Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

CNN International: Israeli Military: Captured Gaza Side of Rafah Crossing; Dangerous Storms Sweep Parts of U.S. with Tornadoes in Oklahoma; Judge Holds Trump in Contempt, Threatens Him with Jail; Chinese President to Depart France for Serbia Today; How Climate Change Paves the Way for Future Disasters in Keyna; U.S. House Speaker Fight. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired May 07, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Palestinian flag at the crossing between Rafah and Egypt has been replaced with Israeli flags. There have been more than a dozen fatalities as a result of Israeli airstrikes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Republicans are losing patience. Several of them that we have talked to believe that Marjorie Taylor Greene is using this as an opportunity to fundraise, to get followers, to continue to build her own brand.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Repeat those warnings. Get out and turn around, don't drown.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It smells like gas out here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster.

FOSTER: Hello, and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us from around the world. I'm Max Foster. It is Tuesday, May 7th, 9 a.m. here in London, 11 a.m. in Gaza, where the Israeli military says it's taking control of the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing.

A video from the Israeli military shows tanks moving into the crossing, which is one of the main supply routes for humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the enclave. Also in Rafah, video shot from the Egyptian side of the border shows explosions from apparent Israeli airstrikes. Hospital officials say 15 people, including a child, were killed in that bombardment.

But this was a scene in Rafah just one day ago. Celebrations in the streets after Hamas announced it had agreed to a ceasefire and hostage release proposal. But later, word came that what Hamas agreed wasn't the framework negotiated by Israel and Egypt. Here's what Hamas did agree to, a three-phase plan. First, Hamas would release 33 hostages, specifically women, children, the elderly and the sick. Israel would gradually withdraw its forces from parts of Gaza, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, halt reconnaissance flights for 10 hours a day and allow increased humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The second phase would include a sustainable period of calm in Gaza. Hamas would release the remaining hostages, including civilian men and IDF male soldiers. The third phase would involve a three- to five-year rebuilding plan for the enclave.

Now, the White House says President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. Mr. Biden relayed his concern that a ground offensive in Rafah could put innocent people in danger. CNN Global Affairs analyst Kim Dozier explains why Mr. Netanyahu thinks that taking Rafah is necessary.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: From Netanyahu's point of view, he's got a limited window in which he can go after Yahya Sinwar and other top Hamas figures that he thinks that the Israeli Defense Forces think are sheltering in the tunnels beneath Rafah.

If this conflict ends and Netanyahu can't point to taking out the top Hamas leadership inside Gaza, that is a political loss for him, and that spells almost certain loss at the next time he runs for office. But also, this onslaught, this threatened onslaught, seems to have goosed Hamas into blinking and saying yes to a ceasefire deal.

Of course, now we know it's their terms, as they see them, that are acceptable. This is also a way to give Netanyahu a black eye, because now it's on Israel, it's on Netanyahu to say, oh, well, this isn't the deal that we signed up for after you see all these celebrations in Gaza, etc.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: CNN senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman has spent decades covering Gaza, often from inside the enclave, and he joins me. Ben, in terms of the Rafah crossing, were you expecting that to be taken by the Israelis, and what does it mean?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly, when the Israelis have been speaking for almost months now, Max, about taking Rafah, or rather launching a military offensive there, this would seem to be the beginning, perhaps.

[04:05:00]

And it is significant that they have taken very quickly the crossing itself. This is the main entry point, or has been for many months, of humanitarian goods going into Gaza. And it's also been the only exit point for people trying to leave Gaza, including the very badly injured. And so this basically sort of shuts the door on Gaza in terms of aid

getting in, people getting out. And certainly it does represent perhaps the beginning of this much-anticipated operation.

Now, we heard your previous guests talking about they think that Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas, may be hiding out in tunnels under Rafah. Let's not forget that that was the same thing the Israelis said when they demolished Khan Younis.

