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CNN International: IDF Presses On With Raid On Al-Shifa Hospital In Gaza; Blinken: Ceasefire-Hostage Release Deal "Getting Closer"; Ukraine: At Least 10 Injured In Missile Strike On Kyiv. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired March 21, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:05]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello everyone, and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, and this is the CNN Newsroom.

Straight ahead, America's top diplomat is in Cairo for ceasefire talks, as Israel continues its military operation at Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital, where thousands of people are sheltering. Plus, EU leaders meet in Brussels where they could soon approve plans to make Russia pay for Ukraine's arms. And then, sources tell CNN that Donald Trump is in panic mode. The former President has just days to find the money for his $400 million bond. Those details and much more coming up.

With the use of loudspeakers, warning to people to stay inside Gaza's largest hospital, this as Israel's raid on the complex enters its fourth day.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

Israel says it's continuing its precise operation at Al-Shifa and has eliminated dozens of terrorists. Gaza's Civil Defense describes the area as a battlefield. This comes as Israel's Prime Minister says a ground operation in the city of Rafah could proceed, and an evacuation plan for civilians would be approved soon. On the diplomatic front, the U.S. Secretary of State is now in Cairo for more talks on a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages held in the enclave.

Nada Bashir is tracking the developments for us, and is joining us live from London. Nada, what's the latest that you're hearing about all that's unfolding at Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, as you mentioned, Fredricka, this is now entering into its fourth day, and there is mounting concern for the civilians who are still trapped within and around the Al-Shifa Hospital complex. As we know, of course, there are many inside the hospital but also around in the surrounding areas where we have seen airstrikes being carried out, where we have seen Israeli military vehicles encircling the area, and this has been going on for over four days now. And it has proven quite difficult to get information from those on the ground still trapped within the hospital complex. As you saw there in that video, we have seen now video footage

emerging which shows audio recordings, shows loudspeakers playing up messages to those trapped within the hospital, seeming from the Israeli military, though it's unclear, and CNN hasn't been able to verify when exactly this video was filmed. But, there is a clear warning, telling civilians within the hospital to stay inside, that if they do leave or attempt to flee the hospital building, then they could be shot. And that really stands in line to messages that we have been hearing from civilians and eyewitnesses on the ground and inside the hospital.

Earlier in the week, one medical student who shared a message on social media earlier in the week, saying that many who had tried to flee the hospital had been targeted by sniper fire that doctors were unable to leave the complex in order to help those who are injured outside. And of course, we have been hearing that repeated sound of what appears to be shelling around the hospital complex. And the Israeli military has said that it is carrying out what it has described as a precise and targeted military operation that they are focused on targeting Hamas militants they believe to be operating inside the hospital.

We know that the IDF has released edited video showing soldiers demonstrating the presence of cash inside the hospital complex as well as a series of weapons. They alleged that this is part of what they believe to be a command center based within the hospital used by Hamas, but much like we saw back in November during the IDF's first raid on Al-Shifa Hospital. Little other evidence has been provided just yet to suggest the presence of a full command center inside the hospital. And of course, we have also heard from Hamas acknowledging that their fighters and militants have been engaged in what they have described as fierce clashes with Israeli troops in and around the hospital complex.

But, as we know, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, there are believed to be some 3,000 people trapped within the complex, many of them civilians who have been sheltering there. And we have seen video emerging as well as reports from our journalists on the ground of civilians who have been ordered to flee, to move southward, leaflets landing from the sky from the Israeli military, telling civilians to flee. But, of course, as we know the situation in the south is also growing more dire.

WHITFIELD: And Nada, the U.S. Secretary of State Blinken is in Cairo this hour.

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He is going to sit down with key players, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and the Palestinian Authority. Well, yesterday, he seemed positive, saying ceasefire negotiations are getting closer. Is that optimism carrying over into today?

BASHIR: Well, we know that there is a growing sense of urgency around getting these talks, pushing these talks forward, getting a ceasefire agreed upon by all sides. And of course, there is mounting pressure on Israel, particularly from some of its closest allies like the United States, to come to some sort of agreement. And we have heard those positive indications from Secretary Blinken. He is, of course, expected to also travel to Israel on Friday to continue on those discussions. And as we understand, the talks are still very much centered on what is being put forward as a six-week truce, a pause in fighting that would come into immediate effect.

There are calls for, of course, all hostages held captive by Hamas inside Gaza to be released. But, we know, of course, that Hamas is also calling for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops. Now, of course, we have heard from the State Department saying that Hamas rejected some of the terms and clauses put forward in the current stage of negotiations. But, at this stage, Prime Minister Netanyahu has also described the current state of those agreements as unrealistic and outlandish. But, of course, those talks are ongoing. There is growing pressure on all sides.

