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CNN International: Trump Denies Knowing Comedian Who Made Puerto Rico Remark; Trump Dismisses Backlash Over Puerto Rico Joke; Israeli Source: Gaza Attack May have Hit Hamas Gathering; UK Budget Raises Taxes by Almost $52B; Harris Proposes Modest Economic Changes; Trump Seeks Overhaul; Yankees Fans Ejected after Interfering with Mookie Betts. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired October 30, 2024 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN HOST: Good morning or good evening, depending on where you're watching. I'm Rahel Solomon, live in New York. And ahead on CNN Newsroom, it is the final sprint with less than one week to go until Election Day in the U.S. The candidates are on a battleground blitz as the extremely close race heads towards the finish line.
Plus, sports and politics collide ahead of the U.S. election, could endorsements from athletes and other sports personalities sway voters? We'll discuss. And international condemnation is growing after an Israeli air strike kills dozens of people in Northern Gaza, including children. We're live in Jerusalem with the very latest.
Well, the finish line is well with insight just six days ago until Election Day in a race that still remains too close to call, even at this late stage and both campaigns not letting up. Kamala Harris will be hitting three battleground states today. She's going to start in Raleigh, North Carolina for a "Get Out the Vote Rally". Then she heads on to Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
On Tuesday, Harris made a final appeal to undecided voters at a symbolic venue. The vice president choosing the ellipse for this moment, the same place that Former President Donald Trump spoke nearly four years ago on January 6th, before his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol. Harris says that the choice is clear for voters a nation divided or one that's united.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: America for too long, we have been consumed with too much division, chaos and mutual distrust, and it can be easy then to forget a simple truth. It doesn't have to be this way. It doesn't have to be this way. It is time to stop pointing fingers. We have to stop pointing fingers and start locking arms. It is time to turn the page on the drama and the conflict, the fear and division. It is time for a new generation of leadership in America.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SOLOMON: But rather than basking in the afterglow of Harris' speech, her campaign is instead dealing with a new headache following a remark by President Joe Biden. Speaking to a Latino organization on Tuesday, virtually Biden criticized a recent Trump campaign rally where a speaker comedian called Puerto Rico, an island of garbage. Biden appeared to say that it's Trump supporters who are garbage before clarifying his remarks. Here's what Harris had to say about the matter last hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: I think that, first of all, he clarified his comments. But let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for. You heard in my speech last night and continuously throughout my career, I believe that the work that I do is about representing all the people, whether they support me or not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: Donald Trump, meantime, also plans to visit the critical states of North Carolina and Wisconsin today. In a couple of hours, he will deliver remarks at a rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Later, he is going to appear at a campaign event in Green Bay, Wisconsin. On Tuesday, he was in Pennsylvania where he made unproven claims that voter fraud was already going on in the state, listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you have a mail-in ballot, get that damn ballot in please immediately, because -- because they've already started cheating in Lancaster, they've cheated. We caught them with 2600 votes. Now we caught them called 2600 and every vote was written by the same person. I wonder how that happened. It must be a coincidence. It must be a coincidence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: And outside Trump's Allentown event, a city that is majority Latino, some voters made their voices heard protesting over the island of garbage joke made about Puerto Rico at the former president's New York rally. Trump, meantime, brushed aside the joke's potential impact on the vote, listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I have no idea who was. Never saw him, never heard of him, and don't want to hear of him, but I have no idea they put a comedian in which everybody does. You throw comedians in; you don't let them and go crazy. It's nobody's fault. I don't know who it is. I don't even know who put them in. And I can't imagine it's a big deal. I've done more for Puerto Rico than any president.
SEAN HANNITY, FOX ANCHOR: You wish he wasn't there.
TRUMP: Yeah. I mean, I don't know if it's a big deal or not, but I don't want anybody making nasty jokes or stupid jokes. Probably he shouldn't have been there, yeah.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:05:00]
SOLOMON: All right, let's dive deeper into the race with CNN Political Commentator and Democratic Strategist Maria Cardona and Bryan Lanza, a Senior Advisor for the Trump 2024 campaign. Good to see you both. But Brian, let's start with you.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Hey Rahel.
SOLOMON: How concerned are you about the Puerto Rican vote? We talked -- you know and by some estimates, there are about half a million Puerto Ricans in the critical state of Pennsylvania, but about a million in the different battleground states. How concerned are you, Bryan?
BRYAN LANZA, SENIOR ADVISER, TRUMP 2024 CAMPAIGN: First of all, thank you for having me. Listen, I don't think we're as concerned as people expect us to be. You have to remember; President Trump has delivered to the Puerto Rican community when he was president. I think the Puerto Ric community is fed up with the Biden Harris Administration.
The Biden Harris Administration basically bankrupted that community in the last four years. And so, looking for change, and Donald Trump is that change agent, and we offer that change. We offer a better economic path. As for the insult you know that the comment made, I think the campaign was pretty clear, pretty clear where we stand.
