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CNN International: Israel Vows to Respond to Iran Assault; World Leaders Urge Restraint After Iran's Attack; Pro-Palestinian Protests in Multiple U.S. Cities; Jury Selection in Trump's Hush Money Trial; Republican Hardliners Warn Johnson Against Ukraine Aid. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired April 16, 2024 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But we did not fight alone. It also meant a coalition led by the United States and also United Kingdom, France, and other partners.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That could be one hell of a coalition to confront not only Iran, but also terrorism in that part of the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is no place for violence in our community. There is no place for violent extremism. We are a peace-loving nation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just heard people screaming.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was shocking. It was something literally out of a movie.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got a real problem with this judge. We've got a real problem with a lot of things having to do with this trial, including the DA.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not guaranteed a jury of the people you want on it. What you're guaranteed is a cross-section of the community. That's who showed up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us from around the world. I'm Max Foster.
It's Tuesday, April 16th, 9 a.m. here in London, with fears growing of a wider war in the Middle East after Iran's unprecedented aerial assaults on Israel over the weekend. Neither side, it seems, is willing to heed the world's calls for restraint. An Israeli official says the country's war cabinet is determined to respond to the attack and is weighing both diplomatic and military options.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is urging the world to stand united against what he calls Iranian aggression, saying it's a threat to Israel, the entire Middle East, as well as world peace. The head of the IDF says Israel's retaliation is only a matter of time.
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LT. GEN. HERZI HALEVI, CHIEF OF STAFF, ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES: We are closely assessing the situation. We remain at our highest level of readiness. Iran will face the consequences for its actions. We will choose our response accordingly.
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FOSTER: Iran, meanwhile, remains defiant. Its deputy foreign minister says the country will respond in seconds if Israel, quote, makes another mistake, end quote. Officials there say the attack on Israel was necessary and proportionate.
The United States and many other countries are urging both Iran and Israel to de-escalate. The White House says U.S. President Joe Biden wants to prevent the situation from becoming a wider regional conflict. Still, he said on Monday, the U.S. is committed to Israel's security.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As you know, Iran launched an unprecedented aerial attack against Israel and we mounted an unprecedented military effort to defend Israel. Together with our partners, we defeated that attack. The United States is committed to Israel's security.
We're committed to a ceasefire that will bring the hostages home and preventing conflict from spreading beyond what it already has.
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FOSTER: More now from CNN's international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): In heated debate, Israel's war cabinet facing their toughest decision since October 7th.
How to respond to Iran's unprecedented air assault over the weekend. Differences over how and when, not if, dividing them. Looking to allies for help.
BENNY GANTZ, ISRAELI WAR CABINET MINISTER: Faced with the threat of Iran, we will build a regional coalition and exact a price from Iran in a way and at a time that suits us.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): At stake, escalation of already inflamed tensions, even regional war. The U.S. urging restraint and recusing itself from retaliation. ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We have been coordinating a diplomatic response to seek to prevent escalation.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): According to Israeli officials, Iran launched more than 350 drones, cruise and ballistic missiles late Saturday, early Sunday. 60 tons of explosives, most intercepted by Israel and allies.
In a paradigm shift of decades of proxy shadow war with Israel, Iran claiming it has established deterrence following Israel's deadly attacks on its Damascus consulate two weeks ago, and warning Israel and the U.S. against retaliation.
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NASSAR KANAANI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): Instead of making accusations, the Western countries should appreciate the Islamic Republic of Iran's restraint and responsible actions towards the stability and safety in the region.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Even Israel's putative ally Jordan, which helped bring down some Iranian missiles Sunday, is wary of Israel's next move.
AYMAN SAFADI, JORDANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: The Israeli prime minister has always wanted to invoke some sort of confrontation with Iran. Now, as the international pressure on Israel to stop the aggression in Gaza continues, invoking a fight with Iran is something that we believe he thinks could dilute that pressure.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): In Gaza, after months of mounting international pressure, Israel appearing to delay plans for an offensive in the densely populated southern city of Rafah and established aid deliveries directly into the malnourished north.
For now, how hard to hit back at Iran and not blow up relations with allies dominating Israel's political agenda.
