Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
CNN International: CNN Town Hall with Donald Trump; Pakistan's Top Court Orders Former PM Khan to Appear in Court; Surge in Migrants to U.S. Expected as COVID-Era Policy Ends; What did Trump Achieve with Voters Beyond Borders; Erdogan has Staked Out Distinctive Foreign Policy. Aired 8-8:30a ET
Aired May 11, 2023 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00]
BIANCA NOBILO, CNNI HOST: Hello and welcome to the CNN "Newsroom", I'm Bianca Nobilo in for Max Foster today, just ahead, the Israeli army alone which is more airstrikes in Gaza, the latest escalation and violence that seen hundreds of rockets fired towards Israel this week.
Then CNN speaks to the head of the Ukrainian Nuclear Energy Agency ahead of a much anticipated Ukrainian counter offensive. And we'll take a look at some of the key moments from CNN's town hall with 2024 U.S. Republican Presidential candidates and Former President Donald Trump.
A third day of strikes by Israel into Gaza has killed 3 more people and injured 7 that are according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. The Islamic Jihad confirms one of the dead is the head of a missile unit. At least 25 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza this week, several of them civilians.
Israel is now claiming that at least 4 people who died in Gaza were actually killed by Islamic Jihad own rockets, which they fell short of their targets across Israel's border. Islamic Jihad has denied this calling it a lie. In the dramatic escalation, Israel says that over 500 rockets have been fired from Gaza toward Israel in the past two days.
Journalist Elliott Gotkine is joining me now from Jerusalem. Elliott, is the expectation that this violence is going to continue?
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: For now, Bianca that is the expectations, there were hopes, there were rumors last night that a ceasefire brokered by Egypt was in the works, but ultimately, it came to naught there were about 8.5 hours of quiet overnight. But then Israeli strikes, rockets launched from Islamic Jihad towards Israel resumed.
And Israel says that more than 500 rockets have been fired towards Israel since the start of this latest round of fighting. It says that about a fifth of them have fallen short, including in two instances where rockets fell short and killed, uninvolved civilians according to the IDF, among them 3 children and including a 10 year old girl.
Now, as you said, as you just mentioned, in your introduction, Islamic Jihad is calling this a lie, and says that Israel is just saying this to cover up what it is doing. But of course, Israel is also saying that of those that say those the number of Palestinians killed since the start of this round of fighting around about half of them were militants.
And it also says that the brother and nephew of the head of the rocket unit that was killed in the early hours of the morning. We're probably they're assuming we're probably also members of Islamic Jihad. We've not heard any confirmation of that from the militant group itself.
Now, I mentioned that Egypt last night was set to be working on a ceasefire no doubt they are also working behind the scenes continuously to try to do so. Israel is also keeping the United States abreast of developments right now. Israel's Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant speaking with his counterpart, Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, last night.
And despite Yoav Gallant's mother passing away overnight as well. He remains very much in control of this operation. There are still hopes for a ceasefire, but for now, the violence continues and there is no sign of it ending, Bianca.
NOBILO: Elliott Gotkine, live in Jerusalem. Thank you. And many in the region will be remembering Shireen Abu Akleh today. The veteran Palestinian American journalist was killed on this day last year, while covering an Israeli Military arrayed in the occupied West Bank.
Israel's defense forces have since admitted there is a high possibility Akleh was shot and killed by what it called accidental Israeli fire, but has said that it will not pursue charges against any soldiers involves. Pakistan Supreme court has ordered Former Prime Minister Imran Khan to appear in court, as his legal team challenges his arrest on multiple corruption charges.
Several Senior Leaders of Khan's party is also under arrest now. At least 8 people have been killed and hundreds detained as Khan Supporters took to the streets to protest his arrest. The Army has been called in to quell this unrest. CNN Sophia Saifi joins me now live from Islamabad.
Sophia, the fact that Imran Khan has now been ordered to be present in the Supreme Court, is that likely to fan the flames of these protests?
SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: I mean, Bianca, look, there is this uneasy sense of anticipation here in the capital at the moment the army was called in to provide security. So there actually haven't been that many protests throughout the day. It's the middle of the afternoon.
Islamabad on high alert because the Former Prime Minister Imran Khan is being taken from the police compound where he's been held for the past 24 hours to the Supreme Court. The Chief Justice of Pakistan Supreme Court criticized the way Imran Khan had been arrested and has summoned him to be summoned to the national accountability Bureau to present him before court.
This is highly unexpected. We're waiting to see what happens there is the sense of anticipation about when he's going to get here. He was supposed to be presented in court at about 4:30.
[08:05:00]
It's now just past 5, so it's, past sit down but he was supposed to be in front of those judges. Pakistan's Information Minister was hearing the news of the Chief Justice's notice has come out and said that if Imran Khan is released, the nation will burn she has heavily criticized the Chief Justice's decision to make Imran Khan appear before court this afternoon.