It doesn't share our values and it doesn't share the values of the president. But I will tell you this. We know what shares Kamala Harris's values. We know that her vice president nominee called people who were at the rally Nazis. You know, there was a Holocaust survivor at the rally. He had the temerity to say something is disgusting Tim Walz, that a Holocaust survivor is a Nazi, and then the next day, literally, 24 hours later.
I mean, I'm sure he's trying to clarify it, but -- you know Joe Biden referred to -- you know to half the country as garbage. You know, those are Puerto Ricans that he referred to as garbage. There's Latinos myself that he's referring to as garbage. So, we know where the Democratic Party stands when they think of Republican voters.
We heard it in Obama in 2008 when he said, we clenched to our guns and our Bible. We heard it from Hillary Clinton, which he referred to us as deplorables. You know, every couple of years we see a moment of how they really think of the American voters, and we saw that this past weekend and last night, they're disgusted by the American voters.
They call them garbage, and they call them Nazis. And that's just the nature of the politics in the Democratic Party, because they have no message to close on the end, because they don't offer any change they offer the status quo.
SOLOMON: Maria, I do want to give you an opportunity to respond, but I think it would be helpful for everyone to hear what the president said, so you can make your own determination about whether the apostrophe was in the right place, whether it wasn't in the right place, and we can discuss.
LANZA: Thank you.
SOLOMON: Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico, a floating island of garbage. Well, let me tell you something. I don't -- I don't know the Puerto Rican that I know, or Puerto Rico where I'm -- in my home State of Delaware.
They're good, decent, honorable people. The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization is seen as unconscionable, and it's un-American. It's totally contrary to everything we've done, everything we've been.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: So, Maria Biden's point is that, when he tried to clarify, is that he was talking about that comedian.
CARDONA: Right.
SOLOMON: He was talking about that Trump supporter. That's what he said.
CARDONA: Correct.
SOLOMON: That said some people are likening this moment to Hillary Clinton's basket of deplorable gaff. How do you see it?
CARDONA: Absolutely, cannot even compare that. But I understand why Bryan and all of Donald Trump's supporters are concerned and are twisting themselves up and not trying to blame Biden for saying what he said, and trying to deflect. Because the fact of the matter is that the President Biden clarified his comments.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the one running to be president, also said that Biden clarified his comments. But importantly, she distanced herself from any kind of message, even if people heard what Bryan is trying to put out there as an insult that she does disagrees with anything that would ever insult anyone based on who they vote for.
So, I think that was an important point to make. That in any way, does not distract from the fact that Madison Square Garden rally was a hate fest. It was xenophobic vitriol. It was racism at the highest peak. It wasn't just the comedian who insulted Puerto Rico calling them and us. I was raised in Puerto Rico, as you may know, Rahel, an island of trash. It was others calling the vice president a prostitute, calling Hillary
Clinton the B word, insulting Jews, insulting Muslims. It was just a xenophobic anti-American hate fest throughout. And Trump continues to call that a rally full of love.
So regardless of what Bryan is saying, what you are seeing across the country, and we have seen Victor Martinez, who is a DJ in Pennsylvania, Puerto Rican -- who is saying that he is hearing from his listeners. Even Trump supports that were Puerto Rican, who were -- who were planning on voting for Trump, are saying, I am no longer voting for this guy.
[11:10:00]
He disrespected us, and I'm telling all of my friends and family to go out and vote for Kamala Harris. You saw the protest that is going on today in Pennsylvania from Latinos and Puerto Ricans telling everyone to go vote for Kamala Harris. The Arch Bishop from Allentown and from a town in Puerto Rico, telling people that this was a huge disrespect toward Puerto Rico and that Puerto Ricans and Latinos in general should vote for Kamala Harris.
In Nevada you have Latinos, not even Puerto Ricans, but we all take it as an insult, telling everyone that this is completely unacceptable, that we have had it, that we need to turn the page, and that Kamala Harris is actually the one who is focused on bringing everyone together, fighting for everyone.
That's what she talked about in her speech, where she gathered 100,000 Americans from across the country who are also sick of the hatred and the vitriol on the divisiveness and the chaos and the cruelty that Donald Trump represents, and it's time to turn the page towards someone who is going to be there to focus and check off her to do list while Donald Trump will be hunched over and working on his enemies list.
SOLOMON: Bryan, on the Puerto Rican vote. I mean, what -- I mean, you're a strategy guy. What's the best way out of this mess, I think a lot of people would call it for his campaign? I mean, does he issue an apology --
LANZA: I --
SOLOMON: -- like the Archbishop of Puerto Rico is asking for? I mean, what does the campaign need to do?
LANZA: I think what's best is that definitely have perspective here. This was a third party who made that comment. It wasn't President Trump; it wasn't J. D. Vance. It was a comic, a third party. What you have with respect to the Harris campaign, it was her VP nominee who called a Holocaust survivor, a Nazi who attended the rally. It was her VP nominee who said that young kids under five who attended this rally were Nazis, and Kamala Harris is not condemned at.
