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CNN International: Floodwaters Cover Dubai Roads And Airport Runway; Attacks On Jews, Muslims Skyrocket Amid Israel-Hamas War; Displaced Palestinians Desperate To Return To Northern Gaza. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired April 17, 2024 - 4:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Flights have been delayed or diverted. And Dubai's Emirates airline has cancelled all check-ins for today.

A bill aimed at phasing out smoking in the U.K. cleared its first parliamentary hurdle on Tuesday. The bill would make it illegal to sell cigarettes to anyone born after January the 1st, 2009.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he wants to create the first smoke- free generation.

Bobby -- Bob Graham, former U.S. senator and two-time Florida governor, has died. He spent nearly four decades in public service representing Florida. And he was known for co-chairing the Congressional Investigation into the September 11th, 2001 terror attacks. Bob Graham was 87 years old.

Let's get back to our top story then the incredible flooding in Dubai. And that's where we find our Eleni because -- well, look at that, speaks for itself.

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: I tell you, Max, one thing I didn't think I was going to need living in Dubai is wellies.

I mean, you know, streets have flooded, water everywhere. Dramatic scenes after torrential storms hit not only the UAE but also the entire region. I mean, you talked about how Dubai International has been impacted.

All departing flights from Dubai have now been canceled until midnight on Wednesday, which is pretty significant, given the fact that most people can't get to the airport.

You've got scenes like this, you know, a flooded streets. And specifically the main artery feeding into Dubai International completely shut down.

We've got some of those images and you see cars submerged, people trying to get out. Frankly, people rallying together to try and assist each other. It's something that we haven't seen before 254 millimeters of rain hitting parts of the UAE.

That is the highest that's ever been recorded since data began around 75 years ago, but this is also a regional issue.

When we look at what happened in Oman, at least 17 people have lost their lives. Now, it is unclear where the people have lost their lives in the UAE. That data still being collected.

But this is the day after these dramatic storms. It is a sunny day which is good news, but the cleanup begins. And you're seeing people working from home schools have been shut down as well.

And, frankly, homes and infrastructure have been impacted. You know, me being at home yesterday, we had flooding in our house. We also had electricity outages. Our entire, you know, region section that we stay has been impacted and you've got incredible flooding.

Now, one thing you've got to remember, this is a desert landscape. The soil is very different. It doesn't absorb as quickly. And also the infrastructure is not geared to handle this kind of rain.

There aren't enough drainage systems around and most of that that does exist basically blocked by sand. Me getting to the office today took me around 45 minutes where it usually would take 15 minutes. It's eerily quiet.

And from what we understand, hopefully, the worst is over. But, of course, the impact on the airport has been, I think, one of the most dramatic things we've heard where people were stranded. They weren't able to leave the people that had arrived, from what we understand, the connecting flights are still pretty much operational. But anyone wanting to leave Dubai or the UAE from Dubai International, that has been halted.

FOSTER: Lots of people around the world saying it wasn't that much rain, but just take us through why it impacts Dubai particularly.

GIOKOS: Yes.

FOSTER: I mean, it does have -- I mean, I was reading.

GIOKOS: Yes.

FOSTER: It does have a pretty sophisticated drainage system. It just doesn't expect this type of downpour, does it?

GIOKOS: No, it doesn't. I mean, I lived in South Africa all of my life. You know, this kind of rain that I experienced yesterday is absolutely nothing to what I experienced in Africa.

But, you know, there's various caveats to that, right? Infrastructure that just can't handle the rain. You don't have enough drainage systems, frankly, on even buildings and residential buildings. And you don't have drainage systems in the streets as well.

And specifically, that main road, Sheikh Zayed Road, where we saw some of the most harrowing pictures really -- people stuck for many hours. It goes to show that it's just not good. It is not that much rainfall.

But as I say, the soil is very different. It doesn't absorb as quickly. And this is, of course, exacerbated the realities here.

And it also happened very quickly, right? I mean, it's rained incessantly on Tuesday, absolutely non-stop. And you've just got this, you know, accumulation of water with no way to go, essentially.

So I mean this is the reality. The cleanup is starting, as you can see. Fun in the sun, basically. A lot of people are swimming around. But, of course, it comes with a lot of damage as well. And, of course, people are trying to figure out what that overall number is going to be.

Insurance companies also working through the clock to assist people.

FOSTER: OK. Eleni, good luck and you had some wellies.

[04:35:03]

U.S. President Joe Biden is on day two of a three-day campaign to swing through the state of Pennsylvania.

