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Ebrahim Raisi's Funeral Ceremony Underway in Tehran; Netanyahu Slams ICC Warrant Bid and Denies Goal of Resettling in Gaza; Defense Rests, Closing Arguments Set for Next Tuesday in Trump's Hush Money Trial; One Dead, 71 Injured After Turbulence Hits Flight; One Dead, 71 Injured after Turbulence Hits Flight; Kenyan President to Visit White House Thursday; Japanese City Blocks Mt. Fuji View from Tourists. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired May 22, 2024 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:25]

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Paula Newton.

Ahead right here on CNN NEWSROOM, Iran bids farewell to its president as the funeral for Ebrahim Raisi gets underway this hour in Tehran. The U.N. warns that Israel is making it impossible to deliver aid to civilians in Gaza as Benjamin Netanyahu levels new criticism against calls for his arrest. And an investigation is underway after a Singapore Airlines flight hits extreme turbulence with deadly results. We are live in Hong Kong with those details.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Paula Newton.

NEWTON: And we do begin this hour in Iran where the funeral ceremony for late President Ebrahim Raisi is just now getting underway in Tehran. Now officials from Russia, Turkey, India, and Afghanistan are said to be in the Iranian capital for this funeral. Raisi's body was flown to Tehran on Tuesday where mourners gathered in the Grand Mosalla Mosque to pay their respects to him, as well as the country's foreign minister and seven others.

All of them were killed in a helicopter crash over the weekend. Tehran is just the latest stop in funeral ceremonies that began Tuesday in the northwest city of Tabriz. They will conclude on Thursday night in the city of Mashhad where Raisi is set to be buried. Now Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is expected to lead those prayers himself.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is following developments and joins us now from Abu Dhabi.

And Paula, this is essentially a day -- day two in fact of an elaborate, choreographed mourning period. What can we expect in the coming hours now from Tehran?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via phone): Well, Paula, we are expecting this to be a somber day in Iran where we are going to see many people on the streets. We're expecting large crowds. There's a national holiday today in the whole of the country to allow people to be able to be part of the procession itself. And you can see from the images that there will be many on the streets and these are obviously those that support the government.

There are others that will not be part of this commemoration, certainly, as he was a divisive figure, the late president. But we are expecting large ceremonies today in the Grand Mosalla Mosque in Tehran itself. And then tomorrow, as you say, they will be taking just the late president's body to Birjand then and also to Mashhad where Raisi was born. And that is where we'll see the supreme leader leading the prayers and later on Thursday the president will be laid to rest in Mashhad.

Now there were nine people on board this helicopter. All nine bodies are being part of this multi-day funeral ceremony. The procession that is happening in different cities across the country and it happened alongside the investigation that has begun now to try and find out exactly what did happen on Sunday. We know the chief of staff has ordered this investigation to be underway. A military commander is leading it up with technical experts.

And we will have also had more details from the chief of staff of Raisi, who was on one of the other helicopters on Sunday. There was three helicopters in the convoy. And speaking to state media, the chief of staff has said that the weather conditions when they took off in Eastern Azerbaijan province were perfect at the start of the flight. They took off about 1:00 p.m. and 45 minutes into the flight the pilots of Raisi's helicopter, who was in charge of the convoy, ordered the other helicopters to increase altitude to avoid cloud.

Now, that is when he says the president's helicopter, which was in- between in this convoy, suddenly disappeared. So just after flying above the clouds, his pilots just the helicopter in the middle had disappeared, circled back and tried to search but was unable to decrease altitude because of the clouds. So after several attempts to contact the helicopter by radio, they then flew on and landed at a nearby copper mine.

Now he also said something interesting that one of the other passengers on board the helicopter with President Raisi and Foreign Minister Abdollahian was the Tabriz's Friday prayer imam.

[00:05:09]

He answered the pilot's phone and said that they had crushed into a mountain and that he was in critical condition. Now we understand from this interview that he was alive for at least three hours after the crash and was able to speak to officials multiple times before he died as well. It took the rescue team some 16 hours to be able to reach the location and they said that after they did find the location, it was clear from the condition of the bodies, of the president, the late foreign minister, that they had died instantly in this crash.

But this sort of information is what the investigators will be listening to, will be piecing through to try and get a sense of the last moments on board that helicopter to try and figure out exactly why it did fly him to the side of that mountain in this very inhospitable that terrain of northwestern Iran -- Paula.

