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CNN International: Israeli Strike On Rafah Triggers Global Outrage; At Least 19 Dead After Tornadoes Rip Through 4 States; Tomorrow: Closing Arguments Begin In Hush Money Trial; Trump Booed And Heckled At Libertarian Convention; Landslide Hit While Many People Were Sleeping In Papua New Guinea; 12 Injured During Turbulence On Qatar Airways Flight. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired May 27, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

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ERICA HILL, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: It is 8:00 p.m. in London, 5:00 a.m. in Papua New Guinea, 3:00 p.m. at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, America. I'm Erica Hill. Thanks so much for joining me today on CNN NEWSROOM.

We do begin this hour in Rafah with horrific scenes of an Israeli airstrike in a camp for displaced Palestinians. It is a strike Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now calling a tragic mistake. Gaza's health ministry reports at least 45 people were killed, more than 200 injured, many of them women and children after fire raged through the camp, which Israel had designated as a safe zone. Israel claims two Hamas commanders were killed in that strike using what it called precision munitions to target the Hamas compound.

The aftermath captured in some of the most graphic video from this war, showing charred bodies being pulled from the rubble. You can hear screams filling the air, even a man carrying headless body of a child.

International condemnation of the strike has been swift, especially as it comes just days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to immediately halt its offensive in Rafah. French President Emmanuel Macron said he was outraged by this most recent attack, calling for the operation to stop. Doctors Without Borders for its part saying the attack shows once again, nowhere is safe.

As I mentioned, Prime Minister Netanyahu addressing that attack in Israel's parliament today. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): In Rafah, we already evacuated about 1 million noncombatant residents. And despite our outmost effort not to harm noncombatants, something unfortunately went tragically wrong. We are investigating the incident. I'm going to reach conclusions, because this is our policy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Jerusalem. So much backlash to the strike in particularly, Jeremy. What are we

hearing from the IDF at this point?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No doubt about it. I mean, this is certainly not the first strike that the Israeli military has carried out in Gaza that has resulted in dozens of civilian casualties. But it is the first time that we are seeing the Israeli government in full damage control mode less than 24 hours after that strike, acknowledging that something in their -- in their assessment went tragically wrong here.

You heard the Israeli prime minister say that this was a tragic accident. The Israeli military is now committing to a full investigation of the matter. And it really speaks to these moments that we are in, with Israel increasingly isolated on the world stage.

But, of course at the center of all this is this tragedy, this tragic strike that unfolded late last night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIAMOND (voice-over): Their blood-curdling screams tell the story of the unfolding horror more than words ever could.

But it is only as bodies are pulled out of the inferno that the scale of this attack becomes clear. At least 45 people were killed after an Israeli airstrike targeted this camp for displaced Palestinians in western Rafah, according to the Palestinian ministry of health.

Plastic tarps in engulfed in flames, sheet metal walls crushed by the blast, a block of makeshift shelters flattened in an instant. The Israeli military says the strike killed two senior Hamas militants who commanded Hamas's West Bank operations, Yassin Rabia and Khaled Nagar.

In a rare move, the Israeli military's top lawyer launching an investigation into the strike, saying civilian casualties had not been expected.

It was assessed that there would be no expected harm to uninvolved civilians. The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians during combat.

Mohammad Abu Atere (ph) is one of those civilians, so badly burned that he cannot even open his eyes. There are so many more. So many children writhing in pain.

And then there are the parents, desperate to save babies whose cries have been silenced, perhaps forever.

For those who survived, whatever thin sense of safety they still had has now been completely shattered.

We were sitting and suddenly there was a big blast and fire. People started screaming, Ranin (ph) says, describing how they spent the whole night pulling charred bodies out of the embers. While hundreds of thousands have fled eastern Rafah after the military ordered its evacuation, many others like this man displaced from central Gaza came here to western Rafah, told the area would be safe.

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And then there are the mourners.

The occupation army is a liar. There is no security in Gaza, says this man, whose brother was killed in the strike. Here he is with his wife. They were martyred. They are gone.

For one man, a brother, for another, his sister. She was the only one, he says. She was the only one, and she is gone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DIAMOND (on camera): And we should note, of course, that this strike comes just days after the International Court of Justice ordered the Israeli government to halt its military offensive in Rafah. The Israeli government obviously choosing to ignore that order as it presses on on with strikes like these.

