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Campaign Went Wrong; More Countries to Recognize Palestine State; West Bank Settlers Given Access; Aid for Refugees Stranded in Gaza; China Makes Provocative Drills; Surprise Election Approved by King; Prime Minister Sunak Calls for Surprise Elections; Abduction Video of Female IDF Soldiers Released; Trump's Classified Documents Trial Delayed; Nikki Haley Pledges to Vote for Trump; CNN Covers Ukraine's Fight in the North; Court Halts Auction of Graceland. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired May 23, 2024 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us around the world. I'm Max Foster, live from London.
Ahead on "CNN Newsroom," a horrific scene as the stage collapses at a campaign rally in Mexico. What caused it and the latest on the rising death toll.
Also ahead, the families of hostages kidnapped by Hamas released graphic and disturbing video of some of the Israeli women being taken. CNN speaks to a mother of one of those hostages.
And just miles from Taiwan's shores, China kicks off a round of military drills as punishment. We're live in Taipei.
UNKNOWN: Live from London, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Max Foster.
FOSTER: We are following breaking news out of Mexico where rescue crews are looking for more people trapped under the debris following a deadly stage collapse in the city of Monterey.
This was a campaign rally for the presidential candidate Jorge Alvarez Maynez of the Citizens Movement Party late on Wednesday. Videos from the scene show strong wind gusts sending pieces of the stage crashing down with him and his supporters scrambling to get away.
The local governor says at least nine people were killed, including a child. Fifty-four others are injured. The candidate says he was briefly hospitalized but is doing OK. We'll continue to follow the story for you.
Now to the announcement from three European countries that's sending shockwaves through the Middle East and around the globe. The Prime Ministers of Ireland, Spain and Norway say they'll recognize a Palestinian state next week, calling it the best way to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PEDRO SANCHEZ, SPANISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): If one thing is clear to me, it is that Prime Minister Netanyahu has no peace project for Palestine.
SIMON HARRIS, IRISH PRIME MINISTER: We believe that permanent peace can only be secured upon the basis of the free will of a free people.
JONAS GAHR STORE, NORWEGIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Israel is vowing severe consequences for Spain, Ireland, and Norway. It's already recalling its ambassadors from the countries. Here is Prime Minister Netanyahu.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The intention of several European countries to recognize a Palestinian state is a reward for terror. Eighty percent of Palestinians in Judea and Samaria support the terrible mass curve October 7th. We cannot give this evil a state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: The U.S. national security adviser repeated the long-standing Biden administration's policy on Palestinian statehood.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: President Biden, as I just said, has been on the record supporting a two-state solution. He has been equally emphatic on the record that that two-state solution should be brought about through direct negotiations through the parties, not through unilateral recognition.
That's a principal position that we have held on a consistent basis. We'll communicate that to our partners around the world and we'll see what unfolds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, more than 140 countries already recognize a Palestinian state. Notably absent from the list is the U.S., Canada, Australia, most of Western Europe.
The Israeli military is moving deeper into Jabalia meanwhile in the northern Gaza. It claimed it had dismantled Hamas in the area months ago but says it's returning now to prevent the militants from regrouping. Reports say a hospital and residential building were hit on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the U.S. says it has seen signs that Israel is taking a more cautious approach to its military campaign in the southern city of Rafah.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SULLIVAN: What we have seen so far in terms of Israel's military operations in that area has been more targeted and limited. It has not involved major military operations into the heart of dense urban areas.
[03:05:00]
We now have to see what unfolds from here. We will watch that. We will consider that and we will see whether what Israel has briefed us and what they have laid out continues or something else happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: The families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza still say the government isn't doing enough to bring their loved ones home. They protested outside the defence ministry headquarters on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Israel's defence minister has rescinded orders barring Israeli citizens from parts of the northern West Bank. This could pave the way for the reestablishment of Israeli settlements
that were evacuated and demolished in 2005.
Currently, all Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law. Gallant hailed his move is historic. He says Israel's hold on West Bank will guarantee security for Jewish residents.
Let's bring in CNN's Scott McLean who is following all of these developments for us from Istanbul. First of all, just take us through these West Bank settlements and what's happening there.
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What the defence minister has done here, Max, is rescind these orders that had barred Israeli citizens from these areas, these areas that had previously been Israeli settlements up until 2005 when they were demolished and cleared.
Some of the settlers at that time actually had to be removed by force. As you rightly pointed out, these settlements are illegal under international law, but the settlers themselves would argue that this is part of the traditional Jewish homeland or traditional, yes, traditional Jewish homeland.
