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Prosecution, Defense Teams Ready for Their Closing Statements ahead of Trump's Hush Money Trial; More than 2,000 people feared to have been buried in a Massive Landslide in Papua New Guinea; L.A. Police now Searching for Suspects Responsible for the Death of "General Hospital" actor Johnny Wactor; Ruling ANC Party Faces Big challenge in the High Stakes South African General Elections; Researchers in the United States and Asia are Now Gathering Information on the Hikikomori Phenomenon; Basketball Hall of Famer and Broadcaster Bill Walton Dies. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired May 28, 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]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, the prosecution and defense teams in Donald Trump's hush money trial prepare to make their final arguments to a New York jury and a verdict could come as soon as Wednesday.

A tragic mistake. That's how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is describing an airstrike on a displacement camp in Gaza that left at least 45 people dead.

And from rescue to recovery in Papua New Guinea as hopes of finding survivors quickly fade after a landslide buries thousands of people alive.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. Well later today, a jury will hear closing arguments in the unprecedented first ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president.

Prosecutors will try to weave together weeks of testimony and evidence to convince jurors that Donald Trump is guilty of falsifying business records with the intent of influencing the 2016 election. Trump meanwhile has been railing on Truth Social on Monday he posted this and I'm quoting him. "Why is the corrupt government allowed to make the final argument in the case against me? Why can't the defense go last? Big advantage, very unfair, witch hunt!" Well, it's actually normal for the prosecution to get the final word when they must bear the burden of proof. Jurors will likely begin deliberating Trump's fate on Wednesday and he could get up to 20 years in prison if convicted. CNN's Kara Scannell reports on what we can expect from each side's closing remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump watching NASCAR in North Carolina this weekend while his hush money trial approaches the final lap in New York.

UNKNOWN: Are you going to win North Carolina?

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I do believe so. I think by a lot.

SCANNELL (voice-over): Trump's lawyers and prosecutors will square off trying to win over the jury of seven men and five women.

Prosecutors called 20 witnesses over five weeks and in their closing arguments they're expected to tie testimony together with a paper trail of text messages, phone calls, and the records at the center of the case.

The 11 invoices seeking payment pursuant to a retainer agreement, a dozen vouchers, and 11 checks most signed by Trump.

UNKNOWN: Mr. Trump, how are you feeling going into closing?

TRUMP: Very good. I think we have a great case that's been on. There is no crime.

SCANNELL (voice-over): During the trial, the jury heard from former members of Trump's inner circle, the publisher of the "National Enquirer", David Pecker, campaign aide, Hope Hicks, and his former fixer and personal attorney, Michael Cohen, who is the only witness to directly tie Trump to the cover-up.

Trump's attorneys are up first in closings and are expected to attack Cohen's credibility, arguing to the jury that they cannot find Trump guilty based on the testimony of a convicted liar.

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

SCANNELL (voice-over): Cohen was on the witness stand for five days, telling the jury Trump called adult film actress Stormy Daniels' story a disaster for his campaign and directed Cohen to take care of it.

Cohen testifying, he spoke with Trump twice to get his approval just before wiring the $130,000 payment to Daniels' attorney to block her story of an alleged affair with Trump from becoming public to influence the 2016 election. Trump denies the affair.

MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER TRUMP ATTORNEY: And I can't even tell you how many times he said to me, you know, I hate the fact that we did it. And my comment to him was, but every person that you've spoken to told you it was the right move.

SCANNELL (voice-over): He told the jury that Trump signed off on the repayment scheme in a meeting at Trump Tower with former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg. Cohen walked the jury through the 34 allegedly falsified documents, testifying there was no retainer agreement. The money was payback for the Daniels deal.

COHEN: This $35,000 check was one of 11 check installments that was paid throughout the year while he was president. The president of the United States thus wrote a personal check for the payment of hush money as part of a criminal scheme to violate campaign finance laws.

[03:05:09]

SCANNELL (voice-over): Trump attorney Todd Blanche has used Cohen's own words to bolster their defense, that Cohen would say anything to take Trump down and is out for revenge.

TODD BLANCHE, TRUMP LAWYER: I truly f (expletive) king hope that this man ends up in prison.

SCANNELL: Trump's lawyers are also expected to highlight the witnesses that the prosecution did not call, including Weisselberg, who was in that meeting with Cohen, and Keith Schiller, Trump's former bodyguard who was with Trump during the campaign. Closings are expected to go all day Tuesday. On Wednesday, the judge will instruct the jury on the law, what prosecutors need to prove in order to win a conviction, and then the jury will begin deliberations. The jury of seven men and five women will continue until they reach a verdict.

Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: So how important will these final words be to the jury? Does one side have more work to do than the other? We put those questions to "Politico's" senior legal affairs reporter Josh Gerstein.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH GERSTEIN, SR. LEGAL AFFAIRS REPORTER, "POLITICO": Well, I think that Trump's side has probably more to do here because they're going to need to stitch together sort of things that they have left hanging in various arguments. They have put out a number of different issues that they want the jury to consider as the prosecution case was presented. Remember, the defense didn't really call very many witnesses compared to the prosecution, maybe 10 percent as many, only two witnesses. One was sort of almost trivial to put in some phone records.

And so they have been cross-examining the prosecution's witnesses, but not necessarily trying to string together a full theory of what happened, whereas I think the prosecution's theory is pretty evident. So even though the prosecution has the burden of proof, I think the defense is going to have to try to make a more, if not consistent, more explained argument than they have thus far. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Now to another one of the four criminal indictments against Trump, the classified documents case.

In a blistering court filing on Monday, Trump's attorneys asked the judge to reject special counsel Jack Smith's request for a gag order. That would limit what Trump can say about the law enforcement personnel who search his Mar-a-Lago estate. The former president's lawyers also said the prosecutors who asked for the gag order should be held in contempt, calling them, quote, "the thought police".

The defense called the request an extraordinary, unprecedented and unconstitutional attempt to target Trump's free speech as he runs for president. It's unclear when the Florida judge, who Trump appointed, will rule. She has already indefinitely postponed the case.

Israel is facing growing international outrage over Sunday's airstrike in Rafah, which Gaza officials say killed at least 45 people and injured more than 200 at a camp for displaced Palestinians. According to a U.S. official, Israel claims an explosion from the strike ignited a fuel tank nearby, starting a fire which tore through the camp, though that explanation has not been confirmed. The Israeli military says it's investigating the strike, which it claims killed two senior Hamas officials.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had this reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRESIDENT (through translator): Despite our best effort not to harm those not involved, unfortunately, a tragic mistake happened last night. We are investigating the case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Qatar says the strike could hinder ongoing negotiations over a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, as another round of talks is set for today in Cairo.

CNN's Nada Bashir joins me now live from London. Good morning to you, Nada. So what is the latest on international reaction to Israel's deadly strike on a tent camp in Rafah? And what more are you learning about overnight bombing in Gaza?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Rosemary, there has been fierce reaction from not only world leaders, but also, of course, U.N. officials and humanitarian groups condemning Sunday's strike on the displacement camp, which killed at least 45 people, injured more than 240 others. We know, of course, according to a U.N. diplomat that we are expecting to see a U.N. Security Council emergency meeting being held today to discuss the situation in Rafah and in particular the reaction and fallout following Israel's strike on the displacement camp on Sunday evening.

And it has to be said there has been strong condemnation from U.N. officials following that Israeli military strike. We've heard from the U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, not only condemning the strike on Sunday evening, but also reiterating that there is no safe place in Gaza, adding that this horror, in his words, must stop.

[03:10:09]

And of course, following that statement that you heard there from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, characterizing Sunday's strike, in his words, as a tragic mistake, we have had this statement from the U.N.'s humanitarian affairs chief Martin Griffiths saying whether the attack was a war crime or a, quote, "tragic mistake", as Prime Minister Netanyahu put it, for the people of Gaza, there is no debate.

What happened last night was the latest and possibly most cruel abomination. He went on to say that calling it a mistake is a message that means nothing for those killed, those grieving, and those trying to save lives. And of course, important to underscore that this area of Rafah, which came under attack, was supposed to be a safe zone. This was not a region of Rafah or a neighborhood of Rafah that had received an evacuation order from the Israeli military. And this is an area densely populated with civilians taking shelter in these makeshift tents, as we have seen across the city.

And the situation across the city of Rafah is certainly growing more desperate. We know that one of the main hospitals there, the Kuwaiti hospital, has now had to close due to continued attacks around the hospital's surroundings. And as you mentioned, Rosemary, we have in the early hours of the morning and overnight continued to see further bombings across the Gaza Strip, killing at least six people, including in the southern city of Rafah.

CHURCH: Nada Bashir, joining us live from London. Many thanks for your report.

Well Spain, Ireland and Norway, each plan to make a formal declaration today, recognizing a Palestinian state. The countries announced their plans last week, with the three leaders saying their decision is an important step towards peace in the region. Ireland's foreign minister, alongside his Spanish and Norwegian counterparts in Brussels on Monday, said it's time to change the approach to achieve a two- state solution.

47 million people across the U.S. are bracing for severe weather today after a weekend of deadly storm systems and tornadoes. Parts of Texas run the risk of harsh storms in the coming hours, in addition to flood warnings. Excessive heat warnings and heat advisories, according to the National Weather Service.

