Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Hamas to Look on the Latest Ceasefire and Hostage Proposal with a Positive Spirit; CPAC Hungary a Launching Pad for Donald Trump's Reelection as President; Georgians Protested over the So-Called Russian Law; Journalists Braving the Israel-Hamas War Centers World Press Freedom Day; King Charles and Queen Camilla Presented an Official Coronation Roll to Mark One year After their Coronation. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired May 03, 2024 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber, this is "CNN Newsroom".
Hamas says it's looking hard at the latest hostage and ceasefire proposal. That comes as the U.S. is warning that civilian casualties could be high if Israel doesn't plan evacuations before going into Rafah.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden is stepping into the controversy raging on many college campuses. We'll look at what he has to say.
And protesters in Georgia rally against a Kremlin-style anti-dissent bill. We'll speak with a former government advisor in Tbilisi about how that country stands at a crossroads.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: We begin in the Middle East, where a senior member of Hamas says the group is studying the latest hostage and ceasefire proposal with positive spirit.
Ismail Haniyeh spoke with Egyptian and Qatari officials on Thursday. Hamas says it plans to send a delegation to Egypt as soon as possible to continue ceasefire talks. Concerns growing over Israel's planned military incursion into Rafah, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says will go forward with or without a ceasefire. The U.S. Defense Secretary is warning casualties will be high if Israel doesn't evacuate civilians.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: There were some 275,000 or so people that were living in and around Rafah before the conflict started. Now there's 1.4 million or so people there. You know, right now, the conditions are not favorable to any kind of operation. And we've been clear about that. You know, it's necessary to take care of the civilian population that's in that area before anything else happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Israeli citizens, meanwhile, are stepping up the pressure on the Netanyahu government to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza. They protested outside the defense ministry, where the prime minister was meeting with his war cabinet.
CNN's senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman has spent decades covering Gaza, often from inside the enclave, and he joins us live from Rome. So Ben, what is the latest on the hostage negotiations?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically, we are waiting to hear from Hamas on the hostage negotiations.
They've been sending somewhat mixed messages. The other day, Osama Hamdan, who's a senior Hamas official based in Beirut, told a local news station that Hamas had an overall negative impression of the Egyptian proposal. But now we're hearing from Ismail Haniyeh, another leader, more senior leader, based in Qatar, who spoke with Abbas Kamal, the Egyptian head of intelligence and the foreign minister of Qatar, and said that, as you mentioned, that Hamas is going to be approaching with a positive spirit the negotiations and will shortly be sending a delegation to Cairo to further discuss it.
Now, the signals from the Israelis are also mixed. Does appear that Israel is taking this Egyptian proposal seriously. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that, for instance, in reference to its much-discussed Rafah military operation, he said that that's going to go ahead with or without a deal.
However, if Israel goes ahead with a military operation in Rafah, that would be an obvious violation of such a deal. So we're sort of in this limbo at the moment, and obviously the situation in Gaza continues to get worse. We're now on day 110. Of course, we'd like to be in Gaza, but on World Press Freedom Day, we should remind our viewers that Israel and Egypt are not allowing journalists, independent international journalists into Gaza. And of course, it's worth mentioning that well over 100 Palestinian journalists have been killed in this war, in addition to three Lebanese journalists and two Israeli journalists. Kim?
[03:04:59]
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, excellent point to make there. And Ben, if I could go back to the negotiations. We're talking about this disconnect within Hamas. The negotiators aren't in Gaza. If an agreement is reached, how will that be carried out by Hamas on the ground?
WEDEMAN: Well, we have a precedent. At the end of November of last year, for about a week, there was a truce, a pause, in which hostages were released, and Israel released many more Palestinian prisoners and detainees who were held in Israeli custody, and there was no fighting during that period. So it can be done. We have proof of that.
And we know that there are differences of opinions between the leadership of Hamas inside Gaza and those based in Qatar.
But if an agreement is reached, it will have been agreed upon by the leadership in Gaza as well as the leadership outside of it.
And it's also worth pointing out that there are lots of differences within the Israeli government as well, and obviously these need to be ironed out if any sort of agreement is reached. And as I said, the signals from within the Israeli government itself are mixed with Prime Minister Netanyahu under pressure from the extreme right-wing members of his cabinet. And oftentimes we've seen Israel seems to be on the brink of agreeing to a deal, and then they change their mind, obviously because of internal political considerations.
So there's lots of things to consider. Both sides seem to be somewhat conflicted, to say the least, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Absolutely. Ben Wedeman in Rome. Thank you so much.
The top U.S. intelligence official warns Congress that Iran-backed militias continue to plan attacks on U.S. forces in the Middle East, despite an apparent pause in carrying them out.