ROBERTSON: And in perhaps the strongest indication that the clock is ticking down to a decision, Israel's army chief of staff, Herzi Alevi, told troops that they are thinking ahead and there will be a response to Iran's attack.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Jerusalem.
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FOSTER: The White House says leaders of the G7 countries are considering new sanctions on Iran. U.S. President Joe Biden and other leaders met virtually on Sunday.
A U.S. national security spokesman John Kirby says that leaders were, quote, unified in their condemnation of Iran and their determination to hold Iran accountable, end quote.
Kirby says a main target of the new sanctions would be Iran's missile program.
Meanwhile, former U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told CNN he would advise Israel to be measured in its response.
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LEON PANETTA, FORMER U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: My approach would be, according to the old saying, that revenge is a dish that's best served cold. And while I understand the need to reestablish deterrence, I really think that Israel has to think long and hard about what approach they should take. They have a chance to establish an unprecedented alliance in that part of the world.
United States, Great Britain, France, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, UAE. That could be one hell of a coalition to confront not only Iran, but also terrorism in that part of the world. So I would just be very careful about what targets you go after.
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FOSTER: Well, CNN's Paul Hancocks is live for us in Abu Dhabi with more on the Middle East crisis. We're getting a greater sense then, Paula, of how Israel will respond. How is it shaping up?
PAUL HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Max, you've had two days of war cabinet meetings, both lasting several hours, and still there's been no official acknowledgement that something has been decided.
So it just shows the difficulty that Israel is in at this point, knowing, as Israeli officials have said, and you heard there from the former U.S. Defense Secretary as well, that they have to reestablish their deterrence against Iran. But they also do not want to necessarily go against this international pressure that they are feeling, not to escalate the situation even further in the region. Let's listen to the Israeli military spokesperson on this.
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REAR ADMIRAL DANIEL HAGARI, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES SPOKESPERSON: We saw the friendship, the ironclad friendship, the true strategic friendship of the United States standing beside Israel. But it wasn't just the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and other countries in the region. And it showed the opportunity for the Middle East, for the future, that this war will end with a different Middle East, a more stable Middle East, a more safer Middle East.
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HANCOCKS: The acknowledgement there that defending Israel against this Iranian attack was a multi-nation effort. And those nations that helped are now calling on Israel to show restraint. We've heard from the Biden administration saying they will not have any part of any offensive operation against Iran, although understanding Israel's need to defend itself.
Now, within these meetings that are ongoing at the moment in Israel, one official says Israel does understand the need to act quickly. One Israeli official telling CNN that they are potentially looking at military options that would avoid casualties. But any direct attack on Iran would be setting a precedent.
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We know that Israel has carried out these covert operations in the past, taking out individuals or facilities that they see as a threat. But to do so very openly would certainly be setting a precedent.
And it's also having an impact on what is happening in Gaza. We understand from two Israeli officials that the ground offensive that Israel had planned to start in the near future in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, has now been delayed because of the Iranian attacks over the weekend. We understand that Israel was getting close to dropping leaflets in parts of Rafah, telling up to 1.5 million Palestinians to move out of the area.
It's not clear where they'd move to. But that appears to be on hold at this point while they deliberate on what they should be doing with this response to Iran. And also when it comes to Rafah and it comes to Gaza, it has to be taken into consideration for Israel, because if they do carry out a response to Iran that is escalatory or does draw its troops and its resources away from Gaza, then that could change things on the ground as well.
So we are expecting to hear something, certainly within coming hours or coming days, as an Israeli official says they do understand the need to act quickly -- Max.
FOSTER: OK, Paula, thank you.
Well, the Gaza ceasefire talks appear to have hit a snag. A U.S. official tells CNN Hamas is now offering to release 20 hostages, but Israel and the U.S. are expecting 40. A second official says Hamas is making unreasonable demands, among them asking Israel to release more prisoners.
One U.S. official says Hamas appears to be changing its offers and demands because the group think it's winning.
California police arrested 28 people on Monday after demonstrators protesting the war in Gaza blocked traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. Despite what police called a very peaceful demonstration, the event backed up traffic for hours.
It was one of many similar events across the U.S. on Monday. CNN's Veronica Miracle has the details.