Let me tell you a little about the rally what I saw. I saw Jews praying at the rally. You know, you don't see a Democratic rallies Jews praying because they're harassed. They have to do it in hiding. You know, we saw Jews praying that the DNC Convention in secret rooms where they were away from the rest of the volunteer the Democratic Party volunteers.
You didn't see that at this -- at this -- at this rally this last week. And you saw Jews praying in public -- you know, unafraid, unscared of the violence individual that comes from the Democratic Party towards their faith. So, I appreciate what Maria is trying to do. She's trying to sort of cover up where the Democratic Party really lies.
But their hatred towards the Jewish community was relevant and was present at the -- at our -- at our rally, because Jews could openly pray, and it's never present at the Harris rally, because they have to hide when they pray. That's where the Democratic Party is today.
And I understand Maria has a tough job, sort of pushing away from Joe Biden's comments and from Tim Walz's comments. But ultimately, the voters are going to make the decision that that hate is what separated America, but only thing that can restore us is going to be the economic future that President Trump and the border security he is bringing forward.
SOLOMON: What about --
CARDONA: Let's just remind people what Donald Trump has said about America. He called America a garbage can, which means --
LANZA: I think Tim Walz --
CARDONA: -- that America -- which means that Americans are trash. He has had so many posts and comments that are anti-Semitic, which is why the vast majority of Jewish voters in this country vote for Democrats and will vote for Kamala Harris. He called Muslims terrorists, which is why you will have the majority of Muslims also vote for Kamala Harris.
And you know again, what you're saying, Bryan, about vice president, vice -- candidate for vice president Tim Walz is just a lie. He didn't call anybody Nazis.
LANZA: And --
(CROSSTALK)
CARDONA: But what you did see -- but what you -- but what you have heard are historians likening the Madison Square Garden rally to the 1939 rally that was a Nazi rally, and the hatred and the vitriol that we saw on Sunday night -- you know is exactly what Americans want to turn the page from. They have had it. That is not what they want in their leader.
They don't want a President of the United States who is going to be going after the quote, enemy from within with the military. He's not -- they don't want the President of the United States going through an enemy's list trying to figure out who he's going to go after. They want somebody who's going to work for everyone.
They want somebody who's going to focus on their economic future and expanding economic opportunities. That's exactly what Kamala Harris talked about last night. That's what she's going to talk about in the next six days, which is why you're going to see the vast majority of Americans voting for her on November 6th.
SOLOMON: Well, we will soon see it. That much I think we can all agree on. Maria Cardona and Bryan Lanza, good to see you both. Thank you so much.
CARDONE: Thank you so much, Rahel.
LANZA: Thank you.
SOLOMON: Let's bring in our team of reporters. We are joined now by CNN's Steve Contorno from North Carolina, where he is following Trump's campaign, and we have Eva McKend also, of course, from CNN with the Harris campaign in Raleigh, North Carolina.
[11:15:00]
Eva, let me start with you. The last few days, we heard from Harris a short time ago what do we know about the campaign's sort of final stretch strategy?
EVA MCKEND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rahel, I can tell you it was right here in Raleigh several months ago when the vice president rolled out her very first economic plan. And when you speak to the campaign, they will tell you that they're not only relying on the blue wall states as a possible path to victory.
That they very much feel as though North Carolina is in play and the Sun Belt states are places where they can be competitive as well. And it is for a mix of reasons. They think that they can run on the strength of the reproductive rights argument in this state. They say that even though a Democrat has not been successful at the presidential level since 2008 you have a very weak candidate, a Republican Candidate for Governor, that drags down the ticket.
And lastly, they say that they have built up the infrastructure in this state to have a competitive ground game. They've got people on the doors, people making calls, a robust volunteer operation to pull this off in this purple state.
SOLOMON: All right. Eva, thank you. We'll leave it there. Let me bring in Steve and see if we can see that in some ways, Harris's map, Trump's map. They're sort of overlapping in terms of their schedule. What's the Trump's campaign strategy in these last few days?
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Well, you're seeing them here in North Carolina today. This is a state that Donald Trump won narrowly four years ago. And then he will be traveling to Wisconsin later today for a state that he narrowly lost four years ago. And so far, they feel very bullish about their chances to hold on to North Carolina, and they feel good about where they stand in those blue wall states. The Trump campaign believes that there are quite a few voters who are
not being captured by a lot of the polls that have come out recently, showing this race neck and neck that is not capturing the work that they have put in trying to get, not low propensity voters, that is people who don't normally engage in politics to show up this cycle.
They are convinced that that is the path to victory is running up the score in parts of the state where they know conservatives live but don't necessarily tend to show up, and that is a big part of what they are trying to do in these battleground states.
Now you see the message right behind me in North Carolina, we are in Rocky Mountains where the sign says, vote early. 3.2 million people had already voted and cast a ballot in this state, as of yesterday. There will be many more counted today, and so that is clearly the message.
