Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Biden, Kishida Arrived at the White House Ahead of a Trilateral Summit with the Philippines; Celebrating Eid in the Shadows of Israel- Hamas War; Parts of Louisiana Destroyed by a Powerful Tornado; Trump Fails in His Hush Money Trial Delay Attempt for the Third Time; New Research Found that Adults can Develop Cancer; The Masters Kicked Off in Augusta; Caitlin Clark Retires Her Iowa Jersey After her Historic Career Run at the Women's NCAA. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired April 11, 2024 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, U.S. President Joe Biden hosting the Japanese Prime Minister at the White House. We will look at how important it is for the Biden administration to demonstrate strong ties with Japan right now.
Plus, Israel says it has killed six family members of the political leader of Hamas. In response, the Hamas chief says he will not back down. We're live in Istanbul with the latest.
A new research reveals accelerated aging may increase the risk of cancers in young adults. I'll speak to a doctor about how younger people can try to slow this down.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to address the U.S. Congress and meet with Vice President Kamala Harris in the coming hours, all part of his official visit to Washington.
Late Wednesday, the Biden administration held a state dinner to honor the key American ally, with U.S. President Joe Biden stressing the importance of the U.S. relationship with Japan, saying it was, quote, "stronger than it has ever been".
Earlier in the day, Mr. Biden held an Oval Office meeting with Japan's Prime Minister as the two leaders worked to bolster cooperation across a wide range of sectors and later went before reporters to discuss some of their progress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: I'm also pleased to announce that for the first time, Japan and the United States and Australia will create a network system of air, missile and defense architecture. We're also looking forward to (inaudible) up a trilateral military exercise with Japan and the United Kingdom.
And our AUKUS defense partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom is exploring how Japan can join our work in the second pillar, which focuses on advanced capabilities, including A.I., autonomous systems. All told, that represents a new benchmark for our military cooperation across a range of capabilities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is following developments from Hong Kong. She joins us now live. Good to see you again, Kristie. So how has this visit changed the U.S.-Japan alliance and what does it mean for China?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, the U.S. and Japan here, they are hailing a significant upgrade in their alliance. And it sends a clear message to China. The U.S. President Joe Biden hosted the Japanese Prime Minister for the state visit in honor to underscore just how important Japan is to America.
And they announced a number of moves to enhance military, economic and high tech cooperation. You know, this was the fifth official state visit of the Biden White House. This was the fourth dedicated to a key ally in the Indo-Pacific region. And Japan has been at the center of all this, at the center of Biden's alliance building in the Indo- Pacific region.
On Wednesday, the two leaders, they shared a toast after the state dinner. They also announced concrete steps to further deepen this alliance. And they include the following. Let's bring it up for you. They include measures to step up cooperation on trade and economic ties, on diplomacy, including person-to-person exchanges, student exchanges, efforts to combat, mitigate climate change, space exploration. In fact, a Japanese astronaut will be the first non- American to join a NASA mission to the moon, critical technologies like A.I. and also defense.
We have to underscore defense and security. That was the big takeaway here. 70 agreements on defense were made, including moves to upgrade their military command structures.
Now, on the back of recent maritime aggression by China in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, the U.S. and its allies see China as a growing threat in the region. I want you to listen to what the Japanese prime minister said on Wednesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FUMIO KISHIDA, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We reaffirmed the importance of realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific based on the rules of law and concurred to maintain close collaboration through various opportunities, including the Japan-U.S.- Philippines summit, which is planned for Thursday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: Kishida added that Japan will continue to call on China to fulfill its responsibilities as a major power, while also striving to establish a constructive and stable relationship with Beijing. Rosemary.
[03:05:06]
CHURCH: And Kristie, looking ahead to later today, what should we expect from Kishida and the three nation summit in D.C.?
LU STOUT: Well, on Thursday in the U.S., the U.S. President Joe Biden will be hosting the Japanese prime minister and also the Philippines president, Fernando Marcos, Jr., for a very special White House summit. This will be the first of its kind, a trilateral summit involving the U.S. and its two Asian allies. And is this part of President Biden's wider strategy to draw Asian allies closer together and to offset China.
Now, on Thursday, we also know that the Japanese leader, Kishida, he'll be addressing a joint meeting of Congress and will become only the second Japanese leader to do so. Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Kristie Lu Stout joining us live from Hong Kong.
We're now to a surprise assault in northern Gaza that could complicate negotiations to secure a ceasefire and free Israeli hostages.
Israel's military has claimed responsibility for an airstrike Wednesday that killed three sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Hamas says four of Haniyeh's grandchildren and the driver were also killed. They had been visiting family during Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan, when their vehicle was hit in a refugee camp.
