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CNN International: Police and Universities Crack Down on Escalating Protests; Hamas Weighing Ceasefire and Hostage Release Proposal; At Least 71 Killed, Dozens Injured in Latest Flooding Incident in Kenya; Hush Money Case Against Former President Trump Resumes Today. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired April 30, 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]

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In this moment the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas. They have to decide and they have to decide quickly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We demand divestment. We will not be moved unless by force.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It has been a tense day as the protests here have escalated.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Across Europe there's a danger of cities turning to museums and ordinary people being pushed out. This rent-controlled apartment is now Catherine's for just eight hundred dollars a month.

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

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers join us around the world. I'm Max Foster. It's Tuesday April the 30th 9 a.m. here in London and 4 a.m. in New York.

Emotions running high at college campuses across the U.S. as Universities take a tougher stand against pro-Palestinian protesters and their encampments. And that's led to the dramatic situation unfolding right now at Columbia University the epicenter of the student protest movement. Demonstrators have taken over one of the main buildings on campus called Hamilton Hall. Last hour a Columbia student called in from campus explained exactly what was happening.

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JOHN TOWFIGHI, COLUMBIA STUDENT, NEW YORK: About 10 a.m. today the university dropped some pamphlets amongst the student protesters telling them if they did not disband by 2 p.m. they would face immediate interim suspension by the university. Now that includes not graduating if you're a current senior. Nonetheless, I can confirm on the scene right now at Columbia University, there are at least 200 students, I repeat, at least 200 students who are organizing and barricading themselves outside of Hamilton Hall. The specific number of students inside the building is unclear, but I would estimate about a couple dozen have entered the building.

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FOSTER: Well earlier in the day negotiations between protesters and administrators fell apart and the university began suspending Students. Demonstrators have been given a Monday afternoon deadline to disperse which they defied.

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SUEDA POLAT, COLUMBIA STUDENT NEGOTIATOR: We demand divestment. We will not be moved unless by force.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a movement an anti-war movement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These repulsive scare tactics mean nothing compared to the deaths of over 34,000 Palestinians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Students have been arrested for protesting the war at dozens of U.S. universities across at least 16 states. And the White House isn't saying much about how colleges are handling this unrest.

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KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: So got to be super, super mindful. These are institutions, some of them are private, some of them are public, and it is up to their leadership, university leadership and colleges to make that decision. Not going to weigh in on that from here.

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FOSTER: Well, CNN's Nick Watt has been covering the demonstrations at the University of California, Los Angeles, but first to Austin, Texas, where riot police arrested dozens of protesters, according to one activist group. CNN's Ed Lavandera is there.

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ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Another week of protests here on the campus of the University of Texas. This is another one of those protests that has lasted hours, and it has resulted in the arrest of dozens of protesters here on the campus. Exact numbers we don't know yet, but some organizers, and we have seen dozens of people taken into custody.

These are protesters who have been chanting for these officers to leave the campus. And that appears to be what is happening now, is they're particularly leaving this area. But it has been a tense day as the protests here have escalated into once again seeing arrests. We've also seen some intense flashpoints where protesters were confronted with either flashbangs or pepper spray. We heard several loud explosions throughout the course of the protests. But we also saw state troopers once again come into the campus and circle the encampment and what is described by the protesters as a liberated zone.

And that is what university officials say that they were just not going to allow. Any sign of occupation or occupying any part of this campus, including using tents and any kind of barricade to keep people out, was just simply not going to be tolerated by the university. And that's why once again you saw state troopers here.

[04:05:05]

Protesters say that they are protesting peacefully, that they are trying to bring attention to the cause of the Palestinian people in Gaza.

But at this point the university simply is saying that they are not going to tolerate any kind of encampment or any kind of situation where these protesters are allowed to stay on campus for any extended period of time.

The university also says they believe the vast majority of the people who were taking part in this protest today were not students. So that is another element here that the university believes that a lot of this is being kind of agitated by people outside of the campus community here.

But once again another intense day as we've seen protests and arrests here on the campus of the University of Texas.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Austin, Texas.

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NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So this is the camp that has been here on the UCLA campus since Thursday. It has grown a lot since then. And this is Royce Hall, one of the iconic buildings on campus where there was a mobile protest, a walk out of sorts. Students and some faculty this morning all with the same demands. Divestment, bringing attention to what they say is going on in Gaza.

Now the reason that we are not allowed in is media. In fact no one's allowed into that camp without the approval of the protesters. And since Sunday when it got ugly there was just one barrier. And the protesters and the pro-Israeli counter-protesters clashed over that barrier.