What is interesting, though, is even as he is telling his supporters, go out there and vote early, take advantage of vote by mail, get in line and cast that ballot already, he is also, at the same time, sewing doubt about the election process as it is.
Yesterday, he attacked voting in Pennsylvania, claiming that there are already signs that there are attempts to steal the election there. Obviously, that is a gross lie about what is actually transpiring in that state, where the election officials have said they are working around the clock to make sure this election goes off without a hit. So that's his message to his supporters. We need you to get out and vote, because who knows what the other side is trying to do Rahel.
SOLOMON: OK, Steve Contorno live for us here in North Carolina. Steve, thank you. Coming up, new details about a deadly air strike in Gaza that has drawn international condemnation. But an Israeli military source is telling CNN straight ahead. Plus, the U.S. and South Korea hold talks on North Korean troops training in Russia, details on who those forces are and where some may have been deployed. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:20:00]
SOLOMON: Welcome back. A senior UN official is condemning one of the deadliest Israeli attacks in Gaza in months, calling it appalling. Palestinian health officials say that at least 93 people were killed in a single strike in Beit Lahia, including 25 children.
An Israeli military source tells CNN that troops fired on a Hamas member on the roof of a building, suggesting that there may have been a Hamas gathering there. The source also suggesting that the death toll may be exaggerated. A Palestinian hospital director yesterday said that more than 90 bodies have been identified. U.S. State Department had this to say about the attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MATTHEW MILLER, SPOKESPERSON, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: We are deeply concerned by the loss of civilian life in this incident. This was a horrifying incident with a horrifying result. I can't speak to the total death toll, but there are reports of two dozen children killed in this incident. No doubt, a number of them are children who have been fleeing the effects of this war for more than a year now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: And it's this disturbing image that's also drawing international condemnation. More than 200 Palestinians, some elderly, some visibly wounded, crouched in the ruins of Jabalia. Witnesses tell CNN that they were detained and most ordered to strip by Israeli forces as they tried to flee their homes.
In Lebanon, the entire city of Baalbek is under Israeli evacuation orders for the first time since the war with Hezbollah began. A Regional Governor says that Israel is now striking the northeastern city home to ancient from -- Roman ruins. He says that intense raids are underway. Roads out of the city are jammed with cars as residents flee in panic. Israel's army said that it would target Hezbollah interests there.
And according to reports, Hezbollah's new leader Naim Qassem said that Hizballah would accept a ceasefire under conditions that it sees fit. Let's bring in our Matthew Chance, who is following all of these developments from Jerusalem. Matthew, let's start with your new reporting on the attack in that Northern Gaza City of Beit Lahia. What can you share with us?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, well, there's been very strong criticism, as you heard there from United States and others, the United Nations and elsewhere, about the humanitarian impact of that strike, the fact that, according to Palestinian health officials, 93 people at least, were killed, including 25 children.
And there are absolutely horrific scenes you can see there on the screen of people picking through the rubble, pulling corpses out of that collapsed building. And so, as a result of that, the Israelis, the Israeli military and the sources there I've been speaking to, have essentially been trying to explain what happened and to try and give an account of why there is such a high toll, a high death toll.
And what they've said is that, look, they identified, in the course of you know a confrontation with Hamas militants operating that region, they identified someone they believed to be a Hamas spotter on the roof of a building. They fired on that person. The building collapsed. They didn't mean to collapse the building, they say. But nevertheless, the collapse took place.
And then -- you know the Israeli sources that I spoke to say they were surprised to see so many dead bodies being taken out of the ruins of that building, because this is an area that was meant to have been evacuated. They say that people had been given evacuation orders there for some weeks, but clearly that hadn't altogether happened. Also, they say that some of the people who have been named as being
killed in this strike, they have identified as Hamas members and members of other Palestinian militant groups. And so, an investigation is underway. It's not concluded yet, but one of the possibilities being looked at in that military investigation is that this was some kind of a Hamas gathering point in that northern part of the Gaza Strip.
That when it was struck, resulted in the death of large numbers of Hamas members, but also civilians as well who were clearly sort of in that building and in that rubble.
[11:25:00]
This, this, again, part of the -- you know -- part of the effort by the Israeli military to try and explain what happened and why there such a high death toll at a time when, of course, there's been multiple strikes against residential buildings, against refugee camps against other facilities in that area of Northern Gaza.
Traditionally, or normally, the Israeli military say, look, we're striking a resurgent Hamas elements in that area, and they're hiding amongst among civilians. And so, it's very interesting they're giving a slightly different account on this occasion, Rahel.
SOLOMON: And Matt, what about up north in Lebanon? I mean, what seems to be the latest there? And even just on the status of ceasefire talks?
CHANCE: Well, yes, I mean, the war on that other front in Lebanon continues to intensify. In fact, there's been Israeli raids on the Northeastern Lebanese City of Baalbek, and an evacuation order has been issued by the Israeli military to the people of that ancient Lebanese city to leave their homes, which is causing thousands of people to get out of the way of these or to try and get out of the way of these air strikes.
