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U.N. Chief "Horrified" By Israeli Strike on Ambulance; Blinken Urges Greater Care in Avoiding Civilian Casualties; U.S. Surveillance Drones Flying Over Gaza to Help with Hostage Search; Nasrallah: U.S. Threats and Intimidation "Pointless"; Eric Trump Wraps Up Testimony In Father's Civil Fraud Trial; Biden Meets with Families of Mass Shooting Victims in Maine; Powerful & Deadly Storm Ciaran Lashes Europe. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired November 04, 2023 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:40]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: A warm welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. It's 5:00 a.m. here in Atlanta, 11:00 a.m. in Gaza where Egyptian sources say more than 700 foreign nationals are expected to leave southern Gaza through the Rafah crossing today. Among that group, nearly 400 Americans, as well as British, French, Germans, and Egyptians.

Now, this news follows Friday's devastating Israel airstrike outside a hospital in Gaza. We just want to warn you, the video we obtained by CNN is graphic.

And the Israeli military admits it struck an ambulance just outside the Al Shifa hospital. The explosion left a scene of carnage and chaos with at least 15 people reported killed. That's according to Hamas-run health authorities.

The IDF says the ambulance was being used by Hamas, which it said has used emergency vehicles to transport fighters and weapons in the past. But Hamas-run health ministry denies the vehicle was being used by Hamas operatives.

The strike happened while the U.S. secretary of state was in Israel to urge for the greater safety of civilians. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: We need to do more to protect Palestinian civilians. Failure to do so plays into the hands of Hamas and other terror groups. There will be no partners for peace if they're consumed by humanitarian catastrophe and alienated by any perceived indifference to their plight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Eleni Giokos is following developments for us from Abu Dhabi. So, Eleni, let's start with the strike on the ambulance convoy,

carrying the injured. What more are we learning about that?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So as you say, Hamas-led ministry of health saying 15 people have been killed, 60 people injured, is the number we're working with right now.

And, look, if you see those images of just the horrors, and aftermath of that strike, we have seen international reaction to that as well. The U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, called this attack horrific. Take a listen to what he had to say.

He said: I am horrified by the reported attacks in Gaza on an ambulance convoy outside Al Shifa Hospital. The images of bodies strewn outside the hospital are harrowing.

Look, what we've seen coming through from Gaza and just the sheer humanitarian impacts because of the Israeli strikes, have been very difficult to watch. It's becoming increasingly untenable, not just for international organizations, with the world watching on, but increasingly so for the United States.

And we had Antony Blinken in Israel, and he was talking with Netanyahu reiterating the point that civilians should not be caught in the middle. The death toll has now reportedly risen to above 9,000.

And, look, Kim, at the end of the day Israel does have an absolute right to defend itself after the gruesome terrorist attack on October 7th, but many are questioning the proportionality. Netanyahu says that there will only be a cease-fire, or perhaps a pause in some way, if there is a total and fall release of the 240-plus hostages currently in Gaza.

But, importantly, Antony Blinken also mentioned something important. He spoke about the tall it is having on children. And he actually had quite an emotional response. I want you to take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLINKEN: I've seen images, too, of Palestinian children, young boys and girls, pulled from the wreckage of buildings. When I see that -- when I look into their eyes through the TV screen, I see my own children. How can we not?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: And he mentions that Hamas is, of course, using children, and civilians as human shields. That has been an important stance coming through from the U.S., as well as from the Israeli government. This is why we are seeing no safe zone in Gaza right now. It is been told for the people in north to move south, but the bombing is continuing in the south. And Gazans are facing a major humanitarian catastrophe playing out in real time.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much, Eleni Giokos, in Abu Dhabi. Appreciate that.

[05:05:00]

Palestinians in Gaza mourn the death of a television correspondent killed Thursday, along with 11 members of his family. Palestine TV said his home was targeted in an airstrike. But on a statement to CNN Saturday, the Israeli military said that it was, quote, not aware of any military activity in the area.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has more, and we just want to warn you, again, some of the images in her report are disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is every journalist's worst nightmare.

