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Isa Soares Tonight
Former Abercrombie CEO Arrested for Sex Trafficking Case; Secretary Blinking in the Middle East for an 11th Time; Blinken Pushes for Diplomatic Solution; Israeli Airstrike Kills 18 in Beirut; President Macros Calls for a Ceasefire in Lebanon; Harris and Trump's Final Sprint Before Election Day; Harris and Trump Both Trying to Sway Autoworkers; Paddington Bear Gets British Passport. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired October 22, 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, Israeli airstrikes pound Lebanon and
Gaza as Antony Blinken holds talks with Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, the details of their meeting shortly ahead.
Also this hour, we're just two weeks until the U.S. election, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump make their pitches to voters in a very tight race. We'll
have the latest for you from the campaign trail. And Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes dozens of world leaders to the BRICS Summit with
Ukraine and the Middle East sharply in focus.
But first, tonight, the Biden administration is making what could be its last big push to get a ceasefire in Middle East before those U.S.
elections. But there's no end in sight to the wars in both Gaza and Lebanon. The Lebanese Health Ministry says at least 18 people have been
killed in an Israeli strike outside the main public hospital in Beirut.
Four children are among the dead. The IDF says it was targeting quote, "a Hezbollah terrorist site across the border." The IDF says about 15
projectiles were fired from Lebanon into Israel today, as you can see there. It says some were intercepted, others fell in open areas.
And in northern Gaza, U.N. aid workers say the smell of death is everywhere after weeks of relentless Israeli bombardment. A senior U.N. official warns
that people cannot get food, water or medical care, saying that, yes, quote, "just waiting to die". And U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
pressed Israel's Prime Minister today for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Again, he said Israel should quote, "capitalize" on the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by securing the release of the hostages and ending the
war. I want to bring in Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv, Alex Marquardt is in Washington. And Jeremy, we can talk about that meeting in just a moment.
I'm wondering whether you've got any more information. The news just coming in to CNN that Netanyahu is holding a meeting, a military headquarters to
discuss the response to Iran. What more are you learning on that front first of all?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Israeli Prime Minister is holding the latest of a series of consultations that he has had over the
course of the last few days. And each time we've been told something very similar that there are security consultations happening with the Prime
Minister often at the Israeli military headquarters here in Tel Aviv to discuss a potential response to Iran.
We have been told in the past that those plans are ready to go, and that they simply require the go-ahead from the Israeli Prime Minister. And so,
it seems that we are once again kind of in this same position where it seems like the timeline is getting closer to the point where Israel would
actually carry out those strikes. But we just don't know yet exactly what the timing will look like.
SOARES: And do stay with us, let me just go to Alex, Carlos, what are you hearing on that front? Because of course, we are waiting for Israel to
retaliate. In the meantime, I understand the FBI is investigating the leak of two classified Intelligence documents. Talk to us about this leak,
internal cyber, what more are you learning here?
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly, what we're hearing from U.S. officials would indicate that,
their prevailing view is that this would be a leak rather than a hack from the outside. We know that an investigation has been launched, it's being
led by the FBI, but in conjunction with investigators from the Pentagon.
Because there are two documents, it's just two pages, Isa, and one of them comes from the National Security Agency, the other one comes from what's
called the NGA, they're essentially in charge of satellites and they're very sensitive documents. I mean, they do go into some detail about the
movements of the Israeli Air Force and Navy.
They talk about Israeli missiles, they talk about Israeli nuclear weapons, which as you know, Israel doesn't even acknowledge they are technically
secret, although the worst kept secret in the region. So, that investigation is ongoing. Before Blinken went out to the Middle East, his
spokesman said that the release of these documents, the leak of these documents, he didn't think would disrupt the meetings that Blinken's
having.
It doesn't appear to be affecting too much of the planning about the retaliation against Iran, though we can't be sure of that, but without
question, it is certainly embarrassing and it really does drive home.
[14:05:00]
The point that -- despite the fact that the U.S. and Israel are very much allies, that they do spy on each other, and the U.S. is very interested in
what Israel may be planning for that retaliation against Iran. It's been now three weeks since that strike against Israel by Iran with 180 ballistic
missiles, and Israel has made no secret of the fact that they do plan to retaliate. It's just a question of when and how big that retaliation is
going to be, Isa.
SOARES: Yes, and that meeting currently underway, Israel's military headquarters as Jeremy was saying. An earlier meeting, Jeremy, was between,
of course, a two and a half hour meeting, I should say, between Secretary Blinken and Prime Minister Netanyahu, and we talked about this and the
readout suggests -- from the U.S. side, the need to capitalize, I think was the word on Sinwar's death. Just talk us through the readout from both
sides here.
