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CNN INTERNATIONAL: Longtime Trump Aide Hope Hicks Testifies In Hush Money Trial; Universities Prepare For Commencement Amid Protests; Students Hold Gaza Protests Outside Pantheon In Paris; Protesters At Rutgers Take Down Encampment; Biden Facing criticism Over Delayed Response To Protests. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired May 03, 2024 - 16:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:25]
ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: Welcome to our special coverage here on CNN. I'm Erica Hill in New York outside the courthouse where Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial has just wrapped up for the day.
Today, the testimony of note, from Hope Hicks. She of course, is once Donald Trump's most trusted aides.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: And I am Paula Newton bringing you the day's other top stories and that includes more arrests at college campuses as protests over the war in Gaza continue to disrupt academic life right across the United States and beyond.
HILL: Well, here in New York City, court has now wrapped up from the day, just for the day, just about 30 miles ago, not before those some very dramatic emotional testimony from Hope Hicks who have to pull back the curtain on how the Trump campaign was responding to scandal ahead of the 2016 election, testifying that Donald Trump was in fact so concerned at different moments that Melania Trump, would -- how she would react to a "Wall Street Journal" article about a hush money payment to Karen McDougal that he asked Hicks to make sure the newspapers wouldn't be delivered that morning.
She also told jurors that campaign was in crisis mode after release of that "Access Hollywood" tape. Hicks, of course was at the center of the Trump universe. She started out working for the Trump Organization, then was one of the first staffers to join the campaign. In fact, she served as campaign press secretary in 2016.
CNN's justice correspondent, Jessica Schneider is joining us with more of those details. A lot happening on the stand today, a lot for the prosecution, but also for the defense here -- Jessica.
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and we saw Hope Hicks actually get very emotional at one point. She had to leave the witness stand very briefly after she started crying, you know. It didn't seem like anything in particular, maybe just the weight of the moment.
You know, she was on the stand for a little under three hours total, and Erica, you mentioned the cross. It was a relatively short cross- examination, but there was this focus from the defense attorneys to get Hope Hicks to speak negatively about Michael Cohen and she did that.
She detailed how Cohen would just insert himself into the campaign, you know, much to the chagrin of the campaign staff. Hicks stressed Cohen did not have an official role in the campaign, and she also talked about how even though Cohen is this self-described fixer, it was her belief that he was a fixer because he was the one who actually broke things in the first place.
So the defense during their cross able to elicit some negativity about Cohen and his character. Maybe they'll try to build on that with the jury later, and the defense at the end of cross, they also stressed one of their last questions to Hicks was that, you know, she knew nothing about any of the business records of the Trump Organization, so really trying to distance her from anything related to the actual charges in this case, which were the falsification of business records.
So the takeaway for the prosecution probably is that Hope Hicks, she was able to give that inside look at the campaign and the utter chaos that followed, the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape, but, you know, Erica, she really didn't draw any direct links between Trump and any of these hush money payments other than just painting the picture generally that Trump was always very involved in all aspects of his campaign.
So no direct link there, but leaving that thought in the jurors' minds that Donald Trump was very involved, so stay tuned as we give you more evidence as to just how involved he was.
HILL: Yes, it would be interesting to see who the next witnesses because as we know, they are still keeping this list very close to the vest.
SCHNEIDER: Yes.
HILL: No indication of what we will see on Monday, right?
SCHNEIDER: No. Nothing yet, and you know, even with Hope Hicks' testimony today, we didn't know until really moments before she took the stand, so they are keeping this very close to the vest.
HILL: All right, Jessica, appreciate it. Thank you.
Also joining me now is James Sample, a professor of law at Hofstra University. Good to have you this afternoon.
Let's pick up if we could where Jessica left off? Let's start with the prosecution and how effective do you see Hope Hicks as a witness for the prosecution here because as Jessica pointed out, she didn't establish that direct link between Donald Trump and the hush money payment.
JAMES SAMPLE, PROFESSOR OF LAW, HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY: Well, Erica, I think she is an extremely important witness for the prosecution. As Jessica points out, she also made some points that are valuable for the defense.
I think one way you can evaluate whether a witness is a key player and really a star, if you will, witness, is, will we hear that witness' name from both sides when they go to closing arguments, whenever that ends up being.
And I think that both sides will reference the testimony that Hope Hicks gave today in their closing, which is to say that she gave both sides material of significant value and from the prosecution standpoint, the value that she provided was that of a pivot.