While live on-air, this reporter found out his colleague was killed. In his utter despair, he rips off his flak jacket.

There is no protection at all, no international law, nothing, he says. This safety gear, this helmet, it does nothing to keep us safe. These are just slogans. No journalist is protected at all.

Correspondent Mohammed Abu Hatab and 11 of his family members were killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike, Palestine TV reported. He is among at least 33 journalists killed since the start of the conflict on October 7th, the Committee to Protect Journalists says, making it the deadliest period for the news media since the group began tracking in 1992, it said.

Abu Hatab was killed in southern Gaza, the part of the strip the Israeli military tells civilians to flee towards but continues to strike daily. Many families too afraid or unable to evacuate remain here in the north of the strip, where Gaza city is encircled by Israeli troops, the IDF says. And some 300,000 to 400,000 civilians are trapped, the U.N. estimates.

They are stuck in a hellscape. Relentless air strikes and an intensifying ground assault have leveled neighborhoods and left over a thousand children missing under the rubble, humanitarian organizations say. Their parents keep digging for them.

My four children, this father cries. Why, God? Why didn't you let me die? Why?

And there is nowhere to turn for refuge. U.N. shelters where nearby Israeli firepower has claimed lives are no longer safe.

Now many Gazans live on the streets of a war zone.

We are humans. We are not terrorists, he says. Look, we have our children around us. Not even the U.N. shelters can protect us. Only God can protect us.

And with Israeli troops closing in, their plight seems increasingly more precarious.

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Aid agencies are warning that the people of Gaza are running out of supplies. Looking here you can see crowds of people in Khan Younis, waiting in line for food, filling up plastic jugs with water. The director of the main U.N. agency in Gaza says that the situation there keeps getting worse.

Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS WHITE, DIRECTOR, UNRWA AFFAIRS GAZA: We now have over 4,000 people on average, in the hundred and 47 schools that are now operating as shelters. Conditions there are becoming desperate, particularly in terms of sanitation, and access to basic services. People are having to go out on the street, and try to find water, and food, and this is for the whole population in Gaza, really. As food and water is increasingly in short supply. So, the situation continues to get worse here in Gaza.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: A spokesperson for the U.N. says it would cost about $1.2 billion to meet the needs of people in Gaza, and the West Bank and, that is just for the rest of the year.

U.S. officials are predicting the Israeli military will shift tactics, as its ground forces push into Gaza City. Earlier, we spoke with military analyst Malcolm Davis for his take on this part of the operation. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MALCOLM DAVIS, MILITARY ANALYST: Going and consolidate, and exploit their advantages on the ground to actually pursue Hamas deeper into Gaza. And, that could also involve going into the tunnel network, the Gaza Metro as it is called. And I think probably reducing the number of airstrikes, increasing the air surveillance, but reducing the kinetic strikes, probably makes a great deal of sense. And I think that certainly, the United States and others will put pressure on Israel to do that. I think it is a shift that Israel probably could comply with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Israel says it believes that 241 hostages are currently being held by Hamas, and CNN has learned that the U.S. is helping Israel search for them.

CNN's Oren Liebermann reports from the Pentagon.

[05:10:01] (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The U.S. military's flying surveillance drones over Gaza in attempt to provide Israelis with intel about the possible location of hostages and assist in hostage rescue efforts, according to multiple U.S. officials familiar with the operations. These drones have been flying since October 7th, when the U.S. shortly thereafter said it would help Israel in any way it could on intel and planning for a hostage rescue effort.

These drones -- and we don't know what type of drones they are, but these drones have been a part of that. They are unarmed surveillance drones according to the Pentagon, which acknowledged on Friday these operations that are meant to provide intel in the ongoing hostage rescue attempts by flying over southern Gaza.

