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CNN International: Biden: Will Halt Some Weapons if Israel Invades Rafah; Aid Crisis in Gaza; Russia Mark's Victory Day with Putin's Speech, Parade; Some Republicans Fume Over Greene's Attempt to Oust Johnson; Prince Harry Snubbed by King Charles on London Visit; Hardliner Loses Speaker Ouster Bid. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired May 09, 2024 - 04:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[04:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've made it clear to Bibi and the War Cabinet, they're not going to get our support if in fact they go in these population centers. It's just wrong, we're not going to supply the weapons.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We didn't actually see humanitarian assistance move through Karem Abu Salem because of logistical and security concerns on the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When that fuel runs out, life support systems in hospitals stop.

REP. MARJORIE TAYOR GREEN (R-GA): Declaring the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives to be vacant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I think it's idiotic, you know. Moscow Marjorie has lost her mind, clearly the result of the space laser.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers joining us from around the world. I'm Max Foster, it's Thursday, May the 9th, 9 a.m. here in London. We begin with a CNN exclusive.

U.S. President Joe Biden telling Erin Burnett he would halt some weapons shipments to Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza. Despite several days of airstrikes and tank fire into the city and the capture of the crucial Rafah border crossing, Mr. Biden says Israel hasn't crossed his red line just yet.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BIDEN: I made it clear that if they go into Rafah, they haven't gone into Rafah yet, if they go into Rafah, I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, to deal with that problem. We're going to continue to make sure Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome and their ability to respond to attacks like came out of the Middle East recently.

But it's just wrong. We're not going to supply the weapons and the artillery shells used.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Artillery shells as well?

BIDEN: Yes, artillery shells.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Well, a source tells CNN that Israeli officials privately expressed deep frustration over the pause in weapons shipments, saying the U.S. should be pressuring Hamas, not Israel.

CNN senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman has spent decades covering Gaza, he joins me now. For President Biden to speak so outwardly and decisively is pretty profound, isn't it? But particularly when they haven't done anything like this for decades.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, basically going back to the summer of 1982 when President Ronald Reagan, during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the subsequent siege of Beirut, essentially told the Israelis they have to stop bombing the western part of that city. This is certainly the first time since then that the Americans have really told the Israelis they've got to stop.

But the Israelis, of course, are reacting with a fair amount of gall that the Americans would dare to suggest that they might limit the amount of weaponry provided to Israel in this war that's now gone on for more than seven months, resulting in the deaths of almost 35,000 Palestinians, 70 percent of whom it's believed are women and children.

Now, we heard Israel's U.N. ambassador Gilad Erdan saying it's clear that any limitation in Israel coming from its allies is interpreted by its enemies as something that gives them hope to succeed in their actions.

Now, another reaction we saw from Itamar Ben-Gvir, who's the national security minister and an extremist, he basically put on Twitter, Hamas heart Biden.

So it does appear that despite the fact that the United States has just approved $14.1 billion in supplemental aid to Israel, in addition to the more than $3 billion that the United States provides to Israel on an annual basis, that the Israelis are very angry that after all this time, more than seven months of this war, the United States has finally told Israel it needs to put a limit on its operations in Gaza -- Max.

FOSTER: If we could just talk about the red line, President Biden's saying he won't, you know, he'll stop these shipments if Israel goes into Rafah. But from a lot of the images we've seen, it would suggest they've already gone into Rafah. So what's the situation?

[04:05:00]

WEDEMAN: Well, they've gone into a corner of Rafah, but a rather important corner, and that includes the Rafah crossing from Egypt, the main entry point for aid from Egypt into Gaza. It does not appear that they've gone much beyond that.

The Israelis are insisting it is a limited operation, even though some of the open source imagery that has been made available from there would indicate that certainly they have deployed a huge number of tanks and other armored vehicles in that area.