The testimony up until this point, primarily, David Pecker, Keith Davidson and others, was really outside the context of the campaign and outside the context of the White House.
[16:05:27]
And we are going to hear more of the outsider kind of testimony in the form of Michael Cohen at some point, were virtually certain, but Hope Hicks is a nexus. She offers a connection point between all of those outsiders and what's going on inside the campaign, and then ultimately inside the White House, and as you mentioned and as Jessica reiterated, she referred to a kind of crisis mentality in the aftermath of that Access Hollywood tape and it is clear that the Access Hollywood tape being released by "The Washington Post" in the weeks prior to the 2016 election is really a critical thread through which the prosecution is weaving its entire narrative.
HILL: And to that point where the thing she said was that everything -- everything at that moment, right, was about whether or not there was an impact on the campaign. That is obviously something that the prosecution wants to establish, that part of this was driven by that.
It was also interesting as we resumed -- as testimony resumed after lunch when she was asked more specifically about Michael Cohen's role here, and when she eventually learned about the hush money payment, which she said was in mid-February or so that she thought it was out of character for Cohen.
She was asked, you know, would he have done this out of the kindness of his heart? She said, no, she thought it would be out of character for him to just make a payment and that he is not an especially charitable person or a selfless person.
And the fact that they ended on, and I am going to quote this here, "It was Mr. Trump's opinion, she said that it was better to be dealing with it now," meaning after the election, "... and then it would have been bad to have that story come out before the election."
The fact that the prosecution ended on that statement and also an emotional moment for Hope Hicks. How does that sit with the jury?
SAMPLE: I think it will be very powerful for the jurors. It is always difficult to speculate on what jurors are hearing, seeing and feeling as they listen, but the fact that Hope Hicks is clearly still very loyal, she was a consummate insider. She has had kind of a chilled relationship with the former president over the last couple of years, really since the January 6 hearings where under subpoena, she had to provide evidence and testimony just as she did here.
But the fact that she is still so loyal to the president, the fact that there are still warm feelings and that she is able to provide important factual details, details like the fact that as you mentioned, that one of the significant concerns prior to the election is if the information about Stormy Daniels were to come out, especially on the heels of the Access Hollywood tape, it would have been damaging to the election.
Now, the defense paints a counter narrative that Mr. Trump is a family man and that Michael Cohen was just going rogue as it were, but I think that as you point out, that exchange in which she says it would have been out of character for Cohen to do this out of the goodness of his heart speaks to Mr. Trump's involvement and her sort of sense of his micro managerial -- he was in control. Everyone reported to him.
Michael Cohen reported to him. She reported to him and in a sense, he didn't necessarily have to have his fingerprints on the actual documents for him to be the one who was responsible for them.
HILL: Quickly before I let you go, as a professor here, someone who is teaching future lawyers, is there anything you would point to today either from the prosecution or the defense that you would say to your students, this is how you do it in a courtroom.
SAMPLE: It is a really good question, Erica, and I think what I would tell my students and what I have told my students is if you're going to run for president, you don't want to be caught up in all of these sort of extra marital, but also sort of extralegal shenanigans.
But from a lawyering standpoint, the lawyers on both sides of this case are exceptionally good. I think they are on the defense today. You saw that the defense counsel recognizes that Hope Hicks is a reluctant witness, that she is on some level of friendly witness.
They were much gentler with her especially after she broke down and then on the prosecution side, they have been continually sort of -- it is almost a staccato presentation.
They go with a big bombshell witness and then they bring in evidence through essentially a custodial witness who is a relatively unknown player, but allows them to bring in evidence like yesterday's secretive recording that Michael Cohen had made of their meeting discussing the payments to Karen McDougal.
HILL: James, really good to have you with us today. Thank you.
SAMPLE: Thank you.
HILL: And stay tuned, we will have more on Donald Trump's hush money trial wrapping up the day and the week in just a few moments, but as Paula mentioned, there is a lot of other news happening on this Friday. She is handling all of that for us this hour.
Paula, I hand it back to you.
[16:10:08 ]
NEWTON: And thank you, Erica. I just learned a lot, staccato in the trial. I am going to keep this in mind as we go through testimony next week, Erica, thanks so much. Appreciate it. We will get back to you later this hour.
Now, a difficult end to the academic year. Some US colleges and universities are expected to have designated protest areas at commencement ceremonies as well, of course, heightened security.
Now, this comes after weeks of student protests. They are protesting the war in Gaza. Since mid-April, more than 2,000 people have now been arrested. New York, of course, the epicenter and just hours ago, police arrested dozens of people as they cleared encampments near the new school and New York University.