Take a look at this graphic. That red line -- those numerous red lines, I should say, shows the trajectories and the flight paths of these different drones. You can see them focusing there on southern Gaza over the course of the past several days and weeks.

Now, this coming as the U.S. now has two carrier strike groups in the eastern Mediterranean Sea that have been operating and exercising together. The Defense Department putting out these images of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group and the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group working together in the Eastern Med. They've been exercising together for the past several days.

And then, shortly thereafter, the Pentagon had announced that the Dwight D. Eisenhower will then go through the Suez Canal and be in the waters of U.S. Central Command, the waters of the Middle East, essentially.

This as part of a broader effort not only to deter Iran and Iran's proxies and others from getting involved in the fighting in Gaza, but also to make U.S. forces have force protection. We've seen a number of attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria. So, this is very much part of that effort to show a massive display of firepower and U.S. force in the region.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, in the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Still ahead, for the first time since the war began, some people are finally getting out of Gaza. We'll tell you who is being allowed out.

Plus, we'll hear about the conflict's impact on children in Gaza, and in Israel.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:15:57]

BRUNHUBER: Honduras is the latest country to recall its ambassador to Israel. Honduras announced the decision on Friday, blaming the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza. Colombia, Chile, Jordan and Bahrain also withdraw their ambassadors this week.

The White House says the U.S. embassy in Cairo has helped more than 100 U.S. citizens in family members get out of Gaza. The departures which began on Wednesday are the first since the war between Israel and Hamas began almost a month ago.

And as Melissa Bell reports, many others are still waiting for the chance to leave.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A tired smile, and a wave from one of the lucky few finally able to leave Gaza since the war began.

These families, just some of the first foreign and dual nationals finally permitted through the Rafah crossing into Egypt on Wednesday. The result of a deal brokered by Qatar between Israel, Hamas, Egypt and the United States that will leave all foreign nationals to leave the besieged enclave.

Also allowed to leave under the deal, the first Palestinians, 81 of the most severely wounded, those desperate enough for urgent surgical intervention taken one by one in a convoy of ambulances to a field hospital set up a few miles away and to other hospitals in northern Egypt.

Large crowds of foreign nationals have been amassing at the border, since the start of the conference stated heard they will be allowed out. Families desperately checking to see if they were some of those lucky enough to finally get through.

ISMAIL ABU SHAABANE, AMERICAN-PALESTINIAN (through translator): I am an American living in Gaza. We heard that the crossing was open, but unfortunately we heard that found out it was specific nationalities at the moment. We had to turn back, the cellular network was down, and we were not aware there was a list. We hope to see our names on the list tomorrow or the next day.

BELL: As the only crossing from Gaza to anywhere other than Israel, all eyes have been on Rafah ever since the total siege of the strip was announced by Israel. It is the only way in, and out now, and what has gone in has been painfully little. A further 20 trucks arriving on Wednesday, a drop in the ocean say the government agencies inside.

For some here, it has been days, or even weeks of waiting and praying, with ever to win delaying supplies, and under the constant fear of Israeli strikes. Even here in the south where civilians have been told by the IDF to evacuate. Nowhere in Gaza is safe. So finally, for a small few, a chance to leave, and live again.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Cairo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Aid groups are warning that there is a growing humanitarian crisis inside Gaza. Earlier, our Michael Holmes spoke with UNICEF spokesperson, Ricardo Pires. They discussed how the conflict is impacting children in both Gaza and Israel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICARDO PIRES, SPOKESPERSON, UNICEF: The situation is desperate, it is catastrophic right now, for hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza. We need an immediate him a humanitarian cease-fire, and as well as the release of all of the hostages that were taken from their homes in Israel and taken to Gaza.

Right now, in the Gaza Strip, children are living a relentless nightmare, day after day, bombs, fire attacks, death, grief. It's just unbearable for them. They've been enduring this for way too long, a nightmare that no child should ever have to go through.

