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Porn Actress Stormy Daniels Ends Her Testimony at Trump's Hush Money Trial After a Tensed Cross-Examination; Putin Slams the Western Allies on Victory Day; Porn Actress Stormy Daniels Ends Her Testimony at Trump's Hush Money Trial After a Tensed Cross-Examination; Putin Slams the Western Allies on Victory Day; Gaza Survivors in a Doha Hospital Struggles with Recovery and Loss; Argentine Workers Called for a Strike Against Their President's Austerity Measures; Deaf Toddler Can Now Be Heard Thanks to the World's First Gene Therapy Trial. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired May 10, 2024 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all our viewers from around the world. I'm Max Foster, in London. Ahead on "CNN Newsroom".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country will stand alone if it has to. That's after U.S. President Joe Biden announced he would stop sending weapons to Israel or if Israel launches a full- scale invasion of Rafha.
Plus a tense cross-examination. Donald Trump's defense team tries to undermine Stormy Daniels' story on the witness stand.
And an amazing success tale for a brand new gene therapy. How it's changed one child's life forever.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from London, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Max Foster.
FOSTER: First to the fallout over the Biden administration's threat to limit the supply of U.S. arms to Israel if it launches a major assault on Rafha. The Israeli Prime Minister repeated his stance that his country will stand alone if necessary and insisted the Rafha operation will not be called off. The Israeli military says it already has all the weapons it needs for the missions it's planning.
Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel's stance on Thursday on the American talk show, "Dr. Phil".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Are we going to basically remain defenseless and not destroy the Hamas terrorist army there? Because if we do not destroy them, if we leave them alone, they'll come back. They'll emerge from the tunnels, they'll take over Gaza again and they'll do what they promised to do. They said we'll do it, we'll do October 7th, this enormous massacre again and again and again. So we have no choice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, the White House has said President Joe Biden's decision should not have come as a shock, that the Israelis had been given plenty of warning. And yet the ultimatum clearly didn't go over well. Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, posted on X Hamas hearts Biden. And that prompted some sharp rebukes from other Israeli party leaders who accused Ben-Gavir and the Netanyahu government of making the security situation worse.
CNN's Paula Hancocks is with us now from Abu Dhabi. I mean, on the face of it, this is a big fallout and a very tough riposte coming from Israel.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Max, this is a significant moment in this seven-month war, what we're seeing at this point. The Israeli officials really publicly and privately have been expressing surprise. They've been expressing defiance as well and also some expressing anger that they feel the U.S. is deserting them, abandoning them at a critical moment in the war. We've heard also from Israel's ambassador to the U.N. saying that this actually plays into Hamas' hands, saying that this encourages the enemies of the state of Israel.
We have heard from a military point of view, though, that this doesn't necessarily make a difference. We have been hearing from the military side that they have everything they need to carry out this major ground offensive in Rafha. Let's listen to the IDF spokesperson.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REAR ADM. DANIEL HAGARI, IDF SPOKESPERSON (through translator): The IDF has armaments for the missions it plans, and we also have enough weaponry to complete our mission in Rafha. I say this here in the context of everything that came up with the United States, and it is important to say it. The United States has helped us in an unprecedented manner since the start of the war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: And it's really a key point there that there has been significant security assistance since October 7th. Just last month there was a $26 billion security assistance package that was approved for Israel.
So from the military point of view we are hearing that they have everything they need to carry on this offensive, this major ground offensive in Rafha if they do intend to continue with that. At this point we understand it is a limited incursion but it doesn't appear as though many Israeli officials have been swayed by this decision by the U.S. president. Max.
FOSTER: We need to talk on talks as it were, ceasefire talks. Where are they at the moment?
[03:05:00]
HANCOCKS: They are at a pause at the moment. This is what we understand from two U.S. officials familiar with these talks that they are paused, they are not collapsed. But at this point we know that the CIA director Bill Burns has left Cairo. He's been in the region for the past week trying to put these talks together and trying to close the gaps between Israel and Hamas and we know that the Israeli and the Hamas delegation has now left Cairo as well.
The U.S. was positive earlier this week. We heard from John Kirby for example, the National Security Council spokesperson, that he and the Biden administration knew the positions of both sides and they believed that there was a way of getting them to meet in the middle.
What we've also heard from three sources familiar with these talks is that Hamas has now made a counter proposal and within that it is asking for a 12-week ceasefire for that first phase. They had agreed, we understand, to a six-week ceasefire, so this is also causing a major obstacle in these negotiations.
It's something that Israel would not agree to, an upfront 12-week ceasefire, because after that it would be very difficult for the fighting to begin again and we have heard that Benjamin Netanyahu say that as far as he's concerned there has to be this major ground offensive in order to destroy the last battalions of Hamas, Max.