DIAMOND: Well, it's clear that the topics are at least agreed to between these two sides. There was certainly a focus on the fighting in Gaza, on an
opportunity in the wake of the killing of Yahya Sinwar to bring that war to an end, to seek a deal to free the hostages. Also talking, of course, about
Israel's anticipated retaliation for that barrage of ballistic missiles that Iran fired a couple of weeks ago as well as of course, the conflict in
Lebanon.
But beyond the topics, there is clearly some divergence on how both sides approach these issues. And at the forefront of that is the extent to which
the killing of Sinwar will actually present an opportunity to end the war in Gaza and to reach a deal to free the hostages.
We have heard from the Israeli Prime Minister in recent days some kind of continued defiance, making clear that Israel's war in Gaza will continue
until victory, even as he acknowledged that the killing of Sinwar was an inflection point. In the latest statement today, from the Prime Minister's
office, they say that the Prime Minister, quote, "emphasized that the elimination of Sinwar is likely to have a positive influence on the return
of the hostages and achieving the objectives of the war."
That's not going quite as far as the United States would like in terms of saying that there is clearly a very clear window of opportunity. Now, to
achieve those goals, but it is at least a fig leaf perhaps from the Prime Minister's office, indicating that at least, he believes it will take
things in a positive direction.
But how much time and space will exist between that intention of something heading in a positive direction, and it actually landing there is another
question altogether.
SOARES: Stay with us, Jeremy, let me bring in Alex to this conversation, because as you were speaking -- if we can bring those live pictures up from
Tel Aviv, I think this is important, we are seeing significant crowds there of families, I think of hostages demonstrating -- let's just listen for one
second.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CROWD CHANTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: So, it's 7 minutes past 9:00 in the evening there in Tel Aviv, and what you're looking at, these are live images of families of hostages
demonstrating, protesting outside Secretary Blinken's Tel Aviv hotel, and then demanding a hostage deal. And Alex, just speak to this. This is
Secretary Blinken's 11th trip to the region, and he's come away each time with very little to show.
Speak to the pressure right now with only weeks, two weeks or so to U.S. election here.
MARQUARDT: Well, and that, Isa, certainly plays into this timing as well. The Netanyahu government knows that they may be very well dealing with a
new administration -- well, they will, no doubt, be dealing with a new administration in just a couple of months time, and that there's a good
chance that President Biden's administration will be significantly weakened if President Trump were to win in two weeks.
President Trump certainly being seen as more pro-Israel than President Biden. I was just looking at my phone, Secretary Blinken is due back at the
hotel any moment now, if he's not already there. And so, he is certainly going to be seeing that large presence by these protesters outside of the
hotel.
But I think, Isa, what we're starting to learn, what Jeremy was just describing what is -- what is becoming clear is that Secretary Blinken,
despite the fact that he's been out there almost 11 times since this war started is probably going to come away relatively empty-handed. He went out
there to drive home this message that this is a moment for Israel to end the war in Gaza, to reach a ceasefire, but also to get more aid into the
Gaza Strip.
And when you look at these two different readouts from the State Department and from the Prime Minister's office, yes, there are common points that
Jeremy highlighted, but there are also stark differences, not only in the subject matter, but when -- what they choose to highlight, you look at this
-- the Blinken statement, and they're talking about this need to capitalize on Sinwar's death to provide security for Israelis and Palestinians.
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They go on to talk about the importance of rebuilding Palestinians' lives and for aid to get into Gaza. And that really is not the focus on the
Netanyahu statement which talks about the threat from Iran, when it comes to Gaza, they're not talking about the end of the war or humanitarian aid,
they're talking about the need to continue the fight against Hamas.
And I do agree with Jeremy, the implication that I think we're seeing here is that more military pressure Israel believes is going to get those
hostages home and is going to get to the end of the war. So, I think Blinken is going to leave Israel with yet another example of this Israeli
defiance of the Biden administration. Isa?
SOARES: Alex and Jeremy, appreciate it, thank you both, we'll stay, of course, across the live images coming to us there from Tel Aviv. Let's get
more on this. Our next guest says, quote, "the United States can't just stand by as Israel starves northern Gaza, suggesting the Biden
administration is offering only empty threat."
Josh Rogin is a columnist at "The Washington Post", he's also author of "Chaos Under Heaven". Josh, great to see you, great to have you here on the
show. Look, I think Alex was touching on this. We heard from Jeremy as well. It seems when we look at both these readouts that we've had from
today's meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Secretary Blinken.
It seems like they were in separate meetings almost. What did you make of what came out of that meeting? What? Two-and-a-half hours of meeting here.
JOSH ROGIN, COLUMNIST, THE WASHINGTON POST: Right, well, I agree with Alex and Jeremy that these two readout showed the gaps between the United States
and the government of Israel on what the basic road forward should be. And the U.S. readout was all about diplomacy and the Israeli readout didn't
mention diplomacy.