So the university has now brought in a sort of buffer zone, two layers. So the university controls this, the protesters control this, we are only allowed here. Now there have been counter-protests as I mentioned and one is kind of continuing. So over here they have this huge video screen that has been playing non-stop with loud audio scenes from October 7th, testimony from October 7th. Just a handful of pro-Israeli protesters actually on campus today. They tell me they are not planning anything for the night.

But it's really unclear how this is going to end. I mean these protesters are saying divest. The UC college system is saying no we won't divest.

Because as the college puts it, divesting from Israel, breaking ties with academic institutions in Israel, that then impinges on the academic freedom of some students. The college, like all these colleges, is trying to balance. Here they are trying to balance free speech, the safety of students, and of course the core mission of a college which is to educate and to learn.

They learned from what happened at USC last week where the police went in a little more heavy handed and it got pretty messy, nearly 100 arrests. Here at UCLA they are really trying to keep the security at an arm's length. Trying to keep this as peaceful as possible.

But a lot of students are saying this is a public college. I go to this public college and right now I cannot walk across my campus.

Nick Watt at the UCLA campus in Los Angeles.

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FOSTER: The pro-Palestinian protests have also spread to schools elsewhere around the world. In Paris, police say they cleared dozens of demonstrators from the courtyard of the Sorbonne University on Monday, quickly and without incident. The school says fewer than 50 protesters had set up tents. One student claims the protesters were forcibly removed.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We simply came to demonstrate. We set up tents and the police arrived about 40 to 45 minutes ago to forcibly remove us from the courtyard. There were some altercations. It was quite violent. Some people were dragged on the ground, others were simply forced out by being taken by the arms. Then at the exit of the Sorbonne, there was an identity check and now we are being prevented from leaving the demonstration.

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FOSTER: The White House is telling Hamas leaders, meanwhile, they should accept the latest proposal by Egypt to end the war in Gaza. The deal laid out in two phases would ultimately lead to a year-long ceasefire with Israel, the release of all remaining hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. A response from Hamas could come at any time.

CNN's Jeremy Dimond has more on the framework and the reaction to it and the warning parts of his report are graphic.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Smoke from the latest Israeli airstrike rises near the tents of the displaced in Rafah. And it could get much worse. Israel is threatening a major ground offensive here.

But far from the bombs and bullets, another path is emerging. Egypt putting forward a new framework for a ceasefire and hostage deal.

SAMEH SHOUKRY, EGYPTIAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: There is a proposal on the table up to the two sides to consider and accept. But certainly the objective is a ceasefire.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Under the latest proposal, an Israeli source and a foreign diplomatic source tell CNN that Hamas would release between 20 and 33 hostages in exchange for a pause in the fighting and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners over several weeks.

[04:10:04]

Palestinians would also get unrestricted access to northern Gaza, a new Israeli concession.

Israel and Hamas would then agree to what diplomats are calling the restoration of sustainable calm, a one-year ceasefire that would see Israeli troops withdraw from Gaza and the release of the remaining Israeli hostages.

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Hamas has before it a proposal that is extraordinarily, extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel. And in this moment, the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas.

DIAMOND (voice-over): As Israeli officials expect Hamas' leader in Gaza to respond in the coming days, hostage families are driving up the pressure on the Israeli government.

AVIVA SIEGEL, FREED HOSTAGE: I know the feeling of losing hope. Bring Keith back to me. Bring back my hope. Bring Keith and all the hostages their lives back. We can't handle anymore. We've had enough.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Failing to reach a deal only promises more pain for those hostage families and more unspeakable grief in Rafah. Israeli airstrikes killing 22 people overnight in Rafah, according to hospital officials, including five children. Nestled among the body bags, the small body of one-year-old Deif-Allah Abu Taha is impossible to miss. He was among 10 members of his family killed overnight.

We were sitting in our homes, not doing anything, his uncle says. Everyone was asleep in their beds. This is who they're targeting. This is their objective. This is the generation they're targeting.

The stakes of ceasefire negotiations all too clear.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.

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FOSTER: CNN senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman joins me now. Ben, so they're talking about a sustainable calm. How does that -- I mean, what does it mean in the terms of a ceasefire?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think as Jeremy referenced there, it's the possibility of a permanent ceasefire, what one diplomatic source is calling it. However, the question is, what does that actually mean? If the Israelis allow people to return to northern Gaza and sort of the end of hostilities, that basically means the end of the war.

Now, at the same time, the Israelis are saying that they still are maintaining their ultimate goal of destroying Hamas. So how that's going to be achieved, it's hard to say. And, of course, then the question is, what happens next?