FOSTER: Okay, Paula in Abu Dhabi, thank you.
Desperately needed humanitarian aid for Gaza will be delayed a few more days as well. Heavy seas in the eastern Mediterranean had left the U.S. unable to deploy its floating pier system. Had to be moved to the port of Ashdod in Israel last week and hasn't left since. So even once it's in place and operational the U.S. is still working to finalize who will actually transport the aid from the ship to shore. The U.S. and the U.K. have both ruled out using their own troops due to security concerns.
Chessa Latifi is the Deputy Director of Emergency Response for Project HOPE. She joins me now from Los Angeles. What can you tell us, what do you understand about the latest aid situation?
CHESSA LATIFI, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE, PROJECT HOPE: Yeah, Max, thanks for having me. It's a really dire situation. There is nothing going in, there is no people going in, no fuel, no food, no medical supplies.
The amount of aid that's been coming in at least for the last few months has been so limited but it has been something and right now we're at zero and it's a desperate situation. It's a really, really desperate situation.
FOSTER: In terms of the different crossings, what are we looking at and what are you getting through them? LATIFI: Rafha has always been the main crossing. It's had its
complications, there's a backlog of trucks, but it is the main way that we were able to get goods in.
But even somewhat importantly for us as Project HOPE is a health-based organization and we were able to bring in search staff for hospitals in both Deir al-Balah and then also we were looking to put staff into a hospital up north earlier this week. We can't bring those people in and these surgeons, these emergency physicians, these anesthesiologists were key in being able to provide support to these health facilities that have been completely overwhelmed for months and months and months.
FOSTER: What impact will this issue that the Americans have got with bringing aid in from the sea, how much of an issue is that for you?
LATIFI: It's still an issue, right. The amount of aid that can come in through the sea is pretty limited. It's not going to be enough to fill the needs, right. Again, we know that we needed I think at least minimum 500 trucks prior to this offensive with the Israelis against Gaza and it's dropped, it's been as low as maybe 30 trucks a day to 70 trucks a day to 100 trucks a day and the CPR can't reach what is needed.
FOSTER: And in terms of Rafha, how are you preparing for what looks increasingly like a full invasion?
LATIFI: Yeah, this is a really difficult scenario. Most of our staff, our Palestinian staff in Gaza have now left Rafha. The first to leave were those that were in what is now being identified as the red zone and then in the day or two since then most of them have left that area as well.
And they're moving north towards Deir al-Balah and to Khan Younis. What that has meant for us is that we've closed down our medical points and our mobile medical units in Rafha.
[03:10:02]
Not only do we not have staff but the people have moved as well and they're moving into these informal settlements that are farther north up towards Deir al-Balah and to Khan Younis.
Now they don't have any health care at all. Whatever resources that they were able to access in Rafha because that's where most of the aid was concentrated is no longer there. You know, they're really susceptible to disease, waterborne illnesses, again starvation, right? We know that food is an issue especially for infants, young children, pregnant mothers.
I mean, it's a complete disaster. It cannot be understated how much of a disaster this is right now.
FOSTER: Yeah. Well, good luck with your work. Chessa Latifi, thank you so much for joining us and giving us that insight from the aid perspective. The U.N. General Assembly poised to back a Palestinian bid for
membership. The world body is set to vote in the coming hours. If approved, the General Assembly would send the application to the Security Council and call on it to quote "reconsider the matter favorably". Last month, the U.S. blocked the 15-member Security Council from recognizing a Palestinian state. The U.S. and Israel oppose the measure, maintaining that Palestinian statehood should be decided through direct negotiations.
Well, a tense 14th day at Donald Trump's hush money trial in New York, the presidential candidate again attacking the judge as corrupt after the latest defense motion for mistrial was denied. Another defense request to lift Trump's gag order from speaking about witness Stormy Daniels also denied. Earlier, the adult film star finished her testimony after a competitive cross-examination.
CNN's Paula Reid has more.
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PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump continuing to fight back.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: There's no case should have never been brought up.
REID (voice-over): As his hush money trial entered its 14th day, his team attacking Stormy Daniels' credibility in a tense cross- examination.
You have a lot of experience of making phony stories about sex appear to be real, defense attorney Susan Necheles said. Wow, Daniels replied with a pause. That's not how I would put it. The sex in the films is very much real, just like what happened to me in that room.
Necheles asked Daniels if she made up the story with Trump. If that story was untrue, I would have written it to be a lot better. Daniels shot back. The defense zeroing in on small inconsistencies in the details of Daniels' story, hoping to undermine her credibility with the jury.
