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Taiwan Quake Kills Nine, Injures 1,050 with 52 Missing; Fallout Growing Over Israeli Airstrike That Killed 7 Aid Workers; Biden, Netanyahu To Speak By Phone Following Gaza Aid Deaths; N.Y. Judge Denies Trump's Bid To Delay Hush Money Trial; Some U.S. Bridges at Risk of Collapse from Ship Collisions; Chef Andres: Israel Systematically Targeted Aid Workers; Trump Looms Large as NATO mulls Long-term Ukraine Support; Reducing Global Inflation; Two Investors in Trump Media Plead Guilty to Insider Trading; Boston Dad Goes Viral for Daughter Dressing Routine. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired April 04, 2024 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:22]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming on CNN Max, I'm Paula Newton.
Just ahead for us, celebrity chef Jose Andres speaks out against the attack against his workers.
Meantime, rescuers digging through the rubble and debris hoping to find dozens still believed to be trapped after that deadly earthquake in Taiwan.
And the founder of World Central Kitchen accuses Israel of systematically targeting aid workers. And in fact, we will learn if the deadly strike will push President Biden to set limits on military aid to Israel.
And we do begin in Taiwan this hour where rescue teams are searching for more survivors a day after the island was hit by its strongest earthquake in a quarter century.
Now a driver's dash cam captured the terrifying moment the 7.4 magnitude quake struck on Wednesday morning. Now we want to warn you, some viewers may find this video disturbing.
These drivers were on a hillside road, if you can imagine, when a quake triggered the rock slide. They put their car in reverse and started backing up when one of the boulders, you see it there, just smashes into one of the vehicles.
CNN cannot independently verify the video and unfortunately, we're unaware of how many people were inside and if anyone was injured. Officials say the quake killed at least nine people and injured more than 1,000. More than 100 people remain trapped and dozens are still missing at this hour or unaccounted for.
CNN's Ivan Watson has more now from Taipei.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just before 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, the ground in Taiwan starts to shake. The island rocked by the most powerful earthquake to hit Taiwan in a quarter century.
In the capital, Taipei, CNN photojournalist John Mees tries to protect his wife and children as the walls of their home lurch back and forth.
An earthquake has just hit, announces the anchor of this morning news show as she struggles to stay on her feet. But the worst damage is at the epicenter in the rugged mountains of Hualien County on the island's east coast.
The 7.4 magnitude earthquake triggers massive landslides. Authorities say several people were killed by falling rocks. In the town of Hualien, apartment buildings on the verge of collapse. Emergency workers in action. Authorities say they've rescued scores of people from toppled buildings and highway tunnels. And rescue teams are still trying to reach others trapped high in the mountains.
The workers continued in Hualien throughout the night. No one's left inside this building, says this firefighter. He adds, people are frightened. There are constant earthquakes here, says this woman. I've lived here 50 years and never felt one so big. It's really scary.
People in Taiwan are accustomed to feeling to the earth shake, but rarely with this much destructive force. Ivan Watson, CNN, Taipei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now CNN's Kristie Lu Stout has been following the latest developments from Hong Kong. Kristie, what more are you learning about rescue efforts? It's so alarming that there are still dozens trapped right now and unaccounted for.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, very alarming, Paula. Search and rescue goes on in Taiwan a day after that massive 7.4 magnitude earthquake. This earthquake, it caused rockfall, it caused landslides and collapsed structures like those tilted buildings that we've seen out of Hualien.
Over 100 people remain trapped or stranded. And according to the latest governmentality that came out this morning, at least nine people have died, more than 1,000 people injured. Some 770 buildings have been destroyed.
[01:05:00]
Now the rescuers are working to free people that are trapped or stranded by the debris, and they're also struggling just to get to them. You know, the epicenter of this earthquake is Hualien County on the east coast of Taiwan. And many in that region live in remote coastal or mountainous communities that can be really hard to reach.
Now I want to show you this video. In this video, this first one you see, first responders reach the scene of a major landslide after the earthquake. You could see that rock fall all around them. And they have to scramble through all that debris and this blocked highway to reach survivors. And they were able to find a man who was unconscious at the scene. And he was later sent to hospital for treatment.
Now in the next video, you can see that authorities have started demolishing those tilted buildings in Hualien, those buildings that were so badly damaged by this earthquake. We heard from the mayor of Hualien, she says all the buildings that are in this precarious state have been evacuated. And she said that the demolition of four buildings, that this is an operation that began on Wednesday, it will take at least two days.
