Return to Transcripts main page

One World with Zain Asher

President Joe Biden Addresses Situation In Lebanon In Cabinet Meeting; Israel Conducting "Targeted Strike" On Southern Beirut; Harris Visiting Battleground States Georgia, Wisconsin; CNN Questions Robinson On Shocking Posts made On Porn Forum; Springfield Mayor Assumes Emergency Powers Amid Threats; Germany Tests EU Unity With New Border Controls; Shohei Ohtani Becomes Baseball's First "50-50" Player; Aired 12:00-1:00p ET

Aired September 20, 2024 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[12:00:23]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. Bianna is off today. This is ONE WORLD.

U.S. President Joe Biden has just addressed the situation in Lebanon in a cabinet meeting. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Drive from the beginning to make sure that both the people in Northern Israel, as well as Southern Lebanon,

are able to go back to their homes and go back safely.

And the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, our whole team is working in the intelligence community to try to get that done. We're going

to keep at it until we get it done, but we've got a way to go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, everyone. Thank you so much. Thank you, everybody.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Thank you, everyone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it realistic to get to a ceasefire deal or have too many bad things happen that make it difficult?

BIDEN: If I ever said it's not realistic, it might as well be. A lot of things don't look realistic until we get them done. We have to keep at it.

Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you so much. Thank you, everybody. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's go. Thank you so much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, guys.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: All right. U.S. President Joe Biden speaking there, addressing the crisis happening in Northern Israel and, of course, Southern Lebanon. Very

briefly there, saying that he wants the people of Northern Israel and Southern Lebanon to be able to go back to their homes.

A reporter said, listen, there's been so much in terms of escalation that's just happened over the past week. Do you really think that that's

realistic? The president said, you know, a lot of things don't look realistic until you actually get that -- get them done.

I do want to bring in Ben Wedeman, because we have just learned from the Israeli military that their target in the strike, Ibrahim Aqil, has

actually been killed. Ben, what more do we know at this point?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This is a claim being put out by the Israeli military. It hasn't been confirmed either by

Lebanese government sources or by Hezbollah.

Now, significantly, the Israeli announcement doesn't just mention Aqil. It says that the top operatives and chain of command of the Radwan unit, which

is Hezbollah's elite military unit, were eliminated.

This, if true, is certainly highly significant. Because what we've been seeing, going back to the 30th of July when Fuad Shukr, the head of the

military wing of Hezbollah, was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut, including the events of this week, Tuesday's pager attacks, Wednesday's

walkie-talkie attacks, and now this represents, if this last strike did indeed kill Aqil and the other members of the Radwan force, a body blow to

Hezbollah.

This is not a battle on the -- in the battle zone on the border. This battle has been brought to the heart of the Lebanese capital. And it's

going to be very difficult for Hezbollah, with its communications systems interfered with by, compromised by Israel, with its top military leadership

taken out by Israel.

It's very hard to imagine how it can carry on its current military operations and function as it did in the past. Until now those operations,

Hezbollah's attacks on Israel have been limited to the border area.

Now this war, and I think it's fair to say we're very close to a full-out war between Hezbollah and Israel, has spread far beyond that area.

Now at this point, we know that according to the Ministry of Health here in Lebanon that nine people have been killed. So this is the preliminary

figures have been killed in this strike, 59 injured, eight of them in critical condition.

And this happened when, according to the official news agency here, an Israeli F-35 warplane fired two missiles on buildings in the Gemmayze (PH)

neighborhood in Southern Beirut, flattening those buildings.

Now, we understand that there are rescue crews on the scene frantically digging through the rubble trying to find any survivors.

[12:05:59]

Earlier today, we heard dozens of ambulances rushing to the scene. And the CNN crew there described a scene of absolute pandemonium and chaos, as

people, the injured and the dead, were being taken away as ambulances rushed to the scene, as these rescue crews dug through the rubble.

Hezbollah, of course, was already in a state of crisis. Yesterday, when Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary general of the group made a speech vowing

revenge, saying that Israel had crossed all red lines.

Now, Israel has yet again struck in the heart of Beirut, the third time so far this year. And if, of course, the Israeli claims are correct, Israel

has dealt a body blow to Hezbollah.

ASHER: Ben, stand by, because I do want to bring in Jeremy Diamond, who's standing by for us in Tel Aviv.

