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CNN International: U.S. Pres. Biden: Hopeful For Ceasefire In Gaza By Monday; Israel Working On Way To Get Aid Into Northern Gaza Quickly; France Hosts International Conference On Aid To Ukraine; Now: Polls Open In Michigan Primaries; Push For Michigan Dems To Vote "Uncommitted" In Primary Today; Iran Prepares To Elect New Members To Assembly Of Experts; Residents Fight Over Ration Packs On Gaza Beach; Protesting Farmers Take To The Streets Across Europe; Source: Prince William Pulls Out Event Due To Personal Matter; Taylor's Swift's Father Accused Of Punching Photographer. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired February 27, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00]
AMARA WALKER, CNN HOST: Hi, everyone, and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Amara Walker. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
Just ahead, U.S. President Joe Biden says he is hopeful of a ceasefire in Gaza by Monday. We are live in Tel Aviv with the surprised reaction from Israeli officials. Plus, both Mr. Biden and former President Trump face a key test as polls open in the Michigan primaries today.
And anger in the streets. Europe's farmers are out in full force again. We're going to speak to one farmer about what they are fighting for.
The U.S. president says he is hopeful for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas by Monday that could allow for the release of more hostages. Joe Biden spoke to reporters while visiting an ice cream shop with comedian Seth Meyers there on the right in New York.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you give us a sense of when you think that ceasefire will start, sir?
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I hope by the beginning of the weekend, I mean the end of the weekend. At least my national security adviser tells me that we're close. We're close. We're not done yet. And my hope is by next Monday, we'll have a ceasefire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: Officials from the U.S., Israel, Egypt and Qatar met in Doha on Monday to discuss the finer points of a potential deal. Mr. Biden has warned that Israel risks losing support on the international stage as the death toll continues to rise in Gaza.
Meantime, Israel says it is working on a way to get aid into northern Gaza as quickly as possible. It comes amid reports of widespread hunger there and a breakdown in civil order.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond joining us now from Tel Aviv with the very latest. First off, Jeremy, what are officials, especially in Israel, saying about these comments from President Biden?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Amara, it's clear that progress is being made, but no one is quite as optimistic as the U.S. president. An Israeli official telling us this morning that they were surprised to hear President Biden's timeline for a deal on a potential ceasefire and the release of hostages by next Monday.
They don't know what the president was basing his assessment on. And at the same time, we're also hearing very similar comments from Hamas. Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official saying on Arab television that the leaks that have come out about the negotiations portray in his view, a false sense of progress.
Of course, these are the two parties that are negotiating this deal. And both of them, of course, have incentives to try and portray the talks in different ways. Some of this could, of course, be posturing, but the Qatari foreign ministry is also not sharing quite as far on President Biden's optimism about these talks.
They said that there is a positive trajectory to the negotiations and that they hope to announce an agreement before Ramadan, but they are also making clear that they are not going to comment on President Biden's assessment of next Monday, an indication that perhaps they don't quite share that very same level of optimism.
Now, we do know that about this agreement could potentially see the release of about 40 hostages over the course of about six weeks. Israel is pushing for that to include what we believe to be five Israeli female soldiers who are also being held. And we do know that from sources briefed on these talks, that Hamas does appear to be backing off some of their key demands, including this initial agreement leading to an end to this war altogether, the full withdrawal of Israeli forces.
And they also seem to be demanding fewer Palestinian prisoners to be released as part of this agreement, but it's also clear that major obstacles still do indeed remain and that these two parties have yet to actually reach an agreement.
But the talks are still ongoing. We understand that an Israeli delegation has been in Doha, Qatar, working in particular on some of the technical details of these negotiations. But Israeli officials are really waiting for Hamas to give some kind of a broader response to this framework that Israel, Egypt, the U.S. and Qatar seem to have agreed to in these talks in Paris last Friday.
So that will potentially be the next step to see how Hamas responds to this latest framework of the talks and to what extent the bridge -- the gap can be bridged. And just keep in mind that the clock is obviously ticking here. Ramadan is about two weeks away. And that is the deadline as some members of Israel's war cabinet see it, that that could be the starting point for an offensive into the southernmost city of Rafah if a deal is not reached.
[08:05:15]
WALKER: Jeremy Diamond on the ground there for us in Tel Aviv. Thank you, Jeremy.
Let's turn it over now to CNN's Arlette Saenz, who is joining me live from the White House. Arlette, you heard there from Jeremy that these comments expressing optimism from President Biden last night caught a lot of people by surprise, especially those involved in these hostage negotiations. What are you learning in terms of why the president is expressing hope?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Amara, so far, the White House has not offered an explanation for why specifically the president offered that Monday time frame for when he hopes there could be an agreement for a temporary ceasefire, which would result in the release of hostages as well.
