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Biden Takes Jab at Trump; America's Choice 2024; Biden to Give Commencement Address to Morehouse College; Agents Serve Rudy Giuliani Summons; Israel-Hamas War; Ultimatum to Netanyahu; Body of Hostage Recovered in Gaza; Campus Demonstrations; Colleges Continue to Grapple with Pro-Palestinian Protests; U.S. Under Severe Weather Threat; Deadly Train Accident; Prosecution Unlikely for "Diddy" Combs; Scheffler's Arrest Investigation; Biden's Hopes for African Partnerships; U.S.-Africa Relations; Haiti's Security Crisis; Evacuations Underway in Ukraine; Russia's War on Ukraine; Georgian President Vetoes Foreign Agents Bill; Triple Crown Upset. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired May 19, 2024 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."
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JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: My opponent's not a good loser, but he is a loser.
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BRUNHUBER: Joe Biden taking shots at Donald Trump ahead of the president's commencement address at the historically black Morehouse College. Why Biden says he's the better option for black voters.
A key member of Israel's War Cabinet delivers an ultimatum to Benjamin Netanyahu. How Israel's prime minister is responding.
And top golfer Scottie Scheffler's arrest upended the world of professional golf. What we're learning from police about the interaction between Scheffler and the arresting officer.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber."
BRUNHUBER: In a few hours, U.S. President Joe Biden will make the commencement address at the historically black, all-male Morehouse College here in Atlanta. Now, he hit the campaign trail on Saturday stopping to talk with supporters at a downtown restaurant. Biden tried to allay fears over recent polls that put him behind Donald Trump in several battleground states. He told his supporters that the polls are often wrong and stress that there's a lot at stake in the upcoming election. Here he is.
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JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: You hear about how, you know, we're behind in the polls. Well, so far, the polls haven't been right once.
Now, look, we're all, we're either tie or slightly ahead or slightly behind, but what I look at is actual election results. And the election results are in the primaries. Look at the primaries. Well, Mr. Trump has -- he doesn't have an opponent, but he lost 120,000 votes in Pennsylvania, didn't vote for him. He voted for a woman who's no longer in the race.
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BRUNHUBER: Now, all of this comes as President Biden works to reverse an erosion of support among black voters. A New York Times/Siena College survey of battleground states released this week found Trump winning more than 20 percent of black voters in a two-way matchup with Biden. That would amount to a historic high if it translates to votes in November.
Now, keep in mind, Trump won roughly one in 10 black voters nationally in 2020, according to multiple estimates, including 12 percent in CNN's exit poll. And President Biden's commencement speech at Morehouse also comes as he faces criticism over his policies towards Israel and Gaza.
And in the wake of protests taking place at college campuses across the U.S., there are concerns that what should be a day of celebration and joy at Morehouse could turn ugly. Arlette Saenz has more.
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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden will deliver the commencement address at Morehouse College, an all-male historically black college here in Atlanta, Georgia.
The event is meant to celebrate the graduating seniors, but it has come with a dose of controversy as some faculty and students have expressed frustration with President Biden's handling of the conflict in Gaza. That is an issue that has been of key concern to many young voters. The White House dispatched a senior official just last week to Morehouse College to meet with a small group of faculty and students. That meeting lasted a little over two hours, and I'm told that about half of it focused specifically on the issue of Gaza.
But President Biden will face a very delicate balancing act as he gives his remarks on Sunday. One, there is the potential for possible protest due to his support for Israel in its war against Hamas. But then also the president is trying to navigate shoring up support among black voters, including young black men. Black voters comprise a core part of Biden's constituency and coalition back in 2020 that sent him to the White House. But recent polling has shown some lagging support from that group. Now, President Biden stopped to meet with some black voters, supporters at a restaurant here in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday and talked about the accomplishments of his administration, but also warned the threat that Trump could pose if he's reelected. President Biden also took a bit of a swipe at his rival. Take a listen.
BIDEN: The fact is that this election, lots at stake. Lots at stake. It's not about me, it's about the alternative as well. You know, he -- I think it's fair to say, I won't use the exact phrase I'd use if I was still playing ball, but my opponent's not a good loser, but he is a loser.
