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One World with Zain Asher
51 Killed, 219 Injured In Russian Strike On Central Ukraine; Netanyahu Defiant As Protesters Demand Gaza Hostage Deal; 129 Killed In DRC Amid Attempted Mass Prison Break; Bangladesh Torture Victims have Hope For Country's Future; Nine Weeks Until Election Day, One Week From The Debate; Donald Trump Faces Isaac Hayes' Estate In Court; Chatting With The Women In " Beetlejuice" Sequel. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired September 03, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:41]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: Putin's revenge. One of Russia's deadliest strikes on Ukraine this year happened today. ONE WORLD starts right now.
How many more tragedies have to occur? CNN sits down with Ukraine's foreign minister just moments after he heard that news.
Bibi's vow. The Israeli Prime Minister doubles down on war, as protesters and his nation scream for peace and the return of hostages.
And later, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Well, you know the rest. Our conversation with the stars of the classic making a big comeback.
Hello everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching ONE WORLD.
And we begin this hour in Ukraine and what's being called one of the single deadliest attacks since Russia's full-scale invasion two and a half years
ago.
At least 49 people were killed and more than 200 wounded in a Russian missile strike on the central city of Poltava.
The Ukrainian president said two ballistic missiles hit a military training institute and a nearby hospital today, trapping many people underneath the
rubble.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy lashed out at Moscow and vowed that, quote, Russian scum will be held accountable.
And he once again made an urgent plea for Western air defenses. It's a message that was reiterated by the Ukrainian Foreign Minister when he spoke
to our Christiane Amanpour in Kyiv.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DMYTRO KULEBA, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF UKRAINE: This is just another reason why delivery of air defense systems to Ukraine must be expedited.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN HOST: Do you think if you had had them there, this would have been intercepted?
KULEBA: Well, ballistic missiles are very difficult to intercept, and Poltava is in the east of Ukraine so much closer to the -- to the Russian
territory.
According to what I know, the time range for the -- for the ballistic missiles to reach the target was very short. And the only way to intercept
them was to have -- to have a patriot system or SAMP/T air defense system because they are the only one capable of intercepting ballistic missiles.
So I didn't know how many more tragedies like this have to occur for all promises to be fulfilled and for all new commitments to be made.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Fred Pleitgen joins me now live from Kyiv. So we heard there from the foreign minister, we're just getting news that Ukraine's
land forces say service personnel were killed by this strike today in Poltava.
What more are you hearing in terms of the urgency from officials there and the response from Western governments asking and pleading for more air
defense systems?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's certainly a big part of it. And we just mentioned, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the
president of this country, Bianna, who came out and said that Ukraine simply needs more air defenses and then also just now the foreign minister
saying that especially in the case right now, it would have been very important to have those air defense systems.
One of the things that the Ukraine's have been pointing out is especially the kind of missiles that are apparently used here are very difficult to
shoot down for air defense systems. And it's usually those U.S. made Patriot long distance air defense systems that have the best chances of
shooting down missiles like the ones that were used here.
The Ukrainians are now saying were Iskander-M medium range missiles fired off by the Russians.
I do have a little bit of news that's just come into us as we were actually going to air literally a couple of seconds ago, and this comes from the
Ukrainian prosecutor general's office, Bianna. And they've now raised the death toll to 51. So from 49 to 51.
Of course, the Ukrainians had said that they would fear that the death toll could continue to rise because there were still people who were trapped
underneath the rubble. And, obviously, the emergency rescue crews trying to get to those people and get them out of the rubble.
The prosecutor general's office also saying over 200 people were injured in that attack. We, of course, from a military official saying that at least
219.
So by any account, this is a massive attack that took place and certainly one of the single most devastating incidents, as far as the death toll is
concerned, is the single incident is concerned since the war here in Ukraine started.
And the Ukrainians have been saying that there were two Iskander missiles that were used. And that there was an air raid alert but there simply
wasn't enough time for the people who were on the ground there to get to air raid shelters, Bianna.
[12:05:12]
GOLODRYGA: And as you note so sadly, that death toll is expected to continue to rise as are the casualty figures.
Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much.
And Christiane's full interview with Dmytro Kuleba airs in about one hour. That will be one o'clock, if you're here in New York, and six o'clock if
you're joining us from London.
Protesters are set to return to the streets of Israel for a third day in a row to demand that their government make a Gaza ceasefire deal and bring
the remaining hostages back home alive.