But as a result of this, we're hearing from the United Nations and others that there is a looming crisis, even more so in Rafah, that, for instance, the supply of fuel has now been cut off, that the hospitals have perhaps two, maybe three days' worth of fuel, after which they will stop, be able to run their generators that are providing power to all sorts of equipment, keeping people alive.

Now, yesterday, the Israelis said that the Karem Abu Salem, or the Kerem Shalom crossing, that they control was open, but the United States and Palestinian officials are saying that, in fact, nothing crossed from Israel into Gaza through that crossing.

So the situation continues to get worse and worse, in Rafah in particular, but, of course, in Gaza in general, where 2.3 million people are suffering from a lack of food, a lack of clean water, electricity, and basically, you know, the basic requirements of daily life -- Max.

FOSTER: OK, Ben, thank you.

You can hear President Biden's full interview with Erin Burnett ahead this hour, where he talks about the recent pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses and his main rival for the White House, Donald Trump.

Now, Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to meet with Hungary's president this hour in Budapest, the last leg of Xi's European tour.

Later, he's expected to hold talks with Viktor Orban, Hungary's autocratic Prime Minister. Mr. Orban greeted Xi upon his arrival on Wednesday. The two are set for talks and a signing ceremony in the coming hour. Xi is looking to deepen his ties with Eastern Europe, where Chinese companies have invested billions of dollars as part of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative.

Earlier on Wednesday, Xi and Serbia's president agreed on a shared future for their countries. They signed more than two dozen trade and regulation agreements and vowed to continue their partnership.

Russia carried out a massive missile attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure on Wednesday. Ukraine says Russia launched dozens of drones and missiles on Wednesday morning, targeting energy facilities across the country. At least three people were injured, and three Ukrainian power plants were struck, along with a number of other infrastructure targets. That was Russia's largest attack in weeks, which came as Ukraine marked its victory day over Nazism. But Ukraine's president used the occasion to denounce what he called new Nazism. In a video released on Wednesday, he compared the Russian invasion with Germany's occupation during World War II. He said history is now repeating itself in Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The world has slept through the revival of Nazism at 5 a.m. on February 24, 2022. And today, everyone who remembers World War II and has survived to this day is experiencing deja vu. The Battle of Kyiv, the bombing of Kharkiv, Odessa, Dnipro, mass graves, blockade of ports, plundering and seizure of grain, tortures, executions.

Russia has brought the terrible past back into the daily news, proving with each new crime that Nazism has revived. Just this time, it has a new label, Made in Russia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Russia is marking the anniversary of its victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. President Vladimir Putin gave a speech, followed by a military parade. The speech was followed by a military parade, as I say, which was scaled down, though, compared to last year.

Mr. Putin praised those who fought in the Second World War in his speech and he said that the present-day followers of fascism are firing up new regional conflicts. He said Russia is going through a difficult period, but Moscow wouldn't let anyone threaten them and Russia's strategic forces are always ready. Russia celebrates Victory Day on May 9th. That's the day after Europe.

Clare joins us. It is a huge day, isn't it, for Russia and he used the moment to compare what's happening now to what happened then.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, I think he was really trying to present the war in Ukraine as a sequel to the Second World War, another fight against Nazism. That's why we see those accusations against the West of rewriting history.

[04:10:00]

He said they're trying to ignore the heroism of the Soviet soldiers and they're doing that, he said, because it doesn't fit with their colonial policy and because of a desire, he said, to justify present- day followers of fascism.

Of course, in that vein, Russia continues to claim that it is denazifying Ukraine. But we did move on to what fits with a pattern that we've seen recently from Putin and that is thinly, or perhaps not even, veiled nuclear threats. Take a listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Russia will do everything in order not to let the global clash begin, but we will not let anyone threaten us. Our strategic forces are always ready.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: You know, and right on cue, we saw, of course, Russia's nuclear-capable ballistic missiles being paraded across Red Square. It is a slimmed-down parade. We did see that last year as well, likely because a lot of Russia's weapons are on active duty, as are its soldiers.

