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CNN International: Israeli Forces Kill Three in West Bank Hospital Raid; Current and Former NHL Players Face Sexual Assault Charges; Boris Nadezhdin Submits Presidential Paperwork in Russian Election; Woman Clings to Car as Suspects Speed off with Her Dog. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired January 31, 2024 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Bianca Nobilo. And if you're just joining us, here are some of today's top stories.

A U.S. House committee voted just a few hours ago to advance articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Republicans accuse him of failing to enforce U.S. immigration policies at the southern border, so the measure now moves to a vote by the full House.

France is a step closer to enshrining abortion rights in its constitution. The French lower house of Parliament passed a historic bill on Tuesday by overwhelming margins, nearly 504 and 30 against. The bill now moves to the more conservative Senate, where it isn't guaranteed to pass.

And a Thai court has ordered the country's most popular political party to stop campaigning to change the kingdom's notoriously strict royal defamation law. The penalty for insulting Thai royalty is up to 15 years in jail.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: New details on a story we first brought you this time yesterday, that Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in a raid on a West Bank hospital.

Israel is now defending the raid with the military's chief of staff saying they'll not allow hospitals to become, quote, a cover for terrorism. CNN's Jeremy Diamond has our report and a warning, some of the images are graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Israeli forces disguised as civilians and medical staff storming a hospital in the occupied West Bank. Weapons drawn. As they move through the hospital corridor, one man is temporarily detained. Shouts of army, army ring out through the hospital corridor.

Several are wearing hijabs. Two of the operatives could even be mistaken for new parents. Baby carrier in tow. A dozen Israeli forces infiltrated the Ibn Sina hospital in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, killing three Palestinian militants affiliated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The Israeli military claiming this man, Mohammed Jalamneh, planned to carry out a terrorist attack in the immediate future without providing any details.

In a statement, the Israeli military said: For a long time, wanted suspects have been hiding in hospitals and using them as a base for planning terrorist activities and carrying out terror attacks, while they assume that the exploitation of hospitals will serve as protection against counterterrorism activities of Israeli security forces.

Legal experts say the Israeli commandos may have violated international law by disguising themselves as civilians and medical personnel. One of the men targeted, Basel Al-Ghazawi, was being treated for injuries from a rocket explosion. The hospital said he was sleeping in his bed when he was killed.

He and his brother Mohammad, also killed by Israeli commandos in the same hospital room, were affiliated with Islamic Jihad. The Israeli military said one of the men carried this gun but did not say their troops had been fired upon.

NAJI NAZZAL, IBN SINA HOSPITAL DIRECTOR (through translator): They killed the three youth, Basel and Mohammed Al-Ghazawi and Mohammed Jalamneh in the room while they were sleeping on their beds in the room. They killed them with cold blood, with direct gun shots to the head.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Fierce battles later broke out in Jenin, where the Israeli military has been cracking down on Palestinian militant groups, killing at least 381 Palestinians in the West Bank since Hamas's October 7th attacks, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: The U.N. Secretary General held a meeting with 35 donor nations, including the US, on Tuesday. This is amid the fallout over Israel's allegations that some members of the U.N.'s main relief agency in Gaza were involved in the October 7th Hamas attack, including the U.S., on Tuesday.

This is amid the fallout over Israel's allegations that some members of the U.N.'s main relief agency in Gaza were involved in the October 7th Hamas attacks. The U.N. says the Secretary General is expected to brief donor countries on the actions being taken since those allegations, listen to their concerns, and also stress the critical humanitarian work that UNRWA does in Gaza.

FOSTER: It comes after more than a dozen countries halted funding to UNRWA since the allegations emerged. The U.S. envoy to the U.N. says the agency needs to make fundamental changes before Washington can resume funding.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: We need to look at the organization, how it operates in Gaza, how they manage their staff, and to ensure that people who commit criminal acts, such as these 12 individuals, are held accountable immediately so that UNRWA can continue the essential work that it is doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Meantime, the U.N.'s Humanitarian Coordination Forum is warning that a pause in funding to UNRWA could be catastrophic for more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza.