Israel says Haniyeh's sons were members of the Hamas military wing and had carried out terrorist activities. But CNN cannot confirm that. Haniyeh, who is based in Doha, released a statement saying the killings would only strengthen Hamas' resolve and vowed never to compromise or surrender.
Well meantime, the U.S. president says he's been very blunt and straightforward in talks with the Israeli prime minister about the need to get more humanitarian assistance into Gaza. And Israel's defense minister says there are now plans to flood the enclave with aid.
The Israeli agency that handles the inspection and delivery of that aid is again blaming the U.N. for failing to distribute it. But the U.N. Humanitarian Affairs Office accuses Israeli authorities of restricting access to many parts of the Palestinian territory.
And CNN's Scott McLean is covering all this. He joins us now live from Istanbul. So Scott, what more are you learning about that Israeli airstrike that killed three sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and four of his grandchildren? How might this impact the ceasefire and hostage negotiations?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rosemary. Look, one Israeli official made clear to CNN that this strike had nothing to do with the negotiations, that this was something completely unrelated, completely separate to others, made clear that neither the Israeli defense minister nor the prime minister were even aware of it in advance.
It is difficult to imagine, though, this not having somewhat of an impact. Of course, the Israelis have said very clearly since the onset of the war that military pressure is the way to get Hamas to ultimately come to the table and agree to a deal to get the hostages returned.
This, though, may have the opposite effect. You mentioned already Ismail Haniyeh, who put out a statement of his own. He also spoke to Al Jazeera, saying that this would only strengthen his resolve. And he said this, and I quote, "whoever thinks that by targeting my kids during the negotiation talks and before a deal is agreed upon, that it will force Hamas to back down on its demands is delusional".
So Hamas is not backing down on its demands. The three core ones, by the way, are a full withdrawal of Israeli troops, a permanent ceasefire and the freedom of movement for people in Gaza who've been displaced from north to south to return to their homes.
Of course, the U.S. has proposed a new deal. We understand it involves increasing the number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails in exchange for hostages. But there's no indication that that deal includes nor would the Israelis agree to a deal that addresses those first two issues, since the Israelis have made very clear, Rosemary, that they still intend to move into Rafah.
CHURCH: And Scott, what is the latest on efforts to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza?
MCLEAN: Yeah, so you have the Israeli defense minister suddenly changing tone, perking up to the request that the Americans have been making for months now to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
But remember, it was only a few weeks ago that the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was on CNN insisting that his government was doing the absolute most it could possibly do in order to get aid in.
[03:10:03]
Now, given these comments and this change in stance from Israel, it seems like there actually was more that the Israelis could do, and they seem to be doing some of that right now.
The number of trucks has been increased, according to the Israelis. This week, the defense minister says that the goal is to get 500 in per day, which would be around pre-war levels. And he said that his recent trip to the United States was essential in
reflecting the link between our operational goals and the humanitarian effort. He also said this, and I quote, "Do not be mistaken, the U.S. has an impact on what Israel's defense establishment does. We appreciate the administration and its approach to Israel."
This seemingly in response to critics who have long said that Israel is essentially ignoring the advice of its most important ally. But I think it will be very interesting to see whether some of the things that Israel has promised to do, like opening the Erez crossing into northern Gaza, actually come to fruition, or whether this is a sort of temporary measure that Israel is doing, or whether it's actually the mark of a very real change in its policies. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Scott McLean reporting live from Istanbul. Many thanks.
Well, Muslims around the world celebrated Eid al-Fitr on Wednesday with prayers, feasts and joyful family gatherings. But in Gaza, the holiday was marked with grief, uncertainty and loss.
Here's CNN's Nic Robertson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Eid's joys are scarcer in Gaza this year. Celebration eked amidst ruin.
Farah crying as she recounts finding her beloved Eid clothes in the rubble of her home, then realizing she won't get to wear them. Her family's festivities foregone this year.
Thank God we're alive for Eid, her father explains. But we're exhausted and devastated. We should be in our home, comfortable, eating, celebrating.
In the ravaged enclave, millions are clinging to what is unbreakable, tradition.
We insisted on praying inside Rafa's Farouk Mosque, so all the world knows that we are holding on to our mosques, to our land, to our country, Mostafa Alhelou from Gaza City says.
Eid spirit also being kept alive in makeshift kitchens. Ingredients of everyone's Eid memories, donated by charities outside of Gaza, lovingly crafted into date, sesame and caraway cookies.