Monday's demonstrations were massive. The current fury fueled by the brutal killing of six hostages whose bodies were found over the weekend, but
Israel's Prime Minister is rejecting intensifying pressure to make a deal right now.
Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday it is Hamas, not Israel, that must make concessions. He also rejected remarks with the U.S. president who said the
Israeli leader has not done enough to secure a deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I can't believe that any serious person would come and say -- would come and say,
now compromise more, you're not serious, Hamas is serious. I don't -- I don't believe something like that or anyone like that. Anyone thinks that.
And I don't believe that Biden really said that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The cousin of Carmel Gat, one of the six hostages killed in Gaza, blames Prime Minister Netanyahu for their deaths.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIL DICKMANN, COUSIN AMONG SIX HOSTAGES KILLED BY HAMAS: He's going to go with his media circus and say that he apologized to us. So we didn't want
to be a part of this horrible charade. He is going to use the murder of my cousin in order to keep the war going. And this is exactly -- I'm furious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins us now live from Tel Aviv, Israel.
And the words there from the cousin of Carmel Gat were echoed by so many that are marching and protesting in the street there. Obviously, Hamas has
the blood on its hands for committing this heinous crime. But so many of them are saying that hostages like these, including perhaps even as many as
five of these six who were on the list in the first round to be coming home alive if this deal had gone through.
Their lives are on the line right now and they're blaming Netanyahu every single day that they're not home.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: There's no doubt about it. And in addition to the anger and the frustration and the feeling that it is the
current Israeli Prime Minister who is standing in the way of a ceasefire deal, in addition to that, they're was also hope, Bianna. There was hope in
the last couple of days before the Israeli Prime Minister spoke last night, hope that perhaps the deaths of these six hostages could be the catalyst to
propelling things forward towards a deal, to changing the current posture of the Israeli government.
We heard the father of 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin speaking at his funeral saying exactly that. And yet, so many of those hopes were
extinguished in an instant last night as the Israeli Prime Minister took to the podium and insisted that he is not going to bow to that pressure,
insisted that he is going to remain intransigent in the face of that pressure and firm on his demand that Israeli troops retain control of that
Philadelphi Corridor, that critical strip of land along the Gaza-Egypt border.
Despite the fact, we should note, that many of the prime minister's security advisors, including the defense minister, Yoav Gallant, they don't
believe that it is as critical to Israel's security to remain along that Philadelphi Corridor, or at a minimum, they believe that it can be
abandoned for the time being, for the sake of securing the release of dozens of hostages and something that could be recaptured at a later date
by Israeli forces.
The Israeli Prime Minister rejected that logic altogether last night saying that he believes the international community will never let Israel go back
to the Philadelphi Corridor should the war resume after the first phase of a ceasefire agreement.
And so it's very hard to see how, despite the fact that the United States and the mediators are still trying to push these negotiations forward. It's
very hard to see where they can go from here.
And in addition to that, we now have growing fears for the lives of the current hostages still being held in Gaza, because not only did Hamas
actually now admit that they did indeed execute those six hostages, as Israeli troops appeared to be moving closer to where they were being held.
But they've also said that more hostages will return to Israel, not alive, but in coffins, should the Israeli military continue to put more pressure,
military pressure, and try and carry out more military operations to free the hostages, rather than doing so at the negotiating table. Bianna.
[12:10:04]
GOLODRYGA: Yes, it's just horrific. And, of course, President Biden, for the first time yesterday, publicly saying that he doesn't believe that
Prime Minister Netanyahu is doing enough to secure a deal. The White House, perhaps, will be presenting what it's called a final proposal in the days
to come.
Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much.
Let's bring in Zohar Avigdori, an Israeli protest leader who joins us now from Tel Aviv. His sister-in-law and niece were taken hostage on October
7th and released as part of the November deal.
He quit his job as a teacher late last year to devote himself to this issue. Thank you so much, Avigdori, for joining us.
And these are the largest protests we've seen since October 7th. What do you think is finally motivating people to come out in such force after
nearly 11 months of war and heartache?
ZOHAR AVIGDORI, ISRAELI PROTESTER: Well, first of all, thank you for having me. And I just want to add that this was one of the three largest protests
in Israel's history, what we've seen here two days ago.
And I think what motivates people to go out and protest in March is that people are deeply saddened and feel that the loss of these six youngsters
who were taken alive and survived for 11 months could have been avoided. And they feel connected to their dreams and their stories and to their
families. And it's like the loss of a family member.