Now these protests continue, as I said, right around the globe, including Paris and where students supporting Palestinians rallied outside the Pantheon.
Now, we go to Florida where the University of Florida will resume is commencement ceremony in just a few hours from now.
CNN's Rafael Romo is there for us in Gainesville.
Good to see you when good to have you there.
I want to ask you, look, this university was at the center of it earlier in the week for a very different approach to these protests. Can you just kind of fill us in as to what has gone on in the last few days?
ROMO: Yes, Paula, good to see you, too.
As you can see behind me, there is only a small group of students still protesting, very peacefully at this hour. Earlier, I counted 16, it is less than that now.
But let me tell you, Paula, it has been a very significant day here at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Earlier today, the Colleges of Business and Nursing had their recognition ceremonies and later tonight, UF will hold the university-wide commencement ceremony.
This event, together with others over the course of the weekend, are expected to be attended by as many as 50,000 people according to a university spokesperson, at least 10,500 people from 86 countries, including of course, the United States will be graduating, but it has been a tense week here as we were discussing at the beginning, although probably not as much as what we have seen in places like Columbia University and UCLA. Now let me tell you why. Nine pro-Palestine protesters were arrested here Monday evening on campus, a group that calls itself UF Divestment Coalition published a list of very specific demands, Paula, including listen to this, the disclosure the university's investment portfolio for the last 10 years and divesting from what they call funding and partnering with weapons manufacturers implicated in the war in Gaza.
They are also demanding that you have President Ben Sass publicly denounce what they call violence and discrimination against pro- Palestinian students, as well as a call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
In response to the students' actions, a university spokesperson published a statement earlier this week saying the following, i['d like to share this with you, Paula, it says: "This is not complicated. The University of Florida is not a daycare and we do not treat protesters like children. They knew the rules. They broke the rules and they will face the consequences."
The spokesperson also said that some of the protesters were outside agitators, but according to local media, at least seven of the nine protesters arrested Monday were current or recent UF students.
Now, this has become a political issue at the state level. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican issued a warning Thursday to protesters. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): People try to pitch a tent at our universities, they are shown the door very quickly on that. We are not putting up with it. This is not New York. This is not California.
We are going to enforce appropriate standards of conduct and simply commandeering a lawn with a tent and harassing other people, that does not pass, that does not fly in the state of Florida.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: And Paula, let me finish with this, another US spokesperson told CNN earlier that first, the school will defend the protesters' right to free speech, but they also warned that if they break the university's time, place, and manner rules, students see suspension, and if there is any attempt to cause a disruption at commencement, campus police will address it accordingly.
Now back to you -- Paula.
NEWTON: Okay. Thank you so much for that update as they await those commencement ceremonies there. Appreciate it.
Now, we want to turn to the dozens of people arrested at NYU and The New School. CNN's Polo Sandoval, has been tracking that story. In fact, you've been tracking this saga the entire week and it has run the gamut from Monday to Friday.
Can you just let us know why police stepped in today and kind of what the mood is that these academic institutions throughout New York after the week that it has been?
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Paula, these were really just the latest NYPD operations that we've seen play out at New York City campuses, the first happening at New York University, officials with that institution confirming that they reached out to the NYPD for assistance in clearing out that encampment, that actually formed on a walkway there for nearly a week.
[16:15:11]
About 30 people, members of this encampment that you see here chose to leave according to the university, about a dozen or so others who refused were arrested, very similar to what we've seen play out also at another Manhattan University today at The New School, there according to officials, roughly 40 people were detained because of a similar encampment.
You see an aerial view of what has happened there. Still unclear exactly how many of them may or may not have had ties to their respective universities, Paula, but we simply didn't learn a little bit more about what took place earlier this week on the Columbia University campus. You recall that was the second time that university officials asked the NYPD to make their way onto campus to clear out an encampment, but also detained several individuals that were occupying an administration building.
We now know that out of dozens of people who were detained, insight that building, 13 of them did not have direct associations with the university. So you get to learn a little bit more about the people involved.
But also Paula, what is also interesting is we have seen an increasing number of institutions of higher learning that have actually found some sort of common ground between the university and students.
I will give you Rutgers as an example. It was recently announced that they were able to reach an agreement as a result, they were able to take down an encampment that was in place.