And of course, there is a growing sense of urgency, given the deteriorating humanitarian situation as well. And while, of course, these talks are very much focused on establishing and agreeing upon an immediate ceasefire, the talks will also be focused on what can be done to increase the amount of humanitarian aid getting into the Gaza Strip. We know, of course, that there have been airdrops, that there have been the establishment now of a new maritime corridor. But, there are continued calls from members of the international community, including the United States, for more to be done to allow aid to get in via Gaza's land crossings.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nada Bashir in London, thanks so much.

All right. Happening in the coming hour, European leaders will open their two-day summit in Brussels. They arrived a short time ago. On their agenda will be both support for Ukraine and boosting Europe's own defense capabilities. Leaders are expected to discuss using frozen Russian assets to buy weapons for Ukraine.

Meanwhile, another Russian missile barrage wounded at least 10 people in Ukraine's capital on Thursday. That's according to Kyiv's mayor. The city says nearly 25,000 people took cover during the attack in the city's underground metro. Military officials say about three dozen of the missiles were shot down, but others fell across the city, damaging a multi-storey building and a preschool.

Joining us now from Berlin is Fred Pleitgen. Fred, great to see you. So, massive Russian attacks on Kyiv overnight. What more are you learning?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Fredricka. Yeah. It was the first Russian massive missile barrage on the Ukrainian capital really in the past six weeks. There have been some smaller attacks, especially using drones moving towards Kyiv. But, this is the first big missile attacks. And I think there were several things that were remarkable about it.

First of all, the Ukrainians are saying that they managed to shoot all the missiles down that were fired towards the Ukrainian capital, obviously showcasing how good air defense has gotten there. In fact, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he came out in the early morning hours and said that this shows that the air defense around Kyiv is world class, and he is obviously saying that the Ukrainians need more of that for the rest of the country as well.

Then, when you take a look at the mix that the Ukrainians are talking about, the Russians used to attack the Ukrainian capital. There is certainly some things that stand out there as well. First of all, the Ukraine -- the Russians used some of their long-distance strategic bombers to fire the cruise missiles towards the Ukrainian capital. Most of those or all of those were taken down by the Ukrainians. But then, when you look at the ballistic missiles that were used, the Ukrainians are saying that only two were used. They believe that one of them was a hypersonic missile called the Kinzhal or Dagger that the Russians fired at the Ukrainian capital. That certainly is remarkable that Ukrainian air defenses are able to take those down. The Ukrainians are saying only the U.S.-supplied and U.S.-made Patriot systems are the ones that can take those down.

But, the Ukrainians also believe that one of the other ballistic missiles that was used may have been manufactured in North Korea. And of course, there has been a lot of talks over the past couple of weeks about the Russians getting ballistic missiles from the North Koreans and then using them on the battlefield in Ukraine. So, certainly, that's something that the Ukrainians have been looking at, and definitely something that does seem to show that the Russians either are running low on their own missiles or want to expand their attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.

Again, you mentioned that about dozen people who were wounded in this attack, most of them from falling debris, from falling parts from missiles. No one killed as of right now, but of course, the damage still very much being assessed and some of those search and rescue crews are still out active on the ground, Fredricka.

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WHITFIELD: OK. And now, Fred, something potentially that could impact Russia, EU leaders are meeting in Brussels right now, and they could approve frozen Russian assets to help fund Ukraine's war effort. Break that down for us.

PLEITGEN: Yeah. It's certainly something that the European Union countries have been talking about, because of course, all of them or most of them at least agree that there needs to be continued funding for weapons for Ukraine, that they need to do more in order to give the Ukrainians the things that they need in order to beat the Russians. And now, the question is, how can all of that be funded? And one of the things that have been put forward by a lot of EU leaders actually is using windfall profits from frozen Russian assets, and that's something that right now, just a couple of minutes ago, as we're speaking right now, Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, who just arrived at the EU summit said he believes that that's something that should be done. There is a lot of other EU heads of government that are saying exactly the same thing. The big question is, how can they do that in a legally sound way? And

then, of course, the other big question is, what will the retaliation from the Russians be? In fact, the Kremlin this morning in form of the spokesman Dmitry Peskov, he came out and he said there definitely will be retaliation. He said the Russians will use all legal methods. But, he also said that, of course, there will be a reaction on their part as well to try and punish the EU countries. That would be a part of this, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Fred Pleitgen, we'll leave it there. Thanks so much from Berlin.

All right. We're waiting on a decision from a U.S. appeals court on whether that controversial Texas immigration law can go into effect. The three-judge panel reviewing the law seemed divided on Wednesday, as they heard arguments about whether Texas should be allowed to arrest and deport illegal immigrants, power that has always rested only in the hands of the federal government. Well, there is no word on when the appeals court will rule.

CNN's Rosa Flores, however, spoke to one illegal immigrant in Texas, who says not only is he not worried about the law, but he thinks migrants who will be able to vote should vote Republican in the upcoming election.