We're trying to make our kids happy, remind them of the smell of Eid, Ahlam Saleh says. They didn't get the traditional new clothes. There was no joy for Eid, no balloons, no sweets.
What is in abundance this year, Eid's custom of commemorating the dead.
Silent clusters of sorrow surrounding fresh dug soil, in other years less tragic than today. Um Ahmad came with her children. My kids lost their father, she says.
When I told them I was going to visit his grave, they told me, mum, we want to come visit Baba.
This little one was banging on the stone, saying, I want to see Baba. He said, who's going to celebrate Eid with me?
There is no going back. A generation here growing up with new memories of Eid, of suffering and loss, a long time before the joys shared by about 1.9 billion other Muslims around the world become universal in Gaza again.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: In the midst of all of this, the growing threat of an attack from Iran, which is vowing revenge after the deadly strike on its consulate in Syria last week. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden said the U.S. remains ironclad in its vow to protect Israel from threats from Iran and its proxies. The U.S. has been actively preparing for Iran to target Israel or American assets in the region. A U.S. official says there has been some communication between the United States and Iran this week, with private messages and warnings exchanged between the two sides.
Ukraine's President reacts to a reported idea from Donald Trump on how to end the war with Russia. Still ahead, what he said about Trump's alleged proposal to swap land for peace.
[03:15:00]
Plus, due to an ongoing drought, water restrictions are set to start for millions of people in Colombia's capital. Details in a report from Bogota.
And millions under severe storm threat across the United States, we will look at some of the damage done so far. Back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: More than 200,000 people are without power after new Russian strikes on energy infrastructure in northeastern Ukraine.
Officials say a barrage of Russian missiles hit the Kharkiv region this morning. Along with similar attacks in Kyiv, as well as southern and western Ukraine. An energy facility in Odessa briefly caught fire after it was hit by debris from drones shot down by Ukraine. All that happening a day after this.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
Ukrainian football players had to duck after suspected Russian missiles started to rain down their training on Wednesday. At least one member of Ukraine's national team was taking part in the practice.
The players appeared to be OK.
The top U.S. commander in Europe says Ukraine could lose the war against Russia without continued U.S. support. General Chris Cavoli spoke as $60 billion in U.S. aid for Ukraine is being held up by congressional Republicans. He said Ukraine can still turn things around because Russia is struggling to launch any large combined operations. But at this point, the general says Ukraine is simply outgunned.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. CHRIS CAVOLI, COMMANDER, U.S. EUROPEAN COMMAND: The severity of this moment cannot be overstated. If we do not continue to support Ukraine, Ukraine could lose. They are now being outshot by the Russian side five to one. So Russians fire five times as many artillery shells at the Ukrainians than the able to fire back. That will immediately go to ten to one in a matter of weeks. We are not talking about months. We are not talking hypothetically.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is responding to reports about a land for peace deal allegedly floated by former US President Donald Trump. The "Washington Post" reported Trump said if he is elected, he may press Ukraine to cede territory to Moscow in exchange for peace. The Trump campaign told the paper the story is based on uninformed sources.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen pressed Mr. Zelenskyy for his take on the report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Russia unleashes barrages of powerful missiles on Ukraine's cities, killing and wounding dozens in the past days. And Kyiv, both outmanned and outgunned, suffers setbacks on the battlefield.
[03:20:05]
I asked Ukraine's president about Donald Trump's reported plan, if he's elected, to end the fighting by forcing Ukraine to give up territory and hand it to Vladimir Putin.
PLEITGEN: Would you ever be willing to give up Ukrainian territory for peace?
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I did not hear it directly from Trump, his ideas in detail. I did not have the opportunity to talk to him about this topic and his idea of how to end the war. If there is such an opportunity, I would be happy to hear and I will listen and we will talk about this topic.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The Trump campaign today also denied the former president has agreed to visit Ukraine. After reports surfaced, he was planning a visit. Zelenskyy says Ukraine will lose the war if Republicans don't approve U.S. military aid fast. Kyiv's army running short on everything from artillery ammo to air defense missiles.
ZELENSKYY (through translator): I understand that it is not easy and everyone thinks about themselves. Our partners are helping. I am grateful to them. They help as much as they can. But as much as they can is not enough if we really want to defeat Putin. If no one wants Putin to drag the world into World War Three.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Speaking to me, Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the U.S. and its allies not to be intimidated by Putin. If Ukraine gets the weapons and ammo, he says, Kyiv will win.