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SAENZ: This is all part of a weekend long push by Biden to court black voters. After he speaks at Morehouse College, the president will then travel on to Detroit, Michigan, another key battleground state. He will speak at the NAACP dinner there to offer another message to black voters, as Biden and his advisers are very aware that they need to keep that constituency together if Biden wants to secure another four years in the White House.
Arlette Saenz, CNN, traveling with the president in Atlanta, Georgia.
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BRUNHUBER: Donald Trump, meanwhile, says gun owners are under siege and he's urging them to get more involved in the upcoming elections. The Republican frontrunner appeared on Saturday at a meeting of the National Rifle Association as its political arm endorsed him. The NRA strongly supports the U.S. right to bear arms, of course.
Donald Trump boasted he never caved in to political pressure to implement new gun restrictions while he was president. He also urged gun owners to show up at the polls in November. Here he is.
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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've got to get gun owners to vote. Because you know what? I don't know what it is. Perhaps it's a form of rebellion, because you're a rebellious people, aren't you? But gun owners don't vote. What is that all about?
I've heard that, I heard it a few weeks ago, that if the gun owners voted we would swamp them at levels that nobody's ever seen before. So, I think you're a rebellious bunch, but let's be rebellious and vote this time, OK?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Trump's appearance comes after a series of financial misconduct scandals at the NRA. The organization is facing questions about its relevance and financial stability heading into the 2024 election cycle. Well, we now know that Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was at his own birthday bash when agents for the attorney general served him indictment papers. Now, a party attendee tells CNN Giuliani was celebrating his 80th birthday in Palm Beach, Florida on Friday. Two agents caught up to him on his way out to serve him with a summons.
He's the last of 18 defendants to be served a notice of indictment on charges related to an alleged scheme to overturn Arizona's 2020 election results. Arizona prosecutors have been trying to serve Giuliani with the summons for weeks. He's expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Phoenix.
With the Israeli military now fighting in parts of Gaza they'd previously cleared and ceasefire negotiations stalled, Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a new problem. A key member of his War Cabinet has delivered an ultimatum. Benny Gantz says he will quit the War Cabinet if Netanyahu doesn't lay out a plan to get the hostages back, establish a post-war government in Gaza, and normalize relations with Saudi Arabia.
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BENNY GANTZ, ISRAELI WAR CABINET MEMBER (through translator): Now, we are at the crucial crossroads. The leadership must see the big picture. Identify risks, identify opportunities, and formulate an updated national strategy. So, that we can fight shoulder to shoulder, the War Cabinet must formulate and approve by the 8th of June an action plan that will lead to the realization of six strategic goals of national importance.
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BRUNHUBER: Protesters were on the streets of Tel Aviv Saturday. They were calling for the return of the hostages and new elections in Israel.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military says it has recovered the body of a hostage in Gaza. The IDF says Hamas killed Ron Benjamin on October 7th and took his body into Gaza. On Friday, the IDF said it recovered the bodies of three other hostages in Gaza.
Journalist Elliott Gotkine is live in Tel Aviv. So, Elliott, first take us through Gantz's ultimatum, Netanyahu's response, and what it might mean for the fragile coalition and for the war.
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Kim, we know there have been divisions in Israel's War Cabinet, which comprises Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Benny Gantz, his chief political rival, but they've largely managed to put on a united front over the past few months as Israel carries out its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Now, those divisions have burst out into the open.
Just on Wednesday, the defense minister came out and criticized Benjamin Netanyahu for failing to have a coherent plan for the day after and saying that Israel's military could not stay in control of the Gaza Strip once the war is over. Now, Benny Gantz has come out and laid down this ultimatum saying that he will leave the War Cabinet unless Netanyahu presents or deals with this six-point plan that Gantz set out, namely to destroy Hamas militarily, to demilitarize the Gaza Strip, to get a civilian administration to control the Gaza Strip that isn't from Fatah or Hamas, also to return the tens of thousands of Israelis displaced from the north as a result of rocket fire from Iran-backed Hezbollah militia, and also to make progress on normalization with Saudi Arabia.
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But these are really kind of stated government policies anyway. So, I think what Benny Gantz is trying to do is to show Israelis that he is on top of things. He's not a dove. He actually says that Netanyahu should have gone into Rafah weeks ago, rather than waiting all of this time. His complaint really is that Netanyahu has simply been dithering, and in his words, is pushing Israel towards the rocks.
