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CNN International: Norway, Ireland & Spain To Recognize Palestinian State; Israel Recalls Ambassadors From Ireland, Norway, Spain; White House: Palestinian State Should Be Recognized Through Negotiations, Not "Unilateral Recognition". Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired May 22, 2024 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

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RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning or good evening, depending on where you're watching. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York.

Israel now threatening serious consequences after Spain, Norway and Ireland, all announced its plans to recognize a Palestinian state. Passengers describe the terrifying moment their Singapore Airlines flight experienced severe turbulence. 20 people remain in the ICU, as investigators try to begin piecing together what happened. And more wild weather, this time tornadoes, sweeping through small towns in the Midwest, leaving a trail of destruction with fears of more to come. We have a live report coming up. This is CNN Newsroom.

Well, we want to begin this hour with that historic decision by three European countries to recognize a Palestinian state. Spain, Norway and Ireland have all announced plans to formally recognize Palestinian statehood beginning next week. Now, that triggered an angry response from Israel, which is recalling its ambassadors to all three nations. Spain's Prime Minister says that the decision is not a statement against Israel or in favor of Hamas, but a move toward a peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEDRO SANCHEZ, SPANISH PRIME MINISTER (Interpreted): After having reached a consensus between the two parties that make up the progressive coalition government and echoing the majority feeling of the Spanish people, next Tuesday, on the 28th of May, Spain will approve, its Council of Ministers, the recognition of the State of Palestine.

JONAS GAHR STORE, NORWEGIAN PRIME MINISTER (Interpreted): Recognition of Palestine is in support of moderate forces that are on a retreating front in a protracted and cruel conflict. This is an investment in the only solution that can bring lasting peace in the Middle East. It is a strong call to other countries to do the same as we are doing today.

SIMON HARRIS, IRISH PRIME MINISTER: Each of us will now undertake whatever national steps are necessary to give effect to that decision. In the lead up to today's announcement, I've spoken with a number of other leaders and counterparts, and I'm confident that further countries will join us in taking this important step in the coming weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Naturally, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the announcement, as is Hamas. Both are calling on other countries to follow suit.

Let's bring in CNN's International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson, who joins us from London. So, Nic, give us a sense of the timing of this. Why are these countries doing this now?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I think it's that sense of frustration. It's a sense that the dial is not moving. We heard it from the Irish Taoiseach, the Prime Minister Simon Harris, saying, look, we're watching this suffering there. And he also spoke to the historic perspective that Ireland comes from of more than 100 years ago, now getting their independence from the United Kingdom. So, I think each of these three countries come at it from a slightly different perspective and place because of what their countries stand for, their national identities.

But, it is, in essence, about a frustration that they're watching a lot of suffering of Palestinian people, the deaths, the lack of food, all of these issues, and they feel that the only way to change the situation, the political situation there at the moment is to take this move right now. Now, that's a move rejected by the United States. It's a move rejected by the French, for example, who both say, look, we recognize and accept that there should be a two-state solution, that there should be a Palestinian state and an Israeli state. But, the French say, now is not the time to move. We should all do this together.

But, these countries, Ireland, Spain and Norway, have decided that, by waiting, you don't get any closer to the objective. So, you have to act, even if it's -- there is a strong level of symbolism in there.

SOLOMON: Well, Nic, Israel reacting to this quite swiftly, recalling its ambassadors. What more are they saying? What more are they doing in response to this?

ROBERTSON: Yeah. There is very clear calls for the relationship with these countries to change. If you look at the far right wing of political spectrum, Bezalel Smotrich, the Finance Minister in Israel, he is saying clearly that there should be sort of maximum sanctions put on these three countries. What the Foreign Minister is saying is that this is just rewarding terrorists like Hamas, giving them a gold medal, if you will.

And he has called in the representatives of these three countries in Israel, the ambassadors, called them in to issue a demarche to them, a political, diplomatic telling off, if you will, and he is going to show them video of Hamas' attack. That's what he said.

[11:05:00] And he is also recalling Israel's ambassadors to Ireland, to Norway, and to Spain, recalling them in, which is a diplomatic signal of anger and frustration at that particular country. Precisely what it's going to mean, how this may impact those relations with these countries, isn't clear. But, the Irish Prime Minister said -- Simon Harris said very clearly that he did expect there to be, in essence, some consequences for this decision they're taking.

SOLOMON: Fascinating. OK. Nic Robertson live for us there in London. Nic, thank you.