During a speech in his hometown of Scranton on Tuesday, the president focused on his economic policies, drawing up a sharp contrast between his working class background and Republican Donald Trump's wealthy country club lifestyle.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is travelling with the president.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hello, Scranton.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Joe Biden tonight leaning on his Scranton, Pennsylvania roots to make his economic case against Donald Trump.

BIDEN: Folks, where we come from matters. When I look at the economy, I don't see it through the eyes of Mar-a-Lago. I see it through the eyes of Scranton.

SAENZ: While Trump spent another day in a New York City courtroom, Biden embarked on a three-day swing through battleground Pennsylvania with a pitch on tax fairness.

BIDEN: No billionaires should pay a lower tax rate than a teacher, a nurse, a sanitation worker.

SAENZ: The president took aim at Trump's plans to extend Republicans' 2017 tax cuts, which expire next year.

Biden is vowing to raise taxes on the wealthy and corporations, while promising no tax hikes for those making less than $400,000.

BIDEN: Trickle-down economics failed the middle class. It failed America. The truth is Donald Trump embodies that failure. He wants to double down on trickle down.

SAENZ: Meanwhile, Trump issued his own warning against Biden.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But if Joe Biden gets his way, you will soon be facing colossal tax hikes. The likes of which no one has ever seen before.

SAENZ: At times, Biden openly mocked his predecessor.

BIDEN: Just the other day, a defeated-looking guy came up to me and asked if I could help. He was drowning in debt. I said, I'm sorry, Donald, but I can't help you.

SAENZ: And jabbed at Trump's stock market stumbles.

BIDEN: If Trump's stock and the Truth Social is -- his company, drops in lower, he might do better under my tax plan than his. Possible.

SAENZ: The president made his case near his childhood home in Scranton, while the campaign used a new digital video to play up his local ties.

KAIT AHERN, SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: Scranton is a set of values. We pride ourselves on the importance of family, and honesty and hard work.

SAENZ: The president also is facing a close contest against Trump in Pennsylvania, where 19 electoral votes are up for grabs, and a state critical to maintaining the Democrats' so-called blue wall.

Biden, this week, is trying to shore up support in key areas he won, like here in Lackawanna County, home to Scranton, but surrounded by counties that went for Trump in 2020.

And with his eye on November, Biden warned voters of what could come in a second Trump term.

BIDEN: He's coming for your money, your healthcare, and your Social Security. And we're not going to let it happen.

SAENZ: Ahead of his trip here to Scranton, President Biden sought to draw another contrast with Trump by releasing his 2023 tax returns, something Trump has not done voluntarily himself.

Now, the president will continue his economic pitch through Pennsylvania on Wednesday when he travels to Pittsburgh and speaks at the headquarters for the United Steel Workers, and he'll end the campaign swing in Philadelphia on Thursday.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, traveling with the president in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: All right. U.S. independent presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy's running mate, is spreading misinformation about what she calls the devastating reality of mRNA vaccines. Nicole Shanahan says Moderna's mRNA vaccine is not safe and should be recalled immediately.

That's contrary to research that shows the vaccine to be a safe and effective method for protecting against COVID-19.

Shanahan's comments come in line with Kennedy's long history of anti- vaccine messaging. He had founded the Children's Health Defense, a leading anti-vaccine group.

And now, the United States is seeing a dramatic rise in reported attacks against Jews and Muslims with much of the increase happening in the months since the Israel-Hamas war began.

Our CNN's Brian Todd has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Outside a D.C. synagogue, a man is arrested for allegedly attacking one congregant and menacing others.

HYIM SHAFNER, KESHNER ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE: He was yelling gas to Jews and spraying this -- that smelling gas, you know. It's the spray.

TODD: That incident in December, part of an alarming spike in anti- Semitic incidents in the U.S. last year. Documented in a new audit released by the Anti-Defamation League.

The ADL tracked 8,873 anti-Semitic incidents in 2023. More than double the previous year's record of nearly 3,700.

JONATHAN GREENBLATT, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: We have never, ever seen anything like this. Keeping in mind that in four out of the past five years, the numbers have reached record highs.

And yet, in 2023, we blew away all previous tallies.

TODD: And the numbers jumped dramatically in October, which is when the war between Hamas and Israel began.

[04:40:08]

During the same general period, America has seen a disturbing spike in Islamophobic incidents as well.

The Council on American Islamic Relations, CARE, telling us how attacks and harassment against Muslims in the U.S. have skyrocketed since the Israel-Hamas war started.

HUSSAM AYLOUSH, COUNCIL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS, LA: Since October 7th, I can tell you at every CARE office, including our own here in Los Angeles area, we've seen a spike of almost four times, three to four times, the number of incidents, hate incidents.

