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Israelis mark International Holocaust Memorial Day; University of Mississippi Opens Student Conduct Investigation After a Viral Video Surfaced Online; Trump's Hush Money Trial Resumes Today with a New Witness. Chinese President Visits Europe for the First Time in Five Years; Madonna's Celebration World Tour Finale Breaks New Concert Attendance Record in Brazil. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired May 06, 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]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church.

You are looking at live pictures from Jerusalem right now, where Israel's official state ceremony for Holocaust Remembrance Day is happening. And at this time, there is a siren going for two minutes, you can hear it there, to remember those who lost their lives during the Holocaust.

Now, after the siren, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top government officials will lay a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance. Let's just listen in.

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Holocaust Remembrance Day, and we have been listening to that siren. I want to bring in CNN's international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson. He joins us live from London.

So, Nic, talk to us about the significance of this Holocaust Remembrance Day, particularly at this time in the midst of war.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, and we heard sentiments from the Prime Minister speaking last night at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial site in Jerusalem, and speaking specifically to that point, talking about the six million Jewish people that the Nazis killed. That was one third of the total number of Jewish people in the world.

And he drew a very, very clear parallel with Hamas and the war today. He said that Hamas were essentially the Nazis of today, that they had said that they wanted to rid the world of Jewish people, and that was their mission. He spoke as well about a major, an IDF major, who died in Gaza leaving behind a family of six children and his wife.

And he spoke about the generations of that family, of the major that came before him, the great-grandfather he reminded all the people who were listening to his speech had fled the Holocaust, fled Vienna in 1938, just before the Second World War began.

So the Prime Minister here, or last night at least, drawing these very, very clear parallels between this very revered and an important memorial day for Jewish people, recognizing the horrific losses that they experienced during the Second World War, the unprecedented and horrific losses that were the biggest loss of life of Jewish people until Hamas' attack on October 7th last year.

So it's in that context that this memorial is being observed today. But the Prime Minister also had a message in his speech for the international community, who he said are accusing Israel of a genocide in Gaza at the moment and of starving people. And he said that wasn't true.

And he went on to say that no amount of international pressure was going to stop Israel backing away from facing the threat of Hamas.

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CHURCH: And Nic, significantly Israel's military is now urging Palestinians in eastern Rafah to evacuate. The fear here, of course, is that the much talked about offensive, that ground offensive in Rafah, this may signal a start to that. What are you learning about this?

ROBERTSON: It may do. It certainly has all the characteristics of what Israel has done before its previous offensives in the north of Gaza, in the center of Gaza, and in the southeast of Gaza, Rafah being the last major city where there's a civilian population estimated by the U.N. to be in the region of about 1.4 million Palestinians.

The vast majority of them, more than 1.2 million of them, are displaced from other parts of Gaza. So while Israel has been talking about the possibility and its intention, the Prime Minister saying its intention was to go in and get the last Hamas battalions, he said that would be hiding in the tunnels inside of Rafah to go in and get them, the context has been set that this may well be this much talked about offensive.

The Defense Minister was in Gaza yesterday telling troops to be serious, to be prepared, and to expect the possibility of military action in Rafah and in the whole of Gaza. So when the Defense Minister goes into Gaza to visit troops, that can also be seen as a sign of what may be to come. The U.S., United States has put a huge amount of pressure on Israeli officials to tell them about their plan to protect all these civilians in Rafah.

This is not something that has been shared publicly. The government tasked the IDF to come up with a plan months ago. It's been discussed in the War Cabinet, it's been discussed around many tables, but none of it made public.

But what appears to be potentially happening right now is exactly what we've witnessed the IDF do prior to their previous incursions, which is drop flyers, make announcements to people in certain sectors of towns and cities to evacuate immediately for their safety, that there would be military operations, and that's exactly what they're doing today.

They appear to be telling people in the eastern part of Rafah, which is the part that's closest to the Gaza border fence with Israel, which is where you would expect a moving army to come in from Israel, that about 12 housing districts have been told to move. The IDF is telling people to move to an expanded humanitarian zone, the al-Mawazi refugee camp.