And CNN's Becky Anderson spoke to Norway's Prime Minister earlier, who said that his country's move has been a long time in the making, and said that it's about supporting the Palestinians, not Hamas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESPEN BARTH EIDE, NORWEGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: We are supporting the Palestine authorities, which brings out of the PLO, who renounced violence and who many decades ago promised to leave the violent struggle behind and work for a peaceful settlement with Israel, with a promise that they have kept, by the way. The emergence of Hamas is very much a product of the non-settlement. But, this is an anti-Hamas measure, because what we are strengthening are the forces in the region and in Palestine, who believes in peace with Israel, and who detests the work of Iran and its proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis in the region. I think those are the ones that have been strengthened by the ongoing violence. We want the opposite.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Meanwhile, at the White House, the White House is pushing back on that decision by Norway and others.

Let's bring in CNN's Priscilla Alvarez, who joins us now with reaction from the Biden administration. Priscilla, Biden has long been a supporter of a two-state solution. So, what is the White House saying about this move?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the key part of this response by the White House is saying that this shouldn't just be about recognition. This needs to be a negotiation.

Let me read you the statement from the National Security Council spokesperson saying, quote, "The President is a strong supporter of a two-state solution and has been throughout his career." He goes on to say "He believes a Palestinian state should be realized through direct negotiations between the parties, not through unilateral recognition." So, that really is the critical element of this statement and the position of this White House that there needs to be negotiations to get to this two-state solution and that it shouldn't just be that unilateral recognition that is being provided by these three countries.

Now, of course, as the statement says, and as you noted, the President has been a long supporter of a two-state solution, and it is something that he himself addressed during his commencement address at Morehouse College over the weekend. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I'm working to make sure we finally get a two-state solution, the only solution, for two people to live in peace, security and dignity. This is one of the hardest, most complicated problems in the world. And there's nothing easy about it. I know it angered and frustrates many of you, including my family. But most of all, I know it breaks your heart. It breaks mine as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: Now, you heard it there from the President, and it's what U.S. officials often say, this is a complicated endeavor. There are different ideas that are held in Israel as well as in Arab states. And the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously rejected the idea of a Palestinian state. So, all of these are discussions that continue to be underway. The President has said before that he believes that this could still be reached with the Israeli Prime Minister despite some of the objections that they may have.

But, of course, this is also happening while the conflict in Gaza is ongoing, and that conflict needs to recede for this to get underway in earnest. In fact, I've been talking with U.S. officials. They often say that, should there be a temporary ceasefire, that would allow an opening to give these talks more momentum, but in the interim, it is obviously difficult for them as this conflict continues between Israel and Hamas.

SOLOMON: OK. Priscilla Alvarez live for us there at the White House. Priscilla, thank you.

We're also hearing about a setback in the efforts to get badly needed food and supplies to civilians in Gaza. U.S. officials now say that none, none of the aid unloaded on a temporary pier has been delivered to Palestinians in Gaza. The Pentagon made the announcement on Tuesday. Now, part of the issue is that the delivery trucks are being intercepted along their routes. The U.S. is now working with the UN to establish new safer routes for the hundreds of tons of aid shipped to Gaza since last week. The Pentagon acknowledging that it's a difficult issue.

(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 MALE: But none of that has been delivered as of today?

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:10:00]

SOLOMON: All right. Let's turn now to the funeral of Iran's President. It was held in Tehran earlier and attended by Hamas' political leader, who you see here. Hundreds of thousands of people turned out in the streets of the Iranian capital to bid farewell to Ebrahim Raisi. He along with the country's Foreign Minister and other officials were killed Sunday in a helicopter crash.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Tehran, and filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ever since that helicopter crash that killed Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi as well as, of course, the Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, and several others. We see big displays of public mourning here around the countries in Iran. Now, especially here in Tehran, with this massive procession is one that is part of the funeral processions to lay to rest the people who were killed in that helicopter crash. This public mourning, of course, extremely important to the people here in Tehran, but also very important to the government here in Iran. They have been plastering the cities with posters depicting the President, the Foreign Minister and the others who were killed in that crash, and they have encouraged people to come here to participate in this mourning.

As far as the people themselves are concerned, many of them of course say that they are very sad. They're shocked by what's happened. But, many of them also say, we need to know what happens next. It's interesting, because the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, even while the helicopter was still missing, he came out and he said there would not be any disruption to the government. Iran's government has already called for new elections that are going to take place on June 28th, as they try to portray stability, but also trying to of course find a new government to lead the country forward.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: OK. Our thanks to Fred Pleitgen for that report.

All right. After a short break, in the state of the race, we're talking about Donald Trump and why he is now backing away from a recent statement over birth control. Today's panel will join us after this break.

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SOLOMON: Welcome back. And a live picture of the capital Washington, D.C. this morning. You can see another cloud in the sky there. And in New York, meantime, the Donald Trump hush money trail has gotten dark at least for now. Another one of his legal cases is coming into sight. That's in Florida. That's where a judge in Trump's classified documents case is holding a pair of hearings today, which will be her first public action on that case in more than a month.

