Return to Transcripts main page
CNN 10
Israel`s Strikes on Iran and the Latest on War in the Middle East; Flooding in the Sahara Desert; How Western North Carolina is Bouncing Back After Hurricane Helene`s Impact; Remarkable Robot Cellist. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired October 28, 2024 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: What`s up, awesome people? Magnificent Monday to you. It`s your boy, Coy. This is CNN 10, your one-stop shop for some of the
most important headlines of the day in just 10 minutes time.
Now, today, we`re starting with the latest news on the war in the Middle East involving one of the United States` strongest allies, Israel. On
Saturday, Israel launched direct military strikes against Iran.
And to better understand what`s happening, let`s put this event in context. On October 7th of last year, Hamas attacked Israel, leading to Israel`s
military operations in Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed, and the situation has been called a humanitarian crisis. And
tensions across the entire Middle East region have increased.
In April, Iran launched a direct attack against Israel, firing more than 300 drones and missiles. Iran is a supporter of Hamas and other groups
opposed to Israel, like Hezbollah, a powerful group in Lebanon, where Israel also launched a ground invasion this year. Iran said their attack
was in response to a strike on an Iranian diplomatic building in Syria that Iran blamed on Israel.
Iran then fired ballistic missiles at Israel on October 2nd. And that brings us to Saturday, when Israel launched military strikes against Iran.
The operation involved three waves of targeted airstrikes against military sites in different parts of Iran. Iran`s leader said Israel`s attack should
not be exaggerated or downplayed, and President Biden urged the end of direct conflict between the two countries.
But you might be wondering what happens next. Well, both countries have indicated this could be the end of their direct military exchanges. The
impact of these events on the region and the world remains to be seen. This is especially important as the war in Gaza continues and calls for a
ceasefire and a release of hostages grow.
CNN Correspondent Alex Marquardt has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Israel announced in the early hours of Saturday morning that their military operation
against Iran was over after striking military targets in different parts of the country.
The targets, according to Israel`s military, included missile manufacturing facilities as well as surface to air missile systems. Sources told CNN that
there were three waves of Israeli airstrikes. And Iranian media said that military sites in three different provinces were hit but they claimed
limited damage.
The United States had pressured Israel to not strike Iran`s nuclear or oil facilities, fearing greater escalation in the region and an impact on the
global economy. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to have complied.
Following Israel`s operation, a senior U.S. administration official told reporters that, quote, "This should be the end of this direct exchange of
fire between Israel and Iran."
The official also said that the strikes were carefully prepared as well as being extensive, targeted and precise. Israel`s strikes were in response to
the October 1 Iranian barrage of some 180 ballistic missiles, directly fired at Israel.
For the past three weeks, Israel has been preparing its response in coordination with the United States though Washington made clear it did not
participate in Israel`s operation.
What comes next remains very much to be seen, what the damage in Iran looks like, whether the Iranian regime retaliates in some way and what impact
this may have on the other fronts in the region, in Lebanon and in Gaza.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Pop quiz, hot shot.
What`s the biggest desert in the world?
Gobi Desert, Sahara Desert, Arabian Desert, or the Antarctic?
Due to its dry, harsh conditions, the Antarctic ice shelf is the largest desert in the world, leaving the Sahara Desert as the world`s largest hot
desert.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: New drone footage shot in southeastern Morocco reveals rare flooding in the Sahara Desert. Rain is not unheard of in this part of
the Sahara, but occurs at a rate of just a few inches a year. Morocco`s meteorology agency told "AP" in early October that it`s been, quote, "30 to
50 years since they`ve experienced this much rainfall." The Sahara is the world`s largest non-polar desert, stretching across 3.6 million square
miles.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Each fall when North Carolina becomes nature`s art gallery, as millions of trees burst into vibrant shows of reds, oranges, yellows,
drawing tourists from around the world. But this year, the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, a major Category 4 storm that made landfall in late
September, has left communities facing a different reality. From historic hotels to local art galleries, business owners are struggling to rebuild
while tourism dollars have slowed significantly.
Up next, we`re learning how these mountain communities are fighting to preserve their livelihoods, one reservation at a time.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL SPAGNUOLA, PHOTOGRAPHER: A lot of times when there`s tragedy, people hype it up for a few days and then it falls to the wayside. We can`t be
forgotten.
CHANNON HODGE, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER (voice-over): Weeks after Hurricane Helene hit, business owners here in western North Carolina are working
overtime to rebuild. Any other year and things would be booked solid all fall season.
JOSH COPUS, OWNER, OLD MARSHALL JAIL HOTEL: This flood hit 27. I mean, you can see the flood water mark.
HODGE (voice-over): A half hour north of Asheville, Josh Copus had turned an old jail into a popular hotel and restaurant.
COPUS: We`ve done $18,000 of refunds so far. So I`m like taking the money that we`ve raised for rebuilding the restaurant and just using it to refund
the hotel rooms.
Fall in Appalachia is pure magic. Our color in the leaves is like world famous. For a lot of the businesses in this region, that`s the moneymaker.
HODGE (voice-over): Without tourists, communities in western North Carolina will be out $2.1 billion in revenue this year. Jacob Sessoms co-owns
several businesses in the area with only one restaurant open. His biggest problem is a pretty expensive one and it`s affecting everyone.
JACOB SESSOMS, ASHVILLE RESTAURATEUR: The lack of potable water is keeping a lot of people from opening. So we have a 2,100-gallon cistern filled on a
daily basis with potable water that has to be tested twice a day.
The cost to lease the equipment and pay for the water is greater than $600 a day. It is a large expense for a small restaurant, but you can only
imagine if the population`s paychecks have stopped.
All the furniture down here was destroyed, ruined, washed everywhere. And you can still see the dust from the mud removal. The question is, what do
we rebuild? What shouldn`t be rebuilt? What is too close to the river?
SPAGNUOLA: This building, the water was to the second floor. And now all you see is rubble and leftover artwork. I believe it`s over 300 artists.
They`re going to need help because nobody`s walking around here buying their art. The best way to support any local business here that has an
online shop, definitely go online.
COPUS: Like, book a room, buy a gift card, buy a t-shirt. I`m going to reopen as soon as possible.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: All right these days robots can do a lot. They can serve you lunch, drive your car and -- and now a new robot is playing in a symphony
orchestra. This mechanical maestro is taking center stage and some orchestras may need to update their dress code policy to include some
metal.
Our 10 out of 10 story today features a unique musician that`s more circuit board than concert hall but don`t let that fool you. This robotic cellist
is no mere wind-up act.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This may be the first ever robot to play alongside a symphony orchestra according to Reuters.
JACOB MUHLRAD, SWEDISH COMPOSER: There`s obviously a lot of self-playing pianos but the string instrument is so intricate so I was, you know, very
curious about how it actually works.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The robot which was designed by researcher and composer Fredrik Gran played at Sweden`s Malmo Live Concert Hall on October
17th. Gran programmed the robot using the musical score that was written for it.
MUHLRAD: It`s kind of liberating to go beyond the human anatomy and when you -- when you think about what to write for a cello. Musical notation is
basically like code so my musical notation actually became transcribed as code. Acoustic music played by robots will definitely be an art form or a
platform for itself but I don`t think it will ever replace live musicians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: All right team 10 keep bringing that awesome energy and curiosity to everything you do because you make the world a better and brighter place.
Now, I want to go ahead and do my favorite part of the day and that is shout out time. And today`s shout out goes to Sharyland North Junior High
School in McAllen, Texas. We see you and we hope everyone watching around the world has a wonderful one.
I`m Coy Wire. I`ll see you right back here tomorrow on your CNN 10.
END