We have reportedly now over 3,700 children killed, since October the 7th, 7,000-plus injured, that is an average of over 400 children killed or injured, reportedly, every day, Michael. That is an unacceptable number. It's almost one child every ten minutes.

[05:20:01]

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah.

PIRES: So, with these figures, you can imagine how dire the situation is.

HOLMES: They are staggering numbers, I was reading those earlier. More children have been killed in this conflict and in 18 months of the war in Ukraine. 420 kids a day killed or injured. It is staggering.

Now, Israeli kids as you pointed out, they have been traumatized, of course, 20 being held hostage right now as we speak.

But UNICEF said that before this latest escalation, more than 800,000 kids in Gaza, that is three quarters of the entire child population, were identified as needing mental health and psychological supports. That, again, was before this conflict. We know the deaths, we know the injuries. That is and what will be the psychological impact of this war on kids, for probably years to come?

PIRES: It's already very heavy, Michael, you can imagine that children are like sponges. So, they absorb a lot of what is happening around, them in their environments. Children in Gaza, but also in Israel, have been enduring decades -- their successors, their parents, decades and decades of tensions in the region, intensity, conflicts, different rounds of conflict.

And these children now in Gaza, the 800,000 that you mentioned. Three quarters of the child population. They are experiencing nothing else but fear -- fear, grief, loss, insecurity and confusion, obviously.

So, before this escalation, three out of her children were already vulnerable, and reportedly in need of mental health support. We can only imagine what the situation is. Now it is only getting worse, and it will have a very long term impact on a whole generation of children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right. Still to come, the U.S. secretary of state met with Israeli officials urging them to minimize civilian deaths in Gaza, but Israel's prime minister is rejecting calls for a cease-fire unless his conditions are met.

Plus, as the war in Gaza takes the spotlight and resources away from Ukraine a look at how Moscow is gaining from the fight in the Middle East.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:25:41]

BRUNHUBER: And welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and, all around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber. Our coverage of the Israel-Hamas war continues this hour with where the more than 700 foreign nationals are expected to exit Gaza into Egypt in the hours ahead. That's according to unofficial Egyptian source.

Meanwhile, there is more international outrage to an airstrike outside of a Gaza hospital on Friday morning. We warn you the video is graphic.

The U.N. secretary general called the carnage horrific. Hamas-run health authorities said the blast killed 15 people and wounded 60 others. Israel says it struck an ambulance because it was being used by what it calls Hamas terror cell. But the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza rejected the Israelis' assertions, saying a driver and a paramedic were injured.

And tensions continue to flare across the Israel-Lebanon. The IDF says it struck two terrorist cells who were attempting to fire into Israel from Lebanon. Israel says it also struck a Hezbollah observation post.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is now in Jordan, where he just met with the Qatari prime minister, and minister of foreign affairs. Qatar has been a key player in hostage negotiations with Hamas. Blinken will also sit down with officials from Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt.

He met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday. Netanyahu says he won't agree to a cease-fire in Gaza unless Hamas releases all of its hostages.

Sources tell CNN Israeli officials have been frustrated with Hamas releasing one or two at a time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I clarify that we Israel is going with all of its force, and refused to any cease-fire which does not include bringing back our hostages.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN's Becky Anderson has more on Blinken's trip

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arriving in Tel Aviv on Friday with a forceful message. America's top diplomat reinforced Washington's support for Israel's right to defend itself after the brutal October 7th Hamas attacks. But he also said this.

BLINKEN: How Israel does this matters, and it is very important that when it comes to the protection of civilians who are caught in the crossfire of Hamas' making, that everything be done to protect them and bring assistance to those who desperately need it.

ANDERSON: In his meeting with Israel's war cabinet, Blinken pushed for a humanitarian pause to help get the hostages released, some of whom are American citizens.

