this growing violence.
EGELAND: It is terrible. I mean, it seems that the IDF, international -- Israeli Defense Force are out of control. I know Israel well, I have many
friends there. I studied there, my brother was in the Kibbutz in 1967. I knew Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres very well. The IDF was a profession of
course, that we respected and admired.
It is -- they have lost control over -- of these soldiers that are getting Western arms, including the killing of this poor girl that was a peaceful
protester after the protest was over. It's just horrific. What they did in Jenin with -- where they put in the war machine into a refugee camp, yes,
there were militants there.
But they erased large part of a large refugee camp. It's totally indiscriminate. And the settlers that are terrorists, the Israeli illegal
settlers acts as terrorists with impunity. Where's the -- where's the IDF, the Israeli soldiers, when women and children are beaten and killed by
these settlers. It is -- it is a terrible mistake done by the U.S. and others, they're not the infirmary(ph) here, and having a consistent role as
a military force in Ukraine as well as an issue.
SOARES: Yes, Jan Egeland, always great to get you on the show, really appreciate you, Jan, thank you very much.
EGELAND: Thank you. Thank you.
SOARES: And still to come tonight, going out for a walk, the Polaris Dawn crew has stepped into history books with today's spacewalk. We'll see
what's next. Plus, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are making their push for the U.S. presidency. We'll tell you which key states they are visiting
today. We'll bring you both those stories after this very short break. You are watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:25:00]
SOARES: Reaching new heights in space. Humanity has now accomplished its first ever commercial spacewalk. Hear what the Polaris Dawn mission
commander had to say while gazing at the view and what have you, it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The first views of the first-ever commercial spacewalk.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm at the bottom of the mobile(ph) here production(ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have a feeling the crowd is about to go wild.
(CHEERS)
JARED ISAACMAN, MISSION COMMANDER, POLARIS DAWN: At SpaceX, back at home, we all have a lot of work to do, but from here looks surreal(ph), looks
like a perfect world.
(CHEERS)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Commander Jared Isaacman, now emerging from --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Copy, your temperature is one, watching from the nose cone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: A perfect world, Jared Isaacman there seen here, crawls out of the spacecraft hours ago, the crew also include a retired U.S. Air Force pilots
Scott Poteet and SpaceX engineers, Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis. The Polaris program has big goals beyond this mission. Space and defense correspondent
Kristin Fisher takes a closer look for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE & DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, up until a few hours ago, the only people who had ever conducted spacewalks
were professional government astronauts that had the backing of big, powerful countries like the United States, Russia and China. That all
changed with the world's first commercial spacewalk.
Meaning you had a spacecraft and a space suit that was designed and built by a private company, SpaceX. And the space suits were worn by civilian
astronauts. And so, the significance of that is that, you know, the private sector can typically do things a whole lot faster and for a whole lot less
money than big governments can.
And so, this is really a continuation of a trend that we've seen for the last 10 to 20 years or so. And that is the shift of human space exploration
to the private sector. And also this trend towards the democratization of space, opening up space flight to people other than just professional
astronauts.
And so, what we saw when these private astronauts, the crew of Polaris Dawn emerged from the hatch of the Dragon capsule was, they were really testing
out how this brand new space it -- space suit felt in space, how it moved.
They were testing out the mobility of the suit, how the joints felt, how well they could grip things with their hands, and then they're feeding back
all of that data to SpaceX engineers on the ground, who can go back, make some refinements with the ultimate goal being that this was just the first
iteration of this space suit that someday may be worn by people on Mars.
Because that is SpaceX's ultimate goal to land humans on Mars, ultimately colonize Mars and make humanity multi-planetary. So, today's first
commercial spacewalk, really one small step, maybe even a big step towards that ultimate goal. Kristin Fisher, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And still to come tonight, CNN goes inside a secret Ukrainian hospital train transporting injured troops. We meet the medics as well as
frontline troops risking their lives for their country. We'll ask the candidates running for the White House are campaigning today in key states,
we'll have a live report with their pitch to voters.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:00]
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Welcome back, everyone. Returning to our top story, pressure is building on the Biden administration to ease
restrictions on Ukraine's use of western weapons inside Russia. Ukraine has long called for the ability to strike deeper inside Russia with U.S.-
provided weapons. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaking in Poland today, hinted those restrictions may soon be lifted. He said the U.S. will
adapt as the war changes.
Well, CNN has gained exclusive access to a medical evacuation train used by the Ukrainian army to transport injured soldiers from the frontline. This
hospital on wheels is operating in complete secrecy, which is why CNN is not revealing its route or identifying its staff by their full names. Our
Christiane Amanpour speaks to the people who help keep the train running and the injured soldiers being cared for. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): On a hot late summer morning, departure time is fast approaching at this railway
station in Ukraine. But this is no ordinary train, it's a hospital on wheels, evacuating dozens of wounded military personnel away from the
Eastern Front as Russia's brutal offensive grinds on.
