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Fallout After Trump Rally Speaker Calls Puerto Rico "Island Of Garbage"; Western Intel Officials: N Korean Troops Already Inside Ukraine; Israel Launches Deadly Airstrikes Across Northern Gaza; Sources: Ceasefire Negotiators Believe Yahya Sinwar's Brother Is Hamas' New Decision Maker In Gaza; Gas Prices Trend Lower As Voters Head To The Polls; Survey: Americans' Economic Mood Perking Up Ahead Of Election; Teri Garr, Star Of "Young Frankenstein" & "Tootsie," Dead At 79. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired October 29, 2024 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

VICTOR MARTINEZ, RADIO HOST, LA MEGA: -- already voted for Trump. He's regretting it after what happened Sunday. And he's trying to make up by trying to influence other people not to vote for him,

They hurt our pride. And I'm telling you, if you know anything about Puerto Ricans, is that you don't mess with our island or our flag. Those are sacred to us.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Victor Martinez, appreciate you coming on and sharing your perspective. Thanks for joining us.

MARTINEZ: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Thanks.

When we come back, some breaking news on the war in Ukraine. What U.S. officials are now saying about that conflict. Some new details to bring you about North Korean troops involved in the conflict.

Plus, a Gaza hospital director says the situation is quote, "utterly catastrophic" after dozens were killed or injured in an Israeli airstrike. We have details on that in just moments.

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[13:35:20]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: We do have breaking news into CNN. Western Intel officials telling CNN a small number of North Korean troops are already inside of Ukraine.

SANCHEZ: Let's get the latest details now from the Pentagon with CNN's Natasha Bertrand.

Natasha, what are you hearing?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Boris. We are told from two Western Intelligence officials that there's evidence at this point that a small number of North Korean troops is now inside Ukraine.

And that is a step beyond what the Pentagon and the U.S. broadly had confirmed yesterday, which is that roughly 10,000 North Korean troops are currently inside Russia receiving training with some in route to the Kursk region of Russia where we know that Russians that have been fighting the Ukrainians that have held some territory there since August.

So at this point, the number, again, is still believed to be very small. And a U.S. official actually said that they cannot yet corroborate the reports that there are this small number of North Korean troops inside Ukraine.

But it does suggest to these Western Intelligence officials that we spoke to that the number could grow and that the North Koreans are actually there to gain combat experience.

This is why, according to intelligence assessments, the North Koreans were eager to deploy some of their forces to Ukraine, to Russia, because the North Koreans have not fought a war in over 70 years and they want that combat on-the-ground experience for their troops.

Now, we're also told that many of the troops that the North Koreans have sent to Russia to participate in this war alongside Russian forces are Special Operations Forces, North Korea's equivalent of Special Operations troops.

And North Korea is pretty bullish about their ability to perform well on the battlefield. But of course, officials tell us that they still don't know just how helpful they're going to be on the battlefield because they haven't been tested, right?

And so it remains unclear, just how much of a boon this is going to be to the Russians in the war against Ukraine.

But still, it is deeply concerning. And U.S. and South Korean officials are meeting this week in Washington, D.C., to discuss ways to move forward.

And one other thing I should note is that there is a really all-hands- on-deck effort at this point to try to pressure China to get the North Koreans to pull back.

Because, of course China, still has a relationship with the North Koreans and could have some leverage there.

SANCHEZ: It will be interesting to see how that might play out.

Natasha Bertrand, live for us at the Pentagon, thank you so much.

Pivoting now to another conflict on the world stage. This one in the Middle East. Another Israeli airstrike launched against Hamas in northern Gaza today. KEILAR: Yes, Health Ministry officials there saying the death toll in this is close to 100. And it includes more than two dozen children. Local hospital officials say they're overwhelmed with casualties.

Let's get the latest now from CNN's Jeremy Diamond, who is live from Tel Aviv.

Jeremy, this early morning strike hit a five-story building?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: An absolutely devastating strike. At least 90 people have been killed, including 25 children, according to the Gazan Health Ministry. And they still haven't recovered all of the bodies from the rubble.

About 200 people we're believed to be living in this residential building in the northern most part of the Gaza Strip when it was struck by an Israeli airstrike early this morning.

In addition to the devastating numbers of casualties, it's also about how people are picking through the rubble. This part of northern Gaza has been besieged by the Israeli military.

Which means there is no heavy machinery to pull those bodies from under the rubble to lift them from under these enormous slabs of concrete. There are no ambulances in northern Gaza.

Instead, people using donkey or horse drawn carts to haul bodies away to the morgue and to bring those who are injured to the hospital.

And then you have the Kamala Adwan Hospital, one of the few remaining hospitals those in northern Gaza, where those who survived this strike were taken with their injuries.

That hospital has very little in terms of medical resources to provide with only two working doctors still at that hospital.

Meanwhile, we also saw that, in Lebanon, the Israeli military we conducted one of its deadliest strikes since this conflict escalated last month, 60 people killed 58 people wounded in Lebanon's eastern Baalbek region.

SANCHEZ: Jeremy, has there been any movement on ceasefire talks?

DIAMOND: Well, if by movement you mean meetings, negotiations, then, yes, certainly. Whether that's actually going to lead to any kind of agreement is another question altogether.

But there is a new proposal on the table. Yesterday, we were talking to you about this Egyptian proposal, which is quite limited, just two days for four hostages.

But there is another proposal that appears to be becoming the central one in these negotiations at this stage. It was discussed by the CIA director, the head of the Massad, as well as with the Qataris.

And it involves a month-long pause in the fighting, shorter than what was previously -- has previously been discussed, but obviously longer than that two-day Egyptian proposal.

