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President Biden In France; Middle East And Ukraine; Suspected Serial Killer; Market Downturn; Gaza Airstrike; UNICEF Report On Gaza; Joint Statement On Hostages. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired June 06, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:00:49]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Honoring their sacrifice while attempting to safeguard peace for the future. President Biden in France commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day while potentially critical moments loom in the Middle East. And Ukraine. And new charges for a suspected serial killer. Prosecutors charging Rex Heuermann in the deaths of two more women. But the latest development could change the police timeline of the murders. Expanding it by nearly two decades.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Forty thousand. Man, those were the days, right? The market is on a losing streak and some people are pulling their money out. We're going to ask a financial expert. You should do the same. We're following these major developing stories and many more. All coming in right here to CNN News.

SANCHEZ: It is the top of the hour and we're tracking the latest developments in Gaza where an Israeli airstrike killed dozens of people and injured a number of others at a school run by the United Nations. This is video of the aftermath. The U.N. Agency for Palestinian Refugees in Gaza says that 6,000 people were sheltering at the school when it was hit without warning. The Israeli military confirms it carried out the strike saying it was targeting a Hamas compound operating inside the school. Meantime, conditions in Gaza continue to deteriorate. The U.N. is now warning that half of Gaza's population is expected to face death and starvation by mid-July. And we want you to take a look at this number, 90%. According to a new report by UNICEF, about 90% of children in Gaza are experiencing severe food poverty. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is following the latest developments live from Jerusalem. Jeremy, let's start with the strike on the school. What more are you learning?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, an absolutely devastating strike resulting in the deaths of at least 40 people according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The Israeli military says that 20 to 30 militants were in this U.N. school turned shelter where thousands of displaced Palestinians were living. They say that these militants were actively planning attacks on Israeli troops that they used precision munitions to target them in this shelter. But they also said that they weren't aware of any civilian casualties. But that just does not square with what we are seeing on the ground, which is to say that according to hospital records from Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Hospital where the bodies of the deceased were brought as well as the wounded from this strike, 14 children were among those killed, the youngest four years old, and nine women were also among the deceased. Meaning that the majority of the 40 people killed, according to hospital records, were indeed women and children.

This is not the first time, of course, that a U.N. school or any U.N. compound in general has been targeted inside of Gaza. UNRWA, which is the main U.N. agency in Gaza, says that 180 of its facilities at least have been targeted since the beginning of this war. And the UNRWA chief, Philippe Lazzarini, also saying that targeting those premises or using them for military purposes, as Israel is accusing Hamas of doing, is simply unacceptable and cannot become the new norm. But this is also, of course, there is a bigger story in central Gaza, which is one of an uptick in Israeli attacks there, uptick in Israeli airstrikes. 168 people, according to hospital records, were killed this week alone in central Gaza. Boris.

SANCHEZ: And, Jeremy, we're also anticipating today a joint statement from the United States and 16 other nations that had citizens taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th. What more can you tell us?

DIAMOND: Yeah, that's right. This statement calls, expresses strong support for the current ceasefire proposal on the table. It is an Israeli proposal, and they are urging Hamas to take this deal and, quote, close this agreement. This is the United States and 16 other countries for whom many of these countries have hostages themselves who are being held in Gaza. Because there are a number of dual nationals being held in Gaza by Hamas.

[14:05:09]

We are already hearing from one of these hostage families groups, which is urging, which is expressing strong support, I should say, for this statement, for this effort to pressure Hamas to take this deal. But, of course, they are also trying to bring more pressure to bear on the Israeli government itself, because, as you know, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even though it's his government that put this proposal on the table, he has been downplaying the extent to which this proposal could lead to an end of the war. And that, of course, is going crosswise with the effort from the United States and the mediators to try and convince Hamas to sign on to this agreement. And that's because Hamas does want this deal to lead to an end of the war. What they also want, of course, is an upfront commitment from Israel for a permanent ceasefire. And that is just not something Israel will accept. So, major questions to be answered. Hopefully, in the days ahead about whether or not that gap can be closed.

SANCHEZ: Jeremy Diamond, live for us from Jerusalem. Jeremy, thanks for the update. Brianna.