NEWTON: Yes, Paula, incredibly shocking details and disturbing. And in some ways, they raise more questions than they answer. But now, of course, all eyes focused on this funeral procession in Tehran. We will continue to bring you the latest from there in the coming hours.

Paula Hancocks for us, thanks so much.

Now the U.N. warns that Israel's military operations in north, south, and central Gaza are making it impossible to deliver aid to desperate civilians. One senior official says the situation in the enclave is worse than, quote, "hell on earth." UNRWA says its distribution center and the World Food Program warehouse in Rafah are low on supplies, and in fact inaccessible, forcing the agency to suspend food distribution in the southern city. Meantime, the U.N. says the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel is technically open. But moving aid into Gaza is extremely difficult because of hostilities and of course, those logistical challenges.

The U.S. meantime says 569 metric tons of humanitarian aid have now reached Gaza across its floating pier, but one U.N. official says security issues and convoy raids have kept the aid from being distributed to the people who need it in Gaza. The Pentagon, in fact, acknowledges this issue. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. PAT RYDER, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: The causeway has been able to get over 569 metric tons of aid into Gaza for onward delivery. So yes, very shortly I think you'll see aid starting to be delivered.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: But none of that has been delivered, right? As of today.

RYDER: As of today, I do not believe so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is once again lashing out at the pursuit of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him and his defense minister. Speaking to CNN's Jake Tapper on Tuesday, he said claims of war crimes are based on a, quote, "pack of lies." He also denied allegations that he is starving civilians in Gaza as a method of war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: It's a central part of the ICC's charges against you and Gallant is, quote, "starvation of civilians as a method of warfare." Now I know that Israel repeatedly claims that enough aid is getting in and there is not a purposeful starvation that those claiming otherwise are misinformed or lying.

Is Israel going to send a delegation to The Hague to present any evidence to defend itself? BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I think these charges are

exactly as President Biden called them. They're outrageous. They're beyond outrageous. This is a rogue prosecutor that has put false charges and created false symmetries that are both dangerous and false. And the first false symmetry is he equates the democratically elected leaders of Israel with the terrorist tyrants of Hamas.

That's like saying that, well, I'm issuing, you know, arrest warrants for FDR and Churchill, but also for Hitler. Or I'm issuing arrest warrants for George Bush -- George W. Bush, but also for bin Laden. That's absurd. Secondly, the charges are completely false.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Mr. Netanyahu also laid out his plans for Gaza once the war is over, saying Israel has no intention of resettling the enclave. He says his goal is to defeat Hamas.

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NETANYAHU: Now, I have a very clear plan. I think the first thing -- the day after Hamas, Jake, is the day after Hamas. We have to get rid of Hamas. Otherwise, there's no future for Gaza, no future for peace, and it'll be a tremendous victory for, not only for Hamas, but for the Iran terror axis that backs and organizes Hezbollah, the Houthis, and all these other sundry terrorist organizations.

So I think we have to defeat Hamas and we will defeat Hamas. Rafah is the last stronghold of Hamas terrorist battalions. We'll defeat them. That ends the intense part of the fighting. But once Hamas is defeated, what we have to do is have sustained demilitarization of Gaza.

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And yes, on this, I think the only force that can prevent the resurgence of terrorism for the foreseeable future is Israel. At the same time, we want -- I want a civilian administration that is run by Gazans who are neither Hamas nor committed to our destruction.

TAPPER: So you're taking it off the table?

NETANYAHU: And the third thing that we need to do is -- no, I'm not. I'm putting it on the table, on the contrary. No, that's not --

TAPPER: I'm saying, you're taking off an Israeli occupation of Gaza. You're taking off the table an Israeli --

NETANYAHU: If you mean resettling Gaza, yes, it was never in the cards and I said so openly, and some of my constituents are not happy about it, but that's my position.

The third thing that I would do is have a reconstruction of Gaza, if possible done by the moderate Arab states and the international community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Joining me now is Steven Cook, senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and the author of the book, "The End of Ambition: America's Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East."

I want to thank you for being with us. You know, Netanyahu took the rhetorical lead as we have heard in the last couple of days, calling the ICC, and its accusations, the height of hypocrisy. You know, many Israelis are united behind them and feeling that way. You argue that the ICC's move may actually embolden Israel especially when it comes to what's going on in Rafah right now. How so?

STEVEN COOK, SENIOR FELLOW FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Yes. It seems clear that Netanyahu and the Israeli people are united on this issue and believing that the ICC's -- ICC prosecutors requests for warrants is unjust and unfair, and creates a false equivalence between the leaders, the democratically elected leaders of Israel, as well as Hamas. And the danger here is that now Netanyahu has more support.