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GELACIO VELAZQUEZ, UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT (Interpreted): I'm an undocumented immigrant.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gelacio Velazquez is an undocumented immigrant who has lived in Houston for 25 years.

VELAZQUEZ (Interpreted): If I could vote at this moment, I would vote for Donald Trump. He's a nationalist and he wants this country to be well. My children were born here, and I want my children to be well.

FLORES: (FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

VELAZQUEZ (Interpreted): I wouldn't vote for Joe Biden for this reason, Joe Biden has made the country an economic disaster.

FLORES: What would you tell Democrats who think that all immigrants are going to be on their side?

VELAZQUEZ (Interpreted): Stop thinking that immigrants are ignorant. Democrats are the kind nun you find on the street who tells you that they are going to help you. But when they have the power to help, they forget their promises.

FLORES: (FOREIGN LANGUAGE) for Republicans?

VELAZQUEZ (Interpreted): Republicans use us like an electoral pinata. They say, we are at fault for everything. We're guilty of rapes. We are guilty of the drug consumption. But that's a great lie. FLORES (voice-over): Velazquez says one of the measures used by Texas

Republicans to terrorize the undocumented community is SB 4, the Texas immigration law that's in legal limbo.

CHIEF MIGUEL RODRIGUEZ JR., LAREDO, TEXAS POLICE: You see somebody crossing the river, automatically you know that that he is violating that law.

FLORES (voice-over): Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the law to go into effect after a district court previously blocked it. Hours later, an appeals court blocked it again, causing confusion across the state.

LINA HIDALGO, HARRIS COUNTY JUDGE: I think even legal experts are calling this judicial whiplash.

FLORES (voice-over): Today, more whiplash as the appeals court hears oral arguments, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott is vowing to enforce the laws already in the books.

GREG ABBOTT, TEXAS GOVERNOR: Even without SB 4, Texas has the legal authority to arrest people coming across the razor wire barriers on our border.

FLORES (voice-over): One Texas sheriff says the situation makes it difficult to implement the law, and puts an undue burden on local communities.

CMDR. RYAN URRUTIA, EL PASO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: This could put us in a situation where we could see jail closures because we will be at capacity.

FLORES (voice-over): Despite Velazquez's criticism of Republicans and their use of anti-immigrant rhetoric --

FLORES: He says he wants Donald Trump to win. (FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

VELAZQUEZ (Interpreted): He's a racist and of course I don't like that he's a racist. Of course I don't like Donald Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric, but at the end of the day it's just politics. Some will judge me, 'You want Donald Trump to win.' Well, it's because he's a nationalist, that's why I want him to win. Nationalists love their country.

FLORES: And if you're wondering how can Gelacio Velazquez support Trump, given the anti-immigrant rhetoric? Well, Gelacio Velazquez says that he doesn't believe that Trump would actually act on that rhetoric. He says that he uses anti-immigrant rhetoric to get to the White House. And I specifically asked him about Trump's plan to put undocumented immigrants like him in camps and deport them.

[08:15:00]

And he says that he doesn't believe that Trump is going to do that because that plan would be inhumane and illogical, he says, that it would be illogical to think that anybody would round up millions of undocumented immigrants who've been here for decades, who have U.S. citizen children, and deport them. He says he just doesn't believe that Trump would do that. And he has this piece of advice for Republicans, that if Republicans stopped using anti-immigrant rhetoric, that they would secure more Hispanic votes.

Rosa Flores, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. The New York Attorney General has responded to Donald Trump, saying he cannot pay a $464 million judgment in his civil fraud case. Attorney General Letitia James told a state appeals court that they should ignore Trump's complaint that he cannot find an insurance company to post the bond for him. Multiple sources tell CNN that Trump is in panic mode, as he faces a Monday deadline to pay the fine. If he fails to pay it on time, the state could begin to seize his assets, including properties like the Trump Tower.

Kara Scannell is tracking the story for us. Kara, great to see you. So, Trump is feeling the heat. Sources telling CNN that he is in panic mode. What does that mean?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Fred. I mean, this is all coming down to the wires. As you said, Trump needs to come up with a bond of $454 million by Monday. He has asked the New York appeals court panel to allow him to post a smaller amount or not post anything at all until the appeal is over. And the New York Attorney General's Office has opposed that. They're saying that the court should ignore Trump's latest arguments where he said that they approached 30 insurance underwriters. No one would secure the bond for him, particularly if it's backed only by real estate.