So really we don't know where Yahya Sinwar is. But certainly after seven months of this war that has left more than 34,000 Palestinians dead, the Israelis obviously are desperate to in some way accomplish something other than the destruction of the Gaza Strip. But after all this time, it doesn't seem that this war is getting any closer to an end -- Max.

FOSTER: We saw those images, didn't we, of celebrations in Gaza when Hamas said a deal had been reached, didn't last very long because then Israel rejected it. In basic terms, what went wrong there?

WEDEMAN: Well, it's not altogether clear how far the Hamas proposal, the proposal they said they'd agreed to, is from the proposal the Israelis said they agreed to. Now, we understand that Israel is sending what they're calling a working-level delegation to Cairo to continue talks on some sort of ceasefire, on some sort of agreement for the release of Israeli hostages, or rather hostages in Gaza. But what's clear is that the Israelis do not want to agree to anything that comes with the suggestion that there's going to be a long-term ceasefire.

Now, one of the phrases we're hearing time and again when people are talking about some sort of agreement is a sustainable period of calm. That would indicate the war could be coming to an end, and that's something clearly Benjamin Netanyahu, the embattled Israeli prime minister, doesn't want to admit to because the Israeli goal continues to be, in addition to the release of the hostages, the destruction of Hamas.

The Americans have told the Israelis that that might not be a realistic goal in this war, but short of that, if Israel is incapable or fails to destroy Hamas, this could lead to the collapse of the Israeli government, a coalition that Benjamin Netanyahu cobbled together that includes extremist ministers who have said that any sort of premature end to this war means an end to his government -- Max.

FOSTER: Yes. OK. Ben Wedeman, thank you.

We are following a developing story, meanwhile, in southwestern China. According to state media, at least two people are dead and nearly two dozen injured in a knife attack at a hospital there. A suspect is now reportedly in custody, but officials haven't confirmed whether the person arrested is the attacker. We're working to track down more information, and we'll bring you any updates as soon as we get them.

Nearly 100 million people across the east of the United States are under a severe storm threat in the hours ahead. It's part of a dangerous system. It's already hit parts of the central and southern U.S., prompting tornado warnings and watches from Texas to South Dakota. Around ten tornadoes were reported on Monday, most of them in Oklahoma.

At least one person was killed and several others injured in Osage County in the state. A state official says there's a lot of damage between the towns of Bartlesville and Barnesville, and many homes are damaged there. Emergency workers in the area are urging people to stay home and avoid the roads.

Tens of thousands of power outages have been reported in parts of Oklahoma and Missouri, and some areas have been under a rare high-risk Level 5 storm watch.

Donald Trump's hush money trial resumed this week with a stark warning. The judge told the former U.S. president that if he violates the gag order one more time, he's going to jail.

[04:10:00]

After that, the focus shifted to the paper trail and how former fixer Michael Cohen was reimbursed after paying off a porn star.

CNN's Kara Scannell explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Insiders at the Trump Organization, on the stand, walked through key payments at the center of the case against former President Donald Trump as the first criminal trial of a former president begins its fourth week.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's a ridiculous case. I did nothing wrong.

SCANNELL (voice-over): Jeffrey McConney, a former executive at the company, testified Trump used his personal account to reimburse his former attorney, Michael Cohen. Prosecutors allege the payments were reimbursement for a hush money payment Cohen made just before the 2016 election to adult film star Stormy Daniels to quiet her story of an alleged affair with Trump. Trump denies the affair.

McConney said the reimbursements came in $35,000 monthly increments through 2017.

MICHAEL COHEN, TRUMP'S FORMER ATTORNEY: It was actually 11 checks because one of the checks, January and February, were combined.

SCANNELL (voice-over): Prosecutors aim to prove Trump's business records that the payments were falsified and the money was not for a retainer agreement as stated on Cohen's invoices but instead payback for the hush money to Daniels. Prosecutors asked McConney if this was all happening above his head. Yes, he replied.