There already was significant support for a Rafah operation, but if he and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who's also named in this request for warrants, believe and Israelis believe they have nothing much to lose because no matter what they do to protect themselves, they will be criticized and even potentially hauled before the International Criminal Court. There's a likelihood that they will go very big in Rafah.

NEWTON: I want to get to your books title, right? It's direct. It says "The End of America's Ambition" to find the elusive peace in the Middle East. What do you make of the Biden administration's move to try and broker that peace, including crucially the fact that it would include Saudi Arabia, right? Because, in fact, to your words, that would be ambitious.

COOK: Yes, I think that the effort to wrap an American-Saudi security deal around a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia is too much. It is too ambitious. Right now the best thing for the United States to do is to separate those issues, and if there truly is an important argument to be made about security pack with Saudi Arabia, the president and his advisers should make it to the Congress, which will have to sign off on such a deal.

Now is not the time. The Saudi's price, the American price for normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia is just something that the Israelis are unwilling to pay right now. And that is, in the words of the American administration, a credible time limited path towards a Palestinian state. It's something that two-thirds of Israelis reject at the moment. It also sounds a lot like the Oslo Accords going back to the 1990s which failed.

So it seems to me that the United States should be -- approach this in a different way, and more straightforward way, and look for a bilateral agreement with Saudi Arabia and the United States over security. And then in the future when a time is ripe, if it ever is ripe, look for a Saudi-Israeli deal.

NEWTON: I want to get back to the issue of Netanyahu and Israeli politics, but just quickly on that point, do you believe the Biden administration will still push for that more ambitious plan or do you think they will abandon it soon?

COOK: I think that they are. I think that a lot of the leaks, a lot of the news stories are intended to put pressure on Netanyahu, here would be this extraordinary achievement, something that he had aimed for, a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia. But now the price is different than it was prior to October 7th. Now the price is something that he cannot possibly do.

NEWTON: And going back to Netanyahu and the fact that before the ICC, he was facing a lot of internal political pressure. That still exists. Do you see an outline for an end game for Netanyahu here?

COOK: No, I think that Netanyahu has been consistent in his vision such that it is the day after in Gaza, which is no Palestinian state, no reinvigorated Palestinian Authority, and overall Israeli security control of the Gaza Strip.

[00:15:11]

I think that that's also something that has significant political support in Israel. I think his ideas about Gazans taking over the administration of the area are unlikely to be successful. So to the extent that he has a vision, has an end game is one that is based on those three propositions, no Palestinian state, no Palestinian Authority, and over security control, beyond that, there really isn't much.

And I'm afraid it sets Israel for a continued at least military control and forever war in the Gaza Strip.

NEWTON: Yes. Grim prospects indeed for everyone involved.

Steven Cook, we'll leave it there for now. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

COOK: Thank you.

NEWTON: And still ahead for us, both sides in Donald Trump's hush money trial have now rested their cases. We'll look the next steps on when the former U.S. president could learn his fate.

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NEWTON: Ominous looking, isn't it? I mean, seven tornadoes have hit the U.S. state of Iowa killing at least one person on Tuesday. In fact, a powerful line of thunderstorms across parts of Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois prompted tornado watches for those states. It was strong enough to force the temporary closure of the Des Moines International Airport.

Now, Iowa officials say, meantime, the city of Greenfield suffered devastating damage from one tornado. You can see it there it went right through the center of town. One resident tells CNN, there is basically nothing left.

Now the defense has rested its case in Donald Trump's first criminal trial with closing arguments now set for next Tuesday. The former U.S. president is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.

CNN's Kara Scannell reports on the final day of testimony and the key moments leading up to it.

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KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The defense rested their case on Tuesday without former president Donald Trump taking the stand in his historic hush money trial.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Almost five weeks of work.

SCANNELL: On Monday the prosecution rested its case, having called 20 witnesses over 19 days, totaling over 50 hours of testimony. Meanwhile, Trump's team called just two witnesses with about two hours of testimony. The majority of that time came from former adviser to Trump's ex lawyer, Michael Cohen, Robert Costello.

[00:20:00]

The defense hoped to use Costello to attack Cohen's credibility but Costello ended up angering the judge on Monday, leading the judge to clear the courtroom to address his decorum.

TRUMP: We have a phenomenal case. We've won the case by any standard.

