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14 Dead After Massive Billboard Falls During a Storm in Mumbai, India; Floods Devastate Villages in Afghanistan, Killing 300+; German Court Rules Leading Far-right AfD Party Can Be Surveiled and Classified as Potentially Extremist; GameStop Shares Skyrocket After Return of Roaring Kitty; OpenAI Unveils New Model of ChatGPT; Interactive Portal Between New York and Dublin is Temporarily Closed; Vladimir Putin Replaces Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu; White House Urges Israel To Connect Military Plan To Endgame; Michael Cohen Testifies About 2016 Campaign: Donald Trump Warned "There's Going To Be A Lot Of Women Coming Forward". Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired May 14, 2024 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:31]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, America's top diplomat arrives in Kyiv on a mission to reaffirm the United States commitment to Ukraine as it struggles to fend off Russian advances along the front lines.

Israel amasses enough troops to launch a full scale invasion into Rafah, a move that would directly defy repeated warnings from Israel's closest ally, the U.S.

And Michael Cohen takes the stand in New York telling the jury that Donald Trump personally approved a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is now in Kyiv on an unannounced visit to reaffirm America's support for Ukraine. It comes after Russia launched an intense cross border assault on Northern Ukraine over the weekend.

This is Blinken's fourth visit to the Ukrainian capital since the war began. And his first since the U.S. approved billions of dollars in military aid for Ukraine late last month.

Blinken will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as other officials that U.S. says some of the new aid has reached the front lines. But Blinken acknowledged the delay in getting that aid approved has been costly for Ukraine.

Ukrainian soldiers and now warning that ammunition and spare parts for foreign made tanks are running low, adding another obstacle on the battlefield. U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is promising to ramp up the delivery of aid and says a new package of weapons will be announced this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The delay put Ukraine in a hole and we're trying to help them to get out of that hole as rapidly as possible.

And so, at the highest levels in our government, we are engaged with the highest levels of theirs, to be able to ensure that we're doing everything humanly possible both ourselves and our allies who are searching equipment as well to get it there to the frontlines.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Ukrainian officials are acknowledging that Russia is having "tactical success" in the Kharkiv region. The commander of the Kharkiv City Defense Forces says the overall situation in North Eastern Ukraine remains difficult. He says heavy fighting continues in six border towns after Russia claimed to have taken over several villages.

A Ukrainian backed paramilitary group comprised of Russians opposed to the Kremlin released this video saying they were firing at Russian forces that pushed into Vovchansk, the town was liberated from Russia more than 18 months ago, and is now under attack again.

Ukrainian officials say even though Russia is gaining some ground, their losses are enormous. Here's what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says needs to be done.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Our task is crystal clear, to thwart Russia's attempt to expand the war. The fulfillment of this task depends literally on everyone who is on the ground from Chernihiv to Vovchansk from Kharkiv to Donetsk, there must be no safe place for the occupier on the Ukrainian land, as well as in our sky.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Hundreds of Ukrainians are being evacuated from these dangerous areas near the border but the police chief for the Kharkiv region says evacuation buses and police vehicles are under almost constant shelling.

The U.S. State Department says a cabinet shakeup at the Kremlin is a sign of desperation. Over the weekend, President Vladimir Putin appointed a civilian economist as Russia's new defense minister. Details now from CNN's Fred Pleitgen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Russian jets bombing Ukrainian frontline positions. This video released by Moscow's Defense Ministry purporting to show Vladimir Putin's troops on the offensive.

But just as Russian forces have started a new assault on the Northeastern Kharkiv region of Ukraine, Putin is sacking his long-time Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The two last seen together at Russia's Victory Day Parade last week, where Putin once again threatened the West.

[02:05:04]

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Russia will do anything to prevent a global conflict, but at the same time, we will not allow anyone to threaten us.

PLEITGEN (voice over): While the Russian Army has recently made some gains, their losses and soldiers and armored vehicles have been catastrophic, both the U.S. and Ukraine say.

Shoigu often facing heavy criticism. In March 2022, he disappeared from the public light altogether, fueling speculation Putin may have sacked him, only to resurface in Defense Ministry call nearly two weeks later.

When Russia's deputy defense minister, a close Shoigu ally, Timur Ivanov was recently arrested and charged with corruption, it seemed clear the air for Shoigu was getting thinner, Russian political commentator, Sergey Markov says.