It's -- you know another example of the human toll that this crisis, this regional war, is taking. But Baalbek is of particular significance because it is, as I say, an ancient city. It's got culturally important archeological ruins. There are Roman temples there. There are -- you know kind of archeological sites from the early Islamic period there as well. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
And so, look, I mean, the big concern, or one of the big concerns, is the impact this conflict is having on cultural heritage in the region as well. Just another reason why there is a new impetus now, I think, on the part of the United States and Israel's other allies, as well as regional players, to try and work out if there can be a ceasefire, both in Lebanon and in Gaza and in the wider region, Rahel.
SOLOMON: Matthew Chance live for us there in Jerusalem. Matthew, thank you. And the U.S. Defense Secretary is hosting his South Korean counterpart at the Pentagon today to discuss North Korea deploying troops to Russia, likely to fight against Ukraine. The meeting comes as Western intelligence officials warn that a small number of North Korean troops are already inside Ukraine.
South Korean officials say that North may have deployed an elite army corps to Russia and that an advance team may have been sent to the front lines. Let's bring in CNN's Oren Liebermann, who joins us live from the Pentagon. So, Oren, you have this meeting of U.S. and South Korean security officials. What can we expect to come of that?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rahel, at its core, this meeting was called officially the Security Consultative Meeting is all about cooperation. And there you'll see the U.S. and South Korea trying to expand their cooperation in a number of different areas.
Some like technology, like military and others, of course, when it comes to large scale exercises, the U.S. and South Korea will push that effort forward, as well as nuclear deterrence. Of course, the U.S. and South Korea are both watching North Korea very carefully as it readies a potential nuclear test, as it tries to push forward with its satellite technology.
And now, because of the increase in cooperation between Russia and North Korea, there is the possibility that Russia will help them there. So, the U.S. and South Korea looking at extended deterrence, nuclear deterrence, all of that absolutely critical. But it's also beyond that because of the expanded cooperation they're trying to push forward here with Japan.
Japan and South Korea have historically had quite a bit of animosity there, but we have seen them move their relationship forward dramatically over the course of this summer, and the U.S. has been a critical part of that. So, it's that regional cooperation and regional deterrence they're also looking to push forward here.
Now Secretary Austin and his South Korean counterpart will have a press conference here at 12:30 so of course, we'll be able to ask them questions, including on what is the very hot topic of the moment right now, and that is North Korea deploying troops to Russia. So, we'll be able to learn more about that too.
SOLOMON: Yeah, and I take your port -- point Oren that you're going to learn more shortly. But what can you say about, sort of what we already know, or what we're already hearing about where the North Korean troops might be headed?
LIEBERMANN: At this point, over the past couple of days, the Pentagon dramatically up the number of troops, they say the U.S. sees of North Korea operating in Russia. It was 3000 last week. Then suddenly, they said it was up to 10,000 North Korean troops training in Russia with the possibility of deploying to and fighting on behalf of Ukraine.
Yesterday, the Pentagon said they had seen them in or near the Kursk region of Russia. That's where Ukraine had its offensive there and took some Russian territory that it has held since then over the course of the past few months. But according to two Western intelligence officials, a small number of North Korean troops are already in Ukraine, fighting with Russia. So that is a critical development. One the U.S. and others have warned
about, and one that would spread this from not only a conflict in Ukraine, but one that encompasses other countries, frankly, on the other side of the continent in the far East.
[11:30:00]
And that's concerning not only to the U.S. and to Japan, but of course, to South Korea as well. Crucially, South Korea has said they might re-evaluate the assistance they're willing to give as part of this if North Korea, if they can confirm North Korea has deployed troops to Ukraine. It's worth noting South Korea has been a bit more forward leaning on what they're willing to say about North Korean troops.
They said 10,000 troops, several days before the U.S. was willing to say that number. So, it will be interesting to watch this dynamic, watch and learn about what South Korea has told the U.S. in terms of what they're seeing and what the U.S. is willing to publicly say here, but this is clearly on the trajectory of more North Korean involvement in the war in Ukraine, Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah, really interesting development here. Oren Liebermann, thank you. Well, coming up for us, one Spanish official is calling it an unprecedented phenomenon, flash flooding, claiming the lives of dozens of people in southeastern Spain, and the death toll expected to rise.
We're going to have a live report straight ahead. Plus, the U.K. announcing a major new budget and one of the largest ever tax increases. We're going to have the details in just a few minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLOMON: Welcome back. You're watching CNN "Newsroom". I'm Rahel Solomon, live in New York. And here are some of the international headlines we're watching for you today, if you like your Starbucks drink with a little olive oil added, a menu change may leave you feeling a little bitter.
The popular coffee chain is getting rid of olive infused drinks in the U.S. and Canada. Less than a year after they made their debut, the only auto will be off the menu early next month. Latest menu shake-up comes as the new CEO tries to simplify the chain's offerings under sagging sales.