Your story has completely changed, Necheles said. Daniels, in a raised voice, replied, No, you're trying to make me say that it changed, but it hasn't changed. And then they questioned Daniels' earlier testimony that she felt powerless in Trump's hotel room. You acted and had sex in over 200 porn movies, Necheles said. But according to you, seeing a man sitting on a bed in a T-shirt and boxer shorts was so upsetting that you got lightheaded. This wasn't the first time in your life someone made a pass at you.
Daniels replied, No, but it's the first time they had a bodyguard standing outside the door. Adding Trump was twice her age and bigger than her. When pressed, Daniels explained, my own insecurities made me feel that way. He did not put his hands on me. He did not give me any sort of drugs or alcohol, and he did not hold a weapon or hold me or threaten me. Necheles also highly critical of how Daniels profited off the encounter, even calling out her strip club tour, Make America Horny Again.
Daniels responded, I did not name that tour, and I fought it tooth and nail. But Necheles said Daniels has made nearly $1 million from a book deal, documentary and selling products on her website. You're celebrating the indictment by selling things from your store, right? Necheles pressed. Daniels quipped, Not unlike Mr. Trump. Trump frowned as photos of the various merchandise were shown before the court. Daniels defended herself by saying she did an interview with Anderson Cooper on "60 Minutes" for free.
ANDERSON COOPER, "60 MINUTES" CORRESPONDENT: Did you want to have sex with him?
STORMY DANIELS, PORNSTAR WHO ALLEGES AFFAIR WITH DONALD TRUMP: No, but I didn't. I didn't say no. I'm not a victim.
REID (voice-over): The prosecution later calling two witnesses who were involved in Trump's business, a junior bookkeeper at the Trump Organization and Madeleine Westerhout, the former director of Trump's Oval Office operations. She confirmed evidence that supports a key part of the prosecution's timeline, an email setting up a February 2017 Oval Office meeting between Trump and Michael Cohen, which Cohen has claimed was to discuss reimbursement for Daniels' hush money payment.
REID: Prosecutors are expected to call several more witnesses briefly to help them bring in some evidence ahead of the testimony of Michael Cohen. The man whose testimony is really likely to decide this case. Possible Cohen could start on Friday, but more likely prosecutors are going to want to bring him in first thing Monday. And he's expected to be on the stand for at least a week.
[03:15:08]
Paula Reid, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Russia reportedly smells opportunity for more gains in Ukraine. And according to some Western intelligence officials, Moscow plans to make the most of it. We'll explain.
Plus, Russia marks the anniversary of its victory in World War II and sends a message about the current war in Ukraine.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Ukraine's president has fired his top bodyguard after an alleged assassination plot. It happened after two officers from Ukraine's state guard service were detained for reportedly working to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Meanwhile, Ukraine has reportedly raised the bar in its drone strikes on Russia.
A Ukrainian defense source tells CNN that one drone struck a refinery in southwestern Russia about 1,500 kilometers away. That's reportedly the longest distance for Ukraine's UAVs. The refinery is one of Russia's largest, but regional officials say it's still operating despite that attack.
And back in Ukraine, Western intelligence believes Russia sees a window of opportunity and will ramp up its attacks ahead of the arrival of more U.S. military aid. Officials say Russian troops will likely try to make more progress and consolidate recent gains on the front lines. The U.S. aid was approved last month, but it'll take time before enough of it is delivered.
For Paul Whelan, the former U.S. Marine being held in Russia, word of another American's detention is raising concerns for his own possible release. But speaking exclusively to CNN, Whelan still sounded optimistic. Jennifer Hansler reports from the State Department.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENNIFER HANSLAER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Paul Whelan sounded much more positive about the efforts underway to secure his release in our recent phone call.
When we last spoke back in December, he said he had been depressed around the five-year anniversary of his detention there in Russia, and he felt that things weren't moving forward fast enough. In that time since, he said he has spoken with U.S. officials who have reassured him of their ongoing efforts to bring him home. He said he is aware that there have been proposals made and that there are efforts underway, negotiations underway to get him out of Russia.
At the same time, though, he did express a little bit of concern over this recent arrest of a U.S. soldier in Russia. He is particularly concerned if this soldier is designated as wrongfully detained. In the past, he said, with other Americans who have been arrested and then designated as wrongfully detained, that has brought the negotiations back to square one. This is how he described it to me in our call.
PAUL WHELAN, AMERICAN DETAINED IN RUSSIA: Unfortunately, if this gentleman is declared wrongfully detained, it will sort of start negotiations for Evan and I all over again, because then there'll be the three of us. And this is one of the problems that we've had in the past.
You know, they were negotiating for me, and then it was Trevor and me, and then it was Brittney and me, and now it's Evan and me.
[03:20:07]
And every time they've negotiated, it's always been starting fresh when there's another person involved. So yeah, it is a bit of a concern.