2005 was also the same year that then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon cleared out 21 settlements in Gaza, along with four in the West Bank, as part of a disengagement process that was meant to sort of kickstart the peace process. It was controversial, of course, because two years later, the government that you ended up with in Gaza was Hamas, rather than the peaceful civilian administration that had been anticipated and certainly had been hoped for.
At that time, after these settlements had been cleared out, there were 120 still remaining in the West Bank. Today, there are closer to 150. As you said, Yoav Gallant, the defense minister there, said that this would pave the way for settlements to return there, because these areas, even though that in -- even though last year, excuse me, the Israeli Knesset had repealed that disengagement law from 2005, they were still considered closed military areas.
Now, they will be opened up to people. They will still need sign-off from the Israeli government to reestablish settlements there. But again, it's worth pointing out once again that these settlements are illegal under international law.
This was met by applause from the head of the regional council of that part of northern West Bank, who said that this corrects the injustice and folly of the 2005 deportation of those settlements, he called it. The Palestinian Authority, though, accused the Israelis of stoking regional instability, saying that there can be no peace until Israel recognizes a Palestinian state.
The Israeli prime minister, though, does not support the establishment of a Palestinian state. And it's worth pointing out that there is certainly some impatience growing on this. This is actually part of the reason why the Irish prime minister, or the Irish foreign minister, justified this country's decision to recognize Palestine as a state, because he argues that, look, there is no political will to do this in Israel right now.
FOSTER: And take us through this process. I mean, it's quite stark, isn't it, when you look at the map and how many countries actually do recognize a Palestinian state. But there's a very clear part of the world that doesn't yet. But that is changing.
MCLEAN: Yes, certainly it is changing. And when you look at the reaction from, certainly, the Middle East, this was widely applauded. Many countries called on other governments to do the same. You have the Qataris, for instance, who are heavily involved, obviously, in the ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and the Israelis.
They said that peace depends on an independent Palestinian state established along the 1967 borders, and said, quote, "the Ministry of Foreign Affairs voices the state of Qatar's hope for more countries to recognize the state of Palestine and promote the efforts aiming to implement the two-state solution."
Now, the two-state solution with 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital, is also the solution supported by Turkey, that also welcomed this move by these three European countries. It is also the plan supported by Egypt, which had a similar message.
The Saudis came out with their own message, saying, quote, the kingdom calls on more countries to swiftly take the same stance, which would contribute to finding a reliable and irreversible path to achieve a just and lasting peace that fulfills the rights of the Palestinian people. [03:10:07]
Now, the Saudis are, of course, conditioning Israeli normalization on the establishment of a, or not on the establishment, but on a clear, irreversible pathway toward a Palestinian state.
But as I previously mentioned, the Israeli prime minister does not support this. So, it would certainly take a change in stance. It's also worth noting the timing here of Yoav Gallant's announcement, because it came the same day, obviously, that these three countries announced this plan to recognize Palestine as a state. Max?
FOSTER: OK. Scott in Istanbul. Thank you.
Nearly a million people, about 40 percent of the population in Gaza, have been uprooted yet again, seeking safety and shelter as Israel conducts military operations across the enclave.
The U.N.'s humanitarian affairs office says more than 800,000 people have fled Rafah since early May. And about 100,000 others have been displaced in the north. UNRWA reports that families are living in the rubble of damaged schools, and are lacking tents, clean water, and other vital supplies.
Meanwhile, humanitarian aid coming into Gaza is extremely limited and very difficult to distribute due to the security issues there. The United States says it's actively delivering aid from its floating pier, after reports that, of what's being brought in, actually hasn't reached many of the people who need it.
Well, joining me now to talk about the precarious humanitarian situation in Gaza is UNICEF spokesperson, Ricardo Perez. He joins us from Amman in Jordan.
Thank you so much for joining us.
Of course, the American military have done this incredible job building this pier, but what's happening to that aid when it gets onto the land?
RICARDO PEREZ, SPOKESMAN, UNICEF: Thanks for having me, Max. What's happening is that aid is not reaching the desperate people who need it so badly to survive day after day. We know that now it's no longer about counting how many trucks are crossing and how many trucks are getting into the Gaza Strip, even though, again, most of the humanitarian crossings are closed. It's about making sure that that aid gets to the people in need.
And in order to do that, you need clear roads, you need the confliction of areas that the trucks will be passing through. You need fuel to make -- to assure that those trucks can actually operate on the ground. And above all, you need safety for humanitarian workers to deliver that life-saving aid.
And none of these things are happening consistently on the ground right now. We're hearing colleagues and military, colleagues and humanitarian workers being harassed by military on the ground and not being allowed to do their work, which is, again, putting lives of hundreds of thousands of children at risk day after day.