So, Jeremy, as Ben was just pointing out, it's not just the number of attacks being carried out by Israel. It's not just the type of attacks

being carried out by Israel, it is the pace of these attacks, three attacks this week, three major attacks this week in rapid succession, probably the

most dangerous point between Hezbollah and the IDF since October 7th.

Just walk us through what Israel's game plan is here.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: There's no question that we are climbing very quickly up this ladder of escalation. As we see, you

know, we started earlier this week on Tuesday with those pager attacks. The day after that, it was exploding walkie-talkies, resulting in the two

deadliest days for Hezbollah's members in -- since October 7th.

And today, you have this strike that, according to the Israeli military, has now taken out Hezbollah's operations chief, the commander of their

special operations unit, the Radwan Force, which has coordinated and carried out many of the attacks against Northern Israel since October 7th.

And so you have not only this significant blow that has been dealt to Hezbollah, but you also have a situation that very quickly risks spiraling

out of control. And that is because we have to think about, what will Hezbollah's response be?

On the one hand, there's no question that after having several dozens of its members killed in those exploding wireless device attacks earlier this

week, likely hundreds more who were maimed or blinded in those attacks, and now to have several of its commanders killed, there's no question that

Hezbollah has been disabled in some respect or certainly put into disarray as it prepares its next move.

At the same time, Israel now also faces the risk of Hezbollah feeling cornered and escalating the situation further. And so that is going to be

the question is, where do things go from here? What kind of response will we see from Hezbollah as they now will feel compelled to not only respond

to those attacks earlier this week with those exploding devices, but also now to this very significant strike in the Lebanese capital itself.

ASHER: All right. Ben Wedeman live for us there. Or -- I'm sorry, where -- I believe we have Kevin Liptak. All right. Ben Wedeman live for us there,

thank you so much. And Jeremy Diamond, thank you both so much.

All right. Kevin, we just heard from President Biden there essentially saying that his priority, the U.S.'s priority at this point in time, is to

ensure that there is a reduction in tensions, is to ensure that the people of Northern Israel who have been evacuated from their homes, the people in

Southern Lebanon who have also suffered the same fate, are able to get back to their homes.

One reporter post a very good question, and that is, how realistic is that at this point in time? Just walk us through what the president said.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. He essentially said that if he -- if in his view he called it unrealistic, he might as well

give up the whole game. Essentially, he has to remain optimistic that both tensions can be diffused between Israel and Hezbollah, but also that this

larger ceasefire agreement that he has been feverishly trying to broker, unsuccessfully, until now, can still to come to fruition in some capacity.

And so the president, very much, sort of sticking to what he has been trying to do really for the last several months, which is to try and bring

about this hostage and ceasefire deal.

When you talk to American officials behind the scene, they do say that they are increasingly doubtful that this deal can come to any kind of fruition

before the end of the president's term. But what you hear the president saying in that cabinet meeting is that he is essentially not giving up.

When you -- certainly, when you talk to American officials, they do hold out hope that some something could potentially break loose, but that for

now, these tasks do very much seem stalled.

[12:10:04]

And I think it's important the setting exactly where the president was speaking. He is in the cabinet room. He convened this cabinet meeting to

his -- to tell his team that it is their objective to sprint through the finish line essentially, that the next four months of his presidency should

be among the most productive since he took office.

And, of course, high on his list, probably at the very top of his list, is trying to achieve this agreement in the Middle East. And so it all kind of

fits together. But certainly, the president making clear that he's watching the situation in Lebanon very closely.

You heard from American officials, as recently as a couple of hours ago that they, one, didn't have any advance warning about the various Israeli

operations in Lebanon over the last couple of days. And that they want the situation to de-escalate.

Their overall goal is to ensure that a wider war doesn't break out. That's something that they've been worried about literally since the start of this

conflict almost a year ago. Now, it seems that we could be on the precipice of something much larger, and it is something they very much want to avoid.

ASHER: All right. Kevin Liptak, live for us there. Thank you so much.

All right. Let's bring in Norman Roule. He's a senior advisor with the Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program at the Center for

Strategic and International Studies. He joins us live now from Washington. Norman, thank you so much for being with us.

So, obviously, in some capacity, the IDF is expecting Hezbollah to respond, but are they really in a position to retaliate right now? Your thoughts,

please.

NORMAN ROULE, SENIOR ADVISOR, WARFARE, IRREGULAR THREATS, AND TERRORISM PROGRAM AT THE CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Good

afternoon. Hezbollah has suffered the most significant loss of its senior and experienced operational personnel in its history during the last week.