We do know that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan just days ago had said that progress had been made in those negotiations and that they had been hoping that there could potentially be some type of agreement framework that the parties could all come to in the coming days. It's unclear, though, how quickly that actually might move along.
But President Biden clearly yesterday, as he spoke to reporters in that ice cream shop, expressed optimism that there could be a temporary ceasefire soon. It really comes as the president has been quite eager for that hostage deal to be reached. He has encouraged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do whatever he can to try to secure the release of those hostages.
But there are also concerns about the way that Israel has been operating their campaign. In an interview last night with Late Night host Seth Meyers, the president said that Israel could begin to lose more support from around the world if they continue their campaign that the way they have conducted it so far. There is a lot of concern specifically about the expected operation that would be conducted in Rafah.
President Biden and top U.S. officials telling and urging the Israelis to take all precautions necessary to protect civilians -- develop a plan to move civilians out of harm's way. There is a hope from U.S. officials that there could be some type of agreement on a temporary ceasefire and release of hostages before Ramadan begins early in March.
That is something that the administration has been pressing towards. But so far the president has expressed that optimism. It's just entirely unclear whether that actually will come to fruition as that Monday deadline is quite soon.
WALKER: It's not lost on any of us. It is an election year, right? Arlette, and today is the Michigan primary, which is a state that has one of the largest Arab American populations in the country. On that note, how much of an issue or perhaps a liability is the war in Gaza for President Biden while on the campaign trail, knowing that there has been an increasing number of Democrats who have expressed concern and no support for the war in Gaza.
SAENZ: Yes, Amara, there is really some growing discontent within President Biden's Democratic Party over his handling of the war between Israel and Hamas, specifically the civilian casualties that have resulted from Israel's campaign in Gaza. And that is playing out today in the Michigan primary.
There is a campaign underway to encourage voters to vote uncommitted in the Democratic primary. The group that is organizing this Listen to Michigan. They've phone banked, reached out to over 100,000 voters in the state of Michigan. Their goal is to get at least 10,000 people to vote uncommitted to show the signs of the frustration and the angst about the way that the president has handled this war.
Now, it comes as there's a significant Arab American population in the state of Michigan, specifically in a city like Dearborn. The city's mayor has been quite outspoken about Biden's approach to the war in Israel over the course of the past few months.
And according to Emgage, which works to mobilize Muslim American voters, they believe that there were around 140,000 Muslim Americans who voted in the Democratic -- or in the presidential primary back in 2020, really showing how important this group could be for Biden in that critical battleground state.
But it's not just Arab American and Muslim voters who are frustrated. There is also a significant number of young voters who are frustrated with the way the president has handled the war between Israel and Hamas.
So really, today, the Democratic primary in Michigan, while President Biden is fully expected to emerge as their pick for the nominee, it will be a critical test of his support among voters, specifically young voters, Arab American, Muslim voters who want to see the president take a different approach when it comes to the situation in Gaza.
WALKER: Yes, and of course, the war there in Gaza is not the only vulnerability President Biden is facing.
CNN's Arlette Saenz, appreciate you there at the White House. Thank you so much.
[08:10:05]
The Kremlin has a message for the West. If you put your troops in Ukraine, there will be conflict in Russia -- with Russia, I should say. That is in response to France's president, who says he discussed sending Western troops to Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): There is no consensus today to send ground troops in an official endorsed or sanctioned matter. But in dynamic terms, nothing should be ruled out. We will do whatever it takes to ensure that Russia cannot win this war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: Emmanuel Macron was speaking during Monday's E.U. conference on aid for Ukraine. He said the European Union would set up a coalition to supply Ukraine with medium and long range missiles and bombs.
It is a critical time for Ukraine. The war is entering its third year and U.S. assistance is stalled in Congress. On the battlefield, troops are hampered by a dwindling supply of weapons and ammunition.
Let's bring in our Nick Paton Walsh live from Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Nick, Macron's comments about troops going into Ukraine potentially caught a lot of people off guard. Does it offer hope? Does it fuel skepticism? You know, what's the reaction, especially for those, you know, who are on the ground in Ukraine?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look, I don't think Macron's comments bring the prospect of NATO troops in Ukraine officially any closer at all. But what it certainly has done in the fact that the German's Chancellor Scholz had to talk about a lively debate.