SERGEY MARKOV, RUSSIAN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: One problem is corruption because now Russia military budget increasing twice and arrest of that Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov shows the level of corruption around Defense Ministry are quite high.

PLEITGEN (voice over): Shoigu really moved to head Russia's State Security Council along with another sidelined former Putin ally, Dmitry Medvedev, once even viewed as a possible successor to Putin.

The Kremlin's new designated defense minister, the former minister for economic innovation, Andrei Belousov, his task, putting Russia's army on a long-term war footing, Markov says.

MARKOV: This is a very modern war. Not only soldiers, but also technical systems as armies of drones and the connection between artificial intellect and armies of drone and rocket missiles and artillery system should play a decisive role.

PLEITGEN (voice over): Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Joining me now is Malcolm Dav is, senior analyst at the Australian strategic policy institute, appreciate you being with us. MALCOLM DAVIS, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Thanks, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, Russia launched an intense cross border assault on Northern Ukraine over the weekend targeting the Kharkiv region. But a delay in the arrival of U.S. approved aid and a depletion of ammunition and weapons has cost Ukraine dearly. Is it too late for the war torn nation to fight back and win this war eventually, in the midst of Russia's renewed military gains?

DAVIS: It's certainly not too late. I think that what needs to happen is that the U.S. in particular, but also Europe, needs to step up and accelerate the provision of military aid to Ukraine, to make sure that the Ukrainian military get the key systems, the ammunition, the long range weapons as quickly as possible so they can actually hold off Russian advances in key areas such as Donetsk, and now Kharkiv as long as possible.

And then, once they're in a position to go on the counter offensive, so I don't think it's too late by any means. But if the pace of weapons deliveries continues to be slow, that I certainly would be worried about how the Ukrainians are going to cope in coming months.

CHURCH: And Ukrainian officials are admitting Russia is gaining some ground, but say Russia's losses are enormous. Do you agree with that assessment?

DAVIS: Yes. And I think from Putin's perspective, he doesn't care. From his perspective, he's essentially using an old 20th century, a traditional war approach, whereby, you know, soldiers are thrown into battle, in effect as a meat grinder.

And, you know, he takes -- the Russian military takes heavy losses. But if they continue to advance, and then they take territory in key locations, that's all that matters.

The counterpoint to that, of course, is that there's a 21st century form of war here in terms of long range missile strikes and drone warfare, and electronic warfare that the Russians are now employing very effectively. So, it's a mix of old and new capabilities that are being thrown into the battle.

CHURCH: And in other big news from the weekend, President Putin replaced his Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu with a civilian economist, Andrei Belousov. What does that indicate to you from a military perspective?

DAVIS: It indicates to me that President Putin is determined to wage a protracted war. He has no intention whatsoever of sitting down and talking peace or a ceasefire.

What he seeks to do is protract this war out well into 2025. I think he's probably thinking that if Donald Trump wins, then the pressure goes off, because Trump will pull any support for Ukraine. And that will then enable the Russians to advance much more rapidly.

But I think that protracted war is one aspect. The second aspect, I think, is that Putin is deadly serious when he talks about Russia being at war with the West.

[02:10:05]

And so therefore, he's actually preparing for Russia to be in open conflict with NATO. And what he needs therefore is an economist and a technocrat to modernize and streamline the Russian defense industrial base so that they can produce advanced technology weapons much more efficiently and rapidly than has been happening in the past.

CHURCH: And you did mention the need to increase aid to Ukraine, the U.S. is now promising to ramp up the delivery of that aid that's already been approved for Ukraine, and an additional announcement of a new weapons package that's expected sometime this week.

So, how critical is it that the U.S. gets this done and gets it done now?

DAVIS: It's absolutely essential, because if the aid is slow and getting to the Ukrainians, they will run out of ammunition, they're already very close to that point. Now, they're already suffering from manpower problems, and they could simply lack the means to fight in which case, Ukrainians confronted by not only Russian advances in the Donetsk Oblast, but also now in the Kharkiv Oblast would have to split their forces between those two fronts, and the Russians could then break through and make serious significant advances.

So, I do think it's absolutely essential that the Biden administration and European leaders do everything they can to accelerate the delivery of that military aid to Ukraine as -- and get it there as fast as possible.

CHURCH: Malcolm Davis, appreciate your analysis. Thanks for joining us.