And James' office saying that the court should ignore that, saying it's come too late. But, they also said that they want to be able to respond to it. So, all of this, all the filings coming as this deadline is approaching. Either way, the New York Attorney General, Letitia James, has said she is ready to move forward to seize his assets. Here is what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LETITIA JAMES, NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL: If he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, and then we will seek judgment enforcement mechanisms in court, and we will ask the judge to seize his assets. We are prepared to make sure that the judgment is paid to New Yorkers. And yes, I look at 40 Wall St. each and every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCANNELL: Now, how this will actually play out is something that will start the process on Monday if Trump doesn't come up with this money or the appeals court doesn't decide. The New York Attorney General's office could begin the legal process, could go to courts, and try to foreclose or put liens on some of these properties. But, that is something that Trump is expected to fight every step of the way. Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kara Scannell, keep us posted. Thanks so much.

All right. Up to three people working at a London clinic where the Princess of Wales had surgery in January are now being investigated. They allegedly tried to access her medical records. That's according to British media. And it's not clear whether Princess Kate's data has been compromised. The outlets, including our own affiliate, ITV, are also reporting the possible breach did not involve the medical records of King Charles who was also treated at the same hospital for an enlarged prostate.

All right. Still to come, evacuations from Haiti are underway as the gang violence intensifies. But, Kenya's plan to help restore order in -- on that Caribbean nation is on hold, the story straight ahead.

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[08:20:00]

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WHITFIELD: The Dominican Republic says it helped nearly 300 people escape the violence in neighboring Haiti on Wednesday. The evacuees include personnel from the EU, the UN, financial institutions and the Canadian and Cuban embassies. Meanwhile, flights organized by Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis are bringing Americans home from Haiti. DeSantis says 14 people, including families and children, arrived in the Orlando area Wednesday evening. Florida has said it hopes to repatriate hundreds of U.S. citizens from the Caribbean nation.

CNN's Larry Madowo is live for us now in Nairobi, Kenya. So, Larry, the security situation in Haiti remains very tense. More diplomatic personnel and civilians are being evacuated overnight. What are you hearing about the desperation of the entire situation?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a scramble to get out, Fred, without a doubt, and this happens every time you see a conflict situation where, in this case, the society is all but collapsed. And the Dominican Republic is key to these evacuation efforts. They helped evacuate 296 people on Wednesday, and President of the Dominican Republic saying that they received requests for support from the U.S. and Canada for personnel and equipment, including aircraft, and they said they will offer that support so that these evacuation efforts can take place.

The reason why I'm talking about this is because Kenya is supposed to lead a multinational force to restore order and beat back the gangs in Haiti. But, that is on hold right now because they're waiting for a viable administration to take over after Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned. So, when that happens, President William Ruto here in Kenya has said he will send the reconnaissance team to Haiti, and Kenya will not abandon Haiti at its hour of need. But, there is a lot of resistance to that plan here in Kenya.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MADOWO (voice-over): Kenyan President William Ruto marching ahead with a plan to send 1,000 police officers to Haiti, despite strong opposition to the deployment at home. Elite units of the Kenya police are expected to lead the UN-backed multinational force to crush Haiti's gangs and restore order once a viable government is in place. Opposition lawmakers like Edwin Sifuna tried to block it.

EDWIN SIFUNA, NAIROBI SENATOR: Our police officers are going to harm's way in Haiti. This is not a situation that our regular police officers are used to. They've never encountered something like that. Their training does not extend to operations in fields of war.

MADOWO (voice-over): Kenyan police have been involved in peacekeeping missions for the past 35 years, including in Cambodia, the former Yugoslavia, Kosovo, Croatia, East Timor and Sierra Leone. Kenya currently has police serving in Somalia, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a parliamentary report.

CHARLES OWINO, FORMER KENYA POLICE SPOKESMAN: In all those missions, Kenya has not lost a single police officer on any combat.

MADOWO (voice-over): They're ready for Haiti, this senior policeman believes.

OWINO: Kenya has well-trained paramilitary officers from the General Service Unit. They have well-trained officers from Administration Police, Special Operations Group. These are officers who have both local and international training, some of the best institutions in Israel, U.S.

MADOWO (voice-over): Haiti would be the most challenging deployment yet for Kenyan police, with criminal gangs and militias controlling the capital Port-au-Prince and holding the nation hostage.

WILLIAM RUTO, KENYAN PRESIDENT: It is a historic duty because peace in Haiti is good for peace in the world as a whole.

MADOWO (voice-over): President Ruto should push for a well-armed military continent to take over, says this security analyst.

FRANCIS MAINA, SECURITY ANALYST: Our police officers cannot and can never be able to contain the threat of the criminality in Haiti. You need to send thousands of military personnel to command them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Honorable members --

MADOWO (voice-over): The Kenyan Parliament approved the planned police deployment to Haiti after acrimonious debate in November.

SARAH KORERE PAULATA, RULING PARTY MP: When Haiti is not safe, we are not safe.

OPIYO WANDAYI, OPPOSITION MP: You cannot use our police women and men as guinea pigs at the altar of rent seeking.