And that says basically, fundamentally different as you could get. But what's interesting to me is not that they disagreed, but that it's become
so routine that this is the --
SOARES: Yes --
ROGIN: Disagreement, everybody knows this is a disagreement. Blinken knew that before he got on the plane to go there. So, why did he go all the way
to Israel just to, you know, have Netanyahu telling him to pound sand. You know, there -- it's a -- it's a -- it's a kabuki diplomacy.
It's effort to look busy, but everybody knows in Washington that the Biden administration is not willing to use pressure against Netanyahu, and
they're not about to start now and will be a lame-duck in about two weeks time.
SOARES: Let me -- let me -- just expand on this, because you know, this is his 11th trip to the region, expectations that you know, as we've been
hearing time and time again are low even after Yahya Sinwar -- Sinwar's, I should say, killing. President Biden called this, as you all know, Josh, an
opportunity to seek a path to peace. So, what is the point? What is the point then of the mission, not just for both sides here?
ROGIN: I think it's a PR move. It's basically --
SOARES: Yes --
ROGIN: Public relations, media relations effort by the Biden administration to do the only thing that they can -- the only thing they
can think of doing, which is to, you know, meet with everybody, repeat exactly what they have said all along and watch their calls for a
ceasefire, and you know, more humanitarian aid to Gaza, et cetera, go completely ignored by the Netanyahu administration. It's not new, it's been
going on for quite a long time and their ability to influence this situation is only going down because --
SOARES: Yes --
ROGIN: The election is in two weeks, and if -- and so, they know that. So, they're just trying to look busy, and you know, the result is that Blinken
was embarrassed --
SOARES: Yes --
ROGIN: And I think he lost faith, but I guess that was the calculation they made.
SOARES: A PR move to serve who here? I mean, is this to serve Kamala Harris with two weeks to go to U.S. election? Just expand on that for our
viewers right around --
ROGIN: Sure --
SOARES: The world.
ROGIN: You know, on the one hand, of course, the Biden administration is trying to play a role for Harris by, you know, making sure that the
administration's record is staunch on Israel as she sort of tries to hint and wink and nod to the Arab and Muslim-American communities that she'll do
something different for Gaza if elected. And that's the kind of like sort of shell game that they've been playing again for several months. It's not
--
SOARES: Yes --
ROGIN: Working. You know, the pro-Israel critics of the Biden administration are not swayed by this type of thing. And the Muslim and
Arab-American communities don't -- are skeptical of Harris' -- you know, talk about a different policy. So, they're stuck. It's not really the Biden
administration's fault, it's a terrible situation --
SOARES: Yes --
ROGIN: But no, they're doing things because it's better than not doing anything, but that's about it.
SOARES: And you know, as you all know, you've written this in your piece, President Biden has set a 30-day deadline, right? To try to push Israel to
try and improve what it calls the humanitarian situation in Gaza. In your opinion piece for "The Washington Post", you write this, "the Biden
administration created a moral hazard by threatening a cutoff of military assistance in April, but then not following through when Israel didn't
comply."
You then go on to say, Josh, you said, "Biden promised to restore America's moral leadership, but that promise is meaningless if it doesn't extend to
the millions of Palestinians whose lives hang in the balance."
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Why do you think one, it did that? What was it? Last week, the week before last, creating 30 days deadline which would then put it after U.S.
election. Why not right now? And speak to the impact this has on voters in the United States in this election?
ROGIN: Sure, well, I mean, again, this is my opinion as a commentator --
SOARES: Yes --
ROGIN: But I think it's downright scandalous that the State Department and USAID experts, you know, made a determination that was overruled by the top
levels of the Biden administration to allow military sales to continue, despite the fact that there was plenty of evidence that the laws governing
those sales have been broken by Israel's systematic denial of humanitarian aid to large parts of Gaza.
Now, how that -- the 30-day deadline factors in, I think it's pretty clear. You know, if it's after the election. And if Harris wins, nobody would
think that the Biden administration is going to start a confrontation with Israel in that lame-duck's -- they call it lame duck for a reason because
they would be handing a new President Harris a terrible problem, they're not going to do that.
And if Trump wins, of course, there's no pressure campaign against Netanyahu that can work, because all he has to do is wait for Trump to come
back anyway. So, that whole threat of I'll punish you later for something that I don't like today is an empty threat and they know it and the
Israelis know it.
But again, it sort of makes them look like they're doing something about an issue I'm sure they care about, I'm sure Tony Blinken genuinely --
SOARES: Yes --
ROGIN: Cares about getting more humanitarian aid into Gaza. He's just not willing to do anything about it. And there's the rub.
SOARES: Can I ask you very quickly because we're running out of time, Josh, I mean, if Kamala Harris --
ROGIN: Sure --
SOARES: Wins, what do we expect to see vis-a-vis Israel and Gaza in terms of policy, because there has been some ambiguity here.