FOSTER: In a statement they said withdrawing funds from UNRWA is perilous and would result in the collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza with far-reaching humanitarian and human rights consequences. The world can't abandon the people of Gaza.

NOBILO: Four NHL players are expected to surrender to Canadian police in the coming days to face sexual assault charges. A former player has already done so, and they were all part of Canada's World Junior Hockey team at the time of the alleged incident back in 2018.

FOSTER: Some of the details only came to light in 2022 during parliamentary hearings involving the sports governing body Hockey Canada. CNN's Paula Newton has more from Ottawa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One former and four current NHL hockey players are facing charges relating to an alleged sexual assault that apparently took place in June 2018. Now we have reached out to these players and have statements from their lawyers. Now charged with sexual assault are Michael McLeod and Cal Foote from the New Jersey Devils, Carter Hart from the Philadelphia Flyers, and Alex Formenton who played for the Ottawa Senators and was then playing in the European Pro Leagues.

All four have taken leave of absences from their teams and through their lawyers have indicated that they say they have no criminal wrongdoing here, that they will fight these charges and plead not guilty.

Now Hockey Canada weighed in on these allegations in June of 2022 when they were forced to appear in parliamentary hearings here in Ottawa and admitted that they knew about the alleged incident within 24 hours, that they alerted police, that they as well launched an investigation, but they also added that they settled a civil lawsuit with the alleged victim back in 2022.

Now after a national outcry, London police agreed to reopen the investigation. They say they will have more on these charges in the first week of February.

Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Leaders from top social media companies will testify in Washington today over claims their apps are harmful to teens. The CEOs from X, TikTok, Snap, Discord and Meta are expected to defend themselves by presenting safeguards put in place to keep minors safe online.

NOBILO: It will be the first time many of the executives have ever had to testify before Congress, but Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is a pro at this point. Parents and advocacy groups are worried social media can drive teens to depression or suicidal thoughts and that the response from these companies falls short of the change that they feel is required.

FOSTER: Of course, last time TikTok appeared before that committee, all the TikToks were about how out of touch all the politicians were, so asking questions, very strange questions.

NOBILO: And also remember, when Zuckerberg appeared, it was the same thing, that politicians always appear notoriously out of touch with technology. So maybe they've done more prep this time.

FOSTER: International visitors attending the Summer Olympics in Paris this year will be able to more easily navigate the city thanks to new translation devices. The city is providing public transport workers with more than 3,000 AI-powered devices.

NOBILO: The handheld equipment can translate between French and 16 different languages. The text will appear on a screen as well as being said out loud. The service is expected to remain in place after the Olympics, which runs from July 26th to August 11th.

That's very interesting. Do you think that the learning of languages is going to extinguish over the coming decades with all this new AI technology?

FOSTER: I'm also kind of thinking about Parisians having a reputation for not speaking a foreign language when they could, because they're all very good at languages, but they like to speak French.

[04:40:00]

NOBILO: The U.S. space shuttle Endeavour is retired from service, but it looks like it's preparing for a new trip into orbit, and that is because the California Science Center lifted the shuttle into launch position next to two booster rockets and an external fuel tank. It will become an exhibition in a future wing of that center.

Endeavour made 25 successful missions into space and carried the first U.S. part of the International Space Station.

FOSTER: Will you visit?

NOBILO: Where is it? Is it in Florida? California? I might. If it was in Florida, I definitely would, because that's where my parents are.

FOSTER: Britain's Queen Camilla hosted a reception at Windsor Castle to celebrate authors and illustrators involved in the creation of a new modern-day miniature library.

NOBILO: A miniature library? Meaning it's --

FOSTER: A miniature one.

NOBILO: OK, go ahead.

FOSTER: You'll learn from this. The event was to mark the 100th anniversary of Queen Mary's Doll's House, which is a very famous exhibition there. Malorie Blackman, Alan Bennett, Julia Donaldson were among some of the notable names to contribute their own miniature manuscripts to the collection. Queen Camilla was also presented with her own miniature book.