This is the day after the earthquake is struck early on Wednesday. And residents across the affected region are still very much on edge. Some slept outdoors overnight because the dozens of aftershocks that have rocked the area since that initial quake. I want you to listen to this survivor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I'm afraid of aftershocks and I don't know how bad the shaking will be. And then the house is already a mess. How do you get in? There's no way to get in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: They are rattled. They are afraid. After that first earthquake, there have been a number of very strong aftershocks and aftershocks that CNN teams have also felt as well, including that one magnitude 6.5 quake. And authorities say more powerful tremors are expected in the next few days, Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, that's a significant earthquake in and of itself, even though it is, the term we use is aftershock. Kristie Lu Stout for us in Hong Kong, thanks so much.
Now to the growing fallout of the Israeli strike that killed seven aid workers in Gaza. World Central Kitchen says its operations in the enclave remain closed for now, and it's not yet reached a decision on when it will resume its vital work.
The group immediately suspended its mission after the death of its workers, and all its aid ships are now back at the Cyprus port. This video shows one boat that left Gaza following the deadly strike. And this is key here without offloading most of its cargo, which added up to about 332 tons of humanitarian aid. Now that's according to the Cyprus foreign ministry.
Now the founder of World Central Kitchen is lashing out at Israel, accusing it of systematically targeting his seven team members in Monday strike.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSE ANDRES, FOUNDER, WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN: This was not just bad luck situation where, oops, we dropped the bomb in the wrong place or no, this was over 1.5, 1.8 kilometers with a very defined humanitarian convoy that had signs in the top, in the roof, a very colorful logo that we are obviously very proud of, but that's very clear who we are and what we do now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: A CNN analysis of images and video the aftermath found that Monday's attack appears to have consisted of multiple precision strikes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his forces unintentionally struck the convoy, but says Israel is taking responsibility for what happened.
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TAL HEINRICH, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER'S SPOKESPERSON: When we make mistakes, when Israel makes mistakes, even the most tragic ones to admit, we take responsibility.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: CNN's Melissa Bell is following developments and has more now from Jerusalem. A warning some of the images in this report are disturbing.
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MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Systematically targeted car by car. That's how the World Central Kitchen is describing the Israeli military attack that killed seven of its aid workers in Gaza.
In an interview with Reuters, the charity's founder and celebrity chef Jose Andres insisted that WCK had coordinated the convoy's movements with the Israeli military.
ANDRES: We were targeted deliberately. This looks like it's not a war against terrorism anymore. Seems this is a war against humanity itself.
BELL (voice-over): The attack has sparked international outrage, prompting several humanitarian organizations, including World Central Kitchen, to pause their operations in Gaza at a time when civilians are starving.
Israel's prime minister acknowledged the strike, saying that his forces unintentionally struck innocent people. But according to CNN's analysis of aftermath videos, the attack appears to have consisted of multiple precision strikes in what was a deconflicted zone on two armored cars and one unarmored vehicle.
[01:10:13]
CNN has geolocated video imagery of all the destroyed vehicles, at least one of which was clearly marked with the WCK logo on its roof. And this is just the latest in a string of Israeli attacks on aid convoys.
Last month, more than 100 people were killed in northern Gaza as Israeli troops opened fire near civilians gathering around food aid trucks, with some run over by fleeing vehicles.
In the chaos in what's become known chillingly as the flower massacre, Israel denied targeting the aid trucks, saying the Israeli Defense Forces fired at, quote, suspects nearby.
And less than a week later, witnesses said at least 20 people were killed by Israeli shelling as they waited for desperately needed food in Gaza City. Israel denied it was responsible for the deaths, blaming them instead on Palestinian militants.
Even Israel's closest ally, the United States, has strongly condemned the WCK attack, but said it would not affect their efforts to deliver aid to Gaza by sea.
MATTHEW MILLER, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: That effort is ongoing. The Pentagon is working hard on that and I know they brief on that on a regular occasion, and we want to get that stood up as soon as possible.
Of course, this strike does reveal the very difficult situation that aid workers on the ground inside Gaza face when it comes to not just receiving aid in Gaza, but then actually delivering it.
BELL (voice-over): With every day that passes in Gaza, hunger becomes more evident. And despite Israel facing increased scrutiny over its conduct in the war, Palestinians continue to face deadly violence in their desperate efforts to survive. Melissa Bell, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now, Joe Biden will speak by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the day ahead. One official describes the U.S. president as angry and increasingly frustrated and fully prepared to make that known. CNN's Kayla Tausche has our report.
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KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm told that sentiment has permeated conversations between the two governments at basically all levels since that strike was carried out, that the U.S. has communicated to Israel's government in no uncertain terms that specific changes must be made to the deconfliction processes.
One official telling me either the information about the convoy's location didn't reach the targeting team or it was disregarded by the IDF. Either way, it's a problem. In response to some of those conversations, Israel's defense minister has said that they will be setting up a situation room and encouraging open and transparent communication about the location of aid workers as a result of this. But even so, there are still a lot of very serious questions to be
asked by the U.S. government and the format for those questions going on right now will be that conversation happening between President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where I'm told themes will be anger and accountability. And on a leader to leader level conversation, some of those very serious concerns are going to be presented to Bibi Netanyahu.
