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Crews Search For Survivors In Rubble Of Taiwan Quake; Outraged Biden To Speak By Phone With Netanyahu; Leaders to Speak Thursday for First Time Since Killing of Seven Aid Workers; World Central Kitchen Demands Investigation Into Attack; Some Aid Groups Pause Operations in Gaza After Strike; Israeli War Cabinet Member Calls for Early Elections; Uganda Court Upholds Harsh Anti-LGBTQ Law; Four Days Until Total Eclipse Visible in North America. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired April 04, 2024 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:30]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE ANDRES, SPANISH-AMERICAN CHEF AND RESTAURATEUR: -- deliberately, nonstop until everybody was dead in this convoy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Celebrity Chef Jose Andres speaks out of the seven workers from his aid group were killed by an Israeli strike in Gaza.

Searching for signs of life rescue crews in Taiwan are racing against the clock hoping to find dozens still trapped after Wednesday's deadly earthquake.

And excitement is building for next week solar eclipse but now experts are warning Mother Nature might spoil the fun for some.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. The founder of World Central Kitchen is calling for an independent investigation into an Israeli attack in Gaza that killed seven aid workers from his organization. Jose Andres is also accusing Israel of systematically targeting the workers. The bodies of six foreign nationals killed in that strike were transported out of the Palestinian territory through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Wednesday.

The deadly attack impacting the flow of aid in Gaza. World Central Kitchen says its operations in the enclave remain closed for now, and has not yet reached a decision on when it will resume its vital work. The group immediately suspended its mission there after the deaths 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 without offloading most of its cargo, which added up to about 332 tons of humanitarian aid.

That's according to the Cypriot foreign ministry. The World Central Kitchen founder is lashing out at Israel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDRES: They were target systematically, car by car. They attack the first car, we're still trying to get all the information on what happened on 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 to move in the third one. And then they hit the third one. And then we saw the consequences of that continuous targeting attack. Seven people dead. This was not us just a bad luck. The situation where ops, 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Those strong words from the founder of World Central Kitchen as Israel apologizes for what it calls a grave mistake.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more details from Jerusalem.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And we're hearing deep expressions of regret from Israeli officials in recognition of the gravity of the situation with the chief of staff of the Israeli military publicly apologizing for this. And the Israeli Prime Minister expressing deep regrets for the situation. But there are still many questions that remain about exactly how the -- these three vehicles could have been misidentified, mistakenly targeted by the Israeli military, as they claim.

And Chef Jose Andres in this interview with Reuters is making clear that the Israeli military, in his view systematically targeted these vehicles that they were clearly identified, saying this was not just a bad luck situation. He also said that his team tried to communicate with the IDF as these strikes began to happen indicating that as we have seen with our analysis, as well, from the visual evidence on the ground, that this was not just one strike, as the Israeli military has tried to suggest.

Not just one mistake, but multiple strikes targeting these individual vehicles half a mile apart in one case, a mile apart in a second case. And so clearly, there are still many more questions that the military is going to have to answer here as they conduct this investigation.

[02:05:05] CHURCH: The U.S. Defense Secretary is urging his Israeli counterpart to carry out a quick and transparent inquiry. According to the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin pressed Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant half gallon to share the conclusions publicly and hold those responsible to account. Austin also stressed the need for a rapid increase in aid to Gaza through all crossings, particularly to communities in northern Gaza at risk of famine.

U.S. President Joe Biden will speak by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the day ahead. It will be their first conversation since the World Central Kitchen Aid workers were killed. One official describes the U.S. president as angry and increasingly frustrated and fully prepared to make that known. Mr. Biden is also expected to discuss Israel's potential ground incursion into Rafah, the ongoing ceasefire and hostage talks, the need for more humanitarian aid and the protection of aid workers in Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW MILLER, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: It doesn't really matter how they made the mistake. At the end of the day, you have seven dead aid workers who are there trying to deliver humanitarian assistance. So, whatever the reason was, that led to this tragedy, whatever the mistake that happened inside the IDF, it's unacceptable, and they need to do better and they need to put measures in place to ensure that it doesn't happen again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: More now from CNN Senior White House Correspondent M.J. Lee.

M.J. LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden making clear in a statement that he is outraged by the deaths of the seven eight workers in Gaza. CNN is told that the frustration inside the White House has reached new levels. And the President notably explicitly blaming Israel for this incident, saying that the country has simply not done enough to protect aid workers and civilians.