But, of course, this strike really underscores the dangers of a military offensive in Rafah. You see that this hit an area where hundreds of people, if not thousands, were sheltering -- sheltering from other parts of Gaza, from Central Gaza, from northern Gaza. And this was not one of the areas that had been ordered to evacuate. That's mostly eastern Rafah where the Israeli military has been conducting operations.

But even in western Rafah, an area where people thought it would be safe, that sense of security has certainly been shattered -- Erica.

HILL: Yeah, it has. Jeremy, appreciate it. Thank you.

Spain has announced a new $1 billion weapons deal for Ukraine, aiming to reinforce the country's air defense systems. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is in Madrid for that announcement, urging allies to provide additional air defenses as Russia continues to target Ukraine's infrastructure. At least 18 people were killed on Saturday following a Russian strike on a large hardware store in Kharkiv. It's a deadliest attack on Ukraine in several weeks.

Here's CNN's Melissa Bell with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Spain has become the tenth countries sign-up bilateral aid deal with Ukraine, pledging 1 billion euros worth of extra military spend. This offer, the G7 had called for Western allies to strike just these kinds of deals.

This particular aid package likely to focus very much on the area the defense systems that President Zelenskyy's been so desperately calling for, even as Russia has upped its attacks on civilian infrastructure of the course last few days in and around the city of Kharkiv. We saw, of course, on Thursday, a series of attacks that led to the ruining of a printing press. On Saturday, it was a hardware store with many hundreds of fear to have been in and around the building when the strike took place. The death toll continuing to rise on Monday, even as Ukrainian officials say they've only sifted through a small part of the rubble that now remains.

Those assaults on civilian infrastructure coming even as Russian forces continued to press their advantage militarily, the Ukrainian say they've seen over the course of 24 hours. No fewer than 15 strikes on the front lines of Kharkiv region. A reminder of Russia's aim of continuing to pile pressure on that new northern front.

President Zelenskyy urgently asking for Western help and increased help with his air defenses. We've also been hearing from President Macron speaking in Dresden, as part of a three-day state visit and calling for peace and the unity of Europeans in continuing to back Ukraine at what many consider could be a crucial turning point in Moscow's favor.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: As we keep an eye on what is happening here in the United States, a weekend of deadly storms across the country. At least 21 people are dead across four states in the U.S. following severe tornadoes and weather, which is really hitting the eastern half of the country and the Midwest over the Memorial Day weekend. It is, of course, holiday weekend here in the U.S.

Ed Lavandera has more from Valley View, Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The National Weather Service says the tornado that ripped through this subdivision just near the small city of Valley View, Texas, in North Texas, was an EF-2, with winds of 135 miles per hour, which explains just the devastating destruction you see around us.

These are -- a subdivision where dozens of homes are just demolished, emergency officials say seven people were killed here. Four for of those victims were children. In fact, we spoke with the relative of one family that was just hit devastated by this. This is these cars in this debris that you see behind me.

That is an area where a mother and two of her children were found dead by the woman's brother-in-law. Their home was catapulted more than 100 yards and it landed here just -- that's the remnants of what you see there.

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Those victims were found there just minutes after the storm blew through here. And also, hundred people were injured as well. There was a convenience store along Interstate 35, where more than 100 people were scrambling to get out of the storm's path, only to find themselves directly hit by the storm. The building collapsed. Those people had to be rescued.

But right now, in what is becoming stifling heat, families out here trying to clean up the pieces. And what is left of this debris field when families simply just in, some cases, just kind of stunned as to where exactly you begin to clean up after this. We've seen people coming in with heavy equipment and just piling everything together as you see behind me here.

And right now, the biggest need that families here need is temporary shelters. So the work is being done to get these people house while they rebuild. Also clothing, because as you can see, everyone's belongings have just been strewn all over the place.

The Red Cross officials say that the storm system here in Texas kind of cut a path of 150 to 250 miles along throughout north Texas. So the damage and the devastation of very intense in places like this, but also quite widespread as well.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Yeah. Absolutely. Ed, appreciate it. Thank you.

For closer look at this severe weather threat, which is not over and it also includes a heatwave blanket in the South, CNN meteorologist Chad Myers joining us now.