ZELENSKYY (through translator): It is a war and we have a serious enemy against us. But let's be realistic, not pessimistic. Let's be realistic. Today, the situation is stabilized. If there are concrete weapons, concrete political steps from our partners, we will break Putin's backbone.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Delphi, Greece.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Catastrophic flooding forced more than 96,000 people to evacuate their homes in Kazakhstan on Wednesday. You are looking at live pictures now from Russia, where authorities report at two people were killed in the flooding that started when warm temperatures rapidly melted snow.
The situation got worse after a dam broke. Over 7,600 people are staying in temporary shelters right now. As a result, officials say severe flooding has affected northwestern Kazakhstan and neighboring southwestern Russia since the beginning of the month.
The lack of water in Bogota, Colombia, is forcing officials to ration and restrict water use for about 9 million people in the coming hours. The region is struggling through a long drought fueled by the El Nino climate pattern, which causes high temperatures and blocks rainfall.
Stefano Pozzebon has more now from a dried up lake near the Colombian capital.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: We are in the reservoir of San Rafael. It's one of a few that provide fresh water to the city of Bogota. But as you can see this reservoir is mostly dry. In fact, less than a year ago the ground I'm standing on was covered in water and right now I don't even need to wear rain boots for walking here because of how dry the ground is.
The situation is so troublesome that Colombian authorities have called for water rationing measures in the city of Bogota, which is about 10 kilometers that way, starting today.
Now Bogota's mayor has urged his fellow citizens to save as much water as possible at least until the rains come back. In fact, much of the supply of water to the city comes from surface water like this one, which are highly dependent on precipitation. This year, however, rain has been scarce in part because of El Nino, a climate pattern that originates in the Pacific Ocean, which is hundreds of miles from here.
El Nino can have different effects at different latitudes but in Colombia it largely means less water and the Colombian government has issued a natural disaster decree as early as in January to mobilize resources to prevent the effects of El Nino.
SUSANA MUHAMAD, COLOMBIA ENVIRONMENT MINISTER (through translator): We must have a deep thought about the type of development we want. We can't keep handling emergencies. It's not sustainable to break through the water cycle, ignoring the time nature needs to recover and then expect the water to keep flowing as if anything is happening.
POZZEBON: Colombian authorities, as well as scientists, say that it's incredibly hard to predict how long this drought would last. But what is most worrying is if droughts like this become a yearly thing and this becomes the new normal.
For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: More than 65 million people in the eastern U.S. are under severe storm threats today, but thankfully conditions are not as bad right now as they were on Wednesday.
[03:25:01]
Tornadoes and severe storms ripped across the southeast. A twister in Slidell, Louisiana, knocked down trees and damaged homes, injuring at least 10 people, according to police. The city's mayor says the storm decimated the area. This has been a catastrophic event for the city of Slidell.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREG CROMER, SLIDELL, LOUISIANA MAYOR: This has been catastrophic in the city of Slidell. It's catastrophic not at the level of Katrina, but these folks that own this business here, this church here, this business over here, and these 50 residents that live in the place behind me, it's catastrophic to them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam is in Louisiana with more on the destruction.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Here in Slidell, Louisiana, it only took a matter of seconds for lives to be completely transformed and turned upside down as a powerful tornado tore a path of destruction across the small community.
Look at how these trees have been toppled over like twigs, taking down power lines with them, but certainly the most destruction from this community has fallen on this apartment complex. This is the Courtney Heights apartment complex. Look at how the facade, the brick wall, has been completely peeled off the front end of this building.
And then let's take you to the sky to show you what happened on the roof. It almost appears as if the top of a tin can was peeled back by a can opener, revealing the families inside and leaving them susceptible to the wind, the rain, and the howling noises that were brought by this EF1 tornado. The National Weather Service had a crew on the ground confirming that this was an EF1 with minimum winds of 86 miles per hour up to 110 miles per hour. That is hurricane force.
Just incredible to see what happened. We talked to another married couple about a block behind this apartment complex. They've been here since 1992, endured Hurricane Katrina, find out their remarkable moments and what they experienced with this tornado.
RENEE BENNETT, SLIDELL, LOUISIANA RESIDENT: I see him coming in so I thought I would unlock it for him. So I'm trying to open it and it wouldn't open and I didn't know he was --
JIMMY BENNETT, SLIDELL, LOUISIANA RESIDENT: Because the wind's pulling me back, sucking me back, you know, and all of a sudden I hear a noise and that's when the tree fell on my truck that I just got out of.
VAN DAM: This twister brought the destruction you see behind me but it was part of a larger storm system that swept across the Deep South leaving hundreds of miles of wind damage and other twisters as well. It was a very difficult Wednesday morning that will take days, if not weeks, to clean up.