And this anger is going to be the backdrop for the President's conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday. But despite this anger that the President is feeling, the White House is also making clear at this point, that the U.S. is not changing its position when it comes to supporting Israel in its current war against Hamas in Gaza. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I can say that nothing has changed. And we've been clear about that since certainly, since yesterday, we are going to continue to have those really tough conversations, right? Important to have conversations about how Israel moves forward with their operation. We want to make sure that civilians are kept safe, that are protected, and also folks who are providing humanitarian aid.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LEE: And, of course, earlier this week here at the White House, we saw a vivid display of the anger and frustration over this war that the President continues to confront every day. The White House was set to host an Iftar dinner to break the Ramadan fast but instead, that dinner becoming a meeting with a small group of Muslim community leaders after participants raise concerns about this idea of holding a celebratory dinner when the situation in Gaza is so terrible, and so many people in that region is currently starving and unable to eat out.

One of the participants, of course, was a Palestinian American doctor who said that he actually left this meeting early as a show of protest. But before he left the meeting, he says that he handed the President a letter that was written by an eight-year-old girl in Rafah who was orphaned during this war and in that letter, she essentially begged the president to do anything that he can to stop Israel from expanding its military operation into Rafah.

This doctor, of course, is one of many Americans across the country right now who would like to see the President change direction when it comes to this war. But again, the White House for now is making clear that that is not something that it is prepared to do at this moment in time.

M.J. Lee, CNN at the White House.

CHURCH: Dr. Thaer Ahmad joins me now from Chicago. Thank you, Doctor for being with us.

DR. THAER AHMAD, EMERGENCY MEDICINE PHYSICIAN: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: I do want to start with World Central Kitchen's founder and Chef Jose Andres accusing Israel of systematically targeting his seven aid workers and killing them in their convoy of three clearly marked vehicles. Israel calls it a grave mistake and blames misidentification. But these aid workers were coordinating their movements with the IDF of in the hope they would protect them. What's your reaction to his accusation that instead they were targeted?

AHMAD: I mean, I think he has a point there. And it's absolutely devastating what happened to these health care workers -- to these humanitarian aid workers who were trying to feed hungry Palestinians.

[02:10:06]

I mean, if you take a look at what happened here. Three separate vehicles, three separate missiles, it was an assassination attempt. And this is just in a long line of incidents that have taken place in the Gaza Strip, whether it's a health care facility or an aid convoy. I mean, it was just last month when we heard about the convoy in the north where 100 Palestinians who were trying to grab flower or were massacred and killed.

It's incident after incident, and we cannot rely on the Israelis to investigate themselves. It has to come from the international community and they need to be held accountable with respect to these incidents. This is totally unacceptable. And it's so tragic. And now you're seeing many other aid organizations say that they're going to pause activities because it is incredibly dangerous to deliver aid in the Gaza Strip right now.

I mean, this is why it's the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II. Every single part of life in the Gaza Strip has been offended and turned upside down. You can even distribute food to hungry people without risking your life.

CHURCH: And as a result of this deadly attack, some aid groups have suspended their humanitarian operations for fear of being targeted this after about 198 workers have been killed in this war. You have volunteered as a doctor in Gaza. How would you describe the health care system there and of course, the dire humanitarian crisis?

AHMAD: It has totally collapsed. The health care system is not functioning. I was at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in January. Prior to the war, Nassar hospital is the second largest hospital in the Gaza Strip. While we were there, Al-Shifa Hospital which is the largest and you may be familiar with because it was in the news, again, last week, had already been shut down. And so, Nasser was overwhelmed.

This is a hospital that's supposed to be able to perform multiple surgeries, but healthcare institution after healthcare institution has been raided, targeted and left to (INAUDIBLE) and you can -- I can name you all of them. Shifa, Al Awda, Ranteesi and Nasser. The list goes on and on. 70 healthcare workers have been abducted, over 400 healthcare workers have been killed. In fact, one of the surgeons that I worked with at Nasser Hospital, Dr. Khaled al-Serr who was working on getting Nasser up and running again has just been detained by the Israeli military recently.

And so, there is a deliberate attack on healthcare infrastructure. And it's just one piece of making life hell in the Gaza Strip and why the humanitarian crisis is so bad. It's not just that there's a famine in the north, and there's a possible invasion of Rafah in the south. It's that nothing can get in. We can't even get food or water into the Gaza Strip. It's being restricted by the Israelis.

Hospitals cannot get fuel for their generators to power on their lights and treat their patients. We're out of medicine. We're out of supplies, we're out of even space and buffer for people to stay. You can't even put pitch a tent if you're a displaced person in the Gaza Strip right now. And so, every aspect of life has come under attack and all of civilian infrastructure had been -- has been devastated.