And when we are on this vicious wheel of the deal that's getting closer and further back, closer and further back so many times, it's very clear right
now that these lives could have been spared. They could go back alive. And what drives people right now beyond the sympathy and the pain is rage.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And, obviously, you need Hamas to ultimately sign off on this. But one of the reasons for the rage that you and so many others are
feeling is that the prime minister, in your view, is not even getting to the point where he signed off on this and the pressure would really be on
Hamas to do the same.
I'm wondering, you mentioned your family and your sister-in-law and niece obviously suffered so much in their time in captivity in Gaza.
Are they there protesting with you as well? How are they handling all of this now?
AVIGDORI: Well, my niece is actually a role model for me and for many others. She's only 12-year-old and she has been coming to protest and going
on these marches. And really for her, obviously, to say that it's a triggering experience would be an understatement.
And still, week after week, she comes to our weekly rallies and protests. I had my brother and, I'm sorry, my nephew within here the other day.
But I don't think again that this is only something that is personal for us. I think all of Israeli society is out there protesting with us because
it's not a personal thing. This really threatens the loss of the deal and the fact that Netanyahu would not sign a deal, would not bring this crisis
to an end.
This actually ruins the social fabric of our society. Israelis are taught and are educated on the fact that you don't leave anyone behind and that
we're all part of the same thing. This is what allows us to continue and live in this harsh and demanding reality that is Israel.
And once this hope, once this promise, once this social contract between us and the state and the government is broken, this is something that drives
people out.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And that is one of the arguments we should note that the defense minister, Yoav Gallant, had apparently made in a cabinet meeting as
well, that it is the social fabric of the nation and the commitment to not leave people behind.
What do you make of the prime minister's speech yesterday where he spent about a minute offering his condolences and even apologizing to the
families of those six hostages who were murdered, that they could not come back alive, but then quickly turned to the politics and his priority,
really not to compromise on the Philadelphi Corridor, a position we should note he didn't have or take in May when he initially agreed to a deal with
President Biden.
AVIGDORI: Nor has he conquered the Philadelphi Corridor for seven months of the war. Nor was Israel in charge and overlooking the Philadelphi Corridor
for 20 years, neither making any attempts to retake it.
What I'm -- what I'm taking from Netanyahu's appearance last night is, one, he's stressed and that's a very good thing because he should be. Two, for
the apology, too little, too late.
And as for the Philadelphi Corridor, we know that it's a spin, it's a lie. It's a way for him to continue the war. It's a way for him to disregard his
basic duty towards these civilians and soldiers which he abandoned once and once again since October 7th.
[12:15:00]
So all of that fancy presentation last night was empty and hollow and we are not taking any of it. We're not going to take anything, except a deal
for the release of all the hostages.
GOLODRYGA: As you know, this is one of the largest protests that we've seen in Israel in recent history. No doubt putting pressure on Prime Minister
Netanyahu.
But from all of the experts I've spoken to, up until now, they do not view even this, even what you're doing, as a turning point, a Rubicon cross for
him to finally give in to this pressure and agree to a deal.
How long are you prepared to keep coming out and protesting on the streets in these numbers? Because some say that's all that it would really take.
That daily protests of this size and magnitude is the pressure required on the Prime Minister.
AVIGDORI: That is definitely our plan. We are taking to the streets. We will not stop until a deal is signed, until we will see a shift in the
horrendous policy of this government and of this prime minister. We have no other choice.
And as for your questions, how long are we going to protest? How long can somebody survive in an underground tunnel held by a murderous terrorist
organization? Since the second half of my answer doesn't have an answer, the answer is not very long, then we are demanding for this situation to
end.
And until it does, we'll be here, behind me as you're seeing and throughout the country and we'll get more and more aggressive towards Netanyahu.
And I'm calling here for all of the people around the world and their governments and the U.S. government to put as much pressure as possible to
be able to bring a deal to the table and save these hostages.
GOLODRYGA: Zohar, let me finally ask you to weigh in on the point that the prime minister was making for his defiance on not leaving the Philadelphi
Corridor. And he said, not only is that an area where weapons get smuggled through, but, A, hostages could be smuggled out of their out of Gaza into
Egypt perhaps.
And more significantly, he seemed to be more concerned about not having the opportunity or possibility because of international pressure to go back to
Philadelphi Corridor if need be in the future. What is your response to that?