FOSTER: How many aid workers are in there trying to deal with this aid coming in?
PEREZ: Well, I can only speak for UNICEF. We have many dozen on the ground still risking their lives day after day, trying to make sure that our work is done under very, very dark circumstances. But as I hear from other U.N. colleagues, the numbers are going down. The rotation systems that allowed us to bring more humanitarian workers into Gaza and outside Gaza is no longer functioning as it was before the Rafah incursion started. So, as it stands, Max, it looks like the whole operation is being designed and destined to fail.
FOSTER: So, take us through a typical journey then, if you could. I know you're not on the ground, but you're obviously speaking to people there, but a typical journey of a truck coming off the pier, going onto land, what will they experience and how far will they get?
PEREZ: Well, these trucks coming from the floaty dock, as we call it now, they come into the land and then our colleagues from the U.N. are called in to pick it up. And then we go. If we have fuel on trucks to move inside Gaza, which again, we're having less and less of at the moment.
So, once we do that, we pick up the aid and we bring it into warehouses. And then if there is authorization to proceed and the areas are de-conflicted and there is safety to operate, which again, right now is not a very common occasion, we go into those areas and distribute the aid.
But if you think about the northern areas of Gaza where conflict started again, very little aid is getting through, Max, very little aid. And we're talking about areas where famine was imminent and now hospitals are being surrounded by tanks and medical workers are being asked to evacuate and patients are being asked to evacuate. So, the whole operation on the ground, the whole situation can only be described as a humanitarian catastrophe.
FOSTER: What are you being told about from the Israelis about the other borders opening? And I know some of them are technically open, but again, you've got the same problem, haven't you?
[03:14:59]
They've got to be checked, all of those convoys, and then you've got to get it into, or to the people that need it. But what are you being told about the Israelis about getting more access to those entryways?
PEREZ: Very limited, Max, very limited at the moment. We have about 2,000 trucks, humanitarian aid trucks, stuck at the border with Egypt, 10 million liters of fuel ready to go in, which are not being allowed in. So, what we're managing to get in is, again, very insufficient.
And we're hearing that more commercial goods are getting through the crossings rather than humanitarian aid. So, we're talking about cookies and soda instead of medicines and therapeutic feeding to treat malnourished children. So, the situation, again, needs to change immediately.
And those who are in power and have the capacity to do so need to agree on a process that will allow those humanitarian crossings to be open again. And humanitarian aid, life-saving aid, flow into the Gaza Strip. Otherwise, we'll see many more deaths and many more children perishing of preventable diseases and even bullets and bombs falling from the sky.
FOSTER: Just explain that for people so they understand why soda and junk food, perhaps, is getting through more easily than essentials.
PEREZ: Well, that's a very good question, Max. And I don't really have the answer to that. What we can do is continue to advocate for more humanitarian aid to get through because these are the supplies that will allow people to survive. Children who are sick, who are suffering from severe malnutrition, who are fighting for their lives to get the therapeutic feeding that they need.
So, getting, again, commercial goods into the Gaza Strip in an area, in a zone that has been under constant attack for seven months won't save lives. Humanitarian supplies will. And that's what needs to flow through the Gaza Strip right now.
FOSTER: OK, UNICEF spokesperson, Ricardo Perez, thank you so much for joining us with what information you managed to get from the ground as well.
Final funeral ceremony is currently underway for Iran's late president, Ebrahim Raisi. Over the last few hours, massive crowds have been packing the streets of the city of Birjand to pay their final respects. This comes ahead of a ceremony in the northeastern city of Mashhad, where he'll be buried later in the day.
The Iranians are also saying their final goodbyes to the country's foreign minister, who was killed, along with Raisi and seven others, in a weekend helicopter crash.
CNN's Paula Hancocks following developments and joins us from Abu Dhabi.
So, a really big day for the regime supporters, at least, as the late president is laid to rest.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and this is really the third day that we've been seeing these significant crowds, Max, coming onto the streets to show their respects. Of course, we know this is just one portion of Iranian society that is on the streets showing their support.
And what we will see today, what we are seeing, is that each individual that lost their lives on that helicopter crash will be buried in their hometown. So, we know, for example, in the south of Tehran, the late foreign minister, Abdollahian, will be laid to rest later today.
And then in Mashhad, the hometown of the late president Raisi, there will be funeral rites and prayers, and then he will be laid to rest later as well. And then, of course, the focus will turn to the elections on June 28th to see who will take their positions.