HANSLER: Now, Whelan, of course, there was referencing Trevor Reed and Brittney Greiner, two Americans who had been in Russia alongside him, who had been designated as wrongfully detained and later freed in prisoner swaps. Whelan was not included in those swaps. I should note that U.S. officials said that the Russians refused to include him in those trades. And now U.S. officials say they are continuing to do their utmost to bring home both Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, the detained "Wall Street Journal" reporter. And a State Department official told me yesterday that they want to see Russia release these two immediately.
Jennifer Hansler, CNN, the State Department.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Russia has marked the most important day of its political calendar, the anniversary of its victory over Nazi Germany.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
Thursday's Victory Day celebrations ended with fireworks, even though the events were scaled back this year. But as Clare Sebastian reports, President Vladimir Putin did not dial down his verbal onslaught against Ukraine's allies.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amid unseasonal snow flurries, Russian President Vladimir Putin using this moment to turn up the heat in his war of words with the West, accusing it of distorting history.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Revanchism, mockery of history and the desire to justify the current followers of the Nazis are part of the general policy of Western elites to foment new regional conflicts.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Putin's third Victory Day since his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, another opportunity for his own brand of factual distortion. Painting the war in Ukraine as the sequel to Russia's role in defeating Nazi Germany, portraying the West as the aggressor, justifying unimaginable losses under the banner of patriotism.
PUTIN (through translator): Russia is going through a difficult period. The fate of our motherland depends on every one of us.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Soldiers fresh from the front lines in Russia's so-called special military operation, also treading the damp cobbles of Red Square. And yet this year, victory seems more attainable.
Russia now has the advantage on Ukraine's front lines. Gains on the Eastern Front in recent months, their biggest in more than a year and a half.
Moscow confident enough to show off a selection of battlefield trophies. European and American tanks and armored vehicles, part of a month-long exhibition at Moscow's Victory Park.
At home, Putin, now two days into his fifth term, is more powerful than ever. And he wants the world to know it. PUTIN (through translator): Russia will do everything to avoid a
global confrontation. But at the same time, we will not let anyone threaten us. Our strategic forces are always combat ready.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): It was a measured nuclear threat. As ballistic missiles rolled across Red Square, Putin casually coordinated plans for upcoming non-strategic nuclear exercises with close allied Belarus. Both leaders emphasizing this is just routine training. While Western leaders no longer join Russia in marking this shared victory, Putin knows they are watching.
Claire Sebastian, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: An update on a story we told you about yesterday now. A dramatic rescue in Brazil making waves on social media. Sao Paulo's military has rescued a horse that had been stuck on a roof for four days. The animal was stranded by severe floods, the same flooding that officials report has caused the deaths of at least 107 people since last week. And forecasts say more rain could be on the way.
CNN's Dario Klein reports from Brazil.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DARIO KLEIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Behind me you can see route BR 101. This is almost the only way you can get to Rio Grande Azul, the ground zero, the disaster zone that has been flooded almost entirely and where more than one million and a half people has been affected because of these floods.
And in this road you can see mainly people going out of Rio Grande Azul, but also some people going in. Journalists like us that we are trying to get there, but you can only see these tracks, this type of track, this is normal people, regular people, we just spoke with them, that they are taking supplies for the people in Porto Alegre.
[03:24:51]
They are taking mainly water, food, clothes, and they're taking all types of things that is being needed there, where more than 100,000 people is living in shelters, going out of their homes, and all their jobs, their commerce, their stores are being affected because of the water.
The government also is taking, the army is taking their supplies there and we'll see what we find when we get there. We hope to get there before it gets night. There's a forecast of more rain for today, tomorrow, until the weekend, and that's why the authorities are telling people to stay, not to go back still to their homes, to find whatever still is left of their homes in Rio Grande Azul.
Dario Klein from Santa Catarina, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE) FOSTER: Severe weather threat continues for parts of the U.S. today after more than 170 storms were reported on Thursday. The country's been seeing a dangerous two-week streak with at least one tornado reported every day since April the 25th.
There've been more than 300 tornado reports in that time. Storms have hit Tennessee especially hard. The National Weather Service says a tornado with 225 kilometer per hour winds damaged more than 100 homes along its path on Wednesday. The state's governor says the community has stepped up to help with the cleanup.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. BILL LEE (R-TN): When I'm out there and I see almost every time a neighbor standing there alongside that family, by the time we get to them this afternoon, they've got neighbors. They've got folks that have come alongside them, brought them food, brought them help, brought them hope, brought them prayers. The things that loving neighbors do for one another, that brings hope.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Northern Alabama also saw a large and destructive tornado. Across the south at least three people have died and dozens more injured.