The IDF is now saying that this zone will be expanded from the area where it is in the west of Gaza, in the south and west of Gaza, northwards and eastwards towards Khan Younis and Deir el-Balik in the center of Gaza. So the IDF is saying they're expanding this safe area. But what we've seen in previous military operations, when the IDF announces to the civilian populations that they need to get out of the way and avoid these military zones where there will be military operations underway, civilians have invariably been caught up and killed in the targeting of sites where the IDF says it's going after Hamas.

As we know, overnight there were 11 houses, according to civilian authorities, inside of Gaza, 11 houses destroyed by Israeli airstrikes. They say in Rafah overnight about more than 20 people killed in strikes overnight. Whether or not this amounts to a precursor for a wider military offensive is not clear.

But yesterday the Hamas military brigades claimed responsibility for firing rockets out of the south of Gaza, around the Rafah area, across the border into Israel, around the Kerem Shalom crossing, where Hamas say that they were targeting IDF troops. And there were a number of casualties that were medically evacuated from that area yesterday, at least 10 people injured in that particular rocket strike. So it appears to indicate that Hamas has a military intent still and a military capability in Rafah, which is what the IDF says they have.

And this was, of course, at a time when there were talks going on about a peace deal to end the fighting and to release Israeli hostages and other international and Israeli hostages that are being held by Hamas and other groups inside of Gaza.

[03:10:08]

So the context there in of itself appears to also set the possible scene for an Israeli military response, possibly to those rocket strikes only. But they've talked about this broader military offensive on the whole of Rafah, so it may be what we are beginning to see the precursors emerge for.

CHURCH: Yes, and of course, as you've been speaking with us, Nick, we've been watching those live pictures of the Holocaust Remembrance Day. But you mentioned there, of course, the concern about the civilians in Rafah. There's the added challenge here of the possibility and the likelihood that hostages are being held in Rafah as well. And as you mentioned there, the hostage and ceasefire talks have stalled, but they're not broken at this point. There's still a possibility of moving forward. But talk to us about where that stands right now and how they do move this forward.

ROBERTSON: Well, there were talks over the weekend in Cairo. Egyptian authorities had brokered the talks and set out a framework that they thought could be the framework to at least agree the prospect of a ceasefire and hostage exchange of some nature. The details were then going to be thrashed out.

Overnight, Saturday into Sunday, it seemed that it was getting close. The Egyptians appeared to indicate they thought it was getting close. The talks didn't conclude Saturday night into Sunday.

Late Sunday, the Hamas representatives left Cairo. We understand they've gone to Qatar now for further talks amongst themselves about their position. We know this morning that the Egyptian authorities are saying that they have received from Hamas their response, or overnight at least they received Hamas' response to the proposal which has been passed to the Israeli authorities.

We know that the CIA chief Bill Burns went yesterday to Doha in Qatar to meet with the Qatari negotiators, in particular the prime minister who's been leading from the Qatari perspective their efforts to be middlemen to get a negotiated solution. There were reports initially that Bill Burns would then go on to Israel today for meetings with Prime Minister Netanyahu. That changed late last night.

So at the moment, Egypt has received Hamas' response. They've passed it to the Israelis. Hamas delegation has gone to Qatar.

The CIA chief has gone to Qatar. There seem to be a nature of talks directly between the CIA and the Qatari officials in Qatar. Where that leaves a possible trip by the CIA director to Israel is unclear.

Where that leaves the overall talks is unclear. It did seem to be relatively close late Saturday, but there seems to be a gap. And if what we're seeing in Rafah is the precursor to a big military operation, it would seem that the talks at this stage have stalled. But we don't know that for sure.

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Nic Robertson joining us live from London with that report. I Appreciate it.

American universities held graduation ceremonies this weekend amid more arrests of pro-Palestinian protesters. The University of Southern California has reopened its main campus to students and faculty members after weeks of demonstrations. But it says valid IDs are required to get on campus.

Meanwhile, Chicago police were called in to DePaul University on Sunday after the school said protests escalated beyond their control. The university advised anyone on campus to stay indoors. CNN has reached out to the Chicago Police Department for more information.