ROGIN: Right -- no, it's a great question and I've done -- I've talked to people I trust inside the Harris campaign in the White House who are in a
position to know -- and what they tell me is that you can expect basically more of the same. That in essence, the policy won't change for better or
worse.
Now, that will please some, that will anger some, but this is what you'll see. I don't think Vice President Harris in her heart of hearts is any more
willing to start a confrontation by -- with Israel, by withdrawing -- withholding military aid, than Biden is. You know, they basically agree and
so that you could expect this situation of tension between the two sides, but without a real break that neither side wants to continue. But -- and
then if Trump wins, I think all bets are off.
SOARES: Josh Rogin, as always, really appreciate your insight, thank Josh.
ROGIN: Any time.
SOARES: Well, Josh and I were talking about U.S. election, of course, that is two weeks, that's all that's left in the U.S. presidential race with the
American electorate still bitterly divided and the race still too close to call. Both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are reaching out to Latino voters
today, the Vice President is not on the campaign trail, but will be doing interviews with "NBC News" and the Spanish language "Telemundo Network".
She's expected to discuss the rollout of her economic plan targeting Latino men. Earlier today, the former President joined a roundtable discussion
with Latino leaders in Miami, will once again unleash a flurry of baseless insults directed at Harris.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: There's something wrong with her too. She's slow, low IQ-something, I don't know what the
hell it is. Who the hell takes off -- we have 14 days left and she'll take a couple of more days off too. You know why? She's lazy as hell and she's
got that reputation. She's a radical left lunatic, she's further left than Bernie Sanders or Pocahontas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, those comments coming just days after Harris accused Trump, now the oldest presidential candidate in history of becoming increasingly
unstable and unhinged. We are covering both campaigns as we do right here every day. Our Priscilla Alvarez is in Wisconsin for Harris event featuring
former President Barack Obama, a Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz and Alayna Treene who is tracking the Trump camp for us.
Alayna, let me start with you today, and this focus on the Latino vote. Just talk us through how Trump is trying to court that vote.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, I think there's no question, Isa, that both campaigns right now are trying to court that vote. I'm sure Priscilla
will talk about how the Harris campaign is trying to do that. But the reason for it, I think is also very important, especially because we know
that Donald Trump, he did that roundtable this morning with Hispanic leaders.
But he has canceled similar roundtables over in recent weeks, really as he's been adding more and different events to his calendar. I think the
reason that he kept it shows how important this is, and it's really because at this stage with just 14 days now until November 5th, his campaign is
really going after a core demographics that includes like you said, the Hispanic vote, but up specifically, Hispanic men. But then also black men
and suburban women, and women really at large.
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And that's because this election, Donald Trump's team believes is going to be incredibly close and could be won on the margins. And so, any type of
voters that they can either siphon away from the Harris campaign --
SOARES: Yes --
TREENE: Or potentially turn out, particularly those low propensity voters they think are going to be crucial into getting him over the finish line.
Now, to talk about some of what the former President discussed today, clearly you could hear him ramping up those attacks on Harris. I think it's
very clear that at this point, his rhetoric has become much more dark.
We talked yesterday about how it's become more vulgar, more profane. I don't think that's going to change in the next two weeks. He is really
leaning into more of those personal attacks. But then as far as messaging on courting some of the Hispanic vote, he talked a lot about the economy,
about energy, classic Trump issues that they believe he polls better on than Kamala Harris and the Democrats.
But he also talked a lot about the border, which was interesting. He made some very harsh comments particularly about undocumented migrants crossing
over the southern border, which isn't surprising when it's coming from Donald Trump. But some people had reached out to me, asking, does that
actually help when he is targeting Hispanic voters?
What the Trump campaign argues is yes, it does. They believe that, that issue is just as important to Hispanic voters in this country as anyone
else, any other Americans that they are targeting. And that's in part because they believe that many of these people are here legally, they were
able to immigrant -- immigrate and not just -- you know, the ones who did immigrate into the U.S. illegally, that is actually very important issue
for them. And when i talk to a lot of, you know, pro-Trump immigrants on the trail, they do cite that as one of their top issues.
SOARES: Right, let me go to Priscilla then, because Vice President Harris, from what I understand, Priscilla, is expected to tape this interview with
"Telemundo Today", and she's unveiling these economic plans for Latino voters. Talk us through the strategy here, Priscilla.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this isn't necessarily introducing new economic proposals so much as elevating her policies and
trying to appeal to those Latino voters by illustrating how it could improve their lives, being on affordability, on housing, and job
opportunities.
And this is very similar to what we saw at the Harris campaign do, when they were trying to appeal to black men, especially young black men. So,
it's a similar strategy that they are deploying to -- again, more detail, essentially, how these proposals could help Latino voters because when you
look at the polling, she is still outpacing former President Donald Trump when it comes to support among Latinos.