DAVIS: Thank you.

Georgia's Prime Minister is vowing that a controversial foreign agent's bill will be approved in the coming hours despite widespread protests across the former Soviet country.

A final debate and vote is set to take place in Parliament. If it passes, the law will require organizations receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as agents of foreign influence or face major fines.

Mass protests in the capital city of Tbilisi have been ongoing. Critics say the bill mirrors in similar law in Russia, and there's concern that legislation could jeopardize the country's bid to join the European Union.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): This law will contribute to the dictatorial Russian regime taking root in our country. We do not want to live under this kind of regime and return to being under the Russian influence. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Have a look at these people. All of them are full of hope for victory. We know that the youth will defeat this Russian government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The United States says it thinks Israel has enough troops around Rafah to launch a full scale assault. On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was greeted with protests during Israel's official Memorial Day ceremony. Dozens of Israelis walked out during his speech and some held up signs that said their blood is on your hands, referring to the hostages.

But Netanyahu told the crowd that the war with Hamas is a matter of survival.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): It is either us Israel or them, the Hamas monsters. With continued existence, liberty, security and prosperity or destruction, slaughter, rape and enslavement. And we are determined to be victorious in this struggle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, there's renewed fighting in parts of Gaza where Israeli forces had claimed to have dismantled Hamas in what's left of Jabalia, civilians rushed to escape renewed fighting there. And hospital officials say, an Israeli airstrike Tuesday on a residential building in a central Gaza camp has killed 13 displaced Palestinians and left families buried in the rubble.

This is raising new doubts about Israel's strategy for the war. The U.S. national security adviser says Israel needs more than a battle plan to win in Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SULLIVAN: Military pressure is necessary, but not sufficient to fully defeat Hamas. If Israel's military efforts are not accompanied by a political plan for the future of Gaza, and the Palestinian people, the terrorists will keep coming back and Israel will remain under threat.

We are seeing this happen in Gaza City. So, we are talking to Israel about how to connect their military operations to a clear strategic end game about a holistic integrated strategy to ensure the lasting defeat of Hamas and a better alternative future for Gaza and for the Palestinian people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more on the fighting in Gaza and on the emotional Memorial Day ceremonies in Israel.

[02:15:08] (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Israeli military now says that it has forces from three different divisions operating inside of the Gaza Strip in both northern central and southern Gaza. The Israeli military is expanding its military operations in Rafah, for example, where we've watched over the course of the last week of the Israeli military has bit by bit, ordering people to evacuate from areas in eastern Rafah and then expanding its military operations.

We've now seen according to the United Nations, more than 360,000 people who have fled that city that was once viewed as a last refuge for nearly 1.5 million Palestinians, many of these people displaced not just for the first time, but for the second, third, even fourth time in some cases.

The Israeli military is also returning to ground operations in northern Gaza in the Jabalia refugee camp. And that's so significant because you think of the early months of this war. And that's where a lot of the fighting was focused.

But the Israeli military months ago finished its fight there were thought that it had withdrew its forces, but it didn't put anything in place in terms of leadership, in terms of a government in that area.

And so, a power vacuum is what has existed in its place. One that Hamas has now returned to fill, raising major questions about the Israeli military's overall strategy in the Gaza Strip.

Now, as all of this is happening, Israelis across the country we're also commemorating a very somber Memorial Day, which is not only for commemorating fallen soldiers, but also victims of terrorism.

And I attended a rally of thousands of individuals who are calling for a hostage and a ceasefire deal. I also spoke with the families of some of those hostages, including Ayelet Samerano, whose 21-year-old son was killed on October 7th, his body taken to Gaza still being held hostage to this day, and on a day when she would normally be visiting his grave site to mourn him, to commemorate him. She's not able to do that, as his body is still held hostage in Gaza.

AYELET SAMERANO, MOTHER OF KILLED ISRAELI HOSTAGE: Where should they go? Why should they do it? I have no place to go.

DIAMOND: There's no place to grieve?

SAMERANO: No. All the parents are going to a special place. And they have the time with him.