And I think what Gantz is trying to say is, look, if Israel is heading towards the rocks, he doesn't want to be on board when that happens, and also to position himself in the eyes of the Israeli public as a kind of prime minister in waiting, and opinion polls do show that we're an election tomorrow. Benny Gantz would not only beat but also trounce Netanyahu.
Netanyahu dismissed Gantz's ultimatum as washed-up words and said that if he were to do what Gantz was saying, that that would hand victory to Hamas and abandon the hostages still being held captive there. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, and speaking of the captives, Elliott, sadly, the discovery of the body of another hostage, the fourth in two days, and pressure building on Netanyahu to bring the rest of the hostages home, right?
GOTKINE: That's right. This is a 53-year-old father of two, Ron Benjamin, a very keen cyclist. Used to go out biking every Saturday morning. And so, it was on that Saturday morning of October the 7th when he was out biking not far from the northeasterly tip of the Gaza Strip, when he was killed, say, Israel, by Hamas militants and his body abducted back into the Gaza Strip. That body has now been recovered. The IDF isn't saying where, but we understand it was recovered along with those three other bodies whose recovery was announced on Friday.
And we've been having these protests by the families and their supporters of those who are still being held captive in the Gaza Strip. And polls show that the majority of Israelis rank the recovery of Israeli hostages, returning them to Israel as a higher priority than destroying Hamas militarily.
What they are trying to do is put more pressure on the government to do whatever it takes to get their hostages home. And it's worth noting that hostage talks mediated by the Egyptians and the Qataris have hit another roadblock, hit another impasse. And I suppose their big concern now is that we are seeing bodies being recovered of hostages who were presumed previously to be alive, and they're worried that if things aren't sorted out soon that they will not be getting their loved ones back alive. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. All right. Elliott Gotkine in Tel Aviv. Thanks so much.
The U.N. says nearly half of the people living in Rafah, some 800,000 people, have been displaced since Israel began military operations there on May 6th. And they're not receiving enough clean water, basic supplies, food, or shelter.
Meanwhile, in Northern Gaza, Israeli airstrikes are killing people and causing misery. Have a look in this video. Rescuers trying to reach a woman trapped beneath a collapsed building. As they're working, there's a loud explosion nearby and a plume of smoke rises in the air. The first responders do reach the woman who is alive, but Palestinian hospital officials say 30 other people were killed by that Israeli bombardment on Friday.
The airstrikes happened near a small hospital, which ended up treating people with critical injuries and receiving dead bodies. Local TV journalist was also wounded.
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ABDEL KARIM AL-ZWEIDI, JOURNALIST, AL-GHAD TV (through translator): We were working, filming. Suddenly, a shell hit the street where a number of civilians were standing. It hit the center of their gathering. I was injured, and every citizen on the street was injured. A lot of people were martyred.
DR. HUSSAM ABU SAFIYA, DIRECTOR GENERAL OF KAMAL ADWAN HOSPITAL (through translator): Some of the cases, as I mentioned, were dead at the site of the attack. As we've said before, we don't have enough medical supplies and medications. We are before a medical catastrophe. The operating rooms are full, so we will transfer some of the cases to the Al-Awda Hospital to ease the current pressure here. It's an absolute disaster.
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BRUNHUBER: And then, among all the death and destruction, fear and paranoia are growing. On Saturday, several men in Southern Gaza intercepted aid trucks that arrived from the new floating pier built by the U.S. One of the men told CNN that people believe it was sent with "ulterior motives and not to help Palestinians."
U.S. universities continue to grapple with pro-Palestinian protests ahead of graduation ceremonies. The campus at Drexel University in Philadelphia is on lockdown after pro-Palestinian protesters in Philadelphia set up an encampment. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at City Hall as part of a pro-Palestinian march calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Student protesters say they hope the effort will be successful.
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KENDELL LEWIS, DREXEL UNIVERSITY STUDENT: I hope it is more fruitful and then more organizations around the area step up and also collab and, you know, put more efforts into the organization because we want to keep it peaceful at the same time, you know. We don't want anyone to get hurt, we just want people to be heard.
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BRUNHUBER: And at the University of Pennsylvania, police arrested 19 people, including seven students, that followed an attempt by pro- Palestinian demonstrators to occupy a university building. Penn, against the occupation, is calling on the school's administration in part to divest from corporations that "profit" from Israel's war on Gaza and occupation in Palestine.