The director of national intelligence spoke to the Senate Armed Forces Committee on Thursday, telling them it's not clear when attacks might resume.
Iran-backed militia groups in Iraq and Syria ramped up attacks on U.S. troops in the region after war erupted between Israel and Hamas. Three U.S. service members in Jordan were killed by one of those groups in January. The U.S. responded with broad strikes, and since then, the attacks have largely ceased.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AVRIL HAINES, U.S. DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: The crisis has galvanized violence by a range of actors around the world. Both al- Qaeda and ISIS, inspired by Hamas, have directed supporters to conduct attacks against Israel and U.S. interests, demonstrating yet again the degree to which so many threat streams have system effects.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The U.S. president has issued his most direct public comment yet on the pro-Palestinian protests erupting on college campuses. During his address, Joe Biden tried to strike a balance between free speech and the rule of law. Here he is.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
As war in Gaza are boiling over at a growing number of U.S. universities, over the past few weeks, more than 2,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators have been arrested on at least 40 campuses and in at least two dozen states. On Thursday, police called in to clear protesters from a campus
library that they had taken over. At least 30 people were arrested.
And the University of Pennsylvania is also on edge. Administrators at the Ivy League institution say protest activity had been escalating at the encampment, and they have asked for a stronger police presence. And so far, there have been no arrests.
Meanwhile, the pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles, has been demolished after a predawn operation by police. They arrested hundreds of people. CNN's Stephanie Elam has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Uncertainty at UCLA, after police cleared a pro-Palestinian encampment in the wake of a standoff with hundreds of demonstrators Wednesday night. Police breaking down barricades, shooting rubber bullets, launching smoke bombs and flashbangs, and arresting more than 200 protesters.
The protest site dismantled after a clash erupted Tuesday night when counter-protesters, some of whom were pro-Israel, threw objects at tents, hurled fireworks, and pulled down barriers set up by the pro- Palestinian encampment.
UCLA's chancellor calling the attack a, quote, "dark chapter in the university's history". In the morning light, only trash, graffiti, and discarded tents remained of the encampment. The camp is now swiftly being cleaned up.
[03:09:57]
Nationwide, more than 2,000 people have been arrested on college and university campuses in the last two weeks, including at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and Portland State University in Oregon. Police officers in riot gear cleared barricades, pushing out more than two dozen protesters holed up in the college library.
But many of the protests in recent weeks have been peaceful, including this one at George Washington University with dueling demonstrators.
Some universities, like Columbia, initially sought to negotiate with protesters, while others called in law enforcement from the start to manage emotional protests focused on a highly charged international crisis.
UNKNOWN: But I know objects were being thrown at officers during the night.
ELAM (voice-over): The unrest closing campuses and even canceling some graduation ceremonies. UCLA students forced into remote classes for the remainder of this week.
Rutgers University postponing or relocating some final exams. The challenge now for college administrators where protests were held
and where arrests were made at more than 40 campuses nationwide to move away from confrontation and focus back again on free speech, safety and education.
ELAM: And UCLA's chancellor in a statement said that while the vast majority of protesters were nonviolent, the encampment itself became too much of a focal point for violence. And that was one of the reasons that they decided that the encampment had to go.
Also worth noting that he said in his statement that of the students and people who were here in the encampment, 300 of them decided to leave before law enforcement officers pushed their way in. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: All right. After the break, the lawyer behind Donald Trump's hush money deal with an adult film star takes the stand in day 10 of the former U.S. president's criminal trial.
Plus U.S. conservatives cheer on Hungary's authoritarian leader. Their model for a second Trump presidency. We'll have a CNN report from Budapest next. Stay with us. All right.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: Alright. Returning to the latest on Donald Trump's hush money trial, the presidential candidate says he had a long day Thursday.
Since it is a criminal trial, Trump, as the defendant, is required by law to be in court. Here he is speaking his mind outside the courtroom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I'm going to be sitting in this courtroom over this. It's just ridiculous. It's election interference at the highest level. Never been done before in our country. And I should be out campaigning right now. And I want to be out campaigning like I was yesterday. We finally had a break. And I was out campaigning yesterday. Very unfair. There's never been anything like this in the history of our country, never.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Inside the courtroom, adult film star Stormy Daniels, former lawyer, the man who brokered the hush money deal, returned to the stand. Trump's defense sought to paint the key witness as someone untrustworthy with a history of getting money out of celebrities. CNN's Paula Reid has the story.
[03:15:10]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) TRUMP: I had a long day in court, as always, but I'm very happy about the way things are going.
PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And he should be. Keith Davidson, a Los Angeles lawyer who formerly represented Stormy Daniels, was back on the witness stand. Trump's lawyers tried to paint him as a lawyer with a history of extracting big money from high-profile figures and directly asked if he was engaging in extortion.