Now still ahead, ready to go it alone, Israel's military says it has the weapons it needs to carry out major operations in Rafha without U.S. support.
Plus survivors of the war in Gaza share their stories. CNN visits a hospital in Doha treating the critically wounded whose lives have been changed forever.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: From the president down to his advisers, the U.S. is repeatedly warning Israel against expanding its military operation in Rafha into a larger ground invasion. A senior White House official says a major Israeli offensive in Rafha would only strengthen Hamas' position in hostage negotiations. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden warned that the U.S. will stop sending some weapons to Israel if it goes ahead with the invasion.
[03:30:00]
The relationship between Benjamin Netanyahu and Joe Biden goes back decades, long before they were leaders of their respective countries. And like most relationships, there have been good times and not so good times. CNN's Oren Liebermann has a closer look at the leaders' long standing relationship.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An airtight embrace between world leaders in the days after October 7th has given way to barely contained anger, a personal and political fight decades in the making. President Joe Biden has more than 50 years of history with Israel, dating back to 1973.
BIDEN: I've worked with every prime minister of Israel from Golda Meir right through to the present prime minister.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): He first met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the 80s. Biden, a young senator on the Foreign Relations Committee.
BIDEN: Were there not an Israel, the United States of America would have to invent an Israel.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Israel's longest serving leader, then working at the embassy in D.C. The relationship has more often than not had some friction.
BIDEN: I signed a picture a long time for Bibi. He's been a friend for over 30 years. I said, Bibi, I don't agree with the damn thing you say, but I love you. But we really are good friends.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Biden has long been seen as a pro-Israel Democrat. He surged aid to Israel after October 7th and signed off on Congress' supplemental designating $14 billion for Israel. Under President Barack Obama, Biden was seen as an asset, able to work with Netanyahu. But the tension between Biden and Netanyahu burst into the open last year when Netanyahu tried to push through a major judicial overhaul.
BIDEN: Like many strong supporters of Israel, I'm very concerned. And I'm concerned that they get this straight. They cannot continue to on this road.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Even so, never before has it spilled over like this.
BIDEN: 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.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): In an exclusive interview with Erin Burnett, Biden said the U.S. would not supply bombs to Israel if it invaded Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have sought refuge.
BIDEN: We're not walking away from Israel's security. We're walking away from Israel's ability to wage war in those areas.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Biden has grown increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu, telling his advisers that the Israeli leader is ignoring his advice. The relationship may be beyond repair.
It can't get better as long as Mr. Netanyahu is in power. What may happen is that these differences could be mitigated, alleviated, but that would be only a temporary relief.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Seven months into the war, the U.S. openly opposes an Israeli ground invasion of Rafah, one Netanyahu promises is still coming.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): If we need to stand alone, we will stand alone. I have said that if necessary, we will fight with our fingernails.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): The short statement posted on social media didn't mention Biden, but it didn't need to.
LIEBERMANN: In comments made to American talk show host "Dr. Phil", Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he has known Joe Biden for more than 40 years, they have their agreements and they have their disagreements, and he expressed optimism that they would get through these disagreements as well. So it seems when it comes directly to talking about Biden, Netanyahu chooses his words carefully and tries to highlight the length and the history of that relationship.
Oren Liebermann, CNN in Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: The United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees is closing its East Jerusalem headquarters until security can be restored. The agency's chief says the compound was set on fire twice by Israeli extremists while staff were inside. No casualties, though, reported, but the outdoor areas were damaged. The agency's chief says this is the latest in a string of violent incidents against his staff over the past two months.
With the vast majority of Gaza's hospitals destroyed, some of the wounded are being treated in Qatar. CNN gained rare access to Hamar Hospital in Doha, which is treating some of the most severely injured. Jomana Karadsheh was there to document their stories. Again, we warn you, some of the images you're about to see are graphic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Behind every door is a story of what war has taken and what it has left, shattered lives, broken bodies and tortured souls. This is the Gaza ward at Qatar's Hamad Hospital, where you find just some of this war's countless critically injured. Some would say they're the lucky ones who barely escaped death and the hellhole Gaza and its hospitals have become.
DR. HASAN ABUHELIJEH, CONSULTANT ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON, HAMAD MEDICAL CORPORATION: Hamar had a very severe injury. From the injury, he had an above-knee amputation on one side and a below-knee amputation on the other side.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Most patients spent months with open wounds and arrived here with drug-resistant infections, making their cases even harder to treat.
[03:34:55]
ABUHELIJEH: I've been working in orthopedics around 20, 21 years and the kind of injuries, the severity of the injuries, the types of bone loss and infections we faced with the Gaza patients are beyond whatever I've seen before.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): But even those who've lost so much have found solace in having their children safe and by their side.
