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Anders Fogh Rasmussen is Interviewed about Israel; Roger Krone is Interviewed about Boy Scots of America Rebranding; Earth Sees Hottest April on Record. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired May 08, 2024 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:30:58]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, new this morning, a U.S. official is saying the Biden administration has paused a shipment of bombs to Israel over concerns that Israel might misuse them on Rafah. This as new video is emerging now showing smoke billowing over Rafah this morning after airstrikes and shelling by Israel there. The U.S. and Israel have been in regular communication about Israel's military plan to conduct a major potentially ground operation in the area of Rafah. But the Pentagon says there is nothing detailed at this point.

Joining me now, former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. He joins us from Copenhagen, where he will be a speaker at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit.

Thank you so much, sir, for joining us this morning.

This revelation that the U.S. has withheld, I think it's a total of 3,500 bombs, they're worried about their use on Rafah, where there are more than a million people that have to seek refuge. There has also been a campaign in the U.K. to halt weapons deliveries to Israel over their potential misuse.

What does this say about where Israel is? And do you think this will trigger more international response that will further isolate Israel?

ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN, FORMER NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: Well, obviously Israel is under some pressure, but, as we all know, that is a security agreement between the U.S. and Israel. And it is a bilateral issue between the two countries. I'm not going to comment on that. It's for them to decide. But in all, of course, the situation in Gaza is an enormous tragedy. From the innocent Israelis that were killed during the horrific Hamas attack on 7th of October, as well as all the innocent Palestinians. And the Israelis have a right to defend themselves, but also to take in consideration the humanitarian aspects.

SIDNER: I want to ask you about this. The Biden administration rushing to complete a report that is due in Congress about whether Israel violated international law while using U.S. weaponry in the last seven months or so of the war in Gaza. Here's what the State Department said recently.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Has a conclusion been made as to whether Israel has violated U.S. or international law?

MATTHEW MILLER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: I'm not going to answer that question directly because the report is not yet finished. We are working incredibly hard to get that report finished, get that report finalize and get it to - get it delivered to Congress as soon as possible.

We know we're up against the deadline. We're trying to get it - we're trying to meet it. It's possible it slips just a little bit, but we are still, at this point, trying to - to get it done by tomorrow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: What do you make of this? How might this report be received? Well, the U.N. is also looking into this as well.

RASMUSSEN: Obviously, Israel not only has the right to defend itself, but also a duty to comply with international law. But we should never, ever forget what started this. This started because of the horrific Hamas terrorist attack against Israel on 7th of October. And it's foreseeable that now all attention or focus will be on the Israeli counterresponse.

I can tell you, I am concerned about the anti-Semitism that I have seen spreads, not least at American universities. And I think we should keep focus on the core issue here, namely Hamas is a terrorist organization. And in an existential struggle between a democracy, like Israel, and a terrorist organization, we cannot say neutral. We, of course, have to side with Israel.

SIDNER: Let me ask you this.

[09:35:00]

How do you imagine that this is going to finally come to an end? Israel has been very clear that they are trying to rid Gaza of Hamas completely. There are a lot of folks who look at that situation that say that is almost impossible. How do you see this ending? What is going to be the key, as we know the CIA director is in Cairo trying to push these talks forward for a ceasefire or something that is potentially lasting, how do you see this ending?

RASMUSSEN: Well, in the short term, obviously, we must work hard to introduce a ceasefire. But my opinion is that to achieve a lasting and sustainable peace we need still to work for a viable two-state solution. I know it seems incredibly hard at this time, but this is the only way forward that the Arab countries recognize Israel's right to exist and that Israel does all it can to ensure a viable Palestinian state, including stopping the legal settlements.

SIDNER: And therein lies the problem. Hamas does not recognize Israel's right to exist. And Netanyahu has said that a two-state solution at this point not on the table. And there's one of the big impasses.

Thank you so much for explaining your position on all of this and analyzing what is happening in this region as the talks have broken down for a ceasefire.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, I appreciate your time.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, this morning, a major re-brand. After 115 years, the Boy Scouts of America changing its name to Scouting America. So, why?

All right, new developments on an American woman accused of training with ISIS. The criminal charges she's facing this morning.

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[09:41:53]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: An American woman who was just repatriated to the United States from Syria is now facing criminal charges for training with ISIS. According to court documents, what we're talking about here is Halima Salman. She was a teenager when she left the United States and entered an ISIS-control area of Syria around late 2016. Prosecutor say she then received training by ISIS before she was captured by or surrendered to forces opposed by ISIS about two years later. In 2023, she allegedly told FBI agents that she married an ISIS fighter but denied being involved with any ISIS activities. She is now back in the United States and facing charges.