The university, among other things, offering to take in at least ten displaced Palestinian students, essentially offering them opportunities to continue their studies here in New Jersey. And then this news that just came in a few moments ago, UC Riverside in California announcing that that institution has actually signed on to some amended terms of an agreement that was just reached a short while ago. This, after a dayslong sit-in between UC Riverside students and then also as they were continuing to negotiate with university officials.
I am still going through some of their amended terms here, but I can tell you for now, Paula, that the university has agreed to allow some of the students to participate in a task force that will essentially play a role in ethically investing some of the endowment money of the university.
And I will tell you that this is something that I have been falling for quite some time, initially after the sit-in started earlier in the week, the chancellor immediately issued a statement recognizing some of the atrocities that are taking place in Gaza.
So again, I share this with you because it gives you a sense of two very different outcomes that we have seen at universities throughout the country.
NEWTON: Yes, and it also gives us some good insight as to whether or not these protests will start up again as they still continue and are ongoing at other campuses.
Polo, thanks so much. Really appreciate it.
SANDOVAL: Thanks, Paula.
NEWTON: Now, similar student protests have ramped up outside the United States as well. Here is a look at just a few of them from Australia to Mexico to Iraq.
Meantime, in France, students held a pro-Palestinian rally outside the Pantheon on Friday while police removed protesters from a building at Science Po.
CNN's Saskya Vaondoorne reports now from Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SASKYA VAONDOORNE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The campus protests here in France would be taking place for about two weeks now and today, in front of the Pantheon in the center of Paris, you had students from many universities, from the Sorbonne, you had students also from Trade Unions, you had political parties and you had students from Science School.
Now Science School is a very prestigious university and just this morning that university was evacuated by riot police after the students staged a sit-in late Thursday evening.
Now the students were then removed from the hall this morning by police and they then came here. Now, what did the students want? They have said that they want French universities to sever ties with universities in Israel. They have said that they want French universities to condemn Israel and finally, they say that they want to be able to protest peacefully on campus.
Now, we have spoken to some of the protesters here and they have said that they felt inspired by what is happening in the US. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEELIA, PROTESTER: Yes, we are very inspired by them and we think that they have sent a very important message the news around the world, to say that our generation will not be complicit in the genocide and the killing of thousands of people .
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAONDOORNE: It is important to note that the protests in France are nothing like what has been happening in the United States. We really are talking about small pockets of blockades that have been happening in universities across France. They have been largely peaceful and we've hardly seen any arrests.
Now, the French Prime Minister's office did issue a statement today saying that they would continue to stand firm in the face of these protests.
Saskya Vaondoorne, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: They still come for us. This dangerous tornado touches down in a small town in Texas and the destruction left behind. Incredible video there.
Plus, deadly flooding in Kenya, we will have the latest and what officials are saying about reopening schools.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:22:43]
NEWTON: Millions of people right across the Southern United States are now under severe weather alerts. Mandatory evacuations are underway for parts of Texas, including the Houston area.
Officials there warn residents they could still be trapped in their homes for days unless they have a boat. I mean, those pictures tell you why.
On Thursday meantime, tornadoes ripped through parts of North Central Texas. This massive twister, I mean, look at that, touched down in the small town of Hawley. Police say 30 homes were severely damaged.
And this is just some of the destruction it left behind. The home there, you see it completely obliterated.
And another round of storms are expected today across Texas. CNN meteorologist Chad Myers join us now.
I mean, Chad, you know, we talk about this. I am looking at the pictures. It is incredible how just a few instant, few minutes and people's lives are just completely upended.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and that is what happened in West Texas yesterday and will likely happen again tonight.
Even tonight, the forecast is for nearly softball-sized hail, maybe a small grapefruit when it comes to hail, but this is the rain that fell north of Houston. All of the water in the roadways, in the homes, in towns because there has been so very much rainfall.
Twelve major rivers are now out of their banks in places that have gauges. There are gauges maybe every ten miles, so likely many more than 12 places are in major flood stage and it continues, Paula to rain there.
Just over the past five days, some spots picked up more than 15 inches and in the past 30 days, more than two feet of rain in those places, and it will rain again there today and tonight.
And even a little bit farther back out toward the hill country, let's say west of San Antonio, west of Austin, that's where the heaviest rain will be and the Hill Country is called that because it isn't flat, and so when you put rain on the hills, hills that are in some spots already damped, that water needs to run off somewhere.
These are the pictures you were talking about yesterday in West Texas and yes, there were injuries and yes, there was quite a bit of damage even in a sparsely populated area when you put a tornado on the ground of this size for any length of time, something is likely to get hit.