TODD: The tension often festering on college campuses. CARE's Los Angeles branch is condemning a decision by the University of Southern California to cancel the graduation speech of undergraduate valedictorian, Asna Tabassum, who's Muslim and holds pro-Palestinian views.

USC's provost says the decision was related to security risks, which he didn't specify.

Tabassum had come under criticism over a link she posted in her Instagram bio to a website about Palestine that says, quote, Zionism is a racist settler colonial ideology.

CARE says what Tabassum did was not anti-Semitic.

And in an interview with CNN, she said the university taught her to stand up for her beliefs.

ASNA TABASSUM, 2024 VALEDICTORIAN USC: I personally don't think it's inflammatory, and I stand by human rights, and I continue to. That's not something I'm going to apologize for.

TODD: In recent months, several of America's top universities have come under intense scrutiny, often accused of allowing free speech to cross over into hate speech. It's led to the resignations of school presidents at places like Harvard and Penn.

JACOB WARE, CO-AUTHOR, "GOOD, GUNS, AND SEDITION": With that divided, with that polarized, we have that hard of a time coming to any kind of middle ground on any issue, I think a lot of this issue comes from people believing that only their side has a righteous cause. Only their side has anything to offer as a victim in any way.

TODD: College campuses will again be under scrutiny on Wednesday when the president of Columbia University and other school officials will testify before a House committee that's looking into anti-Semitism on campus.

That committee had previously heard from a student at Columbia who described attacks on Jewish students there. The school issued a statement to CNN saying that anti-Semitism is antithetical to the school's values and that it's committed to combating it.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: As you heard in that report, what should have been one of the proudest moments of as Asna Tabassum's life is now filled with disappointment about the valedictorian who studied resistance to genocide had this to say about the university's decision to cancel her speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TABASSUM: I think the thing that is at the core of this is that it's not about my speech, right? And reinstating my speech is only part of the battle here. I think something more important to consider is the implications and the social commentary behind this decision and what it points to in terms of university's values. Creating an environment in which I am revoked by my speech privileges, comments to the university's commitment to academic security, academic integrity, and academic discourse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, with commencement just weeks away now, our questions remain over whether there will be security measures to ensure Tabassum's safety or if she'll still be permitted to participate in the graduation ceremony at all.

Meanwhile, some of her peers are criticizing the university's decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AVI PANDIT, STUDENT: I think she should fully have the right to speak. She has earned it. Hundred being valedictorian at USC is no joke.

She -- you know, she earned it 100 percent. Just because she believes something or says something online does not take away her rights of her speech.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Now, the rise of A.I. created deepfakes is becoming a growing concern. And the U.K. could soon make certain versions of these digitally altered videos criminal.

A draft law for England and Wales would make creating sexually explicit deepfakes or deepfake porn without consent a criminal act. Even if the person who created it doesn't intend sharing it.

CNN's Clare Duffy reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: In England and Wales where this new law has been proposed, it's already illegal to share non-consensual deep fake pornography that violators of that law can face jail time.

And this new proposed law would be a step further. It would make it illegal just to create this content in the first place. And violators could face fines, could face having criminal charges on their record for the future.

Now, this comes as the U.S. and the E.U. are also taking similar steps trying to get a handle on this. One of the most harmful applications of A.I. technology.

But I do think it's interesting that in this U.K. case, we're seeing them go after the people who are creating this non-consensual deepfake pornography, but not the platforms that are enabling them to create that content.

I do think that is sort of an avenue that lawmakers could or should be looking at as they -- as they seek to get a handle on this going forward.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[04:45:05]

FOSTER: Violent clashes between protesters and police broke out in Georgia for a second night over controversial law under consideration. But Parliament crowds filled the streets of Tbilisi around the Parliament building as police in riot gear attempted to push them back.

There are also reports of police using water cannon to hold them back. Georgia's president says Parliament's majority party is directly provoking the protesters by pushing a law requiring any group accepting funds from abroad to register as a foreign agent or be fined.

The law has been denounced by the president. Multiple Western countries, including the U.S. and Britain and the Human Rights Watch as well.

Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, says his country is closing its embassy and consulate in Ecuador, following a controversial Ecuadorian police raid on Mexico's embassy in Quito.

Police stormed the embassy earlier this month to arrest Ecuador's former vice president who had been convicted of corruption.

During a summit of Latin America and then Caribbean countries, President Maduro said Ecuador's president should take responsibility for the raid and apologize publicly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): President Daniel Noboa should have had to appear today in front of the whole Latin America and the Caribbean and take responsibility in front of Ecuador, in front of Latin America, in front of the Caribbean, and in front of the world, but he hasn't faced the consequences.