And there is this sort of sense that the various institutions of this country are battling with each other to try to with Imran Khan at the very center of this political crisis that is brewed in this country ever since the ousting of Imran Khan as Prime Minister back in April of 2022, Bianca.
NOBILO: Sophia Saifi, for us thank you. CNN has learned that Britain is giving Ukraine new long range strike capability. Sources tell us that the U.K. has delivered multiple Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Kyiv. It comes as Ukrainian forces prepare for a long awaited counter offensive in the south and east.
Ukraine's President has said that his country needs a bit more time before launching that counter offensive though, as it awaits the delivery of more military aid from the west. When it does happen, the head of Ukraine's Nuclear Energy Agency says Ukrainian forces will have to go around this Zaporizhzhia power plant to avoid damaging the facility.
CNN Senior International Correspondent, Sam Kiley had a chance to sit down one on one with Ukraine's Nuclear Chief and he joins us now live from Kyiv. Sam, there have been numerous threats to the safety of this power station for months now artillery drone strikes, power cuts and now concerns about the drain of qualified personnel.
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is a concern, although it's not one funnily enough that the Ukrainians are being too exercised about that is because even though they say they believe that in --, which is the town next to the nuclear power station is already being evacuated of Russian officials and that there are plans to move Russians and other officials, nuclear workers out of the plant.
There are still enough loyal Ukrainians there to run things but it's very telling indeed, when I spoke to him earlier on today, Bianca, about how he was describing plans even among the Russian nuclear workers to get out of dodge before this offensive starts. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETRO KOTIN, PRESIDENT OF ENERGOATOM: They're probably right now trying to be prepared for quick getting out of there. And also personnel Rosatom recently made this drill on the very quick packing of everything and just getting into the cars and get out of the plant.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KILEY: So Bianca, we're seeing if it will, brother he's seeing he says these evacuation drills even among the Russian officials running the nuclear power station, there were 1500 he says that I would imagine he would imagine them staying on and yet more in the town. If they're not forced out of that town, then there'll be able to step into the nuclear facility to carry on running it.
He also said that the Ukrainians is very clear from the military perspective, there's no need and no intention to try to recapture the nuclear power station because in his view, they could actually cut down and separate the nuclear power station from Russian forces in the Crimea, and that's what he imagines may happen in this offensive, Bianca.
NOBILO: Sam Kiley, thank you so much for bringing us that new interview. And in Italy, dozens of firefighters are now on the scene after an explosion in central Milan. According to officials a truck carrying oxygen cylinders caught fire setting two other vehicles and surrounding buildings ablaze.
One person has reportedly been injured. The city's Mayor says he's confident that the incident was not terror related. By this time tomorrow, title 42 will no longer be in place. That's the COVID era policy that led the U.S. quickly expel migrants at the border citing health concerns.
It expires at 11:59 pm Eastern time tonight, and that's expected to cause a surge in border arrivals. Here you see migrants gathered on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. The Biden administration has sent additional asylum officers troops and federal agents to the southern border to deal with an already high influx of migrants.
And Mexico has temporarily shut down 33 migrant centers while the country's human rights commission reviews them. Nick Valencia joins us from the U.S.-Mexico border in Brownsville, Texas. Nick, local officials ready for this?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: While they're projecting an air of confidence this morning and Bianca, I spoke to the mayor's office yesterday and they said that they're as prepared as they can be and they're hopeful that policy is put forward by the Biden administration including putting processing centers, regional processing centers in some of the countries where these migrants are coming from, will provide that meaningful relief that they need.
[08:10:00]
Just look at the scene this morning many of these migrants waking up on the streets of Brownsville. This is the area where migrants are dropped off after the released on humanitarian parole. The men mostly Venezuelan nationals that you're looking at here, in some cases, in most cases, I should say, are waiting for family that they have been separated from on their journey here.
This respite center that you just saw behind me here is at capacity, they say they've been taking over or taking in rather between 800 and 1000 migrants per day for the last two weeks, and I was speaking to them yesterday. And they seem to think that they're in the middle of this also. And it's a similar message that we're hearing from the border patrol chief, who sort of downplaying the expectation of this surge coming.
The NGOs here, they're worried about space, though, and we want to show you some video that we shot yesterday, down near the border, a popular illegal crossing for migrants and we saw large groups of migrants being detained, taken through a makeshift processing center.
That's, you know, after they're released on humanitarian parole, they're brought here and released onto the streets of Brownsville. Brownsville has already declared a state of emergency because of the influx of migrants that they've seen. We also hear from city officials that they're working with buses and airlines to transport these migrants to their next destination.
They're going to help them get there places like Chicago, Brooklyn, Dallas, Houston, Miami, all those places should expect to see a large number of migrants on their streets in the coming days. I mentioned that confidence being projected by the city. Time will tell, Bianca, whether or not they have reason to be confident, Bianca.