Two hundred and sixteen tornadoes have been reported this week alone, more today, more tomorrow, and then another round of even more severe weather popping up by next week.
[16:25:08]
And in the areas that you're seeing here still flooding, more rainfall is currently falling from the sky.
Just one thing after another -- Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, I really hope this does end. Certainly, at some point next week, Chad, thanks so much for the update. Appreciate it.
MYERS: You bet.
NEWTON: Turning to Kenya now where extreme weather there has caused flooding and has in fact killed hundreds. Officials have postponed reopening the country's schools indefinitely after weeks of torrential rains and flash floods. Crews are also working to restore power to parts of the country.
Now, the nationwide death toll now stands at 210. The president addressed the nation and blamed the extreme weather on climate change and the effects of a recent drought.
Okay, still to come for us, Donald Trump's former campaign press secretary was on the witness stand today. What Hope Hicks had to say about the now infamous Access Hollywood tape.
Plus dozens of arrests at campuses in New York, while other universities do reach deals with protesters to end the encampment. We will speak to a student journalist coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Welcome back. Here in New York City's second full week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, wrapping up in just the last hour. The final witness for the day for this week, former top aide, Hope Hicks, who was asked about the aftermath of that infamous "Access Hollywood" tape.
The release of that tape, also of a key "Wall Street Journal" article which was published just days before the 2016 election and also Michael Cohen's payments to adult film actress, Stormy Daniels.
[16:30:16]
Joining us now, Katelyn Polantz, has been following all these developments throughout the day. It was also an emotional day on the stand. Hope Hicks, really coming in and talking about when she got there, first thing in the morning about how nervous she was, how uncomfortable she was. Was the reporting as people saw her there just because she started to testify.
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Yes, and when she was being crossed by the defense team, that's the moment where she appeared to be breaking down overwhelmed by the situation, there she is on the stand, testifying about her former longtime boss who's would be just sitting a few feet away from her in the room -- in the courtroom.
But Erica, Hope Hicks, as a witness is one of the people that the prosecutors are using to provide the context and another viewpoint, specifically, from the Trump campaign in 2016. She was able to corroborate today that she was in touch with Michael Cohen as the campaign was in crisis mode. After the Access Hollywood tape came out, as there was news that was breaking about a -- alleged affair with Karen McDougal that Donald Trump had.
And then, there was her testimony that everything Trump was thinking about at that time was something he realized had an impact on the campaign. She said two things quite important to that effect. She said, verbatim, from our reporters in the courtroom hearing her testify, everything we talked about, in the context of this time period in this timeframe was about whether or not there was an impact on the campaign. That's an important narrative that the prosecutors are trying to show to the jury.
And then, in addition to that, she ended some of her testimony as the prosecutors were asking her questions that it was better. And she understood that Trump knew it was better to be dealing with the hush money stories about Stormy Daniels coming out in 2018. Once he was one in the White House, then, at a time that he was on the campaign trail. So, she might not have had a window into every single transaction or even these things that were happening with Michael Cohen and Donald Trump in 2016.
But she certainly is providing a viewpoint of how important this was to the campaign. She's very likely to have some more questions to answer from the witness box when court resumes next week.
HILL: Yes, she really was. The focus was interesting, as she talked about just how involved Donald Trump was in those waning days of the campaign with him in the communication wanting to be a part of those statements.
When it came to the defense on cross examination, it was interesting, they were really looking to poke holes in Michael Cohen as an upcoming witness. Right. She talked about how he would sometimes go rogue. He was a fixer because he had to break it first. And then, that enabled him to fix it.
But they also really sought to have her help paint Donald Trump as a family man, as someone who really just wanted to make sure that his family could be proud of him, Katelyn.
POLANTZ: Right. And Erica, as each of these witnesses is testifying, there are going to be things that they say that could be used in closing arguments on either side. So, Hope Hicks is being called as a prosecution witness. But she did say things that we might hear again, when Trump's defense team ultimately closes to the jury and makes their arguments that he had other motivations, than the campaign and a campaign finance need to pay off Stormy Daniels in 2016, as alleged.
One of the things that she said under testimony today was that Donald Trump was concerned about how the Karen McDougal story that was going to be coming out in the Wall Street Journal -- how that would be viewed by his wife, and that he wanted Hope Hicks to make sure that newspapers weren't delivered to his residents. That certainly could come up again. And as the cross examination of her continues next week. We could be hearing more about how she knew of Trump, the man what other things he was thinking about at this time aside, and in addition to his political interest.