The University of Mississippi has opened a student conduct investigation after a video went viral on social media showing a confrontation between a black student and counter-protesters. University officials say the incident included quote "racist overtones".

CNN's Rafael Romo has details.

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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are multiple videos circulating online showing the protests at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. But there's one video in particular that has gone viral and is at the center of the controversy. Before I show you the video, we need to warn our viewers that it may be offensive to many people.

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As you can see, the video shows a group of mostly young white men in the counter-protest yelling at a black woman. At least one counter- protester is seen on video and appears to be making gestures at the woman.

We now know who the woman in the video is. Her name is Jaylin R. Smith and she is 24 years old. She confirmed to my colleague Diane Gallagher that she is the woman seen in the video. Smith said that during the protest, pro-Palestinian demonstrators were kept in an enclosure, which police said was for their safety.

She also said that she briefly stepped out of the enclosure to go live on social media and that that's when the confrontation took place. CNN has made efforts but has not identified any of the counter-protesters seen in the video.

We have also learned that the University of Mississippi has opened an investigation into student conduct but didn't say who or what they were specifically investigating.

In the letter, Chancellor Glenn Boyce says University officials are aware that some statements were made that were offensive, hurtful and unacceptable, including actions that conveyed hostility and racist overtones.

Smith tells CNN she said some insults back to the counter-protesters but adds the following quote: "People calling me fat or Lizzo didn't hurt my feelings because I know what I am. I am so confident in my blackness. I am so confident in my size and the way that I wear my hair and who I

am. They do not bother me. If anything, I felt pity for them for how stupidly they acted."

The controversy took another turn when U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, a Republican representing parts of Georgia, shared the viral video on X the following day, saying, Ole Miss taking care of business. CNN has reached out to Collins' office but there hasn't been an answer so far.

And then, on Saturday, Congressman Collins' tweet prompted the NAACP to send a letter to Congressional leadership asking for an investigation into Collins' conduct. In part, the letter says the following, "These actions conducted by a member of the House of Representatives, regardless of intent, legitimize and propagate racism and undermine the principles of equality and justice that our government is sworn to uphold".

Some of our viewers may remember that the University of Mississippi has a long history of racial incidents, including the deadly riots that broke out there in 1962 when James Meredith became the first black student to enroll at the school.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

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CHURCH: Just hours from now, Donald Trump will be back in a New York courtroom for the start of the fourth week of his historic criminal trial.

The former U.S. President has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Daniels is a potential witness for the prosecution, but they've been tight-lipped over who they might call to the stand next.

CNN's Zachary Cohen has more on what we can expect as the trial resumes.

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ZACHARY COHEN, CNN U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: A new witness will take the stand on Monday when the hush money trial of former President Donald Trump resumes.

While it remains unclear who will be called to testify next, we're still waiting to hear from several key witnesses, including the adult actress at the center of the trial, Stormy Daniels, and Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen.

The trial picks back up after Friday's testimony from one of Trump's former key advisers, Hope Hicks. Hicks sat feet away from Trump as she described the 2016 fallout from the "Access Hollywood" tape and the Trump campaign's response to stories about hush money payments.

Testimony from Hicks really set the stage for witnesses who have direct knowledge of Trump's alleged role in the scheme to keep Stormy Daniels quiet ahead of the 2016 election. Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records, stemming from how he allegedly hid the way Michael Cohen was reimbursed for paying $130,000 to Daniels.

Hicks testified last week that she did not believe the story that Cohen had paid the money on his own, and she said that Trump was glad he did not have to deal with the stories about hush money payments coming out until after the 2016 election.

Now, Trump White House aides, Trump Organization employees, Daniels and Michael Cohen are all still on deck for prosecutors to call. Zachary Cohen, CNN, Washington.

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CHURCH: Ron Brownstein is a CNN senior political analyst and senior editor at "The Atlantic". He joins us now from Los Angeles. Appreciate you being with us.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST AND SR. EDITOR, THE ATLANTIC: Hi, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, GOP presumptive nominee for president, Donald Trump, will be back at his criminal trial in the coming hours. And so far, he is gaining rather than losing political support. How likely is it that this trend will continue for him right up to the November elections, with most polls currently showing a very tight race between him and Joe Biden?

