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Connect the World
CNN International: Netanyahu: We Will Keep Striking Hezbollah "Without Mercy"; Trump: Harris is not a Smart Woman; Early Voting Begins in Swing States of Georgia; "Diddy" Combs Accused of Sexual Assault in Six New Lawsuits; Manchester United End Ferguson's Multi-Million Dollar Deal. Aired 9-9:45a ET
Aired October 15, 2024 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, this is the scene in Lebanon as Hezbollah's Deputy Leader vows to continue the fight against
Israel. It's 04:00 p.m. in Beirut, it's 05:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson, this is "Connect the World".
CNN on the streets of Tehran, along with thousands of mourners for the funeral of an Iranian commander killed in an Israeli airstrike. Kamala
Harris and Donald Trump making stops around the battleground states after Trump calls for U.S. troops to quell any election unrest.
Our music mogul Sean Diddy Combs accused of sexual assault and six new lawsuits. We are live in Los Angeles. Well, the Stock Market in New York
will open about 30 minutes from now, and futures indicating a flat open investor keeping an eye on earnings from banking giants Goldman Sachs and
Bank of America.
It's 09:00 a.m., of course, in New York, back at the open. First up though, new fiery threats from the acting leader of Hezbollah just a short time
ago, promising to bring pain to Israel. Excuse me, Sheik Naim Qassem said, since no place in Lebanon has been off limits in Israel's bombardment,
Hezbollah has the right, he says, to strike anywhere within Israel.
This comes after a new vow from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that the attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon will not stop.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond staying on top of the very latest developments for us, he is out of Jerusalem today. Jeremy, we just heard from Hezbollah's Deputy
Leader.
He had some very specific things to say, as Benjamin Netanyahu vows to press on, what more can you tell us at this point?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, the bottom line, Becky, is that neither side, neither Hezbollah nor the Israeli government are
intent on backing down as this war continues to escalate between these two sides. We heard Naim Qassem, who has made clear that Hezbollah is going to
continue the fight, is going to continue inflicting pain on Israel, citing several recent successes.
Notably that drone attack on an Israeli base on Sunday night, and vowing that the resistance, as he terms it will not be defeated. And the Israeli
Prime Minister is issuing similarly defiant and belligerent language, vowing in the wake of that strike on that training base, as he was speaking
from that base yesterday, saying that Israel will continue striking without mercy everywhere in Lebanon, including in Beirut.
We are seeing, of course, that the Israeli military is continuing to expand that ground operation in Southern Lebanon. And there are calls inside of
Israel, not only from the right wing, but even from the center, the one member of the opposition, Benny Gantz, a former member of the Israeli war
cabinet, saying that he believes this ground operation should not only continue, but should also expand its mission inside of Southern Lebanon.
And so, the question is, where is this going to lead us? Because the hope inside of Israel was that this military pressure, through this ground
operation, through these air strikes over the course of the last several weeks now, would ultimately put pressure on Hezbollah to lay down its arms
and agree to some kind of a long-term ceasefire that would also see them withdraw dozens of kilometers away from the Lebanese border.
So that Israeli residents, some 60,000 who have been displaced from the north, can return to their homes. But right now, at least that prospect
seems very far away as Hezbollah continues to fire hundreds of rockets and missiles a day on Northern Israel and as the Israeli military, of course,
continues not only its ground operation, but its airstrikes across Lebanon that have forced the displacement of about a million Lebanese civilians.
And of course, in addition to that, we have seen at least 1300 people who have been killed in Lebanon over the course of the last year.
ANDERSON: Is it clear what the end game is at this point?
DIAMOND: Well, look, the Israeli government says that they want to restore security to the north, and they believe that they can accomplish that by
removing the immediate threat that Hezbollah poses in those areas closest to the Israeli border. But of course, that still leaves the threat of anti-
tank missiles, which have a range of about 10 kilometers, those that are in Hezbollah's arsenal.
And of course, Hezbollah has said that they will only stop firing rockets into Northern Israel if Israel reaches a cease fire in Gaza, if it stops
the fighting in Gaza. And clearly that is not something that the Israeli government is willing to do at this point.