Millions across the Central Plains are under severe weather threat just days after deadly storms clobbered Texas, where nearly 400,000 homes and businesses are still without power amid rising temperatures. And, rapper Sean Diddy Combs is unlikely to face charges for a videotaped assault on his then girlfriend. Why time is on his side next on CNN. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Nearly 400,000 homes and businesses in Southeast Texas are still without power after that complex of storms slammed across the area on Thursday. Authorities in Houston are scrambling to restore power amid climbing temperatures and humidity.
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Meanwhile, millions across the Central Plains face an increasing threat of severe weather that could bring tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds to the region. CNN Meteorologist Elisa Raffa has that.
ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Some pretty powerful storms packed winds up to 100 miles per hour Thursday night in Houston and that knocked out power. You could see people in the dark here in a Costco.
Now, officials are saying that the power could stay out a couple of days, maybe even weeks in spots because of the way some of the transmitters were hit. This could be a problem as heat starts to build this weekend going into early next week. We'll find temperatures in the middle 90s, but that could feel even hotter than that once you factor in some of the humidity.
Look at the heat index values approaching 100 to 105 from Brownsville, Texas, near 100 in Corpus Christi, heat index values in the middle 90s in Houston. Again, without power and air conditioning, this could pose a little bit more of a risk, so be careful, take breaks as you're cleaning up some of that damage.
That heat builds in the south as another storm system develops there in the Rockies, and that's going to pose our next severe threat in the plains by Sunday and Monday. We're looking at another a couple of round of storms with damaging winds, large hail and maybe some tornadoes possible. So, we'll need to stay weather aware.
You could see the storms are starting to fire up late on Sunday, especially across parts of Kansas, going into Nebraska, and we'll have that front slowly start to work its way into the rest of the Midwest as we go into Monday with that continued storm threat.
So, for Omaha, you're looking at temperatures above average before that front with highs in the 80s and showers and storms roll through as we start out the work week. And those temperatures do get back closer to average with highs in the middle 70s.
BRUNHUBER: Officials plan to refloat the cargo ship that crashed into Baltimore's Key Bridge in the coming days. Authorities say the M/V Dali can finally be relocated after eight weeks of salvage operations and a series of controlled explosions to break apart debris that covered the vessel. Conditions permitting, operations will begin early Monday morning. The ship will be moved to a local marine terminal once it's refloated. Six construction workers were killed when the bridge collapsed back in March.
Three people are dead in Western New York State after an Amtrak train collided with a pickup truck Friday night. All the passengers in the truck were pronounced dead on the scene in the town of North Tonawanda. There were no reported injuries to passengers and crew from the train, which was traveling from New York City to Niagara Falls, when it struck the vehicle on the tracks.
Authorities in Los Angeles are responding to video obtained exclusively by CNN showing Sean Diddy Combs shoving, kicking, and dragging his then girlfriend during a 2016 altercation in a hotel. Now, despite the disturbing images, it seems unlikely the singer will be charged for the assault. Veronica Miracle has details.
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VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has issued a statement saying they have seen the video, they are aware of it, and that it is extremely difficult to watch and very disturbing. They go on to say in a statement that if the conduct depicted occurred in 2016, unfortunately, we would be unable to charge, as the conduct would have occurred beyond the timeline where crime of assault can be prosecuted.
As of today, they also say that law enforcement has not filed a case with the District Attorney's Office. We reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department, they too say they are aware of the video, but they also say there is not an open investigation with the LAPD against Mr. Combs at this time.
Now, we pressed and asked if any kind of report was filed after the assault, and they have not responded to our question. Sean Combs nor his team have not responded to the video.
Veronica Miracle, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: A federal judge has ordered that the sentencing case against David DePape should be reopened. Now, he's the man convicted of assaulting the husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The sentence is being reconsidered because the presiding judge didn't give DePape a chance to speak before she imposed 30 years in federal prison.
Prosecutors had earlier raised concerns with the court about how DePape's case was handled. The new hearing is set for May 28th. DePape's lawyers have appealed the entire sentence.
The mayor of Louisville, Kentucky tells CNN there is no police body camera video available of pro golfer Scottie Scheffler's arrest on Friday. Scheffler has been charged with assaulting a police officer who was directing traffic at the scene of a fatal crash. CNN's Gloria Pazmino has more.