Since April, beginning with the Damascus attack through this week, Hezbollah has lost three members of its Jihad Council. And the individual

killed today, according to press reports, and his subordinates, were responsible for most of the attacks on Israel over the last 11 months.

It is difficult to imagine Hezbollah putting together a crisp and coordinated multi-unit response. But single-unit response involving anti-

tank missiles, rockets, are likely to continue in the short term.

And that brings us to the main point. Israel's primary objectives are to end the rocket attacks or allow its people to return north. If the rocket

attacks continue, then it must continue these strikes in Beirut against leadership to convince them to change their strategy. That's unlikely in

the near term.

ASHER: Right. So with President Biden saying, you know, that his goal is for the Israelis who have been forced from their homes in Northern Israel

to return, and obviously we know that is now a goal of the war by Israel to get the people in the north back to their homes, is this really the right

way to go about it?

I mean, this idea that Hezbollah is just going to simply look the other way and call it a day is very unrealistic.

ROULE: That's correct. But now let's take the opposite perspective. It has been a goal of the Israeli government to do this for 11 months. And for 11

months, diplomacy has gone essentially nowhere. And there is no public evidence that diplomacy will succeed in the foreseeable future.

So you have to ask, what country on earth would allow its territory to take 50 to 70 rocket attacks today -- a day, and thousands of its personnel to

be removed, apparently permanently, in the hope that a diplomatic discussion might one day change that. So you have these two competing

dynamics taking place.

ASHER: And so what does this mean for Lebanon? I mean, obviously, they have suffered so much, not just this week, obviously, with people throwing away

their mobile phones, ordinary people throwing away their mobile phones. And obviously the strike today hit a really sort of densely populated

residential neighborhood. Yes, a Hezbollah stronghold, but still a really densely populated neighborhood.

And then you have just the fact that the economy has been in shambles. And the fact that the country is still reeling from the port explosion we saw

on August 4th, 2020. I mean, what does this mean for Lebanon? The last thing they want is to be dragged into a war with Israel.

ROULE: That's correct. And we should also keep in mind that 100,000 Lebanese have been forced to leave the southern border area of Lebanon

because of Hezbollah activities. So there are 100,000 Lebanese that need to return to their homes as well.

At the same time, there's some realities. The Lebanese government is just not relevant in this discussion. Hezbollah is calling the shots. The

Lebanese army is unable to constrain Lebanese Hezbollah.

Israel is not interested in a long-term ground battle in Lebanon. And if there is a silver lining in this very, very dark story, is that it will try

to undertake surgical strikes as much as possible against leadership, so that it doesn't invoke the broader war and require that long ground war.

[12:15:01]

ASHER: All right. Norman Roule, live for us there. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

All right. Still to come, CNN's bombshell report on North Carolina's candidate for governor is gaining steam over a slew of offensive comments

that he posted online.

Could it spell trouble for one of Marks Robinson's close allies? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right. As the clock ticks down towards election day in the U.S., Kamala Harris is gearing up for two campaign events later on Friday. The

Democratic presidential nominee is heading for the battleground states of Georgia, in Wisconsin, in Georgia.

She's going to be focusing on a major theme of her campaign, and that is protecting women's reproductive rights. That was also a big talking point

during a livestream event on Thursday hosted by Oprah Winfrey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're looking at a mother that is broken.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Amber's mom shared with me that the word, over and

over again, in her mind is preventable.

These abortion bans have been passed that criminalize health care providers. In a couple of states, prison for life, Oprah. Prison for life

in a couple of states for a doctor or a nurse who provides health care.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: That was a really powerful moment with Kamala Harris and Oprah Winfrey.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is covering the Harris campaign in Atlanta, Georgia. She joins us live. She's going to be talking about the death of

two Georgia women who died as a result, indirect result, of limited access to abortion in that state. And she's going to be tying that to President

Trump, former President Trump, excuse me.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ , CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Yes. It was actually that media report that resulted in this stop. I'm told by sources that the vice

president directed her team to come to Georgia after reading that report about these two women who died and their deaths are being linked to the

state's abortion restrictions. So this is a detour that she is doing before heading to Wisconsin later this evening.