Joining us now to discuss is CNN's Katelyn Polantz, who is live for us in Washington. Katelyn, good to see you. So, what's on tap for this hearing? What's expected to happen?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, the hearing is already going. It's been going for about an hour as far as we can tell, but there are no electronics whatsoever allowed inside that courthouse. So, our correspondents there, reporters, Hannah Rabinowitz and Evan Perez, have not been able to send any white flags up about what's going on. What we know maybe happening in that courthouse right now is arguments over one of the legal issues that Donald Trump's co-defendant Walt Nauta is bringing before the judge to try and get the case dismissed.

[11:15:00]

At this time, what's on the schedule is he is arguing for the prosecution -- against the prosecution, saying that they retaliated against him by charging him, that it was a selective and vindictive prosecution. That is the topic Judge Aileen Cannon is hearing legal arguments on right now in the Southern District of Florida case.

Now, one of the things though, Rahel, is that the Justice Department says this wasn't a selective or vindictive prosecution at all. We didn't pick Walt Nauta out of a pile of witnesses to charge him because he didn't want to talk to us. He talked to us. He lied, we believe, and we have evidence of new images or images of him moving boxes that we found after he said he knew nothing about moving boxes or didn't know much about it, that caused us to bring the obstruction conspiracy case against Nauta alongside Donald Trump. So, that's all being hashed out today.

But, it's only a sliver of the things that Judge Aileen Cannon is looking at, as this case progresses to trial, one of many, many hearings that we're going to have to see the judge work through. She is scheduling them the whole way out to July, and that's not even everything she is going to have to handle before she gets a date on the calendar. Rahel.

SOLOMON: Yeah, which remains a question mark, of course, is, when does this all start? CNN Senior Crime and Justice Reporter Katelyn Polantz, Katelyn, thank you.

All right. Let's bring in our panel today. Kate Bedingfield is a CNN political commentator and former White House Communications Director under President Biden, and Geoff Duncan, who is also a CNN political commentator and a former Lieutenant Governor in Georgia. Good to see you both.

Geoff, let me start with you and start with reproductive rights continuing to be a major issue and could be a driving force yet again at the ballot box. I want to play for you something the former President said to a Pittsburgh affiliate out yesterday. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON DELANO, POLITICAL EDITOR, KDKA-TV: Do you support any restrictions on a person's right to contraception?

TRUMP: Well, we're looking at that, and I'm going to have a policy on that very shortly, and I think it's something you'll find interesting.

DELANO: Well, that suggests that you may want to support some restrictions, like the morning after pill or something.

TRUMP: We are also -- things really do -- have a lot to do with the states.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: So, Geoff, my question is -- and I should say that Trump backtracked after that, posting on Trump's social that he did not say that. He would never advocate imposing restrictions on birth control. So, my question is, is the waffling back and forth on this issue, is that part of the strategy here? Does it create confusion for voters, and is that the point? I mean, what's your reaction?

GEOFF DUNCAN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think the answer is simpler than that. I think it's just he was absolutely confused, unfocused, and that really leads to this problem. I mean, he had a lot going on yesterday. He is in a courtroom trying to fight for his freedom. And ultimately, when you're -- when you live a life sleeping with porn stars and trying to pay them off with hush money, I guess you do get confused and distracted. And quite honestly, the very thing he continues to use as a weapon of destruction against President Joe Biden is his age and what not, his inability to focus. We're starting to see that -- those signs kind of creep through in Donald Trump's world too.

So, I think the only way you can explain it is confused. He didn't even know what the question was. And he was just trying to do his best to be flat -- to deflect it. But, look, he is distracted, and that's really kind of leads to what happens if he ends up having the job of President again. He is going to continue to be distracted with every big decision that hits his desk, and quite honestly, it's not enough for me to want to vote for him, even though I'm a Republican.

SOLOMON: OK. Let's turn to the primary night, primary night for both Biden and Trump. Obviously, they both picked up their delegates, but warning signs persist for both of them. We'll get to Trump in a moment. But, for Biden, this uncommitted vote continues to show signs of strength, of course, coming the same week, we saw in the primaries last night, the same week that the ICC announced its decision to pursue potentially arrest warrants against Hamas and Israeli leaders. This announcement now from the three nations that are choosing to recognize statehood. Is Biden's messaging on this issue working? I mean, the uncommitted vote might suggest it's not.

KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, & FORMER BIDEN WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Well, remember, the majority of Americans support Israel. You see in the polling time and again. Even as there is a lot of coverage and discussion about these protests that are happening on campus and discussion about this uncommitted vote, the truth is the vast majority of Americans support Israel, want to see the United States stand firm with their Israeli ally. Now, that's not to say that Biden doesn't have a base problem. He does. I think it's not just this issue. I think across the board, we're seeing that the coalition that elected him in 2020, including voters of color, including young people, is feeling a little softer about him this time around. And so, the Biden campaign has work to do to secure that vote.

All that being said, remember, the difference between an uncommitted vote in a primary and a vote between Joe Biden and Donald Trump in November is a clarifying one.

[11:20:00]

And I think for a lot of people who may be feeling frustration with Biden and who want to express that by voting uncommitted in a primary, when they're looking at a choice between Biden style of leadership and what they would get from Trump in November, I think a significant slice of those people are ultimately going to decide to vote for Joe Biden.

SOLOMON: Although you have to wonder if some portion of people decide not to vote at all, and whether they just sit it out and how that might impact, obviously, what we see in November.

Geoff, let me ask, I mean, Trump had his own warning signs. Nikki Haley, I mean, she suspended her race more than two months ago, and yet you continue to see in primary after primary, and we can show on the screen here for our audience, she is polling not insignificant support. What -- is he trying to reach these voters? Does he care to reach the Nikki Haley voters? What do you think, Geoff?

DUNCAN: Well, I think he is too proud to actually reach out to somebody and have a little bit of humility going through, and I think that's really he is kind of driving his attitude at this point. But, more so than the polls, I think these primaries are more -- a more accurate representation of where the Republican base is at. I mean, if 18 percent to 20 percent in every one of these states are showing up voting for somebody who got out 10 weeks ago, that tells you a really big directional sign as to where the Republican Party is headed as far as the total numbers.

If Donald Trump wins this, he is going to need absolutely every single vote that he got in 2016 to show back up. And of course, we saw where a majority of those moderates and suburban voters, especially women, were at in 2020. And Donald Trump continues to have that math problem play out. But, he is not doing a good enough job reaching out. For folks like me that are lifelong Republicans, very conservative nature, but just not angry and full of vile and visceral comments, to try to move our agenda, we actually want to work with the other side. And to me, that's where this election is going to come down to increase the math problem for Republicans.

But, I think looking through the lens of the Democratic side, Joe Biden has got to continue to figure out a way to message better about the economy and other issues, of course, Israel is one of those, but different strokes for different folks with this economy, from coming into the economy for the first time trying to buy a house, I'm really disappointed at where the economy is. If I'm in the economy where I'm trying to sell a house or looking at my 401(k) to retire, I'm probably pretty happy. So, there is a mixed bag of goods. SOLOMON: OK. Let's get back to this base problem that you just

mentioned with Biden. Obviously, we have the first debate coming up in a few weeks. Obviously, Biden has a long political career. He has done his fair share of debates. That said, you are a communications expert. If you were on his team, if you were prepping Biden for this debate, what's the play? I mean, how are you prepping him for this?

BEDINGFIELD: I think the most important thing is for him to be personal and for his character to shine through. I mean, we saw this. I worked for him in 2020 on the campaign. We prepped him for the debate. A big piece of what wound up resonating coming out of those debates with Donald Trump in 2020 was Joe Biden's humanity, his fundamental decency. People sensed that he was not perfect, but was going to fight for them and cared about them. And when you see Joe Biden on stage next to Donald Trump, you really -- you have a really clear opportunity to see that contrast.

And so, for Biden, I think, as they prepare, they need to think about the fact that Trump is unpredictable. He obviously has shown that he will happily roll around in the gutter. That's where he seems to feel at home. And so, for Biden, he has to -- as he is preparing, he has to not be distracted by that. He has to not be pulled down into the gutter with Trump, but he has to use it as an opportunity to show people that he is a man of character, that he is somebody who is rock solid and steadfast, and that he cares about the people he is asking to vote for him. And I think he showed in 2020 that he is quite capable of doing that on the debate stage next to Donald Trump, and I think that's what they should be preparing for and trying to get out of this debate next month.

SOLOMON: We shall soon see. We'll leave it here. Kate Bedingfield in Washington, Geoff Duncan in Atlanta, good to see you both. Thank you for the conversation.

All right. After a quick break and when we come back, a check at the international headlines that we are following, including a live report from one U.S. town, look at this video, that was almost completely flattened by deadly tornadoes. We'll take you there. Plus, passengers describe the terrifying moment on board a flight when extreme turbulence at 37,000 feet turned deadly. We will be right back.

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[11:25:00]

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SOLOMON: Welcome back. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. And here are some of the international headlines we are watching for you today.