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GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, a significant development. We are learning about this unfolding investigation. We spoke with Mayor Greenberg earlier today, who told us that so far the police has not found any body cam video showing the beginning of the interaction between the arresting officer and Scottie Scheffler.
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Now, that's going to be a critical piece of this puzzle because right now the police are saying one thing and Scheffler and his attorney are saying another following this bizarre event involving the number one golfer in the world. Take a listen to the mayor.
CRAIG GREENBERG, LOUISVILLE MAYOR: The officer did not have a body cam footage turned on during the incident. We will release footage that we have. We do not have any -- to my knowledge, we have not yet have discovered any video of the initial contact between Mr. Gillis and Mr. -- Officer Gillis and Mr. Scheffler. There is some footage from across the street of a fixed camera when Mr. Scheffler was being arrested, and we will release that footage in the coming days.
PAZMINO: Now, there is other video that police have been able to recover from the scene, both from polls in the area and dash cam video that was obtained by other police officers, and that is currently being reviewed by police as you heard the mayor say there. They are expecting to release that video. But it is unlikely that we will be seeing the very beginning of the interaction between Scheffler and that officer.
In the meantime, his attorney continued to say that this was all just a misunderstanding.
STEVEN ROMINES, SCHEFFLER'S ATTORNEY: He was directed by a traffic control officer to go around a stopped bus and to proceed into the grounds at Baja. Never at any time that he disregarded any officer's directions. He followed another traffic control officer's directions as to how to proceed. PAZMINO: Now, in the meantime, the PGA Championship is scheduled to go through Sunday. And while Scheffler is still one of the heavy favorites, he is also looking ahead to Tuesday, that is when he is expected to be arraigned. The mayor of Louisville telling us earlier that he would not comment on whether the charges should be dismissed or downgraded. Simply saying he believes the criminal process should play out.
Reporting in Louisville, I'm Gloria Pazmino, CNN.
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BRUNHUBER: All right. Coming up, the White House is struggling right now to maintain strong relationships in Africa. Now, the Biden administration is hoping a state visit from Kenya's president, a key ally, will help in those efforts. That's coming up. Please do stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: And welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."
In just a few hours, President Biden will give the commencement speech at Morehouse College here in Atlanta. Now, there are worries about how students will respond to the president amidst growing opposition to the war in Gaza and U.S. policy towards the war. Biden arrived in Atlanta a date early to attend a fundraising event. He described his opponent, Donald Trump, as "a sore loser and a loser."
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Trump courted members of the National Rifle Association at their annual meeting. He told the crowd the rights of gun owners are under siege and he urged them to get active ahead of the election.
President Biden will host Kenyan President William Ruto and his wife at the White House this month. It'll be the first official state visit by an African leader to the United States since 2008, and it comes as the U.S. faces setbacks in its relationship within the African continent.
Now, first of all, Biden has promised to visit Africa during his first term, but he hasn't done that, and the U.S. is losing influence in the region politically, diplomatically, and economically to Russia and China. Coups in nations across what's known as the Sahel are also straining relations with Washington, 10 of them by some counts since 2020.
And right now, U.S. forces are being ordered to leave Niger, a country which is led by a military junta that took power last year. Niger was once a key regional partner for the United States with U.S. troops working with the country's deposed officials to counter terrorism. Murithi Mutiga is the Africa program director for the International Crisis Group, and he joins me now from Nairobi, Kenya. Thank you so much for being here with us.
So, just to start, I mean, I was shocked when I realized it had been at least 15 years since any African leader was given a state visit at the White House. Why do you think it's been so long?
MURITHI MUTIGA, AFRICA PROGRAM DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: So, it's a very good question and the thing is that I think the U.S. has taken its eye off Africa at a very crucial moment, at a moment when it's geopolitical rivals like China and Russia, as you mentioned in your overview, have been engaging very intently at a moment when the U.S. frankly needs Africa, you know, they need the minerals for the green transition, they need Africa's partnership in major geopolitical questions of the day, including at the U.N. General Assembly. So, I think the U.S. is playing catch up, but probably a bit late.
BRUNHUBER: OK. I want to get to some of those bigger picture questions in a second, but just first on the actual visit itself. So, what is at the top of their agenda? Do you think security cooperation?