Now to northwest England, where a large fire broke out early Wednesday morning at one of Britain's biggest defense companies, BAE Systems. The company builds and assembles the U.K. nuclear submarines. Police say that there is no nuclear risk, but have advised residents nearby to stay in stock, stay inside with their doors and windows shut.
Two people were taken to the hospital for suspected smoke inhalation. As of now, there is no word on what caused the fire. U.K.'s new labor government has announced its first budget since it won a landslide victory in July. Rachel Reeves, Britain's first female finance minister, unveiled 40 billion pounds, or about $52 billion in tax rises.
The budget raises taxes on private school fees and increases duties on private jets. It's one of the U.K.'s biggest ever tax raising events.
[11:35:00]
And Authorities are warning residents along Taiwan's Eastern Coast to brace for Super Typhoon Kong Rey. The powerful storm is barreling towards the island nation, packing winds of 240 kilometers per hour. That's equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane.
Forecasters expected to get even stronger before it makes landfall on Thursday, bringing heavy rainfall across the entire island, leaving villages and mountainous regions vulnerable to landslides. And 62 people have died in flash flooding in southeastern Spain. Spanish officials say that that number will likely rise.
On Tuesday, some areas received 30 centimeters, or about a foot, of rain in just a few hours, muddy water has flooded streets sweeping away parked cars power and phone outages, or hampering efforts to rescue people who may be trapped on roads. This is how residents are describing the destruction they see.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONIO CARMONA, LOCAL RESIDENT: What happened here is that when we looked by here, we saw everything going down. It took cars took down half of the house of one of our neighbors, and we had to come in look how we have our torn clothes because we were saving dogs. Dogs were around and near the river. One hour ago, we were able to save the dogs. They are over there, now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: All right, let's get to Journalist Atika Shubert, who joins us live from southeastern Spain. Atika, give us a sense of what you're seeing on the ground there.
ATIKA SHUBERT, JOURNALIST: Well, it's a lot of going through debris at this point and trying to figure out how to pick up from this. Fortunately, the waters do seem to be subsiding. This is the Turia River. This is normally a dry river bed with hardly any water. As of this morning, it was nearly at the top.
A lot of people had to abandon their cars along the highway just to make sure they weren't caught up in the flood. Fortunately, a lot of that water has come down now, but what it has meant is that a lot of people are now still conducting search and rescue efforts, still trying to find people, trying to find a lot of their belongings.
A lot of the cars actually were the most dangerous objects swept up into the floods in these narrow, rural streets and in small towns, and that's been some of the most difficult part. But you're absolutely right now, the enormous amount of water that was dropped here, basically a year's worth of water, fell in less than eight hours in Valencia, where I'm at now. And that was just really an unprecedented amount. What we've seen here hasn't happened for decades. So, it's really been a shock to the community, Rahel.
SOLOMON: And Atika, what's the government saying about these floods?
SHUBERT: Well, you know, this is actually an annual, seasonal phenomenon that happens. It's called a cold drop, or a -- here. And so normally, the government is prepared for these kinds of things. It's the sheer amount of water that was dropped at the last minute here, that's the problem.
Now it's caused so much of an effort here, so much problems here, that they've been called in national help. And Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had this to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PEDRO SANCHEZ, SPANISH PRIME MINISTER: The whole of Spain is crying with all of you. Our absolute priority is to help you. The public administrations are working. We are working in a coordinated manner to make this possible, and we are going to provide all the necessary means today and tomorrow and for as long as it takes, so that we can recover from this tragedy. We are not going to leave you alone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHUBERT: Now the good news is there does seem to be as return to normalcy, some of the highways are opening up. I just saw some military units and heading further inland to help clear some of that debris, but it's going to take a long time to try and pick up the pieces from this, Rahel.
SOLOMON: OK. Atika Shubert live for us there. Atika, thank you. And still ahead this hour, a rare economic feat. The U.S. economy appearing to achieve a soft landing after months of uncertainty. We're going to have details ahead from the newest report from the Commerce Department, as the DOW JONES is up four tenths of a percent, or a NYSE 175 points.
Investors got to like that. Plus -- sports figures picking their teams in the presidential race, but do those endorsements have any effect on which candidate wins or loses? We'll ask an expert after the short break.
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[11:40:00]
SOLOMON: The U.S. economy appears to have pulled off a remarkable achievement, taming inflation without a recession, or achieving that so called soft landing. That's according to economists encouraged by the latest GDP report from the Commerce Department, it found that America's GDP, or Gross Domestic Product, expanded by an annual rate of 2.8 percent in the third quarter. That is stronger than what some economists have projected. Let's bring in CNN's Matt Egan, who joins us now from New York. So, I think historically, this will be a pretty good number. Break it down for us, Matt, what do we learn?
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Rahel, look, this economy, it just keeps chugging along, right? It's completely relentless. Nothing will slow it down, not high inflation or high interest rates or this crazy election cycle. It just keeps going. And so, today's report is GDP. It's the broadest measure of economic growth.