But this is the type of travel that the vice president had been doing over the course of the last year quickly deploying to cities and states to

respond to the issue of -- the issues of consequence or the news of day in those places. She did this in Tennessee, Florida, Arizona earlier this year

to talk about what she then coined as the Trump abortion bans.

So what you saw there in that clip between the vice president and Oprah, there will be an extension of that today in her remarks here in the

battleground state. Of course, this is a campaign that is trying to keep reproductive rights front and center.

[12:20:09]

And this is a way for the campaign, I'm told, to capitalize on the moments when they see them to keep these issues elevated and amplified, especially

in states like this one that are going to be crucial to her winning in November.

So the vice president heading here this afternoon where she's going to deliver those remarks, expected to be quite forceful remarks about the

state's abortion restrictions. And then later heading to Wisconsin, another important state one that President Joe Biden only narrowly won in 2020 for

a rally.

But again, this was a stop that was not expected earlier week, one that came later at the behest of the vice president.

ASHER: All right. Priscilla Alvarez live for us there. Thank you so much.

Martin Luther King Jr. on steroids is how Donald Trump once described a man who's now the focus of a political scandal. CNN has discovered a long

history of shocking remarks, Mark Robinson, the current Republican nominee for North Carolina Governor posted on the forum of a porn site more than 10

years ago.

The CNN investigation found Robinson describing himself as a quote black Nazi and saying he wished slavery could be reinstated. Robinson denies that

he wrote the post saying, it's all tabloid lies. Here's what he had to say to CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK ROBINSON, REPUBLICAN LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF NORTH CAROLINA: Look, I'm not going to get in to the minutia of how somebody manufactured this or

these election tabloid lies. But I can tell you this, there's been over $1 million spent on me through AI by a billionaire's son who's bound to

determine to destroy me.

The things that people can do with the internet now is incredible.

ANDREW KACZYNSKI, CNN SENIOR EDITOR, KFILE: You mentioned AI. Are you saying that somebody was somehow manufacturing biographical details to

exactly match you using your username?

ROBINSON: Look, I have no idea how this was done.

KACZYNSKI: OK. Well, how do you explain some of this being on the Internet web archive? Something that can't be --

ROBINSON: We are -- we are -- I've made my position clear and we are done with this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: All right. I want to bring in Zoe Clark, a Michigan radio political analyst and from North Carolina. Colin Campbell, the Capitol Bureau Chief

of WUNC North Carolina Public Radio.

Colin, let me start with you. Just walk us through how much are these scandalous revelations about Robinson. How much of a liability is that for

Trump at this point?

COLIN CAMPBELL, CAPITOL BUREAU CHIEF, WUNC NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC RADIO: Yes. I mean, I think the big worry for Republicans is how much Mark

Robinson's candidacy, and these new allegations, will drag down other Republican candidates in what's essentially a key swing state that Trump

really needs to win.

Robinson, even before this came out, was already pulling about 10 points behind his democratic opponent, the state's attorney general, Josh Stein,

even as Trump and Harris here in this state have been more or less tied in the same poles. So, this is a big concern for Republicans.

And I think part of the reason that, as Trump comes down here for a rally in North Carolina this weekend, I would like to see Mark Robinson on stage

with him.

ASHER: Zoe, let me bring you in. Let's talk about Michigan, because in a recent Quinnipiac poll, Harris is up by five points. That is outside the

margin of error. But Michigan is not a given for her.

Just walk us through some of the coalitions, some of the groups, some of the communities that she's going to have to rely on to win this key state.

ZOE CLARK, MICHIGAN RADIO POLITICAL ANALYST: Sure. Michigan is absolutely not a given. And Michigan really is a microcosm of the country. So we have

a big city like Detroit that's very diverse. North of Detroit, there's suburbs with just immense amounts of wealth. And then there's other parts

of the state where there's immense poverty. We again have big cities. We also have a lot of rural areas. Aside from manufacturing and labor, our

second largest industry is agriculture, where there is farmers.

So, the coalition for Kamala Harris right now is needing to win back labor. These are voters who used to vote for the Democratic candidate up until

216, when Trump surprised many and won the state. Biden won many of those voters back in 2020, but Harris still has some work to do there.

Also, this week, the Uncommitted Movement came out with a basically non- endorsement of Harris. And this is a group where 100,000 Michigan voters voted for uncommitted back in February in our state's presidential primary.

