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Dozens Arrested at Columbia University as NYPD Clears Occupied Building; Cities are Expensive. Does Rent Have to be? Recent EV Auto Show in China. Aired 4-4:10a ET

Aired May 01, 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, sunshine? Welcome to CNN 10. I`m Coy Wire. It`s Wednesday, May the 1st. We enter what may be the last month of

school for many of you. Embrace it, someday you`re going to look back and say, ah, the good old days.

All right. We have two big stories we want to lead with today. First, let`s head back to New York City where pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia have

escalated. The university started suspending students on Tuesday after they did not obey a deadline to vacate their encampment on the West Lawn of the

Manhattan campus. But Columbia did not call in the police to break up the encampment, so hours later, student protesters moved from the encampment

and broke into Hamilton Hall, one of the main academic buildings on campus, where they have barricaded themselves inside and draped a banner out the

window that reads "Hinds Hall."

A student group explained the banner honors a five-year-old girl, Hind Rajab, who was killed in Gaza. Columbia has now shut down the campus to

everyone except the students who live in dorms on campus and a small group of essential faculty.

Next, we go to Kenya, where sadly, officials now report dozens of people were killed and more than 100 others injured after floods swept through

Mahiu, a town in the northwest region of the country.

Heavy rain in the region led to flooding, which was further exacerbated by a nearby dam breaking, causing water to rush through the streets. This

latest incident comes after floods have inundated Kenya several times since March, killing more than 100 additional people and displacing thousands of

Kenyans from their homes.

Ten second trivia.

Which European capital city is home to a famous structure originally constructed for the 1889 World`s Fair? London, Munich, Paris, or Rome?

If you said Paris, ooh la la, oui oui, the Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous landmarks in the world, standing some 300 meters or 984 feet up

towards the Parisian sky.

It is getting more and more expensive to live in many cities around the world. One of the biggest reasons, the rising cost of rent. Some may think

that cities offer superfluous activities, like all the cultural attractions from museums to shows, all the retail stores and restaurants, but many

people like all of those options and may also want to live in cities for more job opportunities.

But at the same time, housing can be limited. There`s only so much room for developers to build, right? The combination of lots of demand and limited

supply drives rent prices up. That`s why many cities subsidize housing. That means they use government policy to make housing more affordable.

Melissa Bell takes us to Paris to show us how it`s working there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The view is second to none, the location as central as they get. But this rent-controlled

apartment is now Catherine`s for just $800 a month.

CATHERINE CORTINOVIS, LA SAMARITAINE RESIDENT (through translation): Welcome. The first time I saw it, I was so emotional that I burst into

tears.

BELL (voice-over): And this is the building she was able to move into. Reopened amid great pomp in 2021 after some 16 years of renovation, the

Samaritaine is one of the French capital`s most iconic spots for luxury shopping and dining, not to mention its five-star hotel.

But the Samaritaine was also obliged, as part of its reconstruction, to include 96 apartments for the city of Paris to let at modest rates.

JACQUES BAUDRIER, DEPUTY MAYOR OF PARIS IN CHARGE OF HOUSING: If you let the market act, you will have only empty houses, second homes for

foreigners or rich French people. If you want Paris to stay a living city with people inhabiting in the city, you must develop a lot of social

holdings.

BELL (on camera): Across Europe, there`s a danger of cities turning to museums and ordinary people being pushed out. But here in Paris, there`s

the added particularity that this was a city entirely redesigned in the mid-19th century. And that`s exactly what gives it its beauty, but also

what makes it difficult for the city to adapt to the needs of the 21st century.

(Voice-over): Already, it is one in nine Parisians that benefits. People like Zina, whose place in the Samaritaine development allows her to live

close to the Central Paris hospital where she works.

ZINA HADJAB, LA SAMARITAINE RESIDENT (through translation): As they say, it`s an open-air museum, it`s pleasant. It`s really a good place to live.