McConney testified former Trump Organization chief financial officer Alan Weisselberg was the one who told him they had to reimburse Cohen. Weisselberg, who is currently serving five months in jail on perjury charges in Trump's civil fraud case, had sketched out the payment to Cohen on a bank statement that showed Cohen transferred the $130,000 payment to Daniels' attorney. The total paid to Cohen, $420,000, allegedly included reimbursing Cohen for the money he paid to Daniels' attorney to kill her story, cash owed for other expenses, and a hefty bonus for Cohen. It was marked on the books as a legal expense.

McConney suggested Trump kept a tight rein over his account. But Trump attorney Emil Bove, in rapid-fire questioning, tried to show Trump was not involved in accounting at the company in 2017 when these payments were made.

Bove asked McConney whether he talked to Trump about these payments. I did not, McConney testified. Bove pressed him further if Trump ever asked him to do any of the things he described.

He did not, McConney testified.

Also testifying on Monday, Deborah Tarasoff, a Trump Organization accounts employee who cut the checks to Cohen. Tarasoff said that Trump was the only one who signed the checks for his personal account.

Only Mr. Trump, she testified, adding, if he didn't want to sign it, he didn't sign it.

COHEN: It certainly goes well past the Stormy Daniels' hush money payment.

SCANNELL (voice-over): Monday morning, before the witnesses took the stand, the judge found Trump in contempt for again violating a gag order, preventing him from discussing witnesses or jurors in the case, this time criticizing the makeup of the jury in an interview with the outlet Real America's Voice.

TRUMP: That jury was picked so fast. Ninety-five percent Democrats. The area is mostly all Democrat. You think of it as a just a purely Democrat area. It's a very unfair situation that I can tell you.

SCANNELL (voice-over): Judge Juan Merchan said: The magnitude of this decision is not lost on me, but at the end of the day, I have a job to do. So as much as I don't want to impose a jail sanction, I want you to understand that I will, if necessary and appropriate.

TRUMP: Because this judge has given me a gag order and said you'll go to jail if you violate it.

SCANNELL: Now, it's because Trump has violated a gag order in this case that prosecutors say they won't publicly identify the next witness that they will call. But one prosecutor said in court that they have about two weeks left of this case. That's about eight days based on the court schedule.

And among the witnesses yet that they have not called, Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen.

Kara Scannell, CNN, New York. (END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: And you can watch CNN special coverage of the Trump hush money trial resuming today at 9 a.m. in New York, 2 p.m. here in London.

We're following a developing story out of South Africa where search and rescue efforts are underway at the site of a building collapse. City officials say at least four people have been killed and 51 others remain unaccounted for. Rescuers say they're focusing their search on areas where they hear the voices of people trapped in the rubble.

It's not clear what caused the five-story structure and underground parking garage to collapse, but the building was under construction.

Now ahead, a state dinner in Paris, personal time in the Pyrenees, and then a journey further east. I will tell you about the next stops on Xi Jinping's European tour.

Plus, the White House responds to what it calls Vladimir Putin's reckless saber-rattling after the Russian president ordered his military to begin tactical nuclear weapons drills.

And a warning for Kenya from climate experts. Even when these floodwaters recede and the misery's over, the dangers will continue.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: In less than an hour, the Chinese president is expected to arrive in the Pyrenees region of southern France, where he'll spend some personal time with President Emmanuel Macron before heading to the next country on his European tour. That is Serbia. Xi Jinping will be arriving there at a pretty sensitive time as well -- Kristie

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely, Max, because today is the 25th anniversary of the NATO bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, which Xi Jinping has marked in a signed letter to Serbian media. And on this day, Xi Jinping is wrapping up his visit to France. He is heading next to Serbia.