Paramedics carefully loading patient after patient, many of them unconscious, onto repurposed carriages. It's a highly organized special
operation and it's never been seen before. CNN gained unprecedented and exclusive access to what so far has remained a closely guarded military
secret.
Before the train moves off, I meet 35-year-old Oleksandr, wounded by a drone strike, which has caused him to go deaf in one ear. His call sign is
Positive, but he doesn't feel it.
OLEKSANDR, UKRAINIAN SOLDIER: Very tired, but hard times, and we must --
OLEKSANDR (through translator): -- keep fighting no matter how hard it is.
[14:35:00]
AMANPOUR: Do you have enough people, enough weapons to defend?
OLEKSANDR: No.
AMANPOUR: You don't have enough?
OLEKSANDR (through translator): No, enough. No. There aren't enough people, and there definitely aren't enough weapons.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): As the train rolls on, we make our way to the intensive care unit, where several soldiers are on life support. Bed after
bed of broken and battered bodies, lives shattered in an instant. 90 percent of the wounds being treated here are from shrapnel.
And yet, many of these patients know they'll be patched up just to be sent back to the front as soon as possible. This train and its cargo sum up
Ukraine's state of military affairs. Mostly ordinary citizens who've answered the call. Outmanned, outgunned by Russia, and yet, still putting
up a hell of a fight.
Nurse Yulia makes this journey twice a week.
AMANPOUR: How do you feel being in here with these very badly wounded soldiers? How does it make you feel?
I'm an empathetic person, so it's difficult, she tells me. But you have to switch off your feelings at the moment of work, and later you can reflect.
And the story of frontline morale is on display here too. If electrician Oleksandr was feeling down after 18 months fighting this brutal war,
Stanislaw, who signed up in March, is still full of patriotic fervor. He can still summon a smile, even though he has shrapnel in his body and
damage to his lungs.
STANISLAW (through translator): Personally, I was ready for it. I was ready to trade the shower stall, the good sheets and the bed, the good
conditions that I had at home for a foxhole. I knew where I was going and what I was doing.
OLEKSANDR, UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES MEDIC (through translator): The most difficult part is evacuation from the front line. Combat medics who work on
the front are dying, just like soldiers.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): As these carriages rumble on through fields of gold, think for a moment of history repeating itself in Europe when
thousands of ambulance trains evacuated casualties from World War I's trenches, more than a million to the U.K. alone.
Tonight, darkness descends as we arrive at the destination, and suddenly, there's activity everywhere again. As ambulances line up, collecting and
dispatching to hospitals across the country. On the platform, the railway chief describes his pride and his sorrow.
OLEKSANDR PERTSOVSKYL, CEO, PASSENGER OPERATIONS AT UKRAINIAN RAILWAYS: I see these kids who are saying goodbye to their dads who are heading towards
the frontlines to seeing those same guys coming back effectively unconscious or with amputations, it feels like the price of the war is
incredible.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): Like a conveyor belt, industrial scale conversion of healthy young men and women into this. And yet, as one of them told us,
Ukraine is strong and motivated. While Russia has quantity, we have quality, and we will win.
Christiane Amanpour, CNN, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And tomorrow, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington. Ukraine's use of western
weapons to strike deeper into Russia will be one of the key issues on the agenda. We'll have coverage here on CNN throughout the day.
While the race for the White House is in the final stages, both presidential candidates hitting the campaign trail in earnest for the first
time since Tuesday's debate. Vice President Kamala Harris is trying to show what differences administration can make over the current one, while Former
President Donald Trump is trying to pull ahead by talking about the economy, despite the chaos that can surround his messaging. Both candidates
have rallies today in key swing states, which could, of course, as you know, decide the election.
Let's get more on all of this, joining us now is CNN Politics Senior Reporter Stephen Collinson. Stephen, good to see you. So, both candidates
now returning, as we said, to the campaign trail in those critical swing stays. And I wonder whether we have a sense of how they feel they've done.
Because I read this piece today -- a part of this piece from Karl Rove at the Wall Street Journal. And he writes this, I'm going to read it out. Many
undecided and swing voters will make up their mind less on any single issue than on their visceral reactions to the candidates. Ms. Harris did herself
much good with that crowd Tuesday. Mr. Trump didn't.
[14:40:00]
Will this debate have an effect? Yes, though perhaps not as much as Team Harris hopes or as much as Team Trump might fear. But there's no putting
lipstick on this pig. Mr. Trump was crushed by a woman he previously dismissed as dumb as a rock. Which raises the question, what does that make
him?
