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CNN International: World Central Kitchen: 7 Aid Workers Killed in Israeli Strike; Rescues Underway After 7.4 Magnitude Quake Hits Taiwan; Biden, Trump Win Respective Primaries in Four More States; Biden and Xi Speak for First Time Since November; Ugandan Court Upholds Harsh Anti-Gay Law. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired April 03, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a mistake that followed a misidentification.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened with this strike was a serious violation of the IDF protocols and rules of engagement. This is not how a professional military conducts its operations.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is the strongest quake that the island has felt in the past 25 years. We could be seeing aftershocks for the next three to four days.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Women's college basketball has never been this popular. It is a national sensation. Every corner bar was watching Iowa versus LSU.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from London this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us from around the world. I'm Max Foster.

It's Wednesday April the 3rd 9 a.m. here in London 10 a.m. in Gaza where the death of seven aid workers have sparked international outrage and brought an apology from Israel over what it's calling a grave mistake. The World Central Kitchen identified the seven killed in an Israeli strike on Monday saying these heroes were just returning from a full day's mission. Most are foreign nationals.

The chief of staff of the Israeli military is apologizing for the deadly strike.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. HERZI HALEVI, CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF, ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES: I want to be very clear. The strike was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK aid workers. It was a mistake that followed a misidentification at night during a war in a very complex conditions. It shouldn't have happened. Israel is at a war with Hamas not with the people of Gaza. We are sorry for the unintentional harm to the members of WCK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well U.S. President Joe Biden says he's outraged and heartbroken over the deaths of the aid workers and in a statement expresses frustration saying, quote, Israel was has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians. Israel has also not done enough to protect civilians.

CNN's Melissa Bell has more now on the Israeli strike and on the lives lost in Gaza. But we warn you some of the images you're about to see are disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZOMI FRANKCOM, WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN: Hey, this is Zomi and Chef Olivier. We're at the Deir Al-Balah kitchen and we've got the mise en place.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Smiling in one of her final moments. Zomi Frankcom, an Australian aid worker, one of the seven World Central Kitchen employees killed by an Israeli airstrike as they delivered food to a warehouse in central Gaza.

A dual U.S. Canada citizen, U.K. nationals, a Polish man and a Palestinian also amongst those killed. The hum of war drones drowning out the sound of ambulance sirens as their bodies were brought to hospital after the strike. But too late.

All trying to bring relief to the more than one million Gazans the U.N. says are now facing famine. All now in body bags.

The logo of the aid organization, a reminder of the lengths the charity went to, to protect its own.

Traveling as they were, according to the World Central Kitchen, through a deep conflicted zone whilst coordinating their movements with the IDF. The charity which was central in getting around the blockade by getting the first maritime shipment of aid into Gaza. Now saying that it needs to assess its future in the Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the tragic loss of what he described as innocent lives.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Unfortunately, in the last day, there was a tragic case of our forces unintentionally hitting innocent people in the Gaza Strip. It happens in war, we will investigate it right to the end.

BELL (voice-over): So far, at least 196 aid workers have lost their lives in the occupied territories since the start of the war, according to the U.N. agency tasked with relief there.

[04:05:00]

The World Central Kitchen workers just the latest. Among them, the Palestinian driver and translator Saif Issam Abu Taha, his loved ones forced to say goodbye to a man who died trying to help others to survive.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: The acting director of the al-Shifa medical complex in northern Gaza says it's now permanently out of service after a two week Israeli siege left behind extensive destruction. The hospital was the largest in Gaza, serving about 250,000 patients each year. According to the director who now says a field hospital is urgently needed to treat the injured. He says the buildings still standing at the complex are near collapse.

An Israeli delegations left Cairo, Egypt after drawing up an updated proposal for Hamas. That's according to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister's office. It also says Israel expects the mediators to take vigorous action to find a deal for the release of the remaining hostages. Negotiators from the U.S., Egypt, Israel and Qatar have been trying to broker a ceasefire and hostage deal for weeks now. But a final agreement remains elusive.

Talks resumed on Sunday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized the Israeli delegation to travel to Qatar and to Egypt. Meanwhile, anger is rising on the streets of Jerusalem.

Thousands of anti-government protesters gathered outside the Israeli Parliament or Knesset again on Tuesday. They want Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign. Social media videos show some breached security barriers and try to approach Mr. Netanyahu's residence. Others clashed with police.

Israeli media reports several people were arrested. The protesters are angry about the government's failure to secure the release of remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza.

Nada Bashir joins us now. As usual, a huge amount to wrap up. But the things resonating around the world, the aid workers that were killed, we're getting a better picture of what happened. And, you know, it seems quite confusing when you hear that they coordinated with the Israelis on their aid mission. And were in, you know, pretty well marked vehicles.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, we've heard that in the past from aid organizations who have said that they came under attack in previous months, despite coordinating with the Israeli military. Now, they say that the World Central Kitchen team were travelling through a deconflicted zone, that their cars, their vehicles were branded with the World Central Kitchen logo on the actual roofs of the cars.