But in the next hour or so, as you mentioned, Xi Jinping will soon be meeting once again with the French president, not in the Elysee Palace, but in the Pyrenees for some informal one-on-one time, which will be quite in contrast to those more formal talks in Paris, where Xi Jinping was challenged on those issues, trade and the war in Ukraine.

And as expected, in Paris on Monday, the EC president, Ursula von der Leyen, really took Xi on and took a tough line on trade. Tension has been rising over unfair market access, you know, for products like French cognac, trying to get into the Chinese market, and subsidized Chinese exports like EVs, which are just overcapacity and flooding the market.

Now, Xi Jinping agreed that trade friction should be addressed through discussions. And we also learned this afternoon that state media is reporting that an MOU with Airbus was signed to deepen further aviation cooperation and introducing more investment between France and between China.

Now, on the issue of Ukraine, Xi Jinping told Macron again that China won't sell weapons or military parts to Russia.

Xi Jinping also backed what Macron is calling for a global Olympic truce to take place during the upcoming Paris Games. And French officials are hoping that this is a sign that China will, yes, use its leverage over Russia to reach a truce in Ukraine.

Xi Jinping is going to be traveling to Serbia next. He is scheduled to touch down in the early evening or 12 p.m. Eastern time, which will, again, be just in time for the 25th anniversary of the NATO bombing. And in a signed letter in a Serbian media outlet that was just released, Xi Jinping described the relationship between China and Serbia as being, quote, forged by blood. Back to you -- Max.

FOSTER: In terms of how America might be seeing this, it's awkward, isn't it, considering the countries that he's chosen? And as you were describing yesterday, it could be seen as a divisive move, China divide the West. And the message there is as much to America as it is to Europe.

STOUT: Yes, absolutely. And observers have said that the timing here appears to be designed to highlight China's anti-NATO agenda, which is very much intentional. Look, if you look at the schedule for Xi Jinping's trip to Europe, it begins in France.

[04:20:00]

It begins with those hard talks over trade, Ukraine, China's economic support of Russia and the Russia war machine. And then it ends with these pro-Russia country visits, visiting Serbia, visiting later on Hungary, both led by autocratic leaders, both pro-Russian European countries that have also benefited from significant Chinese investment over the years.

And it all sets it up to a very interesting visit that will take place next week, Max. We know that Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, will be visiting Harbin and also Beijing next week for more talks with Xi Jinping -- Max.

FOSTER: Kristie in Hong Kong. Thank you.

In Washington, U.S. House Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene is planning to meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson in the coming hours, a day after the two held a pretty lengthy meeting.

Greene didn't provide details of what was discussed or if she would still force a vote seeking his ouster this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): We are going to be meeting again with Speaker Johnson in the morning based on our discussion and then we'll have more information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Meanwhile, the House Speaker had this to say after Monday's meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: I had a lengthy, constructive meeting, I think, with Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene. We have discussed some ideas and we're going to meet again tomorrow. I just want to say, and I told them, and I've said this repeatedly, that I understand the frustration, I share it.

I would really like to advance much more of our conservative policy on a daily basis here, but the reality is we are working with the smallest majority in U.S. history with a one-vote margin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, Lauren Fox has more details now from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Today's meeting, spanning two hours as they continued their discussions, she's not laying out precisely what she wants from the Speaker. She's not saying what they are trying to negotiate. Instead, just saying that talks are continuing.

I'd also talked to Thomas Massie, who was in that meeting, someone else who is supporting Marjorie Taylor Greene's effort to try to vacate the Speakership. He said that he's optimistic. He thinks that Johnson is working in good faith with them, but that he did not want to lay out the details of their conversations because he said it may not even happen at this point.

So those are some items to keep an eye on. The other thing to keep a close eye on is the fact that Republicans are losing patience. Several of them that we have talked to believe that Marjorie Taylor Greene is using this as an opportunity to fundraise, as an opportunity to get followers, as an opportunity to continue to build her own brand at a moment when they argue they should be united because there is a presidential election coming right around the corner.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Many Republicans oppose Greene's push to oust Johnson. Congressman Matt Gaetz, who forced the vote that led to the removal of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, is speaking out about those latest moves.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL): No denying that Mike Johnson has let us down on a number of fronts. He ran on a campaign of single-subject spending bills. He used to be against this warrantless surveillance against Americans. And he was someone who had voted against funding for Ukraine.