But if you look at it, historically, she is lagging where the Democratic nominees have been. In addition to that, if you break down the polling, she
is doing far better with Hispanic women than she is with Hispanic men, with Hispanic men, she's pretty evenly-split. So, the campaign realizes that
they still need to shore up support among Latinos, and they are trying to walk down this part of the coalition, not only through these public
overtures, but also in private with their surrogates.
So, certainly, that's going to be part of her focus when she participates in the interview later today. And again, as you heard there from Alayna,
there's a broad range of issues that matter to Latino voters. It's not just focused on immigration, but economy like many other voters, is still top of
mind.
So, her challenge according to sources is to overcome that by describing how her economic policies and proposals could again improve their lives.
Isa.
SOARES: Priscilla and Alayna, thank you very much, ladies, appreciate it. And still to come tonight, Russia hosts an array of world leaders at the
annual BRICS Summit. We'll look at who's there and why the event matters to Vladimir Putin. Plus, the former CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch has been
arrested on charges related to running an international sex-trafficking business. We have the details for you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:25:00]
SOARES: World leaders from major emerging economies have gathered in Russia for a summit hosted by Vladimir Putin. The three-day event is known
as the BRICS Summit. And observers say, one of its aims is to show that western attempts to isolate the Russian President have failed.
This is the first meeting of the group since it expanded earlier this year to include Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Iran. It's also the
largest international gathering President Putin has hosted since the start of the war in Ukraine nearly three years ago. Our Clare Sebastian has more
now on the day's events.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, Russia had trailed this summit as possibly the largest foreign policy event it had ever
hosted, promising that representatives of 36 countries would be there, the first meeting of this expanded BRICS group, now nine members strong. And
Russia wasted no time rolling out the red carpet.
This was a Russian fighter jet even escorting Chinese Premier Xi Jinping's plane as he landed in the southern Russian city of Kazan. Well, these
optics, the handshakes, the photo-ops, the 17 bilateral meetings that Putin said it'd be holding during these few days. All of this, a way for Russia
to show the West just two weeks before the U.S. election, not only that it attempts to isolate Putin over the invasion of Ukraine have failed, but
that this group offers a bigger, better, faster growing alternative to the U.S. and western-led world order.
China's Xi Jinping saying the BRICS would be systemically important in the formation of a multi-polar world. Well, Russia to that end is hoping to
rally BRICS members to back a new cross-border payment system, part of a strategy to erode the U.S. dominance over global finances and circumvent
sanctions.
And of course, there's no way to avoid the issue of war as dignitaries arrived in Kazan. Russian shells killed three people, including a child in
Ukraine's border region of Sumy. Well, India's Prime Minister who was attempting to balance relations with Russia and the West urged Russia to
work for peace.
NARENDRA MODI, PRIME MINISTER, INDIA (through translator): Your Excellency, regarding the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, we
are in regular contact. As I said earlier, we believe that problems should be resolved peacefully. We fully support the earliest possible
establishment of peace and stability.
SEBASTIAN: Russia now emboldened by this international spotlight has shown no sign it's prepared to compromise. Putin telling reporters ahead of the
summit, Russia was ready to continue this fight and was confident of victory. Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Sources tell CNN that Mike Jeffries; the former CEO of popular clothing brand Abercrombie and Fitch, has been arrested on charges related
to sex trafficking. The indictment alleges that Jeffries and two associates engaged in a sex-trafficking scheme involving young men with model-run
aspirations between 2008 and 2015.
A source also says that they would engage in sex-themed parties involving drugs, alcohol and Viagra. All three defendants were arrested early on
Tuesday and will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date. Jeffries served as CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch from 1992 until
2014 when the company announced his retirement.
I want to get the latest from Brynn Gingras who joins us from New York. So, Brynn, just talk us through these alleged charges here.
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, you laid out those dates nicely, Isa. Those dates that you gave the seven-year period or
what's alleged in this indictment, and during that time Jeffries was CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch, and prosecutors here in the Eastern District of New
York essentially say he used that power, he used that wealth to recruit young men, some as young as 19 years old, and bring them, fly them
sometimes globally, sometimes even pay them to come to hotel rooms and houses and engage in these sort of sex themed parties.
And all of these men are most of them or more of them, at least, had some sort of aspiration to be a model or to have some sort of employment with
Abercrombie and Fitch or somehow further their careers with knowing, of course, Jeffries.
Now, one of those defendants is also Jeffries' partner. And these alleged sex themed parties. Prosecutors say that those two men would feed these
young men, aspiring models, you know, drugs and alcohol, Viagra, muscle relaxers and essentially make them perform a sex acts.
Now, this first came to light, these allegations, last year when the BBC had a documentary when some of the men came forward. And since then, a
federal investigation opened up and this is the fruits of that labor now criminal indictments against Jeffries, his romantic partner and also a
third man who they described as sort of a middleman with this operation. But it does seem like a widespread global sex trafficking scheme that
prosecutors have now placed criminal charges on Jeffries and others for.