Does Hamas simply restore, take over Gaza again? And we go back to the situation before the 7th of October. Who is going to reconstruct Gaza? Who is going to restore basic civil services like schools, hospitals that have all been destroyed? Many schools have been destroyed. The health system has been destroyed.

There's so many questions to that. But certainly it would be for the people of Gaza who are now in the 207th day of this war with more than 34,000 people killed. According to the U.N., 70 percent of them women and children.

It would certainly represent a massive improvement on the situation today. But there's still many questions as to what happens in Gaza if this deal actually comes off.

FOSTER: Well, let's hear what the U.S. Secretary of State had to say about the proposal.

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BLINKEN: They have to decide. And they have to decide quickly. So we're looking to that. And I'm hopeful that they will make the right decision.

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FOSTER: I mean, this is the pressure, isn't it? Just to get some sort of deal as soon as possible.

WEDEMAN: Well, yes, because if no deal is reached and they've been negotiating for a deal for months now, there's a very real possibility that Israel will launch its long-anticipated operation in Gaza where more than a million people are currently seeking safety.

Now, according to Israeli media, Prime Minister Netanyahu has approved a plan for a Rafah operation. He has not actually approved it going ahead. But the basic plan is there, been approved, and is ready to go. [04:15:00]

And the anticipation is if a deal is not reached, that operation will go ahead against the objections, we're told, from the United States and others who don't want to see it happen given the very real possibility of a huge civilian death toll. The likes of which we have not even seen in Gaza yet even though we are talking about more than 34,000 people dead already.

So it could get much worse if a deal is not reached -- Max.

FOSTER: OK, Ben Wiedemann, thank you.

Countries in Southeast Asia are enduring a scorching heatwave. Temperatures are so high that Bangladesh and the Philippines have closed schools temporarily.

In other countries, the heat has turned deadly. Thai officials say at least 30 people have died from a heatstroke in the past month as temperatures soar to more than 44 degrees and at least two deaths in India are being attributed to heatstroke. The heatwave is expected to continue with record temperatures until June when the monsoon season hits the region.

At least 71 people have been killed and more than 100 injured by the latest flash flooding incident in Kenya, northwest of Nairobi. First responders and locals say the torrent of water was triggered by water blowing through a clogged tunnel under a railway bridge. Much of Kenya was already suffering from deadly flooding caused by weeks of torrential rain, which has now killed at least 174 people overall, including these latest casualties.

Tens of thousands across Kenya have been displaced. CNN's Larry Madowo joins us now. I mean, the picture is worsening.

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is really heartbreaking. That scene we were all day yesterday, and this village was almost entirely wiped out. This water that came from this clogged tunnel, the storm water just broke right through it and swept through everything in its path. People, property, livestock, trees were uprooted. It was an apocalyptic scene.

And where we are is one of the temporary shelters. It's a school where they're hosting some of the survivors who are displaced because they have nowhere else to go. And that tent over there is for psychosocial support. So many of them need some counseling, some therapy.

We've spoke to one person who lost nine family members. We spoke to another woman who survived the flash flooding with her husband, but the 3-year-old son, Isaac, did not make it. It was his birthday, the day he was swept away. And they are just beginning to come to terms with the kind of tragedy they've been through.

Kenya has seen some serious flooding over the past few weeks. The heavy rains started back in March, but this entire East African region has seen some heavy flooding. President William Ruto, who's one of the champions for climate change on the continent, says these are the victims of climate change.

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WILLIAM RUTO, KENYAN PRESIDENT: It is a realization that while we had a drought a year ago, today we have floods. A year ago, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique were having floods. Today they are having drought.

That is the reality. That is the new normal, as I said, of our situation. And we have to continuously work at it.

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MADOWO: President William Ruto has been consistent in this. African countries like Kenya contribute very little to greenhouse gas emissions, less than 4 percent, but suffer the worst effects of climate change. And you see that reality here.

Search and rescue operations continue for the second day. You see some police, the Kenya Red Cross here, the National Disaster Operations Center.

The chances of getting any more survivors are slim. It's mostly a recovery effort now, but there's almost 70 people that remain unaccounted for. So when the full death toll is accounted for here in Mai Mahiu, it could be significantly higher. And the danger here is that there's still more rain to come, according to forecasts from the Kenya Met Department.

So even those who survived this latest flash flooding might not survive the next one, not just here in Mai Mahiu, but across the country -- Max.

FOSTER: OK, Larry Madowo, thank you for bringing us that.

Britain's King Charles III resuming public duties today for the first time since he was diagnosed with cancer back in February. Doctors say they're very encouraged by the progress of his treatment, and the message today will be one of showing support for the treatment of cancer.