The defense pointed to a $2 million deal he secured for one of his clients from actor Charlie Sheen. But Davidson refused to answer questions about the agreement, citing attorney-client privilege.
Davidson was then grilled about his representation of a client who tried to sell Hulk Hogan his own sex tape. I did everything I could to make sure my activities were lawful, Davidson said.
He acknowledged that his dealings with Hogan's representatives were under scrutiny from the FBI. They had an investigation. Yes, Davidson testified. Davidson repeatedly answered that he could not recall when asked about other deals, which resulted in a testy exchange with a defense attorney who said, we're both lawyers. I'm not here to play lawyer games with you.
Defense lawyers tried to tie Davidson's other deals to his monetary settlement for Daniels, suggesting that he was trying to avoid being accused of extortion.
Trump's attorney asked, one of the issues you had to be sensitive about was not to threaten that the payment needed to be made prior to the election. I don't recall that, Davidson responded.
Trump paid close attention to his legal team as they cross-examined Davidson, even turning his chair towards the witness stand at one point. Under questioning from prosecutors, Davidson admitted that he told Michael Cohen that Daniels would lose her leverage if Trump lost the 2016 election.
He also testified to Cohen's chaotic state of mind in December 2016. Recalling a phone call with Cohen, Davidson said that he was very upset that he had not been chosen for a role in the Trump administration. I thought he was going to kill himself, Davidson testified.
REID: The district attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought this case, kept a pretty low profile during the course of this trial, but on Thursday, he made a rare appearance inside the courtroom. A source familiar with his management style said he was there to support one of his employees who had to testify.
Douglas Doss testified about devices and other evidence that had to be introduced, and of course, he had to testify because the Trump team refuses to stipulate to anything.
Paula Reid, CNN, New York. (END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Donald Trump is refusing to say that he would unconditionally accept the results of this year's presidential election. He said in an interview with the "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel", quote, "if everything's honest, I'll gladly accept the results. If it's not, you have to fight for the right of the country".
Now, the remarks come as Trump's allies look to model a potential second term in the White House after Hungary's authoritarian leader, Viktor Orban. CNN's Kyung Lah is in Hungary with this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN SR. INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Enter with me into the right-wing's utopia, where the slogans are American and unapologetic.
This is America's Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, but exported to Budapest, Hungary, a country led by authoritarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Since 2010, Orban has crushed dissent politically and socially, consolidating power around his office, severely restricting immigration. He's taken control of the judiciary and major media and limited rights, especially for gay people.
This is the leader held up by CPAC as a conservative hero in a war against the left and praised by another charismatic leader who shared a greeting via video.
TRUMP: I'm honored to address so many patriots in Hungary who are proudly fighting on the front lines of the battle to rescue Western civilization.
LAH (voice-over): Familiar Trump allies joined in --
UNKNOWN: You guys are an inspiration to the world.
LAH (voice-over): -- from video messages.
UNKNOWN: Thank you for standing strong.
LAH (voice-over): To appearing in person, saying Hungary should be a roadmap for a Trump second term.
UNKNOWN; Hungary's immigration policy should serve as a model to the United States.
UNKNOWN: And that confirms that I am in good company here in Hungary.
REP. ANDY HARRIS (R-MD): Hungary has become one of the most successful models as a leader for conservative principles and governance in Europe.
LAH (voice-over): Not that they want outsiders to see any of this firsthand. LAH: Everything has a mesh around it. Mesh fencing. We got an email back from CPAC when we applied for credentials and it said that we're getting denied access because CPAC is a no-woke zone.
LAH (voice-over): That was a standard response sent to most independent media. We got tossed out.
[03:20:09]
Back inside, Orban is clear about who he supports in the U.S. election.
VIKTOR Orban, HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER: Make America great again. Make Europe great again. Hajra Donald Trump.
LAH: Why did the prime minister, your prime minister, invoke the name of Donald Trump and use the words make America great again?
PETER SZIJJARTO, HUNGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Because we would like to see great America. We are good friends of America. And do we want U.S.-Hungary relationship to be improved? Yes, obviously we do. Do we have a better chance for that with President Trump in office or Democrats in office? Of course we have a better chance with President Trump in office.
LAH (voice-over): Hungary's foreign minister agreed to a short interview with CNN, telling us Orban and Trump share much of the same vision, including that governments should be run by strongmen.
LAH: How is that a democracy?
SZIJJARTO: You know, it's really annoying to me that there's no common understanding in the world now about what democracy means. We are a truly right-wing party, a truly right-wing political movement. The approach that the prime minister represents and the approach represented by President Trump are very similar to each other.