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: I know you'll stay across this for us, Brynn. Appreciate it. Thank you very much. Brynn Gingras there.
And still to come tonight, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the Middle East with an 11th -- for an 11th time, I should say. But what hopes
is there for a diplomatic breakthrough to de-escalate the crisis? We'll look at that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back. Our top story this hour, President Biden's leading diplomat, Antony Blinken, is in Israel once more, pushing for a diplomatic
solution to the escalating crisis in the Middle East.
The U.S. hopes to move forward with negotiations to return the hostages and to end the war in Gaza, in the wake, of course, of Hamas leader Yahya
Sinwar's death.
[14:35:00]
This visit marks Secretary Blinken's 11th trip to the region since October the 7th of last year. Meantime, this is a scene in Lebanon, when an Israeli
strike killed eight people. 18 people, including four children, outside the country's largest public hospital in Beirut, underscoring the urgency to
improve humanitarian conditions and bring this to an end.
It's not just the U.S. pushing on the diplomatic front. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to hold a conference this week calling for a
ceasefire in Lebanon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): It's in this context that France calls on Israel to end its military operations, not to
extend its ground action there, and to respect Lebanon's sovereignty as well as its obligations to the United Nations, particularly with regards to
UNIFIL.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And this comes as relations between President Macron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deteriorate over the wars in Gaza and
Lebanon. For more I'm joined now by Rym Momtaz. He is the editor in chief of Carnegie Europe's blog "Strategic Europe" and specializes in foreign
relations between the Middle East and Europe. A well-known face here on the show.
Rym, great to have you back in the show. As we've just laid out there for our viewers, you know, France is expected to hold this international
conference over the crisis in Lebanon this week. What is France, in your view, and what you are hearing hoping to get out of this? And more
importantly, what is Macron been doing behind the scenes diplomatically?
RYM MOMTAZ, EDITOR IN CHIEF OF CARNEGIE EUROPE'S BLOG "STRATEGIC EUROPE": Good to be with you, Isa. France has basically three objectives in holding
this conference on Thursday, they want to use their convening, basically, diplomatic power in order to push three things. The first one is to try to
corral enough diplomatic support for a ceasefire, at least in Lebanon. Unfortunately, right now, there isn't that kind of consensus, even from the
U.S. side. For example, the U.S. doesn't seem to be in an extreme hurry to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Second of all, France is trying to coordinate and mobilize massive material support for the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Internal Security Forces
because they will be very important in making sure that the Lebanese State doesn't further fail and is able to get through this aggression by Israel.
And then lastly, of course, they need to coordinate massive humanitarian aid, because, just to give a sense to our viewers, in two weeks of Israeli
aggression at this level of escalation, about 20 percent of the Lebanese population was forcibly displaced. That's the equivalence of basically
eight times the population of New York City.
In a territory, the entire country of Lebanon is as big as basically Connecticut State. So, the humanitarian needs are massive, especially given
that the Lebanese State is basically bankrupt and has been since 2019.
SOARES: And we heard, I think it was last week, President Biden basically say that we think there's a possibility of working towards a ceasefire in
Lebanon, and it's going to be harder in Gaza. I wonder why that -- you know, what you're hearing in terms of diplomatic circles. Why a ceasefire
in Lebanon's proved so difficult from -- just from the French perspective?
Because I asked this, Rym, because almost a month ago on the -- let me get my date, on the 24th of September, senior U.S. officials were basically
telling CNN that President Biden and President Macron together with other nations were going to announce the ceasefire proposal between Israel and
Hezbollah. That clearly didn't happen. Do we know now? Just give us a sense of what you're hearing behind the scenes.
MOMTAZ: I think you're right to bring that up. So, that was at the U.N. General Assembly in New York about a month ago, and the U.S. and France
thought that they had an agreement on principle from both Lebanon, which includes Hezbollah, and of course, Israel.
The Lebanese side basically held up its end of the deal. When the prime minister of Lebanon arrived in New York, he made the statement that they
had all agreed to make, indicating that Lebanon and so, Hezbollah, was open to a ceasefire and supported a ceasefire.
The same was expected from the Israeli prime minister, but instead, he surprised France, at least, and perhaps the U.S., by instead getting --
eliminating the secretary general of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, in Lebanon, and basically scuttling this attempt at a ceasefire. I mean, I
don't think it's a big secret to reveal that the French felt kind of betrayed by that move.
The U.S. system seems to be divided. Some people, some advisers in the White House seem to think that now is an opportunity through the Israeli
action and the ability of Israel to penetrate in such a way, actually, with its intelligence gathering, Hezbollah.