But at the same time, as we are seeing this state mourning, we're also understanding that the investigation is well underway to find out why exactly the helicopter did crash into the side of a mountain on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS (voice-over): As mourners gathered to pay final respects to Iran's president, foreign minister, and seven others, an investigation is determining why the helicopter they were traveling in crashed into the side of a mountain on Sunday.
President Ebrahim Raisi and his delegation were at an inauguration event for a dam on the border with Azerbaijan alongside that country's president. Formalities over, a convoy of three helicopters left the area. The president's chief of staff on board one of the helicopters that landed safely told Iranian state media what happened next.
Gholam-Hossein Esmaeili said weather conditions in the mountainous region of Varzaghan were fine when they took off at 1 p.m.
GHOLAM-HOSSEIN ESMAEILI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT'S CHIEF OF STAFF (through translator): Around 30 to 35 minutes into the flight, Captain Seyed Mostafavi, who was the pilot of the helicopter carrying the president and the commander of the helicopter convoy, ordered the other helicopters to gain altitude and go above the clouds.
[03:20:04]
After 30 seconds, our pilot noticed that the president's helicopter suddenly disappeared.
HANCOCKS: Esmaeili says they circled back and looked for the aircraft. Unable to decrease altitude because of the cloud, repeated calls through radio devices went unanswered. Rescue teams were also unable to fly a helicopter to help with the search due to the weather. It took them 16 hours to reach the mountainous location of the crash on foot.
Call to the pilots' mobile was answered, however, by the Friday prayer remand on board with the president, according to Esmaeili. He said they had crashed and he was in critical condition. He survived for at least three hours after the crash, speaking to officials multiple times before he died. The others are believed to have died instantly.
For investigators, this will be key evidence. They will look at the weather, the possibility of technical issues, the aging helicopter is from the 70s, possible human error, and one that the official Iranian line has steered clear of so far, foul play.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS: Now, we've also heard from a former Iranian official, the former foreign minister, saying that he blames the United States in part for this accident and the decades-old sanctions that the U.S. has against the aviation industry in Tehran, saying that that played a part.
It's something that the U.S. officials, the Biden administration officials have reacted to, saying that these accusations are baseless. Max.
FOSTER: Paula in Abu Dhabi, thank you for that.
The U.S. National Weather Service confirmed a tornado hit the town of Temple, Texas late on Wednesday. Pictures show downed trees and power lines down from the strong winds. The twister also damaged roofs in the area. It's apparently shattered windows in a mall there, and you can see the rain blowing into the building. There were more than 200 storm reports across the U.S. on Wednesday, including three tornadoes. All of those were in Texas.
Meanwhile, at least five storm-related deaths have been reported in the state of Iowa linked to tornadoes on Tuesday. The National Weather Service says the twister that hit the city of Greenfield was at least an EF3 strength, but that rating could actually be much higher.
Four deaths were reported from that tornado alone, with another reported in nearby Adams County. Iowa State Patrol says nearly 40 injured people have been treated at care sites, but the true number of injured is likely to be much higher.
Ahead, Britain's political parties firing up their campaigns after the prime minister made a surprise call for a snap election, with his own party facing a pretty uphill battle and some rain.
But first, China surrounds Taiwan as it begins military exercises in a move it calls strong punishment. More on the drills and the reaction from Taiwan in a live report from Taipei for you.
[03:25:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Tracking developments out of the Taiwan Strait, where China has kicked off two days of military drills around Taiwan, just days after the swearing in of a new democratically elected leader on the self-ruling island.
China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory, says the drills are punishment for separatist acts. Taiwan's defense ministry calls the moves irrational provocations.
Will Ripley joins us now from Taipei with the very latest.
Presumably, you were expecting this. WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Max. Yes, and we actually have some new reporting now from our producer here in Taipei, Eric Chung, who just spoke with a senior security official who tells us up until noon, Taiwan has detected about 30 Chinese aircraft near this island, most of which crossed the median line into Taiwan's self-declared air defense identification zone.
So, this is not unprecedented, but it is certainly provocative, and it's certainly a large number, a large amount of military activity expected to last for the next two days.
The Chinese military also deployed -- this security official tells CNN, about a dozen Chinese warships around the island. No aircraft carrier deployed in the drills at least so far, but we also know near Taiwan's outlying islands, China has deployed about a dozen of its Coast Guard vessels, which have also been in recent months engaged in what Taiwan considers increasingly provocative activity. We have this sound that has just come in from Taiwan's defense minister. We'll play that now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUN LI-FANG, SPOKESPERSON, TAIWAN DEFENCE MINISTRY: PRC's dispatch of aircraft and the vessels harassing its neighbors in recent years has a certain global peace and stability. Their military exercise is not helping with the situation around Taiwan Strait and also highlighting its hegemony mindset.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: I should correct myself, that's the Taiwan Defense Ministry spokesperson speaking there. We also have the spokesperson for the PLA Naval Command. This is Naval Colonel Lee Hsi speaking in a statement earlier. Let me read you a portion of that.