This has been for many areas that country are really scorching Memorial Day, Chad.

Absolutely has, 117 is the feels like temperature right now, right along the Rio Grande River. And that's in the shade, Erica. And this is going to be the case for the next couple of days.

Dallas, you're going to get a reprieve. You're only going to be in the 70s of the next couple of days, not today, but tomorrow, and then the next day when you start to get a cold friend, but that never gets all the way down to south Texas. This is just going to be one day after another with the heat index well, over 100 degrees.

Dangerous heat index is right along the Rio Grande there in south Texas. And even warm, not hot, but warmer than we should be all the way really up the East Coast. Something else is going on in the East Coast.

I'm going to zoom you right in here. There is going to be some severe weather today, if you're having a picnic outside, anything outside, you need to watch the storms here. It appears the storms have gone by, but they haven't. They're going to redevelop back out to the west here and there's going to be more lightening. So you need to have a place to go from your picnic, even it's in your

car when you hear the thunder, because one of the things today, there'll be some small hail and there'll be some wind, but more lightning I think is the danger tonight because this is going to be a lightening event all the way through the overnight hours. Things are going to continue to move off shore.

But for Boston, all the way down to the Carolinas, we are still going to see storms into the darkness. We still have 460,000 people without power. Some of those people don't have power and don't have homes and are sitting there in 105 or 110 degree heat index right now. So yes, we've had some violent weather over the weekend, 58 reports of tornadoes and more than 1,000 wind and hail reports combined -- Erica.

HILL: It has been a rough few days. Chad, really appreciate it. Thank you.

Still come this hour, closing arguments get underway tomorrow in former President Donald Trump's criminal hush, money trial. So what you need to know about that big day, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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HILL: Welcome back.

Closing arguments, of course, set to get underway in former President Trump's criminal hush money trial tomorrow. This will be after a full week off, the jurors will be back in the courtroom and they'll hear from both sides one final time before they deliberate.

Trump's attorneys are up first, the defense, followed by the prosecution.

Kara Scannell joining me now with a little bit more of what we can expect tomorrow.

What are you hearing from your sources in terms of how these arguments are going to be structured for each side?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, Trump's lawyers are up first and they are expected to take aim at Michael Cohen's credibility. He was the only witness the prosecution put forward that could directly tie Donald Trump to the reimbursement scheme that's at the center of this case. So their strategy all along has been to try to knock down the ability of the jurors to believe Michael Cohen. And I expect fact that in their closing arguments tomorrow, they will continue to do that, to argue that you cannot convict Donald Trump of these 34 counts based on Michael Cohen's testimony.

And that's why the prosecutors will say to the jury, you don't have to believe just Michael Cohen and they'll try to point the jury to the other evidence that they've introduced in this case. They have called a total of 20 witnesses. The jury has also seen text messages, phone records, handwritten notes, and they'll point the jury to all of those documents to tie it together, to say that this is how you can believe Michael Cohen, this other evidence corroborates Michael Cohen. So I expect that that is how they will frame their closing arguments.

Now, this is expected to go all day tomorrow. The judge say saying that it's possible they will even stay late to finish the closing arguments. He will then instruct the jury on Wednesday on the law. That is what they need to decide if prosecutors have proven the case in order to find Donald Trump guilty, or if they haven't, then to acquit him.

The deliberations will then get underway after the instructions are read to the jury and they will continue until as long as it takes for this jury of seven men and five women to come to a conclusion and reach what will be a historic verdict.

HILL: It's certainly will. Kara, we are forever indebted to you as your CNN colleagues because you have spent every single day in that courtroom, giving us the first-hand account, reporting for us in real time because cameras aren't allowed in the courtroom.

Can you just give us a sense of what are some of your takeaways from those weeks spent observing all of this in a way that nearly every American would never have the opportunity to?

SCANNELL: Yeah, I mean, me and my colleagues have tried our best to put forward every detail, every bit of color and nuance that we are seeing and hearing, so that the viewers can stay informed about what's going on inside this trial.

You know, in some ways, it's just like any other trial. Ive covered, which is a common filament to the judges and the attorneys who are putting on that serious case and a serious defense and that it's not become a campaign or a political -- political in nature. It is a real trial with serious consequences.