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BROWNSTEIN: Yeah, it is, you know, it is a very tight race in the national polls, in the key swing state polls. Trump probably has a slight advantage in enough states that you'd have to say he's the favorite overall at this point.

Look, I think the impact of this trial, we're not going to know until the finish line. It doesn't seem that Americans are riveted enough on the details that individual days of testimony are really going to move the needle much in the presidential election. But when we get to the finish line, we do have polling suggesting that there are a fair number of voters who understandably would have hesitations about electing to the nation's chief law enforcement office someone who has been a convicted felon.

Now, whether that plays out in the end, whether he is convicted and whether voters will respond if they do, if he is, we don't know. But that, I think, is more likely to be the impact than kind of movement around the individual days of testimony, as compelling as some of them have been, like Hope Hicks last week.

CHURCH: And Ron, far right Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene is threatening to call a vote this week to oust her party's own House Speaker Mike Johnson. But it's putting her at odds with some MAGA allies and Democrats are now vowing to step in and save him if she goes ahead with this vote. So what's the likely political fallout from this on both sides?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, it is just another manifestation of the enormous, really almost unprecedented difficulty Republicans have had running the House. I mean, the House has been, has become in the modern era, a quasi-parliamentary institution, you know, where, you know, we saw, for example, in the two years that Democrats had unified control. They passed a series of bills with no more than two or three members voting no on some very polarizing, controversial issues.

There's been nothing like that in these two years. And I think, obviously, as you know, the Democrats are not going to allow her to remove the speaker, particularly because he kind of stepped up and did what the bipartisan coalition in the Senate had done earlier in terms of aid to Ukraine and Israel and Taiwan.

But I think this is just a very clear signal of what might be out there again if Republicans win another narrow majority in 2025. Don't forget the last two houses, the majority party has only had a four or five seat majority, historically narrow divisions. And this may be more of a kind of a preview of the future, particularly on the Republican side.

CHURCH: And Ron, in the midst of Trump's search for a vice presidential running mate, one prospective candidate, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem may have crossed a line, even for Trump, by writing about shooting and killing her own puppy. And now suggesting that President Biden's dog should also be shot. Another possible V.P. for Trump, Senator Tim Scott, won't commit to accepting the 2024 election results. Now, they're just two of his possible choices. So who will Trump likely select, do you think?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, there's one interesting aspect of this that I thought didn't get enough attention in that interview that Trump did last week with "Time" magazine, in which he laid out a lot of ominous, authoritarian-sounding ideas like using the military to deport people or firing U.S. attorneys who would not prosecute anyone that he asked.

Along the way, he said that he did intend to adhere to the 22nd Amendment and not seek re-election a third time or election a third time if he wins in November. And that means into his consciousness, I think, has to be the awareness that he is picking the person who would be the frontrunner to succeed him, whether or not he wins in 2024. And I have to imagine that might change the calculation a little bit.

And there aren't that many choices that give him an enormous electoral advantage. Maybe Marco Rubio or Tim Scott to help him with the inroads he's already achieved in early polling among non-white men.

But if he's thinking about if he's, in fact, committing to only running for one term and, you know, of course, we would see if he wins, that might lead him more to figures like, say, J.D. Vance, who has been in a state that he should win. Trump should be able to win on his own, but who he might feel more comfortable as a designee for the next generation of MAGA. So we'll see where he goes. But I thought that was an intriguing, perhaps, indication of some of the considerations that he may be pondering as he weighs this decision.

CHURCH: And we'll watch to see who he does select in the end. Ron Brownstein, many thanks for joining us. I Appreciate it.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.

CHURCH: Coming up, Ukraine's Orthodox Easter celebrations in Kharkiv region were disrupted by deadly Russian airstrikes. We will have a look at that and a guest.

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CHURCH: Russian airstrikes bombarded Ukraine's Kharkiv region as people celebrated Orthodox Easter on Sunday. At least one person was killed and 24 others injured in the drone and bomb attacks. Ukrainian officials say residential buildings were also damaged. Ukrainians marked the holy day by holding services in damaged churches, with one woman saying it's even more important to worship now that her husband is fighting in the east.