MADOWO: Civil society and opposition groups here in Kenya maintain that President Ruto's plan to send 1,000 police officers to Haiti remains illegal and unconstitutional even after his government signed a reciprocal arrangement with the former Prime Minister of Haiti.

[08:25:00]

MADOWO (voice-over): The unelected Ariel Henry witnessed the signing of the legal requirement in Nairobi, but he never made it back to Haiti, and resigned a few days later.

SIFUNA: That agreement does not hold any water because you signed an agreement with an entity that does not have the mandate to call itself a government. Some of us think that it is because of the monetary incentive.

SIFUNA: So, you think President Ruto is doing this for the money?

SIFUNA: Absolutely.

MADOWO (voice-over): Kenya says the police are in the pre-deployment phase, as it awaits a new Haitian administration.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MADOWO: This multinational force that's led by Kenya will be backed by the UN and funded largely by the United States. And if it does go ahead, when there is a new administration in place, it's likely to be challenged again in court here, and there are some lawyers in civil society, in the opposition who believe it will not stand and this may delay putting boots on the ground very quickly.

On the other hand, you don't see a lot of other people countries raising their hand to go into Haiti. The criticism here locally, Fred, is that Kenyan police don't have -- they haven't the experience to deal with the gangs in Haiti. The U.S. and Canada and other well-armed nations have tried interventions in Haiti and have failed. And one of the complaints from so many here in Kenya that you send Kenyan police to this, it's a suicide mission. They will come back in body bags, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Wow. All right. This is a pretty deep fight. Larry Madowo, thanks so much, from Nairobi.

All right. Still to come, is your job safe from artificial intelligence? The White House says it may not be. We'll take a closer look a little later on this hour. Plus, a Major League Baseball scandal is brewing. Why the Los Angeles Dodgers fired the interpreter for their superstar player after the first game of the season?

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WHITFIELD: Almost two decades ago, Israel left the Gaza Strip and evicted settlers who didn't leave voluntarily. Well, now in the wake of the October 7 attack, far-right Israelis are pushing for return to the settlements.

CNN's Clarissa Ward reports from the West Bank. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): High in the hills of the occupied West Bank, a flag flies in the face of a Palestinian village. "God is King" it says. Two young settlers guard this illegal outpost. Construction hasn't even begun. But, we are not welcome.

WARD: So, they're asking us to leave. They don't want to talk to us. They said they've been here for about nine months.

WARD (voice-over): Dotted across the landscape, more signs of the fight to assert Israeli control over Palestinian land, the Arabic names on signposts crudely erased.

[08:30:00]

Under international law, the Bair Hugger (ph) settlement is illegal. But, last February, the Israeli government officially recognized it along with eight others, a move the U.S. strongly opposed. We are here because God promised us this land, Riyal Picar (ph) tells us. Now, these settlers have set their sights on a new prize, one that seemed utterly impossible before October 7. Returning to Gaza, they cheer. That is the goal of Zionist settler organization Nachala, one of more than a dozen groups now advocating for the reestablishment of Israeli settlements in Gaza. A recent promotional video even boasts that Gaza will become the next Riviera.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

WARD (voice-over): Daniela Weiss is the godmother of the movement, and she has already started recruiting from the 700,000 strong settler community of Israel.

WARD: We're just arriving now at a settlement in the occupied West Bank, and we're heading to a talk that Daniella Weiss is giving to a group of people who are potentially interested in resettling in Gaza.

WARD (voice-over): We're for the land of Israel and Ben-Gvir, she says. About 20 people gather in the living room of a family home. Weiss knows that for many in this community, there is deep nostalgia for Gush Katif, a block of 21 Israeli settlements that were forcibly evacuated by the IDF in 2005 when Israel left the Gaza Strip. This is the vision of Gaza, she says. You see all the nucleus groups. A map has already been drawn up with six groups laying claim to different parts of the enclave.

WARD: So, they've just been handing out these little booklets that say, people of Israel, return home, and then underneath a call to return to the settlements of Gaza.

WARD (voice-over): One of the organizers tells the group they have a representative flying to Florida to raise money. Nachala gets support from a number of groups in the U.S., including AFSI, "Americans for a Safe Israel", which co-sponsored a recent webinar on the return to Gush Katif, even as the Biden administration has cracked down on settlements in the West Bank.

DANIELLA WEISS, DIRECTOR, NACHALA: There is a very strong support from very prominent, from very, I would say, wealthy people, wealthy Jews who support --

WARD: In the U.S.

WEISS: -- in the U.S.

WARD: Can you name any names?

WEISS: No. I cannot. No.

WARD (voice-over): Back at her home in Kedumim settlement, Weiss tells us she has already enrolled 500 families.

WEISS: I even have on my cell phone names of people who say to enlist me, enroll me. I want to join. I want to join the groups that are going to settle in Gaza.