Also, unlike other trials, there's so much extra security both in the courtroom and that members of the public and the media have to go through in order to get in there. What has been interesting is just seeing some of the dynamic as it plays out. Donald Trump for a lot of the time during this trial is sitting back with his eyes closed as he's hearing all of this testimony come in.

But when it's people that have worked for him at the Trump organization or worked on this campaign or the White House, he seems as much were interested in their testimony, often craning his neck and moving his chair so he can get a better view of those witnesses when they're on the stand.

There have been these flashes of intense moments when Michael Cohen, you know, he's been on the witness stand for five days, is clearly an important witness in this case.

[15:20:08]

He is known for having a bombastic personality and during his testimony, he's been very controlled, very measured, as he told his story about what his involvement was in this alleged crime. Now, by on cross-examination, you did see Trump's attorneys, you know, one point cornering Cohen around whether he made a phone call and actually spoke with Donald Trump. But one of these chemo moments and he was flailing his arms, raising his voice walking, when pacing and circles around the podium, really bringing this moment that was much more of a "Law & Order" television moment to the trial than what you usually see because in the end this case is about documents and whether they were falsified.

And so, while there were, you know, these actual records, invoices, checks, vouchers brought into evidence in the case which can sometimes seem dry. There were also so many of these characters, a tabloid publisher, Stormy Daniels testifying that enlivened a lot of this story, which this trial, which has taken place over six weeks, and now, heading into the final stretch.

And one thing when you covering trials and sitting in that room, it's often hard to convey the feeling within the room. And when you get to closing arguments and then deliberations, you really do feel the tension rise because you know, once the buzzer rings and the jury has a verdict, that that is a moment that is going to potentially change Donald Trump's life and potentially the course of history.

HILL: Yeah, absolutely. Kara, really appreciate it, not just today, but every single over these past six weeks. And in the days to come, because I know you are not done in that courtroom yet. Thank you, my friend.

Joining me now to discuss, CNN contributor, former Nixon White House counsel, John Dean and CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson.

It's good to see both of you today.

John, you know, as Kara laid out there, what are the things that the prosecution will need to do is overcome Michael Cohen's lies, right? He's always been a little bit of a liability there. And at the same time him, as she mentioned, connect all these dots with the evidence that they say proves their case.

How do you anticipate them doing that? Do you think that they have put enough out there to in fact do that?

JOHN DEAN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Erica, I think they've done it. They've been doing it since the very first witness with David Pecker, all with other witnesses that follow, witnesses who really have no ax to grind, like Hope Hicks and some other documentary evidence is the strongest.

And so, they don't really need Michael Cohen to make this case, to find guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. They've made the record that the jury could draw on without Michael Cohen. He just adds the icing on the top of the cake and makes an assurance that indeed Donald Trump was very directly involved in these activities.

HILL: We know the prosecution, they'll be making their case. Second, obviously, the defense goes first. And as Kara noted, the defense expected to really hammer home their issues with Michael Cohen and his testimony.

But "The New York Times" Joey is also reporting that the defense plans to focus at least part of its closing argument on the fact that Allen Weisselberg, the former Trump -- Trump Organization CFO isn't there. He's not there, of course, because he's in jail right now. He's serving time for perjury in a separate case, civil case involving Donald Trump.

Why would it be Joey beneficial to the defense to bring up Allen Weisselberg and essentially introduce this new character to the jury and a closing argument.

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yeah, Erica, you better be believed and be sure that the defense will do everything to raise the specter of doubt. Remember who he is. That is Mr. Weisselberg, he is the chief financial officer. Remember what this is? This is a case ultimately about the falsification of business records. Those records relating to financial information such as ledgers such as invoices and, of course, we have the checks.

And so, if you have one of the principal parties who particularly may have been involved with Cohen with respect to making this deal and falsifying this deal and covering up this deal -- the deal two, which I refer of course, relates to Stormy Daniels and catching and killing her story, paying her off to hush her up so that she doesn't say a word, then, of course, you're going to say, well, if Allen Weisselberg is not there and he's the chief financial officer and he could have been an orchestrator of this. Why not?

And so were left again to the reliance on Cohen's words, and as Kara suggested very rightfully, they that is a defense going to savage him. That is my Michael Cohen with respect to his lack of credibility. He lied to Congress, they'll remind the jury. He lied to the special counsel, they'll remind the jury. He lied to business associates, he lied to banks, he cannot be trusted.