KEILAR: As the war in Gaza rages, President Biden will be spending the next few days in France to deepen ties with transatlantic allies. And today, he joined other world leaders in Normandy to commemorate eight decades since D-Day. On June 6th, 1944, thousands of Americans were among the coalition of allied forces that stormed the beaches of Nazi Afghanistan. And the first of those was the German army that occupied France during World War II. And their successful landing that day marked a major turning point that ultimately led to Germany's defeat the following year. Now, 80 years later, Biden met with some of the last remaining U.S. veterans who fought on D-Day. All of them are around 100 years old now. In his remarks, the president stressed the importance of defending democracy, and he warned about the threats that it's facing around the world. CNN's Arlette Saenz is joining us now live from the White House. Arlette, what else did the president say in his comments?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, President Biden really sought to draw a direct connection between the brave and heroic acts of those allied forces on the beaches of Normandy just 80 years ago today, with the ongoing fight and allied support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. About 180 American World War II veterans were on hand today, made the journey to Normandy for this D-Day commemoration, including about 41 who were actually part of that Normandy campaign. And the president used the backdrop of Normandy to make the argument that there need to be strong alliances around the world in order to continue to fight against dark forces that are trying to thwart democracy and freedom. And he warned about the threat that isolationism poses to the world order. Take a listen.

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JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Isolationism was not the answer 80 years ago, is not the answer today. We know the dark forces that these heroes fought against 80 years ago. They never fade. Aggression and greed, the desire to dominate and control, to change borders by force. These are perennial. The struggle between a dictatorship and freedom is unending.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, it's worth noting there was no Russian delegation who was in power for the D-Day commemorations today, even though 10 years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin was on hand for that day. It really highlights how isolated Putin has become in the world order. President Biden in an interview with ABC News also calling Putin not a decent man, saying that he's a dictator as he further tried to warn and tried to rally support for Ukraine in their fight against Russia and writ large the need to preserve democracy and freedom.

KEILAR: And Arlette, as I mentioned, the president's going to be there in France for a few days. What's he hoping to accomplish with this trip?

SAENZ: Well, Brianna, a lot of this trip is trying to reinvigorate and build up those transatlantic alliances. But President Biden is also planning another major speech relating to democracy and freedom tomorrow. He will actually return to Normandy to a different site, to Pointe du Hoc, which was the site where Army Rangers scaled these giant cliffs to try to take down German artillery back around D-Day. Now, the White House says that he will be using this site to really try to make his case against isolationism, the need to preserve democracy. The president also is at some point expected to sit down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. It would be the two men's first meeting since the U.S., since that additional aid to the country, and comes really, as the White House says, that they are in an inflection point, not just in the war in Ukraine, but also other international matters, including the war in Gaza.

KEILAR: All right, Arlette, obviously a very critical moment. We appreciate the report. Boris.

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SANCHEZ: Less than 1% of the 16.4 million Americans who served during World War II are still alive, and even fewer were able to travel back to the beaches of Normandy today. We heard from 101-year-old Jake Larson, who lied about his age to enlist back in 1938 when he was only 15 years old. This is what he shared with CNN chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour.

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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN ANCHOR: Today, it's 80 years since what you all did so heroically.

JAKE LARSON, D-DAY VETERAN: I don't think I was a hero. I was just like anybody else. We were all in this together. I'm not a hero. People keep calling me hero. I changed that word. I took the O off of a hero. I had a T-O there. And the people say, well, what's a here-to? I says, I'm here to tell you that heroes are up there. They gave their life. They gave their life so that I could make it. My God, I got a wife. I got children. I got two boys and a girl. I got nine grandchildren. I got 11 great-grandchildren. I've got a grandson that's a grandfather. And I'm still going. Crazy.

AMANPOUR: Will you come back again?

LARSON: Oh, God, yes, I'd come back again. Just to honor all those that gave their life so that I could be here.

AMANPOUR: Jake Larson, thank you.

LARSON: Well, thank you, Christiana.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: He is incredible. Listen to this emotional moment between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a D-Day veteran who knows the cost of peace in Europe.

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UNKNOWN: The Ukrainian Prime Minister is busy fighting right now

Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian President: No, no, no. Oh, you're the savior of the people.

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UNKNOWN: You are our hero. ZELENSKY: No You are our hero.

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SANCHEZ: Joining us now is General Wesley Clark, the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander. General, thank you so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us. First, I just wanted to get your reflections on this 80th anniversary of D-Day.

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Really emotional, especially the interview with those veterans and seeing him talk about his family and what he said about the heroes. It's true. You know, most of the heroes never get medals. They're the ones who died. No one reports it. No one knows. And that's just a sad fact of war. But this celebration reminds us of Americans pulling together, really coming together, to change history. And we did. That was the greatest generation. And what President Biden said is, now it's up to this generation. Because we've got another big challenge facing us. I thought he framed the issue perfectly. And I hope the country can rise to the challenge.