AVIGDORI: Our response to that, as I've told you, as I've said before, why since -- if that is correct, why has the Philadelphi Corridor wasn't the
first thing that was taken over at the beginning of the war in October? Why has it taken months to take over it? And suddenly, it became the most
important thing.
Didn't they worry that hostages might be brought into Egypt through the Philadelphi Corridor in October, November and so on? This is so hollow and
empty.
I'm not a general. I'm not an expert on military issues. But the heads of the defense system in Israel, and as well as in the U.S., who have looked
over the proposals for the Philadelphi Corridor, has approved them as being safe for Israel's security.
So I'm putting my trust in those people instead of just one person who we know have also other interests on -- in mind.
GOLODRYGA: These are very important points and questions that you raise in response to -- in response to the comments and defense of the prime
minister himself.
Zohar Avigdori, I know that you were a school teacher. I know this was the start of the school year. This is a year like no other for the country, for
the region. Thank you so much for joining us. And thank you to your niece and your nephew for the work they are doing now at such a young age.
Obviously, they are there with you as well. Thanks for the time.
AVIGDORI: Thank you for having me.
GOLODRYGA: Meanwhile in Gaza, the World Health Organization says that its campaign to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of children against polio is
ahead of its targets. It says 161,000 children, under the age of 10, have received the first vaccine shot in Central Gaza.
Israel has agreed to a series of pauses in fighting to enable the vaccinations to take place.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GHADA JUDEH, DISPLACED GAZAN, VACCINATION CAMPAIGN VOLUNTEER (through translator): I gave my children the polio vaccine to protect them from
diseases, but I can't protect them from strikes and from death, unless you help us. Just as you helped us and delivered the medications to protect our
children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The next phase of vaccinations will take place in southern Gaza, starting on Thursday.
And coming up for us, the unrest in Bangladesh. We'll hear from former political prisoners who say they suffered abuse and torture at the hands of
the previous government.
Plus, a mass escape attempt at the largest prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo ends in tragedy. We'll have details ahead.
And the estate of soul singer, Isaac Hayes, is suing Donald Trump over the use of Hayes' songs in political rallies. Federal court is weighing in
today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:20:42]
GOLODRYGA: Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo say that they're taking steps to ease prison overcrowding after a mass attempt to break out
of jail ended in tragedy.
At least 129 people were killed early Monday morning as they tried to force their way out of the country's biggest prison, including two dozen people
who were shot to death.
The justice minister says no more inmates will be transferred to the prison until further notice. An investigation is currently underway.
CNN's Larry Madowo joins me now live in Nairobi, Kenya. What more are we learning about this, Larry?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We know that this was a dramatic early Monday morning in Kinshasa, the Makala Central Prison is the largest in the
DRC. And this attempted prison break led to more than 100 people killed, 24 of them were shot by police and guards after warning according to
authorities there.
There was a stampede where most of the people died either by suffocation or by jostling. And some women were also raped in this tragedy. A fire broke
out burning through the administrative building of that prison as well as some food depots. And through a hospital there where at least 60 people are
receiving treatment.
The interim ministry and the justice ministry, the DRC calling this premeditated acts of sabotage. And they're promising to find those
responsible and punish them severely. This is how the explanation came from the government.
JACQUEMAIN SHABANI LUKOO BIHANGO, DRC SECURITY MINISTER (through translator): On the material level, we deplore the fire in the
administrative buildings of the registry, the infirmary and the food stocks.
The government is pleased with the restored calm, condemns these unfortunate incidents and presents its deepest condolences to the families
and loved ones of the victims.
Investigations are continuing and the public will be informed of the outcome.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MADOWO: As that investigation goes on, the government has suspended sending any more prisoners to Makala until further notice.
And it's promising to build another prison in Kinshasa to remove the overcrowding at the Makala Prison as well as Ndolo, another major one in
Kinshasa.
But this was not even the first prison break from this prison. There was another one in 2017, members of a religious sect broke in and freed some of
their members. There's been other prison breaks in other parts of the country, most notably in 2020, when a rebel group affiliated with ISIS
broke into a prison in Beni in the northeast and freed hundreds of inmates.
[12:25:10]
About 70 percent of the people in this prison are not even on sentences yet. They're awaiting trial. That is how bad it is. It is dangerously
overcrowded. It was built for about 1,500 people. But the capacity there is right now over 12,000, according to Amnesty International. So that's one of
the major issues for the government in the DRC says it's working to improve conditions and to finish the overcrowding. Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Larry Madowo reporting for us. Thank you so much.