Now to TikTok. TikTok is now suing the United States, it's suing the U.S. government, trying to block the new law that will force the platform to cut ties with its China-based parent company or be banned in the United States. The lawsuit sets up for what is sure to be a huge legal battle. TikTok is arguing that the law is unconstitutional, violating the First Amendment rights of its users, while makers in the Biden administration have said the ban is rooted in national security concerns over the app's ties to China.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says doctors founding a worm in his head. Here's the quote. "A worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died." This is coming from new reporting by "The New York Times" about a 2012 deposition during a divorce proceeding. That deposition of Kennedy was reviewed by "The New York Times." The presidential candidate described in this deposition what doctors told him in 2010 because he was seeking treatment for memory loss and mental fatigue, saying this in the deposition, quote, "I have cognitive problems, clearly. I have short-term memory loss, and I have longer-term memory loss that affects me."

Kennedy said the parasite was removed and has had no after effects on him. When asked by "The Times" if this will compromise his fitness for office, a spokeswoman for his campaign told "The Time," quote, "that is a hilarious suggestion given the competition."

John.

BERMAN: Television broke (ph) Kate Bolduan. I have to say, I've covered a lot of campaigns. A worm ate my brain. That's the first time I've ever heard that in a presidential campaign.

BOLDUAN: I - and you have a great memory and I fact checked that. That's correct.

BERMAN: Look, I don't mean to diminish it. I imagine there are serious medical issues there. But I just wasn't expecting that when I woke up and read that in the paper this morning.

BOLDUAN: Nope, not on the bingo card for the day.

BERMAN: All right, the Boy Scouts of America rebranding. Starting in February, the organization will be known as Scouting America.

With me now is Roger Krone, president and CEO of Boy Scouts of America. I imagined soon president and CEO of Scouting America.

Why the change?

ROGER KRONE, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, SCOUTING AMERICA: John, thanks for the time this morning.

Our organization is 114 years old. There have been 130 million Americans who have been in our program. We've had girls in our program since the '60s.

[09:45:01]

Five ago we welcomed girls into our two core programs we called Cub Scouting and Scouts BSA. In the last five years we've had 175,000 girls who have joined our program. So, the name change is a reflection of the organization that we (INAUDIBLE), the youth that we serve, and the youth that we want to serve in the future.

BERMAN: So, 175,000 girls and, what, 6,000 Eagle Scouts I think I was really. I was not aware of that. That's a - that's a big part now of what you're doing.

KRONE: It's a huge part of what we're doing. I was an Eagle Scout. Unfortunately, I have a daughter, and my daughter was not able to join our organization when she was a youth. And I want to make sure that all youth in America have the opportunity to experience -

BERMAN: We're losing Roger Krone.

Mr. Krone, can you hear me?

Mr. Krone, are you back?

KRONE: I can hear you. Can you hear me?

BERMAN: Yes, I'm - look, I'm so sorry. We have a - we have a crummy connection here, but let me just ask this next question.

KRONE: I hear -

BERMAN: OK, good, I think you can hear me. And let me just ask this if we still have you, because you know the pushback -

KRONE: I can hear you.

BERMAN: And I think it came from certain - certain Republican members of Congress within minutes of you making this announcement, called it - called it woke. What do you say to those who are making that criticism?

All right, we lost him. Roger Krone, president and CEO of Boy Scouts of America, soon to be changing its name to Scouting America. As he was saying, some 175,000 girls have been in the Boy Scouts over the last several years, 6,000 Eagle Scouts. It is a big part of what they are now doing. You heard him say that the name change is to reflect where the organization is right now and going forward.

Sara.

SIDNER: John, technology still not there to help us out. Still a problem. Thank you so much.

All right, ahead, last month broke the record for the hottest April on record. What scientists are forecasting for the years ahead. That's ahead.

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[09:51:35]

BERMAN: So, this morning, police are searching for a driver who fled the scene of a pretty wild car crash. Look at this. Surveillance video captures the moments that the car flipped through the air after apparently the driver loss control. This happened in a Phoenix neighborhood. Investigators believe it went airborne.

I can verify it when airborne, I don't need to hear that from investigators right there.

Apparently, it hit a curb first. It then rolled over and then hit the wall. The driver, we are told, was able to get out of the car after this and then fled the scene. No homes, other structures or animals were damaged in the filming of that video - no, in there. It's a really amazing thing to see, Sara.