And to the extent that he is the direct link as it relates to Donald Trump, and they will argue, right, John Dean, raise a very good point that you don't meet him. The defense will say, nonsense, of course, you need him. He's the one that tells you Trump's guilty and because he has no credibility and he's the only one, defense will argue.

I would suggest that's not the case, but since he's the only one that establishes the president's guilt, and you can't trust him you can't trust anything.

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You can't trust the prosecutor's case. And therefore, Trump is not guilty. That will be the pitch that they make the defense attorneys to that jury.

HILL: So to that point, picking up on it, John, how much would you expect the prosecution to essentially rebut that? How much attention do you think they would give that? DEAN: Well, one of the things I'm watching for in the closing is that all throughout this trial, there's been an effort by the defense by the Trump team to slide in the fact that he was really relying on counsel, that Michael Cohen was a lawyer. So he thought this was all okay because Cohen would do but the correct way the legal way.

That argument got taken off the table very early with the -- what evidence could come in and what couldn't come in, in the early stages of the trial. Yet throughout the trial, Trump's lawyers have been raising this issue. So they may well try it pitch much of the jury on their closing that Trump was really relying on his lawyer in this instance.

I think that's one of the wildcards and one of the judges who hates to interrupt a closing? We'll find himself confronted with having to object to or when the government objects to it, they'll sustain in. And they'll not be able to make that argument.

HILL: I'm fascinated, too, with the fact that it's been a week now that the jurors have been away from this case, it will be a week since they've been -- since they've been back in court.

Joel, I'll start this one off with you. Who does that benefit more, the defense or the prosecutor?

JACKSON: You know, I think -- in this case, I think it benefits whoever makes the most effective closing argument. Why do I say that, Erica? It's the duty of those lawyers to refocus that jury with regard to what they think is most significant.

And so, whatever, might be on the jurors minds for this layover period the defense will come out, right again, prosecution going last to the extent they have the burden, the defense will come out swinging, highlighting not only testimonial evidence, but pointing to various exhibits, et cetera, that establishes their case and saying, look, do not believe Cohen, if you do, don't believe Cohen, acquit the former president, period.

The prosecution, right, when they get up, will say, listen, you don't have to believe Cohen, there's so much other evidence and information including your common sense and good judgment, including reasonable inferences you can draw from the fact, including an oval office meeting in which Cohen wasn't there to discuss an attorney general appointment, including the reimbursements that came right after that White House meeting that would establish that Trump was involved in the falsification, and, of course, the cover up.

Now, what concerned me very briefly, Erica, is that there's been very little said. We know that in order to establish the felony, you have to show that the falsifications of business records, was to cover up some other crime. Its still sort of remains a mystery. What specifically that crime is, and I think prosecutors are going to have to tie that in.

But to extent that closing arguments are to bring home your case, I think the layover is not going to not benefit anyone. That's why closing arguments are going to be so important.

HILL: So important. They have to show that intent, right? According to the New York law, they have to show that there was an intent to cover up another crime.

Listen, we will all be there relying on our excellent colleagues, Kara Scannell, Jeremy Herb, Lauren del Valle, and others in that courtroom as we get this play-by-play from them.

Always good to hear from both of you. John Dean, Joey Jackson, thank you both.

JACKSON: Thanks, Erica.

HILL: Still ahead this hour, a frosty reception for Donald Trump. The former president met with boos, jeers, hecklers at the Libertarian Party's convention over the weekend. So does it show potential cracks in his coalition? That's next.

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HILL: At the Libertarian Party convention, a tough crowd for former President Donald Trump. He was heckled. He was booed, even as he was there to ask for some support.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The Libertarian Party should nominate, drop for president of the United States. Whoa, that's nice. That's nice.

Only do that if you want to win. If you want to lose, don't do that. Keep getting your 3 percent every four years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: CNN's Steve Contorno was also there, joins me now.

This is not Donald Trump's normal crowd as we know. He is used to his rallies. He's used to his super fans. A lot of cheering. After all, if his applause lines and lot longer time on stage. He only had stayed for about 30 minutes.

Walk us through what it was like in that moment in the room, what you saw on heard and felt from those voters who were there.