Now, as far as the policies that the administration is pursuing toward Israel, the sharp rhetoric that we've seen coming out of the administration this week, both privately and publicly, now appears increasingly divorced from what the administration's stated policy on Israel is. The White House was asked repeatedly in recent days whether there would be consequences for Israel and conditions placed on military aid as a result of these strikes on civilians.
And here's how NSC spokesman John Kirby answered that question again today.
JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIOSN ADVISER: While we make no bones about the fact that we have certain issues about some of the way things are being done, we also make no bones about the fact that Israel that is going to continue to have American support for the fight that they're in to eliminate the threat from Hamas.
TAUSCHE: And yet the chorus is growing for the U.S. to place conditions on those aides from outside groups. We will see whether there is any change in tack after that phone call.
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NEWTON: Joining me now is Josh Paul, a former State Department official and currently a non-resident fellow at Democracy for the Arab World Now. And nice for you to be with us, especially given, as I said, the disquieting news that we have had over the last couple days.
I want to ask you first about Biden's call with Benjamin Netanyahu. We have heard strong language from the president, but very little action that has persuaded, it seems Netanyahu to moderate in any way, shape or form.
Do you believe Biden can and will stall military aid to Israel? Is that even an option, as far as you understand from this administration?
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JOSH PAUL, FORMER U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Thank you for having me. And look, it's been six months of disquieting news at this point, to put it mildly. I think holding or addressing in some form U.S. military assistance to Israel is vital and is very possible. The administration has the option within the law to suspend any arms transfer at any time for any reason, and it can certainly do so to gain leverage over Prime Minister Netanyahu as his forces continue their onslaught in Gaza. The question is, will he do so? I do expect the president will ask
very firmly for massively increased foreign, sorry, humanitarian assistance to enter the Gaza Strip. I expect he will continue the push I understand he has been making to try and avert a disastrous Israeli invasion of Rafah, the city in the south of the Gaza Strip.
But will he actually use the leverage at his disposal to force these issues? I remain deeply skeptical. In fact, the president has said he has no intention of doing so.
NEWTON: Do you believe that he has to make a direct threat of that to Benjamin Netanyahu in order for him to move? Because it doesn't seem like anything has persuaded the Israeli leader so far.
PAUL: Well, that's exactly right. That we have seen now for actually several months various levels of American officials up to and including the president, try to push Israel in a better direction on its current operations, and yet nothing has succeeded.
The withholding or the conditioning of U.S. military assistance is certainly one option. It is not the only option available to the president. There are diplomatic options as well that he could pursue, but it is certainly the most directly linked to what is happening right now.
NEWTON: Yes. And we have heard other nations speaking out. I mean, and that includes Britain right now. I want to ask you, though, the despair and fury Jose Andres expresses is very raw and a conflict that many, including you, have long determined does not safeguard civilians and worse. Right. I mean, Jose Andres accusations are chilling. He's saying that this was a systemic, a calculated attack on aid workers.
Do you think we could be at a pivot point here that will force, and im not talking about Israel, that, I mean, will force the Biden administration to work differently, to look at this conflict differently.
PAUL: So this was, you know, not the first attack on aid workers. Let's note that there have been over 196 aid workers killed in Gaza in the last six months. I think that is important to take into account.
I think we are seeing a shift certainly in Europe in the last couple of days in response to this strike. We have seen not only the U.K. becoming increasingly willing to speak up, but others as well, whether that will translate to action on the part of the United States.
Again, I think we need to be very skeptical until we see any evidence that is the case. As we speak, we understand the United States continues to move forward on arms sales.
I know that it continues to authorize arms transfers to Israel on a daily basis and is preparing to notify Congress of a very large multibillion dollar fighter jet sale to Israel. So will that go ahead? We will see. NEWTON: You know, the link between those us weapons that you're talking about in Israel's war fitting is direct, and many say it implicates the Biden administration. And yet, you know, I have to tell you, we've had a parade of former administration officials, both Republicans and Democratics, here on CNN saying that, look, support for Israel must be a bedrock of Middle East policy. What do you say to them?
PAUL: I say following the United States law must be a bedrock of anything the United States does. And there are clear legal requirements here. For example, we cannot provide military assistance to a country that is restricting U.S. funded humanitarian assistance. We know that Israel is doing so because the national security adviser has said so, the USAID administrator has said so. And yesterday it was reported there is an internal cable in the State Department that says so. And yet we are still providing that assistance.