WARD: I have to ask you that because we're sitting here talking and we're listening to --

(CROSSTALK)

WEISS: Yeah, yeah. I'm listening. I hope you're listening to it.

WARD: -- which is a reminder, I think, of the people who live here but --

WEISS: Yeah.

WARD: -- also the people who live in Gaza. What happens to them --

WEISS: OK.

WARD: -- in this vision of this new settlement with Jewish settlers even in Gaza City?

WEISS: What I think about Gaza, the Arabs of Gaza lost the right to be in Gaza on the 7th of October. Yes. I do hear the mosque. I do hear the prayer. Things were different until the 7th of October. No Arabs. I am speaking about more than two million Arabs. They will not stay there. We, Jews, will be in Gaza.

WARD: That sounds like ethnic cleansing.

WEISS: OK. The Arabs want to annihilate the State of Israel. So, you can call them monsters. You can call them cleansing of Jews. We are not doing to them. They are doing to us. I couldn't make it clear when I said that myself as a person who is preoccupied with settling the land. Until the 7th of October, I didn't have plans of returning to Gaza. It's clear. I'm not interested in cleansing.

WARD (voice-over): What is clear is that Weiss' views traditionally seen as extreme in Israel have become more popular since October 7. In late January, jubilant crowds packed an auditorium in Jerusalem for the "Victory of Israel Conference", calling for the resettlement of Gaza. A poll that month from the Jewish People Policy Institute found that 26 percent of Israelis advocate the reconstruction of the Gush Katif settlements after the war is over.

[08:35:00]

Among supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition government, that number jumps to 51 percent. Several ministers were present at the conference, including far-right Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu. In a rare interview with Western media, he tells us his political decisions are guided by the Torah.

WARD: Is there anything about Gush Katif in here?

AMIHAI ELIYAHU, ISRAELI MINISTER OF HERITAGE: Yes. Yes.

WARD (voice-over): And the settlements in Gaza are needed to prevent another October 7.

ELIYAHU (Interpreted): The language of the land says that wherever there is a Jewish settlement, there will be more security. It doesn't mean there will be absolute security. But, there'll be more security.

WARD: Why would you advocate for something that many would say is illegal, is immoral, is not supported by the majority of Israelis, and is also very harmful to Israel in terms of its international standing?

ELIYAHU (Interpreted): Why do you think it's immoral to take land from someone who wants to kill me? Why is it immoral to take my land which my ancestors lived there, which I've even given up to someone who slaughters, rapes and murders mainly me? What is more immoral than that?

WARD (voice-over): Netanyahu has called resettling Gaza "an unrealistic goal" and most Israelis agree. But, that hasn't stopped scores of IDF soldiers fighting there from posting videos, calling for a return to Gush Katif, for many supporters of the settler movement, what was once a distant fantasy is now a fervent dream.

Clarissa Ward, CNN, in occupied West Bank.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. And now to an update on a story that we brought you earlier this week. Israel's Supreme Court has temporarily halted a government plan to send some Palestinian patients being treated in Israeli hospitals back to Gaza. The ruling comes after Israeli rights groups saw CNN's reporting and filed an appeal.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: About two dozen Palestinian patients being treated in hospitals in East Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. They were set to be bussed back to Gaza this week. But, the Israeli Supreme Court now putting this plan by the Israeli government on hold, issuing a temporary injunction after several Israeli human rights groups filed a petition to prevent these Palestinians from being sent back to Gaza as this war in Gaza is still very much ongoing.

"Physicians for Human Rights Israel" is one of those organizations, and Ran Yaron, the group's spokesman told me this. "Returning residents to Gaza during a military conflict and a humanitarian crisis is against international law and poses a deliberate risk to innocent lives. All the more so when it concerns patients who may face a death sentence due to insanitary conditions and hunger, along with the unlikely availability of medical care."

Now, our producer, Abeer Salman, spoke with several of these women, who we reported on earlier this week, who were set to be sent back to Gaza along with their six-month-old babies. They've had mixed reactions to this decision. One of the mothers, Nima (ph), who we featured in our story, she was thrilled about this decision. Happy that she is able to stay in the safety of East Jerusalem. She was so concerned about what being sent back to Gaza might mean, especially as the Israeli military is threatening a major military offensive in Rafah in southern Gaza. She hopes that she can stay here until there is a ceasefire.

But, the other women had more mixed emotions, in part, because they mentally prepared themselves to have to go back to Gaza. And one of those women, Asma (ph), she was the one in our story who said that she wanted to go back to hug her daughter, to be able to provide her daughter, who remains in Gaza, that sense of safety. She was crying as she received this news. She was prepared to go back to Gaza, and she still very much wants to, despite the risks. But, certainly a mix of emotions for these women and an uncertain future that lies ahead. COGAT, the Israeli Defense Ministry organization that has been coordinating this plan to send these patients back to Gaza, it has now delayed the buses that are set to take them back to Monday. But, what will happen next week? The Israeli Supreme Court set to weigh in. Major questions still remaining.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead, how artificial intelligence could impact your job? The White House says those on the lowest incomes will get hit the hardest. We'll take a closer look next. Plus, Shohei Ohtani shines in his debut as a Dodger, but a scandal is overshadowing his day in the sun. That story straight ahead.