Raneem sits alone in her hospital bed, no one by her side. The vacant look in the eyes of a woman who's seen death.
It was on October 24th as Khan Younis was under Israeli bombardment. Raneem, then eight months pregnant, was in bed, cradling her one-year- old son, Azouz, to sleep.
RANEEM HIJAZI, SON KILLED IN GAZA (through translator): I had a feeling something bad was going to happen, so I held him tighter. Whatever happens to me happens to him. You don't feel the strike itself. You just open your eyes and you're under the rubble.
I woke up screaming. I was feeling around to find my son. Suddenly my mother-in-law came screaming, Azouz. She found him over my belly. She picked him up. His body was in her hands and his head dropped onto my belly.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): When Raneem got to hospital, they thought she was dead. Her baby girl was delivered by C-section.
HIJAZI (through translator): They delivered her and as she took her first breath, I came back to life.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): With an amputated arm and serious injuries to her legs, Raneem couldn't even hold her baby girl before she was evacuated out of Gaza. Her daughter is now in Egypt. She's watched her grow in photos. Baby Meriem now is as old as this war. Raneem says most days, not even her daughter is giving her the will to live anymore.
HIJAZI (through translator): It's over. Life has ended. There's no more joy. I shut my eyes and all the memories overwhelmed me. I saw the baby formula I used for my son and I felt I was dying. And it was just baby formula. You can only imagine what happens when I see his picture or videos or his toys or his clothes. The pain will never go away. We give birth only to lose them.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Every woman we spoke to in this ward has lost a child. Some more.
Shahed married the love of her life, Ali, a 26-year-old university professor. When the war started, she was seven months pregnant with her first child.
SHAHED ALQUTATI, CRITICALLY WOUNDED IN GAZA: A week before the war, we bought everything for the baby. Every clothes, every single t-shirt, pink, pink, pink, pink.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): On October 11th, a blast hit their home. Ali and Shahed found themselves on the street. Shahed lost her leg, Ali both legs and his arm. They called out each other's names before they were rushed to hospital. But Ali didn't make it. Two days later, their baby girl they'd named Sham arrived into this world, lifeless.
ALQUTATI: It's really hard, very hard because this is like my everything, you know. My everything. This is my everything. Suddenly, she disappeared.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Shahed's nightmare didn't end here. She was one of hundreds of patients trapped in Shifa Hospital when it came under Israeli siege. Like other patients forced out, her father had to push her on a wheelchair for hours to get to Rafah.
ALQUTATI: When we reach Rafah, like my injury was all infections, like the hospital is not clean to go in it. If I want to go to the hospital, I will die.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Despite everything she's gone through, a resilient Shahed somehow still smiles.
ALQUTATI: No one will feel the pain here. Like I'm with the people, strong, happy, like laughing, but when I'm like alone, I feel something painful here. I cannot be healed from that. In every corner of this ward, a story of pain and grief. Too many for us to tell.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): The journey to recovery for the few who make it out begins here. But how does anyone ever heal from this?
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Doha.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: We'll be back in just a moment.
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[03:40:00]
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FOSTER: The Eurovision Song Contest, usually a fun event whose official slogan is united by music, has become the latest focal point for dueling protests about Israel's conduct of its war against Hamas.
Israeli singer Eden Golan performed in the competition's semi-final on Thursday and advanced to Saturday's grand final, but earlier thousands of demonstrators in Malmo, Sweden, which is hosting this year's Song Contest, came out in support of and against Israel's participation.
It's dividing the city and complicating matters for Eurovision as it continues to insist that it's apolitical. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg joined in the pro-Palestine protest. She says young people have been showing the world how to react to the dire situation in Gaza.
For more on this, I'm joined by CNN correspondent Anna Stewart, and I know that Malmo, pretty much half the population there is immigrant, much of it from the Arab world, so this is really in a very sensitive spot for an event like this currently.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're right. There have been pro- Palestinian protests every week actually since October, so you can understand how the response around this contest is going down, and we're actually expecting protests tomorrow for the final in the city to potentially be 20,000.
That's what the organizers are expecting in terms of the numbers, which is actually more than the 15,000 people expected to attend the actual live event in the audience, so huge protests for the city, and all regarding whether or not, of course, Israel should have an act in the Eurovision Song Contest. The organizer EBU refused to ban them. They have weighed into political decisions before, banning Russia in 2022, and there are calls, of course, to boycott the event as well.
So all of this is going to be happening off the stage in terms of the protests, but then you've got to think about what's going to happen on the big night on the stage as well. Artists are banned from making any kind of political statements, but in the past we have had some acts, for instance the Icelandic act in 2019 holding up a Palestinian flag, they got fined, we could see some of those protests.