I mean, it is quite incredible, that Doll's House. It's exact replicas of everything, including crowns and everything.

NOBILO: It's a bit of joy in artistry, isn't it, in a gloomy world?

FOSTER: Yes.

NOBILO: I rate that.

And Broadway is bidding farewell to the legendary singer, dancer and actress, Chita Rivera, who died Tuesday, at the age of 91.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHITA RIVERA, SINGER DANCER, ACTRESS: Let's not make more trouble Let's make love ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: The two-time Tony Award winner starred in Kiss of the Spider Woman, Bye Bye Birdie and Chicago.

FOSTER: But she was perhaps most famous for playing Anita in West Side Story. Rivera received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama, as well as a prestigious Kennedy Center honor. Her daughter says she died after a brief illness.

Now, Russia has a new candidate for President, and he's no fan of the war in Ukraine either. What he's promising to do on his first day in office, if he defeats Vladimir Putin, is that likely?

NOBILO: Unlikely. Will him or will Clare? I have plenty of questions.

[04:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: The race for president in Russia. Is it really race? Well, it appears to be getting its first opposition candidate at least.

Boris Nadezhdin is submitting the 100,000 signatures needed to qualify. He says he's collected twice that number.

NOBILO: Nadezhdin says if elected, he will guarantee safety for Vladimir Putin, keep him away from a war crimes tribunal in The Hague and make sure that he gets his pension.

Let's bring in CNN's Clare Sebastian to delve into this. Clare, I'm sure our viewers are no stranger to what usually happens to vocal opposition to Vladimir Putin. We all know the story of Alexey Navalny.

How is Boris Nadezhdin getting away with this? Is it possible that he is approved of by the Kremlin, some sort of plant?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, he's been asked that question a lot of times. I asked him that question when I spoke to him last week. He says that, look, the reaction to his campaign, and we've seen over the past couple of weeks, people lining up outside headquarters all across Russia and cities outside of Russia trying to add their signatures so that he would get the right amount. He now says he has it. He says that is real. He says his popularity is growing.

And the question of why he's allowed to do what he's doing. His manifesto calls the war in Ukraine a fatal mistake. Appears to be, you know, in his view, some kind of effort to thread the needle. He's been moving in Russian political circles for a number of years. He was an MP. He says he knows Putin.

I actually asked him this question when I spoke to him last week. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: People have been arrested and sent to prison in Russia for a lot less than that. Why are you getting away with this?

BORIS NADEZHDIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't know. I don't know exactly why I'm not arrested.

I know Putin very well from the 90s, even when he was not a president. He was a normal Russian bureaucrat, and I was a normal Russian bureaucrat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN (on camera): So, the situation we're in now is that it's out of his hands. He says he's collected double the number of signatures needed. There are strict rules at the Central Election Commission. On paper, it's their decision. They have 10 days to review it.

But this, you know, him arriving at the Central Election Commission headquarters, this anti-war candidate who seems to have ignited this level of support, this sort of flash of dissent, albeit very orderly, no protest, anything like that. This, you know, could become an iconic image in this election.

I think the big question here, this is a big litmus test as to how far the Kremlin is going to allow this to go. They have said they don't see him as a rival. And what they want to get out of this election, because, of course, this is not a democratic society, and the purpose of this election is not to elect a new leader.

So, is this a legitimizing exercise for Putin? Is he trying to run against an anti-war candidate to secure some kind of mandate? I think those are the questions that this decision on whether he gets on the ballot to start with will really help us understand.

FOSTER: But not just a mandate, someone he can argue with and put his point of view across with during the campaign.

SEBASTIAN: I don't expect to see much of that. Putin is not going to take part in debates. I don't think it's going to be that kind of campaign. I think it's more about his managing public opinion, whether or not he allows Russians to hope for some kind of political life.

In fact, Nadezhda's name in Russian actually comes from the word for hope, which is something that Russians have obviously latched onto.

NOBILO: This is a really interesting idea, like you say, about mandate. You would think that an anti-war candidate in Russia would spell trouble for Putin, but if he can decisively trounce him in an election, it does provide that mandate.