Beginning next week, Spain, Norway and Ireland, all say that they will recognize a Palestinian state. Spain's Prime Minister says that the decision is intended to move the region forward to a peaceful state of coexistence. The Palestinian Authority and Hamas have welcomed the announcement. Israel, meantime, has recalled its ambassadors from all three countries in response.

Well, passengers have been describing the terrifying turbulence they experienced on that Singapore Airlines flight. It has left one man dead and more than 100 others injured. The airline's CEO has expressed condolences to the family of the person who died. And here is what one passenger said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH SILVERSTONE, INJURED PASSENGER: I got hit. I hurt some parts of my neck. Well, everything was fine until I arrived back in the airport and I couldn't stop vomiting. I couldn't walk. Yeah. It was pretty bad. Yeah. But, there were lots of people in worse positions and maybe we were laying on the floor, and they couldn't -- they were paralyzed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: CNN's Ivan Watson picks up the story,

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Injuries and death, after a moment of terror, 30,000 feet in the sky, a Singapore Airlines flight hit with severe turbulence, throwing some passengers around the cabin just moments after the seatbelt sign was switched on. Lighting and air ventilation tubing spilling out from the ceiling, food trays from breakfast littered across the floor. Emergency workers raced to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport on Tuesday afternoon after the flight turned deadly. Traffic control on the tarmac quick to redirect ambulances and set up makeshift medical tents for injured passengers.

Flight SQ321 departed from London and was on route to Singapore. But, severe turbulence forced pilots to make an emergency landing in Thailand. The condition of the skies resulted in the death of one person while aboard the flight, many others now in critical condition, with dozens more injured.

KITTIPONG KITTIKACHORN, GENERAL MANAGER, SUVARNABHUMI AIRPORT (Interpreted): The plane landed at the airport and the medical team was sent to the scene. Many injuries occurred. So, the airport had to issue an emergency plan. All our teams went to help.

WATSON (voice-over): The airline has launched an investigation into the incident with the British Embassy also deploying officials to support those in hospital. The passengers left with the question of, how this all went so wrong?

Ivan Watson, CNN, Bangkok.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: Let's now get to CNN's Marc Stewart, who has been following this for us from Beijing. Marc, the sense of fear people had clearly tremendous just listening to some of the commentary coming out of there. What is the next step now in this investigation? MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure, Rahel. There is no question

this jumbo jet that had 211 passengers encountered severe air turbulence.

[11:30:00]

The question now is, what happened before, during, and after part of this broader investigation that my colleague Ivan alluded to? That will involve investigators from Singapore but also from the United States. And as part of this investigation, there are going to be some key questions, some key points to discover. One, there is going to be a lot of attention to the weather. Number two, what did the pilots know? What were they doing at the time? Also expect to see a lot of interviews, not only with the flight crew, but also with perhaps flight attendants, but passengers, even people who were involved with the flight planning, officials from Singapore Airlines from the department that helps determine the routing of that individual flight.

Rahel, if you talk to crash investigators, they will make the point, it's not only about figuring out what happened today in this most -- in this single example here, but what's the broad takeaway from it? What are the lessons to be learned? So, perhaps it can be prevented because our air travel system is one of the safest -- is very safe right now relatively speaking, even despite headlines like this, and it's because of lessons learned from past incidents, from past accidents, Rahel.

SOLOMON: OK. Marc Stewart live for us there in Beijing. Marc, thanks so much.

I want to get to some breaking news now. Families of seven female IDF soldiers kidnapped by Hamas have released graphic footage of their abduction on October 7. We do want to warn you that the images here are very disturbing.

Let's bring in Jeremy Diamond, who joins us from Jerusalem. Jeremy, walk us through what we're seeing and why the family said that they wanted to release this

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Rahel. This footage is indeed graphic. It is -- it was taken on October 7 by Hamas. And in this video, you can see several women, all of them female soldiers in the Israeli military posted at the Nahal Oz base near the Gaza border. They are bloodied and bruised, many of them. They all have their hands bound behind their backs and they are being lined up against a wall, interrogated by Hamas militants, who are shouting at them. And you can just see the fear and the terror in their eyes as they are watching what is unfolding before them and what is likely to unfold in the days and weeks ahead.

Indeed, they were taken in Israeli military jeeps into Gaza, where five of the seven of these women are still being held hostage today. Two of the others, Noa Marciano, she was killed in captivity, according to the Israeli military. Her body, though, was retrieved in an Israeli military operation in Gaza. The other, Ori Megidish, she was actually rescued by the Israeli military in a special operation several months ago, and she is back in Israel. But, five of these other women, Naama Levy, Liri Albag, Agam Berger, Karina Ariev, and Daniela Gilboa, all five of them remain hostage in the Gaza Strip.