So, it might be early, it's a fabulous, fabulous quote. But in terms of polling, and this might be early, Stephen, do we have a sense of who did
better in that debate and whether they were able to convince those key undecided voters?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Not really. You have these flash polls that come out immediately after the debate, which media
organizations do. The one that CNN did showed that probably twice as many people -- undecided voters thought Harris did better than Trump.
Generally, it takes about a week to 10 days for a debate to settle, I think, in the electorate for all of the interpretations to play out. And I
think Rove is right that sometimes we do act a little bit too dramatically in the moments after a debate and think it's going to perhaps change more
than it does. But I think this debate really did lay bare the differences between the candidates.
Trump missed a really good chance to prosecute his case against Harris. She, you know, took another step towards becoming a serious contender and
quite a competent politician after years of people thinking she wasn't really up to it. So, it was very important. Too early really to say what it
will mean on November the 5th.
SOARES: Yes, and on that day, I remember that she got a huge endorsement, of course, from Taylor Swift. And now, we've heard from Donald Trump and J.
D. Vance reacting to Swift's endorsement. I just want to play that. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was not a Taylor Swift fan. It was just a question of time. She's a very
liberal person. She seems to always endorse a Democrat.
SEN. JD VANCE (R-OH), REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We admire Taylor Swift's music, but I don't think most Americans, whether they like
her music or fans of hers or not, are going to be influenced by a billionaire celebrity who I think is fundamentally disconnected from the
interests and the problems of most Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: I mean, how disconnected is she and how effective is that argument that we just heard there?
COLLINSON: Well, the head of the Republican ticket is also a billionaire celebrity. But putting that aside, Swift clearly is an important
endorsement. It's one that the Harris team really wanted. I'm quite skeptical about celebrity endorsements. Most times this could be slightly
different. Taylor Swift has great economic and cultural power. She can get people to show up to places. So, she may have more influence than most
celebrities on young voters who are really difficult to get out.
There've been some figures coming out of some of these voter registration sites in the last few days saying that they had 10 times as many inquiries
after the Taylor Swift endorsement than before their normal daily total. That doesn't mean -- you know, there are 160 million registered voters in
the United States. They got about 450,000 inquiries. We don't know how many people registered.
But in an election where every single vote counts, it could be important. If Taylor Swift, for example, could get 20,000 young Democrats to register
and turn up to vote in Arizona, that could be important because President Joe Biden only won that state by 10,000 votes in 2020. So, you can see how
close these things are.
But as I said, young voters are notoriously difficult to get to the polls, even if you can get them registered. And you know, how much is Taylor Swift
actually going to be willing to play in this election beyond her endorsement? Would it be, for example, a commercially smart decision to
become -- to be seen as a partisan figure? I think that's a big question.
SOARES: Yes.
COLLINSON: So, it is important, and it was welcomed by the Harris campaign. And like most things, it could play at the margins, but clearly,
it's not going to decide the election.
SOARES: Are you a Swifty?
COLLINSON: Say again?
SOARES: Are you a Swifty?
COLLINSON: I don't know. Can't you tell?
SOARES: Sorry, I put you on the spot.
COLLINSON: Just by -- I thought you said, are you 50? Swifty.
SOARES: Oh, my God.
COLLINSON: So --
SOARES: You look like you're 22. Don't worry.
COLLINSON: So, obviously, I'm not a Swifty in that case.
SOARES: Oh, no. But you could be a Swifty at any age, surely.
COLLINSON: That's true. I guess so.
SOARES: Don't tell my kids that. Don't tell my kids that. Stephen, good to see you. Appreciate it. Thanks very much.
COLLINSON: Thanks.
SOARES: And still to come tonight, Francine may no longer be a hurricane, but it remains a threat. The latest in the storm's aftermath in the
southeastern United States.
Plus, it's being called a particularly dangerous wildfire situation in the western United States. We'll report live from the scene of a blaze near Los
Angeles.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:00]
SOARES: Francine is dropping heavy rain across the southern United States, one day after it made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane. And
it has since been downgraded to a tropical depression, but hundreds of thousands of people are without power, and millions are under flood alerts.
Francine's powerful winds downed trees and power lines in parts of Louisiana, while New Orleans received a month's worth of rain just a matter
of hours.
Well, as the storm hits the Gulf Coast, Southern California is on fire. Residents in at least two towns north of Los Angeles have scrambled to
evacuate after a Bridge Fire exploded from a few thousand acres to more than 50,000. That's north of 20,000 hectares.