And they had, of course, coordinated their movements with the Israeli military as part of this longstanding humanitarian aid program, which has been going on for several months, not just through the land crossings, but obviously, of course, now, through those maritime crossings. And now they have been forced to pause those activities.

And we have heard from a former British Army artillery officer who has said that the scene that we've seen in the videos provided and the accounts provided from journalists on the ground, are consistent with the use of what he's described as highly accurate drone fired missiles, and said it was hard to believe that this would have been an accident, but would need to inspect the missile fragments to provide a thorough analysis. But certainly raising a lot of questions as to how this could have ever happened.

FOSTER: And, you know, international leaders really calling them out on this. And we've seen the direct effect as well, haven't we, with, you know, the ship that was carrying aid into Gaza having to turn around.

BASHIR: Absolutely. And that is perhaps one of the most tragic impacts or ramifications of what we are seeing now is this could really have a serious impact on the amount of aid getting into Gaza. World Central Kitchen has been forced to suspend its operations temporarily. We don't know when those operations will kick back off again.

We know that the American Humanitarian Organization, NARA, has also suspended its aid operations. It says that its staffers fear that if they do go into Gaza as part of these aid missions, that they too, will be targeted. And we've been hearing very firm statements from world leaders.

We've also been hearing a firm statement from U.S. President Joe Biden. Of course, the U.S., one of Israel's closest allies, but Biden said yesterday in a statement that he was outraged and heartbroken. And then also said that this was not a standalone incident that Israel had not done enough to protect civilians.

FOSTER: In terms of what might come out of this, the Israelis have come out and very clearly apologized, haven't they? So what impact might there be after that?

BASHIR: Look, the Israeli military has said that it is carrying out an investigation, that it will -- this will be an independent investigation, that they are looking at their fact finding mission to understand how this happened and to ensure that this doesn't happen again.

The U.S. President has been clear that the findings of this investigation need to be made public and that there needs to be accountability for what has happened.

[04:10:00]

But of course, what we are seeing now is real concern over what this could mean for the humanitarian situation as well, if we do indeed see less aid getting in because aid missions fear around the security situation. If we do indeed see more ships turning around, that is going to push Gaza deeper and deeper into famine.

And of course, that is a huge point of concern not only for humanitarian organizations, but the people of Gaza who rely so heavily on this humanitarian aid.

FOSTER: Nada, thank you.

Well, in the hours ahead, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to attend a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.

This follows a visit to Paris where he sat down with the French President Emmanuel Macron. Blinken toured a factory and viewed weapons that France has been sending to Ukraine. And while support for Ukraine was high on the agenda, America's top diplomat also discussed the war in Gaza and the U.S. relationship with Israel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The security relationship we have with Israel is not just about Gaza, Hamas, October 7. It's also about the threats posed to Israel by Hezbollah, by Iran, by various other actors in the region. Each one of which has vowed, one way or another, to try to destroy Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Rescuers are scrambling to keep the death toll from rising in Taiwan meanwhile, after its strongest earthquake in 25 years.

This was just one of the many harrowing scenes early on Wednesday local times. The quake triggered landslides, brought down buildings and damaged roads. Officials say at least seven people are dead and more than 700 others injured. Rescue operations are underway for dozens of people thought to be trapped, the majority of them in tunnels.

At least 125 buildings are now also damaged, we think. The 7.4 magnitude quake struck off the eastern part of the island. That led to tsunami warnings and evacuations for not just Taiwan but also parts of Japan and the Philippines. All of those warnings have since been lifted though.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery is following us for us live from Tokyo. Extraordinary scenes coming out from Taiwan.

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Max, like you said, I mean, very, very startling and alarming scenes from Taiwan this morning local time. So as you mentioned, we know that at least seven people have died and about 736 people were left injured as a result of this earthquake and the subsequent aftershocks.

Now we know that of the seven who died, all of them were found dead in Hualien County on the eastern side of the island.

Now for context, Hualien County is a very popular tourist destination. It's a rural area and coincidentally where most of actually Taiwan's earthquakes take place. So the fact that this is happening in Hualien County is a huge shock for people.

And now also we know that of the seven who died, three of them were actually found dead in Taroko Gorge, which is another popular tourist destination.

Now we also know that 77 people are still trapped in Hualien County, a majority of them, like you said, in those tunnels. Rescue operators are trying to get to them. There are some foreign nationals as well trapped in these tunnels.

Now in terms of the rescue operations that are underway right now in Taiwan, the defense ministry has dispatched military troops to work with local governments to try to get people out from under the rubble of collapsed homes, of collapsed buildings, but also those tunnels.