A hundred thousand voters, when you consider that Donald Trump only won Michigan again in 2016 by less than 11,000 votes. These are all the votes

that Harris really needs if she's going to continue, you know, with this blue wall strategy.

ASHER: Yes. Gretchen Whitmer saying that she is optimistic, but she's sober, right? It's not a given, as you point out.

CLARK: Yes.

ASHER: Colin, another state that the Democrats are really making a play for is, of course, North Carolina, where you are. This is where Kamala Harris

went to lay out her economic vision for the country. It's been a while since Democrats have consistently won North Carolina.

[12:25:06]

Just talk us through what the strategy is and how realistic North Carolina is for Kamala Harris this time around.

CAMPBELL: You know, it's certainly a reach state for her. North Carolina has not gone blue since Barack Obama won in 2008. Other Democrats have come

close. Joe Biden was within a percentage point or so in 2020.

So Democrats feel like this is winnable. A lot of it for them is going to be turning out black voters, turning out young voters, turning out voters

in rural communities of the state outside the urban areas where a lot of the get-out-to-vote efforts have been concentrated in the past.

So I think the ground game and you're going to see a lot of like Harris- Walz campaign here. Tim Walz was in Asheville earlier this week. I'm sure we'll see more of Harris on the ground in North Carolina very soon.

ASHER: And, Zoe, one community that, you know, Kamala Harris would like to win, but it's going to be very tricky this time is, of course, the Arab-

American communities, particularly in places like Dearborn.

And, obviously, they support Kamala Harris perhaps a little bit more than they do or did Joe Biden. But given what's happening in Gaza, it is going

to be a tough win for her. Walk us through that.

CLARK: Right, exactly. So this was the sort of coalition, the Uncommitted Movement, and again, this week said, look, you know, we just cannot endorse

her.

But then in that same statement, basically said, but we are certainly not endorsing Donald Trump, and we're not endorsing any third-party candidates.

The issue of Gaza is very relevant when you consider in Michigan, like you mentioned, Dearborn, the state is one of the country's largest Arab-

American populations. And many have family members overseas who are very close to this conflict.

And so, again, this is the needle and through the thread that Kamala Harris really has to go through and where she's sort of positioning herself vis-a-

vis Joe Biden and his stances previously and a close relationship with Israel.

ASHER: (TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY) Campbell live for us there. Thank you so much, both of you.

All right. Still ahead, we'll go back to our breaking news on the powerful Israeli airstrike in Southern Beirut, rather. We'll talk more about the

targets and the scale of the casualties from today's attack. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:30:03]

ASHER: All right. Welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher.

Back to our breaking news. Israel has carried out a major targeted strike in Southern Beirut, claiming to kill a senior Hezbollah figure. This is a

photo of Ibrahim Aqil, who is listed on a U.S. government web site as a wanted individual.

Several other people were killed in the strike on a multistory building in a crowded residential neighborhood in the Lebanese capital.

Latest attack comes after a wave of explosions blew up Hezbollah communication devices, walkie-talkies and pagers earlier this week. The

conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has been going on for decades and has heated up since the October 7th attacks.

But this week's escalations have pushed them closer to the brink of war. In a statement on X before this latest strike occurred, Israel's President

Isaac Herzog said, quote, we do not want war, not today, not ever, but we are entitled to the most basic rights of any nation to live in peace,

security and tranquility.

Time now for The Exchange. Joining me now is Khaled Elgindy, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. And author of "Blind Spot: America and

the Palestinians, from Balfour to Trump."

Khaled, thank you so much for being with us. So when you look at what Isaac Herzog just said there on X saying listen, we don't necessarily want war. A

lot of people actually look at the series of attacks this week, both the attacks on communication devices and also the target of strike we saw today

and say, it looks as though Israel is actually trying to goad Hezbollah into a war. What do you think?

KHALED ELGINDY, SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Yes. I think that's - - I think it is what it looks like. I think we need to take Netanyahu at his word. And we know what his calculations are.

He needs the war to continue in Gaza, and to -- as long as that war continues, he needs that in order to stay in power. And as long as that war

continues, then the front with Hezbollah to the north will also remain open.

And we've seen a gradual escalation. I mean, the pager attack, I think, was really unprecedented in the kind of scale, you know, thousands of

individuals. And, of course, the airstrikes today, which I wouldn't really call targeted. I mean, we've seen reports of at least many civilians killed

and including five children as the reports that I've seen.