It says, I quote, these exercises are a strong punishment for the separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces and a serious warning against interference and provocation by external forces.
And so, the context here is that, Max, just days ago, Taiwan's new president, Lai Ching-te was inaugurated and he gave a speech that a lot of analysts considered somewhat provocative, certainly less cautious, if you will, than his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen when he called on China to recognize Taiwan's existence.
And so, in launching these drills, which were expected by the Taiwanese government, this May is around the time that the weather starts to clear up on the Taiwan Strait, which allows for these drills to take place. That's why we didn't see any massive military activity earlier this year at the time of Taiwan's election because it just wouldn't be feasible to conduct these kinds of exercises in the Taiwan Strait.
And there's actually been some pretty bad weather here in recent days, which may explain why the drills are happening now as opposed to on inauguration day itself. But these are described by China as a response to, in their words, Taiwan independence, separatist actions and external interference from places like the United States. But some might argue, Max, that China has been planning to do this all along. They've been doing these drills in large scale now several times since Nancy Pelosi's controversial visit here, kind of using the news events and the lines that come out of Taiwan as an excuse to further enhance their military readiness.
Some might even view a dress rehearsal, if you will, for an eventual invasion of Taiwan, which, of course, Beijing has never ruled out if the democratically elected government here doesn't agree to be essentially absorbed by the communist rulers in Beijing.
FOSTER: OK, Will in Taipei, thank you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RISHI SUNAK, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Earlier today, I spoke with His Majesty the King to request the dissolution of parliament. The King has granted this request and we will have a general election on the 4th of July. This election will take place at a time when the world is more dangerous than it has been since the end of the Cold War.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: And off to the dry cleaners, an ominous warning there from a surprise announcement, really, from a soggy Rishi Sunak. Headline of the day is Drowning Street.
The British Prime Minister set the date for snap elections in the pouring rain outside 10 Downing Street, saying now is the moment for Britain to choose its future. The six-week election campaign just beginning then. Widely expected to bring an end to his Conservative government.
[03:30:04]
Claire is here because, I mean, people are surprised because his poll numbers are so appalling.
CLARE SEBASTAIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right and so I think the timing here is a gamble and I think blindsided certainly even some members of his own party. The reason for this and obviously not an auspicious start perhaps to the campaign with that rainy scene on Downing Street and the fact that a protester was blaring out a Labour anthem from 1997, things can only get better.
And I think the reason why they're doing it now is partly because of the economics. We got inflation news on the same day in the morning showing that U.K. inflation had dropped to 2.3 percent which is really close to the Bank of England target. It was at 11 percent, don't forget, when Rishi Sunak took office.
So, I think the suggestion here from many is that the Conservative Party believes that things actually can't get much better from here because if you look at the small print of those inflation numbers they didn't slow as fast as many were expecting.
FOSTER: They could go back up.
SEBASTIAN: Right, they could go back up. Services are still sticky. This does not point to an imminent Bank of England rate cut so they don't expect to be able to bank that ahead of an election. So, the calculation seems to have been that this is really as good as it's going to get and they might as well call an election now.
Even with that, I think we can show you some of the latest poll numbers. Even with such dire statistics, the latest polling shows 40 percent of voters think Labour has the best plan, just 27 percent for the Conservatives. The numbers are pretty similar when you ask respondents who they would vote for if there was a general election tomorrow.
So, Rishi Sunak came out with this continuity message saying, you know, the world is in a dangerous place, you need a steady hand, but we got this message of change from the opposition leader Keir Starmer. Take a listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH LABOUR PARTY LEADER: It will feel like a long campaign, I'm sure of that. But no matter what else is said and done, that opportunity for change is what this election is about. A vote for Labour is a vote for stability, economic and political. A politics that treads more lightly on all our lives. A vote to stop the chaos.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: I mean, you'll remember Labour also has a mountain to climb here because they had a historic defeat in the last election. It was the worst since the 1930s. So, they are also talking about a reformed Labour Party and how they are sort of moving on from that pretty bleak recent past. The other thing to remember, though, is neither of these leaders have ever been tested before in a general election.
Sunak was not elected. He was put in place after the Liz Truss chaos and neither has Starmer. So, this will be an opportunity over the next whirlwind six weeks for the voters to actually get to know these two people.
FOSTER: Yeah, exactly, Clare. Thank you so much.