So, you know, before we get to any conversation about what should our policy be on Israel, should we condition military assistance, let's follow our own laws. That surely has to come first.
NWETON: Yes. And again, I articulate that while we continue to discuss this, people in Gaza right now are suffering. And because of what's happened recently with this attack on aid workers, it's become easier, even more dire. I'll leave it there for now, though. Josh Paul, thanks so much for joining us. Really appreciate it.
PAUL: Thank you very much for having me.
NEWTON: Meantime, a member of Israel's war cabinet is calling for early elections in September. Benny Gantz is a key rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but joined his coalition government after the Hamas attacks in October. Opposition leader Yair Lapid also says the Netanyahu government should resign as early as possible. Now let's take a look at what Gantz posted on Facebook.
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BENNY GANTZ, ISRAELI WAR CABINET MEMBER (through translator): In order for us to remain united and succeed in the tasks we're facing, the public must know that we'll soon ask once again for them to demonstrate their trust that we won't ignore the October 7 catastrophe and what occurred prior to it.
Therefore, we must agree upon a date to hold elections in September as we approach the one year anniversary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, Mr. Netanyahu's Likud party says Gantz should stop engaging in, quote, petty politics. It claims early elections would lead to political paralysis and fatally damage the chances of a hostage deal. As you can see for yourself, a wild scene inside Israel's parliament
as family members of the hostages stormed the Knesset's gallery. Some had their hands painted yellow, a symbol now associated with the plight of the captives. Others smeared yellow paint on the gallery's glass dividing wall. Most of the protesters left soon after they entered, but one man had to be forcibly removed. The demonstrators left pictures of the remaining hostages on the gallery seats.
All right, still to come for us, the New York judge denies a motion filed by Donald Trump's lawyers to delay his criminal hush money trial. We'll have the latest on his legal troubles.
Plus, CNN looks into the safety of U.S. bridges after the collapse of a major bridge in Baltimore, and we find potential risks for one not too far from that location.
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NEWTON: The judge overseeing Donald Trump's New Yorks criminal trial over hush money allegations has denied a motion from the former president to delay that trial. Trump's lawyers called for a delay until after the U.S. Supreme Court rules on his claim of presidential immunity for alleged crimes during his time in office.
Now, Judge Juan Merchan called the motion untimely, noting Trump's attorneys had months to file something over the issue. The trial has already been delayed once and is now set to begin April 15.
Now, another one of Trump's federal criminal cases, this one over allegations he took classified documents from the White House after he left office is mired with delays. And U.S. special counsel Jack Smith is pushing back against the judge's orders over potential jury instructions. CNN's Paula Reid explains.
(BEGINVIDETOPE)
JACK SMITH, U.S. SPECIAL COUNSEL: We very much look forward to presenting our case to a jury of citizens in the southern District of Florida.
PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A trial in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case appears highly unlikely to happen before the 2024 election and special counsel Jack Smith expressing frustration with Judge Eileen Cannon.
In a new filing late Tuesday, Smith's team said Cannon had ordered briefings based on a fundamentally flawed legal premise that had no basis in law or fact.
[01:25:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My sincere thanks go to the president for the honor of this nomination.
REID (voice-over): Prosecutors harshly criticizing the Trump appointed judges request for hypothetical jury instructions. She asked both sides to take into account the former president's claim that he had broad authority to take classified documents under the Presidential Records Act.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Whatever documents a president decides to take with him, he has the right to do so. It's an absolute right.
REID (voice-over): The post-Watergate law covers what documents belong to the government after an administration leaves the White House. But prosecutors have repeatedly said that law is not relevant because Trump is accused of obstruction and storing highly classified material in a bathroom and other unsecure locations at his Florida estate.
Prosecutors also point out that telling a jury that Trump had the authority to take records he wanted from the White House would make it nearly impossible to secure a conviction. Prosecutors insist that legal premise is wrong, and a jury instruction that reflects that premise would distort the trial.
But Trump's attorneys, who were also asked to weigh in here, suggested that the judge tell jurors Trump was authorized to possess a category of documents defined as personal records both during and after his term in office.
The idea that classified documents belonged to Trump, Smith's team said, is pure fiction.
JEREMY FOGEL, FORMER FEDERAL JUDGE: I was a trial judge for 37 years. I have never seen an order like this.
REID: Former federal judge Jeremy Fogel says the government will likely appeal.
FOGEL: If she makes that decision, and then the case goes to trial. And then he's acquitted, as he certainly would be with that instruction, the government has no recourse. There's double jeopardy.
REID (voice-over): But an appeal will likely further delay the trial, something Trump has been seeking in all his criminal cases.
REID: It's been over a month since Judge Cannon had a hearing where she heard arguments about delaying this case. It's currently penciled in for late May, but expected to be delayed. She let both sides weigh in on how far it should be delayed.
