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CNN International: Putin Orders Tactical Nuclear Weapons Drills; Putin Set for Inauguration to Fifth Term Today; White House: Does Not Support Al Jazeera Shutdown By Israel; Columbia Scales Back Commencement Over Security Concerns; UCLA Moves al classes online as protests reignite; Secret Recording Used to Build Criminal Cases Against Trump. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired May 07, 2024 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Max Foster. These are our stories, our top stories this hour.
Just a few hours ago, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi cast his ballot in the country's general election. Modi is seeking his third consecutive term. The election started on April the 19th and is expected to last until June the 1st. Nearly a billion people eligible to vote.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has landed in Guatemala where he will meet with the country's president later today. He'll also attend a series of meetings with regional leaders on migration.
And the launch of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft was scrapped just two hours before liftoff due to a technical issue with the Atlas V rocket. It was due to take off on Monday night with two NASA astronauts on board headed to the International Space Station.
Now, for the first time since the war in Ukraine began, Russia has announced it will hold military drills involving tactical nuclear weapons. It's a potentially dangerous escalation by Vladimir Putin who's often threatened to deploy nukes on the battlefield but could now be putting Moscow on a path to actually using them.
Russia says the drills are ordered in response to what it calls provocative statements and threats from Russian, or rather, Western officials.
Just last week, French President Emmanuel Macron again said he would not rule out sending Western troops to Ukraine warning European security is at stake if Russia wins the war.
And on a visit to Kyiv, U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Ukraine would use British-supplied weapons however it likes including to strike targets inside Russia.
The U.S. has previously downplayed Putin's veiled nuclear threats and now it seems it's no different.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KIRBY, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: It's just reckless and irresponsible for the leader of a major nuclear armed power to be saber-rattling the way that he is with respect to potential use for nuclear weapons.
I can tell you we've seen nothing, even despite the reckless rhetoric that would cause us to change our strategic deterrent posture.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: The announcement by Vladimir Putin came a day ahead of his inauguration to a fifth term as president. He's set to be sworn in for a new six-year term today. Putin won the presidential election in March by a landslide but faced no real opposition, of course.
Most EU countries, as well as the United States, will not have a representative at his inauguration.
Clare joins us now. I mean, just for people watching, the idea of nukes being used on the battlefield will strike fear through many people. And also, words of America saying, don't worry about it, won't really resonate.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, this is -- that is in Moscow's interest, right? They want to keep up, they have a clear interest in keeping up that level of fear that as a nuclear armed power, which is already, frankly, waging an unprovoked conventional war in Europe that they could escalate. Beyond that, that fear has been there all along.
It's informed many critical decisions from Ukraine's allies when it comes to which weapons to provide and when. And this threat coming just one day ahead of the inauguration in response ostensibly to those comments from Macron and from David Cameron achieves that.
However, there is, I think, more concern than the U.S. is publicly giving off. Our own Jim Sciutto reported a few months ago that Russia came really close to using a tactical nuclear weapon in late 2022, and the U.S. had been sort of actively preparing for that.
So this is a fragile time. Russia has, of course, withdrawn from pretty much all of the post-Cold War nonproliferation architecture with the U.S. It's refusing to engage on any nonproliferation talks. So it certainly is a concern, even though at this point the U.S. says it doesn't see any evidence that they are preparing to use nuclear weapons on the battlefield.
And the threat itself was relatively nonspecific. They've begun preparations. It's happening in the near future. We don't know exactly when, but it is still something that the West is watching really closely.
FOSTER: In terms of the inauguration today, will you speak to that? How will he use it? Because it's a ceremonial occasion, obviously, but also because it was pretty much a formality, his election anyway. SEBASTIAN: I mean, yes, this is sort of the rubber stamp, the pomp and circumstance around the election. Obviously, he swept to power with an 87 percent majority, which is a record. The ceremony will be, I think, quite predictable, as we've seen in previous years.
He'll walk along the red carpet. There are lots of dignitaries there. You can see the defense minister, Sergei Shoigu.
But that is an interesting moment because after that, we will see a cabinet reshuffle. The government has to resign. Putin then has to reappoint certain key posts.
And obviously, Sergei Shoigu, on the one hand, things are going mostly Putin's way in Ukraine at the moment.
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But on the other hand, we did just see one of his key deputies arrested on bribery charges and removed from his post. So there has been some speculation around him.
But overall, yes, we're likely to hear Putin speak. But it is a more ceremonial occasion today, one that, for the Russian people, will cement this sort of absolute power, this mandate that he now has.
FOSTER: What about the international community, foreign capitals? How will they view this?
SEBASTIAN: Well, mostly people are not sending representatives. The U.S. is not, although it refused to say outright that it was boycotting. Most EU countries are not.