Also from the audience, I think we can probably expect some booing from the audience throughout the Israeli act's song at this stage, and the EBU have made clear that they may have to adjust noise levels for that.
So all this, Max, the Eurovision's motto is united by music, but certainly not for the first time. I think this is going to be very much divided by politics.
FOSTER: Yeah. So that question is that what is apolitical and what isn't, you know, to exclude a contestant would be seen as a political move as well, I guess. But what sort of security have they got in place in case it gets out of hand?
STEWART: So of course, huge security all around the city, given the nature of the protests. I expect there'll be added security as well within the event, and added security for Eden Golan, the poor contestant, of course, who will be on stage at this stage because there have been so many threats against her.
Lots of messages of support from Israel, particularly from the Prime Minister yesterday. Have a listen to this.
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NETANYAHU (through translator): Eden, I would like to wish you success. You know what? You have already succeeded. Because you are not only taking on Eurovision in a proud and very impressive manner, you are also contending successfully with an ugly wave of anti- Semitism and representing the State of Israel with enormous honor.
[03:45:06]
So may you be blessed with success and know that when they boo you, we are cheering you on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: And I think we will expect some booing and some cheering, and we'll just have to wait and see how those votes are cast as well. I'm sure you are an avid watcher of Eurovision, Max.
FOSTER: I've got lots of family in Sweden who are avid watchers. I can't... My English side comes out when it comes to Eurovision.
STEWART: Do you know who the contestant is? Do you know what the song is from the Sweden Act?
FOSTER: I don't. Tell me. Tell me, Anna.
STEWART: "Unforgettable". You'll remember that one.
FOSTER: What was it?
STEWART: It's called "Unforgettable". Genuinely.
STEWART: Anna, thank you. Good luck. I'm sure you'll be watching. You have to watch it. You're recovering it.
Pro-Palestinian protests continue to disrupt American colleges. Meanwhile, at least nine students were arrested at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. On Thursday, according to the MIT Scientists Against Genocide Encampment, demonstrators blocked the entrance to a staff parking garage.
Separately, the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus is still running. On Monday, the school had ordered protesters to leave or face disciplinary action. More than 20 students have been suspended, some receiving eviction notices because of their involvement, according to the group.
Parts of Argentina came to a standstill on Thursday when trade unions staged a 24-hour general strike against the government's recent austerity measures. CNN's Ivan Sarmenti brings us the latest from the Argentine capital.
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IVAN SARMENTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Argentine unions have called for a nationwide general one-day strike on Thursday against Libertarian President Javier Milei for the second time in less than five months in office.
At this time public transport joined the protest, this strike is much more important than the first one last January.
We are in La Cruz Station, one of the main terminals in Buenos Aires. This place is usually crowded and now it looks almost empty. The same happens in all terminals around the city.
This way also flights have been suspended, ports are paralyzed and banks remain closed, although some shops, schools and universities work, but with minimal functions.
This strike was organized by the General Confederation of Labor, the CGT, and many other unions joined against Milei's austerity measures and planned reforms. They include less labor protections in a bill that has already gotten approval in the lower house and is waiting for a final vote at Senate.
Argentina is going through an acute economic crisis. Also it is experiencing a record inflation of over 280 percent, much inherited from the previous government but increased since the start of Milei's presidency.
However many here in Argentina still support their plans, although his tough austerity measures have hurt people's real salaries, pushed up already high poverty levels and seen economic activity tank.
According to the latest official statistics, industrial activity fell in March by 21.2 percent year-to-year, while construction plummeted 42.2 percent. The government has rejected the strike and stated it affects 6.5 million people, mostly due to the lack of public transport. However, presidential spokespersons said public employees who don't attend work will not get paid for the day.
Also he reminded that Milei has already faced two general strikes and many other protests, unlike the previous government, the Peronist Alberto Fernandez, who said he had zero strikes. In fact, the CGT never made a strike during that period, but many other smaller unions did.
Ivan Sarmenti, CNN, Buenos Aires.
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FOSTER: The U.S. Senate has voted overwhelmingly to renew authority for the Federal Aviation Administration. The bill also aims to improve safety, invest in air travel infrastructure and enhance protections for passengers and airline workers.
These are the images coming in to us now, Congress hoping to address the shortage of air traffic controllers and implement technology to reduce the risk of runway collisions. There's been disagreement over adding more long distance flights in and out of Reagan National Airport just outside Washington there.
Now just releasing body, just released body camera footage shows the moment a U.S. airman was shot by a Florida deputy seconds after he opened his apartment door. The family of an Air Force senior airman, Roger Fortson, says the deputy knocked on the wrong door after responding to a disturbance at an apartment complex, a key detail the sheriff's office denies.