Still ahead, the mother of an Israeli hostage pleads for her release. How she and other families are trying to get the Israeli government to take action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AYELET LEVY SHACHAR, MOTHRE OF HOSTAGE NAAMA LEVY: We were asked to watch a version of this video and some of them refused.
(END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:35:00]
FOSTER: The families of seven female IDF soldiers kidnapped by Hamas have released graphic footage of their abduction back on October the 7th. They're hoping it'll increase the pressure on Israel's government to secure their release. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is horrified by the video. A warning, our report from CNN's Bianna Golodryga contains graphic video.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNKNOWN (through translation): You dogs we'll step on you.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN SENIOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST (voice-over): Horrific new video released of Israeli female soldiers captured at their base at Nahal Oz along the Gaza border on the morning of October 7th, revealing the violent nature of their abduction and the brutality that they experienced at the hands of Hamas.
The video obtained by CNN was previously released by Hamas, then edited by IDF, and later released to the families of the hostages. In it, you can see several female IDF soldiers, all border observers, their faces bloodied and bruised, their hands bound as they're forced against a wall.
UNKNOWN (through translation): Our brothers died because of you. We will shoot you all.
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): They are outnumbered by Hamas's militants who are heard in a chaotic scene shouting, praying, and interrogating the soldiers. Five of the seven women seen in the video are currently still believed to be held captive by Hamas, 229 days after being taken.
The three most prominently seen in the video are Liri Albag, Agam Berger, and Naama Levy, all 19 years old. We spoke with Nama's mother, Ayelet Levy Shekhar, shortly after the video was released.
SHACHAR: She was part of a youth program promoting peace. She met with -- when she was on a delegation to California, she met with different youth from Israel, Palestine, Jewish-Americans.
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): This previously released video of Naama being pulled out of a jeep, her pants bloodied, raised concern about Hamas using sexual violence as a weapon of war. A United Nations representative issued a report following a visit to Israel and the West Bank earlier this year.
PRAMILA PATTEN, U.N. SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL: We also have reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may still be ongoing against those still held in captivity.
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): The families of these soldiers agree to release this video now out of frustration over what they view as inaction from officials, including Israeli officials, to prioritize a hostage deal. The hostage and missing family's forum releasing this statement in part. "The video serves as an indictment for a national failure and the abandoning of the hostages."
SHACHAR: We feel that time and time again, the negotiations are not proceeding due to different reasons. Obviously, the Hamas have their part of it. This cannot be a side story. And so yes, I think this is the video that we agonize over if we should be, you know, having it published, et cetera. And some of the families didn't even -- some of the family members didn't even watch it until now. I think it should be shown to citizens in order to promote this, to mobilize our government, to put this in the top priority and to move ahead and bring them all home.
GOLODRYGA (on camera): Is it true that some members of the government did not want to watch this video?
SHACHAR: The ministers and members of the government were asked to watch a version of this video in their meetings. And some of them refused and said, you know, we want to sleep okay at night, so we don't want to watch this now. So, if this is the reaction when their duty is to watch all these materials of October 7th and everything from that point on, this is their job so they can make correct decisions. Then, you know, we think that we should just put it out there for our citizens and for the world to see.
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): Bianna Golodryga, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: A dramatic moment in the fighting in northern Ukraine. A police car reportedly takes a hit from a Russian drone and it's all caught on camera. That story is just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:40:00]
FOSTER: A look at US Futures today. Investors hoping for a recovery after all three indices actually fell on Wednesday. The Dow Jones recording one of its worst days this month, sliding more than 200 points after new record highs last week. The latest slide coming after notes from Federal Reserve officials hinted they were worried about the lack of progress with curbing inflation.
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said earlier this month that controlling inflation may be just a matter of giving high interest rates some time to kick in. A U.S. chipmaker, Nvidia, announced a 10-for-1 stock split after yet another strong quarter. The split will effectively cut the price of buying shares in the company, making it more accessible for individual investors.
The stock has exploded more than 2,500 percent, would you believe, in the past five years due to the company's crucial role in the tech industry and artificial intelligence. Shares have been up more than 5 percent in after-hours trading following that announcement. The post- split shares will begin trading on June the 10th.
An update on one of the four criminal indictments against Donald Trump, the classified documents case. The trial was supposed to begin this week, but remains indefinitely postponed due to the slow pace of the Trump-appointed judge. On Wednesday, she presided over a hearing that turned into a shouting match. CNN's Evan Perez has the details.
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: A federal judge overseeing Donald Trump's classified documents case appeared skeptical of efforts by the defense to get these charges tossed. However, Judge Eileen Cannon did express some sympathy for the idea that jurors may have trouble understanding what she says is a complicated case. I'll read you just a part of what she said from the bench today.