HILL: Katelyn, appreciate it. And thanks for all this throughout the week.
Paula, I'm going to hand it back over to you now.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Again, just riveting testimony there. Thanks for wrapping it for us, really appreciate it.
Now, all this week, President Joe Biden has been confronted with a huge challenge. Protests in colleges and universities right across the country. The epicenter here in New York where police arrested dozens of people just hours ago as they cleared encampments near the New School in New York University.
Now, since mid-April, more than 2,000 people that arrested on campuses nationwide. Meantime, some schools have reached agreements with student protesters, convincing them to actually take down their encampments.
[16:35:02]
And now, for that, we want to get the view from Rutgers University in New Jersey. Julio Dagand is a journalist at the student-run newspaper, The Gleaner, and he joins me now.
And thanks so much for joining us to try and give us some perspective here. Can you characterize the protests at Rutgers University? You know, how they gained momentum in recent days? And what was that tipping point that really led to this agreement just the other day?
JULIO DAGAND, STUDENT JOURNALIST, THE GLEANER, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY: Absolutely. So, I think the first thing and most important thing I'd want to characterize upfront, is that, our newspaper The Gleaner is representative of the student body of Rutgers-Camden. And so, the main body of the protests took place at Rutgers-New Brunswick led by the Rutgers Endowment Justice Collective, and the organization again, running out of Rutgers-New Brunswick.
So, I'd say, we've been kind of covering the issues for a while now, starting in April 18th, when a group, led by the Rutgers Endowment Justice Collective, came to the Board of Governors conference that was being held at our campus over in Camden.
And they protested out in front, and eventually, were even able to make their way right outside the multipurpose room where President Holloway, president over Rutgers University was inside addressing. They were able to, you know, make their voice heard.
And so, I think that was one of the tipping points was just this notion that the attempt to hold business as usual, while, you know, students were outside attempting to make their voices heard of, you know, putting their civil liberties on the line, and just the attempt to kind of override that with business as usual.
NEWTON: And in terms of the protest groups, and the demands that were agreed to, I mean, what was the agreement and what single thing that the students say, OK, this made a difference, this has convinced us that we can dismantle these encampments.
DAGAND: So, the main issue that I understand the Rutgers Endowment Justice Collective wants is just that in their name. There is an endowment in Rutgers University where certain groups are financially involved with the leadership of Rutgers University, to the tune of -- from -- and this is part of their -- for the Endowment Justice Collective leave through their investigation.
They were involved with Tel Aviv University, and just some of the endowment funds or sending money to groups in Israel that they -- that they claim are, you know -- you know, brutalizing Palestinian lives. And so, that, that divestment from that endowment fund is the main thing that they wanted.
And I'm led to understand that, when they got broken up, because again, this is, you know, 53 miles to the north of us.
NEWTON: Right.
DAGAND: Like, this is our same university. But we're at a satellite campus. So, we can only really hear, you know, the kind of gossip. We're not on the front lines as much as they are. But what I'm led to understand is that they are getting their demands, their main demands, which is the divestment from that fund. NEWTON: Well, I want to speak to you as a student journalist, though, and I get that there are different campuses, it's kind of like the University of California system is certain -- to certain universities have campuses everywhere I get that. But Rutgers is one of the oldest institutions in the United States. It is also incredibly diverse.
(CROSSTALK)
DAGAND: That's right.
NEWTON: Your president, in fact, has written books, very eloquent ones, about you know, the civil rights movement in the United States. So, how have students like you been reacting to having been such a wedge issue in the past several weeks and even months?
DAGAND: Definitely, excitement there is definitely a buzz. We -- over at the -- at the Gleaner, I can just say we're a comparatively small organization, compared to our sister's paper, the Targum over at New Brunswick.
And we're -- I mean, we are excited, we're on fire, we're excited to just, you know, get the new -- get the news. We -- it's like what we tell the students at every event, where your paper by students for students, and I greatly regret that the Rutgers Endowment Justice Collective chose not to speak to us when they came to our campus to protest.
I would have really loved to, you know, get a comment from them, to organized, you know, one thing that's very fraught and very kind of troubling is that as even, you know, we're student, amateur journalists, but we still have to, you know, balance that activism with journalism, you know, we can't allow our feelings on the matter personally to get involved.
[16:40:11]
And, you know, I might feel one way or another about the endowment fund. I might even agree with what they have to say about the endowment fund, but I just have to be incredibly careful with how I go about choosing to, you know, commingle that with my duties at The Gleaner.