BLINKEN: A number of legitimate questions were raised in our discussions today, including how to use any period of pause to maximize the flow of humanitarian assistance, how to connect a pause to the release of hostages, how to ensure that Hamas doesn't use these pauses or arrangements to its own advantage.

ANDERSON: But after meeting with Blinken, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted his government opposes any temporary cease-fire unless Hamas frees all the hostages. And sources tell CNN the defense minister directly told Blinken there will be no pause without their release. Those directly involved in the Qatar-led talks say negotiators need a, quote, period of calm to facilitate the hostage release.

MAJED AL-ANSARI, SPOKESPERSON, QATAR MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Obviously, when there is bombardment, constant bombardment on the sector, you can't even expect for the hostages to be safely from one place to another. So the best situation for us, the best scenario would be a period of calm, a considerable period of calm that would allow for the hostages to be taken out of Gaza, but at the same time would allow for humanitarian aid to go in.

ANDERSON: Blinken has left Israel, and the fate of the hostages remains far from certain.

Becky Anderson, CNN, Doha.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: Michael Oren, Israel's former ambassador to the U.S., spoke to CNN's John King earlier, and gave his perspective on Netanyahu's response to the secretary of state.

[05:30:01]

Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: What do you take away from the fact that Prime Minister Netanyahu appeared to say no to Secretary of State Blinken after he visited today?

MICHAEL OREN, ISRAEL'S FORMER AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: Not surprising, because among the Israeli population, the notion of a humanitarian pause is very unpopular. Keep in mind, we have the families of 240 hostages, who have been taken by Hamas. The humanitarian system, if you will, in Gaza is their only leverage to get back from Hamas, some indication of the whereabouts of their loved ones. Even whether their loved ones are in captivity, many of the families do not know if her loved ones are missing, to have the Red Cross visit the hostages, really Israel will have no leverage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The leader of Hezbollah says that the United States is fully responsible for the war in Gaza. Speaking Friday, Hassan Nasrallah, reiterated a call for a cease-fire and warned that, quote, all scenarios are of a possible on the border with Israel where Hezbollah is based.

Our Ben Wedeman has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They turned out in the thousands to hear their leader, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, speaking out for the first time since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.

All options, he warned, are open, and we can exercise them at any moment.

Already, Hezbollah and Israel are engaged in a deadly exchange of fire along the border.

Hezbollah has buried almost 60 of its fighters killed so far. It was a speech watched closely across the Middle East. While other Arab leaders besieged the U.S. to put pressure on Israel to relent in its offensive in Gaza, Hezbollah, well-armed and battle hardened, is the only one putting military pressure on Israel.

Tying down in the process, Nasrallah claimed, a third of Israel's army. The U.S. has deployed two carrier groups to the Eastern Mediterranean to deter Hezbollah and others from joining the fight. Nasrallah's response? I tell the Americans threats and intimidation

against us and the resistance in the region are pointless.

But despite the high expectations for the speech, it ended ambiguously, without a clear indication of where Hezbollah and Iran's other allies in the region will go. In the lead-up to the speech, Hezbollah supporters put out what some called trailers with an ominous tone of what might be coming.

After the speech, the word here in Lebanon was that the trailers were better than the film.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: As Hezbollah steps up its war of words, its main sponsor Iran, is calling for the fighting to stop. Iran's foreign minister spoke with his Russian counterpart over the phone on Friday, and Moscow says they agreed on a need for a cease-fire, and for urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

For more, I'm joined by Hamidreza Azizi, a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, and he is speaking with us from Berlin.

Thanks so much for joining us here.

So, Israel and Russia had been, you know, relatively close, for example, Israel had offered some diplomatic support to Ukraine, but no weapons.

Are you surprised to see Russia seemingly more supportive of the Palestinian cause here?