Derek Van Dam, CNN, Slidell, Louisiana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Still to come, a New York judge denies another attempt by Donald Trump's legal team to delay the start of his criminal trial next week. But is the former president out of options? We'll take a look.
Plus, the political fallout over Arizona's restrictive abortion law is heating up on the campaign trail. We will have a report from Washington after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: It is strike three for Donald Trump as the former U.S. President and his legal team lost a third petition to delay his criminal hush money trial set to begin on Monday. It took an associate justice just minutes to reject their latest motion on Wednesday. CNN's Paula Reid has more. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Former President Trump is 0 for 3 in his efforts to try to delay his hush money case scheduled to begin Monday. Now despite seeing petitions denied on Monday and Tuesday, Trump's legal team was back in court on Wednesday arguing that the case should be delayed while they continue to litigate the issue of presidential immunity and try to get the judge removed from the case.
Now this was such an extraordinary action on a day that the court was already pretty busy that they had to convert the basement of the courthouse into a courtroom.
Now our New York colleagues report that they believe this is the first time that that kind of accommodation has ever been made. Now ultimately, the Court of Appeals denied this request, so the next question is, well, what is next? What will they try to do next to get this case delayed?
In a statement, the former president's legal team said, quote, "his legal team will continue fighting against this Biden trial and all the other witch hunts".
Of course, this trial has nothing to do with President Biden. This has been brought by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. That is a state office. It has nothing to do with the Justice Department or the federal government.
But the next step in the state of New York would be the Court of Appeals. That is the highest court in New York. If they were not successful there, they could potentially go to the Supreme Court, ask them to put this case on pause because, of course, the justices, they're going to hear arguments about presidential immunity in just about two weeks on the 25th. Now, that's in the federal election subversion case, but they could ask the justices to put this case on hold. But at this point, it's unclear if the Trump team is going to file any additional appeals.
Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Trump is expected to make a major announcement on election integrity on Friday. Sources tell CNN House Speaker Mike Johnson will join the former president for a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.
Johnson's decision to appear with Trump comes amid threats to his speakership from fellow conservative congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. Several sources say Johnson's supporters have asked Trump to publicly back the speaker or at least stay out of the fight.
Well Donald Trump has been on every side of the contentious debate over abortion throughout his long public and political career. He has taken credit for the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, which President Biden and the Democrats are using in their campaign strategy. And Trump's stance seemed to flip-flop again after this week's ruling from the Arizona Supreme Court upholding an 1864 law that bans nearly all abortions.
CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former President Donald Trump's strategy on abortion immediately being put to the test.
REPORTER: Would you sign a national abortion ban if Congress sent it to your desk?
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: No.
SERFATY (voice-over): Today Trump saying he would not sign a national abortion ban if elected president.
REPORTER: Did Arizona go too far?
TRUMP: Yeah, they did.
SERFATY (voice-over): And distancing himself from the Arizona Supreme Court ruling Tuesday that the state's near total abortion ban, which dates back to 1864, can be enforced.
TRUMP: That will be straightened out. As you know, it's all about states' rights. It will be straightened out. And I'm sure that the governor and everybody else are going to bring it back into reason and that will be taken care of, I think, very quickly.
SERFATY (voice-over): All this coming only two days after the former president said abortion laws should be left to the states. President Joe Biden today responding to the Arizona ruling, offering this message to voters in the state.
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Elect me. I'm in the 20th century, 21st century.
SERFATY (voice-over): A Biden campaign spokesperson saying in a statement, Donald Trump owns the suffering and chaos happening right now, including in Arizona, because he proudly overturned Roe.
The campaign also planning to dispatch Vice President Kamala Harris to the state on Friday, seeing the Arizona ban as an issue that could galvanize voters in a critical battleground state.
In 2020, Biden flipped Arizona, winning by fewer than 11,000 votes after Trump carried the state four years earlier against Hillary Clinton.
The Arizona ruling also reverberating in the state's hotly contested Senate race, which could determine control of the chamber.
[03:35:01]
Republican Kari Lake saying she opposes the decision, calling for an immediate common sense solution, despite voicing support for the law.
KARI LAKE (R-AZ), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: It will prohibit abortion in Arizona, except to save the life of a mother. And I think we're going to be setting the paving the way and setting course for other states to follow.
SERFATY (voice-over): Lake's Democratic opponent, Ruben Gallego --
RUBEN GALLEGO (D-AZ), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: And I'm sorry to the women of Arizona.
SERFATY (voice-over): -- calling the ruling devastating and highlighting Lake's past support for the ban.
Sunlen Serfaty, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: The new trading day gets underway in the U.S. in a little less than five hours, and here's where stock futures stand right down right now, mostly down this morning.