So we're -- I think we're in a place where you have an extremist government in Israel that is trying to instill what they consider to be a deterrent.

Israel's doctrine of deterrence is based on inflicting so much damage and terror on the other side that they will simply stop responding even when

they're attacked.

And that's a very dangerous approach, as we've seen, that it only -- has only led to more escalation. And so unless there are kind of rational

cooler heads that can prevail and sort of talk everyone down, whether it's Hezbollah or its allies or Netanyahu, I think -- I think there is --

there's an urgent need to do something different than what's been done the past 12 months.

ASHER: So you're saying, look, it is what it looks like, and that is Netanyahu needs a war to stay in power, and that he is probably trying to

goad Hezbollah into a war.

But Hezbollah isn't necessarily an easy win for Israel. When you think about the number of fighters, anywhere from between 50,000 to 100,000

fighters, depending on what your source is, and then also on top of that, around 150,000 rockets and 150,000 missiles.

[12:35:09]

Just in terms of how much of a formidable foe Hezbollah is for Israel. You look at the war in 2006, and it ended in more or less a stalemate. So just

walk us through how much of a risky calculation it is for Israel as well.

ELGINDY: Yes. I think it's an extremely risky calculation. And, again, I think their goal is trying to deter the other side by sort of out-

terrorizing the other side.

But, you know, all we have to do is look at Gaza. Hamas has not been destroyed, even after almost a full year of really unprecedented scale of

death and destruction. Gaza's been destroyed, but Hamas hasn't.

Hezbollah is a much more powerful foe than Hamas in terms of its military sophistication, its command and control in every -- in every way.

And so I think the Israelis understand this and that's why we're not seeing a full-on invasion. But I think we've already crossed the Rubicon in the

sense that we're not -- we're no longer at the brink of war. Israel and Hezbollah are at war. It's just a question of the scale of that war. Will

it be contained or de-escalated? Or will it continue this upward cycle toward something much more destructive?

So, yes, I think Israel is moving much more slowly with regard to Lebanon than it has done in Gaza, for example. But its current trajectory is makes,

I think, an even more intensive war almost inevitable.

ASHER: I'm just being told that the death toll from these strikes has actually risen to 12.

But what does de-escalation actually look like at this point in time? Nasrallah is between a rock and a hard place. He has to respond somehow. He

has to -- he has to show that the organization won't be defeated by the IDF. How does he do that?

And is there any kind of diplomatic solution that would actually allow both sides, or especially Hezbollah, to save face here?

ELGINDY: Yes, I think so. I mean, you're right. I think Hezbollah has to respond. And that is -- that's the fatal flaw in Israel's logic of

deterrence. Hezbollah will have to respond in some capacity in a way that they consider to be commensurate with the attacks on Lebanon.

I think the way out of this, I mean, Hezbollah has said that they will continue to attack Israel, as long as the Gaza war continues.

And so that I think even the United States understands, as Israel's closest ally, that the best way to contain a all-out regional war is by getting a

ceasefire in Gaza, but we're obviously not there. And in -- and in fact, the administration is now signaling that, well, we probably won't see a

ceasefire in the remainder of President Biden's term.

And so we are in a kind of no holds barred escalatory situation in which both sides have an interest in avoiding greater violence, but also an

interest in maintaining what they consider to be deterrent from the other side.

Because if Hezbollah simply doesn't respond, then they're conceding to all of Lebanon and frankly to the region that Israel can act with impunity and

not expect any sort of response. And, obviously, Israel will make a similar calculation.

ASHER: All right. Khaled Elgindy, live for us there, author of "Blind Spot." Thank you so much for your insight. We appreciate it. We'll be right

back with more after the short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:40:51]

ASHER: All right. The mayor of Springfield, Ohio, earlier this morning, told CNN that he would welcome a presidential candidate who focuses on real

immigration reform.

Mayor Rob Rue has now assumed emergency power to try to handle threats that poured in after Donald Trump's false statement about Haitian immigrants.

The mayor says the city received more than 35 violent threats, including bomb threats, since the former president spouted lies that Haitian

immigrants in the city eat people's pets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROB RUE, MAYOR OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO: The real issue is what's being around the -- this being said around the rhetoric is the immigration reform, is

the -- is the poorest border that we need to just talk about that there needs to be reform. And I've heard both sides of the aisle say things like

that throughout the last several months. That's what we need to be talking about, not defending our community from false claims.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: CNN's Omar Jimenez joins us live now with more. So this poor community has been stuck, essentially, amid all these sort of swirling

baseless lies about it.