But the consensus being against sending troops about how the Slovakian prime ministers expressing disappointment that peace talks weren't more on the agenda in those talks, I think it's generally focused minds on how vital the fight for Ukraine is here for European security because ultimately I think the consensus there was that they can't allow Russia to win.
But what exactly is Europe prepared to do in order to assist that? Are they actually willing to put their own soldiers on the ground if it came to it? Clearly, the consensus this morning in a series of hurried comments from the U.K. and NATO was, well, no is the answer.
But it is increasingly desperate on the front lines here, and I think Ukraine beginning to have to get their head around the idea of things not going their way. And we saw precisely how hard the fight is and the kind of tools that Ukraine is now using because of a shortage of artillery when we met a strike drone unit just inside the city of Kherson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATON WALSH (voice-over): They flit around fast, hiding each week in a new, abandoned shell. Drone operators have been Ukraine's secret weapon for months. But now, it is getting harder.
We saw this unit in December, but their base back then has been bombed. Yet still, they hunt every day for a single mistake. A Russian who gets himself spotted.
They say the Russians are better at hiding themselves, although sometimes, obviously not.
PATON WALSH: Yes, so they've just spotted a Russian soldier carrying groceries, and a dog came out to greet him. So, I think it's quite possible that's where some Russians are hiding.
PATON WALSH (voice-over): So it begins. The first strike, on the window. One drone watching, the other flies into the target.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Launch another one immediately.
PATON WALSH (voice-over): And quickly, they prepare another. The hunt is no game, but has the tools of one. They lose about a quarter of their drones to Russian jamming.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The jamming got worse. It's affecting us more. But we won't give up. We have to evade like snakes. Inventing things. Experiment.
PATON WALSH (voice-over): They see the Russians running into the blue house, its roof clearly hit before a while ago. It becomes their next target.
They go in again. It could be a mortar position, they think. Watch how smaller explosions send fragments flying out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Nice one. Not sure it's a kill. We'll see.
PATON WALSH (voice-over): The Russians often have to stay injured inside the damaged building to not draw in more drones.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They usually wait. They don't run out immediately.
PATON WALSH (voice-over): They go in again, it could be a mortar position they think. Then suddenly, the power goes out. The internet down and screens black, but remarkably they barely miss a beat. The commander sparks up his cell phone 5G with the drone feed and a chat group directing the entire attack just from an iPhone.
[08:15:08]
The smoke grows in intensity. They think they might have hit a weapons store.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There's something inside. Should be ammo.
PATON WALSH (voice-over): They never see Russian faces or taste the smoke. The blast noise takes a few seconds to travel to them. But this is still killing up close, yet far away. Strike, launch, repeat all day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Nice. Nice.
PATON WALSH (voice-over): Sometimes its cheers here, screams there. Other times, the other way around.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PATON WALSH: Now, just to give you a picture really around the battlefield, as we were with that unit, they talked of seeing Russian forces amassing about 20 kilometers away from the river that they operate around there. Yet another place along the front line where there are concerns amongst Ukrainian forces that Russia is beginning to throw the sheer weight, the sheer volume of its often poor tactically commanded forces at yet another front line.
More bad news, potentially, has emerged from Avdiivka over the last 48 hours. That was withdrawn from by Ukraine two Saturdays ago. They had to yesterday admit that they pulled out of a village called Lastochkyne, about three miles to the northwest of Avdiivka.
Multiple points along the front line where Ukraine is feeling the pressure, just as they now have to publicly address the absence of Western aid here. These European leader's comments about sending troops or more importantly about the fact, they're simply not going to send troops I'm sure will sharpen the minds in European capitals about how far Europe is willing to go, because I have to say, you know, the prospect of things not going Ukraine's way is nearer now than it seems to have been really over the past two years. Back to you.
WALKER: Must be such a tough situation for the troops there who, you know, how do you keep the morale up, that's the question.
Nick Paton Walsh, thank you very much.
For the first time in this year's U.S. presidential race, a major battleground state will hold its nominating contest. Michigan went for Donald Trump in 2016. Joe Biden in 2020 was able to flip it. And while it's anyone's guess, come November.
But today's primary could expose vulnerabilities for both of the leading candidates. Trump, with a strong advantage in delegates, will be spending the day in Florida. And the last Republican challenger standing, Nicki Haley will fundraise and hold a campaign event in Colorado.