Regardless of how you view those things, for him to do a 180 on them has caught a number of us with a bit of whiplash. Mike Johnson is a great, you know, impressionist. I wish he would do the impression of Mike Johnson from October when we elected him because that was a lot more productive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders wants a fourth term representing the people of Vermont. The 82-year-old announced on Monday he'll seek re-election in November. He's the second oldest member of the Senate and the longest-serving independent Congress member in U.S. history. Sanders is finishing his third term in the Senate after 16 years in the House.

Over the past few days, more than 1,000 people have been rescued from the floods that have devastated Kenya. But some people are still stranded in the hardest-hit areas.

And as Larry Madowo now reports, experts worry that Kenya will see more climate disasters like this in the years ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Floodwaters drenching many parts of Kenya after weeks of relentless rain. Riverbanks are overflowing, homes are flooded, and entire communities destroyed. These are the immediate impacts of an unprecedented rainy season, and experts say the long-term prognosis is even worse.

HUSSEN SEID ENDRIS, CLIMATE MODELING EXPERT, IGAD CLIMATE PREDICTION AND APPLICATIONS CENTER: We are going to see even more extreme events in the future under a changing climate.

MADOWO: Can you say definitively that all this heavy rainfall and flooding is because of climate change?

ENDRIS: OK, so we cannot attribute a particular event with climate change, but climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extremes in our region.

[04:25:00]

MADOWO (voice-over): Kenya is caught in a cycle of extreme droughts and intense rainfall, with the El Nino weather phenomenon and climate change exacerbating this year's wet season, leaving more than 200 people dead and thousands of people displaced from their homes.

MADOWO: Runda is one of Nairobi's wealthiest neighborhoods, but they have not been spared. In fact, there are multimillion-dollar homes back there under the water.

This is a wall that was swept away. Part of the reason is because these expensive homes were built on riparian land, on riverbanks, against government advice. MADOWO (voice-over): Kenya's president said the current crisis is a,

quote, direct consequence of a failure to protect the environment.

WILLIAM RUTO, KENYAN PRESIDENT: Scientific evidence indicates that restoring our natural habitats is our best defense against escalating weather extremes.

MADOWO (voice-over): His government plans to plant 15 billion trees by 2032, but the emissions threat is global.

MADOWO: Countries like Kenya contribute very little to global greenhouse gas emissions, but we're seeing the worst effects here.

ENDRIS: Absolutely, that is what the developing countries are experiencing, so they don't have capacity to mitigate these climate extremes.

MADOWO (voice-over): And the floods are hitting Kenya's poorest communities the hardest.

GEOFFERY MBOYA, CLIMATE ACTIVIST: It's very appalling just to see the very dire effects that have strongly hit urban poor communities. These are people living in makeshift tents, and so you have water sweeping away their houses.

MADOWO: Geoffery Mboya is a climate activist from the underserved Nairobi neighborhood of Mukuru Kwa Njenga. He says leaders aren't doing enough to wind down the use of fossil fuels or help vulnerable communities adapt.

MBOYA: It's about time that the government and other stakeholders come up with adaptive measures to enable us to live with these conditions. Tomorrow I'm turning 24. In 2030 I'll be 30.

And seeing all these effects now really puts me in a scary moment for my future and for my generation.

MADOWO (voice-over): Larry Madowo, CNN, Nairobi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Russia's president about to be sworn in again after securing a fifth term in March. More details in a live report for you.

Plus, the White House responds to Israel's controversial decision to shut down Al Jazeera's operations in that country.

[04:30:00]