HAMIDREZA AZIZI, VISITING FELLOW, GERMAN INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL AND SECURITY AFFAIRS: Very surprising I think, but it is important to note that for Russia what is happening in Gaza, and the war there, is more seen as some source of global conflict, rather than a local, or even a regional one, because if you look at the statements coming from Russian officials, they see basically an opportunity to blame the U.S. for what is happening there. And in doing so, I think they also try to create some resemblance with the narrative that they have been promoting with regard to Ukraine. Basically, it's the U.S. provocation, quote/unquote, that, you know, caused the war in Ukraine.

So in that sense I think it goes beyond Israel. The Russians are well aware, that it's kind of the reminder of the relationship with Israel is at stake. But there are stats of opportunities that the Russians fear in this current situation.

First one is strategic of course, in the sense that, you know, the more Western, or U.S. resources are being diverted from Ukraine to Israel, is better for Russia, of course. This is something that would cause the Russians to be having with the protracted conflict there.

[05:35:00] Then there is the diplomatic push by Russians in order to advocate their own cause, for something like -- I mean, in a way, championing the Palestinian cause among the Global South and the Muslim countries. And with regard to that, the third element would be the public opinion maneuvering, in order to win the hearts of the Muslim, and the Global South people, and to reach out to their domestic audience to see look, this is the more that is caused by the U.S. exactly like what is happening in Ukraine.

So, we are just defending ourselves, exactly like the Palestinians are doing in their own fight with Israel.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. So, obviously, so, Ukraine looms large in this if they can siphon any material support away from supplying Ukraine, because, of course, the U.S. and other allies have been struggling already to supply some weapons to them. How much does this have to do with Iran do you think? Israel's enemy has become one of Russia's key weapons suppliers.

AZIZI: Yeah, of course, you know, it can be one of the causes of the current trend. But more importantly, one of the results of what Russia has decided to do in terms of what to do with its strategic moves, vis-a-vis the war in Gaza. Why I'm saying this, because, you know, basically, what is happening on the ground is that as a result of Russian positions, for example, Israel and Ukraine seem to be getting closer to each other. There are reports that President Zelenskyy will travel to Israel next week.

And on the other side, you know, the Russians are, I think, quite well aware of wider implications of this. But then, you know, the relationship that they have had with Iran, has been through some sort of qualitative change I would say. Before it was like Iran relying on Russia for infrastructure, military support, et cetera. Now, it has become a two-way street.

So, the Russians also need to accommodate Iranian kind of goals and an interest. And that is the Iranian factor, and so called acts of resistance supported by Iran comes to play. So, even if -- at the highest level, there is no strategic or informed decisions based on a strategic considerations why the Russians to decide with Iran, I think this is the result of the current conflict, and Russia's positioning vis-a-vis the war in Gaza.

BRUNHUBER: You talked about this, and I want to expand on it a little bit more, the last concrete aspect, the battle of the narratives that you were talking about. Explain a bit more about how Russia is trying to capitalize on that front?

AZIZI: Well, on the one hand, you have Russia tries to use this opportunity to, kind of claim that the U.S. proposals for, the resolution of the Palestinian-Israel conflict is one-sided. That is what they are basically doing, already, the U.N. Security Council saying that we have encountered the kind of measures that are more balanced and fair.

And I think they are clear-eyed about the very little to zero chance of the success of their initiatives. But, then, again, that plays well into the Arab and global public, and at least some parts of the elite.

So this is one aspect of that, and related to that, but more broadly, it is about the long-standing Russian narrative of the kind of unipolarism by the United States, being the root cause of the conflicts in the region, from Ukraine, to the Israeli conflicts. So, that's what they are trying to promote. You can see that in the media, you can see it in the statements coming from President Putin, for example, coming from Mr. Lavrov, the foreign minister. So, that's the line of the narrative.

And in the Middle East, for example, Iranians quite embrace that and the same more or less with some of other countries in the region, I think.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, certainly an appealing message to many. I want -- I want to finish on that propaganda angle. You know, here in the U.S., there is so much political turmoil over the aid to Israel, as well as, it's generally, it's pitted Americans who support, you know, the Palestinians, against those who back Israel.