LAH: Hosting CPAC isn't the beginning of the relationship between Hungary and the U.S. right-wing. We reviewed disclosures with the Department of Justice and found that since 2010, when Orban came into power, his government has paid U.S. lobbyists at least $4.5 million, the goal to build ties with the American conservative movement.
GLADDEN PAPPIN, PRESIDENT, HUNGARIAN INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS: When American conservatives look to Hungary, they see a prime minister and a government that actually delivered on the slogans that they promised.
LAH (voice-over): An open door by Hungary for American conservatives- led Gladden Pappin here. He leads a think tank attached to Orban's office, a Trump supporter who would like the U.S. to be more like Hungary.
PAPPIN: When Trump came into office in 2017, it was a very rude awakening. He realized the importance of having a strong team of people who are aligned and willing to carry out the same mission. Prime Minister Orban has built that in Hungary. And so I think that's the mentality that Trump is bringing into this 2024 campaign.
LAH (voice-over): The relationship between the two men is close. The former president heaping praise on Orban during a recent visit to Mar- a-Lago.
TRUMP; The prime minister of Hungary, he does a great job, he's a non- controversial figure because he said this is the way it's going to be and that's the end of it, but he's the boss.
LAH (voice-over): Marton Gulyas is a left-leaning political commentator. He's the host of "Partizan", a popular YouTube channel in Hungary. And says critics of Orban have been taken mostly off the air.
MARTON GULYAS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, PARTIZAN: Most of the channels are financially, economically tied to the government.
LAH: So would you say that the media landscape is then controlled by Orban?
GULYAS: A large part of the media landscape is controlled by Orban or impacted by Orban. If you want to do independent, free and trustworthy journalism, you have to go to the online sphere because that kind of a freedom doesn't exist on cable.
ZSUZSANNA SZELENYI, PROGRAM DIRECTOR, CEU DEMOCRACY INSTITUTE: This is an autocratic state by definition.
LAH (voice-over): Zsuzsanna Szelenyi was once Orban's political ally, but witnessed Orban's right-wing shift. She has a warning about what's happened to her country being glorified by Trump world.
SZELENYI: Basically all the state institutions, including the president, everyone is Orban's nominee. So he has a very, very big institutional control. Orban is selling his model as a sample for radical rights all around in the Western world.
LAH (voice-over): At CPAC Hungary, the conservative movement claims victory. In an election year, U.S. Republicans attending are hoping to find the same success back home.
CHAD WOLF, FORMER ACTING U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Both your capital and your government are more conservative than mine in America, but we're looking to change that.
LAH: This right-wing gathering here in Hungary is happening at a critical time for democracy around the world. Elections are happening right now in India. In June, European parliamentary elections will be taking place. And in November, of course, the U.S. elections, where conservatives around the world are cheering on a Donald Trump victory.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden is offering a brief response to Trump's controversial comments about the election. In North Carolina Thursday, Biden was asked if he was worried after Donald Trump told a newspaper that he would refuse to unconditionally accept the 2024 election results. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Are you worried that Trump says he won't accept the election results?
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Listen to what he says.
REPORTER: Listen to what he says?
BIDEN: Listen to what he says.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Now earlier in the day, Biden was in Charlotte, North Carolina, visiting the families of police officers killed and wounded in a horrific shooting.
[03:24:56]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: I spent some time with some of the families of the eight police officers who were shot in the line of duty on Monday. Four of them were killed. We pray for their loved ones and those left behind. I met their children, their husbands, their wives and their mothers and fathers. We pray for the recovery of the brave wounded as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Four officers, including a deputy U.S. marshal, were killed Monday while trying to serve a warrant for illegal firearm possession by a convicted felon.
A victory for abortion rights activists in the U.S. state of Arizona. After a contentious and hours-long debate on Wednesday, state lawmakers narrowly passed a measure repealing Arizona's 160-year-old near-total ban on abortion. Governor Katie Hobbs signed the bill on Thursday, setting the stage for a 15-week restriction to remain law. But the repeal measure won't take effect until 90 days after the state legislature adjourns later this year.
Following weeks of criticism, the U.S. president addresses the campus protests that have led to clashes, standoffs and arrests. We will have details just ahead.
Plus, thousands of Georgians turned out again to protest what critics call the Russian law. Details after the break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom".
The U.S. president warned university students across the country that violent protest is not protected. Joe Biden's first extensive remarks about the campus unrest comes as young voters sow on his ongoing support for Israel and after Republicans condemned his relative silence about the growing pro-Palestinian encampments.
CNN's Kayla Tausche reports from the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: After weeks of speaking through written statements and spokespeople and amid mounting pressure as protests on campuses nationwide reached a fever pitch, President Biden delivering a forceful condemnation of anything resembling violence or anti-Semitism.