It's kind of like a quarterly report card for the economy, and it showed that the economy grew at an annual rate of 2.8 percent during the third quarter. That is very solid growth. It is driven by more spending, more spending from governments, from business, and most importantly, more spending from consumers.
Despite all of that talk that maybe American shoppers were kind of getting tapped out, consumer spending up by almost 4 percent in the last quarter alone. And look, this is all happening at a time when some people had been worried about a recession. I mean, Rahel, I remember you and I were covering some pretty weak GDP reports about 2.5 years ago.
There all these worries about a recession, but the truth is that it's nowhere in sight. In fact, a growing number of economists are getting confident that maybe the Fed has actually pulled this off, right? Maybe they pulled off the soft landing, teaming inflation, without wrecking the jobs market of Former St. Louis Fed President James Bullard, he told CNN that we should just declare it a soft landing at this point.
And none of this, of course, is to say that the economy is perfect. I mean, there are real challenges when it comes to affordability, groceries, rent, day care, car insurance. It is tough out there. But the good news is that, because the economy continues to grow, because hiring continues, paychecks are going up.
They are increasingly going up at a faster pace every single month than prices are. And so hopefully that means that more and more people are able to catch up to these higher prices and start to feel better about things, Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah, that's sort of kind of how you would expect it to happen, not necessarily that prices return back to the pre-pandemic levels.
EGAN: Yes.
SOLOMON: But that paychecks kind of magic, so that they're not feeling it as much. They're not feeling that sting. So Matt, against that backdrop, talk to us about what the two presidential candidates are proposing for the economy and how their visions are different?
EGAN: Well, Rahel, voters have a clear choice here. There are two very different visions for the economy being put forth here. Vice President Harris, she's called for making some upgrades to the economy, right? She wants to boost the minimum wage, give bigger tax credits for parents, more small business loans, encourage more homes to be built.
But there's nothing subtle about what Former President Trump has put forward, right? He's calling for sweeping change, unthinkably high tariffs, mass deportations. He's really, really calling for sort of a dramatic makeover to the economy. And I think the question, though, is whether or not the economy needs this type of drastic change that Trump is calling for, because, as we just talked about, unemployment is still historically low.
The rate of inflation has come down. A soft landing might be here. RSM Chief Economist Joe Brusuelas, he told me that the economy is doing just fine on its own.
[11:45:00]
It doesn't need radical change. And Brusuelas and other economist that I've talked to, they worry that some of Trump's plans could backfire, right? In particular, the calls for mass deportations and really high tariffs. There are worries that this could actually make inflation go higher, right?
That it could actually cause prices for families to increase. And yet, we do know that Trump's vision for the economy, it is resonating with a large segment of the population. Many polls show that more voters they actually trust Trump on the economy more than they trust Harris.
And I do think that, that reflects underlying frustration with the cost of living and with affordability. I just think the question at the end of the day is whether or not Trump's proposals could actually do more harm than good, Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah, especially right now, it's an interesting point you make, Matt about especially immigration policies, because a lot of economists will point to the last few years and say that part of the reason why we still have low inflation, part of the reason why the labor market, by most measures, is still considered pretty healthy, is because of immigration.
And so, if you see a major change, you just have to wonder, sort of what impact or what effects that might have on the economy. It's a great point. Matt Egan, thank you.
EGAN: Thanks, Rahel.
SOLOMON: All right. Coming up, how did the New York Yankees do as the LA Dodgers were looking to sweep them in the World Series, stay tuned and find out.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. When it comes to America's choice for president, some athletes and sports personalities are making their pick for the White House, known by endorsing candidates. Donald Trump is headed to Green Bay, Wisconsin for a rally today, and former packers quarterback Brett Favre will be one of the attendees.
But far isn't the only sports figure endorsing Trump, the UFC President, Dana White and long-time WWE Wrestler Hulk Hogan delivered high octane endorsement speeches for Former President Trump. Take a listen to Hogan speech at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HULK HOGAN, FORMER AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER: You know something, Trump maniacs. I don't see no stinking Nazis in here. I don't see no stinking domestic terrorists in here. The only thing I see in here are a bunch of hard-working men and women that are real Americans brother.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: Kamala Harris has also received her fair share of sports endorsement. Steve Kerr who you see here, the Head Coach for the Golden State Warriors, as well as the USA men's Olympic gold winning basketball team. Well, he spoke you might remember at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago back in August, and listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE KERR, HEAD COACH FOR THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: After the results are tallied that night, we can, in the words of the great Steph Curry, we can tell Donald Trump, night, night. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: All right, for more on sports athletes and their endorsement of politicians, let's bring in Dave Zirin. He's the Sports Editor for "The Nation Magazine", as well as the author of several books on the politics of sports, including, most recently, "The Kaepernick Effect".
And he joins us from Washington D.C. Dave, great to see you today. Thank you for being here. You know, we just showed a few examples of how we've seen --
DAVE ZIRIN, SPORTS EDITOR FOR THE NATION MAGAZINE: Thanks --
SOLOMON: Great to have you. We've showed those examples of how we've seen the worlds of sports and politics collide.