The numbers of troops taking part in the parade, the numbers of weapons, were less than previous years. But we have seen so-called members of the special military operation involved in this parade, wearing their military uniforms.

And I think, look, he needs to keep this up. This is a very powerful holiday in the Russian calendar for fostering Russian patriotism, for appealing to their resilience, which he needs now more than ever.

And he said this. He said, Russia's going through a difficult period. The fate of our motherland depends on every one of us. On Victory Day, we realize this even more so.

We know that the Russian losses in the war in Ukraine likely exceed all of its other post-war campaigns put together. He needs to call on this patriotism and this resilience, as he now, you know, albeit in his fifth term, but is deep into the third year of this war.

FOSTER: We're stuck in two narratives, though, aren't we? Because we've got Putin comparing, well, you know, the invasion, you know, the war with Ukraine to World War II, and it's a defense. Then you've got Zelenskyy suggesting it is in relation to World War II, but in terms of Russia attacking, I mean, it's confusing for people.

SEBASTIAN: Yes, I mean, look, they're both drawing on this as a way to support their messaging. President Zelenskyy making the point that Russia is the aggressor and, you know, highlighting its brutality, as he continues to do.

And for Russia, this is a way, as I said, of fostering patriotism. And it is very powerful in Russia, and it is a very meaningful day in Russia. Don't forget, some 27 million Soviet citizens were killed in World War II. It is, you know, something that everyone will be involved in. I've been in Russia for multiple victory days.

You know, it's a day off work, it's a day off school. There are multiple celebrations. Lots of kids will be dressing up in military uniform. All of that predates the war in Ukraine.

But it is significant that he has co-opted this messaging to support his war. And even though Russia is now, you know, in a better position on the battlefield than it was last year, we do see that sense of Russia being under threat, that nuclear saber rattling. That has been something that has stepped up in recent weeks as support for Ukraine among its Western allies has also stepped up. So there is that feeling of Russia under siege as well.

FOSTER: OK. Clare, thank you.

When Donald Trump returns to a New York courtroom later today for the Hush Money trial, he may be feeling tired.

The former US president spent Wednesday at Mar-a-Lago and didn't get back to Trump Tower until almost 1:30 in the morning local time. Trump has already been accused of falling asleep in court but says he's just closing his eyes.

Stormy Daniels resumes her testimony today about their alleged affair. Defence attorneys had expected their cross-examination of the former porn star to be somewhat brief but now say it has a while to go. This comes as a New York appeals court takes up a challenge to the gag order placed on Trump. CNN's Kara Scannell reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lawyers for Donald Trump have asked a New York appeals court to speed up their decision making on his challenge to the gag order put in place in the New York Hush Money criminal trial. The appeals court has said that both sides have until May 20th to file their briefs. This comes as Stormy Daniels will be back on the witness stand on Thursday and as the judge has already found that Trump has violated this gag order 10 times and chastised Trump's behavior in court on Tuesday when the judge called him out for shaking his head and cursing during Daniels' testimony.

Trump's lawyers have already cross-examined Daniels for about 90 minutes. She'll be back on the witness stand on Thursday for more cross-examination. Trump's lawyers are trying to undercut her credibility and her motivations saying she was trying to sell her story for money.

Just how far they press her on her past statements remains to be seen and could open the door for prosecutors to get more details out about her night with Trump and what followed.

Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: And be sure to watch our special coverage of the Trump Hush Money Trial. It starts at 9 a.m. in New York, that's 2 p.m. here in London.

Some U.S. House Republicans are fuming over fellow Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene's effort to oust Speaker Mike Johnson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARJORIE TAYOR GREEN (R-GA): Declaring the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives to be vacant.