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WHITFIELD: All right. The threat of artificial intelligence continues to be a big focus. And the White House has a new report about it, shared first with CNN. It says at least 10 percent of the U.S. workforce is facing the risk, the highest risk of seeing their jobs wiped out by AI. It's billed as the most in-depth analysis ever done by federal officials.

CNN's Matt Egan joining us now with details on this. It's a big fear, Matt. What are we learning from this report?

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Fredricka, I don't know how much you've played around with some of these AI chatbots. But, they're pretty amazing in terms of what they can do, things that we once thought only humans could do. They can write reports and craft song lyrics, generate movie-quality videos. They can even write articles, like the one I wrote on this topic. So, it's awe-inspiring. But, from the perspective of an employee, it's also kind of scary.

And so, this new report shows that White House officials, they are thinking deeply about what AI means for the workforce, and as they should, right, because like any technology, AI is going to help some employees, but it's also going to hurt some. And so, the researchers found that 10 percent of U.S. workers have jobs that have high exposure to AI. And that is an interesting finding. Right? These are the workers who are really the most vulnerable, because they have tasks that are not very complex, which means they could be automated.

Now, I talked to Jared Bernstein, the White House Economist, and he told me, listen, not all of these jobs are going to go away. He said that's just not the way that automation and technology work. The White House report pointed out that we still have humans flying airplanes, even though autopilot has been around for more than a century. Still, though, it is clear that some jobs are going to be negatively disrupted by AI. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. So, Matt, so what are the concerns about inequality?

EGAN: Right. Well, so AI is going to pose a different level of risk to different demographics. What's interesting is that the researchers found that employees who have lower levels of education are more at risk. They found that up to 14 percent of people who have high school diplomas but they don't have the four-year degree, they are at this high risk AI category versus only six percent for the bachelor's degree. Similarly, there are some differences around wages. So, high earners, they are exposed to AI, but they tend to have those more complex jobs that are harder to be replaced by robots. It's really the lower wage employees that have more exposure here.

And so, that's why this report found that "AI could exacerbate aggregate income inequality if it substitutes for employment in lower wage jobs and complements higher wage jobs."

[08:45:00]

So, this warning is not coming out of Left Field. The IMF has made a similar warning, saying that policymakers really around the world have to get on top of this so that AI doesn't make inequality worse and actually fuel social tensions. Jared Bernstein from the White House, he told me that the White House is not going to let that happen. He said that they're not going to allow technology to worsen inequality. But, Fredricka, we should note that no one really knows exactly how this is going to play out. AI is evolving really, really fast. And not the Fed, not the White House, not even ChatGPT knows exactly what's going to happen next.

WHITFIELD: Right, which makes for why so many people are so worried about what you can do to get ahead because it's already fast moving. All right. Matt Egan, thank you so much.

EGAN: Thanks, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani made his Los Angeles Dodger debut this week, and it was amid a major legal -- Major League scandal that is. Now, the Dodgers have fired his longtime interpreter for allegedly stealing millions of dollars to play sports bets. During an interview with ESPN, the interpreter denies Ohtani had any involvement. He went on to say, I'm quoting now, "I want people to know I did not know this was illegal. I learned my lesson the hard way. I will never do sports betting ever again."

All right. Let's get right to CNN's Hanako Montgomery, live in Tokyo for the very latest on this. So, what more can you tell us about how this all unfolded?

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Fredricka. I mean, this is a really wild and shocking story. So, in terms of the latest on what we know, we know that on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Ohtani told ESPN that the athlete had been covering gambling debts for his longtime interpreter and friend Ippei Mizuhara. But then, on Wednesday, Ohtani's lawyers came out with a statement, saying that in fact the athlete had been the victim of massive theft. Now, we also know from reporting from the LA Times and ESPN that actually Ohtani's lawyers have accused Mizuhara of stealing millions of U.S. dollars from the athlete, and has been placing bets with a bookmaker, who is currently under federal investigation.

Now, we also know in that interview, like you mentioned, Fredricka, that Ms. Mizuhara said that he has never placed a bet on Major League Baseball games, and said that Ohtani was not involved. Now, we can confirm that Mizuhara has been fired by the LA Dodgers. We also have a statement from Ohtani's lawyers that reads, and I quote, "In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft, and we are turning the matter over to the authorities." So, on Wednesday, Mizuhara was in Seoul with Ohtani, translating for the athlete for the Major League Baseball season opener, but then by Thursday, he was gone, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And so, what are fans in Ohtani's home country of Japan saying?