Now one thing though, hampering and kind of affecting some of those rescue operations is the fact that some of these roads have been destroyed because of these very, very powerful quakes. So military personnel have had to use transport aircraft to try to get to those people who still need rescuing.

For instance, you know, one of the main roads that lead from Taipei, the capital of Taiwan to Hualien County was partially destroyed. So again, this is making it a bit difficult to get to these people.

But this is very common protocol in Taiwan when you see a natural disaster of this magnitude, to see military personnel work with local governments and trying to get people out and get people to safety.

Now one thing we have to remember about this earthquake is that it comes just a day before Tomb Sweeping Day, which is in the Chinese speaking world, a day when people go to their ancestors graves and commemorate their family members and give offerings to them. But for many people in Taiwan, their plans will be disrupted because of again, this very, very powerful earthquake and the subsequent aftershocks that we could still be seeing for the next three to four days, according to Taiwanese authorities -- Max.

FOSTER: OK, Hanako, thank you for joining us for that.

[04:15:00]

More than 35 million people under the threat of severe weather across the eastern U.S. Tornado watches are in effect for parts of Georgia and South Carolina for well until 8 a.m. local time. Damaging wind and hail are also possible for cities stretching from Virginia to Florida.

This storm system has produced widespread storms, including over a dozen tornadoes since Monday. This is the aftermath of the system that moved through the Ohio Valley on Tuesday. More than a quarter of a million households are without power throughout the Midwest and parts of Appalachia, and more than 12 million people remain under winter weather alerts as the storms move into the northeastern U.S.

Heavy snow and sleet are expected across larger sections of northern New York and New England, and the upper peninsula of Michigan could get hit with a blizzard.

Joe Biden and Donald Trump now have enough committed delegates to earn their party's nominations. But some states are still sticking to the schedule with Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin holding their primaries on Tuesday. Donald Trump won Wisconsin's 41 Republican delegates unchallenged. He also won the battleground state in 2016 -- in the 2016 presidential election, but President Biden took it in 2020.

Mr. Biden ran unopposed as well in Wisconsin, but some voters chose a quote, "Uninstructed" delegation option on both Republican and Democratic ballots. It's similar to the "Uncommitted" option in other states where voters can allow delegates to pick whichever candidate they like, sending a message to political parties that voters are unhappy.

Donald Trump also spent time in Michigan and Wisconsin speaking to voters. CNN's Kristen Holmes breaks down his comments and his strategy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Former President Donald Trump in both Michigan and Wisconsin, two critical battleground states. States he won in 2016, lost by narrow margin in 2020, and states that he and his team believe are important or necessary to win if he is going to take back the White House in 2024.

And a part of what Donald Trump's messaging is, is trying to paint the status quo under President Biden as so terrible in order to energize voters to come out and vote in November.

They know that in 2020, there were a number of Republicans, this is going to be critical in a state with a narrow margin like Wisconsin, that didn't come to vote because they were tired of four years of Donald Trump, they are trying to re energize those voters. And they're doing so by hitting home by ramping up that anti-immigrant language. Take a listen to one of the things he said today.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The Democrats say please don't call them animals. They're humans. I said, no, they're not humans. They're not humans. They're animals.

HOLMES: Donald Trump has been linking immigration to violent crimes. Of course, as we have reported, all the data shows that migrants or immigrants are far less likely to commit a crime than citizens are.

However, there have been a series of high profile cases in the news that Donald Trump has really latched on to. He is stoking fear in voters minds saying that the country was safer when he was president. And this is coming at a time where voters really believe we're seeing things through the polling, that immigration is a top issue in the 2024 election.

So he is hoping that just like in 2016, the issue of immigration is talk about expanding his hardline policies is going to propel him to the White House in 2024.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, Green Bay, Wisconsin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton isn't mincing words about the state of the race for the White House. She lost to Donald Trump, of course, in 2016. And says voters only have themselves to blame for their options heading into November. Here's what she told late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Get over yourself. Those are the two choices.

JIMMY FALLON, LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST: Yeah, I love that. Yeah, I do.

CLINTON: And you know, it's kind of like, one is old and effective and compassionate, has a heart and really cares about people. And one is old and has been charged with 91 felonies.

People who blow that off are not paying attention. Because it's not like Trump, his enablers, his empowers, his allies are not telling us what they want to do. I mean, they're pretty clear about what kind of country they want.

FALLON: Yeah.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Well, she went on to say the upcoming election will ultimately determine what kind of democracy the U.S. will end up with.

Meanwhile, President Biden spent time speaking with the Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday. The two leaders spent nearly two hours on the phone together. Their first conversation since meeting in person in November.

CNN's MJ Lee has those details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping speaking on the phone for the first time on Tuesday since their last in person summit in California in November, coming in front of the backdrop of some serious global turbulence.