It should be no surprise to anybody that a six-month -- where it -- six months we're in this catastrophic situation here. And that's why people are calling for a ceasefire. That's why they're saying an invasion to Rafah is a red line. And they're saying that we need a maritime corridor, we need air drops. But most importantly, every single access on land needs to be open and unrestricted. Trucks need to be able to get in with supplies that will save lives.

CHURCH: Jose Andres says Israel looks to be waging war against humanity itself, and called on U.S. President Joe Biden to do more. Now you walked out of a meeting at the White House Tuesday evening. And that meeting was with the President, his Vice President and other Biden officials. And you did that to protest what's happening in Gaza. So, what do you want President Biden to say to Benjamin Netanyahu when he speaks to him in a phone call in the coming hours about this deadly attack on aid workers? A conversation that they haven't had in three weeks.

AHMAD: Yes. I mean, he needs to be clear, he needs to be explicit. And he needs to draw the red line. He needs to say the war needs to stop and there needs to be a ceasefire. He needs to also comment on the fact that aid is being obstructed inside. And he cannot just accept any of the explanations that he has been hearing for the past six months. I'll remind you that with this World Central Kitchen convoy, the first explanation for the Israeli military was that it was just some -- an IE D on the side of the road.

I mean, that's the sort of answers that we're getting from this military. So, President Biden needs to be explicitly clear with Netanyahu, that if they do not stop this war, and they do not allow aid in to starving Palestinians and they don't guarantee that there is going to be a safe resolution to all of this, that there are consequences to this. And those consequences can deal with aid, they can deal with sanctions.

There needs to be some teeth to the words that President Biden is going to use with Netanyahu.

[02:15:04]

There has to absolutely be consequences because rhetoric for six months has gotten us 32,000 dead Palestinians. Rhetoric for the last six months has had aid workers murdered in plain sight. And so that's not going to work anymore. And I hope that that's something that my message and the message from the entire international NGO community and people like, Chef Jose, that that's the message that's heard by President Biden and that he actually uses it in a conversation.

CHURCH: Dr. Thaer Ahmed, thank you so much for talking with us. We appreciate it.

AHMED: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: Rescue teams in Taiwan are searching for more survivors a day after the island was hit by its strongest earthquake in a quarter century. Officials say the 7.4 magnitude quake killed at least nine people and injured more than 1000. More than 100 people remain trapped and dozens are missing or unaccounted for. The quake struck off the east coast of the island at a relatively shallow depth of about 35 kilometers underground.

The U.S. Geological Survey says it has recorded dozens of powerful aftershocks near the epicenter.

And CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins me now live from Hong Kong. So, Kristie, what is the latest on these efforts to rescue dozens still trapped in the rubble in the aftermath of Wednesday's deadly earthquake and of course those continuing aftershocks?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yet Rosemary the urgent search and rescue is underway continues today in Taiwan a day after that massive 7.4 magnitude earthquake. The earthquake, it caused rockfalls, landslides and collapse structures including those tilted buildings that we've seen out of Hualien, the epicenter. Over 600 people we've learned, 600 people plus are stranded or unreachable.

And according to the latest government tally from Taiwan, at least nine people have died. We've also learned more than 1000 are injured. And rescuers, they are working to free people trapped or stranded by debris and they're also struggling just to get to them. Now the epicenter is in Hualien County on the east coast of Taiwan, and many in that region are in remote areas. Coastal or mountain communities that can be hard to reach.

I want to show you some new footage in this drone footage. You'll see 50 stranded hotel employees just waiting for rescue. They were in many buses on their way to work early on Wednesday, right before 8:00 a.m. when the earthquake struck. And rescuers are waiting for the roads to be cleared so they can reach this group. And the next video, you see first responders reach the scene of a major landslide after the earthquake.

And they have to scramble through a blocked highway to reach the survivors. And a man was found, a man was found unconscious at the scene and we've learned that he was later sent to the hospital for treatment. Now a day after this earthquake residents are still very anxious, very much nervous and on edge. Some slept outdoors last night because of the dozens of aftershocks that have been hitting Taiwan since that initial quake. I want you to listen to this survivor account.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I eat and not that 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)

STOUT: Now after the initial tremor, there have been a number of pretty strong aftershocks including one with a magnitude 6.5 that our own team, CNN's teams on the ground have felt let alone the population there and authorities have warned that there will be more powerful aftershocks in the next few days. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Those images are unbelievable and so terrifying for everyone involved. Kristie Lu Stout joining us from Hong Kong. Many thanks.

Still to come. How NATO is hoping to secure future aid deliveries to Ukraine. Even if Donald Trump wins the U.S. presidential election. We'll explain.