SIDNER: How did he survive that, or the person. They still can't find the person driving that car. Insane.

Thank you for that, John.

If you are watching us this morning, congrats, you just survive the hottest April ever. Last month marked the 11th consecutive month of extreme global temperatures, and scientists are warning the worst is yet to come.

CNN's Bill Weir, not the worst, trust me, is here to discuss what is happening.

BILL WEIR, CNN CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: The continual bearer of these news -- bad news.

SIDNER: I know, every time you show up it's like -

WEIR: It's another record.

SIDNER: We get hotter.

WEIR: Yes. Yes. And we've done it again. Eleven straight months now. Last April, the hottest ever in recorded history. Now that's 11 straight months, as you have mentioned. This is all according to Copernicus, the European space climate agency.

And there it is. Of course, we're trying to hold the line at the Paris Accords. Back in simpler times, at 1.5 degrees. Of course we're looking for the long term to cross that threshold. But the more months we tip past 1.5 Celsius, the more we lose the hope of holding that temperature. We're headed towards three degrees of warming right now, Sara.

And check out the April compared to years past. You can see how we're off the charts over - that's us at the very top there. Everything below us is, you know, my lifetime, your lifetime. We're in uncharted territories.

And equally troubling here, as we head into a hotter summer here, a hurricane season, they're already wrestling with this in Asia, massive heat waves, 110-degree days in India where they were voting (ph). Massive fish kills are a result of this. There's also the sea surface temperatures, 13 straight months of record temperatures. Off the charts. That means coral reefs, as we speak, are bleaching and dying from Australia to the Caribbean. These are the cradles of sea life in the ocean right now. And so yet another sign of our overheating planet.

SIDNER: When you look at this, Bill, and you talk about the ocean temperatures, isn't that the thing that could really fuel, for example, the hurricanes that we're -

WEIR: Absolutely.

SIDNER: And there's a bunch of them that are predicted this year.

WEIR: It's invisible what's happening to our oceans, right? But it's so important to our weather patterns, to our food chains. And exactly as you say, heat is the engine of a hurricane. And the predictions for this coming season are record, off the charts based on the history we've had.

El Nino, the natural warming pattern, is actually winding down. But there's still a 66 percent chance right now that 2024 will be the hottest ever. Ninety-nine percent chance it will be number two. But it's just - it - and - but here's the other thing I have to remind folks, this is one of the coolest Aprils of the rest of our lives. This is baked in now, and we have to adapt accordingly.

SIDNER: One of the coolest Aprils, or we're now into May, for the rest of our lives is saying something. Can you give us some good news? Is there any good news out there?

WEIR: There is huge, good news.

SIDNER: OK.

[09:55:00]

WEIR: We're in the middle of this clean energy revolution. There are tipping points being crossed every day. We have reports coming out later today that are under embargo about how the world is shifting into cleaner fuels.

SIDNER: OK.

WEIR: It's just a question of, is it fast enough and how much can we save in the interim?

SIDNER: Bill Weir -

BOLDUAN: Hello.

WEIR: Hello, friends.

SIDNER: We're all here for you.

BOLDUAN: We weren't creepy just sitting here the whole time. We just walked up a second ago.

BERMAN: Well -

WEIR: You just - you just were drawn to my dooms -

BERMAN: We actually - we actually have some breaking news.

SIDNER: Your hotness.

BERMAN: We do have some breaking news.

WEIR: You do? OK.

SIDNER: Yes.

BERMAN: Yes, let me just tell everyone what's going on here.

The Georgia Court of Appeals has announced it will consider the effort by Donald Trump in his co-defendants to disqualify attorney - District Attorney Fani - let me actually explain this in English. What happened is the Georgia Court of Appeals is going to hear the case about Fani Willis, whether or not she can stay on the election subversion case against Donald Trump.

This was appealed immediately after the decision was made.

SIDNER: Yes.

BERMAN: We did not know if the appeals court would take up the case. The appeals court has now decided it will hear the case. This is a big deal.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

BERMAN: The appeals court could have decided it just wasn't going to hear the case at all, and then the lower court judge's decision would have been in place. Fani Willis could have stayed on. Now, there will be more legal maneuvering here.

BOLDUAN: Yes, it was a brief order. It was just a brief order released today. So far Fani Willis' office has declined to comment on this order.

SIDNER: We should lastly mention, the documents case, delayed. This one, another delay.

BERMAN: Yes.

SIDNER: These probably will not come up (ph).

BOLDUAN: The developments continue.

Thank you all so much for joining us today. The is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

"CNN NEWSROOM" with Jim Acosta, up next.

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