President Biden, in the meantime, dismissed concerns about his age Monday during an appearance on a Late Night talk show. And he argued Trump is behind the times.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: It's about how old your ideas are. Look, I mean, this is a guy who wants to take us back. He wants to take us back on Roe v. Wade. He wants to take us back on a whole range of issues that are 50, 60 years, they've been solid American positions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: CNN's Dianne Gallagher is live in Waterford, Michigan this morning. Good morning to you, Diane. Set the scene for us. We were just saying Michigan is a key battleground state. What are people telling you?
DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A true swing state, Amara, for us to get an opportunity to see how the voters feel here feel this time. Now, look, I'm going to let you know, I can't really move. There's this little box down here that they've taped me into.
So I'm going to have Tom show you what's happening here. And unfortunately, right now it is not much. We've had very light turnout here in Waterford at Kettering High School. But the reason why we chose this location was because it has a pretty even mix of both Republican and Democrats registered here.
Now, what's going to happen is basically when a voter comes in, they request either a Democratic or Republican ballot and they can cast that. According to the Secretary of State, already more than 1 million voters cast both early and absentee ballots here in Michigan.
Now, when they take a look at those ballots, they can choose the candidate of their choice. And look, what happens is basically there are 140 delegates up for grabs for the Democrats. The overwhelming majority of those will be allocated based on today's results.
The Republican side's a little more complicated. There's more than 50 of those delegates. But they begin the process today. There's several meetings due to both state party rules as well as some intra -- excuse me, national party rules and some interest state party issues. So there are going to be meetings and caucuses to determine how those delegates get divvied up between the candidates.
Now, I heard our let telling you a little bit ago about that uncommitted campaign dealing with President Biden and that's what Democrats are looking at. As far as Republicans go, we're looking to see how close and what kind of nuance we may be able to interpret from the results today between of course Nikki Haley and Donald Trump whether or not she is going to have similar results that she did in some of those early states, again, Michigan a swing state.
[08:20:19]
And there is some polling even though President Trump has been very popular among Republicans here that indicate that perhaps she could keep things a little tighter than initially expected in this state, Amara.
WALKER: Now, that'll be interesting to see. Dianne Gallagher, thank you very much.
We've got more on the U.S. presidential race. Still to come, how much of a problem is Joe Biden's continued support of Israel? I'll put that question to CNN's Political Director, David Chalian, when we come back.
And we are live in Iran, where campaigning has begun for legislative elections being held this Friday. The first since mass protests against the government that began two years ago.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALKER: People in Iran are preparing to cast their ballots this Friday to choose new members of the Assembly of Experts. That is the body that's responsible for appointing the country's supreme leader.
Now, posters have gone up at the capital, Tehran, urging people to vote. These are the first elections since the death in 2022 of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after being detained for allegedly failing to cover her head in public. Her death sparked months of protests across Iran, which drew a sometimes violent response from security forces.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen is live in Tehran. He's joining me now. I know there's quite a large rally there behind you. Tell us what's going on. What are people saying? What's the mood?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Amara. Yes, I'm actually at a conservative rally here in Tehran. It's not specifically a radio thing. What you're seeing right, we've got here the warm up active (ph), the conservative figure who's sort of trying to get the crowd ready here.
But I think one of the things that you're seeing here, Amara, is really key, because what the conservative figure they're trying to do is they are trying to get out the most states. They want to urge people to vote. There isn't even one of the candidates that's sort of at this rally.
There are only a prominent conservatives. One of the former commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps who are urging people to come out and vote in this election because clearly the government here in Tehran is concerned that not many people will come out and vote.
But you see it around the country, it's really around the city here in Tehran, almost everywhere, that there's black Republicans, older Republicans, urging people to come out to vote at stake and that is what they say Iran's ball (ph). (INAUDIBLE) appears to have grown very, very (INAUDIBLE) the economic situations right now is extremely difficult here in this country.
The sanctions is continuing, the criminal large part of the economy. And that certainly makes a very difficult for a lot of people simply to get by.
[08:25:02]
Now you see this rally right here where there's a lot of people who want to come out and vote, who say they will come out and vote. But on the streets of Tehran, there are also some people who say that they want more from their politicians, especially as far as the economy is concerned, after all.
WALKER: All right, it's good to see you, Fred. We're going to leave it there, because it is quite loud. But CNN's Fred Pleitgen, good to see you. Thank you so much. Still to come, Republican voters in Michigan are at the polls right now. Is this the state where Nikki Haley can inch even closer to Donald Trump? CNN's Political Director David Chalian will join me next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALKER: It is a pivotal day in the U.S. state of Michigan as voters head to the polls and it could provide answers to some major questions for both President Biden and Donald Trump. The state helped Mr. Biden win the White House in 2020, but will this critical battleground state stick with him.