Ukrainian parliament member Oleksiy Goncharenko joins me now from Odessa, Ukraine. Thank you, sir, for being with us. So after much delay, U.S. aid is on the way, some arriving. But is it too little too late, given Ukraine's huge losses to Russia on the eastern and southern front lines?

OLEKSIY GONCHARENKO, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENTARY MEMBER: Hello. First of all, it's very important that this decision is made. So just about support, but it's also a very important signal to the world and Putin that the United States are still shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine. That's very important.

But it's, again, it's late, but it's not too late. But it's really too little. We heard a lot about that $61 billion.

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But in reality, military support from this direct military support to Ukraine is near $28 billion. Part of which will Ukraine, part of equipment, will receive up to 2029.

And for comparison, Russian military budget is $113 billion for this year, just for one this year. So definitely we need more support. Now it's also turn of the European countries to do more after United States finally made their move. But again, all free world should understand what a big threat is and how much Russia is invested in this war. So we definitely need more support.

CHURCH: And of course, we've just been reporting on these deadly Russian airstrikes that hit Ukraine's Kharkiv region Sunday. What more are you learning about the casualties and the damage done?

GONCHARENKO: We have casualties, we have damage. And this early morning, again, Sumy, it is a regional center on the border with Russia, was attacked with blackouts, with, again, people injured.

And Russia continued to strike energy infrastructure, kill people. And yesterday, there was an Orthodox Easter in Ukraine and also in Russia. And Russia, again, which tries to call themselves a Christian country and counter even Christian crusaders. But in reality, in Orthodox Easter, the biggest holiday for any Orthodox Christian, they just again killed people, destroyed civilian infrastructure. So they once again showed that they are just brutal invaders and act as barbarians.

CHURCH: And you mentioned at the start that this aid coming from the United States, even though it was delayed, it's not too late to turn things around in Ukraine. So what is it going to take for Ukraine to win this war, and what does victory look like, do you think?

GONCHARENKO: I think that what we can do, we can stabilize lines now. And we can, with the long-range capabilities finally provided by the United States, we can start finally to attack objects and targets deeply in occupied territory, which will give us a lot of possibilities. Also, we're using our hybrid tactics, including the Black Sea Rivers, because we are speaking a lot about not successes of Ukraine on the ground, but in the Black Sea, we have big successes where our hands are untied, where we can attack what we want to attack.

And this early morning, again, Ukrainian Sea Drone hit Russian, one of Russian ships of the Black Sea fleet. So that's our way to win. Hybrid way. Our hands should be untied. More support from our partners, allies. With this, we can push out Russians from our territory.

CHURCH: Oleksiy Goncharenko in Odessa, thank you so much for talking with us. We do appreciate it.

GONCHARENKO: Thank you.

CHURCH: A tragic update on the search for three missing surfers in Mexico. The bodies found in Baja, California, Friday have been confirmed to be the two missing Australian brothers, Callum and Jake Robinson, and their friend, American Jack Carter Rode.

The local attorney general says the men were killed by gunshots to the head. Three Mexican citizens linked to the case have been arrested for alleged kidnapping. The killings have caused an uproar among members of Mexico's surfing community, with many calling for more action on improving safety.

The massive flooding in Texas has now turned deadly. Hundreds of people have been rescued from swamped homes and vehicles, and thousands have been forced to evacuate. More on that straight ahead.

Plus, no relief in sight for many in Kenya, where devastating, deadly flooding has been going on for weeks now. We will have a live report from Nairobi.

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CHURCH: The body of a young child has been recovered from the floodwaters in Texas, as search and rescue teams statewide continue to scour areas inundated by days of heavy rainfall. Some places have picked up two months' worth of rain in just five days. Thousands of people have been forced from their homes, and officials say there have been hundreds of rescues from flooded homes and vehicles. More than a third of the state's counties are under disaster declarations, and eight rivers are in major flood stage. That five-year-old boy whose body was recovered Sunday is the first

reported fatality in the state. CNN's Rosa Flores has more on that, as well as the ongoing search and rescue operations in the state.