MONTGOMERY: Yeah, Fredricka. I mean, fans in Japan are really, really shocked by this news, especially right now because there is just so much excitement about Ohtani being in South Korea, playing for the Major League Baseball League during the season opener, and also the recent news that he got married. And we have to remember the two are not strangers. I mean, Mizuhara is the longtime translator and friend of Ohtani. The two have been working together since 2013, when Ohtani was still a professional baseball player back in Japan. And in 2018 when Ohtani made the switch to Major League Baseball, he actually asked the interpreter to come with him because he trusted him so much.

So, given the nature of this relationship, fans in Japan have just been extremely shocked about how this is all playing out, but how it will affect the pair's relationship, I mean, only time will tell, Fredricka. But, I hope and I think many fans hope as well that it does not go completely to waste.

WHITFIELD: Right. Of course, a lot of people asking how is it that he wouldn't know given what you just spelled out? They've known each other a really long time. All right, all very mysterious. Hanako Montgomery in Tokyo, thanks so much.

All right. Still to come, one of the many things that changed during the pandemic were the roles of men and women. We will show you how some Colombian men are learning how to fully embrace their new roles.

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WHITFIELD: All right. For decades, fertility rates have been steadily falling worldwide, and a new study finds that trend will continue well into the future. The fertility rate is the average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime. In 1950, that number was nearly five. By 2021, half that. And by the next century, researchers believe that rate will drop to 1.59, just under two women -- two children per woman. The reasons, better contraception, better education, and better employment opportunities for women. Countries need a rate of 2.1 children per woman to maintain population levels.

Analysts say declining birth rates will bring serious economic, societal and geopolitical consequences. The so-called house husband is an example of how traditional father-mother roles have flipped. While the spouse works, the other stays at home with the kids. And in a specific example of gender equality, men responsible for household chores has almost doubled in Colombia since the pandemic.

CNN's Stefano Pozzebon has more.

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STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST (voice-over): Open, clean, moisturize, close it and they're all set. It sounds simple, but the impact can be massive. This is what a care school for men looks like. And more than just learning how to change diapers, this is a place where Colombian men can learn how to be better husbands, fathers and sons.

JUAN DAVID CORTES, FOUNDER, HOMBRES AL CUIDADO (Interpreted): We can all say it at the same time, first thing we are told is that men don't cry.

POZZEBON (voice-over): And that includes, for example, learning how to tie a ponytail.

CORTES (Interpreted): Combing hair is not just combing hair. It's about the emotional connection that you create. Investing in men learning about care will allow us to assume this responsibility at home and yet I don't lose masculinity.

POZZEBON (voice-over): That care, something Colombian men just like these didn't really know how to give. During the pandemic lockdowns, many looks for help as they were unable to look after their families. Domestic violence reports in the country also soaring.

POZZEBON: Colombian women are disproportionately in charge of household chores and of raising children. And projects like these are already having an impact.

POZZEBON (voice-over): According to research from Bogota City Hall shared exclusively with CNN, men who said they were entirely responsible for household chores roughly doubled since the project was launched in 2021. The transition from classroom to the real world is fast.

Harold Pardo is a father of four, and he is the one in charge of the school run.

HAROLD PARDO, COLOMBIAN FATHER (Interpreted): Have you got homework to do?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Interpreted): Yes I do, in English.

POZZEBON (voice-over): That is change. Like many Colombians, growing up, Harold was not as close to his father as he is now to his children.

POZZEBON: Will you have wished that your dad had done a course like the one you did yesterday?

HAROLD PARDO, COLOMBIAN FATHER (Interpreted): Of course. They should do it to see where they come from and where we, the new generation, are going instead. I'd like to see how that generation reacts to what we are doing balancing the scale.

POZZEBON (voice-over): But, it's not all family care for Pardo. He is studying to work in healthcare administration. And once a week, he and his friends gather for a retrial of Latin American manliness.

PARDO (Interpreted): In the football team we're fathers, sons, brothers.

[08:55:00]

We talk about our responsibilities at home. My teammates would be happy to take a course and be more aware.

POZZEBON (voice-over): But, even here, the tables are turning. Soon enough, Pardo says, they could be gathering for playdates and changing diapers. Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Bogota.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Looking for a job? Have you ever wanted to be a NASA astronaut? Well, now is your chance, because the U.S. space agency is accepting applications. Obviously, not just anyone is eligible. You have to be a U.S. citizen with a master's degree in science, technology, engineering or math. You have to have at least three years' experience in some kind of related profession, and you have to complete a NASA long-duration spaceflight physical. That's it.

All right. Well, thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in the CNN Newsroom. Connect the World with Bianca Nobilo is up next.

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