BIDEN: There's the right to protest, but not the right to cause chaos. There is no place for hate speech or violence of any kind, whether it's anti-Semitism, Islamophobia or discrimination against Arab Americans or Palestinian Americans.
REPORTER: Have the protests forced you to reconsider any of the policies with regard to the region?
BIDEN: No.
TAUSCHE: Officials say the president was motivated in no small part by imagery from UCLA where hundreds of students were apprehended and law enforcement had to repeatedly move in to clear an encampment that had been growing and where violence had been breaking out.
Senior officials here at the White House had been monitoring channels of communication with law enforcement and local government, while younger staffers were alerting them about firsthand accounts from their friends on campuses about what they were actually seeing happening behind the scenes.
[03:30:00]
President Biden has said he has no plans to change his policy as it relates to the Middle East. The White House has said that it has high hopes that Secretary Blinken can secure a deal in the region to usher in a ceasefire and free dozens of hostages. Of course, that is something that has been in the works for quite some time. And the White House says both the U.S. government and the protesters want the same thing, and that is to end the war.
Kayla Tausche, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, a veteran of student-led movements, spoke with CNN's Christiane Amanpour on how these protests could prove to be a point of no return for President Joe Biden. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): Well I am thinking back, and other people are making this reference, that this may be Biden's Vietnam. Lyndon Johnson, in many respects, was a very, very good president. Domestically, brought forth some major pieces of legislation. He chose not to run in '68 because of opposition to his views on Vietnam. And I worry very much that President Biden is putting himself in a position where he has alienated not just young people, but a lot of the Democratic base in terms of his views on Israel and this war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Senator Sanders is supporting the student protesters, saying, quote, "they are out there for the right reasons to protest U.S. continued military aid and money to a right-wing extremist Netanyahu government".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: We will be there until the law drops because we know what the European values are and we choose Europe, so we will never surrender.
UNKNOWN: We're against autocratic regime and we will never give up, especially Georgian youth is very confident, and we will fight till the end.
UNKNOWN: We will not stop. It will not happen. We will be here together, these young people, old people, everyone will be here until this Russian government, this Georgian dream will go away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Those are just some of the thousands of protesters rallying against a controversial foreign influence bill in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi. Local news reports that they've blocked roadways around Heroes Square, a monument to those who have fought for Georgian independence.
Now the bill, which has been dubbed the Russian law by critics over similarities with a criminal measure used to crack down on dissent, has been condemned by the U.S. and European Union on Thursday. The U.S. said it is, quote, "deeply concerned with the legislation".
Now for more on this, I'm joined via Skype by Eto Buziashvili, a research associate for the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab based in Tbilisi, Georgia, and she previously advised the National Security Council of Georgia and served as a senior analyst for the country's Interior Ministry. Thank you so much for joining us here. So just to start off, I mean, what strikes you most about the anger we're seeing in the streets around you there in the capital?
ETO BUZIASHVILI, RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, ATLANTIC COUNCIL DFRLAB AND FORMER ADVISER, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL OF GEORGIA: Thank you for having me. It is important to explain to the international society that ruling Georgian Free Party camouflaged itself as pro-democracy, pro-Western Party at the very beginning of its tenure in 2012.
While its statements affirmed Georgia's commitment to Atlantic path and Western alliances, its policy actions did not align with these commitments.
And over the course of its second term, many Georgians gradually realized that the country was distancing itself from the West and its values, as evidenced by crackdown on media, human rights violations, and gradually captured judiciary.
And this shift became particularly clear following Russia's reinvasion of Ukraine in 2022, when the ruling party openly attacked its strategic partner, United States and European Union, an institution which the country aspires to join, basically echoing the longtime Russian disinformation narratives. So this is basically the escalation, and this is why we are seeing so many people in the streets right now.
BRUNHUBER: You talk about crackdowns. I mean, many, including the head of the European Commission, have condemned the violence against the demonstrators by authorities. You've been looking into some of those tactics. Everything's been forensically examined online. What have you seen?
BUZIASHVILI: Sure. First of all, Georgia's ruling party has really jeopardized the country's European future, and they have raised stakes to the unprecedented level.
[03:34:55]
And all these recent government moves, like the violent crackdown, using rubber bullets, using pepper sprays, et cetera, we also saw some people met in black, basically without any identification marks, cracking down on BDL students and children. These are all unlawful movements.
And, of course, this all jeopardized Georgia's European future.
Basically, in everything, what European Union stands on, rule of law, human rights, and democracy.
Earlier this week, I should highlight that the ruling party has announced plans for election capture, censorship, and Soviet-style political repression. So I guess that we're seeing the signs of this currently in the streets.