It comes after a weekend of more than 600 storm reports and more than 100 tornado warnings. And you can clearly see the funnel cloud in this video taken in Missouri on Sunday, the busiest severe weather day of the year so far.

At least 23 people died from storm-related causes, with 15 deaths in Texas and Arkansas alone. This is the damage in Valley View in Texas, north of Dallas, after a tornado swept through the area, ripping up trees and destroying homes and buildings. CNN's Ed Lavandera spoke with Texas residents who survived a tornado, and now face the daunting task of cleaning up what the storm left behind.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SR. U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Across 20 states, there were more than 630 locations reporting storm damage on Sunday, making it the busiest severe weather day of the year.

In Texas, seven people were killed when a tornado ripped through this subdivision near the small city of Valley View. Benito Esparza raced here Saturday night to help his brother's family. The family was inside their home when the tornado, packing 135-mile-per-hour winds, catapulted them more than 100 yards away.

LAVANDERA: He says he's really tried to control his emotions.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): His brother survived, but his sister-in-law, Laura, and their two children, Miranda and Marco, were killed.

LAVANDERA: This is the remnants of his brother's family's home. This is where they ended up, and his brother was left over in this debris over here, and his sister-in-law, the three of them, were already dead. And he took his brother, loaded him up into his truck, and drove him out of this neighborhood to get him to the hospital.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): In Arkansas, eight people were killed by the violent storms. In the town of Rogers, Tony and Landon Roberts grabbed their two children and raced for cover as a tornado took aim at their home.

TONY AND LANDON ROBERTS, ROGERS, ARKANSAS RESIDENTS: Tried to make it to the hallway, that's the most central part of our house, and that's when we realized we didn't have a roof. There was water and debris coming through the attic fan.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): The common theme of all these storms, from Texas to Kentucky, is the near brushes with death and injury. Residents escaping with harrowing stories of survival.

Me and my wife are four-month-old. We hopped in the tub, and it just sounded like a train.

LISA ARDNT, MEHLVILLE, ARKANSAS RESIDENT: All of a sudden, my husband screamed, run, and we grabbed the dog and ran down to the basement. But before that, I saw the water swirling around and hitting our window.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Back in Valley View, Texas, Frank Garcia's father built this cinder block storm shelter by hand. They ran inside as the tornado approached.

[03:15:03]

LAVANDERA: And you could feel the tornado hit. FRANK GARCIA, VALLEY VIEW, TEXAS RESIDENT: And then out of nowhere,

you just hear the wind start wailing hard. And at that point, we knew that we were going to have some damage. I mean, for sure. But I don't think I realized, you know, the whole magnitude of everything until you start walking out.

LAVANDERA: Pretty terrifying.

GARCIA: Definitely going to leave a scar in this town for a bit.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): When they saw the shattered remnants of their home after the storm, they knew the shelter saved their lives.

LAVANDERA: So now thousands of people are left cleaning up the pieces. This was the home of Mike Gonzalez. He was inside that home when the tornado struck here in Texas. He survived, was able to walk out with his wife. But soon the destruction like this will look like this. And that is what many residents here have done. Simply bulldozed everything in piles and burned it here in pits. That is what the cleanup process is looking like right now.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, in Cook County, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate a remote region in Papua New Guinea where a massive landslide is feared to have buried more than 2,000 people. Officials say the area remains unstable with huge rocks and debris still falling four days after the initial landslide on Friday. Those conditions are making recovery efforts more dangerous as crews struggle to reach the area.

And for more, we want to go to CNN's Anna Coren who joins us live from Hong Kong. So Anna, what is the latest on these evacuation orders as well as the search and recovery efforts?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, these evacuation orders for more than 7,000 people, Rosemary, have been brought on because this landslide that happened on Friday is still active and moving. That is according to government officials. We spoke to someone from the U.N. who was on the scene yesterday. And he said with his own eyes he was seeing the land slip. And then a few hours ago, we spoke to an official from the province who said that this is still posing a threat to life. Hence, those thousands of people have been told to move away.

But what happened here on Friday is believed to have claimed more than 2,000 lives. This was a densely populated village. Yes, in a remote and isolated part of Enga province in the north of the country. But it was seen as a transit point. This highway, major highway seen as the lifeline of the region, ran straight through this village. And it had shops. It had a school, a church, a gas station. It had a lodge. So there were a lot of people who lived in this village. Hence, the death toll rose from 100 on Friday up to 600, 700 on the weekend.

And then in the last 24 hours, more than 2,000 people are believed to have been buried alive. Now, because the site is so unstable, Rosemary, it is very hard to get

this heavy equipment that has been shipped in onto the site. It's just impossible for them to operate. So rescuers, villagers are using shovels, sticks, their bare hands to try and find the bodies.