There were some pretty choice words from the Baltic states. The Lithuanian foreign minister in a post on X saying that they would not be taking part in Putin's fake inauguration theatre. Ukraine has called on its allies not to recognize the results of the election.
But I think Putin has set out his store here. They're not actively trying to court the presence of foreign diplomats. This is more about presenting him to the Russian people with this new mandate, even though, of course, we know that he came to power having stifled all opposition and criminalized pretty much all dissent.
FOSTER: OK, Clare, thank you.
Fears are growing that Israel could be on the verge of an all-out ground operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The Israeli military says it's now in control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, one of the main entry points for humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Meanwhile, medical officials in Gaza are reporting at least 15 people have been killed in the latest Israeli airstrikes on Rafah. Israel warned civilians in the eastern part of the city to evacuate.
On Monday, the White House says it doesn't support Israel's decision to shut down Al Jazeera's operations in the country. The Israeli government says the network's activities violated state security. More now from CNN's Jomana Karadsheh.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A dark day for democracy. That's what the Foreign Press Association has called the Israeli decision to shutter the local offices of Qatari news network Al Jazeera. This video obtained by CNN shows Israeli officials raiding and confiscating the channel's equipment in Jerusalem.
The network has called it a, quote, criminal act and saying it wouldn't affect its coverage of the war.
MOHAMED MOAWAD, MANAGING EDITOR, AL JAZEERA ARABIC: Al Jazeera affirms its right to continue to provide news and information to its global audiences. Israel's direct targeting and killing of journalists, arrests intimidation and the threats will not deter Al Jazeera.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Israel's move comes one month after it passed a law placing strict restrictions on the channel's operations. Back then, the United States called the move concerning.
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We believe in the freedom of the press. It is critical. It is critically important and the United States supports the critically important work journalists around the world do.
And so, and that includes those who are reporting in the conflict in Gaza.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): The network has long been considered a thorn in the side of Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government. He's accused it of being a mouthpiece of Hamas. Accusations the network denies.
But the network is also known for its dogged on-the-ground reporting on Israel's war in Gaza and its operations in the West Bank. Now after a cabinet decision Sunday, it's official.
SHLOMO KARHI, ISRAELI COMMUNICATIONS MINISTER (through translator): The government has now unanimously approved the closure of the incitement mouthpiece of Hamas in Israel, Al Jazeera Channel. The orders have just been signed. We are executing them.
Anyone who harms the security of Israel and the soldiers and fighters of the IDF will no longer broadcast here from Israel.
IMRAN KHAN, AL-JAZEERA CORRESPONDENT: If you're watching this pre- recorded report then Al Jazeera has been banned in the territory of Israel.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): In this pre-recorded video, Al Jazeera correspondent Imran Khan gave details of the closure.
KHAN: Al Jazeera, he's now enacted that law.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): The ban is initially set to last 45 days. Until then, at least, the channel will remain off-air in Israel, a country described as the only democracy in the Middle East.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: A number of U.S. colleges are changing graduation plans as pro-Palestinian protests continue across the country. Columbia University says it's cancelling the school's main commencement over security concerns. It said it'll hold smaller ceremonies and is planning a festive event next week so students will have a chance to celebrate together.
But some students aren't happy about the changes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALIA BONANNO, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY STUDENT: I think that it's a bit ridiculous considering that their entire justification for shutting down the encampment or everything else they've done on campus was so that they could hold a commencement or so they could hold graduation as normal.
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TAYLOR JOHNSON, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY STUDENT: I think it's deeply saddening and honestly, I'm very angry. You know, I'm a senior and for my high school graduation that was cancelled too because of Covid. So now you come to this next milestone in your life and you don't get to celebrate that either.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, Harvard University and MIT are both warning of serious consequences for students who refuse to leave anti-war encampments at those schools. Harvard says students could face involuntary leave which means they won't be allowed on campus at all.
MIT gave protesters a Monday afternoon deadline to clear an encampment. Those who didn't could be suspended and banned from classes, final exams and graduation events.
Meanwhile, UCLA has moved all classes online for the rest of the week. After protests reignited on Monday CNN's Camila Bernal has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAMILA BERNAL, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: More people detained here at UCLA according to the pro-Palestinian organizers here on campus. We also learned that some of these protesters decided to have a sit-in at the building right here behind me and eventually were forced to exit the building by authorities in riot gear.
They also held a march around campus where they were chanting their demands the demands that we have been hearing for weeks which include divestment and transparency from the university. After this march and the protest around campus the university did announce that classes would be moved to remote classes and so of course a lot of the organizers say that's exactly what they wanted to see. They called it disruption and that's what they wanted from the university.