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CHURCH: At least five people are dead after Ukraine's second largest city took more fire from Russian drones according to Kharkiv's mayor. Officials say at least 10 people were injured in Thursday mornings attack. Four Russian drones reportedly struck the city back to back. Three of the fatalities were emergency workers who responded to the initial strike when another drone hit the same area and killed them. The attack caused at least one fire and damaged a residential high rise.

NATO is honoring its past and reportedly looking for ways to safeguard its future aid to Ukraine. Right now, ceremonies are underway in Brussels marking the alliance's 75th anniversary. NATO was created on April 4th 1949 when 12 founding members signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington.

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is expected to speak and NATO foreign ministers will hold meetings with Ukrainian officials. NATO is also trying to as one diplomat put it future proof. Its aid deliveries to Ukraine. That means according to sources to make sure the aid keeps going, even if Donald Trump wins the U.S. presidential election in November. CNN's Nic Robertson has more.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Jens Stoltenberg 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 multiyear process. 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 bare bones of what they'd agreed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: Today, allies have agreed to move forward with planning for a great NATO role in coordinating security assistance and training. The details will take shape in the weeks to come. But make no mistake, Ukraine can rely on me to support now and for the long haul.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Even so Stoltenberg was pressed by journalists for more details, one of them asking about reports that was $100 billion commitment. He was looking for over five years as some have 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 detail. So, like you had been briefed by someone but not briefed by me. But what he wanted to achieve and what NATO is 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, 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 and those details. Stoltenberg hasn't yet spoken about and says will be worked out in the coming weeks and months.

Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

CHURCH: Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are at odds over military aid for Ukraine. Speaker Mike Johnson is looking at ways to move the funding forward. But right-wing firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene and says that could cost him his job. CNN's Manu Raju has more.

[02:25:06]

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Marjorie Taylor Greene is keeping up her campaign to try to oust Mike Johnson from the speakership. She can call for vote really at any time when the House comes back into session as soon as next week because only one member. That's all that's required to call for a vote to seek a sitting speaker's ouster. Remember, that was the first time that happened in history when Kevin McCarthy was booted by his own colleagues last fall.

Can the same thing happen to Mike Johnson? That is uncertain. Greene has been furious at his deal cutting and Johnson's handling of the government funding bill to avoid a government shutdown last month. And she is bluntly warning him not to move ahead with any Ukraine aid package, even if includes some border security measures, some more conservative policy measures in there.

She says none of that should go forward. She told me that, especially if this moves through a process known on Capitol Hill as under suspension of the rules, meaning working with Democrats and in circumventing some of the hard right forces within his conference that could cause her to move ahead. She said, I think, let me tell you when he forces that vote, again, under suspension with no amendments and funds Ukraine, and people find out how angry little constituents are about it. That's going to move the needle even more. But I'm going to tell you right now, funding Ukraine is probably one of the most egregious things that he can do.

Now, I asked her about the potential that Democrats could team up with Republicans and name and elect more moderate speaker. That seems to be a possibility if Johnson is in fact, pushed out. She brushed aside those concerns. She says, I don't think we can get any more moderate than Mike Johnson. There's not even any daylight between him and Nancy Pelosi at this point. He's literally turned into Mitch McConnell's twin and worse,

Now the question is when she will move ahead. She has not said when she will do that. She said she wants to look at the timing and the possibility. She did say that you plan to speak with Johnson on Friday and also plans -- would not disclose her plans to talk to Donald Trump. I asked her if Trump is involved in any of this and she declined to comment on that. She also declined to comment which Republicans are behind that effort.

But one Republican also that she is targeting Virginia Republican Bob Good, a fellow hardliner. But once she has sparred with for months and who is facing his own primary challenge back home in Virginia in June, she is supporting her primary for -- his primary foe and said she plans to campaign against him later this month.

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

CHURCH: The U.S. shed intel on several potential Russian targets before a deadly ISIS-K attack near Moscow last month. But Russia did not act on the Intel, sources tell CNN. The ultimate target of the attack Crocus City Hall was one of several sites. The U.S. shared under its duty to warn policy. The U.S. Ambassador to Russia says the information was given to Moscow in writing, calling it "specific, timely and credible."

More than 140 people died in that attack. Russia claims the warnings were too general to act upon but the U.S. Ambassador says they "dismiss the usefulness of the inflammation."

Angry words for Israel from the founder of the World Central Kitchen. Chef Jose Andres speaks out about the dead aid workers and the crisis he calls a real-life Hunger Games.

Plus, Ugandan judges make a decision about a law that threatens the lives and livelihood of the country's LGBTQ community. We'll have details on the other side of the break. Stay with us.