Donald Trump has talked about visiting. I don't know if that's likely or not, but walk us through what's ahead for Springfield, Omar.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Look, the former president has floated visiting, as you mentioned, who knows if that will actually happen.

But one of the things that we've heard from the mayor, Rob Rue, who we just heard from a little bit there, is that it does seem leaders are trying to

tone down the political temperature, a temperature of which they really had no control over from the inside on trying to get things handled.

And what I mean by that is, for example, we talked about a potential presidential visit or former presidential visit. The mayor said he would

welcome any candidate that would instead focus on real issues of immigration rather than continuing to repeat what we have seen to be claims

without any evidence.

Even the Republican governor of the state, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who is a Republican, and a Trump supporting Republican, does not agree with the

former president on this. He was born in Springfield. And he wrote this as part of an op-ed in "The New York Times" this morning, saying, the city hit

tough times in the 1980s and 1990s falling into serious economic decline as manufacturing, real commerce and good-paying jobs dwindled.

Now, however, Springfield is having a resurgence in manufacturing and job creation. Some of that is thanks to the dramatic influx of Haitian migrants

who have arrived in the city over the past three years to fill jobs. They're there legally. They're there to work.

And the estimates from the city is that there are between 12,000 and 15,000 immigrants in the Springfield area at this point. And they have filled much

needed positions, as far as jobs go, for many of the companies in the area.

But, of course, with that rise in population has come some tensions in different aspects of society there.

ASHER: All right. Omar Jimenez, live for us there. Thank you so much.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

ASHER: All right. Germany completed a U-turn in its policy on migration this week. The country introduced new controls on all of its borders, which

is a far cry from its migration-friendly approach of the last decade.

The government has been under a lot of pressure to tackle the problem, even though it has recently stepped up deportations.

[12:45:02]

But as Fred Pleitgen reports, the move is putting European unity on the line.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cars lining up at a border crossing where they normally breeze through. But

Germany has brought back document and vehicle checks, not just here in Frankfurt an der Oder at the border with Poland, but at all of its borders

with EU countries.

Officer Tom Knie (PH) says they regularly find people trying to enter Germany illegally.

It's daily business here that people don't meet the entry requirements for Germany, he says, and perhaps even for the Schengen area, and then have to

be subjected to further police measures.

Germany's problem, many people from around the world continue to flee to Europe, and many of them want to come to Germany, even though they should

register in the countries where they first crossed into E.U. territory.

But those countries, Berlin says, aren't doing enough to stop migrants from moving on to Germany.

PLEITGEN: The new border checks are extremely controversial with other European Union member states. Germans are saying they absolutely needs to

do this to stop the threat of terrorism, but also illegal migration.

Other European countries, though, say that this destroys the very essence of a unified Europe.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): The wave of mass migration to Germany started in 2015. Millions of people fleeing the wars in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan

crossed into the E.U., welcomed by then German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who boasted that Germany would manage the huge influx of people from

abroad.

But after nine years, many Germans are saying enough. Following a string of attacks carried out by former asylum seekers, leaving several people dead.

Voters are flocking to the right-wing, Alternative for Germany party, AFD, that promises to stop migration and start mass deportations of migrants.

Severely sliding in the polls, German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, now says he's getting tough.

We will utilize all possibilities to carry out entry refusals within the framework of the law, he says, and we've put a concept for effective entry

refusal on the table, where we are prepared to do this with the opposition.

While the right-wing anti-migration Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban gleefully posted on X, quote, Germany has decided to impose strict border

controls to stop illegal migration. Bundeskanzler Scholz, welcome to the club.

Other European leaders have vowed to combat Germany's new border regime.

This type of action is unacceptable from the Polish point of view, Poland's prime minister said. After all, I have no doubt that it is the internal

political situation in Germany which is causing these steps to be implemented and not our policy towards illegal immigration on our borders.

And some migration experts believe Germany is not only putting itself at odds with the E.U., but that these checks will do little to stop illegal

border crossings.