[04:15:00]

(CROWD BOOS)

GREENE: This is the uni-party for the American people watching.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Delay, we'll suspend.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Greene's motion was defeated in a bipartisan landslide. One GOP lawmaker called the Georgia Congresswoman's behavior embarrassing and another warned she's sowing dissent and discord. CNN's Melanie Zanona has the latest from Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Well the showdown between Marjorie Taylor Greene and Speaker Johnson finally came to a head on Wednesday with Marjorie Taylor Greene moving ahead and forcing a floor vote to oust the sitting Speaker. But that motion was easily defeated. The second she called up that vote, Johnson scheduled it and they made a procedural move to table or kill the motion.

And it was defeated with the help of Democrats and just 11 Republicans siding with Marjorie Taylor Greene. But even though this was easily defeated, Republicans were furious with Greene for following through with this move especially since Donald Trump had personally called her, I'm told, and urged her to back down. And now some Republicans are calling for consequences for Greene. Take a listen.

REP. STEPHANIE BICE (R-OK): Right now we're all focused on making sure that this institution continues to function and I think today we showed that we're tired of the chaos and the nonsense.

REP. MARC MOLINARO (R-NY): This pathetic rerun of an awful, syndicated TV series needs to come to a close. I think that ultimately there needs to be accountability. I don't think people should be -- some people here think they're more important than everyone else. They are not. And there needs to be accountability for that.

REP. MIKE LAWLER (R-NY): Look, I think it's idiotic. You know, Moscow Marjorie has lost her mind clearly the result of the space laser. There needs to be consequences, including the loss of committee assignments.

Chip Roy and Thomas Massey, who serve on the Rules Committee, should both be removed immediately.

ZANONA: Now Johnson himself has not advocated for any repercussions for his colleagues that voted against him. But he has said that they need to change their House rules next year in order to ensure that the chamber can function properly. And he also said that he hopes after this vote they can finally put this messy infighting that has defined the 118th Congress behind them. But Greene has not ruled out forcing additional votes on the motion to vacate so we'll have to wait and see. For now, though, Johnson's job is safe.

Melanie Zanona, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Almost 100 million people in the U.S. from Texas to New Jersey are under threat of severe weather today. And at this hour, the storms are still packing a punch. Parts of the Southeast are in the bullseye again after several states were hit by strong storms on Wednesday, including Tennessee.

The National Weather Service says there were four tornado reports in the state. At least two people were killed. Powerful storms also swept through Michigan on Tuesday night.

This video shows trees being toppled over the fierce winds in one front yard. At least one tornado hit the town of Portage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A window blew out in our TV room. And then all of a sudden there was just a rush of trees coming down and I was heading towards the basement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And all of a sudden the pressure dropped. We could feel our ears pop. And when our ears popped, I said, this is it, father. This is the tornado.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Other parts of Michigan also saw damage during the severe weather outbreak.

The U.S. National Weather Service in San Juan, Puerto Rico, warning of more strong storms and torrential rainfall for the islands. They say that could lead to life-threatening floods and an increased risk of rip currents. On Wednesday, some areas of the territory saw between eight to ten inches of rain, causing landslides and forcing swollen rivers to burst their banks.

In the past week, record rainfall has triggered deadly floods in southern Brazil. At least 95 people have died, and more than 150,000 people have been forced to leave their homes. Mass rescues are underway, as more than 46,000 people have been pulled from the rising waters. Desperate people seeking shelter anywhere they can.

Brazilian officials say storms have affected more than a million people and countless animals. This horse stranded on top of a roof. The heavy rains have been linked to human-caused global warming and El Nino, which warms part of the Pacific Ocean.

Now, Prince Harry returning to London. He was greeted by fans, but not by his father and his brother, King Charles and Prince William. More on that next.

And later this hour, the former interpreter of baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani reaches a plea deal. New details about how he allegedly stole millions from his long-time friend.