Now, since she hasn't put a date on the calendar, it's likely this case will not go before the November election. And if Trump is reelected, it is expected that he would have his attorney general dismissed Jack Smith and those two federal criminal cases. Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.
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NEWTON: A construction company that lost six workers in last week's bridge collapse in Baltimore has set up a fund to try and help their families. Bronner Builders says it created a GoFundMe account for outside donations, which will go directly to those family members. The company also says it's providing them with financial, emotional and counseling support.
Meantime, the city says it's setting aside $1 million in wage subsidies for workers whose jobs could be on the line because of that collapse, it shut down the port of Baltimore, affecting about 8,000 local jobs.
The city hopes the money will keep companies -- will help keep companies and those workers on the payroll. But a CNN investigation has found a number of other U.S. bridges could be at risk of collapsing if they're hit by large cargo ships. That's what caused the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore to crumble last week.
As CNN's Pete Muntean reports, one of those vulnerable bridges is just downstream from there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the center of the shipping channel that would have been used by the MV Dali. And soaring above is the four mile long Chesapeake Bay Bridge between Annapolis and Ken Island. A CNN investigation finds that it too could be vulnerable to the same kind of disaster that took down Baltimore's key bridge.
FRANK CARVER, SHIP CAPTAIN: That's the symbol of the Chesapeake Bay.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): Captain Frank Carver showed me the Bay Bridge at close range, its oldest span now more than 70 years old. Multiple experts warn to CNN that the suspension bridge's concrete pilings and aging piers are too exposed to possible collision on this busy shipping route. State figures show that each year cargo ships carry a total of 11 million tons of cargo underneath.
CARVER: Sometimes we do at least four times a day, if not sometimes ten times a day.
MUNTEAN: This is the older span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge finished in 1953. The newer span, the westbound span, finished in 1972. Both of these combined are critical for the area. About 27 million vehicles pass over these two bridges each year.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): Engineering professor Adel ElSafty of the University of North Florida says the design could be at risk of collapse if the wrong piling was hit.
ADEL ELSAFTY, CIVIL ENGINEERING PROFESSOR, UNIV. OF NORTH FLORIDA: If once a port goes down, then the whole superstructure will go down as well and it will pull the other ports as well. It's going to have that kind of catastrophic failure.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): The tower piers that support the main spans of the Bay Bridge have protective fenders. But ElSafty points out that is where protections end. There are none of the barriers known as dolphins used to blunt the force of an errant ship.
[01:30:05]
ELSAFTY: I think that is what we really need to do is to design and protect. Design better and protect our infrastructure.
MUNTEAN: The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is operated and maintained by the same agency that oversees the Key Bridge. On a new statement to CNN, the Maryland Transportation Authority says after the Key Bridge collapse, it is looking at options with the U.S. Coast Guard on the feasibility of increased pier protections for the Bay Bridge and what's possible in the navigation channel. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said no bridge is designed for a direct hit from a ship.
PETE BUTTIGIEG, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: This is a unique circumstance. I do not know of a bridge that has been constructed to withstand a direct impact from a vessel of this size.
FRANK CARVER, BOAT CAPTAIN: I think everybody are definitely be on board now. Thats for sure.
MUNTEAN: Just south of the Bay Bridge are the container ships waiting to get into Baltimore still blocked by the Key Bridge disaster. One, Frank Carver says cannot be repeated.
CARVER: (INAUDIBLE) Something we didn't realized could ever happened all that and it happened. Now you can see it just opened up so many more vulnerabilities all around.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Our thanks to Pete Muntean for that report.
Still to come for us, the founder of World Central Kitchen levels serious allegations against Israel after its deadly strike on the charity's aid convoy.
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NEWTON: And welcome back.
You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Newton.
Now in the hours ahead, the U.S. president is set to make what no doubt will be a tense phone call with the Israeli prime minister. This will be their first conversation since the tragic killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers. A White House official says Joe Biden is angry and frustrated over Israel's deadly strike.
And while President Biden's outrage appears to be shifting we're hearing there has been no shift in overall U.S. policy towards Israel.
Meantime, the World Central Kitchen is calling for an independent investigation of the attack and says it does not yet know when it will resume operations in Gaza. Now, the remains of its foreign staff members were moved out of the
territory on Wednesday via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Victims include a U.S.-Canadian national, a Palestinian, an Australian, a Polish worker, and three others from Britain.
[01:34:49]
NEWTON: The charity's founder meantime has called them the best of humanity, stressing that they are not collateral damage. During his first on-camera interview since the attack, Chef Jose Andres says, the aid convoy was systematically targeted by Israel.
CNN's Brian Todd has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The 54-year-old founder of World Central Kitchen slamming the Israeli military for the attack that killed seven of the group's aid workers in Gaza.