[09:05:00]
ANDERSON: Jeremy, at this point, is it clear very briefly, how many American assets are on the ground in Israel to operate what's known as the
THAAD system, and how quickly that will be in operation? And again, what's the point at this point?
DIAMOND: I think my answer to you, Becky, is going to be pretty dissatisfying, because we don't have a ton of details. The Pentagon has
confirmed today for the first time that U.S. troops, as well as some components of that THAAD system are now on the ground in Israel.
We don't know exactly how many troops or how many, what percentage of the components needed for this system are actually here. The Pentagon is saying
that the rest of the troops and the components will arrive in Israel in the coming days. As far as when this system could be fully operational, the
closest timeline the U.S. would provide is in the near future.
They won't get any more specific than that. But obviously the fact that we are seeing not only this THAAD system arriving now in Israel. We are also
hearing that Israel has agreed not to strike Iran's nuclear or oil facilities, following a week of intense consultations with the United
States.
All of this, of course, is an indication that Israel's strike on Iran in retaliation for that barrage of ballistic missiles a couple weeks ago is
getting very close, Becky.
ANDERSON: Jeremy Diamond is in Jerusalem. Jeremy, thank you. Well, a source telling CNN that Israel has assured the U.S. that it plans to target Iran's
military in retaliation for that recent missile strike, not as Jeremy reports there the Iranian oil or nuclear sites. Meanwhile, inside Iran,
tens of thousands of people poured into the streets of the capital earlier attending funeral services for a slain commander of the Islamic Republican
Guard.
He was killed in an air strike in Beirut, which also killed the Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah. CNN's Fred Pleitgen, live in Tehran for us. You
were at that funeral, Fred earlier. What's the mood on the ground?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think for a lot of people, there was obviously a deep sense of mourning this
revolutionary guard commander. But there was also a lot of anger, towards the United States, specifically towards Israel. There were a lot of people
out there who had anti-Israeli signs, anti U.S. signs.
Obviously, a lot of that chanting that we hear so frequently at events like this of down with the United States, down with Israel. There certainly was
a lot of that. There was definitely, Becky, a lot of people who turned out at this funeral. I would say tens of thousands of people were there in
central Tehran. And what was really interesting to us, as well as those large parts of the Iranian leadership also showed up there, as well.
The President Masoud Pezeshkian, he was in attendance. But then also, pretty much the entire military leadership as well, the head of the
Revolutionary Guard Corps, and also the head of the Revolutionary Guard Quds Force, which is, of course, the Foreign Operations Wing of the
Revolutionary Guard, Esmail Qaani.
He was there as well. He'd been out of sight for a couple of days, so this was one of the first times that we had been able to see him again, speaking
to people on the ground there, a lot of them extremely angry at the fact that this revolutionary guard commander was killed.
He is someone who served in the Revolutionary Guard for a very long time, and many of them demanding revenge towards Israel. Let's listen to what
some people told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are one. These geographical distances do not mean that we are separated from Hezbollah, from Lebanon. We are all one, and we
are all enemies of Israel.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can Iran destroy Israel? Of course, it can. Iran is stronger, stronger than Israel can even imagine. Israel thinks it's brought
these martyrs close to death, but it has just brought them closer to their wishes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will always be against the ruthless Zionists and Americans and any country that wants to come against us, from the lives of
our martyrs to the last drop of blood, we will continue to stand.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: That's some of the people who spoke to us earlier. The other thing that the Iranians have been pointing out, and that we really saw on
display at this funeral procession as well, is that the Iranians are saying that they are fully going to continue to support Hezbollah.
It was quite interesting, as we were walking along there in that funeral procession that went on for several kilometers, people kept chanting, we
are Nasrallah. Our party is Hezbollah. Obviously pledging allegiance on the part of the Iranians towards Hezbollah and towards support of Hezbollah.
It's really something, Becky, that you see here in the city a lot, in general, in Tehran, a lot of posters and billboards with the likeness of
Hassan Nasrallah on them. A lot of things pledging that Iranian continued support to Hezbollah, which of course, is also something that Iran's
supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has pointed out as well, Becky.