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ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A 911 call came in at about 2 am this morning, local time, about a man and a woman and a child stuck inside a car in the rising waters. And then, of course, first responders went to their rescue. But here is what the Johnson County official said, that that 911 caller witnessed the occupants get out of the vehicle and attempt to get to dry ground on foot when all were swept into the floodwaters.

The adults were rescued at about 5 am this morning. The body of the five-year-old boy was recovered after 7 am this morning. This is what we have been hearing from officials in multiple counties, and they're asking adults not to drive through rising waters if water has swallowed the road. They are asking people not to drive through it. They're asking people not to move barricades and drive through rising water. They're also asking people to evacuate if they are in mandatory evacuation zones.

Now, we hopped on an airboat with the Harris County Sheriff's Office. We have video of this. They were assessing an area that's right behind me. It was not accessible other than by boat.

And they showed us some of the dangers. I mean, we were on this airboat. We were going over fences, over mailboxes. The stop signs were at eye level.

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And the first responders explained some of the challenges. Sometimes they stretch their arms towards individuals, telling them that they can rescue them. They can take them to higher ground and to safety. And a lot of the times, individuals deny that help. They say that they want to stay in their homes. And, of course, first responders can't drag people out of their homes, out of their private property. And so that's some of the difficulties.

We talked to the lieutenant about this, and here's what he had to say about some of those challenges. Take a listen.

LT. DAVID JASPER, HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: We've been evacuating people since last Wednesday and all day yesterday in this area here. And there are still some people that they don't want to leave for whatever reasons. We do have mandatory evacuations. As you can see, it's extremely flooded here. And, unfortunately, we're getting more rain.

FLORES: This weather event has been compared to Hurricane Harvey because of the water levels of the San Jacinto River. I want to show you a comparison because take a look at the restaurant that's behind me. It's at a distance. You can see that it is blue. It has a roof. There is a local man here who took a picture of this building during Hurricane Harvey. And we have it for you. And you can see that the water level is at about the roof.

So that gives you a sense of the comparison.

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CHURCH: Extreme weather is devastating southern Brazil. Officials say at least 78 people have been killed in a series of catastrophic floods. More than 100 others are missing. Residents and evacuees tell CNN they have seen dead bodies floating in the water. People likely not yet counted in the death toll. The city of Porto Alegre has already exceeded its average May rainfall in the first five days of the month.

Officials in Kenya say the death toll from weeks of widespread flooding has now risen to at least 228 people. 72 are still missing. And the danger is far from over with more heavy rain forecast for the country's western and northern regions. Parts of the country received more than half a month's worth of rain in just two days. At the start of this month, more than 165,000 people have been forced to flee their homes.

CNN's Larry Madowo joins me now live from Nairobi. So, Larry, what is the latest on this deadly flooding?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, this is what it looks like when you've had two months of sustained rainfall. Every stream, every dam and every river is overflowing across the country.

And sometimes it makes travel difficult. Like you see in this case, this is a road that the water is flowing through there. There is a tunnel across the road on the other side, but that's partially clogged. That's why the water has made a new path on top of the road.

I've just been speaking to a senior police officer who's been here directing traffic, and he says if this continues, this bridge could be swept away. This has happened already in other parts of the country as the number of casualties increases with this flooding going on in different parts of the country and more rainfall expected across the country.

We saw dramatic scenes in western Kenya when one of the major rivers there, River Nyando, burst its banks and flooded a major part of the town of Ahero and places around there. People were marooned.

The Kenya Wildlife Service having to use helicopters to rescue some people who were marooned and could not get out of there, and that is becoming more common. We've seen similar instances, similar cases in other parts of the country. Like in Kenya's longest and largest river that's also burst its banks, and the government warning people to make sure that they're moving to higher ground in places that are what they call fragile ecosystems to make sure that they don't get swept away by flash flooding. Sometimes the rains come overnight, as happened here, as happened in other parts of the country, when people are asleep, and that can have devastating effects.