I can say from Venezuela, President Daniel Noboa has hidden. And the people who Ecuador must know why President Daniel Noboa hasn't faced the consequences and he's not taking responsibility for his action.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: CNN has reached out to the Ecuadorian government for comment but hasn't heard back. Ecuador's president defended the raid earlier, saying there was a risk that the former vice president could escape.

France says Russian President Vladimir Putin is not invited to its 80th anniversary commemoration of D-Day this June.

That's due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. There's also an international arrest warrant out for him as well. A French government spokesperson said Russia is allowed to send a different representative. President Putin did attend the 70th anniversary of Normandy back in 2014, given the Soviet Union's major role in the defeat of Germany in World War II.

Palestinians who are trying to return home to northern Gaza are now being told by the Israeli military that the area continues to be an active war zone. Details just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Displaced and desperate thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are yearning to return to their homes.

And CNN's Jomana Karadsheh tells us some of them are undertaking a dangerous journey just to get there.

A warning, some of the images you're about to see are graphic and may be disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Their day started with rare excitement and joy. After months of hell, they thought they were returning to the homes they were forced out of months ago on foot and in carts.

[04:50:06]

Thousands of displaced Palestinians on the move again, some were their most valuable possessions.

They said we can go back home to Gaza City today, Iman (ph) says, with her son and cats, she took to the road.

No one knows where the news came from. There was no official announcement from the Israeli military that civilians would be allowed back into northern Gaza, but a rumor enough for those left homeless shattered by war. Now facing a looming Israeli offensive on Rafah, where the majority of Gazans have been pushed into.

People here say they don't even know if they have homes to go back to.

Little Iman holds his tiny brother's hand and carries a bag of flour.

Our house is gone. I'll live in a tent, Iman says.

I just want to go home. If I die, so be it.

Death has become a reality, the longest here have been forced to accept.

And on this day they've had to accept that there will be no going home.

The crowds were turned away. Fear and panic as people run back. They say Israeli soldiers opened fire as young men tried crossing the checkpoint with women and children. Several injured among them 5-year- old Sally (ph). She was in her mother's arms when she was shot in the hand.

Two young men tried to cross with us, her mother Sabrin (ph) says. Soldiers started shooting and firing everywhere. My daughter was so scared. I was holding her, then I put her on the ground to walk. She wasn't responding, then I saw all the blood on my hands.

The Israeli military's not commented on Sally's injury. They said the north remains a warzone and returns not permitted.

Sally clings on to life, unconscious on the hospital floor with the muffled cries of another injured child next to her.

And at a hospital nearby, another young boy, back from a different nightmare, one no child should ever endure.

Eleven-year-old Nimir (ph) was out getting aid for his family when he says he was shot and detained for two weeks, taken to Israel where he underwent surgery, still in pain and shock. He shows the camera his horrific scars.

The day they took me, the soldier kicked me with his boot. He tells his mother over the phone.

My head still hurts. He kicked me with the metal tip of his boot. I was shot in the stomach, lying on the floor. He hit me with no mercy. I'm waiting for the day to grow up, to be a resistance fighter and hit him like he hit me.

The Israeli military's not responded to CNN's specific questions on Nimir's account.

This is the first time in 15 days he's hearing his mother's voice.

I've missed you so much, he cries. They didn't let me see you. I wish I hadn't come back, Nimir says. I wish I had died.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: And if you want more information on how to help with humanitarian relief efforts of Gaza and Israel, please go to cnn.com/impact. The final list of organizations providing assistance and that's all at cnn.com/impact.

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[04:55:33]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: It's the era of Taylor Swift. And it seems like she's everywhere you look, really, isn't she? Including bookstores, an independent comic studio is ready to release another comic on the singer aptly titled "Taylor Swift: The Sequel." It'll spotlight her charitable contributions and efforts to affect positive change in the world.

No word yet if Taylor knows about the comic, but Swifties know they can pick up their new album, "The Tortured Poets Department" this Friday.

Now, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has unveiled the first product from her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard. Fashion designer Tracy Robbins shared photos of the jars of strawberry jam. The brand sent her.

But so far, details of the business have been sparse.

In addition to the brand, Meghan continues to work with husband Prince Harry as part of actual productions which has two new non-fiction series in production at Netflix.

Italian officials have once again reopened underground wartime bunker commissioned by fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini. It's one of three structures built to protect Mussolini and his family. Construction on the armored bunker started in December 1942 but wasn't finished by the time he was arrested in July 1943.

The 50-minute guided tour takes us to his underneath a castle and through the exhibition before the experience of recreated air raid. The bunker has opened and closed to the public multiple times since 2006.

Thanks for joining me here in CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster in London. CNN THIS MORNING is up next after a quick break.

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