Their families believe that in deciding to release this video today, very graphic video, they hope that it will pressure the Israeli government to reach a deal to secure their loved ones' release and they also, of course, hope that this will once again bring attention to the plight of their loved ones who have been held captive in Gaza for seven months now. Rahel.

SOLOMON: Yeah. OK. Jeremy Diamond, thanks for hopping on and now breaking this down for us, live there in Jerusalem.

OK. We're going to take a quick break and we'll be right back.

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[11:35:00]

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SOLOMON: Welcome back. Closing arguments are expected to begin Tuesday in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial. That's after his attorneys rested their case yesterday after calling just two witnesses to the stand. The former President was not one of them, choosing not to testify.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Trump, how do you feel going into closings?

TRUMP: I feel very good. I think we've had a great case we've put on. (Inaudible) a case. There is no crime.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sir, why did you (inaudible)?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: So, here is what comes next. So, court is dark until Tuesday, and that's when closing arguments will begin. That will be followed by jury instructions. And then, the jury will start deliberating, meaning that it is possible that we could have a verdict by the end of next week.

Let's get the legal view from David Weinstein. He is a former State and Federal Prosecutor, and he is joining me from Miami, Florida. David, good to see you again. So, let's start with Mar-a-Lago actually. We'll get to hush money in just a moment. But, Mar-a-Lago, this motion to dismiss based on vindictive prosecution for one of the co-defendants, Walt Nauta, what does that even mean? I mean, what is the burden to reach that, and do you think they'll reach it?

DAVID WEINSTEIN, FORMER STATE AND FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, let me start with the second part. I don't think they'll reach it. It's a fairly high burden. They have to show that they were discriminating against this particular defendant in a way, shape and manner that they never would have done against anybody else, that it was not based on probable cause, evidence or case against him, but rather was based on some sort of failure to comply with due process, and was simply a reaction to either he not agreeing to cooperate, or some sort of vindictiveness on the part of the Department of Justice, outside the scope of what a normal prosecution would entail.

So, it's a fairly high bar for them to meet. I don't see the meeting that bar. And quite frankly, it's just another motion they're filing to delay the process.

SOLOMON: Well, and that's what I was going to ask. I mean, as a former federal prosecutor, I mean, I'm sure you have seen it all yourself from the other side. I mean, is this par for the course that, look, you try your luck, and you see what sticks, or does it sound like a part of a strategy to really delay things in this trial?

WEINSTEIN: I think it's a little bit of both. Look, as a lawyer, you shouldn't be filing a frivolous motion, and that's one that has no basis, in fact, or in the law. They're grasping at some straws here with regard to the arguments they're making. But, this judge has not viewed it as a frivolous motion. She has given time to hear the motion. She has ordered briefing from both sides. But, based on the facts and the law, this is not one that's going to be a winner for the defense. And it does delay the proceedings here. It's one of the many motions that she has listed, saying these need to be litigated. These need to be adjudicated. And before we can get to the trial, I've got to take care of all these pretrial motions first.

SOLOMON: Let's turn to New York and the hush money trial. There is now a long break before the jurors will hear these closing arguments, before the jury gets this case in their hands. Does that benefit one side or the other?

WEINSTEIN: It benefits both of them at this juncture. Interestingly enough, before the defense put on their witness earlier in the week, the delay, to me, would have benefited the prosecution more than the defense, and I say that because the cross-examination of Michael Cohen was the most intense and it was the most damaging to the prosecution's case because it highlighted his credibility issues.

Well, now that's going to be in the rearview mirror of these jurors, sure, they'll remember what happened, but it's not as fresh on their mind. So, the delay benefited of the prosecution. Now, after hearing from the defense witness and the way that he treated the judge --

SOLOMON: Robert Costello.

WEINSTEIN: -- the appearance that gave about the -- that it gave to the defense in front of the jury, I think that now the delay is going to benefit both because now that's in the rearview mirror.

[11:40:00]

SOLOMON: Talk me a little bit about the importance of jury instructions. I mean, it sounds sort of routine, but I have heard some legal observers say it's actually a critical part of the trial, and many appeal will have been made because of jury instructions.

WEINSTEIN: So, it's critical in a variety of different ways. Look, I don't think it's the most important time during the trial, quite frankly. The most important time during the trial was jury selection, when you had your one and only opportunity to make your first appearance in front of this jury and find out things about them as you selected them. But, it is certainly amongst the top three. These are the instructions on the law that the jury takes back with them to the jury room. And when they have a question amongst themselves, did the prosecution meet their burden of proof, they looked at these instructions to determine whether or not according to the law given to them by the judge, the prosecution has met their burden.