In Bangladesh, many are still picking up the pieces after a mass uprising that ousted the country's former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, came after
she ordered a brutal crackdown by police, leaving some protesters with deep scars.
And now some victims are finally coming forward.
CNN's Anna Coren has their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The fresh faces of the future against that of the past.
Shoes hanging in the face of Bangladesh's ousted prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, the ultimate insult and show of defiance in a country where people
on the streets achieved the unthinkable.
What began as a student-led protest against government quotas in early July morphed into a mass uprising.
After Hasina, who'd been in power for more than 15 years, ordered police to open fire on the premise.
Over the following weeks, hundreds of people were killed while thousands were arrested.
NUSRAT TABASSUM, PROTEST COORDINATOR: They came to my house, they broke three doors, they took me with them and, oh, my God, the physical torture,
that was -- that was miserable.
COREN (voice-over): Nusrat Tabassum, a 23-year-old political science student, says she was beaten for hours on end. Her face repeatedly hit.
Some of her teeth now loose, her right ear drum burst.
TABASSUM: Without a hearing aid, I can't listen in my right ear.
COREN (voice-over): After five days in custody, Nusrat was paraded in front of the cameras. The only female in the group of prominent student leaders
forced to make an apology.
For fellow student, Iftekhar Alam, his detainment was even more sinister. Snatched from his home before dawn, he was blindfolded, handcuffed and
believes he was taken to a notorious military intelligence facility in Dhaka, where over the years, hundreds of Bangladeshi considered anti-state
have been disappeared.
IFTEKHAR ALAM, STUDENT PROTESTER: I was like, there is no escaping from this and my life will end here and no one will know.
COREN (voice-over): The law student says, for hours, he was beaten with a metal rod breaking bones in his feet.
A burning cigarette was then pushed into his fingers and toes as part of what they called their little gang.
ALAM: When I close my eyes, I remember that I went to that horrible day.
COREN (voice-over): Once released, he discovered Hasina had resigned and fled to India.
ALAM: The people of Bangladesh, it is the people's country.
COREN (voice-over): The capital, now awash with colorful murals, has a very clear message, there is no going back.
As the U.N. investigates the hundreds of protester deaths, the people have entrusted interim chief Nobel Prize winner, Muhammad Yunus, to bring about
desperately needed reform.
COREN: The fall of the government has unleashed a spirit that has electrified every level of society. It has given a voice to everyone,
students, to doctors, even rickshaw drivers as they take to the streets to make their demands.
COREN (voice-over): The change doesn't happen overnight, especially in a country of 170 million people with the iron fist ruled and corruption and
cronies is in reigned.
TABASSUM: My country is sick, but our people, we will stand together. I believe there will be some shining future.
COREN (voice-over): A future this generation will continue to fight for.
Anna Coren, CNN, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: And still to come for us, Kamala Harris campaigns for the union vote with a key union stalwart, that story.
Plus, how she is preparing for next week's critical debate, when we come back.
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[12:30:29]
GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to ONE WORLD, I'm Bianna Golodryga.
There are exactly nine weeks until Election Day in the United States. Of course, some people will vote even before then.
First absentee ballots are being sent out in North Carolina later this week, if you can believe it. And we're just one week away from the first
debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, likely to be the only debate between the two.
On Monday, Harris pulled out the big guns for a pro-union event on Labor Day. She was accompanied by President Biden as they courted blue-collar
voters in the key swing state of Pennsylvania.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Made a lot of progress and Kamala and I are going to build on that progress and she's going to build
on it. I'll be on the sidelines, but I'll do everything I can to help.
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: But as we fight to move forward, Donald Trump is trying to pull us
backward. Including back to a time before workers had the freedom to organize.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's going to jail.
HARRIS: Well, the courts will handle that and we will handle November. How about that? We'll handle November. Let the courts handle that, I would say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Let's bring in CNN's national politics correspondent, Eva McKend.
So as she's campaigning, we know Eva, she is focusing on and preparing for this debate next week.
What do we know about how that's going and what they're planning to do and prioritize?
EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianna, a part of it is having a more pared-down schedule this week so that she does have time
to prepare and really hone in on her message points and her key attacks against the former president.
[12:35:08]
Also key to her campaign argument is that there needs to be an economy accessible to everyone and framing herself as a champion for the middle
class.
And you see this message landing in some corners. I was speaking to a union carpenter yesterday in Detroit and he told me he doesn't make enough money
to support Republicans. So there is clearly a connection that she is making there with some voters.