[09:10:00]
ANDERSON: Fred Pleitgen in Tehran. Fred, thank you. Well, Israel keeping up the air strikes on Gaza. Overnight, at least 40 Palestinians were killed as
air strikes targeted residential areas across the Enclave. It comes as the death toll in the strike on the courtyard at Al Aqsa hospital has now risen
to five.
Meantime, the U.N. Human Rights Office warns Israel may be carrying out a war crime in Northern Gaza. It says Israel is effectively, and I quote them
here, sealing off the area, and may be carrying out a large scale forced transfer of civilians. CNN's Nada Bashir joining us from London.
The U.N. coming out with some pretty stark language here, warning that Israel may be carrying out a war crime in Northern Gaza. What evidence do
they have to come to that conclusion? Nada, is it clear?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've been hearing warnings, Becky, for some time now, from humanitarian organizations on the ground and hearing
from civilians essentially trapped in Northern Gaza. Many of whom have been warning that the encirclement of the Israeli troops on the ground that the
intense bombardment of Northern Gaza has left many civilians there trapped.
Aid organizations haven't been able to actually get into a significant part of Northern Gaza in order to deliver vital humanitarian aid, food,
medicines, and, of course, medical support for teams on the ground treating patients. And of course, what we've been hearing from civilians, which the
U.N. also references, or rather the U.N.'s Human Rights Office references, in this stark statement, is that some civilians have reported being fired
at by the Israeli military in their attempt to flee Northern Gaza.
Of course, this is important to note, because the Israeli military has for almost two weeks now, been ordering civilians to evacuate Northern Gaza.
They have been told to leave and to move to the Al-Mawasi coastal area. This is a designated humanitarian zone. We heard these warnings telling
civilians to evacuate there before, multiple times now.
But of course, important to remember this humanitarian zone, as it's called, is not guaranteed to be safe. We've seen it targeted in the past,
struck in the past by the Israeli military. What we've also seen, according to our own analysis, is that this humanitarian zone has been shrinking
since the beginning of the war, since this was designated a safe zone.
So, as you can imagine, for many civilians who have been told to flee now time and time again, they are concerned for their safety, not only in this
humanitarian zone, but also in terms of actually just getting there, fleeing, worried that they may come under attack by the Israeli military,
as some civilians have reported to us, to other news outlets and, of course, to the United Nations.
Now there has been some suggestion that the Israeli military is essentially following a surrender or staff strategy that was initially put forward by a
retired Israeli general, essentially the motivation there to order all civilians to leave the area, leaving only Hamas militants to remain and
essentially staff as a result of this siege on Northern Gaza.
Clearly, though, this is impacting civilians who have chosen to stay in Northern Gaza. We've been hearing from some who have said that,
essentially, they fear that they will be killed wherever they are, so that they would rather be killed in their homes. Many of these civilians have
already been forced to flee to the south and have since come back to Northern Gaza.
This is a deeply worrying situation, particularly as communications are so fraught, and as aid organizations and aid workers on the ground aren't
actually able to get to this portion of Northern Gaza. So, it is deeply troubling, deeply concerning, as you mentioned, the U.N. Human Rights
Office now warning in the statement, this could amount to a war crime.
This is not the first time we've heard those kinds of words from the U.N. Human Rights Office. Whether there will be substantial action pressure put
on the Israeli military to bring an end to the siege that remains to be seen, Becky.
ANDERSON: Nada Bashir is in London for you. Nada, thank you. Well, as Election Day draws closer in the United States. Kamala Harris ramping up
her attacks against Donald Trump, calling him and I quote here, increasingly unstable and unhinged, end quote. And Donald Trump taking
swipes of his own, calling his opponent, quote, not a smart woman. More on the heated race to the White House is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:15:00]
ANDERSON: Well, with just three weeks to go until the U.S. presidential election. Both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are using their remaining
time on the campaign trail to ramp up their attacks against one another in what is this very closely contested race.