Meantime, European markets are up and running, mostly positive, just the DAX in negative territory. And here's a look at how markets across Asia fare today. Also, a mixed bag with the Nikkei and Hang Seng in the negative territory.
Meanwhile, U.S. markets took a tumble over concerns the fight against inflation may have stalled. Consumer prices jumped in pretty much every major category last month, rising to a 3.5 percent increase for the 12 months ending in March. Gas and housing costs comprised more than half of that monthly increase. Ultimately, the Dow closed lower by more than 400 points or 1.1 percent, and the S&P 500 lost 1 percent. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite fell by less than 1 percent.
U.S. President Joe Biden defended his handling of the economy on Wednesday as those economic numbers were coming in. Mr. Biden said his approach is sustainable and accused Republicans of not having a plan to tackle inflation. CNN's Brian Todd has the latest from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A seemingly endless headache for American consumers at the cash register and for President Biden at the ballot box.
New numbers show that annual inflation ticked up higher than expected last month. Consumer prices rising to a 3.5 percent increase in the 12 months ending in March, fueled in part by higher mortgage prices and rising gas prices.
JOSEPH GAGNON, PETERSON INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS: Inflation is still a threat, but I think it's receding. Not likely to continue, but it is not good news.
TODD (voice-over): The president defending his record combating inflation.
BIDEN: We have dramatically reduced inflation from 9 percent down to close to 3 percent. We're in a situation where we're better situated than we were when we took office, where inflation was skyrocketing.
TODD (voice-over): But this comes as Biden's former White House chief of staff, Ron Klain, known as a loyalist, slams the president's messaging on the economy. In comments obtained by "Politico", Klain said his former boss spends too much time talking about infrastructure. Quote, "I think the president is out there too much talking about bridges. If you go into the grocery store, you know eggs and milk are expensive. The fact that there's an effing bridge".
Klain goes on to say, like it's a bridge. And how interesting is the bridge? It's a little interesting, but it's not a lot interesting.
Klain did concede that Biden is effective at showing compassion for families who are struggling financially and talking about how to bring down costs.
But Donald Trump was quick to pounce on the latest numbers.
TRUMP: Biden has totally lost control of inflation. It's back. It's raging back.
TODD (voice-over): In a recent poll, only 37 percent approve of President Biden's handling of the economy, while 62 percent disapprove.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Joe Biden certainly has a lot of work to do. I think that we're hearing it from his advisors quietly that they certainly want to talk more about the economy.
TODD (voice-over): For example, unemployment hasn't been this low this long since Richard Nixon was president.
GAGNON: Many people have gotten bigger wage increases than they've seen in inflation, especially the lower income workers have seen big wage gains more than inflation.
TODD (voice-over): Still, with Wednesday's numbers, the Fed is now likely to postpone the interest rate cuts expected this year, which would boost the economy and make homes more affordable.
CHRISTINE RAMPELL, CNN ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: We don't know what's going to happen to long term rates. We don't know what's going to happen to the fiscal situation. We don't know what's going to happen with oil and energy prices, which also affect or can push through to other forms of inflation.
TODD (voice-over): So how much of a threat will inflation pose to President Biden as Election Day approaches?
GAGNON: I'm pretty sure inflation will be better by election time, but it's not coming down as fast as many of us would like.
TODD: Part of President Biden's messaging after those inflation numbers came out was to try to deflect some of the blame to the Republicans, who he said have no plan to combat inflation and to corporate greed. The president saying he's calling on corporations, including grocery retailers, to use their record profits to reduce prices.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: They called themselves the Goon Squad, a group of white law enforcement officers in the U.S. state of Mississippi known for their aggressive, violent tactics against criminal suspects.
[03:40:01]
Now, six of those former officers are facing lengthy prison sentences for the racist and brutal torture of two black men in January of last year. CNN's Ryan Young reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALIK SHABAZZ, LEAD ATTORNEY FOR MICHAEL JENKINS AND EDDIE PARKER: Justice has come in Mississippi. What has come?
RYAN YOUNG, CNN SR. U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An historic sentencing hearing in Rankin County, Mississippi.
SHABAZZ: No police officer in the history of Rankin County has ever been held criminally responsible for harming anyone, let alone a black person.
YOUNG (voice-over): Six former law enforcement officers sentenced in state court for their role in a crime and cover up they all admitted to subjecting two black men, Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker, to almost two hours of torture and sexual assault last year, ending with Jenkins shot in the mouth.
SHABAZZ: They'll probably take a lifetime to heal from these attacks.