He's very keen, as I understand it, to use his experience to really promote what the cancer charities and hospitals are doing, but also just to get yourself checked. So we'll bring you those images in a couple of hours when they come in.

The Duchess of Edinburgh was in Ukraine, meanwhile, on Monday. The first time a British royal had visited the country since Russia's full-scale invasion. Buckingham Palace says Sophie, the wife of King Charles's youngest brother, was there to show solidarity with all those impacted by war, including children and survivors of wartime sexual violence. And she spoke about Ukrainians who've sought refuge in the U.K.

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SOPHIE, DUCHESS OF EDINBURGH: I've met so many wonderful Ukrainians, in fact, in the United Kingdom, who have found a home over there. And what has been interesting is also to see the people who live and are already living in the U.K., stepping forward and helping their fellow countrymen to try and settle and find some kind of peace for now. But, of course, what is true is that the hearts of every Ukrainian that I've met in the United Kingdom, their hearts remain here.

They would like to return home one day, and, God willing, that will happen.

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FOSTER: The Duchess also met with Ukraine's President and First Lady to discuss support for survivors and to talk about the role of women in Ukraine's recovery.

Later this hour, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson's future is on the line. An update on the efforts from members of his own party to remove him from the job.

Plus, Donald Trump is due back in court in a matter of hours. We'll tell you what's expected to happen there.

And later, Taylor Swift tops the charts once again as her release of "The Tortured Poet's Department" continues to break records.

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FOSTER: Donald Trump, due back in court today for his criminal trial over the alleged hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. Our Kara Scannell has a look at what's expected to happen.

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KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Michael Cohen's banker is back on the stand and court resumes on Tuesday. Gary Farro began testifying on Friday, and he told the jury that Michael Cohen was in a hurry to set up a couple of bank accounts for two shell companies that he was organizing. One of those companies, Essential Consultants, was ultimately the vehicle used to make the $130,000 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels through her attorney, Keith Davidson.

The jury is expected to hear more about that wire transfer and see some documents during testimony on Tuesday.

Also, what is unclear is whether the judge will rule on the gag order violations. Prosecutors say Trump had violated the gag order 10 times. The judge heard arguments on that last week, was skeptical of the position taken by Trump's lawyers, telling them that they didn't give him much to hang his hat on.

That is in addition to four other alleged violations that prosecutors have brought up. That is expected to be heard on Thursday. But the big question is, will the judge rule before then when court resumes on Tuesday?

Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.

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FOSTER: You can watch CNN's special coverage of the Trump hush money trial. It resumes on Tuesday at 9 a.m. in New York. That's 2 p.m. in London.

Still to come, Ukraine seems to be losing ground as Russian forces move in along the front line and the slow arrival of military assistance is making things harder as well on the battlefield.

[04:25:00]

Also ahead, rent soaring in Paris while the number of available rentals is shrinking. Not that the city needs that right now with the summer games less than three months away now.

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FOSTER: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster. Here are some of today's top stories.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken travelling to Jordan and Israel today. He's pressing both Hamas and Israel to accept the latest ceasefire and hostage release proposal made by Egypt. It would lead to a year-long ceasefire, the release of all remaining hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The Philippines is accusing China of shooting water cannon at several of its ships in the South China Sea. But the Philippine Coast Guard says the ships were in a legitimate area of patrol when the Chinese vessels carried out dangerous maneuvers and obstructions. China says it expelled the ships which were intruding in the waters.

The artist known as The Weeknd is donating $2 million for humanitarian aid to families in Gaza. He serves as a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. World Food Program. This follows a previous donation of $2.5 million in December.

The U.S. House of Representatives is back in session. And with that comes the lingering threat to Speaker Mike Johnson from his own party.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Speaker Johnson, you've spoken to Marjorie Taylor Greene about the motions to oust.

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FOSTER: Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene is leading a small but vocal contingent who want Johnson removed from making deals with Democrats, especially sending more military aid to Ukraine. CNN's Manu Raju has more.

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MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The House returned after a week off in recess following the aftermath of that vote to provide about $95 billion in aid, not just for Israel and for Taiwan, but for Ukraine. And that issue of Ukraine badly dividing the House Republican conference. Being part of what Marjorie Taylor Greene, the conservative firebrand who has called for the ouster of Mike Johnson, citing that move in particular for why she believes he should be out of the speakership. Marjorie Taylor Greene still has the power.

One, any individual House Republican does to essentially call for a vote seeking the ouster of the Speaker. Something we saw done last fall when Kevin McCarthy became the first ever House Speaker to be pushed out of the Speakership by the hands ...

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