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CNN Analysis: U.S.-Made Munitions Used In Deadly Strike On U.N. School In Gaza; Several Trump VP Contenders Receive Vetting Materials. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired June 06, 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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[09:33:27]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news coming in, Gaza's Hamas-run ministry of health saying that at least 45 people have been killed, several others injured in an Israeli strike at a school in central Gaza. The school was said to be housing displaced refugees.

These Israeli military has confirmed it carried out the airstrike, but saying it was targeting a Hamas compound operating inside the school.

And now, a CNN analysis shows that American-made munitions were used in that strike.

CNN's Nada Bashir, she's tracking this one for us.

Nada, what more are you learning?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Look as you mentioned, Kate, this was an area known to be sheltering thousands of displaced Palestinians. The U.N. agency for Palestine refugees says it believes approximately 6,000, at least Palestinians having been sheltering within the school building, thousands more sheltering on the actual grounds of the U.N. complex. That strike taking place overnight according to eyewitnesses, several strikes took place targeting this school.

And we've been hearing from medical officials and health officials on the ground in Gaza saying that their hospitals are simply overrun, that that death toll of at least 45 people killed in the strike could certainly rises. They are continuing to receive casualties. And, of course, dozens more all said to have been injured.

Now, of course, CNN has been carrying out analysis of video footage from the scene, appearing to show fragments of what was a U.S. made bomb, a GBU-39 small diameter bomb. This is the same bomb that we would have seen used in Rafah. This means this is the second time the two weeks that we have seen us made munitions being used by the Israeli military in areas of Gaza known to be sheltering thousands of displaced Palestinian civilians.

[09:35:08] Of course, the Israeli military has said that it was targeting Hamas militants and Hamas infrastructure, but again, this was an area known to be sheltering civilians and in fact, this comes just a day after another deadly strike in central Gaza. We saw an area of Deir al-Balah coming under attack overnight while people were sleeping. Again, dozens killed in this particular strike.

And of course, important to know that what we have seen over the last few days and weeks is civilians who have been sheltering in the south, particularly in the city of Rafah. Now, fleeing, returning back to central Gaza because of an intensification of Israel's military operation in the south.

So we've been seeing civilians returning to central Gaza only for this region in particular, to come under heavy bombardment once again -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Nada Bashir, thank you for the reporting.

Still also coming up for us, former President Donald Trump says that he has, quote, every right to use the judicial system rather to go after his political opponents if he is reelected. And several of the -- several of the contenders to be Trump's next running mate have received papers -- vetting papers. Who's -- who says they've gotten them, and who has not?

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[09:41:08]

BOLDUAN: Donald Trump back on the campaign trail today, fresh off his guilty conviction of 34 felony counts. He's already suggesting that he would weaponized the Justice Department against his political opponents if he wins in November suggesting this again now, in the wake of that guilty conviction.

CNN's Steve Contorno has more than this.

So, Steve when Donald Trump is back on the trail today. What are we going to hear?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Well, he's going to be speaking at a town hall from a very friendly audience. It's a group called Turning Point Action. This is a group of Trump supporters that are younger Republicans and we expect that Trump will address head on this felony conviction. I'm told that they will not shy away from his legal troubles as he has been speaking about them for months on the campaign trail.

But there was an interesting sort of escalation that we have seen in recent days since the guilty verdict, where he has been suggesting that he would retaliate against his political opponents if he's reelected.

Listen to what he told Sean Hannity yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: People are claiming you want retribution. People are claiming you want what has happened to you done to Democrats.

Would you do that ever?

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Look, what's happened to me has never happened in this country before. And it has to stop.

When this election is over, based on what they've done, I would have every right to go after them and it's easy because it's Joe Biden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Now, tonight's event will be in Arizona and I'm told that the president, former president is expected to use this as an opportunity to rebut the latest border policies from Biden administration. He has obviously made immigration center of his campaign.

What I asked his campaign, are they worried that his message on these kitchen table issues like immigration will be muddied by his continued focus on these legal cases against him? I was told he, quote, walk and chew gum at the same time.

BOLDUAN: So they say, we will see. You're also -- there's also do reporting about the contenders to be Donald Trump's running mate and new reporting about some receiving betting papers.

What are you learning?

CONTORNO: Yeah, Donald Trump has been narrowing down this list at times and at times. Its been growing and we know that a month until the convention where he's has told us that he will make a decision on who is running mate will be and several the contenders have received betting. Questionnaires and asking for paperwork in recent days including North Dakota governor Doug Burgum.

Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, and Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio. We have been repeatedly totals are the three top contenders at this point, but others have been getting inquiries as well and have been trading paperwork back-and-forth with the Trump campaign.

And they include Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, Representative Elise Stefanik, Representative Byron Donalds, and former HUD Secretary Ben Carson.

Now, this list is going to change probably over the next month. We are told that Donald Trump maybe even considering some dark horse candidates but at this point, these are the individuals who we know. They are actually in the process of exchanging information with the Trump campaign so they can be vetted potentially for the nomination.

BOLDUAN: Yeah. Steve Contorno, thank you so much for the reporting. John?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, with us now, former Arkansas governor, former Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson.

Governor, thanks so much for being with us.

You spent a sizable chunk of your adult life as a prosecutor if I'm not mistaken. So what is it like for you to hear a Republican presidential candidate, the nominee basically running or not running away from the notion of getting elected to prosecute your political foes?

ASA HUTCHINSON (R), FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: Well, it's something very unusual for me to hear as a former prosecutor. I served in the Justice Department and anybody who's been a part of the Justice Department family values the independence values, the fact that you go after wrongdoing and not based upon partisan politics. And so this is foreign to our system of justice.

And you're seeing it played out in the courtroom. And what I think as time goes on, America will have more and more confidence in the jury result, both in New York but also as you see it happening in the Hunter Biden trial in California, we have confidence that 12 of our citizens are going to make a fair and just verdict and I hope that in the end, there's confidence, more confidence versus less confidence in our justice system.

BERMAN: So you say unusual. Do you mean wrong? Is it wrong for a presidential candidate to suggest that he would prosecutors political foes?

HUTCHINSON: Yes, I think it is wrong. And I think it was wrong for Alvin Bragg, and likewise to campaign on prosecuting Donald Trump. It doesn't serve the cause of justice as well.

You're there to do justice. And so -- and you -- but you have to take the words of Donald Trump very seriously because you reflect back whenever Bill Barr was attorney general, or Jeff Sessions was attorney general. Donald Trump did not hesitate to privately and publicly pressure them to do what he wanted. And that's not good for our justice system.

BERMAN: You know, it's interesting that you mentioned that you think that the verdict in New York will be accepted more and more over time. There's a new "New York Times" poll which shows that there was a slight shift and we have seen that in polls in the presidential race, two point or so shift toward President Biden overall since the verdict.

I'm going to read you some of the analysis in "The Times". The shift was especially pronounced among young nonwhite and disengaged Democratic leaning voters who propelled Mr. Trump to a lead in the early polls, of the people who previously told us they had voted for Mr. Biden in 2020, but would vote for Mr. Trump in 2024, around one- quarter said that they would now stick instead head with Mr. Biden and it goes on.

What do you think of this? What do you think of the idea that some people maybe have switched based on the verdict?

HUTCHINSON: Well, it reflects confidence in our jury system, but also how this jury conducted themselves. It wasn't all public, but the sense is that they took it seriously. They tried to do the right thing and it was not a 9-3 hung jury. It was 12-zip.

And, so I think that it will build confidence over time, but it's also important how the jurors handling themselves. They're not going out and holding news conferences. They're really did it as a citizen. And I think that draws respect.

There was one poll that said majority has confidence that the jury verdict, even though a plurality believes that the whole case was politically motivated, and that's the buffer that we have our jury system. And I think the public is starting to see that.

BERMAN: So, Governor, Isaac Dovere has got a really interesting article out about outreach from the Biden campaign to certain Republicans, sort of Nikki Haley Republicans, people who might be gettable for the Biden campaign.

Now you said, I believe you're not going to vote for Donald Trump. You're also not going to vote for President Biden. I am curious about maybe not what would change your mind, but what kind of outreach you would welcome from the Biden campaign? What could they say to you short of, you know, I'm now a Republican, I now agree with everything you say, what could be persuasive to you as an argument from the Biden campaign?

HUTCHINSON: Well, first of all, I have a good relationship with Jeff Zients, chief of staff of President Biden. We worked together on the coronavirus pandemic issues while I was governor but it's not really about the outreach. It is simply about who's going to govern our country the best same whenever I ran for president, because I see Biden's failed policies and a number of area one of them being border security. He's trying to shore it up.

But it's about policy. It's about the right direction for our country and the highly regulatory environment that he is creating. President Biden is creating is problematic for growth in our country. Obviously, I have challenges with Donald Trump now being a convicted felon, but also the character that I think is important. The White House, I don't see in him.