BRUNHUBER: You spoke about it, all of this sort of jeopardizing Georgia's European future. I mean, the U.S., for example, has indicated its displeasure about the law. The State Department's saying it jeopardizes its path to Euro-Atlantic integration. As I say, you talked about jeopardizing the European future. Is there any sense that the pressure from the U.S. and from Europe will work? Do they have any leverage here, or is Moscow able to offset that?
BUZIASHVILI: Yeah. Following the Russia's re-invasion of Ukraine, we saw very clear pro-Russian policy moves, such as Russia becoming Georgia's number one trading partner, the renewed direct flights between two capitals, relocation of thousands of businesses.
One of the great moves that the U.S. had done was the U.S. sanctioned a former prosecutor general and a person close to a ruling party for acting as an influence agent for Russia's intelligence service, FSB, who attempted to sway Georgian society and politics in favor of Russia.
Of course, this is a huge development for Georgia. We are seeing more harsh and harsh statements coming from the U.S. as well as the E.U., but I guess the Georgian people are waiting for more actions on their end. There should be personal costs set on the people who are undermining Georgia's democracy, including targeted personal sanctions.
BRUNHUBER: On Moscow's influence here, is there a realistic fear that Moscow could do something more drastic if it senses another color revolution like Georgia's Rose Revolution that happened in the early 2000s?
BUZIASHVILI: While there is always risk of Russian escalation, the Georgian people are really resolute in their stance that blackmail coming from Russia and the threats will not work. The people are clear about their desire for a free, democratic and European future.
BRUNHUBER: You know, we're seeing the large protests. Obviously, there's a lot of anger here, but it's worth mentioning that, you know, this has been enacted or will be enacted by a government that the people voted for. Is there a large block of Georgians who support this law?
Oh, we might have lost our guest there. Apologies, but our thanks to Eto Buziashvili for being there with us.
Well Ukraine has come under a relentless barrage of Russian assaults this week. Ukraine's national police said on Thursday Russia carried out nearly 2,000 rocket artillery and airstrikes in a single day in the eastern Donetsk region. The attacks hit 10 settlements, killing four people and wounding eight.
Meanwhile, the death toll in a Russian attack on Odessa on Tuesday rose to six after one of the wounded victims died in hospital. That's according to Ukraine authorities who said the attack left an educational institution engulfed in flames. Officials said Russian forces carried out another ballistic missile attack on Odessa on Wednesday, wounding at least 14 people.
The U.K. is offering its unwavering support and billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron pledged more than $3 billion of annual military aid for Ukraine for, quote, as long as it takes. He met with Ukraine's president and foreign minister on Thursday during his second visit to Kyiv, and he paid his respects to fallen Ukrainian troops. Cameron defended Ukraine's right to carry out attacks inside Russia, including with British military aid. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: In terms of what the Ukrainians do, in our view, it is their decision about how to use these weapons. They're defending their country. They were illegally invaded by Putin, and they must take those steps. We don't discuss any caveats that we put on those things, but let's be absolutely clear, Russia has launched an attack into Ukraine, and Ukraine absolutely has the right to strike back at Russia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Now, the war in Ukraine is just one conflict where journalists every day put their lives at risk. Today is World Press Freedom Day, a time to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press around the world. In a statement released Thursday, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said journalists are the ultimate allies in human rights, quote, "daring to challenge power, risking their lives to document atrocities, corruption, and crime, and to stand up against oppression".
[03:39:59]
The Israel-Hamas war has taken a heavy toll on journalists covering the conflict. 97 journalists and media workers have been confirmed killed since the war started last October. Another 45 have been reported injured, missing, or arrested. CNN's Nada Bashir introduces us to some of the journalists putting their lives on the line in Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What should be a moment of reflection reduced to a hurried memory recorded on an iPhone.
A young girl, now an orphan, pays her last respects.
A drop in a sea of tragedy, marking its witnesses and victims alike. But this is the story of the person behind the camera. One of many risking their lives for the truth.
KHADER AL-ZANOUN, JOURNALIST IN GAZA (through translator): One scene I'll always remember was in al-Shifa hospital in November last year. It was during a siege.
BASHIR (voice-over): Khader al-Zainon has been documenting the assault on Gaza since the war began. Sending material to CNN, our gateway into a war zone sealed off by Israeli authorities.
ZANOUN (through translator): They were taking this woman to be buried in a mass grave, and I saw this little girl following the crowd. She told me her mother was a victim, and she wanted to say goodbye to her. She really affected me a lot. Tears were falling when I saw her running after her mother.
BASHIR (voice-over): Living with his wife and children in Gaza City, in the north, one of Gaza's worst affected regions, he shows us his home, largely destroyed in the onslaught. Part residence, part bureau.
Everything is a challenge, from the search for signal to transmit the day's footage, to the search for food. ZANOUN (through translator); There have been days when we've eaten
donkey and horse food, corn and fodder, as well as barley just to stay alive.