The first phase of her economic rollout that came out just a few weeks ago, it attacked price gouging. And sort of what she characterizes as the
greediness of corporations, $25,000 in housing credit for first time home buyers.
The next iteration of her economic plan that she's expected to announce tomorrow in New Hampshire, it's going to focus more on uplifting small
businesses.
And then lastly, Bianna, you see a divide and conquer approach taking shape as she preps for the debate. She's got a number of surrogates involved in
this reproductive rights bus tour beginning bullishly today in the traditionally red state of Florida.
And while the VP hunkers down, you've got the governor in Pennsylvania, her running mate this week, and President Biden campaigning for her
independently later this week in Wisconsin and Michigan.
So the former president -- excuse me, Bianna, the vice president only has a slight lead in polling when it comes to how voters are feeling about the
economy. So it makes sense that she really is going all in on this issue.
Right now when you talk to some voters, they might give the former president, Donald Trump, a little bit more credit for his economic
positions, but it's not a wide lead. And so that is why really she sees ripe terrain to have this argument.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. She's managed to close that margin between Donald Trump and Joe Biden when Biden was the candidate.
But as you said, it really is head-to-head at this point in terms of national polling.
U.S. national politics correspondent, Eva McKend, thank you so much.
With more analysis of the presidential race, it's time now for The Exchange. Joining me is CNN senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein. He's
also the senior editor for "The Atlantic."
Good to see you, Ron. So the day after Labor Day is traditionally viewed as the time when Americans really start focusing on the election. And here we
are just nine weeks away from that date.
I'm wondering your reaction to this headline in "The Wall Street Journal" today. And that is Trump got lucky in his campaign. Then Harris did. Will
her luck run out?
How much of all of this that you've seen the bounce in the polls, the fact that Joe Biden bowed out of the race. Kamala Harris has had quite a
successful month thus far. How much of that do you attribute to luck?
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Very little, actually. I don't think luck is at all involved. But we are -- you know, we are a
deeply divided country. We have been for most of the 21st century.
And largely, we are reverting to the mean that we had seen in the Trump era. The concerns about Biden's age and the disappointment in his
performance, particularly on inflation, had kind of distorted the lines that, you know, that we've been experiencing since Trump first emerged. He
came down the elevator in 2015, the partisan lines.
But with Harris, they're essentially moving back to what we have known, which is that Donald Trump is a candidate who has intense support but
limited support. And that there has not been a majority of Americans consistently who want to live in the country that he has on offer.
That what Democrats call anti-MAGA coalition was suppressed by the doubts about Biden. It is now reasserting itself in all sorts of ways, not only in
polls, but in contributions and volunteer shifts and so forth.
But even though that is a majority of the country, it is unclear whether that coalition is a majority in enough of the swing states that very small
handful of swing states that decide our elections. And that's where we are heading into the final two months of the campaign.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Kamala Harris' candidacy has really given her more breathing room and not just needing to focus on winning the three states
that Biden really --
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: -- needed to secure, and that's Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Now the Sunbelt seems to be in play for her as well.
But given that and given that you're now seeing her campaigning with Biden, can she effectively still present herself as the candidate of change, a
candidate of the future while campaigning with the man whose platform she's connected with, who's she's his vice president.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: And it's clear, given what's happened in the polls, that Americans were not satisfied with the direction the Biden administration
was moving in.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes. Your last point, that is the biggest headwind she faces, right? I mean, you have an incumbent president with a disapproving that's
consistently been above 55 percent. You have somewhere between 55 and 60 percent of the country saying they are not better off as a result of his
policies.
[12:40:04]
All of that doesn't go away when you replace Harris, you know, as the nominee -- replace Biden with Harris as the nominee. But what you do get is
a fundamentally different contrast of individuals.
Suddenly, Donald Trump is the old guy in the race. And the verbal flubs and mistakes and mistaking Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi, all of that looks
different to voters against a backdrop of Kamala Harris than it did against a backdrop of Joe Biden.
So, yes, the best argument for Republicans is the -- is the -- is the case that you were better off when I was president. And there are a lot of
voters who believe that. That doesn't necessarily mean that all of them will say they will be better off again if he's president.
And in fact, as you know, and I'm sure you've reported on, there are many economists who believe that Trump's agenda, particularly mass deportation
and widespread tariffs, would exacerbate inflation more than anything Democrats are talking about going forward. And, of course, that's the
biggest problem, biggest reason why Biden's approval rating has been so suppressed.