SANCHEZ: General, you attended the 75th anniversary of D-Day back in 2019. You actually got a chance to meet the oldest living, surviving soldier. I'm wondering what that was like for you. And partly to your point, what you think the world stands to lose, as we're likely seeing the last big D-Day commemoration attended by significant numbers of veterans who were there.

CLARK: It was a tremendous thrill and an honor for me to meet that veteran at the 75th. He was a strong guy. And, you know, he still reflected the courage and determination that brought him ashore and made him successful and kept him alive during the campaign in Europe. I was extremely impressed from talking with him. But, you know, today it's a different world and when we lose these men who, there's a spirit about a collective endeavor that I think it's missing in a lot of America today. You know, really, since the 1980s, since Charlton Heston raised the gun at the NRA and said these cold, dead hands and everybody thinks about America as being full of rugged individuals. It's like I needed an assault rifle to protect my family. And the truth is, we're all in this together. And those men who fought at Normandy and through World War II, they understood it. They understood it wasn't about an each. It was about us. And for America to be successful in the world going forward, we've got to recreate that spirit.

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SANCHEZ: General, as you say that, it's interesting that the politics in the United States, and you can argue around the world as well, have changed in the last decade or so. We're seeing a much more sort of isolationist worldview take hold. And not just that, there's this resurgence of some of the ideology that these heroes fought to squash in World War II. Why do you think that's happening? And what can be done to turn that tide?

CLARK: You know, partly it's happening just because societies go through rises and falls, they go through cycles. And the generations that have come after the greatest generation, they didn't understand the gift that was given to them. They didn't have to pay the price for it. We got rid of the draft, for example, in the early 1970s. So, what is the obligation of an American to help other Americans? You go to church and they say you should treat your brother and sister as you'd want to be treated, but what's the obligation? And so that civic obligation, except to pay taxes and obey the law, it's not there anymore. That's part of it. Part of it is there's a lot of Russian mischief in the American political system today. We know this. We know our own politics is one of the, has to be considered one of the, the theaters of conflict. When you hear what Putin says, and then you hear what some people in politics say that echoes that talking point, everything from supporting Ukraine is hopeless to the American justice system is no good.

Those are persistent. Before Russia, they were persistent Soviet talking points. And for years and years, for decades, the Soviet Union tried to plant stories and get Americans to use their propaganda lines. Usually it failed because they didn't have the means to get the false information into the United States. Now they do. And those, that false information, disinformation, Soviet propaganda, Russian propaganda lines are out there all over our airways. It's hard for Americans who don't travel abroad, haven't seen the devastation of war, don't understand the fear that people in Europe have of Russian resurgence. They don't understand this. You have to talk to people who've lived under Soviet domination to understand what that really means. The Ukrainians do understand it, and that's why they're fighting the way they're fighting.

SANCHEZ: General Wesley Clark, thank you so much for being with us to not only honor the sacrifice of those heroes that passed away on D- Day, but also all those who've come since to defend this nation and its democracy.

CLARK: Thanks, Boris. Thanks for letting me have a chance to be here.

SANCHEZ: Of course. Still to come, a star witness in the Hunter Biden federal gun trial takes the stand with personal and surprising testimony. What Hallie Biden, the widow of Beau Biden, said about finding a gun in Hunter's car. Plus, the Biden campaign has a plan to try to lure anti-Trump Republicans, the person they just hired to help them do it. And some anxiety in the stock market, why people are pulling their money out in droves. All that and more in just moments.

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SANCHEZ: The prosecution's star witness in Hunter Biden's federal gun trial is back on the stand. Hallie Biden, Beau Biden's widow who dated Hunter after Beau's death has testified about their turbulent relationship. Both of their past addictions to drugs and how she found the gun at the center of the case in October of 2018 and then what happened when she threw it in the trash at a grocery store. She described how she believed, based on Hunter's behavior, that he was using drugs in late October 2018. But on cross-examination, she also testified that she didn't actually witness Hunter doing drugs that month. CNN chief legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid has been following the action inside court today. Paula, walk us through Hallie's testimony.

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I was in court earlier, Boris. It was fascinating to watch the jury. They are locked on Hallie Biden because they know what a significant witness she is. They generally, of course, know now that she was Hunter's former sister-in-law after her husband, Beau Biden, Hunter's brother, died as she and Hunter became romantically involved. She testified about that and also how she observed Hunter smoking crack, how he eventually brought her along on drug buys in Washington, D.C., and even introduced her to crack what she says that she used in 2018, though she says she got clean in August 2018. And this, going forward there, that is the critical period that prosecutors needed her to testify to. Because so far, they haven't had anyone with direct knowledge testify that Hunter Biden was indeed using or addicted to illegal drugs in October 2018, when he bought the firearm at the center of this case. Prosecutors allege that he lied on the form when he made this purchase, when he said, he was not using or addicted to illegal drugs. But Hallie testified today that when she saw him on October 22nd, 23rd, she said she believed he was using. She also testified that she found in the trunk of his car drugs and drug paraphernalia on the 23rd.