BELL (voice-over): An open-air museum that is now seeking to help those who keep at schools and hospitals running to be able to benefit from them too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right, you`ve all probably heard of Tesla, the electric car company owned by Elon Musk, sells more EVs than any other company in the

world. Well, did you know that its biggest competitor is a Chinese company named BYD? China`s electric car market has exploded the last few years.

There are now more than 200 electric vehicle manufacturers in China. CNN`s Marc Stewart takes us inside a recent auto show in Beijing to show us how

China is charging up as it works toward the future of automobiles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is "Auto China," the largest car show in all of China, and one of the largest in the world. There are a few gas-

powered cars here, but the real focus is electric.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I came here mainly checking on EVs. Now, there are many EV brands. So, there are lots of options.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We liked the standout eye- catching color.

STEWART: There are more than 200 EV makers in China. Take a look over here. This is the line to see the latest offering from Xiaomi. It`s a Chinese

tech company known for its phones. This is the much talked about Xiaomi SU7. Yes, it has an aerodynamic design. It can accelerate very quickly. Its

battery can take you for about 500 miles. But, its most distinct point is this touchscreen. You can use it to control almost whole aspects of your

life. It can turn the lights in your home on and off. It can even start the coffee maker. This isn`t just about performance. Geopolitics plays a role

too.

Elon Musk flew to China over the weekend on a surprise trip and met Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Musk has his biggest overseas Tesla factory in Shanghai.

So, he has big stakes in China. According to state media, Li said that China is open to foreign business and wants to make it easier for global

companies to come here.

In addition, Musk said Tesla`s Gigafactory in Shanghai is its best performing. Tesla wants to be an even bigger player in the Chinese market

in addition to its American base.

ELON MUSK, CEO, TESLA: It`s good to see electric vehicles making progress in China. All cars will be electric in the future.

STEWART (voice-over): As a piece of American technology, Tesla faced lots of restrictions in China out of security concerns. Until this visit, Tesla

cars were sometimes not allowed to enter airports, government compounds and other sensitive areas. Well, this time, after Musk met Li, Chinese

authorities announced that such restrictions on Tesla cars are no more because the company`s China-made vehicles have passed the country`s data

security requirements.

(On camera): As Elon Musk looks for success here in China for Chinese carmakers looking to break into the American market, that may not be so

easy. Top U.S. officials have expressed concern that Chinese cars could potentially collect data and send it back here to Beijing, a potential blow

for China, the world`s largest auto exporter.

Marc Stewart, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIRE: For today`s story getting a 10 out of 10, we want you to meet Emo, the smiling robot. It`s a face created by engineers at Columbia that can

make eye contact. But even better, it`s been programmed by two AI models to anticipate when you`re about to smile, then beats you to it.

Raise your hand if you think that`s cool. OK, now raise your hand if you think that`s creepy. Emo can predict your smile 840 milliseconds before it

even starts. It`s equipped with high-res cameras in its eyes and 26 robotic facial muscles to produce this gregarious grin. Now, that is some

technology we can all smile about.

Congrats to all the Tigers at Ripley High School in Mississippi, especially Coach Wilcher`s class for submitting our Your Word Wednesday winner on my

TikTok page, superfluous. An adjective meaning beyond what is sufficient or necessary. Nice one.

All right, today`s shout-out is going to Washington Middle School in Green Bay, Wisconsin. We see you, Mr. Lascott, bringing the heat. Thank you for

all the lovely signatures and all the messages. Much love. That is incredible stuff.

And this shout-out goes to Mrs. Westlake`s transition class. They`re all over there hanging out at William Amos Hough High School in Cornelius,

North Carolina. Look at this art.

And, you know, you wanted to know how I decide whether or not to wear a tie each day. You apparently vote on it. Well, sometimes I like just rolling up

my sleeves and being casual. Sometimes I`m feeling kind of fancy. Rise up.

Thanks for all the love, and I`ll see you right back here tomorrow on CNN 10.

END