GOLODRYGA: So, how much of this, in your view, given the nine weeks that are left and given the slim portion of the country of the electorate that
both need to grab to win. And that is the undecided, the swing voters in those -- in those battleground states.
How much of this is really driven by policy specific or the candidate of change, the candidate who's not somebody from the past, which obviously
Trump would represent, even though all along, he's been successful in not portraying himself that way?
BROWNSTEIN: Right. You know, there really are two competitions going on. I mean, to some extent, they are competing against each other for swing
voters. I think in many ways, they are competing more against the couch and a kind of a, you know --
GOLODRYGA: Turnout.
BROWNSTEIN: -- will vote -- you know, turnout. Will voters who ordinarily vote Republican or voters who ordinarily vote democratic show up? There was
enormous concern among Democrats about enthusiasm and losing, in effect, the referendum with the couch, when Biden was the nominee.
Now we see equal, if not more enthusiasm among Democrats. But again, you know, we're talking about really seven states that are fully in play that
are all decided by extremely narrow margin. The three former Blue Wall states, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, which is still the clearest
path to 270 for Kamala Harris. Plus, as you know, the four Sunbelt states that she's put back into play.
Everything matters when you're talking about margins. You know, Biden won the three Blue Wall states by 260,000 votes in 2020. Hillary Clinton had
lost them by only 80,000 votes in 2016. That was the difference, essentially, between a Trump presidency and a Biden presidency.
It is likely it is going to be somewhere roughly that close again. And the Sunbelt states are equally narrow. So, yes, I think it is primarily a
turnout issue.
But when you're talking about margins of that, you know, slim magnitude, everything matter.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And just follow the money to reiterate your point on where these campaigns are spending in unprecedented amount of money in these
final few weeks.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: And it is in those seven critical states.
Ron Brownstein, always good to see you. Thank you so much.
BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.
GOLODRYGA: Well, a trio of Donald Trump loyalists who trusted his claim that there was fraud in the 2020 election could be on their way to paying a
big fine.
A Pennsylvania judge says the three men should pay $1 million in fees to cover the state's costs after three years of court battles.
Two of the men were county commissioners in Pennsylvania who handed over ballot counting machines to unauthorized outside auditors after the 2020
election. The third man was their lawyer. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will have the final say about how large the fees will be.
And still to come for us, Donald Trump is facing a new court battle today, this time for playing Isaac Hayes songs at political rallies without
permission from his estate. Now federal court is weighing in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:45:52]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
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GOLODRYGA: That song is part of another court battle for Donald Trump. This time his attorneys are facing off against the estate of Isaac Hayes and
federal court over the campaign's use of the song "Hold on I'm coming" at rallies which Hayes co-wrote.
The estate's attorneys say the Trump campaign did not receive permission to use the license material and they're seeking compensatory damages for the
unauthorized use of Hayes' music.
CNN's Ryan Young joins us live from Atlanta.
So we've seen this time and time again where artists object to a candidate using their music, but it's not often that it ends up going all the way to
court.
What is the latest on this specific case, Ryan?
RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think -- I think that's a great point. So you do have this whole issue of branding, you know, in this world that we
live in now branding and who your music is associated with and so much are part of what the artists and the family might think about in the future.
So Isaac Hayes, Jr., or the third, basically says they got notified that Donald Trump was using this song over and over.
And since 2022, they've been asking the campaign to stop playing the music. There were some back and forth about who actually owned the copyright of
the song. The song being very popular and just hearing it before now.
But what didn't happen is Donald Trump's campaign never stopped using it. We just have a temporary injunction that was the federal court judge
basically said that Donald Trump campaign has to stop using this music going forward.
The family's very happy about that. The family also asked for Donald Trump Jr. or Donald Trump to take down all the videos from the campaign videos
where the song is used. The judge denied that part.
Now this is not all over at all. In fact, there's probably going to be a court case that's going to be attached to this because the family wants to
move ahead with damages. They want to seek payment for this because when you use an artist's song, of course, usually you have to license it. You
have to get paid for the music that's being played and they feel like the Donald Trump organization, they know it for a fact, did not pay them for
use of the music.
So that back and forth is not over just yet, but "Hold On" will no longer be played at any Donald Trump events based upon the ruling today. There
were other people who were there involved in this case, they all stepped back. That was the NRA, the Republican National Committee. They also, look,
we'll stop playing it as well because the family has asked for them to stop playing it.