[04:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Prince Harry's latest trip to the U.K. is showing the world that riffs within the British royal family haven't mended. The Prince arrived in London to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Invictus Games, the sporting competition he founded for wounded veterans and military members. Other British royals were nowhere to be seen. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER (voice-over): Arriving at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, Prince Harry here to mark 10 years of the Invictus Games.

PRINCE HARRY, PRINCE OF SUSSEX: There are varieties of gifts with the same spirit.

FOSTER (voice-over): Notable in their absence from the service, close members of the royal family, Harry's celebrity friends, stepping up instead. Prince William was never expected to meet his brother on this trip, but Harry had reached out to his father. The King wasn't available due to his busy schedule, according to Harry's office. British media called it a snub.

As Harry was taking to the pulpit at St. Paul's, the king made his own public appearance, just a few miles away at Buckingham Palace's first garden party of the summer season. Father and son so close, yet still so far apart.

They haven't seen each other since a brief visit in February, after the king announced he was being treated for cancer. Shortly before Harry arrived in London, an announcement from the palace that underscored the increasingly close working relationship between William and Charles. The Prince of Wales was officially being handed the Colonel-in-Chief title of Harry's former army unit.

Harry has had a strained relationship with the royal family since he and his wife Meghan stepped back from royal duties in 2020. The Duke has since been highly focused on the Invictus Games, an international sporting competition for wounded veterans established in 2014.

PRINCE HARRY: Ten years is a real thing, it's our birthday at the Invictus Games Foundation and we're all very excited and thrilled.

FOSTER (voice-over): Wednesday's event in London will be followed by a trip to Nigeria, where Harry will be joined by Meghan. Both of these appearances are unusually choreographed with the media, marking a fresh push to highlight the couple's work.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER (on camera): Now, he's not old enough to buy a beer, but apparently Donald Trump's younger son is qualified to be a delegate at the Republican National Convention.

Barron, who's 18, was selected as an at-large delegate for Florida, according to a list obtained by CNN. He's joined by several other family members, half-siblings Tiffany, Don Jr. and Eric Trump. It's unclear why Ivanka wasn't on the list. Barron is expected to graduate from high school next week.

The U.S. is updating its rules for dogs entering the country in order to prevent canine rabies. Starting August 1st, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says all dogs must appear healthy upon arrival in the U.S.

[04:25:00]

The dogs must be at least six months old and be microchipped. They must have a CDC dog import form. That's a receipt that was filled out online two to ten days earlier. And the new rules apply to all dogs, including service dogs and even dogs returning from another country.

The Bank of England is set to announce its decision on interest rates in the coming hours. It's expected the central bank will leave borrowing costs at 5.25 percent, a 16-year high. Investors will be watching for updates on the U.K.'s inflation projections and any clues on when the bank may be cutting rates.

Still ahead, Israel expanding its military operation in Rafah. But the U.S. is threatening to cut off its supply of some weapons.

And later, President Biden's exclusive interview with CNN, what he has to say about the contentious rematch with Donald Trump.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

The world's largest navy has a new aircraft carrier. China's defense ministry says the Fujian, its newest and largest aircraft carrier, has completed its maiden sea trial. The ship's key feature is an electromagnetic catapult system which allows it to launch large and heavy aircraft.

The severe weather threat continues today across Texas -- or from Texas across the southeast. Residents can expect several storms that could bring large hail, damaging winds and floods.

And after a two-month break, Taylor Swift returns to the stage tonight in Paris where she'll perform through to Sunday. The European leg of her Eras Tour will wrap up with a five-night stand at London's Wembley Stadium in August.

U.S. President Joe Biden, for the first time, says he would halt some weapons shipments to Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza. Mr. Biden says Israel has not crossed this red line yet, but that despite airstrikes and artillery fire that have killed more than a dozen people in the past few days.

His comments come after Wednesday's revelation that the U.S. already paused the shipment of 2,000 pound and 500 pound bombs to Israel. A source says Israeli officials are deeply frustrated by their decision.

[04:30:00]