[14:40:00]
This is an opportunity to reshape the Middle East and change the power dynamics that have been way in favor of Iran and change that around. But of
course, we know how a previous attempt at doing that in 2003 in Iraq ended.
SOARES: And it's no secret, Rym, to talk -- when we talk about Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Biden, they haven't been the best of
friends, right? The relationship has deteriorated. How about with President Macron? Because there have been, as of late, several spats between both
leaders.
MOMTAZ: Yes, I think there's a big difference between those two sets of relationships. One, because no matter what, Israel is very dependent on the
U.S. But of course, France doesn't provide any kind of vital weapons that would be necessary for Israel to continue its war in Gaza and in Lebanon.
And so, it costs less for Netanyahu to basically turn Macron into an international punching bag in order to gain points with his own domestic
public among others.
SOARES: Let's focus on Europe and what Europe is doing or not doing, because in your last article you write, and I'm quoting you here, "Despite
repeated assertions of the E.U.'s geopolitical power and the multifaceted potential adverse effects on Europe of the Lebanon in crisis, there is
mostly deafening silence and inertion from the continent.
Why is that? Because like I said, some European countries have cards to play here.
MOMTAZ: Yes, some European countries do have cards to play and we're seeing them be very active. France, of course, but also Italy. We saw the
prime minister, Meloni, go to Lebanon this week. Spain, Poland and actually Slovenia have been very active.
But the issue with the E.U., as always, is its internal division. You have countries like Germany or Austria that clearly, are very much against any
kind of pressure, any kind of diplomatic initiative by the Europeans to try to get Israel to change course. And, of course, there's a need also to put
that pressure and exert that pressure on Iran on the other side that is continuing to make sure that Hezbollah continues this war, for example, in
Lebanon.
Unfortunately, the Europeans can't seem to decide, but that's also part of the stakes for Macron's conference on Thursday, trying to get a bit more
consensus among the Europeans, who seem to at least agree on the need to protect the U.N. peacekeepers at the Lebanese-Israeli border that have come
under attack over the past couple of weeks by Israel, but that were also attacked by Hezbollah in the past.
And one has to remember that these European countries, 13 European countries contribute about a third of the U.N. Peacekeepers in that
mission, UNIFIL.
SOARES: Rym, always great to get your insight. Good to see you. Rym Momtz there. Thank you. Live from Paris.
MOMTAZ: Thank you.
SOARES: And still to come tonight, back to the U.S. presidential election, we visit suburban Detroit to talk with members of the powerful autoworkers
unions, where some formerly Democratic voters are going against the grain. We will explain, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:00]
SOARES: With two weeks left until election day, U.S. presidential candidates and their supporters are focusing on the battleground states
after a busy Monday with former Republican Representative Liz Cheney. Democratic nominee Kamala Harris is off the campaign trail today. She has a
CNN town hall Wednesday in Philadelphia. Her running mate, Tim Walz, and Former President Barack Obama set for a rally next hour in Wisconsin.
Republican nominee Donald Trump has a campaign event tonight in Greensboro, North Carolina, and his choice for vice president, J. D. Vance, is on the
stump in Arizona.
Both the Trump and Harris campaigns are working to sway autoworkers in the critical state of Michigan. Our John King went to the battleground state
and talked to union members and found their split on who to vote for in just a couple of weeks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Signs of the season, Macomb County, Michigan. These suburbs just north of Detroit are a
blue collar bellwether. Joseph Knowles about to send a message. About to defy his union leadership. About to vote Republican for president for the
first time. About to vote for Donald Trump.
JOSPEH KNOWLES, MICHIGAN VOTER: At this point now, I'm desperate. So, I'm - I'm willing to try anything right now to make sure that I can fulfill my
- my responsibility and to take care of my wife and kids. That's all I care about.
KING (voice over): Knowles is a union auto worker, one of 1,100 just laid off by Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler Jeep. He blames corporate
greed the most, but doesn't stop there.
KNOWLES: The second blame, I will put it on Joe Biden and the Democratic Party. Why? Because of the EV mandates. I thought the Democratic Party was
for the working class people, that average joe like me. That's what I thought.
KING (voice over): There are more American auto jobs now than at any point of the Trump presidency. But auto workers supporting Trump here echo his
attacks on Biden's clean energy incentives and his claim illegal immigrants are to blame for lost jobs.
KNOWLES: But if you do it the wrong way, I think you should get rounded up and just thrown out. I have no problem with that because it jeopardizes my
way of providing for my kids if they take jobs.
KING (voice over): Knowles waves off friends who call Trump racist. Says he doesn't believe Vice President Harris is up to the job. And he spars
with family members who say he should stay a Democrat.
KNOWLES: Oh, man, I took it from my mom, from my auntie, my cousins, my sister. They came at me.