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Erica, it was really unlike any Trump event, I have covered in my nine years of attending his campaign events. It was quite remarkable to see his supporters clashing with these libertarian convention attendees, sometimes physically he was booed, he was heckled, he was cheered for. And ultimately, his campaign said, look, this was about showing that

we are not afraid to go into unconventional rooms somewhat even say, on friendly rooms in search of new voters. Now the question is, did he change the hearts and minds of anyone there?

And when we talk to a lot of libertarian voters and libertarian convention attendees, they said that Donald Trump does not align with them on a lot of issues. This is a rather strident party. You would say something even say absolutes in a lot of their views. They believe that there shouldn't be a federal income tax that the Federal Reserve should be eliminated, that we should end all foreign wars.

And Donald Trump, while he may have some libertarian tendencies or tempted to make some libertarian outreach, they ultimately say he is not aligned with them and he has no different in many respects than President Joe Biden. But the question is -- is the people -- are the people in the room like a lot of those voters across the country who are considering voting for third-party candidate, considering the libertarian, considering RFK Jr. really that is who Donald Trump was addressing on Saturday night, not necessarily trying to sway anyone who is going to spend hundreds of dollars to attend a convention in Washington, D.C., but people who across the country are disenchanted by the two two-party system and are looking for alternatives.

HILL: All right, Steve. Really appreciate it. Thank you.

For closer look at where things now, let's bring two experts, CNN analysts, to discuss, Laura Barron-Lopez and Ron Brownstein.

Good to see you both on this holiday Monday.

Ron, when we if we pick up where Steve left off, the fact that Donald Trump is being booed by libertarians.

[15:35:00]

Every vote is crucial this November, and I'm talking about for both candidates. Nikki Haley supporters who are up for grabs continue to even vote for her in some instances after she dropped out of the race. It's interesting that they don't seem to be a focus for Trump's campaign.

Can he reach them at this point?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, the libertarian thing is interesting. I mean, Steve's point really is I think the important one. This is a pretty absolutist its party and its really hard for anyone who isn't doesn't start in their world to fully align with their -- with their voters. I mean, they -- you know, they went down from 4.5 million votes in 2016 to less than 2 million in 2020. And I think it probably on a track for that again.

Look, the two - the two parts of the electorate, the two components of the electrode that has seemed the most movable, the most fluid in 2024 are non-white men and college-educated Republican leanings suburbanites who are pretty much what we're talking about with Haley voters.

And, you know, Trump, if you compare where Trump is now to where he was in 2020, his improvement, is predominant among those non-white and both Latino and Black men. And if Biden is going to over -- I think Biden can do better on election day than he is today with those voters, but he's not likely to get all the way back to where he was in 2020, given the discontent over the economy. And where does he go to make up those lost votes?

I mean, the most logical place are those Haley type, if not literally, Haley voters, who are expressing a lot of discontent with Trump. And it is kind of a blind spot for Trump that he hasn't figured out a way to talk to them more. They're Republican leaning on economics. They don't like him on values, rights and democracy.

HILL: He always fascinating when you bring up the Biden campaign, part of this, CNN does have reporting Biden campaign that Biden is really trying to beef up its efforts to reach Nikki Haley voters and to specifically focus on the issues that matter to them most.

What's interesting, Laura, is that for most voters across the board, as Ron mentioned, the economy really is at the top of the list and the Biden campaign is consistently criticized for still struggling to find its message even to its base on that front in terms of the economy. Is there any sense, Laura, that the message would actually be different if they're courting Haley supporters?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah, it certainly is going to be partially different. I mean, the president is going to be out there talking about the economy making the argument that he helped the country get out of the pandemic. But when were talking about the message specifically to those Nikki Haley Republicans to independent voters who might lean a little bit to the right. They think that the best argument to make to them is one on extremism, which is you didn't like the last four years of Trump, you're not going to like another four years of Trump.

If you're concerned about democracy and the Constitution which a number of these Republican voters have expressed concern about, then Donald Trump is continuing to run a campaign where he is saying in that he will seek retribution for 2020, that he, the 2020 election was stolen, that 2024, maybe stolen, and that is their big argument to those Nikki Haley, Republican voters.