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VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The people here were protesting what's happening in Gaza. Before arrests were made, there were individuals holding signs that said stop the world for Gaza.
The Golden Gate protest was one of five in major cities across the United States. All pro-Palestinian protests, though this one appeared to have a significant impact, probably the most on traffic.
It started at 8 a.m. and didn't wrap up until about 12:30. Twenty- eight people were arrested, including six individuals who had chained themselves to each other and had stopped in front of parked cars that were also part of the protest.
But this wasn't the only one and the only impact here in the Bay Area. There was another protest in Oakland on the I-880, another major thoroughfare, where protesters there brought barrels onto the roadway and chained themselves to those barrels.
Organizers part of that protest say they are part of a worldwide collective. They are seeking solidarity with Palestine. They also want to stop U.S. taxpayer dollars from going to Israel.
There were other cities also impacted, including Chicago, where at O'Hare International Airport, there were travelers who had to walk their luggage into the airport because an access road was blocked. There were also protests in Miami and New York.
Veronica Miracle, CNN, San Francisco.
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FOSTER: Jury selection will resume later today in Donald Trump's hush money trial, despite his many efforts to get the case tossed out. Jury selection was slow going on Monday, with dozens of potential jurors sent home after admitting they couldn't be fair and impartial.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee has been charged with 34 felonies for falsifying business records related to a 2016 payment to the former adult film star Stormy Daniels. Trump, who is required to appear in court, is the first former U.S. president to face a criminal trial. CNN's Kara Scannell has the details on day one.
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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is considered an assault on America. Nothing like this has ever happened before. There's never been anything like it.
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump speaking out on a day that saw 96 potential jurors pass through magnetometers to enter the courtroom with Trump. They were sworn in and questioning began. A few minutes later, at least 50 prospective jurors were excused because they told the judge they could not be fair and impartial.
Of those who remained, three questioned by the judge listed the New York Times and CNN as their sources of news. None said they had read any books by Michael Cohen or Trump, and none of them said they worked or volunteered for any pro-Trump or anti-Trump groups. Just nine members of today's jury pool were questioned and not dismissed by the time court adjourned.
Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. [04:15:00]
The Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg says the former president attempted to cover up payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election, trying to stop her from speaking out about the alleged affair with Trump.
Judge Juan Merchan started the day by denying a motion from Trump's lawyers to recuse himself. As attorneys debated, Judge Juan Merchan said he would not allow the infamous Access Hollywood tape to be shown or video of Trump's deposition in the E. Jean Carroll lawsuit that found him liable for defamation.
Karen McDougal, a model who says she had an affair with Trump in 2006 and was paid $150,000 to keep quiet about it, will be allowed to testify.
Attorneys also argued about how much the jury can be told about Michael Cohen's crimes.
MICHAEL COHEN, DONALD TRUMP'S FORMER ATTORNEY: I did it at the direction of, in concert with, and for the benefit of Donald J. Trump.
SCANNELL (voice-over): The credibility of Trump's former fixer, who admitted he orchestrated the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels, will be one of the most fought over elements of the case.
Trump, for his part, entered very few words into the court record. He could sometimes be seen leaning back in his chair with his arms folded and his eyes appeared to be closed for several minutes. When he was introduced as the defendant, Trump turned around and gave the potential jurors a tight-lipped smirk.
Once jury selection began, Trump was active, at times conferring with his lawyer and holding the questionnaire up to read as the judge questioned jurors. Prosecutors also asked the judge to fine Trump for social media posts attacking witnesses involved in the case, saying he violated a gag order. The judge scheduled a hearing for next week to settle that matter.
The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks. It may be the only case against Trump to face a jury before the 2024 election. The presumptive Republican nominee complaining about the judge as he walked out of the courtroom.
TRUMP: The judge, of course, is not going to allow us. He's a very conflicted judge, and he's not going to allow us to go to that. He won't allow me to leave here for a half a day, go to D.C. and go before in the United States Supreme Court because he thinks he's superior.
SCANNELL: The judge denied Trump's request to skip the trial next week so he could attend oral arguments in Washington, D.C., when the U.S. Supreme Court will hear his arguments that he should be protected by presidential immunity in the federal case in Washington. On Tuesday, all parties will be back in court, and the judge will
continue to question the jurors until they have 12 jurors and six alternates.
Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.
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FOSTER: Earlier, a jury consultant weighed in on whether Trump can get a fair trial in Manhattan, a district that boasted heavily for Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden in the last two presidential elections.
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ROBERT HIRSCHHOM, JURY CONSULTANT: You're not guaranteed a jury of the people you want on it. What you're guaranteed is a cross-section of the community. That's who showed up.
Trump keeps talking about how he can't get a fair trial. And out of the first 96, there were only 50 that was excused. I would have expected more like 75 or 80 that would have said they'd formed an opinion. So he may be saying for the camera he can't get a fair trial, but I think the man can.
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FOSTER: Well, we are following a massive fire at Copenhagen's old Stock Exchange building as we speak. You can see the damage being done. Police say that so far, no injuries. A press officer says there were people inside the building when the fire began, but they've been evacuated thankfully. Our affiliate BT Denmark reports the spire on the 17th century building has collapsed.
And the irony there is that, according to legend, the dragon-tailed spire guards the building against enemy attacks and fires. And those spire guards are actually on the tower. So it was meant to protect the building, this legend, against fire. Many of the buildings in the area have been burnt down in recent times, but this was the one building that stayed up. It goes back to the 1600s.
Some people were able to remove treasured artworks before they fled the area. People are telling the public, obviously, to avoid it.
Now, still to come, details of the sentencing of the movie Rust's armorer for her role in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on set.
Plus, India heads to the polls this week. We'll show you the mood in the country ahead of that key vote.
And later, the Paris Olympic Games are nearly here. And the ceremony to light the Olympic flame will soon be underway. Let's see them getting in place.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) FOSTER: U.S. House Republicans say they will hurry to take up pro- Israel and anti-Iran bills for a vote after Iran's bombardment of Israel over the weekend. But the party's far-right members are continuing to stonewall any new security aid for Ukraine.
CNN's Manu Raju brings us the latest from Capitol Hill.
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MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Speaker Johnson made his long-awaited move on providing aid to Ukraine, aid to Israel, aid to Taiwan. Recall, about two months ago, the Senate passed a $95 billion aid package.
Johnson essentially sidelined that bill because it did not include border security measures. Republicans had scuttled the bipartisan border security plan that had been cut in the Senate. They killed that plan. They said it did not go far enough.
The election year politics, of course, helped deal with -- actually scuttled that plan as well. But nevertheless, now the question is what will Johnson do, given Ukraine has been clamoring for some support and Israel, too, in the aftermath of the Iranian attacks this past week, giving more urgency among Israel supporters in the Republican conference, in particular to move ahead with aid to Israel.
So what did Johnson ultimately decide to do? He plans to move on separate pieces of legislation, aid to Israel, aid to Ukraine, aid to Taiwan, and also some other national security measures, four different plans.
The ultimate question is will they ultimately be cobbled together in one package and sent back to the Senate for final action here? That is -- some of the process is uncertain, but it's significant because he's being warned by Republican hardliners not to tie any aid to Israel to any aid to Ukraine. Those hardliners say there should not be another dime of money spent for aid to Ukraine.
And that has raised questions about whether Johnson can hang on amid threats from one congressman in particular, Marjorie Taylor Greene, that he could lose his job if he moves ahead with aid to Ukraine.
REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREEN (R-GA): He's definitely not going to be speaker next Congress if we're lucky enough to have the majority. And I think that is widely held belief throughout the conference.
RAJU: Is he going to be speaker for the rest of this Congress, do you think?
GREENE: That is to be determined.
REP. ELI CRANE (R-AZ): I think the timing would be pretty bad to have a change in command, so I'm not really looking at that right now.
REP. DERRICK VAN ORDEN (R-WI): It would be a terrible, terrible idea to vacate Speaker Johnson's speakership over what's coming up in the next few days.
It would be a very bad idea. It would be a very bad idea for the Republican conference. It would be a very bad idea for the House of Representatives writ large and for the nation.
RAJU: And of course, just one member, that's all it takes to actually call for a vote, seeking the speaker's ouster here. The question is, will Marjorie Taylor Greene does go this route, will there be enough support to drive him from the speakership?