JOSE ANDRES, WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN: They were targeted systematically car by car.
TODD: Celebrity Chef Jose Andres in a jarring interview with Reuters, describes how the vehicles in the team's convoy were fired on.
ANDRES: They attacked the first car. We have a feeling they were able to escape safely, because it was an armored vehicle. They were able to move in the second one. Again, this one was hit. They were able move to the third one.
TODD: Andres says his team tried to communicate with the Israel Defense Forces at that moment.
ANDRES: In the chaos of the moment, whatever happened, to try to be telling IDF that, what are they doing, that they were targeting us in at a de-conflicting zone, in an area controlled by IDF, them knowing that was our teams moving on that route.
TODD: Regarding Israeli claims that the attack was a mistake and unintentional, Andres brushed back fiercely.
ANDRES: This was not just a bad luck situation where, oops, we dropped the bomb in the wrong place or -- no. This was over 1.5, 1.8 kilometers with a very defined humanitarian convoy that had signs in the top, in the roof, a very colorful logo that we are obviously very proud of. That's very clear who we are and what we do.
It seems that what is happening is like true Hunger Games. This has to end.
TODD: Andres went after the leadership of Israel and the U.S.
ANDRES: We are letting the people of Palestine down. U.S. must do more. They need to understand that this was not by somebody that is above law and order that decided just to kill us because I don't know, maybe because I did a tweet that was very strong against President Netanyahu.
TODD: Andres repeatedly rejected Israeli and U.S. claims that the strikes on his team were not deliberate.
ANDRES: Even if we were not in coordination with the IDF, no democratic country and no military can be targeting civilians and humanitarians, especially when the technology today allows you to know things in ways not too long ago was not possible.
Those drones have eyes on everything that moves in Gaza. I've been there. These drones nonstop flying above you, there's nothing that moves that IDF doesn't know. But said that, even nobody should be targeting ever humanitarian organizations and civilians continuously.
TODD: Asked if World Central Kitchen will start its operations again in Gaza, Chef Andres said their work is, quote, "halted" but that they're analyzing the situation hour by hour to figure out how to keep doing the work.
And in a pointed message to the Israeli prime minister --
ANDRES: I will tell to Prime Minister Netanyahu 200 humanitarians have died already.
Tens of thousands of civilians have died. I'm so sorry, but I think one humanitarian life is one too many. One children is one too many.
TODD: Again, regarding this attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli forces, quote, "unintentionally struck innocent people".
The IDF chief of staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, has said the attack was a, quote, "grave mistake". Other Israeli officials have said the incident is being investigated at the highest levels.
Brian Todd, CNN -- Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: At least five people are dead after Ukraine's second largest city took more fire from Russian drones. That's according to Kharkiv's mayor. Officials say at least ten people were injured in Thursday morning's attack.
Four Russian drones reportedly struck the city back-to-back. Three of the fatalities were emergency workers who responded to that initial strike. Then another drone hit the same area and killed them. The attack caused at least one fire and damaged a residential high-rise.
Now to Belgium where NATO leaders are keeping an eye on the next U.S. presidential election as they consider how to support Ukraine's war effort in the future. That's according to three sources familiar with the matter.
They spoke as NATO foreign ministers met in Brussels on Wednesday. The goal is to make sure western aid keeps going to Kyiv even if Donald Trump wins his reelection bid in November.
CNN's Nic Robertson has more now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary general had started the day by saying that it would be a change in the dynamics of support for Ukraine. That this needed to be a multi-year process.
[01:39:45]
ROBERTSON: He spoke as well, 75th anniversary of NATO coming up the following day, 32 nations for the first time, joined by the Swedish foreign minister.
But as we began to understand from the Secretary General, this is a meeting about sort of setting up the basis for agreement, but not the details about it. So he did lay out some barebones (ph) of what they'd agreed.
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL: Today allies have agreed to move forward with planning for a great NATO in coordinating security assistance and training.
The details will take shape in the weeks to come but make no mistake Ukraine can rely on NATO support now and for the long haul.
ROBERTSON: Even so, Stoltenberg was pressed by journalists for more details. One of them asking about reports that it was a $100 billion commitment he was looking for over five years as some has reported.
The question was to Trump-proof NATO that if Donald Trump should be reelected U.S. president, that somehow this military aid package for Ukraine could withstand and sustain during the period of his presidency.
Now, the secretary general, as he typically does, didn't again get into details, said look, you've been briefed by someone, but not briefed by me.
But what he wanted to achieve and what NATO was trying to achieve here is this financial commitment that allows Ukraine to plan for the coming years of the war. Know that it can have enough ammunition, let's say if it chooses to have an offensive in 2025. And for defense providers manufacturers throughout Europe and the United States, to know that there's long-term commitment for them to produce the armaments.