BASHIR (voice-over): For journalists in Gaza, the biggest challenges are the most basic ones.
Sami Shehadah is a photojournalist for Turkish-based broadcaster TRT. He was filming at a refugee camp in central Gaza.
SAMI SHEHADAH, TRT JOURNALIST (through translator): We went to cover the movement of displaced people, and as soon as we arrived at the place, we were targeted.
BASHIR (voice-over): Sami had to have his leg amputated above the knee, and is now awaiting medical evacuation to Turkey.
At least 97 members of the press have been killed in what the Committee to Protect Journalists has termed the deadliest period for media workers since its records began. But that figure, according to the CPJ, is likely to be much higher.
And yet, despite the risks, Palestinian journalists in Gaza keep doing their jobs, working in groups for protection, covering stories, even if it means getting there on a donkey and cart.
ZANOUN (through translator): Every day we wake up, we thank God that we are still alive, and that we are still able to continue documenting the events in the Gaza Strip.
BASHIR (voice-over): In the belief that one day, his work and the work of Palestinian journalists like him won't have been in vain.
ZANOUN (through translator): Our hope is that this war will end, God willing, and that we will be able to save and protect our children after these targeted attacks and this continuing war, because they want to live like the rest of the world's children, in security and peace.
BASHIR (voice-over): Nada Bashir, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: All right, when we come back, officials in Brazil are declaring a state of calamity as disastrous floodwaters sweep through claiming lives and homes.
And stranded, submerged, and struggling with weeks of heavy rains and severe flooding, why the worst may be yet to come for parts of Kenya. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BRUNHUBER: At least 29 people have died in heavy rains and flooding in southern Brazil. Officials are declaring a state of calamity in the affected areas. They say close to 10,000 people are now displaced, with at least 60 people missing. This area of Brazil has been increasingly hit by extreme weather in recent years, partially due to climate change. 31 people died there in September following heavy rains and floods.
And Kenya is grappling with weeks of heavy rain and catastrophic flooding that has left nearly 200 people dead. Now the government is warning people in flood-prone areas to evacuate or be moved by force.
CNN's Larry Madowo is in Nairobi with this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The March, April, and May months in Kenya are called the long rain season, but this time the extent of the rainfall and the flooding has been unprecedented.
And now another warning. The Kenya Met Department predicting that even more rainfall is expected in the next two days, and that's already coming true. As we speak, it's raining here in Nairobi. There's already been some reports of flooding on some major highways and some residential neighborhoods, and that is why the Kenyan government now warning that people that live within 178 different filled up or nearly filled up dams or water reservoirs need to vacate within 24 hours.
And if they do not do so, the government is warning that they will be forcefully evacuated for their own safety. That is the latest warning as the country grapples with the extent of the damage from the heavy rainfall that Kenya has been receiving since the beginning of March. More than 180 people have died in this flash flooding.
There's been almost 200,000 people affected. In what the Kenya Met Department considers enhanced rainfall due to the El Nino weather phenomenon, and President William Ruto has called, they are victims of climate change. But in reality for so many people having to move from their homes at a moment's notice, it is a true tragedy because in some cases they have escaped with nothing but the clothes on their back, and they're the lucky ones because there's so many families having to bury loved ones over this past few weeks.
Larry Madowo, CNN, Nairobi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: And unfortunately the rain there in Kenya won't be letting up. Experts are predicting a new surge of heavy rainfall across the already flood-weary country.
CNN's Chad Myers has the forecast.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Getting a small break right now, but that's just not going to last. More sunshine is going to pop in, the clouds are going to pop up, and then it's going to rain again.
Almost every single day we're going to get rainfall here for the next few days in a row. This is what it looks like on the ground from the Red Cross, seeing all the water on all the roadways here and all the farmland, and obviously in the cities as well.
Here's what's happened in the past 48 hours. 120 millimeters have fallen. That's five inches of rain in the past really two, two and a half days. Now we do expect this kind of rainfall in the spring and in the fall when the Intertropical Convergence Zone is right over the area, but just not this much rainfall.
We're at 400 percent of normal in places there in parts of Kenya, and yes, there will be some more showers. But look, since April 1st, 32 inches, 814 millimeters of rain have fallen in Nairobi, Kenya. There's no place on earth that can take that much rainfall that fast.
And there are other places just to the north and south of the city that have picked up 400 percent of normal. And yes, we'll have more showers coming in as we said. This isn't going to go away until the ITCZ, that Tropical Convergence Zone, moves to the north and away from the area, and that won't happen really for another probably month.
[03:50:02]
For Nairobi, could be another 50 to 100 millimeters of rain just in the next 72 hours.