On Monday, Harris warned voters in Pennsylvania, which is a key swing state, of course, about why Donald Trump would be, quote, a huge risk for
America and dangerous. Donald Trump doubling down on his insults and attacks against his opponents. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She is not a smart woman, that's true, and we cannot. We've had that for
four years. We're not going to have it for another four years.
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump is increasingly unstable and unhinged. He is out for unchecked
power.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Edward-Isaac Dovere joining me now from Washington. Both Harris and Trump digging in at this point, three weeks to go until the
actual Election Day. This is clearly a campaign in an effort to persuade voters at this point. Who are they speaking to?
EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Donald Trump, as he has always done, speaking mostly to his base, calling Harris not a smart woman,
as he played there. Should also be noted that that event ended up. It was supposed to be a Town Hall with him answering questions from voters.
It ended up being he danced for 39 minutes to music as he was calling out songs that he wanted played after there had been an incident with two
people collapsing and needing medical care. So that was what he did, and then he later in the evening, was tweeting about the allergies that were
reported in the medical report that Kamala Harris issued over the weekend about herself and saying that was not those were problematic for her
health.
Donald Trump has not released his own medical records. And Harris has used that to continue a larger point that she has been making, that Trump is
hiding his condition from people, hiding the way that he is, that he is unstable, that he is going into things that people should not want as a
president.
And also talking specifically about some of the things that he has proposed doing should he be president, including this moment from the rally last
night, where she talked about what Trump said about using the military, the National Guard, to go after people in America.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: He considers anyone who doesn't support him or who will not bend to his will an enemy of our country. He wants to send the military after
American citizens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DOVERE: And she did that, and then played a clip, or actually two clips of Donald Trump saying exactly that there is an enemy within, that is from the
left, that the National Guard or military might be needed to go after such people if they cause trouble after Election Day.
So that is the argument that Harris is making here against Trump, that he is unstable, that he is not something that Americans should want back in
the White House if they want to continue having the country the way that it is. And with three weeks left until Election Day and voting already
underway in a bunch of states, including starting today in Georgia, that's how these candidates are going at it.
[09:20:00]
ANDERSON: Yeah, and we want to talk about what Donald Trump is up to next. Thanks very much indeed. Donald Trump has got a busy day ahead of him on
the campaign trail. In the coming hours, he is expected to sit down for an interview with Bloomberg News and The Economic Club of Chicago.
The event an opportunity for him, his campaign will say, to promote his economic agenda. He then flies to the swing state of Georgia to tape a Fox
News "Town Hall" event set to air on Wednesday. That event is expected to focus on campaign issues important to women, according to Fox News.
Steve Contorno following what is going on with the Trump campaign for us from Chicago. So, tell us what we know ahead of this interview tonight.
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Well, as you said, what he is here for in Chicago is an economic address or and he will be taking questions from
Bloomberg News here, where I assume would focus on the -- economy, but the backdrop is certainly an interesting one. Chicago is not part of a swing
state.
It is not an area that is in play this election whatsoever, but it is does play into the message he is trying to deliver across the country,
especially to rural people and to suburban folks that the cities of America are in trouble, that they are places that are full of crime and illegal
immigrants and other unsavory elements that praise into the fears of a lot of voters.
And we have seen Trump use cities like Chicago as a backdrop to deliver that message. He had a very similar message just last week at an Economic
Club in Detroit, where he actually trashed the City of Detroit while he was speaking there. You would think conventionally, you wouldn't want to do
that, especially in a swing state.
But for Trump, it plays into the message that he is trying to deliver to people and especially his base, that the cities in America need someone
like Donald Trump to come in and clean things up.
ANDERSON: And what do we know about Trump's Town Hall appearance in what is very definitely the swing state of Georgia?
CONTORNO: Certainly, it is. And this is being billed at as an event that is going to feature an exclusively female audience, so Donald Trump will be
taking questions from the members of that audience. And that is notable because obviously Donald Trump has been trailing among female voters
throughout this entire electoral process.
And especially since Vice President Harris became the nominee and Donald Trump has been straining to find a message to appeal to women, especially
in light of his party's position and his efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade and the abortion issue in America. And you've seen this time and time
again, where he has shifted his position on abortion, where he has tried these different ways to speak to women.