So that of course is where the devil will be in the detail of those details Stoltenberg hasn't yet spoken about and says will be worked out in the coming weeks and months.
Nic Robertson, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE) NEWTON: Coming up for us, global inflation has improved since the COVID pandemic spike. But economists warn, we are not out of the woods yet. You'll want to hear this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: So economic researchers believe that some of the factors that helped keep global inflation low in the decades before the coronavirus pandemic may now be reversing and that may put pressure on central banks as they try to bring inflation back under control.
Now that's according to a new paper presented at a recent Brookings Institution Economic Conference. The researchers found that increased trade and globalization, market liberalization and central bank reforms helped keep pre-pandemic inflation rates down.
But according to the paper, those trends are now reversing. The authors argue that there are steps though that governments can take to offset those risks.
Kenneth Rogoff is a professor of economics and public policy at Harvard University and a co-author of that report. And it is good to see you.
[01:44:52]
NEWTON: You know, I think by now, consumers and developed economies have been schooled, right on how damaging inflation is and can be. I mean, most people hadn't seen any significant inflation in more than a generation.
So when many of us thought that we were through this post-pandemic threat we have your report that you co-authored. Are you trying to warn people here that look we have not won the war on inflation, at least not this go around yet.
KENNETH ROGOFF, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: Well, actually this go around, maybe inflation will come down to their target, although they're being very slow about it.
What we actually warn about is the longer term. There are pressures on central bank independents coming from I'm very high budget deficits, populism, deglobalization that are going to mean it's somewhat more frequent to have these burst like we did after the pandemic.
It's not like a routine event. But enough so that average inflation is going to be more on the high side of what people had gotten used to. It's not constant, but spikes now and then.
NEWTON: Yes, so it's a warning, saying that we can expect more of this. I want you to listen now to Fed chair Jerome Powell. He spoke at length Wednesday, and you will hear the caution in what he's saying there. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JEROME POWELL, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: With inflation, it is too soon to say whether the recent readings represent more than just a bump. We do not expect that it will be appropriate to lower our policy rate until we have greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably down toward 2 percent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: How confident are you that they will reach 2 percent and not just for a couple of months -- a couple of months from now. And this is why I'm asking you about your report.
I mean, you don't believe that its likely to have a sustained period of low inflation anymore.
ROGOFF: Well, to be clear first of all, I think Chair Powell has just done a fantastic job in bringing inflation down and we haven't had a recession. We haven't seen anything like this since Greenspan, who is being called the maestro in the mid-1990s. But it's still very tricky to bring it that last mile down to 2 percent.
They're worried that if they sit for too long with high interest rate, they could get a recession, then suddenly is not the maestro. And on the other hand, nobody quite knows what's going on.
I think it's like a little bit longer concern that that's not just the overnight interest rate but mortgage rates and 10-year rates that have inflation built in to them.
And I think those aren't going to come down as much. That people will see somewhat higher inflation expectations, higher so-called real interest rates, even allowing for inflation.
So even if they bring inflation in the short run down to 2 percent and even if they bring interest rates down -- short-term interest rates down to say 3.5 percent, the mortgage rates are going to stay high. And these longer-term rates that are what affects most of us. I don't think you're going to see again what you got used to before the pandemic.
BARTIROMO: Yes and many consumers are hearing you right now, right? It's buckle up in terms of what will affect us and what you lay out in this report is quite persuasive. You say globalization has stalled. Governments, including the U.S., their spending levels are extreme levels.
And again, as you mentioned earlier, that central bank independents may be a casualty, especially given the divisive politics that we see in the U.S. and beyond.
So I want to ask you if we take just the E.U. and the U.S., do you have faith though that they will stick to doing everything they can to meet those low inflation targets.
ROGOFF: Well, I think you put it very well. It's very hard to be an island of technocratic independence in a sea of political division. And so the odds of stuff happening and there being pressures and subtle pressures, it's going to happen more frequently.
So it's not that they're suddenly oh, inflation was always 2 percent. Now, it's always going to be 3 percent. It's more like it'll mostly be 2 percent to 2.5 percent and every once in a while 7 percent or 8 percent.
And I think that's what we're going to see this kind of, you know, blip that we had not every year, I don't know when it's going to happen again, but stuff happens.
And when it happens, you know, you can count on there being a chance of having inflation spikes. And of course, people lending you mortgages, people making car loans, whatever are going to start to see this. It's going to get built into these longer-term interest rates.
NEWTON: OK, Kenneth Rogoff, we will consider ourselves warned. I want to thank you on what was a really interesting report. I appreciate it.
ROGOFF: Thank you.