MUTIGA: So, I think both sides will seek different things from this meeting. I think on the Kenyan side, they will seek more trade and investment into Kenya at a time when the country needs, you know, all the help it can get. But I think for the U.S. security will be at the top of the agenda.
Kenya has committed to send paramilitary troops to Haiti where, you know, the U.S. obviously is very concerned about the general breakdown in law and order. They are also big partners in tackling the lethal insurgency by Al-Shabaab in Somalia. So, security will be at the top of the list for the U.S. I think for Kenya, trade and investment will top the agenda.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. I mean, Kenya was always a strong partner in terms of security. But as I kind of outlined in the introduction, I mean, even more important, now given the collapse in cooperation that we're seeing elsewhere in Africa, as I said, with Niger, where the U.S. will likely lose its drone base. I mean, so vital for counter terrorism in the region, right?
MUTIGA: So, Kenya is a counterpart for the U.S. on a number of levels. One is that the Kenyan model is something that the U.S. finds attractive. It's a relatively open and free democracy, with a strong free media, with a strong, free civil society, and a relatively flourishing democracy with a good constitution, you know.
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And at the same time, as you said, in the continent, we see a lot of hostility, not just to the U.S. but also to France, to old colonial masters. And so, it's a moment in which Kenya basically is one of the most stalwart partners of the U.S. in a context in which there's more and more hostility, especially in West Africa, where we've seen the U.S. being asked to leave in Niger, the U.S. troops being asked to leave, but also in places like Chad, which were historically close allies of the West. So, you know, Kenya is almost an exception in that regard.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. That hostility that you mentioned, they're turning away from the U S., they seem to be turning towards Russia and China. So, in terms of maybe economic links as well, how important will this visit be in terms of signaling to the rest of Africa that the U.S. does value Africa?
MUTIGA: So, it's really important. As you mentioned in your introduction, the plan was for President Biden to visit Africa in the course of his first term. That did not work, partly because of major global challenges that have broken out in the last two years. But I think rolling out the red carpet for an African head of state will signal both domestically in the U.S., but also particularly in Africa, that Africa still matters in terms of the way the U.S. views the world.
I think that we've seen consistently over the last three administrations, under Obama, under Trump, under President Biden, that there's been a focus to great power competition. But this focus on that shift has almost occurred in a context in which, you know, the U.S. was almost signaling that we don't really pay attention to places like Africa. We want to focus on the Far East, on China and Russia. I think this will signal that the U.S. still cares. I think it's probably happening a bit late, but it's an important first step.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. I'm just running -- I mean, you know, there was such a great link between President Obama and Kenya. Obviously, that was a great loss to Kenya when he left office. But how important on that last bit there? Is it that President Biden actually fulfills that promise and goes to Africa if he, you know, gets a second term?
MUTIGA: I think if President Biden is re-elected, it will be really important for him to travel to Africa. I think it will signal that, you know, they can go beyond rhetoric and actually show that they care about the continent.
I think President Obama, his visit to the continent was really important. It was important as an assertion that he's not, you know, unaware of his roots. He's not unconscious of the fact that the continent played a very important role in his political trajectory. I think it'll be really important.
And as I said, when you look at the way that the Chinese, for example, engage with the continent, every year the first visit by the foreign minister of China is to Africa. And so, that signals interest. It signals commitment. And I think the U.S. really needs to play catch up, it needs to improve its game. And if President Biden is re- elected, I think a visit to the continent would be really important as a signal.
BRUNHUBER: I really appreciate your analysis, Murithi Mutiga in Nairobi. Thank you so much for being with us.
MUTIGA: Thank you.
All right. So, as we discussed, Kenya is offering to send officers to Haiti to help tackle the worsening security crisis there. The island nation has been overrun by gangs, largely cutting off its capital from the rest of the world. But that's not stopping guns and ammunition from getting in. David Culver went to Port-au-Prince to investigate.
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DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Touching down in Haiti's gang controlled capital, we move quickly, armed guards holding the perimeter as a long line of anxious passengers hurry out the way we came in.
Driving deeper to Port-au-Prince, we pass those desperately trying to survive a crippling humanitarian crisis.
CULVER: Can you give us a sense how dire the situation is getting with each passing day?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look, were very worried right now, you've got 5 million people in Haiti who are acutely food insecure. That's the highest on record, the highest it's ever been, and we're going through the worst crisis in Haiti since the 2010 earthquake. It's that simple.