Last week, he put out a message saying to women, quote, I will be your protector. And tonight is another example of his efforts to try to close
that gap, which polling shows Donald Trump is trailing Vice President Harris by double digits among women, so trying to make inroads there at the
same time, Vice President Harris is trying to reach out to Trump's base, which is white male voters.
ANDERSON: Steve Contorno is in Chicago for you folks. Thank you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, in the navy blazer, put your hands in the air.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, you. You are under arrest for violation of the Election Integrity Act.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, that is HBO Max's "Curb Your Enthusiasm". The series finale focused on the arrest of Larry David in Atlanta for handing his friend a
bottle of water while she waited in line to vote. HBO Max, of course, is owned by CNN's parent company, Warner Brothers, Discovery.
People being reminded Georgia's voting. Larry's early voting gets underway there. Of course, I was just talking to Steve Contorno about how Georgia is
considered a crucial swing state. Well, CNN's Nick Valencia is at a polling station in Atlanta for us. Just walk us through what's happening there.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, hey, there, Becky, that election law, that state law is one of the new changes that's going to be different
for Georgia voters. Within 150 feet, you can't hand out food or water 150 feet from where a ballot is being cast. There's also fewer absentee ballot
drop boxes.
In 2020, they became a point of contention. They were available 24/7. They're going to be available normal business hours inside elections
offices and where early voting happens.
[09:25:00]
There's a lot of anxiety here around the election process, given what happened and all the drama that we saw in 2020, in just about 30 minutes
before we joined you, we got a ruling that we'd been standing by for from a superior court judge related to certification. This lawsuit stems from a
Fulton County Elections official here named Julie Adams, who made news in the spring by refusing to certify the presidential primary results.
But Judge Robert McBurney sending a clear message that certification is mandatory, saying in his part of his ruling that our Constitution and our
election code do not allow for superintendents to play investigator, prosecutor, jury and judge. I mentioned that there's several lawsuits
before the Superior Court.
Another one that we're standing by for is related also to what they call the reasonable inquiry law that was passed by the state election board. And
Democrats fear it would give a rogue election county official the power to deny certification, and you know that could delay the results here and have
a crucial impact, a pivotal impact on the results of the 2024 election.
None of that, however, seems to be on the minds of voters. It is the energy that we're seeing here, Becky, the line was wrapped around the corner an
hour before the polling location showed up here. People saying that they're coming out to vote. They feel that it's very important to vote.
I asked them about the air of uncertainty. That doesn't seem to be a bother to the much of the people that I've talked to, they're just really excited
early voting is underway and that they're able to cast their ballot three weeks before Election Day, Becky.
ANDERSON: And how do they feel about no food or water as they queue to vote?
VALENCIA: You know, I just talked to somebody named Corinne (ph). It was her second time voting, and she thought it was a silly rule. There's
actually a Georgia GOP poll watcher here who is -- monitoring things. He also thought that, that was silly. So, despite how you know, people are
personally reacting to what they call these silly changes in the law, it doesn't seem to be bothering much.
We're not seeing any campaigning. That seems to be the more focus of these poll watchers, making sure that no one is campaigning around these
precincts the food or water. You know, it was immortalized by Larry David on that HBO Max show, but we haven't seen any of that drama play out here
in front of us so far, Becky.
ANDERSON: Got it, sir. Thank you very much indeed.
VALENCIA: Yeah.
ANDERSON: Nick Valencia is in the House for you there in Georgia. Well, let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our
radar right now. And North Korea has blown up two major roads connecting to South Korea that will make little difference to travel though.
Instead, this is more symbolic of Pyongyang's desire to completely cut itself off from the south. Canada expelled six Indian diplomats on Monday,
including the high commission, after police linked Indian government agents to murder and other acts of violence against Sikh separatists in Canada.
India says the accusations are, quote, preposterous, and retaliated by expelling six Canadian diplomats. You're watching "Connect the World". I'm
Becky Anderson for you. Time here is 27 minutes past 5. You are watching "Connect the World" from our Middle East programming hub.