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Now, she also found the gun at the center of this case. She testified that she took it and she threw it in a dumpster. Now, in hindsight, she says that was a dumb decision, but she said she was flustered. She didn't even know what to do with it and sort of panicked that she has immunity in this case. As long as she testifies truthfully, she won't be charged. But so far, Boris, this is absolutely the most significant testimony for the prosecution's case. The defense is up now. They're cross-examining her, and they're trying to make the point that she never directly observed Hunter Biden doing drugs. That's going to be a big point of their defense, that Hunter Biden's mindset when he was filling out that form, he could have believed that he was not using or not addicted at that time, and they've only presented circumstantial evidence to suggest that he was. So the prosecution was expected to wrap up today. They have five more witnesses, but Hallie Biden has been on the stand for a long time, and at this point, it's unclear if they're actually going to be able to wrap up. But, Boris, I absolutely expect that we will all be here next week.

SANCHEZ: Paula Reid, spending a lot of time outside of courthouses lately. Paula Reid, thank you so much. Brianna.

KEILAR: Let's talk more about this now with former U.S. Attorney Harry Littman. And, Harry, I want to take a look at the timeline. Stick with me for this, because we kind of have to go through a couple things. The timeline that's laid out in some of Hallie Biden's testimony to the prosecution today and what that account is going to mean for whether the jury thinks Hunter Biden lied about his drug use when he bought the gun. If we remember that he purchased the gun October 12th, eight days before that, Hallie Biden texted him, I'm afraid you're going to die. Prosecutors asked if she was afraid of him dying from an overdose. She said, maybe suicide. I didn't know. Then 11 days after the gun purchase, that's when she discovered the gun in his vehicle. She was cleaning it out where she also found remnants of crack cocaine and related paraphernalia. How do you think the jury sees all of these data points?

HARRY LITMAN, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: Wow, it really is a kind of a dark and tawdry tale. I think they obviously-she's given she is the star witness, as Paula says, and she's given each side something. So I think they will see that Hunter was generally using during this period. She finds paraphernalia just a few days after. On the other, he's hoping to make a kind of technical but also sympathetic defense that says, you know, there's a reasonable doubt about whether he thought he was lying when he says on the 18th not a user and they haven't come forward with proof. And this is probably their best shot. I don't think Hunter will testify to come forward with proof that on that fateful day, he would have been lying when he said, I'm not a user. That's the form the language on form 3383 of drugs. You know, it's a bit of a combined hyper-technical, but also sympathetic defense. The whole thing is so kind of, you know, tawdry and sad that, you know, possibly Abby Lowell, his lawyer, hopes that plays to their advantage.

KEILAR: I wonder if it does, because even though half of this jury has some kind of familial experience with drugs or substance abuse, I wonder if that's something that can cut both ways. You may have people who are sympathetic, as you said. There's also, you know, when it comes to substance abuse, even people who may love someone who have a substance abuse problem, this idea of them being accountable for their actions, of not enabling them. And I wonder how you think that's going to inform how the jury's hearing these things.

LITMAN: Yeah, it's an excellent point. And the jury, which Hunter Biden's team was pretty happy with, does have real experience there. But you are right, right? I mean, everybody has stories of trying again and again to get loved ones to stop using and eventually watching their life kind of swirl out of control. You know, there are reasons that this case maybe shouldn't have been brought or not in its form in the first place. But those reasons no longer play in front of the jury. And it's really a very simple question now. Was he lying at the time? And I take your point. And I think it's a good point that it's at best a two edged sword, the whole kind of, you know, ugly, sort of intractable hole that Hunter had gone into as a result of all the use of crack cocaine. An important point, by the way, Paula mentioned how it could have been charged, possibly she's, you know, a sort of echo can actor with him, but she has immunity. And then she's been forced to testify because she has immunity and can't incriminate herself.

KEILAR: There are several more prosecution witnesses ahead. This includes potentially other Biden family members. I think we are expecting that. So, you said this has been kind of tawdry. I think we can expect some more details that people outside of the courtroom are going to be very interested in. What are you looking for?

LITMAN: Yep. Well, and also, you know, his mom's been there regularly. His aunt has been there.