Russia, of course, has been known to try and amplify divisions here in the U.S., using online disinformation, troll farms, and so on. Might we see that in this arena as well do you think?

AZIZI: To some extent, yes, especially in the Russian language media. But it is more directed to the domestic audience, as far as I can see, because, you know, actually the Ukraine war, basically, showed the limits and restrictions of Russia's media propaganda.

[05:40:12]

I mean, in social media yes, but more broadly speaking, it didn't, kind of, cause the benefits that Russia would expect, for example, in Europe and other countries. So basically, it is a two-pronged strategy I would say. Using the official media, the Russian language media to promote and establish the narrative within the Russian population on the one side, and on the other hand, to use social media platforms, to also support this political kind of position, that they are taking in this case, specifically saying about the Gaza war, their own populists around the war. So, that's how easy it is.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Listen, we'll have to leave it there. We appreciate your expertise on this.

Hamidreza Azizi, thanks so much for being here with us.

Donald Trump's son Eric took the stand for a second day of testimony of his father's civil fraud trial. We'll have details on that, and when the former president will take the stand himself. That's coming up ahead on CNN.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Temporary freeze on a gag order that kept Donald Trump from speaking out about his federal election subversion case. The former president can now publicly criticize potential witnesses in the criminal proceeding.

Also on Friday, the judge overseeing Trump's civil fraud trial expanded the gag order in those proceedings to include Trump's attorneys, and Donald Trump's son Eric finished up his testimony.

Kara Scannell has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Eric Trump wraps his testimony on Friday after being on the stand for four hours, over two days. In his testimony, he stood by the accuracy of these financial statements, something that the judge has already found to be fraudulent.

[05:45:01]

Eric Trump testifying that after he was comforted by lawyers and accountants, that these financial statements were, quote, perfect. He said he was more than happy to sign them, adding he wouldn't have signed anything that was inaccurate.

Now, the judge also extended the gag order in this case to attorneys, saying that they cannot make references both in court, and outside of court, about any of the confidential communications the judge has with his staff. This is after Trump's lawyers have raised questions of potential bias with the judge's clerk, passing notes to him during the trial and during testimony.

Next on the stand will be Donald Trump. And Eric Trump after leaving court says that his father's more than ready.

ERIC TRUMP, SON OF DONALD TRUMP: My father is certainly going to be here. I know he's very fired up to be here, and he thinks that this is one of the most incredible injustices that he's ever seen, and it truly is.

SCANNELL: Trump's testimony is said to last all day Monday. Next up will be Ivanka Trump. She is scheduled to testify on Wednesday, and after that, the New York attorney general's office will rest their case.

Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: On Friday, President Biden and the first lady were in Lewiston, Maine, meeting with the families of last week's mass shooting victims. The gunman opened fire in a bowling alley and a restaurant, killing 18 people, before he was found dead apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

CNN's Omar Jimenez has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Even though it's been more than a week since these shootings, the pain is still very raw for so many in this community. That was the climate that President Biden was visiting over the course of Friday. He met with first responders, nurses, others that were on the front lines of responding to the pair of shootings that happened a little bit more than a week ago now. You can't go far in this Lewiston community and the surrounding areas without seeing signs of support, even just behind me where I am outside the bowling alley, which was the first site of where the mass shootings happened that night.

We've got signs of support, saying Lewiston strong, saying things simply like "be nice", acknowledging the climate and the pain so many are going through still even at this point. Eighteen people killed total in these shootings, and their families are still trying to figure out how to process.

Now, President Biden, along with meeting with first responders, he also met with members of some of the victims' families. He also took some moments to make some remarks about his visit. Take a listen to some of what he said in regards to the political climate around some of these mass shootings.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know consensus is ultimately possible. This is about common sense, reasonable and responsible measures to protect our children, our families, our communities, because regardless of our politics, this is about protecting our freedom to go to a bowling alley, a restaurant, a school, a church without being shot and killed.