SCANNELL: Prosecutors began their case approximately one month ago by questioning former "National Enquirer" publisher, David Pecker. Pecker laid out the catch-and-kill scheme at the crux of the prosecution's case. Prosecutors alleged Trump falsified business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels to block her story of an alleged affair with Trump from becoming public to influence the 2016 election. Trump denies the affair.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Was it hush money to stay silent?

STORMY DANIELS, ADULT FILM STAR: Yes. The story was coming out again.

SCANNELL: All eyes were on Daniels when she took the stand. Prosecutors sought to bolster her testimony by having Daniels recall specific details of her alleged sexual encounter with Trump and the events surrounding it.

The prosecution's final and star witness was Michael Cohen, the only one who can directly link Trump to the alleged crimes.

MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER TRUMP LAWYER: I just want to get through this so that I can start my own life again. SCANNELL: Cohen walked the jury through Trump's involvement,

recounting conversations with Trump when he directed Cohen to pay off Daniels before the 2016 election, as well as the 11 checks including ones Trump personally signed to reimburse Cohen for the funds that he paid to Daniels out of his pocket.

COHEN: And he says to me something to the effect of, don't worry, Michael, your January and February reimbursement checks are coming.

SCANNELL: Cohen testified the check stubs were false because they said the payments were made for a retainer agreement. During intense cross- examination, Trump's team's main objective was to undercut Cohen's credibility, aiming to paint him as a vengeful liar who hates Trump.

TRUMP: Michael Cohen is a convicted liar and he's got no credibility whatsoever.

SCANNELL: Trump attorney Todd Blanche got Cohen to admit he stole from the Trump Organization. In one of the most dramatic moments in the trial, Cohen was pressed over his memory of a key phone conversation when Cohen said he told Trump Daniels' deal was getting resolved.

Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: New allegations have been brought against rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs just days after he issued a public apology for abusing a former girlfriend. Now former model Crystal McKinney has filed a lawsuit against Combs, claiming the rapper drugged her and sexually assaulted her in 2003 when they met at a New York fashion event. She's suing Combs under New York law allowing more time to take civil action after gender-motivated acts of violence by extending the statute of limitations.

This latest lawsuit comes days after surveillance footage showed Combs physically attacking his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in 2016.

Still ahead for us, a terrifying moment on board a flight from London to Singapore. Extreme turbulence at 37,000 feet. One passenger says all hell broke loose.

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NEWTON: And a warm welcome back. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Newton.

An investigation is underway after extreme turbulence hit a Singapore Airlines flight, leaving one passenger dead and more than 70 others injured. Now the flight from London to Singapore was diverted to Bangkok due to that emergency -- that medical emergency on board. Data from Flightradar24 shows the Boeing plane rapidly dropping and climbing multiple times within just 90 seconds. The injured were taken to hospital and the deceased has now been

identified as a 73-year-old British man. One passenger described the moment when that turbulence hit. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DZAFRAN AZMIR, PASSENGER ON FLIGHT SQ321: The seatbelt signs were off. There were a lot -- there were people within the lavatories and the crew that were working. Anybody who were standing, especially the people within the lavatories were the most injured from what I've seen. But I saw people from across the aisle just like going completely horizontal, hitting the ceiling and landing back down in like really awkward positions. People like getting massive gashes in the head, concussions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: CNN's Anna Coren is following developments and joins us now live from Hong Kong.

Just harrowing account there, Anna. I mean, there are still so many questions about how this happened and why those injuries as we just heard described are so extensive. What more can you tell us now about the investigation?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, Paula, what we know at the moment is that SQ321 hits sudden and extreme turbulence around 2:19 p.m. local time yesterday afternoon. The Boeing 777 airliner, as you say, was flying over the Irrawaddy Basin in Myanmar. It was on route from London to Singapore. It was about 10 hours into the flight and only had less than three hours to go. They're flying at an altitude of 37,000 feet.

There were storms in the area, but the passengers on board who have spoken to the media said that there was no warning whatsoever. The seatbelt sign was not on. People were up, they're walking around, using the bathrooms, and then one of the passengers said that it felt like within 10 seconds the plane began shaking. It tilted and then it dropped. And people were then flying around the cabin, hitting the roof as you heard from that passenger just moments ago.

Everything loose became a projectile and then there are gashes in the overhead cabin panels, so it just goes to show that the force of that turbulence catching everyone by surprise. And we are looking at these videos and photos from inside the cabin. You know, what was left. But there are photos of it, even cabin crew with bloody faces. One man tragically died. A man from Britain, 73-year-old, Jeffrey Kitchen. The cause of his death is yet to be confirmed. But we do know that 71 people have been injured. Six of those are in a serious condition.