CULVER (voice-over): The WFP warns food supplies across the country are rapidly dwindling as hunger worsens.
CULVER: For folks who are getting this, how many of the meals a day are they going to get --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This will be their one meal.
CULVER (voice-over): And delivering that one daily meal to starving communities increasingly risky.
CULVER: The logistics alone are incredibly challenging. I mean, just every corner, you don't know what you're going to come across.
[04:40:00]
CULVER (voice-over): Not to mention the constantly shifting gang boundaries.
CULVER: Do you ever get scared delivering the food?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sometimes.
CULVER (voice-over): The U.N. estimates gangs control more than 80 percent of Port- au-Prince severing crucial supply lines for food, fuel, and medical supplies. And yet, while basic necessities are scarce, guns and ammo, seemingly plentiful and ravaging this country.
How are the weapons getting here and from where?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. We'll do one low pass. We'll make a hard right turn, will be back inbound.
CULVER: We're at the central plateau. This is an area that year it's been known for drug smuggling here in Haiti.
CULVER (voice-over): More recently, the U.N. says weapons also come in this way, arriving into Haiti's mountainous and hard to reach rural areas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Likely it's going to be a light airplane up. I've seen a lot of Cessnas. But it does look like that grass has been tampered with right there.
CULVER (voice-over): Often landing in the dark of night under the radar or smuggled across the land border or by sea. Law enforcement believes arms and ammo arrive at the dock of what once was a flour mill, taken over and now controlled by gangs. Haitian security sources, sharing with us these images of seized weapons from other locations. The U.N. says most guns are shipped illegally from the U.S. and end up in the hands of various gangs.
VITEL'HOMME INNOCENT, LEADER OF KRAZE BARYE (through translator): There are always guns that come in. There are always bullets.
CULVER (voice-over): One of the most influential gang leaders, Vitel'homme Innocent, even explaining how easy it is to import guns and ammo compared with food or medicine, though not confirming where the weapons originate from.
CULVER: Are your weapons coming in from the U.S.?
INNOCENT (through translator): No, I don't go to the U.S. I cannot accuse the U.S. to say weapons come from there.
CULVER (voice-over): To be sure, we had weapons experts review our footage with members of Vitel'homme's gang, examining images like these. They tell us that many of these firearms and accessories are in fact made in the U.S., smuggled directly or stolen from Haitian police. The end result here is often the same.
With the innocent caught in the crossfire, like eight-year-old Woodjina Cadot shot earlier this year while playing with friends. When we visited in February, her family was living in this makeshift encampment as she was recovering from surgery. Her little sister keeping watch.
But days later, gangs torched the whole neighborhood.
CULVER: Hi, Woodjina, how are you? Good to see you. You're walking.
CULVER (voice-over): We meet again as Woodjina heads to a doctor's appointment. We learn her family now sleeps on a church floor. Wujina's sister sent to live with other relatives. Her mom says it was too difficult to flee the gangs while carrying both kids.
LOVENCIA JULIEN, WOODJINA'S MOTHER (through translator): When we had to run, I could not have ran with both of them. CULVER (voice-over): Back alongside the WFP, we arrive at our stop to distribute those meals. It's a school turned displacement camp. We step out to a crowd of several hundred. Recent gang violence forcing most here to become refugees in their own city.
CULVER: And did you see that firsthand, some of violence?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I see. I ran from it.
CULVER: You ran from it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I ran from it.
CULVER: What --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I ran from a lot of like a lot of shots, a lot of gangs.
CULVER: People shooting at you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People shooting and they're burning houses.
CULVER (voice-over): Folks here, grateful for the one meal they'll get today.
CULVER: What about tomorrow?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know about tomorrow. We're just hoping for tomorrow.
CULVER (voice-over): Here, thinking about tomorrow, even that is a luxury.
David Culver, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: All right. Still ahead, more people are being evacuated near Ukraine's northern border, but the intense fighting is making it harder to leave. We'll have a live report next. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Some Ukrainians are still struggling to get out of the Kharkiv region where heavy fighting with Russian forces continues. Officials say about 100 people are still in the embattled town of Vovchansk. Ukraine's emergency services say explosions are moving closer and the situation is getting worse every minute.