NOBILO: Nick Valencia, thank you so much. Still to come, Donald Trump makes his case for why he should get another chance to run the United States. Did he sway anyone at the CNN town hall, we'll take a look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NOBILO: Last night CNN hosted a town hall with the front runner for the Republican nomination for President Donald Trump's prize no one by using the platform to repeat his 2020 election mysteries focusing on past grievances and dodging questions on several key policy issues. CNN's Chief U.S. National Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny, reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Former President Donald Trump picked off right where he left off lying about the 2020 election.
DONALD TRUMP, 45TH U.S. PRESIDENT: That was a rigged election. And it's a shame that we had to go through it.
ZELENY (voiceover): Trump made clear his 2024 Presidential bid would follow the same script of his two previous campaigns, presenting himself as a defiant messenger, unburdened by facts and unwilling to move on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you suspend polarizing talk of election fraud during your run for President.
TRUMP: Yes, unless I see election fraud. If I see election fraud, I think I have an obligation to say it.
[08:15:00]
ZELENY (voiceover): He falsely said Vice President Mike Pence could have acted to overturn the election results as the vote was certified on January 6. Trump said he did not owe Pence an apology for failing to call off supporters who threatened his life as they stormed the building.
TRUMP: No, because he did something wrong. He should have put the votes back to the state legislatures and I think we would have had a different outcome.
WAYNE BEYER, NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTER: But my question to you is, will you pardon the January 6, rioters who were convicted of federal offenses.
TRUMP: I am inclined to pardon many of them. I can say for every single one because a couple of them probably they got out of control.
ZELENY (voiceover): The audience of Republican voters at St. Anselm College applauded for much of the night. Even as Trump belittled and demeaned Former Magazine Columnist E. Jean Carroll, a day after a New York jury found him liable of sexually abusing and defaming her.
TRUMP: --I have no idea who to hell, she's a--
ZELENY (voiceover): Press by Kaitlan Collins about whether the verdict would deter women from voting for him. He said this?
TRUMP: No, I don't think so.
ZELENY (voiceover): Yet some Republicans believe otherwise. Like New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu who is considering a Presidential bid of his own.
CHRIS SUNUNU, NEW HAMPSHIRE GOVERNOR: If you're a suburban mom, all these voters that Republicans are trying to bring back into the mix. I don't see any of them being convinced by anything because it was just kind of a same old regurgitation.
ZELENY (voiceover): Seven months before voting begins in the Republican Presidential primary. Trump is leading the field, even as he faces multiple legal challenges over interfering in the 2020 election and more.
TRUMP: I just want to find--
ZELENY (voiceover): Once again, he struck a defensive tone about that now infamous call to the Georgia Secretary of State searching for votes to put him over the top against Joe Biden, who narrowly won the state.
TRUMP: That election was rigged. And if this call was bad, why didn't he and his lawyers hang up? How dare you saying that? This was a--
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They were clearly concerned enough, they recorded the call--
ZELENY (voiceover): He brushed aside questions about another probe involving classified documents taken to Mar-a-Lago.
COLLINS: When it comes to your documents, did you ever show those classified documents to anyone?
TRUMP: Not really, I would have the right to by the way, they were declassified after--
COLLINS: What do you mean by not really?
TRUMP: Not that I can think of, let me just tell you, I have the absolute right to do whatever I want with them. I have the right.
ZELENY (voiceover): That, of course remains an open question and a key part of a federal investigation. Trump took personal credit for the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe vs. Wade, citing his three appointments to the High Court.
TRUMP: That was, very honored to do it.
ZELENY (voiceover): But he repeatedly dodged questions about whether he would sign a federal abortion ban.
TRUMP: I'm looking at a solution that's going to work very complex issue for the country. You have people on both sides of an issue.
ZELENY (voiceover): On foreign policy, Trump once again showed his affinity for Russian President Vladimir Putin declining to call for his punishment for leading the invasion of Ukraine.
TRUMP: If you say he's a war criminal, it's going to be a lot tougher to make a deal to get this thing set up.
TRUMP: He also declined to say who he wants to prevail in the war, despite the U.S. and allies investing billions to help Ukraine defeat Russia.
COLLINS: Do you want Ukraine to win this war?
TRUMP: I don't think in terms of winning and losing, I think in terms of getting it settled. So we stopped killing all these people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: And Jeff Zeleny, joins us now from Washington to discuss what if anything, Mr. Trump achieved with voters outside of his uniquely reliable base? Jeff, great to be speaking to you, what motivated Donald Trump to do this town hall an interview on CNN?
ZELENY (on camera): I think the biggest thing of all is just to show that he still has a command over the Republican primary field, this is very much Donald Trump's Republican Party. And he is re asserting that. We should point out the voting here in the U.S. does not begin in the Republican primary for at least seven months.