Some Democrats are saying they plan to send a message to the president by voting uncommitted. The message being that they are upset about his refusal to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The big question is whether they will still give Biden their vote in the general election in November.
And as for Trump, the litmus test for him isn't whether he wins today, but by how much. Can Nikki Haley make a dent in his campaign with another better than expected showing like she did in South Carolina?
Let's dig deeper now, especially on the importance of today's vote with CNN's Political Director David Chalian. Good morning. Good to see you.
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey, Amara.
WALKER: So let's talk about the Democratic side and why this is going to be a key litmus test for President Biden, given that there is quite a large Arab American, Muslim population in Michigan.
CHALIAN: Yes, well, obviously we've seen -- and I would argue it's not just the Arab American population, which is significant in Michigan, but it's also what we've seen since October 7th. Young voters, progressives, key pieces of the Biden winning Democratic coalition of 2020 are disenchanted with the administration's policy and President Biden's stance of support for Israel for months now.
[08:30:00]
And you've seen it President Biden kind of move a bit on this over time, right? I mean, it was complete solidarity with Israel in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 terrorist attacks there. But even on in the days after, when he flew over to Israel, remember, he sort of cautioned Israel in his remarks about overreacting.
Then we heard him as recently as a couple weeks ago, say he thinks Netanyahu's government and military response has been over the top. This as pressure has been building. So Michigan, which is home to a significant block of Arab Arab American voters, but also has that youth vote, that progressive vote.
It was critical to Joe Biden's success in 2020, and any fraying of his coalition needs to be put back together if he is going to be successful. And in the context of the Democratic primary tonight, with this protest vote for uncommitted, I think we'll get a sense of just how big is good -- is that mission for Joe Biden and his team to bring back a frayed coalition.
WALKER: Yes, and I'm so glad you brought that up. I mean, the youth vote, it will be critical, and we'll be watching for that as well. Let's talk a little bit more about this statewide campaign called Listen to Michigan that we mentioned earlier, where they're trying to get voters to vote uncommitted over Biden.
The number that they're trying to get to is 10,000 people to vote that way, which is the margin Hillary Clinton lost to Trump in 2016. And Rashida Tlaib, the congresswoman, the only Palestinian American serving in Congress, she endorsed this campaign. And this is what she said on X on Saturday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RASHIDA TLAIB, U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRAT: It is also important to create a voting bloc, something that is a bullhorn to say enough is enough. We don't want a country that supports wars and bombs and destruction. If you want us to be louder, then come here and vote uncommitted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: So a couple things. I mean, first off, how much momentum do we know that is this campaign getting? And number two, the organizers of Listen to Michigan, they're saying, look, this is not an anti-Biden campaign. But in effect, that's exactly what it will be. So are they saying that they are OK if the vote goes to Trump, in the general?
CHALIAN: Well, that that's a question for November, right? And I think that'll be one of the big sort of question marks out of the results tonight. You talked about what is the momentum of this campaign? Well, we'll see in the results. And I do think that 10,000 vote number is an artificially low expectation setting thing.
I mean, last time I'm committed four years ago, got 20,000 votes. It got 20,000 votes when Barack Obama was running for reelection in the Democratic primary. And there was no organized campaign for uncommitted in either of those. So I would expect we will see tens of thousands of votes for uncommitted tonight.
But your other question is key. So, OK, you express the protest vote. You use the bullhorn as Rashida Tlaib described there. But how many of you in a Trump versus Biden matchup come November are going to stay opposed to Biden the way you may be tonight?
That is the question the Biden campaign is going to have to dig into when they see the results tonight as they figure about the math and how they reproduce a victory in Michigan in November to win those 15 electoral votes.
WALKER: And what do you make, David, of Biden's comments that he's saying that he's hoping for a ceasefire to be agreed to by Israel and Hamas by next Monday? And why do you think this disconnect, right? Because he's expressing the -- President Biden, he's expressing optimism of a ceasefire deal. But the other officials involved in these negotiations are saying we're not as optimistic as you are. Is this all politics?
CHALIAN: Well, certainly politics plays into this, no doubt, plays and everything the president says. And he's talking about a temporary ceasefire during the period of Ramadan. He explained it more fully on Seth Meyers' program last night.
But when he was talking to reporters very briefly getting ice cream and said, yes, I think this is going to happen by Monday, I don't think there's any mistake that he wanted to get that optimism out there in advance of not just today's primary in Michigan, where this is an acute problem for him, but also of next week's State of the Union address, where he is going to have his biggest platform between now and the convention in Chicago in the summer to really put his reelection message out before the American people.