And it's not the only fire burning around in around -- in around Los Angeles County. To the south, the Airport Fire is threatening communities
between L.A. and San Diego, and fires are burning across the western United States. The National Weather Service in Reno, Nevada calls a particularly
dangerous situation. It does look incredibly dangerous.
Our Stephanie Elam is in Los Angeles County with more on this already devastating fire season. And, Stephanie, I can see the wind is still
picking up, causing perhaps some challenges for firefighters.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Definitely. And has the sunlight comes up, the winds pick up, and that is really dangerous for fire because it
could take a small ember, blow it across, you know a field, a farm and light many other blazes along with it. And that's what you've seen here.
The size of this fire, just the fact that it's over 51,000 acres that have burned here in this part of the San Gabriel Mountains and how quickly it
burned through those acres is just stunning.
I want to show you quickly here behind me. You see that power pole behind me. You see it's tilted. It's because the fire ran through the bottom of
it, burnt it off and it fell over. So, throughout here, there's parts where you see the poles are completely just disintegrated. They're just gone
because of the fire through here.
I was talking to one official, and he told me that it was like an inferno a couple of days right where I'm standing. There's no more vegetation left on
the ground. You see the trees are still there, and I think some of them will make it. But this was just completely devastated when the fire
exploded through here.
They're also having difficulty with resources. As you might imagine with these three very large fires in Southern California, that they're having to
share aircraft to drop fire retardant and water in ways that they normally don't have to. They've also brought in firefighters from different parts of
California and even some firefighters from New Jersey, which is on the east coast, flying those firefighters here, getting them here so that they could
battle this blaze and help them with these three blazes.
One of them, we do know, was started because of arson, and a man has been arrested in that case. One was started by power equipment. They do say that
this was probably unintentional. And this fire, which is the largest, most active fire in California right now, the Bridge Fire, they're not sure what
the cause or the start of it is.
[14:50:00]
And just to put things into perspective, he said, this is the same area where during the winter, they got so much snow that people could not get in
and out of some parts of the San Gabriel Mountains. And now, you look at it dealing with these massive wildfires. It's just been so much on either side
of the scale here in this part of the -- in this part of Southern California. Isa.
SOARES: Yes, and bit of extremes, really. It says a lot about the state of our world. Thanks very much. Stephanie. Good to see you.
Well, days after making landfall as the strongest typhoon Vietnam has seen in decades, the devastation from Yagi continues. State media report nearly
200 people have died and more than 100 are now missing.
The storms heavy rains flooded towns and cities and caused several landslides. In the north of the country, at least 50 people are still
missing after flashfloods swept away a village early in the week. Authorities say search and rescue efforts though are ongoing.
On the strange twist of fate, a typhoon may have been responsible for saving a penguin's life. Six-year-old Pen escaped from a Japanese zoo two
weeks ago. Born in captivity, keepers say they didn't have high hopes for her survival. And then, powerful typhoon hit the region. The storm is
believed to have saved Pen's life by keeping the seas clear from boats and nets she could get tangled in. Her keeper says it's nothing short of a
miracle. And we love that story here on the show.
And still to come tonight, Britain's King Charles breaks his stoic image in a rare occasion with New Zealand's women's rugby team. The delightful
moment just ahead. I love that. Hug it out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. A new tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth is getting a lot of attention, maybe not the kind that was anticipated. The
sculpture was unveiled at Antrim Castle Gardens in Northern Ireland. And it depicts the late -- well, supposedly depicts the late queen in a tweed
skirt, boots and checked vest, wearing a headscarf. Prince Philip is also part of the sculpture. You can see there, we'll show him, there he is. He
looks slightly better, featured by his side. Critics of the bronze statue say that's beautiful, but doesn't look like the queen.
And the New Zealand women's rugby team received the royal treatment while visiting Buckingham Palace. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING CHARLES: A hug?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
KING CHARLES: Why not?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[14:55:00]
SOARES: I love that. At least they didn't tackle him. The team met with King Charles on Wednesday ahead of their match against England. The New
Zealanders also sang for the king, who told them he regretted not being able to visit the country later this year, which he said is on doctor's
orders. Fantastic.
And rock star Jon Bon Jovi found himself in the right place at the right time to help save a life. That place was a pedestrian bridge in Nashville,
Tennessee, where a woman was standing on the other side of the railing, appearing ready to jump. Bon Jovi was filming a music video when he noticed
the woman, the singer, and another person helped lift the woman to safety and gave her a hug. Police say the woman was taken to a hospital and they
thank the singer for coming to her aid. Can we love Bon Jovi anymore?
That does it for us. Thanks very much for your company. Do stay right here. Newsroom with Jim Sciutto is up next. I shall see you tomorrow. Have a
wonderful evening. Bye-bye.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