KING (voice over): Bill Govier is a 30 plus year union worker at Ford, and he has this side business cleaning car under bodies. When we first visited
four months ago, he was a fan of Robert Kennedy Jr. Now, he will cast his third ballot for Trump.
WILLIAM GOVIER, MICHIGAN VOTER: RFK joining Trump effectively, I couldn't script it any better the way I would like it to be. I love the idea of
Donald Trump being the commander in chief. I love the idea of how Donald Trump handles the nefarious characters of the world.
KING (voice over): Govier believes more than half of UAW members at his Ford plant will vote Trump. He says Harris laughs too much and he can't
take her seriously.
GOVIER: So, what is it, you're the incumbent who wouldn't do anything different? Or are you the underdog that wants change?
KING (voice over): And he says critics take Trump to literally.
GOVIER: You know, he does it for effect. I - I don't believe that Trump really believes someone's eating cats and dogs. I don't believe that he's
going to call the National Guard out and, at gunpoint, round up every migrant and force them across the border. I don't believe that for a
second.
KING (voice over): Count this early vote in Wayne County for Harris. And count Tonya Rincon as a Democrat who long ago lost patience with Ford co-
workers who shrug off Trump attacks on immigrants, on judges, on vote counts, on critics.
[14:50:00]
TONYA RINCON, MICHIGAN VOTER: There's a lot of people that they just take the crazy with Trump as it's baked in the cake and we're just willing to
ignore it. Whereas, if we heard that out of our loved ones, we'd be like, OK, grandpa, it's time to take your keys.
KING (voice over): Rincon just retired from the Wayne assembly plant and is helping the UAW register and turn out voters. She says her June bet,
that her local would split 50-50 in a Trump-Biden race is still about right with Harris now atop the Democratic ticket.
RINCON: But there's a little bit more enthusiasm among some of my female coworkers. A couple of my male co-workers are - are pretty ambivalent about
Harris. We may have lost a tiny margin of support because sexism is a real thing. You know, they're just like, you know, I'm not sure she can do it. I
don't think the country's ready for a female president.
KING (voice over): Walter Robinson Junior says there's more energy since the switch to Harris, but also more offensive chatter on the assembly line.
WALTER ROBINSON JR., MICHIGAN VOTER: They have been saying some very disparaging things about the vice president. Things about how she rose up
through the ranks and some of the things that she might have done. They only had to say that to me once before they understood they can't say - say
that to me again, you know? So, they parrot what - what he - what he puts out there.
KING (voice over): Robinson has a side job as a DJ, and trusts he knows how to read the room.
ROBINSON: Before I told you it was about either. Right now I would probably say it's about 60-40. I believe that it is a very good chance that
we, the Harris-Walz ticket, will come out on the winning end.
KING (voice over): Time to knock on doors and lobby co-workers is running short. Labor leaders are for Harris, but the rank and file are split.
Michigan's blue collar battle, competitive to the end.
John King, CNN, Wayne, Michigan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Fascinating piece there from our John King. We're going to take a short break. We'll see you in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, one of the world's most loved fictional bears has just received a real British passport. Paddington Bear was originally created in
1958 by author Michael Bond as Peruvian. Now, the upcoming film "Paddington in Peru" will feature an official passport issued by the U.K. Home Office.
The story follows the adventures of the bear traveling from London to his homeland of Peru.
And if you are planning a vacation for next year, National Geographic has revealed its top destinations. Kanazawa in Japan has bagged a spot on the
list as an alternative to the much loved but highly touristed City of Kyoto. In Mexico, the City of Guadalajara was highlighted for its mariachi
festival held for two weeks every August and September when some 500 bands perform in public squares. And Los Angeles also made the cut, believe it or
not, for its upcoming additions to the art scene.
[14:55:00]
Well, Australian woman is recovering with only minor scratches and bruises after what is a pretty bizarre accident. She dropped her phone between some
rocks during a hike in the Hunter Valley, north of Sydney. And in trying to reach it, as you can see there, Slipped and got wedged upside down for
seven hours. Rescuers had to remove several heavy boulders to create a safe access point. They then built a frame to stabilize the whole operation and
use a winch to move a 500-kilogram boulder. The woman's phone was not recovered.
And we want to end the show this hour with some fresh video just coming into us, and it's important you have a look at this. A woman has been
rescued alive after being trapped under rubble for at least five days following an Israeli strike on Gaza City. Let me show you the video.
You see here video of May Al-Helu (ph) being pulled out. She had been trapped since an Israeli strike hit the home she and her family had been
sheltering in after being displaced from elsewhere in Gaza. A civil defense official said workers returned to the site on Sunday after residents
reported hearing sounds of people underneath the wreckage and dug her out. Twelve people are still missing and presumed dead after the strike. Truly
incredible.
That does it for us for tonight. Thanks very much for your company. Do stay right here. Newsroom with Jim Sciutto is up next. Have a wonderful day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