YOUNG (voice-over): The former officers are also known as the Goon Squad, a name some of these white former Mississippi officers gave themselves for their alleged willingness to use excessive force and cover it up. And now justice was handed down to them.
The six men will be serving between 15 and 45 years, which will run concurrently with the federal sentences they each received last month.
In the courtroom, victim impact statements were read out by their attorney.
SHABAZZ: They beat, kicked, tased, insulted, waterboarded and humiliated me over and over again. That will forever be engraved in my mind and my heart. I'm hurt. I'm broken.
YOUNG (voice-over): The two victims speaking out afterwards, grateful and thanking in particular the media.
EDDIE PARKER, VICTIM OF OFFICERS' ASSAULT: And I'm thankful for all y'all, you know, being here with us, man, for the ride. All y'all that helped us, you know, with this fight, man. I just want y'all to know, man, it touched me in my heart, man, to know that we were listened to. You know, y'all gave us a voice, man.
YOUNG (voice-over): And while justice was served today in Rankin County, many insisting there's still much more that needs to be done.
ANGELA ENGLISH, PRESIDENT, RANKIN COUNTY BRANCH OF NAACP: This chapter of the book has been written, but the book is not finished. We have spoken with the Department of Justice. We have reiterated that we want a clean sweep. We want them to go throughout the Rankin County Sheriff's Department, and we want them to clean house.
YOUNG (voice-over): Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker seeming to find a purpose from the pain they suffered.
PARKER: I may have found, you know, what I was looking for, my purpose, you know, is to fight, you know, for the person that scared to fight or fight for the person that can't fight.
YOUNG: Yeah, community members expressed over and over again, they want more investigation into the Sheriff's Department. They want to see Brian Bailey step down or be pulled out of office. We've talked to Brian Bailey before. He says he had no idea this goon squad was operating with inside his department. It'll be up to the feds and the state to see what happens next.
Brian Young, CNN, Rankin County, Mississippi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Still ahead, a growing number of adults are developing cancer at younger ages. Now, researchers may have an idea as to why and the factors that could be causing this concerning trend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Scientists trying to learn why some cancers are on the rise in younger adults may have found a new link. Accelerated biological aging, basically the wear and tear on the body caused by lifestyle stress and genetics.
They looked at the medical records of tens of thousands of people ages 37 to 54 and found faster aging was associated with a higher cancer risk, especially with lung, stomach, intestinal and uterine cancers. Joining me now is Dr. Anne Blaes, Director and Professor of Medicine
in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation at the University of Minnesota. Thank you so much for being with us.
DR. ANNE BLAES, DIRECTOR AND PROF. OF MEDICINE, DIVISION OF HEMATOLOGY, ONCOLOGY, AND TRANSPLANTATION, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA: Thank you for having me.
CHURCH: So, new research now reveals that accelerated aging is linked to a higher cancer risk in younger adults. Now, you weren't involved in this new research, but what's your reaction to these findings?
BLAES: You know, I think we are all seeing, so I'm a medical oncologist and we are all seeing rising numbers of younger individuals with cancer.
So, what a lot of research is currently looking at is trying to understand how can we better predict and understand why is that happening? In this particular study, they looked at a series of biologic measures called pheno-age and these are clinically available measures that look at a variety of different functions that give us the opportunity to try to predict is, do we better understand why we're seeing some of that?
And that's what this study really looked at. These are a series of clinically available biomarkers and their data anyway, preliminarily suggests that. It also suggests that there's more accelerated aging in those born in more recent years.
CHURCH: And doctor, what causes an acceleration in aging for some young people, but not others? What's making their cells age faster than others?
BLAES: So, I think this is an area that we're all doing a lot of research in and I'll preface it by saying, you know, when we think about age, age is a number and I think most of us recognize that there are people who are different when you look at their biology or you could guess that.
And what do I mean by that? Some people who are 50, for example, are very young and vibrant and some are not. Things like tobacco use, physical inactivity, inability to sleep, nutrition, in addition to chronic disease and chronic inflammation are things that seem to impact accelerated aging.
Although I will mention that this is really an area that there's a lot of ongoing research that is very interesting to really try to understand what is driving those factors and what are those things that are potentially intervenable on.
CHURCH: Yeah, so let's look at that, because how do these more vulnerable younger people turn back the clock on accelerated aging or at least slow it down? What can be done?
BLAES: Yeah, and I'll probably add to that, you know, to me, the excitement about this research is if we have blood biomarkers that can help us predict who may be more at risk for, say, developing cancer, then we may be able to actually intervene, one, on a prevention side, but two, on a screening side to say perhaps if your body is at an accelerated aging, we're recommending cancer screening at an earlier time.