Or is it, as you're intimating, a version of safety valve theory? Give people the opportunity to feel like they're involved in a democratic process and have that outlet, which makes things easier for him. So interesting. Thank you. We know you'll be following it as time goes on, Clare.

FOSTER: Still to come, a Carnaval cruise ship rescues two men stranded in the Gulf of Mexico who manage to stay afloat in a kayak.

NOBILO: And look at this terrifying ride through the streets of Los Angeles. We'll tell you what made this woman hop onto the hood of this speeding car.

FOSTER: I need to know.

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: We're sitting soft for a change.

NOBILO: We are. We've moved to the couch. We're keeping it casual, informal, chilled.

FOSTER: For the stories in the spotlight this hour.

A Carnival cruise ship rescued two men floating in a kayak in the Gulf of Mexico. Carnival says team members spotted the men on Monday and quickly rescued them off the coast of an island in Mexico.

NOBILO: The men were evaluated by Carnival's medical staff and given first aid and food. They were later transferred to Mexican Navy officials who said that the men told them they'd left Cuba on Sunday on a ship that sank and then they used the kayak to stay afloat.

Celine Dion is living with stiff person syndrome, a rare, incurable neurological disorder that has put her performing career on hold.

FOSTER: Yes, the Canadian Grammy winner is releasing a new documentary that chronicles her battle with the disease. Dion posted that she's learning to manage the condition but not let it define her, adding that she misses performing and is optimistic that one day she'll be able to take the stage again.

NOBILO: Lastly for you this hour, a shocking video shows the lengths that one woman went to in hopes of saving her dog. You can see her clinging to the hood of this white car as it speeds down the street. Take a look at that.

[04:55:00]

Inside the vehicle was her beloved French bulldog taken by suspected thieves.

FOSTER: A very confused bulldog. This happened in Los Angeles. The woman says she was eating on a patio with a dog, Onyx, when it grabbed -- when a woman grabbed her and took off.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, I didn't know what to do and I didn't want the car to drive away so I ran and stood in front of it and they drove into me and I fell on top of their -- the hood and just started to like grab on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Police say the alleged victim received minor injuries when she eventually fell off the car.

That's the dog. The suspects got away with Onyx but the woman is still hoping to get him back.

NOBILO: I know. She didn't even get the dog back after all of that.

FOSTER: She definitely deserved to get the dog back.

NOBILO: So, we both have pets and we were discussing with our producer this morning. Should we show our pets to our wonderful viewers?

FOSTER: Who goes first? Actually guess. Who's this?

NOBILO: Guess who do you think that belongs to? You can tell us. You don't have much time to tell us. I'll tell you. That's mine. She's called Luna and she's gorgeous. And that's Max's dogs. Who's this? FOSTER: This is Bam Bam. Bam Bam is a Pomapoo.

NOBILO: And this is?

FOSTER: This is a very graceful Mini.

FOSTER: And you actually have a third dog but you don't think they're very photogenic.

FOSTER: Well, I was looking for pictures and these two came to me first.

NOBILO: So, the crux here is how far would you go to protect your dogs?

FOSTER: Well, it depends if my daughter or son were in the house. Because Bam Bam belongs to my daughter. And if anyone laid a finger on him it would be the end of the world.

NOBILO: Yes.

FOSTER: I would be forced to cling on to the bonnet. Mini would be the same situation with my son.

NOBILO: You need to start going to the gym if you want to be clinging on to bonnets like Spiderman --

FOSTER: I better get training.

NOBILO: -- I think. I, as we discussed earlier, would irreparably maim but not do anything fatal to anyone.

FOSTER: You've really thought about that. You've intellectualized your dog napping culprits.

NOBILO: Yes, and I just think you can't be a good person if you're doing that. So what else are they up to? You need to take them out.

FOSTER: Thanks for joining us with the pets. I'm Max Foster.

NOBILO: And I'm Bianca Nobilo. "EARLY START" is up next right here on CNN.

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