She said, "It's going to be hard for someone to detect what's different in these counts." That's one of the arguments that was being made by the defense attorneys in these two hearings in court today. One of the things that happened was the two sides got heated over an episode by one of the defense lawyers who says that, essentially, prosecutors were trying to push him by mentioning a potential judgeship, trying to push him to get his client, Walt Nauta, to cooperate with the prosecution.
That's something that prompted David Harbaugh, one of the prosecutors, to respond that it was pure fantasy. Now, Judge Eileen Cannon did not rule from the bench, and we're still waiting for her to rule on when we might see a trial. This was a case that was supposed to start trial this week here in Florida. We still don't know whether that will happen. We don't know whether she will be able to get this case in before the November election. Evan Perez, CNN, Fort Pierce, Florida.
FOSTER: Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is giving her vote in the upcoming U.S. presidential election to the very man that she attacked in the primaries as unhinged and unqualified.
[03:44:58]
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NIKKI HALEY, FORMER U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Trump would be smart to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me and continue to support me, and not assume that they're just going to be with him. And I genuinely hope he does that. Trump has not been perfect on these policies. I've made that clear many, many times. But Biden has been a catastrophe. So, I will be voting for Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Haley made her pledge, even though Trump repeatedly insulted her, calling her brain dead and mocking the absence of her husband, who was deployed on a military mission. In response, Haley said the statement disqualified Trump from the presidency, and she questioned his mental competence. Haley quit the presidential race in March, but she's still getting a significant number of votes in Republican primaries. A deadly Russian strike in northern Ukraine has been caught on video. Ukraine says it shows the moment the Russian drone hit a police car in Vovchansk on Wednesday, killing an officer and wounding another. It reportedly happened whilst the city was being evacuated. Ukrainian troops are fighting Russian forces house to house to keep them from advancing in Vovchansk.
But there's another crucial town also in Russia's sights, which Ukraine is desperately trying to defend. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh got exclusive access to see the battle firsthand. And a warning, some of the images in this report are graphic.
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHEIF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some towns they can never let Putin take. And this, Lyptsi, is one of them. Destroyed artillery on the streets. Homes aflame from an airstrike. They can only move at night. Lights off. It's a perilous grip they keep, but lose here and Russian artillery will be in range of Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv.
(On camera): You can still smell the smoke here from an airstrike that landed just in the last hour or so.
WALSH (voice-over): This is life under the drone, with the first reporters into the heart of the town. Only soldiers left here underground. The Kharkiv 13th National Guard first tackled Russia's new offensive.
UNKNOWN (through translation): You saw how it's all burning. It's like that every night.
WALSH (on camera): Do you think there were good enough fortifications here?
UNKNOWN (through translation): Nothing was prepared here. Nothing. Just nothing. All positions are being built by the hands of the infantry. The Russians are trained professional soldiers. We can see it from their equipment, from their tactics.
WALSH (voice-over): There were eight airstrikes just in the last hour, so we leave soon. A buzzing noise near us, very close, and the only way they know whose drone this is, is if it attacks.
Is it your drone?
UNKNOWN (through translation): Who knows?
WALSH (voice-over): All around Kharkiv they don't have enough guns and the Russians have too many drones. A 92nd assault brigade shows us something that isn't even theirs.
(On camera): Russian artillery piece that they captured in the first year of the war in the fighting in Kharkiv region and now they use strangely French mortar rounds to fire from here. It's just a sign of how little appropriate ammunition they have available to them. This wire is a protection from FPV drones.
WALSH (voice-over): Above he sees a drone with two battery packs, a long-range scout. Run. Basement. It is not friendly. If you can tell it's an attack drone, hide. This seems to be a scout, so running is better before it calls in shelling. Another artillery unit wants to show us something not even Russian, but Soviet. Made in the 1940s, it can still fire newer Polish shells. In the autumn it was 100 a day, now it is 10.
(On camera): Extraordinary to see something here that's three times the age of either of these two guys holding back a new Russian offensive in 2024. They say the metal is so old that limits the number of times.
(Voice-over): That sound warns another drone is incoming and back in the bunker they show us the online-bought $30 gadget that is their best warning mechanism. The team here embody Ukraine's exhaustion and resilience. Older guys, wounded infantrymen. Artur has drone shrapnel in his arms still.
UNKNOWN (through translation): Moving towards Lozova?
UNKNOWN (through translation): Yes, yes.
UNKNOWN (through translation): Orlan. Don't go out at all for now
WALSH (on camera): He just saw an Orlan Russian drone passing overhead, so he's saying better stay inside.