And I think he understands with key pieces of his coalition, this is a critical issue at the moment and he wants to be showing them some movement, some progress to a place that is beyond this war.
WALKER: And on the Republican side, will the primary today help us understand how vulnerable Trump might be in the general considering, you know, in South Carolina, which is one of the most conservative states in America. Haley -- Nikki Haley got 40 percent of the vote, which is actually a pretty sizable number when you think about the anti-Trump vote.
CHALIAN: Yes, it's her home state and she spent $16 million to Donald Trump's 1 million and actively campaigned every day in South Carolina. So a lot of advantages for her in that fully contested contest. And she's still, you know, was beaten pretty badly by 20 points.
[08:35:15]
But you are right to note, Amara, what got exposed on Saturday night are some general election vulnerabilities for Trump. And the question for the Trump campaign, not unlike what we were discussing with buying this, how does he unify his party come November? How much of that Nikki Haley 40 percent in South Carolina and New Hampshire remains Trump resistant in the fall?
Tonight for the Michigan primary, I think we're going to get a clearer sense of that because it has not been fully engaged battle. Neither Trump nor Haley has spent much money there. Neither of them have really campaigned in the state.
So I think the primary results tonight will give us sort of a more natural sense of what is the segment of the Republican primary electorate that just is not going to go for Trump in a critical battleground state like Michigan and how might that impact November? That'll be a question that hangs over the Republican results tonight.
WALKER: Fascinating stuff as always. CNN Political Director David Chalian, great to see you. Thank you. CHALIAN: Thank you. You too.
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres is warning that an Israeli offensive against Rafah would put the final nail in the coffin when it comes to U.N. aid operations in Gaza. Food, water, and medicine are already scarce. And now, people are fighting over what little aid there is.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DIAMOND (voice-over): Today, Gaza's humanitarian crisis looks like this. Palestinians desperate for food, paddling and swimming out to sea, after at least one plane airdropping aid appeared to miss its target, sending pallets of food crashing into the sea.
In central and southern Gaza, hundreds crowding the beaches to try and secure their piece of the rations. But this is the other side of desperation, groups of men wielding whips and bats, steering crowds away from their precious cargo. Months of hunger and war, triggering fights for survival. And there is not enough for everyone.
This is what they are fighting over -- ration packs, a lifeline for the lucky few.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I was lucky and able to get one of these aids. What about all those other people who were not able to get this aid? Look, this one didn't get any. And this one didn't get any.
DIAMOND (voice-over): But so much more is needed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I'm asking from the Arab nations. We are thankful for the aid through the parachutes, but we need more and we need it distributed in a better way. This will not stop our hunger. We don't need a capsule because when we eat this, we will eat it. And that's it. It's finished
DIAMOND (voice-over): But nowhere are people more desperate for food aid than in northern Gaza, where women and children wait in long lines for what now passes for food. A cloudy soup mixture made with dirty water and whatever grains can be found.
AMAL MOHAMMED NASEER, GAZA RESIDENT (through translator): There was no food or drinking water, no flour or anything? There was no cooking oil, not even drinking water. Death is better than this.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Humanitarian aid deliveries this month dropped by half compared to January, according to a United Nations relief agency, explained, Israeli military operations and the collapse of civil order in Gaza. In northern Gaza, aid groups suspending aid delivery amid looting and attacks on aid trucks, leaving many with few options to stay alive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Look, we are eating animal feed against our will, but have to aid us.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Without food or clean water, their voices are all they have left.
AHMAD STEF SAFI, GAZA RESIDENT (through translator): The suffering of Gaza is extremely difficult. Where are the authorities? Where is the government? Israel made us hungry and our government made us hungry, and people are stealing. Shame on you, Arabs. Where are you?
DIAMOND (voice-over): But after nearly five months of war, is the world listening?
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: All right, still to come, chaos on the streets of Europe as farmers register their protest against low prices, cheap imports, and new environmental regulations. We will speak to one of their leaders.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:41:46]
WALKER: ?Farmers and police faced off in the Polish capital Warsaw earlier, the latest flashpoint in weeks of agitation over the plight of agriculture in Europe. Scuffles broke out as protesters voice their anger over low incomes and excessive environmental regulations.
On Monday, Polish farmers had blocked a major road at the border with Germany, highlighting their frustration at cheap agricultural imports from Ukraine. At the same time, more than 900 tractors descended on Brussels while European Union ministers were discussing the crisis in the sector. Farmers' demonstrations have also caused disruption in Spain, Italy, France, and Germany.