This obviously all comes after Thursday when authorities essentially cleaned up the encampment that had been here on campus for about a week and that morning we did see the chaos and the violence and more than 200 people arrested.
After that cleanup I spoke to some of the pro-Palestinian organizers who told me that this wasn't over for them and that's exactly what we saw. I spoke to one of the students that participated in the sit-in and here's what she said.
ALICIA VERDUGO, UCLA STUDENT: I just know that we're going to keep showing up like be it word of mouth that we found out that something's happening. But we will be there. We are an educated and mobilized student body. The students here know that the illegal occupation of Palestine has to end.
The students here know where their fees are going, where their tuition is being directed and so we are more empowered than ever to take back our university and to make our presence known for Palestine.
BERNAL: And for now UCLA has not announced any changes to their commencement ceremony. But we have seen other colleges and universities around the nation say that they are changing or canceling plans for commencement ceremonies.
So among them the University of Southern California and Columbia University saying that they're going to give out their degrees in smaller ceremonies.
Also the University of Southern California saying they've already started a disciplinary process for the people that were arrested and affiliated with the university. So we are seeing some repercussions around the country and not just here in California.
Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Similar anti-war protests are playing out in Europe with pro- Palestinian encampments set up at Oxford and Cambridge in the U.K. At Barcelona University in Spain as well as the University of Ghent in Belgium where several faculty members signed an open letter supporting the student protesters.
And in Tokyo yesterday a protest rave drew hundreds of people at one of the world's busiest crosswalks. Protesters waved Palestinian flags whilst listening to electronic dance music and chanting free, free Palestine. Also on Monday organizers led a no-war march and a demonstration at Japan's International Christian University. The Kremlin says it has no real information about the U.S. soldier
arrested in Russia last week. But spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told CNN if the soldier has problems with the laws in Russia, quote, he's got to be prosecuted.
U.S. officials say the soldier was detained on suspicion of theft and is being held in pretrial detention.
The husband of an American woman reported missing in Spain is in federal custody in South Florida. The FBI says he was arrested at Miami International Airport for his alleged involvement in the kidnapping of his wife. The woman went missing back in February.
Her brother told CNN she was supposed to take a train from Madrid to Barcelona with a friend but never showed up at the station.
Miss USA is giving up her crown. Noelia Voigt announced her resignation on Monday saying it was in the best interests of her mental health. The former Miss Utah was crowned Miss USA back in November, the first Venezuelan American woman to win that title.
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In a statement, Voigt says, in part: My hope is that I continue to inspire others to remain steadfast, prioritize your mental health, and never be afraid of what the future holds, even if it feels uncertain.
The Miss USA organization said it supports Voigt's decision and her successor will be announced soon.
Well, still ahead this hour, Trump on tape. Jurors hear the former president's voice discussing hush money payments to Stormy Daniels.
Plus, Trump at the track stirring up controversy with a visit to the Miami Grand Prix.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Secret recordings of Donald Trump are being used to build criminal cases against him. Right now, his conversations with former lawyer Michael Cohen are a key piece of evidence in the Hush Money trial. But that's not the only problematic recording of the former U.S. president being used in a courtroom. CNN's Jason Carroll has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.
BUSH: Whatever you want.
TRUMP: Grab them by the p***y.
JASON CARROLL, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's clear in the court of public opinion, Donald Trump bragging about being able to sexually violate women was not enough to derail his campaign when the Access Hollywood tape leaked in October 2016. But courtrooms are different. Now questions over whether Trump's other secretly recorded conversations could hurt him with jurors.
MICHAEL COHEN, THEN TRUMP ATTORNEY: I need to open up a company for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend David.
CARROLL (voice-over): Jurors in the Hush Money trial hearing audio of a call in 2016 between Trump and his then-lawyer Michael Cohen.
COHEN: And I spoke to Alan about it when it comes time for the financing, which will be --
TRUMP: What financing?
COHEN: We'll have to pay you, so --
TRUMP: Pay with cash.
COHEN: No, no, no, no, no.
CARROLL (voice-over): Cohen secretly recorded the call. Prosecutors argue it shows Trump's knowledge of how Cohen, with the help of former Trump Organization chief financial officer Alan Weisselberg, set up a $150,000 Hush Money payment to former playmate Karen McDougal. The woman who alleges she had an affair with Trump, which he denies. That call is just one of the potentially damaging recordings connected to the former president and his legal entanglements.
Prosecutors pursuing separate cases against the former president in Georgia and Florida also have recordings of Trump they plan to use against him.
TRUMP: Except it is, like, highly confidential, secret.
STAFFER: Yeah. (LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: This is secret information.