[04:20:00]

And as U.S. China relations had hit rock bottom last year, and as officials on both sides are trying to defuse some of those tensions. The two leaders said to have discussed a myriad of issues, including the wars that are ongoing in Gaza, and in Ukraine. Some issues that have strained, historically, the U.S. Chinese relations, including the situation in Taiwan, and provocations that we have seen recently from Beijing in the South China Sea. Also discussed our areas of potential cooperation between the two countries, including countering narcotics and the issue of artificial intelligence.

According to a readout that we received from the White House of the call, it said: The two leaders welcomed ongoing efforts to maintain open channels of communication and responsibly manage the relationship through high level diplomacy and working level consultations in the weeks and months ahead.

Now you'll recall earlier this year that CNN had exclusively reported that when the two leaders saw each other last fall, Chinese President Xi had told President Biden that China had no intention of interfering in the 2024 U.S. election. But interestingly, a senior administration official telling reporters ahead of this phone call, I don't think we ever really take the Chinese at their word when they say they will or will not do something it is about verifying.

Now, the last time that President Biden and President Xi met in person in November, again, U.S. China relations had pretty much hit rock bottom. And the -- coming out of that meeting, the two leaders had basically agreed that what they wanted to do going forward was to be able to pick up the phone and call each other more and try to avoid situations that could be dangerous in terms of misunderstandings that could take place between these two superpowers.

So certainly a significant phone call and a continuation of an attempt to rebuild and strengthen communication between these two countries.

MJ Lee, CNN at the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Coming up, a nightclub fire in Turkey has claimed the lives of 29 people. The suspects detained as part of an investigation.

One of the world's harshest anti-gay laws is being challenged in a Ugandan court will bring you the decision, just ahead.

The next week's total solar eclipse will be the last to hit North America for the next 20 years. Ahead, how those in his path are preparing for the celestial show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:25:00]

FOSTER: Just into CNN, a court in Uganda has issued its ruling on an anti-gay law that considered a mark -- that is considered amongst the harshest in the world. Let's get right to CNN's David McKenzie in Johannesburg with details. What's the result David?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Max, the result will be devastating for those in the LGBTQ community in Uganda and many Western governments that were pressuring the Ugandan government, the President not to sign this law, and working behind the scenes, I believe in trying to figure out a way how to get out of this law. Which calls for life imprisonment and the death penalty in some particular cases of this anti-homosexuality bill as it's called.

So the verdict is from the court a unanimous decision to uphold that law both on procedural and substantive law grounds. Now the court did call into question a couple of individual petitions for those trying to stop this law relating to health and the right to privacy. But they said it wasn't enough to strike down the law in its entirety, and still the key provisions are there. Which makes it illegal to be homosexual in Uganda, it calls on those who would promote homosexuality in the words of the law to be prosecuted and sent to prison or pay a hefty fine.

This is certainly a dark day for those in Uganda who identify with that community. We have in the past few months reported on Ugandans who fled as refugees to neighboring Kenya and other parts of the continent because of the fear that this law has instilled -- Max.

FOSTER: In terms of the international reaction, we've had so much to this generally, haven't we? But what do you expect to come out today after the ruling?

MCKENZIE: Well, after signing the law, the White House and President Biden said this was a something that violated universal human rights. There has been a lot of pressure behind the scenes, according to my sources, of those trying to mitigate the impact of this bill, as well as finding a way for it to come off the books.

Certainly those who are pushing the bill will say that this shows the independence of the Ugandan judiciary. But when you actually hear them reading out their reasoning, it really aligned almost exactly with the legislators saying that Uganda is a conservative place, getting the issue of child recruitment to homosexuality mixed up between with LGBTQ rights. They really signed off on this law in its -- almost in its entirety.

The law has already, of course, been enforced, and has a very real implications.

Now, it's not just the fact that you can be arrested and put into prison for violating this homophobic bill. It's also that many Ugandans have seen fit to take the law into their own hands.

We've reported extensively on people being evicted, being beaten up in some cases, humiliated on social media because of their sexual orientation. This is a very significant moment for LGBTQ rights on the continent. And other countries like Kenya are contemplating similar bills -- Max.

FOSTER: David in Johannesburg. Thank you.

Senegal welcoming its newest and youngest ever leader, 44 year old Bassirou Diomaye Faye was born -- or sworn in rather, as a president on Tuesday in Dhaka. In his inauguration speech, Faye vowed to maintain Senegal's position as a regional pillar of stability and democracy. He also promised that the country will remain open to cooperation with foreign partners as long as they are in line with the desires of the Senegalese people.

Coming up, Ukraine is answering Russian attacks by striking at the heart of Russia's war machine.

And the 12 year old opens fire at a primary school, killing a fellow student. Details on the shooting in Finland coming up.

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