Let's bring in Morgan Ody, she is a farmer from Brittany in France, and general coordinator of La Via Campesina, which represents small farmers across Europe. Thank you so much for your time. Morgan. You know, we've been seeing these protests for many weeks now. Can you tell us a little bit more about how difficult things have been for farmers and what you were all demanding?
MORGAN ODY, GENERAL COORDINATOR, LA VIA CAMPESINA: We've been protesting indeed for many weeks because we've seen the cost of production increase and the prices that we are being given for all production of not increasing. So it's becoming very hard to make a living out of farming in Europe. So this protest are basically for a fair income.
We are struggling for dignity. We produce food. Everybody needs food. And we also take care of the nature. And so we deserve to be treated with decency.
WALKER: Tell us how the imports from Ukraine, the cheaper imports, are impacting your livelihood and other farmers. ODY: It's not only from Ukraine, it's from everywhere. I mean, cheap imports from the U.S., from Brazil, and from other parts make it impossible for European farmers to compete. And we don't want to compete. We don't want to compete with the farmers of the U.S. We don't want to compete with the farmers of Africa. We don't want to compete with the farmers of Ukraine.
What we want is food sovereignty. We want all the countries, including the European Union, to be able to protect and support small scale farmers in order to protect local food systems.
WALKER: And regarding the excessive environmental regulations, you know, and with Europe dealing with these rising food prices, you said in an interview recently that, quote, "We are not against climate policies. But we know that in order to do the transition, we need higher prices for products because it costs more to produce in an ecological way."
So Morgan, what are you proposing practically to make the ecological transition cheaper without making food prices even higher?
ODY: Well it can't be cheap because cheap means bad quality production. So we want minimum support prices. We want market regulation. We want to stop the speculators. You know, there are people buying agricultural products for very cheap and then reselling it five times the price to the consumers. And this needs to be stopped. With this, we need market regulation for the price for food to be fair for the farmers, but also for the consumers.
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WALKER: Have you gotten any reaction or response from officials?
ODY: Well, Macron, the French president, said a few days ago that he was OK to discuss about this minimum support prices. So now we are looking to see if it becomes a reality. And what is clear is that we all would like to produce ecologically because it's not funny to use a chemical products.
People are -- farmers are ill because of chemical pesticides. So the -- what we want is to be able to produce in a sustainable way and for this, we need market regulation to get fair prices and fair revenues.
WALKER: Are you hopeful that your demands will be met or that there will be some kind of compromise that will be satisfactory to you and the protesters and, you know, and how long do you expect to continue these protests?
ODY: Well, this require a major shift into the European Union political mind because the E.U. has been set into neoliberalism and free trade for a long time, and this needs to change. In such a chaotic world, we cannot stay like this. We need to go towards food sovereignty and towards more protection.
WALKER: Morgan Ody, appreciate you joining us. Thank you very much and all the best to you. ODY: Thank you. Bye-bye.
WALKER: Still to come, Prince William pulls out of a public engagement, but the details are scarce. CNN's Royal Correspondent Max Foster will join us with more next.
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WALKER: A historic mission to the moon is coming to an end early. Any time now, flight controllers are expected to lose contact with the first American spacecraft to land on the lunar surface in more than half a century, if they haven't already.
Intuitive Machines, the private company that deployed Odysseus, also known as Odi, says it intends to keep collecting data until the lander's solar panels are no longer exposed to light. It was suggested that that would happen after nine or 10 days, not five.
They've already released these images from Odysseus's descent. Oh, my goodness. Isn't that beautiful? But we have yet to see any images taken after it touched down last week. The antennas on Odysseus may be pointing in the wrong direction because it tipped.
When it landed, it ended up on its side, but at least it left us some spectacular images of our Earth.
All right, well, Britain's Prince William will not be attending an event at Windsor Castle today due to what's being described as a personal matter. The prince was scheduled to attend a memorial service honoring his late godfather, King Constantine of Greece. A royal source wouldn't elaborate to CNN on the last minute change in plans.
Max Foster, though, is here. He's joining me now from London. Hi there, Max. So we're not getting much detail on this news from Prince William. What do we know? Why is it significant?
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, so this memorial was in Windsor, just a short walking distance from Prince William's house where he's looking after Kate after her operation. And it was a last minute pull out, so a lot of people noticed and it did cause some concern.
Various reassurances going out that the Princess of Wales is still doing well because a lot of people are connecting the two things. We're not sure if it is connected, but we're told that she's doing well.