And if there is a flaw in these instructions, if the defense is asked for something that's not included or they've asked for something that the court has overruled and has not included it, and it's an error that will result in a reversal, it becomes a critical portion of the case. Now, we heard from the judge yesterday during the charge conference that he is going to follow the standard for the most part, the standard jury instructions. And by doing that, he maintains a position that, look, I'm following what's been accepted for decades in terms of what we instruct the jury about. So, that helps to prevent some sort of reversible error. But, they are an important and critical part of this trial.

SOLOMON: Let me ask -- I mean, obviously, it's up to a jury and only a jury to decide whether the state made its case, whether it reached that burden that you speak of. But, from your perspective, you've been watching this case. You've been seeing the in and outs. Did the state make their case?

WEINSTEIN: They have built enough into their case through testimony, through documents, and circumstantial, if nothing else, evidence for the jury to say, you know what? These documents were false when they were filed. And why were they filed? They were filed to influence the election. They were filed in some ways in violation of campaign finance laws and rules regarding the election. But, for all 12 of them to agree on that, they have to somehow embrace at least a portion of Michael Cohen's testimony, and that's what's going to be critical here.

Look, he is a witness with a lot of baggage. But, in many prosecutions, when you're dealing with a cooperating co-defendant, this is a type of witness you have all of the time. And you have to embrace and accept them, and the prosecution has done that. And the defense has done a good job poking holes in the prosecution's case and sort of focusing the jurors on Cohen's testimony. But, you know what? If those 12 people go back and they say, yes, he is lied, but he has lied not only under oath before, but he has lied to protect the person who is the defendant, and we heard a lot of that testimony in the last couple of days, then they may accept what he said as supporting the rest of the evidence.

And while there are a couple of instances where he is the only witnesses to a conversation, or as to what's said, and what imparts knowledge and intent to the defendant in this case, there are other witnesses who can give that same type of evidence as well and record. So, the jury can go back and they can find that, in fact, the prosecution did support their case. It'll be interesting to see how the rebuttal argument of the prosecution goes after the defense has laid out for the jury why they believe the prosecution didn't meet their case, and that's another important factor here. The prosecution gets the last word.

SOLOMON: Yeah. It certainly will be interesting. I mean, it has certainly been really fascinating to watch. I imagine that law professors in the future will be using this as a case study, perhaps, as they teach lawyers and future lawyers in the future.

David Weinstein, we'll leave it here. Thank you for the insights today.

WEINSTEIN: You're welcome.

SOLOMON: All right. Now, to a story you were hearing first here on CNN, congressional Democrats are looking at whether several major U.S. oil companies illegally worked with OPEC and each other to drive up gas prices. This comes weeks after U.S. regulators accused Texas oil tycoon Scott Sheffield of trying to conspire with OPEC to keep output low and prices high. One lawmaker says that Sheffield may have encouraged other companies to do the same as well.

Matt Egan is following this closely for us. Matt, this is obviously not something that consumers want to hear. Walk us through this.

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Rahel, big oil is facing new scrutiny from Congress today. Frank Pallone, New Jersey Democrat, he is targeting some of the biggest companies in oil in this new investigation. This includes Exxon, Chevron, Hess, BP, Shell, Devon Energy and Occidental.

[11:45:00]

The investigation is into whether or not these big oil companies either colluded with each other or with OPEC to sort of set supply and essentially inflate prices. Pallone wants these companies to turn over a trove of documents by June 5, including communications with each other, overproduction, any sort of communication they had with OPEC officials, efforts to influence the government here and also their communications, some of it non-public, with shareholders over future production.

Let me read you a key line from this letter from Frank Pallone. He wrote quote, "If U.S. oil companies are colluding with each other and foreign cartels to manipulate global oil markets and harm American consumers who then pay more at the pump, Congress and the American people deserve to know." Now, remember, OPEC and OPEC+, they exist to coordinate on supply. Right? They get into a room and they decide how much oil they think should be put out onto the market. And we're talking about some of the biggest oil producers on the planet, right, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Iran.

It's not supposed to be like that, though, in the U.S. Right? U.S. oil production is supposed to be set by the free market. Oil CEOs, they're not allowed to decide to hold back supply. That would run afoul of federal antitrust and competition laws. And so, that's why all of this is so concerning. And it has all been set off by those allegations against Scott Sheffield earlier this month. Regulators at the FTC accused Sheffield of trying to conspire with officials from OPEC and OPEC+ on holding back supply to boost prices.

I mean, this is just stunning allegations. They came from WhatsApp conversations, text messages, and in-person meetings that Sheffield allegedly had with OPEC officials. And these allegations, they've really rattled the whole industry. I mean, this would be like finding out that my New York Jets tried to coordinate with their arch enemy the New England Patriots on NFL draft picks. Right? It's just not something that you could even think would be done.