A number of Democrats are indicating that they will vote to save Mike Johnson, especially if he moves ahead on a Ukraine aid package that is similar to the plan that did pass the Senate. So some of the details are still yet to be hashed out here because no legislation has been unveiled.
The speaker did say that there would be 72 hours before a final vote. He predicted that could happen by Friday evening. So a lot of questions here, but a big and potentially very significant move, potentially for the future, for Ukraine, but also for his own speakership. Can he hang on amid this revolt among the right?
Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.
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FOSTER: For the first time, survivors of torture at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq are seeking justice from a jury in a U.S. courtroom.
The civil trial against U.S. military -- a U.S. military contracting company began on Monday in Virginia. Three Iraqi civilians are suing the company, saying they engaged and directed a campaign of abuse and torture in the prison, which was used as a U.S. detention center during the Iraq war two decades ago. One of the plaintiffs gave graphic testimony about the fear and terror he faced and described the screams of other detainees.
An attorney for the defense company says the U.S. military police were to blame. The civil trial is expected to last two weeks.
Boeing is defending its safety record ahead of a whistleblower hearing in the U.S. Senate this week. The whistleblower, a Boeing engineer, says the company took shortcuts when manufacturing its Dreamliner jets that could reduce the lifespan of the aircraft.
At a briefing on Monday, Boeing executives said they wouldn't comment directly on the allegations. The company has faced questions about the safety and quality of its commercial jets following two fatal crashes of the 737 MAX model in 2018 and 2019.
Now, the armorer in the film "Rust" has been given an 18-month prison sentence for her role in the on-set shooting of the movie's cinematographer. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter last month. The verdict came two years after Halyna Hutchins was killed by a live round of ammunition fired from the prop gun held by actor Alec Baldwin.
CNN's Josh Campbell has more.
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JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A judge in the state of New Mexico has imposed the maximum sentence possible. 18 months in prison for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.
She was the armorer on the set of the movie "Rust" back in 2021 when a gun being held by actor Alec Baldwin went off, killing the film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Now, it was an emotional day in court Monday as those who knew Hutchins addressed the judge.
JEN WHITE, FRIEND OF HALYNA HUTCHINS: There's one absolute truth here. If Ms. Gutierrez-Reed had properly done her job, Halyna would still be alive, and Andros would still have his mother. Your Honor, I beg you to impose the maximum sentence. It will not be, and could never be, enough of a punishment for the willful negligence committed by the defendant.
But she needs to be held accountable for taking Halyna's life and for destroying so many others.
CAMPBELL: Now, Gutierrez-Reed had been convicted of involuntary manslaughter and just before announcing her decision, the judge admonished Gutierrez-Reed for showing no signs of remorse for her actions.
MARY MARLOWE SOMMER, NEW MEXICO DISTRICT COURT JUDGE: Leaving you in the detention center would be giving you a pass you do not deserve.
I did not hear you take accountability in your allocution. You said you were sorry. You were sorry, but not you were sorry for what you did.
You were the armorer, the one that stood between a safe weapon and a weapon that could kill someone. You alone turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon. But for you, Ms. Hutchins would be alive, a husband would have his partner, and a little boy would have his mother.
CAMPBELL: Now, CNN has reached out to Gutierrez-Reed's attorney for a comment. Actor Alec Baldwin himself faces a very similar charge of involuntary manslaughter. He has pleaded not guilty. His trial is set to start in July.
Josh Campbell, CNN, Los Angeles.
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FOSTER: Three weeks after the massive Dali cargo ship struck a bridge in Maryland, causing it to collapse, a fourth body has been recovered.
According to Mexico's government, it was that of Mexican worker Carlos Hernandez. He's believed to be one of the six construction workers killed in the disaster. They've been repairing potholes on the bridge. The governor of Maryland is expected to share an update at a news conference later today. Investigations have been launched by federal authorities and the city of Baltimore.
Now ahead, Sydney on edge after two stabbing attacks in just a few days. We'll have the latest on those investigations.
Plus, the dramatic video revealing a maddening act of vandalism at the United States' largest reservoir.
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