JIMENEZ: And another thing the president talked about is how he's had to make too many of these visits before, including in places like Buffalo and Uvalde and, of course, now here in Lewiston, Maine.

One thing we heard from a community member ahead of his visit about whether they wanted him to be here, they said they were glad he was here because it showed that the highest levels of the U.S. government cared about what happened here in Lewiston.

And another thing that my crew and I have heard overwhelmingly, even in the hours after the shooting actually happened a little over a week ago at this point, is that they couldn't believe something like this happened here in Maine. And I say that because when you look at their yearly homicides across the state, that number is comparable to the amount of people that were lost in a single night in this community.

And that gives you an idea of the shock but also the amount that they're actually having to process over what happened, again, in just a matter of minutes at two separate locations, here at this bowling alley and just a few miles from me at that bar and restaurant as well.

Every indication we have seen has shown that they have banded together in the face of this adversity, and they are going to try and move forward, stronger together. That's why you can't go far in this community without seeing symbols like the state of Maine and a heart over where we are in Lewiston to represent the love and the strength they will have for each other moving forward.

Omar Jimenez, CNN, Lewiston, Maine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: People in northwestern Nepal are assessing the damage after a strong earthquake struck the region, killing dozens and injuring even more. We'll have details after the break.

Stay with us.

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[05:53:26]

BRUNHUBER: In Nepal, a strong earthquake has killed at least 129 people and injured 140. And officials expect the death toll to rise. The U.S. Geological Survey reports the quake was a magnitude 5.6, with the epicenter in the western region of the country.

People felt the tremors as far away the capital of Kathmandu, about 500 kilometers or 300 miles from the center. This is the strongest quake to hit Nepal since 2015 when at least 9,000 are killed.

And hours after the disaster, Nepal's prime minister visited the area near the epicenter, and spoke with a number of the victims. And India's prime minister is offering his condolences for the earthquake victims.

At least six people were killed in Tuscany Italy on Thursday, after torrential rain and strong winds from the storm named Ciaran, tore through the region.

CNN's Chad Myers has more on this storm, and another that's close behind.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: The first major storm of the year, Ciaran, and that was the name that came through with 184 kilometer- per-hour winds, also some rainfall totals almost up to a quarter of a meter. But here's Tuscany. The flooding in Tuscany, where the center of Ciaran never got closer than 600 kilometers from there. How did that happen?

Well, the waves and all the wind really in France and also into the U.K., but the storm itself is to the west of Copenhagen. But notice what happened down here in a very warm Mediterranean Sea. The cold front came through Tuscany, and it just rained for hours and hours and hours without end.

[05:55:00]

And that's how we got so much rainfall down there.

Now, look at this, 237 millimeters of rainfall, the top number I can find so far. But more reports are still coming in. The wind, I think we probably have the biggest number at 184. I mean, that's really a short shoot in a formula 1 car. That is really, really going fast there, 120 miles per hour.

Now, there's the next storm on the way already and may be affecting you depending on where you are. There is the low pressure. It is Domingo, the next named storm. It isn't nearly as strong as Ciaran, thank goodness. But it will still bring heavy rainfall and gusty independent winds.

Winds could be 100 kilometers per hour, especially west of Bordeaux, along the headlands there. Some of the areas that are very rocky, that coastal rocky surfaces, just smashing waves into the shore, and much of the rainfall there as well, even into parts of Lisbon and Portugal could see some rainfall.

And let me tell you, they could really use it there. Someone else that can really use this precipitation is the Alps. And yes, there will be snow in the Alps. This is a much colder storm than the one that just came through.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right. That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Kim Brunhuber. For viewers in North America, CNN THIS MORNING is next. For the rest of the world, it's "AMERICAN VOICES PLAYMAKERS", next.