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[02:31:30]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The U.S. president will make it clear to Israel's prime minister that he is angry and frustrated over the recent killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza. According to a senior White House official, the two leaders are expected to hold a phone call in the coming hours, their first since the deadly incident. But the White House has stressed that despite the tragedy, the U.S. policy of supporting Israel militarily remains unchanged.

Meanwhile, the World Central Kitchen is calling for an independent investigation into the attack and says, it hasn't decided when to resume operations in Gaza. The foreign aid workers' remains were transported out of Gaza, Wednesday, via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. The victims include a U.S.-Canada national, a Palestinian, an Australian, a Pole, and three others from Britain.

CNN's Melissa Bell is following developments and has more now from Jerusalem. A warning, some of the images in this report are disturbing. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR 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 insistent that WCK had coordinated the convoy's movements with the Israeli military.

JOSE ANDRES, FOUNDER, WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN: We were targeted deliberately. This looks like it is 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 de-conflicted zone on two armored cars and one unarmored vehicle.

CNN has geolocated video imagery of all the destroyed vehicles, at least one of which was clearly marked with a 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 has become known chillingly as the flour massacre, Israel denied targeting the aid trucks, saying the Israeli Defense Forces fired at "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 DEPARMENT 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.

[02:35:00]

MILLER: 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)

CHURCH: 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. Here is what Gantz posted on Facebook.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENNY GANTZ, ISRAELI WAR CABINET MINISTER (through translator): In order for us to remain united and succeed in the tasks we are facing, the public must know that we will 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)

CHURCH: Mr. Netanyahu's Likud party says Gantz should stop engaging in petty politics. It claims early elections would lead to political paralysis and fatally damage the chances of a hostage deal.

A Ugandan court has ruled in favor of one of the world's harshest anti-gay laws. The law criminalizes same-sex relationships in the country and imposes extreme punishments on the LGBTQ+ community. A group of petitioners had challenged the law saying it violated their constitutional rights. CNN's David McKenzie explains the ruling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Human rights activists and lawyers are deeply disappointed in the decision of the constitutional court in Uganda to unanimously uphold a draconian anti- LGBTQ law that calls for a life sentence in some cases, even the death penalty in certain circumstances for the LGBTQ community in Uganda. Now, they were two aspects of the law that the judges said could be thrown out, including issues of privacy and health.

But in the main dilated stand (ph), despite the incredible pressure coming from western governments and others, ever since President Museveni signed the law last year, and extensive reporting by CNN has shown that LGBTQ Ugandans have been harassed, evicted and beaten, and in some cases, even had to flee the country to seek asylum elsewhere because of the conditions in Uganda. Now, it's likely the lawyers will appeal this ruling at the supreme court.

David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Coming up, what could get in the way of a total solar eclipse? Clouds and storms. We take a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:40:20]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. North America is just days away from experiencing a total eclipse of the sun. The line of totality, which is where the moon will completely block the sun, runs from central Mexico's Pacific Coast through a large part of the U.S. and eastern Canada. One thing that may complicate things is severe weather. CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers tells us what to expect.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, we are one day closer and the models are always better as they get closer and closer to an event, whether it is a rain shower or a thunderstorm or a snowstorm. We are still watching the same areas though, obviously, the eclipse area has not changed whatsoever. So watching that stripe from Mexico all the way up toward Atlantic Canada, what we are expecting is a developing low pressure center across the Gulf Coast, possibly making clouds for Louisiana, maybe all the way up toward Arkansas. We'll have to see. I'll show you those pictures in a second.

Some clearing skies across parts of the Midwest and then more clearing on up toward New England. Now, the stripe wide here is 122 miles. So if you get one or two clouds in your way and you have time, you can still shift your location just a bit, 2,500 miles long. You're not going to be going that quickly.

A lot of cloud cover across the northeast and the Great Lakes at a typical time of year in April. But this I think is the problem. The storm down across parts of Texas, this is where the cloud cover will come from and it will likely be quite thick, especially with these cumulus clouds building and maybe even thunderstorms in the afternoon. This is the American model.

Keep an eye on your location. I'm going to switch you to the European model. Not a lot of change, still a lot of cloud cover down here. But as we get closer, one or two days closer, all of this will come into better confidence and probably, likely some better resolution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And join us Monday for the total solar eclipse as it travels from Mexico across America and into Canada. Our special coverage starts at 12:00 p.m. Eastern in the U.S. that is 5:00 p.m. in London.

And thanks so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. "World Sport" is coming up next, then I'll be back in about 15 minutes with more "CNN Newsroom." Do stick around.

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