DIAMOND: And without his body being returned to Israel, without a gravesite. Not only can Ayelet not properly mourn him, grieve him at his gravesite on a day like Memorial Day. But she is also struggling to find that sense of closure. She tells me that months after the Israeli government told her that her son was dead, she's still holding out hope that perhaps, perhaps her son could still be alive. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: At least one United Nations aid worker was killed and another injured in Rafah on Monday, the U.N. says they were in a clearly marked U.N. vehicle that came under attack, but did not assign blame for the attack to either Israel or Hamas. CNN has reached out to the IDF about the attack and is yet to hear back.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch says there's a pattern of IDF attacks on aid workers that raises questions about Israel's commitment to comply with international law. The group says Israel has carried out at least eight strikes on aid workers during this conflict. That includes an attack in April that killed seven workers of the World Central Kitchen.

Human Rights Watch says the attacks happened despite aid groups giving their coordinates to the IDF in advance.

Still to come, critical testimony from the star witness in the Donald Trump hush money trial. But Michael Cohen's words carry serious baggage. We'll ask a legal expert if he can sway the jury, back with that a more in just a moment.

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[02:21:18]

CHURCH: After months of public plea and viciously slamming one another, Donald Trump and his former lawyer Michael Cohen, came face- to-face for the first time in the hush money trial sitting just meters apart.

Cohen is considered the prosecution's most important witness. And on Monday, he divulged critical details about how he doled out $130,000 to buy the silence of former porn star Stormy Daniels at the direction of Trump. More now from CNN's Paula Reid.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The prosecution's most anti dissipated witness Michael Cohen taking the stand in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We pay the lawyer the legal expense. However, legal expense is a legal expense. It's marked down in the book flow. Legal expense.

REID (voice over): Facing his former boss, Cohen spoke about his 10 years working as Trump's attorney and fixer, while Trump sat back in his chair closing his eyes not reacting to Cohen's testimony.

Cohen said he enjoyed working for Trump and whenever he received direct praise or completing a task, he felt like he was on top of the world. Cohen told the court that when Trump was mulling a run for the presidency in 2015, Trump warned Cohen, you know that when this comes out, meaning the announcement, just be prepared, there's going to be a lot of women coming forward.

Cohen claimed that just weeks before the 2016 election, the editor of the National Enquirer told Cohen Stormy Daniels wanted to sell her story about having an affair with Trump, which Cohen said would have been catastrophic and horrible for Trump's campaign.

Cohen said Trump got angry with him when they spoke about the Stormy Daniels story. I told him that one of the things that we need to do is obviously take care of it. Trump allegedly responded, absolutely, do it. Take care of it.

Cohen testified that it was his idea to include a punitive damages clause in the Daniels deal to ensure that she didn't speak. Cohen said Trump told him to drag the Daniels payment out as long as possible, in fact, preferably until after the election, because if I win, it will have no relevance because I'm President, and if I lose, I don't even care.

And he added this damning allegation. He wasn't thinking about Melania. This was all about the campaign. Cohen walked the court through the process of creating several LLCs in order to transfer payment to Daniels. Cohen had to front the money himself and used a home equity line of credit because it was paperless, so he could hide it from his wife.

I was doing everything I could and more to protect my boss, which is something that I had done for a long time.

Cohen testified that on October 28th, he immediately called Trump after Daniels signed the agreement, telling him that this matter is now completely under control and locked down.

Cohen said in early 2017, he tried to get repaid for the money he fronted to Daniels, a needed Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg input for questions about taxes.

Cohen said he would be reimbursed over the course of the next 12 months, disguising the payment as like a legal service rendered since I was then going to be given the title of personal attorney to the president.

TRUMP: There's no fraud here. There's no crime here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID (on camera): Cohen will be back on the stand Tuesday and likely for the rest of the week. Now, his eventual cross examination which is expected to be conducted by Trump's lead attorney Todd Blanche. Sources tell me it is expected to last as long if not longer than direct questioning from prosecutors.

Paula Reid, CNN, New York.

[02:25:04] CHURCH: Let's bring an attorney and Legal Affairs commentator, Areva Martin, who is in New York. Thank you so much for joining us.

AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY AND LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Thanks, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, it's been called blockbuster testimony from star witness Michael Cohen landing blow after blow on Donald Trump during his first day in the stand. But how does all this strengthen the prosecution's case against Trump in this hush money trial? And will it sway the jury?