The other thing they're talking to them about, which some of these voters have expressed to them is concern about political violence, just the nature the tone of the country over all right, now that they don't like that, and they feel as though they can make a strong argument to those Nikki Haley voters about that concern.

HILL: You know, in terms of where the country is at the moment, a lot of the issues that you just brought up, Laura. I found interesting, "Politico" is reporting that President Biden plans to address the Trump verdict when it comes in, the message will reportedly different for specific rulings, the reporting says. But the fundamental point here will remain the same, that America is legal system worked and that the process should be respected.

It's fascinating that this is going to happen. Ron, I wonder, do you think it's wise for Biden to address the verdict?

BROWNSTEIN: I think he's going to have to in some way, but, you know, that reporting is consistent with what we have seen. I mean, they have kept their distance from these cases. They don't want to provide any fuel to Trump's argument that all of this is somehow being orchestrated from the White House grand juries and multiple states and multiple jurisdictions.

But, you know, it does fit into this larger point, I mean that Laura was correctly noting. I mean, if you look at how voters view the economy, how they view Biden's performance on the economy, how they compare Trump to Biden on the economy. It is highly likely on Election Day that there are going to be more voters who say they trust Trump than Biden to improve their personal bottom line.

I don't think -- I think Biden can be in a better position than he is today on that. Its not likely he's going to get past Trump, which means that Biden is going to have to find a way to convince some voters who think that Trump is better on the economy to vote against him anyway, and that as largely around these issues of rights, values, democracy, and extremism.

And it is possible that those arguments will prove more effective among white-collar, upper middle-class voters who feel less pinched by inflation than then it will be among blue blue-collar voters of all races, not only the non-college whites that have been so problematic for Democrats, for two generations now, but an increasing number of blue collar, Black and Latino men.

[15:40:18]

So, yes, I mean, whatever happens in the trial, the idea that Trump is a threat to your rights, your values, and democracy is an indispensable path for Biden because I don't think in the end, there's a world in which he can win or even come, even on the economic argument.

HILL: We're going to have to leave it there today, but it won't be the last time we discuss these topics.

Ron, Laura, thank you both so much.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks.

BARRON-LOPEZ: Thank you.

HILL: Still to come, the midair scare onboard a Qatar Airlines flight that left at least a dozen people injured. What happened on that Dublin-bound flight? That story just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:43:59] HILL: Rescue and recovery efforts in Papua New Guinea are continuing at a very slow pace. Friday's landslide there buried as many as 2,000 people in a remote village. That's according to the government, which says the main highway leading to the area is blocked. The landslide happened in the middle of the night, while many people were sleeping.

CNN's Ivan Watson has more of the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It has taken days for authorities and Papua New Guinea to come to grips with the scale of the destruction from a deadly landslide.

They now say that the death toll could have grown in to the thousands.

(voice-over): An outpouring of grief in a village community where the government says more than 2,000 residents could be trapped under deep rock. Many of the people in these highland villages buried as they slept when a massive landslide hit overnight Friday.

Satellite pictures from before and after showed the sheer size of the landslide.

[15:45:00]

The rubble so deep that few victims have been recovered.

EVID KAMBU, LANDSLIDE SURVIVOR (through translator): I have 18 of my family members buried under the debris and the soil that I'm standing on, and a lot more family members in the village I cannot count. I'm the landowner here. Thank you to all those who came to help us but I cannot retrieve the bodies. So I'm standing here helplessly.

Yambali village in Enga Province is an extremely remote part of Papua New Guinea. Help has been slow to arrive through mountainous terrain thick with jungle. The terrain unstable even for rescue workers without heavy lift equipment, desperate people have done what they can.

SERHAN AKTROPRAK, IOM CHIEF OF MISSION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA: They are using picking sticks, spades agricultural forks, and their hands, of course. A small amount of aid has arrived, but the landslide has destroyed the main road into the village and aid workers say violence between local tribes has made if the journey even more dangerous. Over the weekend, eight people were killed and houses and shops burned along the road to the disaster site.

JUSTINE MCMAHON, COUNTRY DIRECTOR, CARE INTERNATOINAL: An evacuation area has been established. Two emergency medical centers have also been established the defense force plans to bring in heavy equipment tomorrow. Papua New Guinea has called for help as it comes to terms with the scale of the disaster. The United States and close neighbor Australia have offered support.