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We -- King Charles was also unable to attend the memorial because he is being treated for cancer. He's not taking on public events right now. And we've also been told that Prince William pulling out is not connected in any way to King Charles and his illness and the fact that he wasn't able to attend either.
So lots of reassurances going around. But, of course, they're not giving us much information. They're just saying it's a personal matter. They're not going to go into any further. So, you know, out there on social media, all sort of speculation as people try to match up the dots, but that's really all the information that we've got.
WALKER: Yes, I won't probe you for more then. But, you know, this is all coming out, you know, amid a series of recent health issues for the royals, right? Do we have any updates on the health of the king or Kate Middleton?
FOSTER: All we know is that the king continues to receive treatment. We don't know what treatment it is because we don't know exactly what cancer it is. And, you know, the plan is still for her to return to public duties at Easter, so a month or so away. A bit longer than that.
We're not being given any updates on her. We're not -- we haven't seen her in public. You know, the paparazzi do normally catch a picture of her every so often. But she does pop into the school, obviously, quite regularly down the road. But we haven't seen any of them either.
So, you know, she was a very public figure. She was always on the front pages. We haven't seen her now for weeks. So, lots of people very interested in that. But again, a vacuum of information as to exactly what she's suffering from and how she's really feeling, only that she's doing well.
So I think that, really, the mood music we're getting from the palaces is that we shouldn't be too overly concerned about, at this point, about any of the members of the royal family. But, you know, there is -- there has been this string of, you know, health scares, and I think it's been quite unsettling to many people.
WALKER: Yes, especially since we've been so used to seeing them out of public functions. Max Foster, great to see you. Thank you so much.
FOSTER: Thanks, Amara.
WALKER: Abrupt temperature changes could bring severe storms to parts of the U.S. in the coming days. Unseasonably warm weather will soon be followed by a massive cold front sweeping in from the west.
Meteorologist Chad Myers has more.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Another very warm day again today and tomorrow in some spots. Over 60 record highs will be broken across the country just over the next 48 hours. So, yes, Dallas, Texas yesterday you were 94. Mineral Wells was 97 degrees and cold front's going to come by and knock that completely gone.
For today, Dallas gets to 90, tomorrow back down into the 50s. Even for Chicago, Wednesday you're going to be 70 and then knock your temperatures down by 37 degrees to 33. That's the cold front, and it's the same cold front that could make severe weather tonight around Chicago, around southern Michigan, also Indiana, Illinois. And then by morning, possibly all the way down toward the Ohio River. When you have warm air like this, and the cold air wants to push it away, there is the potential for those storms to want to rise. When you push those storms into the air, you get severe thunderstorms possible, even this time of year.
I know we think about March, April, May being severe weather season, but when the warm air is this warm, you can certainly get severe weather, 70 degrees in Chicago on Wednesday and then here's your, really, your knockdown all the way to 21 for a morning low.
Some of the outdoor plants may not like that very much. We'll have to see what happens to all of those things that want to grow. Then all of a sudden Mother Nature says, nope, how about 21? That'll freeze them up a little bit. So we'll have to be very careful and possibly even get them covered up if they start to peak out there.
WALKER: Yes, it feels like Mother Nature is playing with us this season. Thanks so much, Chad.
Scientists say Antarctica's so called Doomsday Glacier has been rapidly melting since the 1940s, three decades earlier than previously thought. Now, the glacier got its nickname because its collapse could cause a catastrophic rise in sea levels.
The new findings also match data on a neighboring glacier, which started melting around the same time. Neither one has shown any signs of recovery and scientists say that is significant because if both glaciers are retreating simultaneously, well, it means they're being forced by something, pointing to further evidence of human caused climate change.
Railway officials in India are investigating a runaway train that traveled unmanned for 74 kilometers before it was stopped. Now, this video went viral on social media. The freight train was on the run for one and a half hours before workers got it to stop by using the emergency brakes and putting stones on the track. No one was injured in the incident, but officials say four people have been suspended and an investigation is underway.
And police in Australia are investigating an assault complaint against Taylor Swift's father. Photographer Ben McDonald told CNN he learned the pop superstar was aboard a yacht after her final show in Sydney on Monday.
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And he said once Swift left the boat, a security guard forced an umbrella into his face and then Swift's dad punched him.
In a statement to CNN, a spokesperson for Swift said two individuals were aggressively pushing their way towards Taylor, grabbing at her security personnel and threatening to throw a female staff member into the water. McDonald denies that claim and called Swift's entourage aggressive and unprofessional.
All right, that's our time. Thanks so much for joining me here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Amara Walker. "CONNECT THE WORLD" with Eleni Giokos is up next.
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