NEWTON: Absolutely, that is foundational in journalism. And we are thankful that you guys are getting the job done there on campuses all over the country. Your information this past week, it has been invaluable.
Thanks, Julio. We will continue to keep up with what goes on at Rutgers campus. Thanks so much.
Now, the Biden administration is ramping up its direct response to the campus protests. The U.S. education secretary sent a letter to college and university presidents condemning what he calls abhorrent incidents of anti-Semitism.
Ron Brownstein is a CNN senior political analyst and senior editor at The Atlantic. He joins me now. And Ron, am I glad to see you.
Could you, in your wisdom, kind of sum up the week for us? That was, of course, it is political. But it is also generational. And here you have a president, President Biden, who does not want to be reminded of his age, dealing with this uproar, right across campuses all over the country?
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. Well, look, good to be with you, Paula.
You know, first, I think, the first thing to keep in mind is that whatever problems Biden has on this, and they are real, Israel's problem under Netanyahu's leadership. And the extent to which, it is alienating young people, not only in the U.S., but kind of around the world with the way it has conducted this war, is something we can't lose sight of, especially given those earlier segments, you were talking about.
Joe Biden is in a very difficult position. I mean, this is one -- this is an issue that really, I think, underscores the extent to which he is kind of a bridge or a holdover of an earlier generation of Democrats.
His instinct, his first instinct is to lock arms with Israel. He's become more critical of them over time and over Netanyahu over time, but he has drawn an absolute line against imposing actual consequences, as they have resisted what he has wanted -- you know, the way he has wanted this to unfold, and certainly his vision of what would -- of what would come after. And that posture is putting him crosswise with the dominant opinion, not only among younger Democrats, but Democrats in general.
I mean, over the last 25 years, as Israel has been governed mostly by right leaning governments, and more often than not by Netanyahu himself. Democratic sympathy for Israel has steadily declined, because it has gone up among Republicans. It was once a bipartisan issue in the U.S., it's become much more of an intensely partisan issue.
And so, now, that kind of long-term trend comes to a point with these college demonstrations that are at risk -- hurting Biden from both directions, both in terms of exacerbating the conflicts within the Democratic coalition over the war itself, but also with swing voters who may view this as evidence of the Republican case that events are simply over running Biden of the world is careening toward disorder, and he lacks the leadership strength to contain it.
NEWTON: And you make such a good point because it is in so many ways a no-win situation. Do you believe that this wedge, that's now happened that's really out in the open the entire week, whether it's a political wedge or generational wedge, do you think if there is a ceasefire in the next few weeks.
Do you believe considering we're six months from an election, that, that really will turn the tide for the Democrats and President Biden?
BROWNSTEIN: I -- you know -- you know, as they say in politics, isn't like there's no situation so bad that it can't get worse. And I am not sure that a ceasefire -- that a ceasefire would -- I don't think, a ceasefire would eliminate all of the damage that has been done to Biden among young voters, who were never that enthusiastic about him to begin with.
I think he does face a real risk that his vote among young voters will be at least somewhat diminished from 2020. Not so much people going to Trump but going to third parties or staying home.
But without a ceasefire, it could look a lot worse than if he was able to have, you know, an end to the conflict, at least, temporarily today.
Of course, there is a risk that if there is a 60 or 90-day ceasefire, and that does not roll over into an ultimate agreement. And if Netanyahu is indeed serious that he intends to invade Rafah, no matter what, that could mean conflict springing back up around the time of the Democratic Convention, or even after in the final two months of the presidential campaign.
[16:45:00]
Biden needs this to stop. And he needs to be able to demonstrate that his diplomacy has had an effect in mitigating the suffering, you know, in Gaza. And he may or may not get to that point, even if he has a ceasefire in the near term.
NEWTON: Yes, and it is good to end on the thought that regardless of how the protests ended up here in this continent or in Europe, it is about the suffering of people in Gaza. But the suffering still of those families in Israel, who do not have their loved ones back home.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
NEWTON: Ron Brownstein, we will leave it there for now. Thanks so much.
Now, Canadian authorities have just announced that they've arrested and charged three men in connection with last year's killing of a prominent Sikh leader. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen was killed in June of 2023 outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, that is just outside of Vancouver.
And now, the killing was a tipping point for relations between Canada and India with diplomatic expulsions, and those relations still remained strained.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were, "credible" allegations linking India to that assassination. Canadian police said just moments ago, they are still investigating whether the Indian government was involved. The Modi government denies it had anything to do. with Nijjar's murder.