But in this stricken community, hope for rescue is dwindling with every passing hour.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON (on camera): Part of what is so tragic is the timing of this disaster, the landslide took place at around 3:00 in the morning local time. That is when most of the members of these rural communities would have been at sleep in their homes.

Back to you.

HILL: All right. Ivan Watson, appreciate the reporting. Thank you.

Some frightening moments for passengers on board a Qatar Airlines flight on Sunday. The plane encountering turbulence over Turkey which led to at least a dozen people, including members of the crew, being injured on that Dublin bound flight. And this company lets of course, less than a week after more than 100 passengers were injured. And a man with a heart condition die when a Singapore airlines flight also encountered severe turbulence.

CNN's aviation expert Richard Quest joining me now.

So, Richard, walk us through what happened in this latest incident.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: In this one, the meal service was underway and the seat belt sign was put on, and the turbulence was in a few nasty jolts. The damage within the cabin was nowhere near as extensive as the previous one for Singapore Airlines, but we did see an enormous amount of detritus of meal service being thrown around the cabin we saw the galleys which were full. But because they were doing meals they were just sort of everything was on the floor.

And yes, those few passengers and the were only a few, six or seven who were walking around, either going to the bathroom or getting something out of their bags they were injured. But much less than on Singapore Airlines.

So although this was nasty, it wasn't as nasty as before. And it looks as if people are heeding the message.

HILL: Which is good news.

But I've certainly heard talk of among the -- since the Singapore airlines incident, there is a discussion about this turbulence, right? And that it feels like we're seeing an increase in turbulence. There's been a discussion about how the increase in severe weather is maybe impacting that. And it's tough to detect until your ended in most cases, has there been any progress in the aviation industry to better identify that turbulence before flying into it? Is it possible?

QUEST: Oh, absolutely. It's not only possible, it's being done of every hour of every day. The pilots on the flight deck will not only have the latest very detailed meteorological forecasts from their own company, from the airline, but also from air traffic control en route or down route, as they say. And if all that wasn't enough, you've got your own, weather radar in the cockpit so you can see really nasty weather storms ahead of you. And if that wasn't enough, you've got what they call ride report. The pilot in front will tell everybody behind, hey, guys, you know, it's smooth or its a choppy ride, or you might want to seek another altitude.

HILL: Working together, teamwork, there you go. It takes a little bit from everybody.

Richard, appreciate it, my friend. Thank you.

QUEST: Thank you.

HILL: Well, that wasn't the only scary moment in the skies. Also this one to tell you about -- two passengers on board a small plane in Sydney, Australia, forced to make a crash landing on Sunday. Take a look at some so the city you'll see.

[15:50:00]

You can see just how close that plane was to these homes in the suburb there. One of the passengers telling CNN affiliate Nine News, they actually didn't think they were going to make it to the airport's hanger. They did though, happy to report, no one was injured.

The cause of the crash, though, and the incident is under investigation.

When we return here, President Biden paying tribute to fall in military service members on this Memorial Day in the United States.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: A solemn occasion with added personal significance for the commander in chief, President Joe Biden, marking Memorial Day earlier, the holiday, of course, which honors fallen military service members. While addressing Gold Star families at Arlington National Cemetery, the president spoke of his own experience with loss and what he calls America's sacred obligation to its soldiers and also to their loved ones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know it hurts. The hurt is still real, still raw. This week marks nine years since I lost my son, Beau. Our losses are not the same. He didn't perish in the battlefield. He was a cancer victim from a consequence of being in the army in Iraq for a year next to a burn pit.

The pain of his loss was with me every day as it is with you. It's still sharp, still clear but so is the pride I feel in the service, as if I can still hear him saying, it's my duty, dad, it's my duty. Duty, that was the code of my son live by in the creed all of you live by, the creed that generation of service members of followed in the battle.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HILL: More than 400,000 U.S. veterans and their spouses have been laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, spanning every major U.S. conflict from the revolutionary war to World War II, Vietnam, Afghanistan.

It is a tradition for the president to visit the site on this day and also to lay a tomb, a wreath rather at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier -- a monument, of course, for the men and women whose remains were never found, never for returned home.

[15:55:09]

President Biden, as you can see here, did so today alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Here's some of that tribute before we sign off here on this Memorial Day.