MARTIN: Well, a couple of things, Rosemary. One, I think it strengthens the prosecution case because it wills a hole into the defense case that we know Donald Trump is trying to make in this trial. Starting with the notion that this was all about trying to avoid some kind of embarrassment for his wife. We know that's what Donald Trump's legal team wants the jury to believe, that he was a family man, that he loved his wife, that he was concerned about these facts about Stormy Daniels are this story about Stormy Daniels coming out because it would be embarrassing to his wife.

Michael Cohen testified today that that was not the issue. This had nothing to do with embarrassment or his family. But this was all about trying to ensure that women voters in particular would not be so offended as not to vote for Donald Trump.

The other issue that we know the defense is trying to push is that Donald Trump had no knowledge of this that somehow Michael Cohen was acting as a lone actor. Michael Cohen blew a hole in that theory by testifying very clearly and with lots of detail, that this was all part of a plan orchestrated by Donald Trump and that he knew every step of the way everything that Michael Cohen was doing to suppress this story and to make it appear as if this was a legal transaction or some kind of legal fees that he was being reimbursed for, rather than being reimbursed for the payment to Stormy Daniels.

CHURCH: Right. And of course, Cohen testified that Trump instructed him to pay Stormy Daniels that $130,000. And then, Cohen called Trump just before paying the hush money and testified that Trump then approved the plan to pay Cohen back.

So, how does the defense overcome testimony like this, that directly ties Trump to the alleged illegal scheme?

MARTIN: Yes, this was a really big day for the prosecution and a horrible day, quite frankly, for the defense team. The only thing that defense team can do in a case like this when such damning testimony has been provided by such a key witness is attack this witness credibility.

And we've heard that Trump's team plans to keep Michael Cohen on the witness stand for hours. And that's all to show every inconsistent statement he's ever made, to go into the felony conviction that he had, to go into the inconsistent stories that Michael Cohen has told. And this is a guy that's been on television a lot talking about this case. So, there are lots of statements out there by Michael Cohen. I suspect, pretty much everything he's ever said about this case is going to be a part of that cross examination because Trump's teams, they have one job and that only -- that job is to make Michael Cohen appear to be a liar.

CHURCH: Yes, that is the vulnerability, isn't it? Because Cohen is, of course, the only person who can testify what's at the heart of this case, which is Trump's direct involvement in the alleged conspiracy to falsify the business records in order to pay Stormy Daniels.

But he does have this credibility problem, doesn't he? So, how does the prosecution overcome that challenge? Of course, they put the other witnesses up before we're hearing from Cohen, that would make a big difference too, no doubt.

MARTIN: No doubt, Rosemary, what the prosecution has done is tried to build its case independent of the testimony of Michael Cohen, doing that through Stormy Daniels to a certain extent, doing it through Hope Hicks, through the business employees, to those employees that worked for the Trump Organization, making their case through the documents, through the text messages, through the e-mails, to the actual signed checks.

What the prosecution has tried to do is -- and I'm sure they will argue a closing argument even if you don't believe Michael Cohen, look at all of the evidence that has been put forth in this trial. And based on that evidence alone, you can find that Donald Trump engaged in this conduct.

And one of the things I think that's been surprising Rosemary too, is the demeanor -- I'm sorry, the demeanor of Michael Cohen. We expected him to be very erratic, we expected him to be abrasive. And he was quite calm and quiet composed throughout his entire testimony, that was shocking, given all the negative comments that we heard from other witnesses and the kind of persona that was painted with respect to him.

[02:30:00]

So, it's going to be interesting to see if the defense can break him down, if they can cause him to get frustrated and irritated, and cause him to present himself in a way differently than what he has done so far on the witness stand.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": Areva Martin, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate your legal analysis on this issue.

MARTIN: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: And when we come back, flash floods are devastating parts of Afghanistan, unleashing torrents of water and mud with hundreds dead and many more missing. Back with that and more in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHURCH: Rescue efforts are underway in Mumbai for dozens believed to be trapped after a massive billboard came crashing down during a rainstorm. Fire services, police, and other officials are now taking part and the ongoing rescue operation. The National Disaster Response Force says at least 14 people were killed and dozens injured. A warning, images of that moment may be hard for some to watch. The towering billboard, which was located next to a busy road, collapsed on some houses and a service station as rain and strong winds lashed the area.