NEWTON: Entertainment giant Disney won a hard-fought proxy battle against the vocal activist critic, the investor Nelson Peltz and his firm, Trian Fund Management.
[01:49:52]
NEWTON: Shareholders of the so-called hold House of the Mouse soundly rejected Trian's bid (ph) for two board seats, including one for Peltz and its plan to shake up Disney.
Now, Disney CEO Bob Iger celebrated his victory.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB IGER, CEO, DISNEY: I just want to take a moment to thank our shareholders for your trust and confidence in the Disney board and management and the ambitious strategy were implementing across our businesses to build for the future.
Now that this distracting proxy contest is behind us, we're eager to focus 100 percent of our attention on our most important priorities, growth and value creation for our shareholders and creative excellence for our consumers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, Disney shares finished Wednesday session down more than 3 percent.
Two investors in Trump Media and Technology Group have pleaded guilty to an insider trading scheme involving Donald Trump's social media platform, Truth Social. But its only one of the many headlines surrounding the fledgling site.
CNN's Tom Foreman has our details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:: Too big to rig.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A sizzling insider trading scandal is rocking the business deal that brought Donald Trump's Truth Social to the public market with billions at stake.
Simply put, two players in a company that helped Trump strike that deal pleaded guilty to securities fraud, admitting they illegally used secret information to make millions for themselves and some friends, even as the stock's value for regular investors has soared and sunk by the day.
Dan Alexander focuses on Trump's businesses for Forbes.
DAN ALEXANDER, SENIOR EDITOR, FORBES: What you have is arguably the most hyped up, wildly trading new stock that we've seen in a heck of a long time.
TRUMP: We must make America pray again.
FOREMAN: Although Trump relies heavily on Truth Social for selling Bibles, settling scores, and pushing the politics of revenge, in terms of users, his social media venture has been an Internet backwater compared to the giants, with fewer than a half million people using it each month.
Trump's personal worth dropped by $1 billion earlier this week after a regulatory filing revealed Truth Social lost more than $58 million last year.
So who's backing this new stock?
Analysts say it's not savvy investors but largely mom and pop Trump supporters.
JEFF TOMASULO, CEO, VESPULA CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: People are, you know, who really want to help Donald Trump out and believe in Donald Trump and believe in his vision.
FOREMAN: Trump has gone to court trying to push out two early partners in this venture, former contestants from his reality show, "The Apprentice".
TRUMP: Andy, you're fired. Wes, you're fired also.
FOREMAN: If he wins, that could increase his share of any dividends. But he'll still have to wait about a half year before he can lay his hands on any of the theoretical billions the company is currently worth.
ALEXANDER: If you valued this business like a typical business right now, you'd be looking closer to the hundred-million-dollar figure than you are any of these billion-dollar figures.
(END VIDEOTAPE) NEWTON: Tom Foreman reporting for us there.
You are watching CNN NEWSROOM live from New York.
Just ahead for us it's daddy, daughter bonding on a whole new level. A fashion-forward father's secrets to preventing morning meltdowns.
[01:53:19]
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NEWTON: Nearly every parent knows how challenging it can be to get their kids ready for school in the morning.
But a father in Boston -- yes, he seems to have a solution then he's going viral for his fashion-forward morning routine.
CNN's Jeanne Moos has our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Five-year-old Penelope Campanovo (ph) was a kid with taste. Oysters are no. But she spoons caviar out of the can and deciding what to wear for school --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's pick an outfit for tomorrow morning.
MOOS: -- has led to a nightly routine with daddy. As mom explained on TikTok, because their morning tears and arguments about school outfits scarred him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amore, I laid out four outfits for you tomorrow morning.
MOOS: Now, it's multiple choice --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pink and flower-power girl option with matching Nikes.
MOOS: -- to avoid fighting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A beautiful pearly option with Barbie. Ok.
A Cool Kid on the Block with skinny jeans, BAPE sweater and matching red shoes.
Please take a look and let me know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I choose this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's what you're going with. All right. So let's shake on it.
MOOS: And that's what Penelope wore. Commenters were wild.
"The styling is top-notch."
"She has him presenting like it's shark tank.
But by episode two --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: School girl rock n roll --
MOOS: -- there was a hitch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: BAPE the ape with red details. And we have the Barbie outfit?
MOOS: She looked, she considered, she chose --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The BAPE the ape.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Great choice.
MOOS: But the next morning, well fashion whims can change overnight.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just dream about Barbie and I really wanted to wear the Barbie today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come here.
MOOS: The switch to Barbie was sealed with a kiss.
Jeanne Moos --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is recorded for quality assurance. Ok?
MOOS: -- CNN -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Good luck with that
I give them credit for trying.
I want to thank you for watching. I'm Paula Newton.
CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church starts in a moment.
[01:57:18]
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