Now after this turbulence, almost an hour-and-a-half later, these plane landed in Bangkok, making that emergency landing. The injured obviously taken to hospital. A relief plane then flew 143 passengers onwards to Singapore and the others who were injured and family members of the injured, they stayed on in Bangkok.

Let's have a listen to the CEO of Singapore Airlines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOH CHOON PHONG, SINGAPORE AIRLINES CEO: On behalf of Singapore Airlines I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased. We are very sorry for the traumatic experience that everyone on board SQ321 went through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: So traumatic, Paula, that many people who were, you know, coming off the plane and who were coming into contact with the media they said we don't want to relive this harrowing incident. It was the worst moment of our lives. Singapore's Transport Safety Investigation Bureau, they are obviously flying to Bangkok to inspect the plane. They're doing their own investigation.

[00:30:09]

And then, because this is a Boeing airline, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is also sending representatives and technical staff to Bangkok.

As we say, there were storms in the area at the time. But experts believe that this could have been affected by clear air turbulence, which we understand is very difficult to detect, Paula.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And we should still say, Anna, I mean, dying in an issue -- in a situation where you have turbulence of any kind is still exceedingly rare. And yet, I know you have -- you have heard from many of these passengers that this really was an extraordinary event when it comes to turbulence.

COREN: Yes, as you say, turbulence-related accidents -- well, certainly, when there's fatalities involved, are very rare. It's been decades since there has been a death as a result of turbulence.

But accidents, people getting injured because of turbulence, yes, that does happen. And it is the most common type of accident. That's according to the U.S. National Transport [SIC] Safety Board, a study that they held in 2021.

But you know, the reason that this is -- is just, you know, so staggering is that we all get on planes. We all travel, you know, somewhere around the world. And you just assume, when you fly through turbulence or when there's storms, the pilot will tell you to put the seatbelt on. That warning light comes on.

But in this case, Paula, there was no warning. And Singapore Airlines, it is one of the leading airlines and safest airlines in the world. So this has certainly rocked the aviation industry. Hence, the level of investigation that will go into this incident.

NEWTON: Yes, and at least one study, we should note, Anna, says that climate change might continue to mean that we have more incidences of turbulence. That doesn't mean that it would be severe, but certainly more incidences. Buckle up, I guess, is the word to everyone.

Anna Coren for us in Hong Kong. Thanks so much.

Now a number of troops are expected to arrive in Haiti in the day ahead as part of a multinational security mission led by Kenya. That's according to a law enforcement source there who spoke to CNN.

Haiti's national police are battling deadly gangs that have seized control of much of the capital of Port-au-Prince.

The source says a delegation of Kenyan command staff arrived in Haiti Tuesday, ahead of the U.N.-approved mission. The U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, defended U.S. funding for the mission in a Senate hearing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Haiti's on the precipice of becoming an all-out failed state.

There's an opportunity now to do a few things. First, we have managed to move to a better trajectory politically to get back to a clearly mandated democratic government.

Second, the power of the gangs needs to be ended once and for all. And in particular, the Haitian National Police, who are outmanned and outgunned, need to be given the resources and support they need to regain control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Meantime, officials say Port-au-Prince's international airport, in fact, resumed passenger flights on Monday. Gang violence forced authorities to close it in early March.

Kenyan President William Ruto will visit the White House on Thursday, the first official trip to the United States by an African leader since 2008.

Now the visit comes as Russia and China continue to grow their investments on the continent. Larry Madowo now reports on the U.S. bid for influence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kenya's president, William Ruto, beginning a historic state visit to the United States in Atlanta. His American charm offensive following last month's meeting with the U.S. commerce secretary, Gina Raimondo, in Nairobi.

GINA RAIMONDO, U.S. COMMERCE SECRETARY: I said to him, we're not here to lecture. We're here to partner. We're here to learn from you. We're here to invest.

MADOWO: Why is the U.S. the best over, say, China or Russia that also making big moves into the continent? Why is the U.S. the best for African countries?

RAIMONDO: There aren't strings attached. It's -- it's an opportunity to partner together. So that's what why we think we're the partner of choice.

MADOWO (voice-over): China has built major infrastructure projects across Africa, despite criticism from Western countries about lack of transparency and predatory loans.

Russia's influence is also expanding, especially in weapon sales and military ties.

The Kenyan president is a key U.S. ally on the continent, and this week's state visit is the first of an African head of state in 16 years.