Coming up, the recovery efforts still ongoing in Florida, after back-to- back hurricanes. Concerns now growing about the toll on mental health. Plus, more illegal troubles, it seems, for Sean Diddy Combs, as he's hit
with six new lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault. Live report for you from Los Angeles is just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:30:00]
ANDERSON: Well, I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You're watching "Connect the World". Top of the hour, I promised you that we would get to Wall
Street 09:30. Well, it's just after that the bell has just rung. The futures had been looking flat. Let's see what the markets are up to on the
open pretty flat, it has to be said.
And we'll keep a keen eye on banking and earnings this week. That's the story, though, for Tuesdays open. Cleanup efforts still going on in the
U.S., following both hurricane Helene and Milton. FEMA has resumed its work in North Carolina after that agency received threats.
A man was later charged while in possession of a handgun and a rifle near a relief site. Well, in Florida, the back-to-back hurricanes making
recoveries harder. Floridians mental health has also been hit with, many feeling anxiety for the future. CNN's Carlos Suarez is in Miami, in
Florida.
And you've worked through both of these storms. What's the latest on recovery efforts there in Florida, given these were back-to-back
hurricanes, of course?
CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's right. Becky, so the cleanup and rebuilding effort really still is in its infancy. It is going to take
months, if not years, for these folks to get back to a semblance of what they had before both of these hurricanes. Some parts of Southwest Florida
are still rebuilding after hurricane Ian hit two years ago.
As for the folks who live in the Tampa area. In the short term, the focus has been on getting the power back on getting water running, and then, of
course, reopening schools. Now, as of this morning, about 196,000 people remain without electricity. That's according to poweroutage.us.
The largest concentration of these outages remains in the Hillsborough County area. Now, the school district there hopes to welcome back students
tomorrow. Now, the long-term recovery effort, of course, remains on getting all of the debris from hurricane Milton and Helene out, and then, of
course, making sure that folks have all of the state and federal -- relief rather that is available to them yesterday.
Emergency officials here in Florida, they underscored that point of reminding folks that when they apply for FEMA disaster funds, they have to
apply for each hurricane that has hit the area in the last several weeks. Here now is Governor Ron DeSantis on just how challenging things have been
out here for recovery crews.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): -- have two in two weeks is quite a challenge. And I think that not only does that mean you've got to prepare for two,
respond to two, a lot of the people that are -- that whether it's the folks locally responding, whether it's our state emergency management team. All
levels, this is we this -- they've been going at this now for over three weeks. I mean, this has just been non-stop, 24/7.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SUAREZ: So, gas fuel in the Tampa area is still an issue, Becky, nearly half of gas stations are without a supply. Those state officials believe
that that number is going to continue to improve throughout the week, Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, sir, thank you. Well, the rapper and record label executive Sean Diddy Combs is facing a new round of serious and
disturbing allegations as he remains behind bars. Combs is accused of sexual assault and six new lawsuits also filed, all filed anonymously.
The alleged victims include men, women and even a teenage boy. The lawsuit says Combs told the then 16-year-old boy that the alleged assault was a
rite of passage to becoming a music star. CNN's Entertainment Correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister has the very latest live from Los Angeles.
I know our viewers will be interested to hear what more these new lawsuits say when, if we know when these alleged assaults took place, and just some
context to where we stand at this point.
[09:35:00]
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, so these six new lawsuits coming out yesterday, you and your viewers may remember
that earlier this month, a Houston based attorney gave a press conference and said that he had 120 new accusers that he was representing and that
they all plan to file lawsuits.
These six accusers are being represented by this attorney. So, these are the first to come after that press conference. Now, these allegations are
six different individuals from six different instances, occurring from 1995 as recently as 2021. Now both male and female accusers all anonymously,
filed under a Jane Doe or John Doe.
There are four men and two women. And as you said, Becky, one of these male accusers, alleges that he was a 16-year-old teenage boy at the time that he
met Combs at one of his infamous white parties, those lavish parties that he held in the Hamptons that were celebrity filled.