But you asked me what can we do to actually help reduce that or help. There are right now, I would tell you regular exercise, better nutrition, trying to maintain a healthy weight where we know obesity is associated with a lot of inflammation, as well as getting adequate sleep.
Part of our team at the University of Minnesota is also looking at how medications, some of these are commonly available, may reduce accelerated aging. These are called anti-synalytics and are currently under investigation.
[03:50:00]
CHURCH: And doctor, how do people figure out if they are more vulnerable to accelerated aging and therefore cancer and how do you find these young people so you can help them?
BLAES: Yeah, so I think that right now, a lot of research needs to undergo on to better understand the data that was presented at this meeting.
There are some limitations to the study that was done, such as the fact that we don't know the diversity or the race, ethnicity, and the socioeconomic status of that population.
I think the strengths of it, though, are the fact that it was a very large data sample. How do individuals actually know what their biologic age is? So many of the tests that were involved in this particular study are actually commercially available tests.
These are common things that are checked in the doctor's office. A few of them are markers of inflammation that are not always checked in all young individuals. And from my perspective, I would really tell individuals not so much to focus on the particular number or to go to their doctor and say, hey, I need all of these tests, but actually more to focus on the other lifestyle interventions of how do I stay physically active? How do I get better nutrition and sleep? And how do I maintain a healthy body weight? Those are areas where we have a lot more research to suggest these reduce cancer. And so for me, that's what I really recommend for individuals.
CHURCH: Yeah, that is some good advice right there. Dr. Anne Blaes, thank you so much for talking with us. I Appreciate it.
BLAES: Thank you.
CHURCH: Still to come, rain and thunderstorms in the forecast for the start of the Masters, but Tiger Woods is looking on the bright side, gunning for a sixth title at Augusta.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Weather could be a factor as the first day of the Masters gets underway in Augusta, Georgia. Rain and thunderstorms are in the forecast this morning for golf's first major of the year, but should clear up by midday.
Wednesday featured the traditional Par 3 contest on ESPN, a lighthearted event on the eve of the tournament. Ricky Fowler won the nine-hole competition. Of course, there's a lot of attention on Tiger Woods and his health.
The five-time Masters champion is looking to make the cut for a record-breaking 24th straight time, and he believes a sixth title is not out of the question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIGER WOODS, FIVE-TIME MASTERS CHAMPION: If everything comes together, I think I can get one more (inaudible).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The highest-scoring player in U.S. college basketball history, men or women, is now getting a well-deserved honor from her school. University of Iowa sensation Caitlin Clark will have her number 22 jersey retired. Clark and the Hawkeyes had another memorable season, making it to the Women's Championship game this past weekend, where they lost to South Carolina. The jersey announcement was made at the team's end-of-season celebration to a rousing ovation from the fans.
[03:54:50]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAITLIN CLARK, IOWA HAWKEYES GUARD: It's super incredible, something I'm very thankful for, and obviously I've had some amazing teammates over the course of my four years here. There's been a lot of really good 22s to come before me and play for this program, whether it's Kathleen Doyle or Sam Logic. So that number holds a lot of weight, far beyond my name. I guess I'm just really grateful, and it'll be a special day when that happens, for sure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: New developments now in the gambling scandal that rocked Major League Baseball. The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is in negotiations to plead guilty to federal crimes.
That is according to the "New York Times", which cites three people briefed on the matter. The interpreter was fired after he was accused of stealing more than $4 million from the player and using it to place bets with the bookmaker under federal investigation. For his part, the Dodgers pitcher and designated hitter denies any awareness or involvement in the scandal.
Well they certainly love their football in Brazil. Now we'll see how much they love American football. For the first time ever, the NFL will play a game in South America with a week one contest in Sao Paulo between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia with the Eagles designated as the home team.
The league also considered Madrid for the game, but ultimately went with Sao Paulo due to the 38 million fans in Brazil where the sport has gained popularity thanks to social media. This continues the NFL's push to expand internationally with five overseas games scheduled this year, including several in Europe.
And finally, you could say it was a racehorse on the lam. Security footage shows a horse startling passengers as it trots up and down the platform at a railway station in Sydney, Australia. Officials say it got loose from a nearby stable. Train drivers were warned about the situation, with at least one train going through the station keeping its doors closed so the wayward equine could not hitch a ride. But moments later, the horse's trainer arrived, loaded the runaway racehorse into a trailer, putting an end to the main event.
I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "CNN Newsroom" continues next, with Max Foster.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