But William Ruto did not pick a favorite partner nation when asked directly ahead of his trip to Washington.

WILLIAM RUTO, KENYAN PRESIDENT: The best partner for us is the one that accepts to have a deal that is a win-win.

We will be having conversation about the African Growth and Opportunities Act, AGOA, that gives us duty-free, quota-free access to the American market with our goods.

[00:35:11]

MADOWO (voice-over): African nations want the 24-year-old AGOA renewed before it expires next year.

But some, like Rwanda, have been blocked from access in the U.S. market. That country's president, Paul Kagami, stood his ground in a dispute linked to a 2019 ban on some clothing imports, a move designed to develop its local textile industry.

PAULA KAGAMI, RWANDAN PRESIDENT: I wanted to clarify. The level of hypocrisy in all kinds of stuff we have to deal with. You know, they forced it upon as, to say, you must accept these secondhand clothes.

And we told them, no.

And they say, OK, we will just strike you off of AGOA, which they did.

MADOWO (voice-over): America's influence has declined in Africa.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Africa is an indispensable global partner.

MADOWO (voice-over): China has overtaken the U.S. in soft power on the continent, according to a recent Gallup poll.

Larry Madowo, CNN, Nairobi.

(END VIDEOTAPE) NEWTON: Still to come for us, Japan struggles to manage an influx of tourists. The measures it's taking to keep sites like Mount Fuji clean and uncrowded clean.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: French actor Gerard Depardieu is accused of assaulting a celebrity photographer known as the King of the Paparazzi in Rome. Local reports say it happened outside the famed Harry's Bar after photographer Rino Barillari snapped pictures of the anchor [SIC], his partner, and two others while they were dining.

Now, there are conflicting accounts on how this conflict began. The bar's owner says Barillari was taken to hospital, but police say they're looking for surveillance video from the area.

Barillari has published several books of his images, which include popes, presidents, and stars like Sylvester Stallone and Liz Taylor. Even claims he's traded punches with Frank Sinatra and says he's been to the emergency room 200 times after being attacked by his subjects.

A Japanese city at the base of Mount Fuji has put up a large barrier to block tourists from a popular selfie spot. A tourism boom in the country is creating traffic and other problems, and locals have had enough.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery explains how Japan is trying to solve this problem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This view, once the perfect snapshot of Japan's old and new, now has a black curtain drawn. Overwhelmed by tourists blocking roads, littering, even trespassing onto private property to take selfies, the town of Fuji-Kawaguchiko has now erected a black curtain to block the view and deter tourists, much to the locals' relief.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There have been many accidents involving foreign tourists recently.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): And, to the dismay of visitors.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I think put a black panel on this road is -- is something with brute force. And I think they can do better for the police (ph).

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Mount Fuji, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Japanese icon, attracts millions of visitors annually. But post pandemic, numbers have swelled to record levels well beyond control, local authorities say, causing human traffic jams and garbage to litter the sacred peak.

The local prefecture now says it needs to charge $13 per climber and impose a daily hiker cap of 4,000 in a bid to address overtourism, starting this season. MONTGOMERY: But as you can tell by the crowds of people around me

here, one of Tokyo's biggest tourist hotspots, Mount Fuji isn't the only victim of overtourism.

It's a nationwide problem. Over 3 million people visited Japan in the month of April. And though that's good news for the economy post- pandemic, it's put a strain on resources and local communities.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Earlier this year, the historic city of Kyoto had to close off some alleys to combat geisha paparazzi, a name given to visitors snapping photos of geisha without permission.

While Kamakura, a seaside town just outside of Tokyo, is urging tourists to walk around instead of taking the train to ease congestion.

Struggling to accommodate an unprecedented surge of in-bound visitors, many encouraged by a weak yen, local tourist spots have resorted to taking matters into their own hands, even if it means curtains for an Instagram hotspot.

Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Now, you could soon become the owner of a sealed and unreleased Prince album, handwritten lyrics from Tupac Shakur, or even a guitar that once belonged to John Lennon.

But, yes, as you can imagine, you'll have to pay top dollar. Julien's Auctions is featuring the items as part of their Music Icons event on its website and in New York.

Lennon's guitar appeared in the Beatles "Help!" movie and was thought to be lost until it was found again in an attic, would you believe, in the U.K.?

It's part of nearly 1,000 pieces of music history up for bids, estimated to bring in upwards of $5 million.

I want to thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Newton. I'll be back at the top of the hour with more news. But now WORLD SPORT is next.

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