RAPHAEL BOSSONG, GERMAN INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL AND SECURITY AFFAIRS: I don't think the effect is going to be dramatic. I mean, it's mostly a

political signal now to show, obviously, that the government is doing something and also to other European countries that they should shoulder a

larger part of the responsibility.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Whether or not the measures work, they're already having a big political effect in Europe, putting the E.U.'s unity to the

test.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: All right. Major league baseball superstar, Shohei Ohtani, goes where no player has gone before, making history and breaking his own

record. That story, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:50:23]

ASHER: A historic day for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Slugger, Shohei Ohtani, he's become the first Major League Baseball player to reach 50 home runs

and 50 stolen bases in the same season.

The Japanese phenomenon became the inaugural member of the, quote-unquote, 50-50 club. CNN's Natasha Chen has more on this milestone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 51-51, the magic numbers no one in Major League Baseball has ever achieved until now.

Dodger superstar, Shohei Ohtani, has hit 51 home runs and stolen 51 bases this season. It's so difficult for one player to reach the same high number

of home runs and stolen bases that the last record was 42-42, more than 25 years ago. It's a rare feat of power and speed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I always wanted to see something special again with the Dodgers. And what we're witnessing right now is the Babe Ruth of this era.

CHEN (voice-over): And like Babe Ruth, Ohtani is a two-way talent who can both pitch and hit.

KAZUO IMAI, TOUR GUIDE: I'm very proud of him. He did it, you know. He's one of the Japanese. So -- and he's encouraging Japanese community.

CHEN (voice-over): Kazuo Imai is a local tour guide witnessing the incredible wave of Japanese tourists who have flooded Los Angeles holding

tickets to Dodger Stadium.

IMAI: Maybe 80 percent Japanese tourists are coming to see Ohtani.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have always been supportive of us, but nothing like this year. We have tour buses morning, noon, and night.

CHEN (voice-over): The team has a dozen new Japanese sponsors this year. Japanese language tours four days a week.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go down to the field.

CHEN: Yes, yes. We will.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, great.

CHEN (voice-over): Stadium food now goes beyond the Dodger dog to the kurobuta pork sausage dog, sushi, chicken katsu, and takoyaki, which are

round fritters filled with octopus.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: America taste though.

CHEN (voice-over): It's America's pastime and there's nothing more American than bringing together a melting pot of people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a global game now. It is super important. And it's super important that, you know, we recognize a foreign born player who does

his interviews in Japanese and we are humbled by it.

We take it in and we say, you know what, this is the way baseball should be played.

CHEN (voice-over): The Ohtani effect has energized L.A.'s little Tokyo where businesses say they have double the customers they normally get this

time of year.

At Far Bar, customers get a free Shohei shot every time Ohtani hits a home run.

CHEN: Did you ever think you had to buy this much sake for the season?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not at all.

CHEN (voice-over): Gary Lee is the owner of Dodgers Nation, an online fan and news site with a YouTube show. Just looking at clicks he's getting from

Japan.

GARY LEE, OWNER OF DODGERS NATION: I know our traffic increased 1250 percent from Japan.

CHEN (voice-over): But he says the most gratifying part is not the number of followers.

LEE: I'm so proud because growing up, I didn't have an Asian-American or Asian person to really look up to. And that's my initial reaction, is just

like I'm so happy for this generation of Asian-American kids.

CHEN (voice-over): Kids, he says, facing less stereotypical pressure from immigrant parents to go into certain professions.

LEE: They're allowed to dream. Like he broke that barrier to dream.

CHEN (voice-over): The larger-than-life role model is now depicted in a 150-foot painting that moves with augmented reality when fans scan a QR

code on their phones and raise them to the wall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's time for Dodger baseball.

[12:55:03]

CHEN (voice-over): Artist, Robert Vargas, says he painted this mural to bring everyone together in the city's crossroads of Asian and Latin-

American communities.

ROBERT VARGAS, ARTIST: I definitely had a premonition that he was going to do something amazing. I was with them from the beginning, through thick and

thin, as the season kicked off. And to see him actually not only meet those expectations but exceed them, is just incredible.

CHEN (voice-over): Natasha Chen, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: All right. A zoo in China is admitting its star attraction is not exactly what it seems. Meet the pandas, which are not actually pandas at

all. Look closer and you'll see that they are actually dogs painted to look like pandas.

The zoo in Southern China says that fans of these pups are packing in to see the panda impersonators after the videos made the rounds online. The

zoo has now put up a sign explaining what they're seeing are, in fact, panda dogs.

That does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher. I appreciate you watching. Have a great weekend. "AMANPOUR" is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END

END