We will have much more news for you after a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NEWTON: Now, with electric vehicles gaining global traction, some classic car owners are choosing to electric -- electrify their vintage motors, and that's instead of junking them. In the UAE a Dubai-based startup is riding the wave with a twist. It wants to make this solution accessible not only to classic car owners, but consumers in emerging markets. Have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON (voice over): From Jason Momoa's 1929 Rolls Royce Phantom --
JASON MOMOA, AMERICAN ACTOR, Let's try it.
NEWTON (voice over): To Robert Downey Jr.'s latest show.
These expensive vintage cars owned by celebrities are not just for show, their electric. Lately, car enthusiast worldwide had been turning their beloved classics into electric rides that are eco friendlier. And one Dubai startup named Fuse wants to jump in on that action.
SALMAN HUSSAIN, CO-FOUNDER, FUSE: The ethos of the company was to bring something new. Something that we've seen in happening in the U.S. and the U.K., to adapt it to the local markets.
[14:50:05]
NEWTON (voice over): The company starts by scanning the vehicle and engineering electric kit for each car. Then, they swap out the internal combustion with it. Finally, the fun part begins, taking it for a spin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, go, go, go, go, go.
HUSSAIN: A classic car can cost anything from about $40,000 and up. Usually, to a maximum of $110, $120,000 which is fully spec up with 300 or 400 horsepower motors.
NEWTON: It's not cheap. But the company wants to make it affordable for emerging markets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just need to a nice connector first.
NEWTON: Like this durable 1998 Toyota Hilux pickup truck and icon in the deserts of the Middle East and Africa.
To scale this up, the company created something called E.V. in a box, a ready motor and battery that's packed in a box to be shipped anywhere and installed at a car in one day.
HUSSAIN: Targeting a price below $20,000. We hope that we can achieve through mass orders. A price of at least $15,000. And in the second phase of that kit, to be able to offer it as a subscription service so that you are able to pay a monthly cost that will be offset by the savings that you'll make on fuel. NEWTON: The E.V. market is valued at around $400 billion. With E.V. conversions accounting for just $5 billion of that amount, according to PwC.
HEIKO SEITZ, GLOBAL E-MOBILITY LEADER, PWC: That's somewhere between one and two percent of the global market share. So, it shows you that it's a niche product.
However, for emerging markets, conversion is a great opportunity to decarbonize fast.
If you want to electrify, for example, in Central Africa, the fast and cheapest fail, still is E.V. conversion.
NEWTON: A small market that Hussain has big goals for. He says, he is aiming to electrify 50 cars by the end of the year, leading the charge for sustainable road ahead.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON (on camera): And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: Now, China successfully launched a lunar probe on Friday without a crew onboard, on the mission it is part of China's push to become a dominant space power.
CNN's Marc Stewart was there for the launch and has more on what Beijing hopes to achieve with this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is China's latest leap in the global quest to put a human back on the moon. CNN was there, invited by the Chinese government for a behind the scenes look at the Wenchang launch site, here on Hainan Island along the South China Sea.
[16:55:08]
The goal of this mission to bring back the first samples ever collected from the moon's far side, part of China's ambitious plan to send astronauts by 2030 and build a lunar research station.
YAN ZEHUA, SPACE PHOTOGRAPHER: It made us feel we are the strong country because we have the power to launch the big rocket to the moon.
STEWART (voice-over): What's happening here has critics, the Chinese government maintains space should be a peaceful place. Yet the head of NASA expressed concern China may be using its civilian program for military purposes, even suggesting a Chinese takeover of the moon.
STEWART: Why does the journey to the moon matter so much? LEROY CHIAO, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: I think it's symbolically important. It's again, why does any country get into the Spaceflight business, particularly human spaceflight, it's for national prestige, it's for -- to show the world their technological prowess.
STEWART: This isn't just about space and science, it's also about national pride and profit. Space tourism is big here. And that includes these rocket shaped water bottles.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the first time. So, we are very excited.
STEWART (voice-over): The space presence here is palpable as families take pictures and shop for souvenirs.
STEWART: It's not just snacks at this hotel gift shop. Its backpacks, rockets, even a model of the Chinese space station.
Even afternoon tea comes with a taste of space.
STEWART (voice-over): Celebrations aside, this is a cosmic competition to make a mark on Earth and beyond.
Marc Stewart, CNN, Hainan Island, China.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: We'll wait to see what that brings. I want to thank you for watching us tonight. Stay with CNN. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper is up next.