He says that is where he was sexually assaulted. Now that is not the only alleged incident that occurred at a white party. Another anonymous male
accuser said that in 2006 he was hired to work security at one of the white parties. He says that he was drugged by Combs and then sexually assaulted
by him.
Now another incident that occurred in 2004 comes from a female accuser who said that she was a 19-year-old college student at the time. She says that
she was raped. Both women who have filed lawsuits yesterday, by the way, Becky, say that they were raped. Two of the men alleged that they were
sodomized.
So, these details are incredibly graphic. Now, I do want to point out that I heard from Combs' attorneys, and they are denying this. Here is what they
told me. They say, quote, Mr. Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts, their legal defenses, and the integrity of the judicial
process.
In court, the truth will prevail that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone, adult or minor, man or woman. So, you see there, they are
not responding to the specific allegations set forth in the six lawsuits. But they are not just saying that he denies these six accusers claims.
They are saying that he has never sexually assaulted anyone. Now where this stands in the context of where Combs is. This is now 18 civil lawsuits that
he faces, one from his ex-girlfriend, Cassie, has been settled, but 17 are still active. And of course, he is behind bars right now.
He has been denied bail numerous times from separate judges as he awaits his criminal trial, which just last week, the judge set a date it will be
in early May 2025, he was indicted and faces three criminal charges. So, a big uphill battle for Combs as he continues to deny these allegations, but
as the accusers keep coming forward, Becky.
ANDERSON: Elizabeth, good to have you. Thank you. You're watching "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson. Still to come, a cost cutting move.
Manchester United's legendary ex-manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, who has been a major part behind the scenes at the club now for years, is stepping down
from the role there that he has had since retirement. More on that, is after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:40:00]
ANDERSON: Well, a "Game of Thrones" fan is now the proud owner of the show's famous Iron Throne, and it only cost them 1.5 million dollars. The
piece, one of many sold at auction from the show which, of course, ran for eight seasons on HBO, owned by CNN's parent company.
Appropriately, it went to the winner of an intense back and forth bidding war. More than 900 pieces of show memorabilia sold for more than 21 million
bucks in all heritage auction says most of those buys were first time bidders. Other items up for sale included a sword used by Kit Harington's
Jon Snow character, and several outfits worn during the series.
Well, Manchester United ending its arrangement with legendary manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, who retired 11 years ago. The club has paid him more than 2
million pounds since his 2014 role started as a global club ambassador. I don't suppose he's been buying up "Games of Thrones".
"Games of Thrones", memorabilia -- Amanda Davies joining me now. Look, the end of an era is a real hackneyed phrase, isn't it? But this is truly an
end of an era, certainly from Manchester United. Anybody who's been watching football over the last, what, 40 years, way before he even went to
-- but I mean, tell us why this is happening.
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah. I mean, there's been some big calls that have been made by Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS since they became quarter
owners of Manchester United earlier this year, there have been cuts. 250 members of staff who are behind the scenes have lost their jobs over recent
months.
But this, you have to say, is, if not the biggest call, definitely the most symbolic because of what Sir Alex Ferguson means to Manchester United, and
the success he has brought to the club in his 40 years there, since he joined in 1986. He has been omnipresent. He has been in charge of transfers
even when he hasn't been the man on the touchline. It's a huge call. He's 83 years of age.
ANDERSON: Yeah.
DAVIES: The messaging from the club is that it is amicable. He is always going to be welcome at Old Trafford, but he will no longer have that
official role. There are definitely cost -- cuts being made, cost cutting going on.
ANDERSON: Yeah.
DAVIES: There is pressure on and off the pitch. We'll wait to see what this means in terms of the next big move and the next big manager, but we've got
plenty more coming up in "World Sport".
ANDERSON: I mean, absolutely, supremely successful. I do remember when he first joined the club, and it actually wasn't the most successful of
starts, but over the years and pretty quickly, he reigned supreme there, didn't he? And he is an absolute legend there at Old Trafford, or leg end,
as we might call him, and I'm sure many people will be sorry to see him go well.
I can't wait to see what more you have. That is "World Sport" with Amanda up after this. We will be back for you with "Connect the World" in 15
minutes time.
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