But he acted and seemed as though he is the presumptive Republican nominee. But he said so many things that if he would become the nominee, could be problematic for him in the general election, on the debt ceiling, on abortion on so many other matters there.
But I think his biggest motivation of all he likes the platform. He likes the audience, those Republican voters who are applauding there in that audience, are his people, if you will, so he's certainly wanted to show that he's back. And he did that in a very big way.
NOBILO: And broadening our horizons from his people. What impression do you think that last night would have left on unaffiliated, undecided voters?
ZELENY: Well, I think it just reminded them of what a long campaign is to come here in the United States. President Biden, right after the town hall, he sent out a short tweet. He said you really want four more years of that. And that really is the central question here.
A Donald Trump has not been a defeated he's very much alive and controlling the Republican Party. Never mind all of the investigations that are still likely to unfold over the coming months.
[08:20:00]
So there are a couple of things happening at once the political campaign of course his legal challenges as well but no of course he did not do anything to broaden his appeal but and that's what frustrated some Republicans because they believe that there are many things he can actually talk about, about the economy, about inflation, about the Afghanistan withdraw other shortcomings of the Biden administration.
The Former President barely mentioned any of that, largely talking about the history, but we should be clear, some Democrats here in the U.S. in the White House is sort of happy about seeing Donald Trump again, because Biden, of course, beat him in 2020, despite what Trump says.
It also showed that Trump is pretty vigorous, he's pretty vibrant. And this campaign should it become one between Trump and Biden once again, could be a race for the ages, Bianca.
NOBILO: The emphasis was largely backward looking, as you point out from the Former President, why does he think that's a successful strategy? Is it just as you say, because we're fairly early on in the campaign, that he's not talking much about policy, what he would do and criticism of the administration.
ZELENY: I just think it's because he probably doesn't have a second act he doesn't have he knows one speed. And that is to defy and deflect and defend and lie frankly, about his previous record. We know the election was not stolen in 2020. He keeps perpetuating that because in many ways, it animates some of his supporters.
So I'm not sure if it's a strategic on his part. More Republicans would find a better a road here to be comparing, himself and drawing a contrast with the current President and the policies of this administration. But he simply has one act, and it works for at least about 47 percent of the country. The question is can he expand any of that a little bit more. But I think last night reminded many voters here in America, that this is not a fait accompli if this is a rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, once again. This is likely to be a very competitive contest, and that is something that thinks some Democrats sort of dismissed Donald Trump. Others say they do so at their own peril.
NOBILO: Jeff Zeleny, thank you so much for joining us for reminding us whatever happens, it is going to be a long campaign. And we'll be right back after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NOBILO: With just three days until Turkey's potentially historic Presidential election, one of four candidates has pulled out of the race Muharrem Ince has withdrawn amid low polling numbers and what he calls a slander campaign against him.
Meanwhile, longtime leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing unprecedented challenges in Sunday's word that could bring his two decades of rule to an end. But as CNN's Jomana Karadsheh shows us win or lose. Erdogan has staked out a distinctive foreign policy, all his own.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Turkey close down this waterway to Russian warships when the war in Ukraine started and it is through here the Bosphorus Strait that Ukrainian grain now flows to the world. It was Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ultimate balancing act, establish some describers pro Ukrainian without being anti-Russian that allowed him to play mediator and help broker a key grain deal between Turkeys warring Black Sea neighbors.
[08:25:00]
Unlocking Ukrainian grain exports and helping to avert a global hunger crisis over the years, Turkish foreign policy has come to resemble the country's President. It's combative with a personal touch. Erdogan has carved out a central role for himself and his country on the world stage.
He meted out soft power with Turkish soap operas and launched a spree of diplomatic missions in capitals long ignored by the West. Erdogan back that with large investments in a growing defense industry that's made Turkey one of the world's top drone manufacturers.
This key NATO member has had an uneasy alliance with its western partners Erdogan's leverage NATO membership for domestically important issues. Most recently, he's held up Sweden's accession to NATO in an attempt to secure cooperation from the Nordic nation on groups Turkey considers terrorists.
Turkey's ongoing economic crisis has forced some diplomatic U turns that were once unthinkable or at one mended ties with oil rich regional foes, bringing in billions of dollars of investment and much needed hard currency. Turkish foreign policy under Erdogan has been full of dramatic twists and turns, crises that may at times have been exacerbated by the President's personality.
But at the heart of these disagreements with allies, or national interests that will remain unchanged, no matter who emerges victorious in these most consequential of elections for a country that wields power and influence far beyond its borders. Jomana Karadsheh, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: Thanks for joining me here on CNN "Newsroom". I'm Bianca Nobilo in London. "World Sport" with Amanda Davies is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:30:00]