So this -- as this case continues to go forward, there was a small victory for the Isaac Hayes family and then also for Donald Trump, because they
don't have to take down the 50 or so videos that's on the website that you can hear the music in the background of.
But again, this is not the first artist. You have Bruce Springsteen, you have Beyonce. You even had the Prince estate ask Donald Trump to stop
playing music at campaign events. This is all about signaling to the public that none of these music greats are attached to the campaign. Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: And yet another court battle for the former president.
Ryan Young, thank you so much.
YOUNG: Hold on.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. I'm coming.
Still to come for us. Hollywood gets nostalgic with a sequel almost 40 years in the making. I am so psyched for this. A conversation with the
three women behind Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice. Well, you know what that third Beetlejuice means. We'll talk about it when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:50:35]
GOLODRYGA: Well, it has been 36 years. I can't believe 36, since Director Tim Burton unleashed the chaotic character Beetlejuice on the movie going
world.
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GOLODRYGA: Though the 1988 film was a hit, most of the cast said they never expected to make a sequel.
And even though the new film centers on Michael Keaton's zany ghost, it is the three female stars who really drive the story.
CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister sat down with them. It is worth noting that the movie is a Warner Brothers production, which, like CNN, is part of the
Warner Brothers' discovery.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Three iconic words.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nobody can say it three times.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like, what about saying it twice?
WAGMEISTER: Three iconic women returning to that ghostly comedy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The juice is loose.
WAGMEISTER: -- 36 years after the original.
Catherine O'Hara --
CATHERINE O'HARA, ACTRESS: I'm trying to capture the perfect primal scream.
WAGMEISTER: -- and Winona Ryder --
WINONA RYDER, ACTRESS: I can't believe I'm doing this.
WAGMEISTER: -- reprise their roles in the long-awaited sequel to "Beetlejuice".
It took a long time, but why is now the right time for this?
O'HARA: Jenna had to be born --
RYDER: Yeah.
O'HARA: -- and become an actress.
JENNA ORTEGA, ACTRESS: I think I'm going to love it here.
WAGMEISTER: Fresh off Netflix's monster hit "Wednesday," Jenna Ortega plays Ryder's daughter and O'Hara's granddaughter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is your mom, Lydia Deetz?
ORTEGA: Unfortunately.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's a legend.
WAGMEISTER: All three women sat down with CNN ahead of the film's release.
I love sitting with the three of you because it's the three generations of women of this film.
Jenna, what did you learn from working with Winona and Catherine?
ORTEGA: First of all, comedy legend.
O'HARA: Yes. That's what I supposed to call myself.
ORTEGA: Everything that you guys -- absolutely perfect. I feel like Winona has this quality to her that that's why you're like the perfect Lydia,
because you feel like you know where you feel like you relate to her, but there still something there that's unattainable and it belongs to just you.
WAGMEISTER: The sequel finds the Deetz family back home where Beetlejuice first haunted them. When Ortega's Astrid (ph) accidentally opens the portal
to the afterlife, Michael Keaton's Beetlejuice is unleashed all over again.
O'HARA: I honestly did not know that this movie was so loved.
They're at the right age, I guess, the --
WAGMEISTER: Yes.
O'HARA: The nostalgic sort of value of it really means something to them.
RYDER: There's just nothing like it. It's in its own genre. That is like a testament to Tim.
[12:55:04]
WAGMEISTER: Tim Burton returns to direct the sequel to the 1988 classic.
TIM BURTON, DIRECTOR, BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE: Is that a movie that could have been made in like 1989? It really was the anchor to these three
generations of the Deetz.
WAGMEISTER: Burton also made "Wednesday" with Ortega, a natural choice for "Beetlejuice," even though she wasn't born when the original came out. She
saw decades later at age 9.
And what do you remember about watching it?
ORTEGA: I remember sweating a lot because as I saw a drunk "Beetlejuice" costume when I was like 6 years old, that Halloween costume party. And
she's terrified me.
WAGMEISTER: As for a third movie, likely titled with those three cursed words.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.
WGMEISTER: -- these generational stars say they could be back for more.
O'HARA: Yes. I'd like to be alive --
RYDER: Yes.
O'HARA: -- more than 30 years.
WAGMEISTER: Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: So much nostalgia. That was one of my favorite all-time movies. Wow. So glad. I can't wait to see the sequel.
Well, that does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Thanks so much for watching. Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back with
"AMANPOUR".
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