So I represent many Americans. It's in a quandary.

BERMAN: So just what would be the most persuasive argument not for you personally, but you think for some of these Haley Republicans from President Biden?

[09:50:01] HUTCHINSON: Well, I think that's where you get to the vice presidential selection. You need to have a VP match with Donald Trump that will expand his base, that will reach out and appeal to independents. I don't know that he's going to do that, but that I do believe the VP selection can make a difference to the Haley supporters and Republicans.

And then secondly, it's a calmness. It's -- are we going to get what he's saying we're going to get, which is retribution or is he going to govern in a way that gives us the economy they we want and respect around the globe. And America leads again. And that remains to be seen.

So I think a lot of people are waiting to see how this develops in the fall and in the debate which will be very important.

BOLDUAN: Governor Asa Hutchinson, thanks so much for being with us this morning. Appreciate your time, sir.

HUTCHINSON: Thank you, John. Good to be with you.

BOLDUAN: Millions of Americans under extreme heat threats today. This morning, the first heat-related death of the season as temperatures continue to skyrocket through triple-digits.

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BOLDUAN: Today, a brutal heat dome is sending temperatures to dangerous levels in California and other states out West. And the first significant heat wave of the year, more than 30 million people are under heat alerts and several states right now.

CNN's Veronica Miracle has more.

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VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In California's Central Valley, summer is here early.

Is it too hot today?

WORKER: Yeah.

MIRACLE: These workers in Turlock, California, are used to working under the blistering sun. But to see triple digit temperatures this early in the year, it's unusual.

How do you stay cool?

WORKER: Oh, no, no, no cool. It's hot. Today is hot.

MIRACLE: It means the staff at Cipponeri Family Farms must end there date early before high temperatures cook the region.

It's quite hot now. At what point do you guys call it?

SEBASTIAN CIPPONERI, OWNER, CIPPONERI FAMILY FARMS: Today, right after lunch, right after about noon where were going to call it a day.

MIRACLE: In California and across parts of the Southwest, these extreme temperatures are caused by what meteorologists call a heat dome.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Think of like a bubble here, the sun beats down all day, not a cloud in the sky, and then it warms up the atmosphere.

MIRACLE: Causing excessive of heat warnings and temperatures into triple-digits.

In El Paso, Texas, residents are under heat advisories and urged to stay indoors during peak hours as cooling centers pop up around the city.

[09:55:04]

In Las Vegas, warning signs for anyone outdoors to head for shade or water.

And Arizonans used to extreme heat are now receiving warnings about heat stroke for humans and their pets as temperatures rise beyond 110 degrees in some areas.

Are you worried at all for the rest of the summer?

CIPPONERI: If it -- if it remains this hot, we are. Once the temperatures get above really about 95, the fruit stops growing. And so, it's something we're always worried about.

MIRACLE: And what but for your first as well?

CIPPONERI: Yeah, for them, they'll work less if it stays hot for number of days. And so, we're a little concerned about that, too.

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MIRACLE (on camera): Kate, here in Turlock, California, it is supposed to be 103 degrees by the time it hits the afternoon, and so the employees here at Cipponeri Family Farms, they made sure that they got here about an hour early so they could get in a full days work because they're going to likely have to end before the heat of the day. So it is certainly not ideal, but they have figured out a way to work around it here and all across the region. There are going to be sweltering temperatures. Today is expected to be the hottest all across the area.

Back to you, Kate.

BOLDUAN: In this round, it will be that maybe the hottest day in the area, but I mean, this is just the beginning of summer. We're not even at the start of technical summer.

It's great to see you, Veronica. Thank you.

BERMAN: That's what we're just going to say.

BOLDUAN: Yeah, right.

BERMAN: Summer is, what, June 22, 21st. We're not even there yet and you're getting these temperatures here does not bode well for what we're going to see in coming weeks and months.

BOLDUAN: It really doesn't at all.

BERMAN: All right. Obviously, a ton of breaking news today from what we saw in Normandy on D-Day. Were going to continue our coverage from Europe.

And also have our eyes to space. I get the names of the spacecraft wrong.

BOLDUAN: Don't even do it again. Actually give it another one.

BERMAN: The Starship Enterprise. star cruiser, star bursts.

BOLDUAN: The star lions.

BERMAN: The star lions. All these things are up in the air right now.

Our continuing coverage right after this.