Now, we should note that Pioneer, the oil company here, and Scott Sheffield, they pushed back. They've said that the FTC was sort of misunderstanding what was going on here. And they said it was never their intent, nor was the actual effect where they were running afoul of any sort of rules here. Still, though, Rahel, this story is fascinating, and it is one that has big implications for consumers.

SOLOMON: Yeah. Absolutely. I was just looking at the national average, at least here in the U.S., $3.60 a gallon, according to AAA, which is more than it was a year ago, but slightly. What's the Biden administration doing that to try to reduce prices moving forward?

EGAN: Well, Rahel, the administration did just announce plans to release a million gallon barrels of gasoline from a northeast emergency supply reserve. We should just note that that was mandated by Congress, and it actually is a very small amount of supply. So, no big impact on prices there.

SOLOMON: OK. Matt Egan, thank you. Good to see you.

EGAN: Thanks.

SOLOMON: All right. Coming up after a short break, the world's first airline for dogs is gearing up for its maiden flight. What can our furry friends expect on board? We'll have the details straight ahead.

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[11:50:00]

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SOLOMON: Welcome back. The Academy Award-winning action franchise Mad Max is back with its latest installment from director George Miller. It's called "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga", and it dives into the backstory of a character that fans have been begging to know more about.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister sat down with the film stars.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mad Max Saga rages on.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): With Vikings (ph), the infamous War Rig, and high octane action, all colliding in a dystopian landscape in Furiosa, the fifth movie in the decades-long franchise. The Queen's Gambit, Anya Taylor-Joy, takes the lead as the kidnapped Furiosa, trying to get home to her sacred green place. Standing in her way is her captor Dementus.

Look closely, behind that prosthetic nose and gritty exterior is Aussie hunk Chris Hemsworth. Yes, Thor himself, this time in the role of the villain.

WAGMEISTER: First day that you both walked on set and saw each other, what were your reactions?

ANYA TAYLOR-JOY, ACTOR, "FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA": I think it was straight after a makeup test, and he came out with the nose in the hair and I just went, you're awesome. Do that. Like this. Follow that. Whatever this is, this is just incredible.

CHRIS HEMSWORTH, ACTOR, "FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA": When Anya walked on set with the shaved head and the fury officer and all their glory was just like, yes. This she is. There she is. This was a huge departure from anything I've done before, and less and less I was seeing him as a villain and began to sort of feel for him and empathize and not justify the horrible things he does but kind of go I'm seeing or understanding he is a product of the Wasteland.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Taylor-Joy steps into the character first portrayed by Charlize Theron in 2015's Oscar-winning Fury Road. Director George Miller says he considered Theron to reprise her role in this prequel. He even thought about using de-aging technology, but says he quickly nixed the idea considering that Furiosa's age in the film ranges from 10 to 26.

GEORGE MILLER, DIRECTOR, "FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA": I saw the aging in the hands of really great filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, the Irishman, and Ang Lee in Gemini Man, and what you tend to do is only see the technology. You're not really watching performance. So, I steered away from that.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): And steered towards Taylor-Joy, who Miller says he knew could take on the intense part.

MILLER: She has got that sort of mystique, a timeless quality, a wonderful intensity, almost regal (ph).

WAGMEISTER: Did Charlize give you any advice, or did you get to talk to her about this character that you now both have played?

TAYLOR-JOY: We have emailed a bunch we met at the Oscars and she is just as lovely and gracious and cool as you could possibly imagine. We are due a very long dinner, just to swap war stories. I feel so lucky to share a character with her. WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN, Los Angeles.

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SOLOMON: And Furiosa hits theaters on Friday. It is released by Warner Bros. Studios, which is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which is the same company that owns CNN.

All right. One more thing. You can now take your furry companion for a first class plane ride. The world's first luxury airline for dogs is set to kick off its maiden flight on Thursday.

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MATT MEEKER, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, BARK: First class experience for the dog, a business class experience for people. Along the way, the dog is treated to a lot of pampering, including -- you see the pillows and blankets all over. They're covered in pheromones that make the dog more comfortable.

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SOLOMON: The airline is currently only flying between New York, London and Los Angeles. But, get this. The price for a one-way international flight is a whopping $8,000 for one dog and its human companion, and $6,000 for a domestic trip.

[11:55:00]

Tickets include treats, toys, and an onboard spa. I mean, for that type of money, they better include a spa experience.

Speaking of money, we know your time is money. So, thank you for spending some time with me today. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. Stick with CNN. One World is coming up next.

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