(Voice-over): On the way back into the city, we see what fuels this defense. This was a lakeside resort. Football, cocktails, a beach.
[03:50:03]
(On camera): Extraordinary devastation. I think they had to collect the bodies.
(Voice-over): A seven-month pregnant woman was among the seven dead here. Another body found later, just fragments in the mulch. Russia's advance looms over whatever life persists here, belching out over homes. The dark is little salvation.
This may be a drone being hit, but they kill two when they crash in failure. Flares breach the enforced blackout. Moscow is getting nearer again, and there are always too many blasts before dawn. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kharkiv, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: A company tried to sell Elvis Presley's Graceland home in a foreclosure auction. Just ahead, what his granddaughter did to save her family's historic estate.
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FOSTER: The U.S. Justice Department is expected to file an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation, the company that owns Ticketmaster, as soon as this week. That's according to a person briefed on the matter. The service is unpopular amongst fans, musicians, and U.S. lawmakers alike. They accuse Live Nation of throttling competition, unfairly raising prices, and essentially controlling the live music industry. Recently, Ticketmaster faced massive scrutiny for its botched handling of the Taylor Swift Eras tour.
Now, it appears that Elvis Presley's family will keep control of his Graceland mansion. Tennessee court made that ruling on Wednesday after Presley's granddaughter sued to block a mysterious company from selling the historic Memphis home. That company later saying it's dropping all claims to the property. CNN's Isabel Rosales unravels the details and the mystery.
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ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For decades, they've come to honor the king, to get a glimpse of where Elvis Presley lived, and to be close to rock and roll royalty. The Memphis home hallowed ground for music lovers around the world, and the resting place for Presley, his daughter Lisa Marie, and other family members.
UNKNOWN: I mean, it should be in Elvis's family, always.
PAUL YOUNG, MAYOR OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: We hope that it stays with the family. Graceland means so much to our community. It does so much for our economy. We attract over 600,000 visitors each year.
ROSALES (voice-over): But with the threat of foreclosure, the fate of Elvis Presley's fabled Graceland was all shook up.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
The historic landmark, front and center, in court Wednesday morning.
JOEDAE L. JENKINS, CHANCELLOR, SHELBY COUNTY CHANCERY COURT: The (inaudible) is perceived (inaudible).
ROSALES (voice-over): To determine who is its rightful owner, after the iconic 14-acre property was put up for a foreclosure auction to be held Thursday, until the singer's granddaughter and heir, Riley Keough, filed suit. And a judge granted a temporary restraining order against any sale.
JENKINS: The court will adjourn the sale.
ROSALES (voice-over): Ruling the iconic Memphis home can stay in the hands of the Presley family for now.
[03:54:56]
The creditor behind the sale, Naussany Investments and Private Lending LLC, presented documents claiming Lisa Marie Presley defaulted on a nearly $4 million loan, with Graceland as collateral. Keough claims not only are the documents fake, but that her mother never borrowed money or used Graceland as collateral. Keough also claims Naussany isn't even a real company.
JENKINS: It appears that you (inaudible).
ROSALES (voice-over): The judge in court deciding to delay the foreclosure until a hearing can determine the facts. The notary swear she never met Lisa Marie Presley or notarized her signature on the loan paperwork.
JENKINS: Which brings in the question as to the authenticity of the signature and indeed the need of trust as being a fraud.
ROSALES (voice-over): Today, the company says it will not move forward with the foreclosure and will be withdrawing all claims with prejudice, according to a statement released by a person identified as a representative. So, for now, for fans and for the family, Graceland remains a good luck charm.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ROSALES (on camera): Withdrawing all claims with prejudice, that means that the decision is final. So, it sounds like this lender will abandon any future efforts to foreclose on Graceland. We have also reached out to the attorney of Riley Keough to inquire as to the status of the lawsuit against this company in light of this news.
We've also reached out to Tennessee banking regulators, the D.A.'s attorney's and also the U.S. Attorney's Office to see whether they will play any role in this legal battle considering the accusations of fraud. Isabel Rosales, CNN, Atlanta.
FOSTER: Scientists are hoping they've cracked the code to understanding the sun's magnetic field, a mystery that's puzzled astronomers for centuries. On Wednesday, a group of researchers published a study with a new theory that the sun's magnetic field originates much closer to its surface than earlier studies had assumed. They hope their new model can provide a better understanding of the solar cycle and make it easier to predict solar activity.
Solar storms can disrupt GPS devices and communication satellites. They can also give us those amazing aurora light shows, though, in the sky. I'm Max Foster in London. I'll be back with more "CNN Newsroom" in just a moment.
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