I wanted to hear this one gentleman in western Kenya who was caught up in the flooding on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISAIAH KADIENG, RESIDENT: Possibly this night, we don't know how we are going to do. We are going to sleep in the cold. All our belongings were swept away by the flood, and we don't have anyone. These are our animals. We are just going to put them here until we shall come for rescue. Anyone who will help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: Anyone who will help. A lot of help is required. The Kenyan government is appealing to foreign partners to send aid. Send everything they can because the scale of the destruction across the country has been significant. About 200,000 people so far are displaced. Rosemary.

CHURCH: Alright. Our thanks to Larry Madowo joining us live there from Nairobi.

Well China's leader is on his first visit to Europe in five years. We will get details on Xi Jinping's agenda and what he hopes to accomplish. That's just ahead in a live report.

[03:45:01]

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CHURCH: Chinese President Xi Jinping is in France this hour, aiming to strengthen what he called the long-standing friendship between the two countries. Mr. Xi is set to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the coming hours. Later Monday, he will be honored at a state dinner. This is Mr. Xi's first visit to Europe in five years. His six-day tour will also include stops in Serbia and Hungary.

And our Kristie Lu Stout joins us now live from Hong Kong. Good to see you, Kristie. What is President Xi hoping to achieve on this Europe trip?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, the Chinese leader is on a charm offensive. He is looking to win over his critics in Europe, which is of course one of China's biggest trading partners. This is his first visit to Europe in five years. And this comes at a sensitive time, a time of deep tension over trade and over Russia's war against Ukraine.

You're looking at footage from Sunday of the Chinese President Xi Jinping along with Peng Liyuan, his wife, being greeted on the tarmac by the Prime Minister of France. But today in Paris, Xi Jinping in the hours ahead will be meeting with one of his toughest critics. He is set to meet with the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen along with the French President Emmanuel Macron.

Now von der Leyen, she is called on the E.U. to de-risk its supply chains away from China. And she's also called for a probe to look into the influx of cheap subsidized Chinese E.V.s that have flooded into Europe. Macron is also seeking protection from cheaper Chinese products like cheap E.V.s. And he's also tried to influence China to use its leverage over Russia. Macron is also seeking investment. This visit marks 60 years of diplomatic relationship between France and China.

[03:50:00]

And in an article, I want to bring it up for you, an article published by "Le Figaro" on Sunday, Xi Jinping pledged to deepen cooperation with France, especially in regards to trade. He said this, quote, "the Chinese government supports more Chinese companies in investing in France and we hope that France will ensure that they operate in a fair and equitable business environment," unquote.

But observers say that this visit is much more than about shoring up trade ties. This is part of China's strategy to exploit differences and to sow discord inside Europe. Noah Barkin, an analyst with the German Marshall Fund of the U.S., told CNN this, quote, "China is seen increasingly as a multifaceted threat in many European capitals, but there are divisions within Europe over how fast and how far to go in addressing concerns about China, both in the economic and security spheres," unquote.

After France, Xi Jinping is set to visit Serbia and Hungary next. And Rosemary, these are two countries that are very much pro-Russia and both big recipients of Chinese investment. Rosemary.

All right. Our thanks to Kristie Lu Stout joining us live from Hong Kong. And we'll be right back.

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[03:54:59]

CHURCH: Lando Norris stormed to his first victory in the Miami Grand Prix. The 24-year-old McLaren driver started fifth on the grid, but cut through the field to finish more than seven seconds ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen. It is the first time Norris has taken top spot, with the British driver admitting it had been a long time coming. He'll be hoping to emulate the win when the F1 roadshow heads to Italy in a couple of weeks.

A monumental day for the British royal family. Today marks the first anniversary of the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The commemoration comes on the heels of the king's return to public duties following a three-month period of treatment and recuperation for cancer. In early February, the 75-year-old monarch revealed to the public he was diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer.

Music icon Madonna turned up the star power with a spectacular concert in Brazil.

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The queen of pop dazzled fans at a free show in Rio de Janeiro. It was the last stop on her Celebration World Tour. She performed legendary hits like "Vogue", "Express Yourself" and "Like a Prayer". An estimated 1.6 million fans braved the heat to catch the "Material Girl's" performance. They filled the area around Copacabana Beach for several blocks.

And thank you so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. CNN NEWSROOM continues next with Max Foster.

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