At least three people were killed and seven others injured over the past 24 hours, according to police. The head of Kharkiv's defense forces says the overall situation in the region is difficult, but Ukrainian troops are gradually stabilizing it.
And joining us now is CNN's Barbie Nadeau in Rome. So, Barbie, on the fighting in the Kharkiv region, what is the latest?
BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Yes, you know, they're saying it's just a very difficult situation, intense fighting over the last 24 hours, as you said. You know, they evacuated the majority of the population. There's about 100 people remaining. You know, these are scenes reminiscent of the earlier days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and it just underscores, according to Ukrainian military, the need for continued military support to keep the Russians at bay. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, the support they need in terms of weapons, but they're also outmanned and, on that score, the new mobilization order takes effect. So, what more can you tell us about that?
NADEAU: Yes, you know, they're calling on men the age between 18 and 62 that are able to fight to register, that they won't be called up until they're 25 years old. And there's really no sort of end to when the service might be. It'll be obviously as long as they're needed.
And, you know, we've heard from Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, telling us -- or telling people just how important these fighters are. Let's take a listen.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I think all of our warriors who showed sufficient resilience and managed to gain more confidence, especially in the Kharkiv direction this week, the occupiers losing its infantry and equipment, a tangible loss, even though, just as in 2022, it was counting on a quick advance on our land.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NADEAU: And you know, when you listen to that, it's just really about keeping morale up as they continue to fight, as this war continues to rage on, and as the world continues to watch. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much. Barbie Nadeau in Rome.
Georgia's president, Salome Zurabishvili, says she's vetoed the so- called Foreign Agents Bill that sparked widespread protests across the country. Now, it would require organizations receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as foreign agents or face fines. Critics say it's modeled after Russian laws meant to snuff out opposition. And Zurabishvili says the bill could jeopardize Georgia's chances of joining the European Union.
Now, a simple majority in Georgia's parliament could still overrule the president's veto. 84 lawmakers voted to approve the bill on Tuesday, with only 30 voting against it.
All right. After the break, an upset. Second leg of the Triple Crown in Maryland. We'll have more that next. Stay with us.
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[04:50:00]
BRUNHUBER: American gymnast Simone Biles won the all-round event at the Core Hydration Classic on Saturday, edging out fellow U.S. gymnast Shilese Jones. The victory for the legendary Olympian is the first step towards qualification for this summer's Olympics in Paris. Biles scored 59.5 points in her first gymnastics meet of the year. And that's her best all-round total since returning to competition last year.
Now, you'll remember, Biles withdrew from several events at the Tokyo Olympics after suffering from what she called the twisties. That's a mental block causing a gymnast to lose track of their position in midair.
Well, there will be no Triple Crown winner in the U.S. horse racing this year. Seize the Grey upset Kentucky Derby winner and favorite Mystik Dan on a muddy track at the 149th Preakness States in Maryland. Mystik Dan challenged Seize the Grey on the home stretch but couldn't catch up. An underdog, Seize the Grey, entered the race facing 9 to 1 odds.
[04:55:00]
The Triple Crown's third and final leg will be held on June 8th at the Belmont Stakes in New York.
All right. Well, there's never been a better time to be a Bayer Leverkusen fan. The German soccer team's unprecedented season came to a historic close on Saturday. Now, they were already crowned the champions of Germany. Leverkusen's 2-1 victory over Augsburg cemented its spot in Bundesliga history. It's the first German team to go unbeaten in a single campaign. Neverlusen, as they're now called, also holds the longest unbeaten run across all top level matches since the introduction of European competitions, according to UEFA.
Garfield, the lasagna loving cartoon cat, never had it so good. Have a look at this. A Garfield look-alike competition took place in Malaysia, honoring the infamous feline and bringing orange cat owners together from all over the country. The winner was a four-year-old stray named Hara. His owner recalls being shocked by the judge's decision.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADAM ZAILANI, OWNER OF WINNING CAT: Most of the cat competitions are between expensive breeds type of cats, which is most often cat owners feels not included. But this time around, I just feel like this is a very good opportunity for Hara, which is just a stray cat, to join this kind of competition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Now, more than 100 cats joined the competition. Hara won a cash prize and a cat food supply, but sadly, no lasagna.
All right. I'm Kim Brunhuber. We'll be back with more "CNN Newsroom" in a moment. Please do stay with us.
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