The sheriff's department says Fortson, a black man, was armed when he opened the door and the deputy shot him in self-defense. Fortson died later at the hospital. We want to warn you the body camera footage we're about to show you is very hard to watch.
[03:50:00]
You're about to see the moments after the deputy did his initial knock on the door.
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UNKNOWN: Sheriff's office, open the door. Sheriff's office, open the door. Step out.
UNKNOWN: Drop the gun. Drop the gun. Drop the gun. 312, shots fired. Suspect down.
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FOSTER: Well, dispatch calls reveal he was shot six times.
When we return, the groundbreaking medical trial behind this tender moment when a deaf child in the U.K. is able to hear her mother's voice for the very first time.
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FOSTER: A groundbreaking medical treatment has just changed the life of a toddler here in the U.K. One year old Opal Sandy can hear for the first time thanks to the world's first gene therapy trial for deafness. A rare genetic condition meant Opal was born completely deaf. Now she can hear sounds as quiet as a whisper, would you believe? Here she is finally hearing her mum's voice.
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A surgeon overseeing the trial at the hospital in Cambridge said results exceeded expectations, calling it a potential cure. CNN's Bianna Golodryga spoke with a pediatrician who helped spearhead that trial.
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DR. RICHARD BROWN, CONSULTANT PEDIATRICIAN, CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS: By 13 weeks, then her parents were convinced that she could hear them and our testing was beginning to show some useful hearing.
And by 24 weeks, then, you know, with the objective audiology tests and we were seeing that she could hear as quiet as 25 decibels, which is very good. But more importantly, that exactly as you say, she can hear her mum's voice and she recently said daddy. So if you think that that video is a heartbreaker, then I think for that family, then then for that that response was just incredible.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Incredible indeed. Can you tell us a little more about the condition Opal was born with?
BROWN: Yes, it's a genetic condition. So she has a spelling change in the gene we call OTOF and what that does is it codes for a protein called otoferlin and that's really important in the functioning of the inner ear. So the key really about Opal's condition and the reason why it was so
suitable for gene therapy is that the anatomy of the inner ear is completely perfect. The problem in her condition is that that organ can't talk to the nerve that takes the signal to the brain. And all you need to make the whole system function perfectly is to just drop in the gene that produces that protein into those cochlear hair cells.
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[03:55:00]
FOSTER: Apple apologizing for its new iPad Pro advert saying its video quote "missed the mark". In the clip, we see various items being crushed by giant hydraulic press to reveal the new iPad Pro. The tech giant apologized after a swift backlash from Internet viewers who felt the advertisement celebrated technology's destruction of human creativity and art.
In northern Peru, dancers of death, as they're called, stomp and spin, performing a choreographed routine with a coffin on their shoulders. The practice originated in Ghana. Then videos of the dancers went viral and it's been increasingly popular in multiple cities in Peru ever since. This funeral for an elderly farmer, it looks and sounds less like a service and more like a rowdy wake, celebrating life with much more than clapping, much more clapping rather than crying.
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GRACE FLORENTE, GRANDDAUGHTER OF THE DECEASED (through translator): His passing hurts us. It hurts that we will never see him again. But we have to remember him with joy as he was with what he loved the most, music.
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FOSTER: Well, most dancers of death have other jobs, but they rehearse their funeral choreography in their free time and call it a tough job. They say it's worth it to give loved ones a proper send off.
Flying can be stressful, especially in Istanbul, home to one of the world's busiest airports. It's increased its staff to help calm things down. Among the new hires, two therapy dogs, six year old Kuki and one and a half year old Alita. They're trained to accept kisses and belly rubs to comfort anxious travelers who need a little puppy love.
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UNKNOWN: We walked a lot. I was physically exhausted. But seeing these dogs here, you know, produced too much endorphin. I'm not tired at all. I'm so happy and excited.
ANASTASIA PODMAZOVA, ISTANBUL AIRPORT PASSENGER: It's a relax for me. I love animals. It's very good.
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FOSTER: Well, each pup roams the terminals five days a week for up to three hours a day. They're part of a five dog team employed by the airport. Unlike sniffer dogs, for example, who work only when police are called in. This means stressed travelers in Istanbul can count on making a furry friend or two during their layover.
Now, across Europe, major landmarks, including Rome's Coliseum, were aglow on Thursday night to mark Europe Day. It marks the historic Schuman Declaration from 1950, considered the beginning of the European Union. Also observed was the Use of Your Vote campaign aims to raise voter awareness in the 27 member countries ahead of next month's European Parliament elections. Recent polls forecast hard- right groups poised to win anywhere from 30 to 50 seats.
I'm Max Forster in London, back in a moment with more "CNN Newsroom".
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