A humanitarian emergency is unfolding in Afghanistan were severe flooding has killed more than 300 people according to the UN's World Food Programme. With thousands of homes destroyed, other aid groups fear the death toll could be even higher. CNN's Anna Coren has more and a warning, her report contains images some viewers may find graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The ferocious roar of water heard moments before its devastating arrival. Runaway people, yells a villager. Oh, brother, runaway. The flash flooding in mountainous Baghlan Province in northern Afghanistan hit on Friday. Many men were at the mosque for prayers, while women and children stayed home. Their mud brick dwellings engulfed with raging torrents of water. These four siblings, including two-year-old Aria (ph), were rescued.

[02:35:00]

COREN: Take off the rope from his body, instructs the man recording on his phone. Bring him to his mother and get him warm. Their uncle spoke to CNN and told us that all ten family members survived the flood and are now being treated in hospital. But everyone is filled with fear of what mother nature can unleash.

This is the roof of the madrasa and the flood has swept everywhere explains the villager. This man held me tightly, otherwise, I was gone.

For this little girl, there were no miracles that day. The flood took everything, she cries shaking, my mother was swept away.

In the Central Hospital of Baghlan Province, the bodies have dozens of children have been brought here to prepare for burial. Most of these victims are children, explains the man and so many more are still missing.

World Food Programme says it sending emergency aid, some via donkey to now inaccessible areas in a region that was already poverty stricken.

TIMOTHY ANDERSON, HEAD OF U.N. WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME, AFGHANISTAN: There has been a system to identify the most vulnerable people who are in danger, essentially, of starvation. These areas are among those hotspots, so it was already pretty grim and now, it is catastrophic. COREN (voice-over): The Taliban says it is mobilizing all available resources, but it is calling on the U.N. and humanitarian agencies to assist. For a country devastated by decades of conflict, suffering and economic crisis, and now bearing the brunt of climate change, this current disaster is one the people of Afghanistan must also endure.

Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: A German court has ruled that the country's domestic intelligence service is allowed to classify the far-right AfD Party as potentially extremist and can keep them under surveillance. The judges wrote that there is sufficient evidence the party pursues goals against democracy and works "against the human dignity of certain groups, such as Muslims and migrants." AfD is currently the second most popular party in the country, and it is gaining more support, especially in eastern states like Saxony. Some mainstream politicians are blaming AfD and its extreme rhetoric for the rise of violent attacks on lawmakers in Germany.

Still to come, ChatGPT is new and improved. We will show you the amazing new capabilities that some people think it is just a little too creepy. We'll take a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:40:00]

CHURCH: Shares of video game retailer GameStop have roared after an infamous trader posted on X for the first time in three years. The trader known as "Roaring Kitty" helped ignite the so-called meme stock frenzy of 2021, during which troubled stocks went viral due to online chatter and social media activity.

Roaring Kitty recently posted this cartoon depicting a man leaning forward in a chair, holding a video game controller, that caused GameStop shares to surge more than 110 percent on Monday before settling at 74 percent. To be clear, this huge jump had nothing to do with the company's fundamentals and you can see how far the stock has fallen over the past year, down to about $10 a share before skyrocketing up to more than $30.

We will now be able to have real-time clever conversations with ChatGPT. OpenAI has unveiled its latest artificial intelligence model ChatGPT 4.0. It is effectively now a very helpful digital buddy that's capable of witty dialog in any language.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOICE OF CHATGPT: It looks like you're feeling pretty happy and cheerful, with a big smile and maybe even a touch of excitement, whatever is going on, it seems like you're in a great mood. Care to share the source of those good vibes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, no, the reason I'm in a really good mood is because we are doing a presentation showcasing how useful and amazing you are.

(LAUGH)

VOICE OF CHATGPT: Oh, stop it. You're making me blush.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The new version is capable of real-time translations. It can view your photos, screenshots, and documents and have discussions about them and it is free.

Well, a live stream portal between New York and Dublin has been temporarily closed due to inappropriate behavior in the Irish capital. Changes will now be made to the interactive art installation and the Dublin City Council says it will be live again soon. The portal is a 24-hour lives stream on a big circular screen installed in both the cities and allows people on both sides to see and interact with each other via a video link halfway across the world. Thousands of people have already visited it since it was unveiled last week. The makers say it was conceived as a testament to the power of art, to transcend physical barriers.

And thanks so much for joining us. I am Rosemary Church. "World Sport" is up next. Then, I'll be back in about 15 minutes with more "CNN Newsroom." Do stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)