[11:50:00]
And I'm curious right now, just days before the election, how you view the impact that athletes or sports are having on this election? What do you see?
ZIRIN: Wow. Well, in an election this close, everything matters, and when you have people who are respected in the culture, like athletes stepping forward for a candidate who people might think is controversial or says things that are odd, or holds rallies at Madison Square Garden that make you think of 1939 rallies in support of the American Nazi Party. For example, to have an athlete step forward and say something about the candidate themselves makes a big difference, because it makes the candidate also look like they're a regular American, that they're into things that other Americans are into. And I would just point out that politicians have used athletes as somebody who can be a prop for them to present themselves to the American people.
It goes back as long as there's been professional sports in this country. It goes back to the Johnson Administration. Not Lyndon Johnson, but Andrew Johnson. 1866 that was the first time a baseball team was greeted at the White House. And since then, that symbiosis between athletics and politics has never really gone away.
SOLOMON: So then what do you make of people who say that sports and politics don't mix? Are they delusional? And where do the fans come down on this?
ZIRIN: Well, frankly, they are somewhat delusional, because it's sort of like saying I don't believe in gravity when you fall out of an airplane. Sports and politics have always been intertwined from its first moments. It's baked into the cake, and I understand why fans want their sports a la carte. They want sports to be an escape from politics.
They want sports to be an escape from the divisions and the anger that seem to plague our society, but at the same time, precisely because they see sports as an escape, politicians then can use athletes to say, let's escape from the current mess and mire that we are currently in and actually move forward to a time of greater unity and prosperity. Few people in the cultural firmament can represent that ideal quite like an athlete.
SOLOMON: That's really interesting. And I'm curious sort of, how you see the different sports. Because on the one hand, there's always been this sort of interwoven nature of sports and politics. On the other hand, it seems like, at least from an outside observer, that some sports are a little bit more tolerant of their athletes speaking out other sports, not so much.
And even when you think about basketball, you've seen the WNBA, they sort of have that really long history of being very vocal, maybe perhaps even more than the NBA. I mean, how do you see, sort of the impact that the actual sport has on whether you see a lot of outspoken sorts of comments from the athletes?
ZIRIN: Oh, it's huge. Like, for example, in the NBA that you mentioned, the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was very public about saying he was proud of players back in 2020 speaking out for black lives, speaking out against racism, and speaking out for people to come out and vote.
Adam Silver, also, I would imagine, would not be too thrilled if many of his athletes came up and said, hey, we believe that Palestine should be free. So, there are lines that a lot of the leagues like to set up where they say, this is something that could actually appeal to our fan base. The NBA tends to have a much more liberal, urban fan base, but this is something that will actually push people away. So oftentimes, when you hear athletes even talk about politics, they're doing it within a very sort of confined window of what they can actually say and how much fresh air they can actually let in.
SOLOMON: And to that point, I mean, doing it from a very sort of informed place of. I think I can probably get away with speaking out on this. I probably shouldn't touch that.
ZIRIN: Yeah.
SOLOMON: Because that it could potentially blow back on the actual athlete themselves.
ZIRIN: Exactly. They're always looking for that line, and that's why it's so important. When you see struggle in our society becomes so intense that athletes say, to heck with the line, like when Muhammad Ali said I'm not going to Vietnam, or Colin Kaepernick said I'm taking a knee.
Or when WNBA athletes said, I want this owner of the Atlanta Dream who's a Republican running for Senate, I want her kicked out of our sport as what happened in 2020.When you see athletes actually transgress the line, that's how you know we're in serious political hot water.
SOLOMON: Yeah, really fascinating. And as you said, sort of at the beginning of this segment and an election, an election this close, every vote matters. And so, when you see these athletes who are coming out in support of their favorite candidate, it just, you know, you just don't know, sort of how much of an impact that could ultimately have. But every vote does, in fact, matter. Dave Zirin, great to have your insights today. Thank you.
ZIRIN: Anytime. Thank you.
SOLOMON: And before we go, one more thing, the New York Yankees are still in the World Series Championship after pounding the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four and avoiding being swept by the boys in blue. Take a look at this. Two New York Yankees fans were ejected after ripping the ball away from Dodger Star Mookie Betts' glove.
[11:55:00]
He was trying to catch a foul ball when one fan grabs his glove, the other grabs his hand. Here's what he had to say about it afterwards.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOOKIE BETTS, LOS ANGELES DODGERS OUTFIELDER: When it comes to the person in play, it doesn't matter. We lost. It's irrelevant. I'm fine. He's fine. Everything's cool. We lost the game. We lost the game, and that's what I'm kind of focused on. We got to turn the page and get ready for tomorrow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: All right, on Tuesday night New York won by 11 to 4. Game five happens later tonight with the Dodgers at the Yankees. All right, thanks for spending some time with me today. I know your time is money, so thanks for being with us. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. Stick with CNN. "One World" come up next.
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