[13:40:09]

It's not clear exactly how many suggests would get out or how many Palestinian prisoners would be exchanged. But it is an attempt to jumpstart these negotiations once again.

And in the process of re-entering into these negotiations, negotiators close to the process have learned that it is Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas' leader who was killed last month, it is his brother, Mohammed Sinwar, who it now appears to be in charge in Gaza.

And so a deal will ultimately depend on him, as well as on the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And it's important to note that Mohammed Sinwar, much like his brother, is viewed as a fairly hardline militant -- Boris, Brianna?

KEILAR: All right, Jeremy Diamond, live for us from Tel Aviv, thank you.

And with Election Day only a week away, there's a new survey that shows some Americans are actually becoming more optimistic about the economy. What is behind that shift will have it just ahead.

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[13:45:13]

KEILAR: With one week to go, seven days, half a fortnight --

SANCHEZ: Half a fortnight.

KEILAR: -- half a fortnight, could one of James Carvilles' most often quoted phrases be true in 2024, "It's the economy stupid?" All this election season, Republicans have been attacking the Biden-Harris economy, mostly over inflation.

SANCHEZ: Yes, but one of the biggest expenses for many American households is gas. And when it comes to that, things are actually looking pretty good at the pump.

According to AAA, today, in 20 states, prices per gallon of regular unleaded gas have dipped below $3.

Let's discuss with CNN's Matt Egan.

Matt, good prices for 20 states. But where does gas stand across the rest of the country? And what kind of impact does that have on the election?

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Boris and Brianna, I have good news for you today, right? Gas prices, they're falling across the country. The national average is down to $3.13 a gallon.

That is the lowest level in nearly nine months. It's nine cents cheaper than a month ago and 37 cents cheaper than this point last year. And this trend, it really may just be getting started.

GasBuddy's Patrick De Haan, he told me that he thinks that next seven to 12 days, we could see the national average plunged below $3 a gallon. That's something that we have not seen in three and a half years.

And look, this is a big deal because a lot of people view gas prices as a real-time barometer for the cost of living. A lot of people remember, all too well, when two years ago, as that chart shows, gas prices spiked above $5 a gallon for the first time ever.

That was really painful for a lot of people. It was a political disaster for the Biden-Harris administration. And now we're sort of seeing the reversal, right? Gas prices are well away from that $5 level.

It could be flirting with that psychologically important $3 level just in time for the election. And voters in battleground states, they're paying a lot less for fuel than they we're at this point last year.

Gas prices are down by seven 78 cents in Nevada, 78 cents in Arizona, sharply lower in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. And this is a big deal because it is a tangible way to show that there has been progress when it comes to the cost of living.

KEILAR: And there's a new survey of consumer confidence out just today. It finds them mood of Americans towards the economy's picking up. What do you see in the survey?

EGAN: Right. This survey shows that Americans are feeling better about the economy. So consumer confidence increase in October by the most since March of 2021. That is very significant.

There was an increase in confidence really across the board. All age groups, most of the income groups. Americans are feeling better about the stock market. They increase their indication that they plan to buy homes, buy cars.

What's important is that people are also feeling better about the jobs market. This survey found that 35 percent of consumers say that jobs are plentiful right now. That is up from September.

And just 17 percent say that jobs are hard to get. That number is down. So both of those are moving in the right direction.

Recession fears have also fallen. The conference board found that the smallest share of consumers are worried about a recession over the next 12 months since they started asking this question, 12 -- two years ago. So that's significant.

But one other point here is that even though consumer confidence ticked up, and even though it's trending in the right direction, it does remain significantly lower than it was before the inflation crisis. And it's lower than it was during most of the Trump administration prior to Covid. And I do think that is lingering frustration with the cost of living. Yes, gas prices are down and the rate of inflation is down, but people are still paying more than they were, especially at the grocery store and on things like rent and car insurance -- Boris and Brianna?

KEILAR: Yes. You can't ignore that.

Matt Egan, thank you so much.

[13:48:09]

And ahead on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, Hollywood mourning the passing of an unforgettable actress, Teri Garr. We'll have that next.

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[13:53:43]

SANCHEZ: We have some sad breaking news to share. Oscar-nominated actress, Teri Garr, has passed away at the age of 79. Garr's career spanned decades. And she starred in classics like "Young Frankenstein," "Tootsie," "Mr. Mom," and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

KEILAR: CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister is with us now.

What's the reaction been to her passing, Elizabeth?

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: This sad news just breaking. Teri Garr's manager confirming with us that she has died today at the age of 79 after her long battle with Multiple Sclerosis.

No reaction quite yet from Hollywood because, as I said, we are literally just learning about Teri Garr's passing. But she was a huge influence to many comedic actors, including Tina Fey.

So I am sure that we are going to have an outpouring of love from the Hollywood community today, who will be so sad about this loss.

As you said, she was known for her many television and film roles from the '70s, '80s, and '90s. She had not done much work in the past two decades, but more current audiences may remember her from "Friends" where she played Phoebe's mom.

Now, as I said, she was diagnosed with M.S. in 2002. And, back in 2005, she spoke with CNN's Larry King about that diagnosis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[13:55:06]

TERI GARR, ACTRESS: I've been very, very lucky because I've had a very slow progression with this. I've had it for 20 years, the M.S. And now it seems to have gone even slower because of the medicine I'm on. So I'm really very grateful. And I find it very important to keep an optimistic attitude and to --

you know, I know it seems sort of Pollyanna, but I try to, you know, make the best of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WAGMEISTER: So there you see her in 2005, keeping a really positive attitude despite that diagnosis. Really admirable that she kept that attitude and was so open about it.

But sadly, today, she has lost her battle with M.S. at the age of 79.

KEILAR: She will be missed.

Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you for the report.

We'll be right back.

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