CARROLL (voice-over): Special counsel Jack Smith has a 2021 recording of Trump that's a key piece of evidence in the Mar-a-Lago documents case. On it, Trump acknowledges he kept classified documents related to a potential attack on Iran.
TRUMP: See, as president I could have declassified it.
STAFFER: Yeah. (LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Now I can't, you know, but this is still a secret.
STAFFER: Yeah. (LAUGHTER) Now we have a problem.
TRUMP: Isn't that interesting?
STAFFER: Yeah.
CARROLL (voice-over): Trump later offered various explanations for having the documents.
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TRUMP: I have every right to have those boxes. This is purely a presidential records act. This is not a criminal thing.
If you're the president of the United States, you can declassify just by saying it's declassified, even by thinking about it. I declassified everything.
CARROLL (voice-over): Trump's own words also at the center of the election subversion case he's facing in Georgia.
TRUMP: In my opinion, it's never too late. So that's the story, folks, I -- look, we need only 11,000 votes.
CARROLL (voice-over): That's audio from Trump on a phone call January 2nd, 2021, pressuring Georgia's secretary of state to find enough votes needed to overturn his loss.
JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: When you have a defendant who says what they did, what do you need emails and text messages and anything else for? That's the critical evidence. But like anything else, it can be spun.
CARROLL: Secret recordings aside, Trump is someone who has made any number of inflammatory comments in the past in the public. And so perhaps the public has become somewhat numb to it all. And at the end of the day, those secret recordings may not end up having the same type of impact one might think simply because of the person who was caught saying it on those recordings.
Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: A-list celebrities turned out for Monday night's Met Gala, coming up a look at how stars celebrated one of fashion's biggest nights.
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FOSTER: When it came to NBA Rookie of the Year voting, this year's choice was a slam dunk. Victor Wembanyama from the San Antonio Spurs is the unanimous winner. The 7ft 4in center is the first player from France to win the award.
Wemby, as he's known, averaged more than 21 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks per game. The Spurs didn't make the playoffs this season, but the Rookie of the Year says his goal was to help the team and get better as the season went on.
The West Point football team scored a visit to the White House. They met with President Joe Biden on Monday and presented him with a game- worn jersey from their victory over Navy this past season. The U.S. Military Academy team won the Commander-in-Chief's trophy by beating both the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy. Mr. Biden is scheduled to deliver the commencement speech at West Point, which is later this month.
Donald Trump is drawing attention and controversy with his weekend visit to the Miami Grand Prix. The former president visited the McLaren garage ahead of the race, meeting with Formula 1 executives. The race organizers blocked plans for a $250,000 ticket fundraiser.
After the race, Trump congratulated McLaren's Lando Norris, who won his first Formula 1 race. Trump posted on social media that he had endorsed the winning car.
McLaren issued a statement about the controversial visit, saying: McLaren is a non-political organization. However, we recognize and respect the office of president of the United States, so when the request was made to visit our garage on race day, we accepted.
Stories in the spotlight. One of New York City's most exclusive events took place on Monday night.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art rolled out the red carpet for A-list celebrities attending the Met Gala, and the stars brought their own style to this year's theme. It was the Garden of Time.
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Chris Hemsworth was one of the co-chairs of the extravagant fundraiser for the museum's Costume Institute. There he is.
Rapper Cardi B wore a voluminous black gown that she joked weighed five pounds more than she does.
And model Kendall Jenner paid homage to the theme with a look reminiscent of a queen from a fantasy series. Jenner shared she was the first person ever to wear the dress, even though it was made in 1999.
Audiences and performers are getting ready for the Eurovision Song Contest. Contestants practiced at the Arena in Malmo, Sweden ahead of the competition's first semi-final tonight. It's anyone's guess who'll win the massively popular contest, but so far, bookmakers have put Croatia, Switzerland and Ukraine at the top of their favorite table.
More than 150 million people around the world, would you believe, are expected to watch the televised final, which is on Saturday, if you want to tune in.
Today is the 200th anniversary of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony since its world premiere in Vienna. To celebrate, Berlin's State Library is now displaying the original score, annotated by Beethoven himself. Experts say that original Beethoven writings like these are rarely exhibited in public.
The Ninth Symphony and its famous finale, Ode to Joy, are often played to mark special occasions. It's the anthem of Europe and was performed after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Finally, a baguette that's truly hard to forget. Take a look at this.
The baguette is going into the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest baguette ever made. 461 feet, 440 meters, and it was baked in, you've guessed it, the home of the baguette, which is France. It dethrones a baguette that was made in Italy five years ago.
It took 18 bakers to make it using specially designed mobile ovens and after it was made, it was cut and shared with the public.
Thanks for joining me here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster in London. CNN "THIS MORNING," up next.
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