This is what I'm talking about. The air from the south clashes with the air from the north, and when they collide, that air goes up in the air making thundershowers.
We expect it, but when it moves to the north, all of that rain really shuts off.
Now in the fall, this line is going to come back down and there'll be more rain. It just needs to shut off pretty darn quickly.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The National Weather Service has a warning for southeast Texas. Prepare for more flooding this weekend. Heavy rains have deluged the area, including the region north of downtown Houston. Meteorologists expect some degree of flooding at more than 30 river gauges and say 17 could possibly reach major flood stage. Water levels in some places could rival what was seen in 2017 during Hurricane Harvey. The Weather Service says the majority of the rivers facing major flooding could crest later Friday or Saturday.
Firefighters have been battling raging wildfires in Nepal this week. The country is going through an extreme fire season caused by unusually hot weather. One official believes there are multiple factors behind the surge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SUNDAR PRASAD SHARMA, NATIONAL DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY (through translator): Wildfires were low the last two years, which led to accumulation of dried leaves on our forest floors. On top of that, our winter was very dry, and the temperature now is also excessively increasing. This has aggravated the wildfires.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: More than 4,500 wildfires have been reported in Nepal this year, nearly double compared to last year.
The U.S. state of Maryland is set to collect $350 million in insurance for the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The payment could come soon, instead of after construction of a new bridge begins. The money is a fraction of the billions needed to cover the cleanup and damages after a cargo ship knocked down parts of the bridge on March 26. The accident shut down the Port of Baltimore. U.S. transportation officials are expected to release a preliminary report about the cause of the accident next week.
All right, standby for launch. China is ready to send a space probe to the far side of the moon. We'll have that coming up. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: China is set to send a spacecraft to the moon in the coming hours. The goal is to bring back samples from the far side of the lunar surface, which could help scientists peer back into the evolution of Earth's closest neighbor, as well as the solar system.
Now, this is a key milestone in China's push to become a dominant space player. The nation plans to land astronauts on the moon by 2030 and build a research base on its south pole. China became the only nation to land a probe on the far side of the moon in 2019.
Celebrations filled the city in Ghana as ancient artifacts were returned to their original owners. During colonial rule, historical treasures were taken from the Asante leader's court during the Anglo- Ashanti Wars. Now, some of those items have been returned from British and U.S. museums on a multi-year loan. Now, this comes as pressure grows for the U.S. and Britain to return what was stolen during colonial rule.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING OTUMFUO OSEI TUTU II: We are displaying this for you to see that the items that were stolen, looted in 1874, not all of them has returned, but what we have here still embodies the soul of Asante.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:55:00]
BRUNHUBER: Ghana is just one of many countries in Africa seeking the return of stolen artifacts. Basketball star Brittney Griner is telling the world about her time behind bars in Russia. The two-time Olympic champion was detained in Russia in February 2022 because of her cannabis oil in her luggage and sentenced to nine years in prison on drug smuggling charges. Griner opened up to ABC's Robin Roberts about a letter she was forced to write to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBIN ROBERTS, ABC JOURNALIST: Some people may be surprised to learn that you wrote a letter to Putin.
BRITTNEY GRINER, WNBA STAR: So they made me write this letter, it was in Russian, had to basically ask for forgiveness and bakes from their so-called great leader. I didn't want to do it, but at the same time I want to come home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Griner told ABC that conditions were so tough. She is sometimes wondered if she could go on living.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: You said that there were -- there were times you felt like, let me just end it.
GRINER: Yeah. I did. Just didn't think I could get through what I needed to get through. I definitely thought about it, but, you know, I was just like what if they didn't release my body to my family, you know I was like I can't put them through that. My God, I have to endure this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Griner added that she still feels guilty about her arrest, saying she let herself, her family, and teammates down.
Golf legend Tiger Woods is getting a taste of what his less talented competitors must sometime feel is the special exemption, essentially a free pass to play in the U.S. Open in June. Now ranked 789th, the former world number one didn't qualify for the tournament on his own. His five-year exemption after winning the Masters in 2019 has run out. One golf official says the decision to let Tiger play was easy. The Open's story, he said, could not be written without Tiger Woods.
Britain's King Charles will celebrate the first anniversary of his coronation on Monday. And he and Queen Camilla have a royal keepsake to mark the occasion. They were presented with the official coronation roll this week. It took a calligrapher 56 days to artfully write all 15,000 words on the 21-meter manuscript, which is a record of the coronation. And for the first time in the 700-year-old tradition, the scroll isn't written on animal skin, but on paper. Charles, the former Prince of Wales, became king when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died in September of 2022. All right, thanks so much for joining me. I'm Kim Brunhuber, in Atlanta. I'll be back with more "CNN Newsroom" after the break. Please do stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