This is very much a recovery operation. Six bodies have been recovered so far. We understand that two people miraculously were pulled alive. But that was very early on.

But as I say, six bodies have been recovered so far. So as it stands at the moment, Rosemary, this nine hectare area of debris is now a mass grave.

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Anna Coren for bringing us up to date on that tragic story.

Still to come, a 10-year-old boy recounts the horrors of a Russian strike on his home in eastern Ukraine, one which killed both of his parents, his mother dying right in front of him.

And later, California police search for suspects responsible for the fatal shooting of soap opera actor John Wachter. We will tell you what we know so far.

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[03:20:00]

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CHURCH: The Russian airstrike on a hardware superstore in Ukraine's second largest city is now the deadliest attack the country has seen in weeks.

The death toll rising to 18 on Monday. Almost 200 people were inside the building in Kharkiv when it was bombed on Saturday. Five are still missing. Ukraine's interior minister said the hours following the strike were hellish. Kharkiv has faced a sharp increase in attacks in recent weeks as Russia continues to advance on Ukraine's northern front.

Spain is promising Ukraine more than a billion dollars in new military aid, including air defenses, which is a top priority for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He was in Madrid on Monday to sign a new security deal with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. He says it's crucial to keep supporting Ukraine with Russia not backing down. Spain is now the 10th nation to sign a bilateral security deal with Ukraine since last year.

CNN's Nick Paton-Walsh is in eastern Ukraine, where Russian strikes have devastated homes and communities. He spoke to a 10-year-old boy who lost both his parents when their home was destroyed. A warning, his report contains some disturbing video and content.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The fragments of loss and losing so often go unheard, but fast unravel lives all the same. Two missiles hit this comfortable family home just outside Pokrovsk. Now only dust and the smell of a decaying family dog.

We're close enough to the Russians, we can pick up their radio station.

UNKNOWN (translated): The West will not give modern equipment to Kyiv. So the ordinary Ukrainian soldiers will be the ones to suck it up.

[03:25:01]

PATON WALSH: Every time you see destruction like this it's really hard to work out exactly what Russia must have thought it was hitting with firepower like this. People in the streets say there's no military around at all. But all the same, utter devastation.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): People here know two parents died, but the survivor knows a greater horror. Mykola is 10 and watched his mother Larissa die as she lay crushed by the rubble.

MYKOLA GLUSHKO, SURVIVOR OF RUSSIAN ATTACK (translated): I heard a whistle through my dream. Then, bang! All the windows were shattered, in a second. My eyes were still closed, I felt the windows shattering and I heard it. Then, something fell. My mom was saying, "Kolya! Kolya!" I shouted, "Mom, I'm alive!" I took everything off my face and then I saw -- I saw my mom crushed down by the ceiling. I tried to pull it away but I couldn't. Mom was moaning and shaking her legs. I was shouting, "Mother, mother, it's just a dream, just a horrible dream." I was screaming "God, why did you do this to me?!" I was running my underwear asking for help.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): He says he hates himself for not saving his mother.

GLUSHKO (translated): I will visit them, take care of their graves. Apologize for not being able to save them. I'll apologize to my father that I couldn't save my mom, his wife.

My biggest dream is to ask my parents at least one question, what should I do now? How do I live? My other dream is to take revenge on who fired the missile.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): When you hear the words, too injured in Ukraine, the agony of survival is rarely heard too. A blast hit four feet from these two soldiers dug out.

UNKNOWN (translated): So, what is it?

UNKNOWN (translated): I don't know.

UNKNOWN (translated): Shelling or drone? Legs here. Good job.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): It'll take weeks to learn if they'll see again. Now this stabilization point has to just keep them alive.

UNKNOWN (translated): When I open the eye like this, do you see the light?

UNKNOWN (translated): Yes.

UNKNOWN (translated): And people?

UNKNOWN (translated): No.

UNKNOWN (translated): Cold? OK for you?

UNKNOWN (translated): Yes.

PATON WALSH: These two are from a town that Russia's claimed to be seeing progress in in the past days, possibly because forces have been withdrawn from there by Ukraine and rushed north towards Kharkiv to stop the new Russian offensive there.

UNKNOWN (translated): Oleh Mykolaylovich, look at the hand.

UNKNOWN (translated): Something burns on my side!

UNKNOWN (translated): Where?

PATON WALSH (voice-over): Suddenly, he feels pain in his right.

Internal injuries from the sheer force of the blast. They must quickly intervene.

UNKNOWN (translated): Is it a shot or what?

UNKNOWN (translated): Just a little shot. A painkiller. It will be unpleasant now. That's all, it's done honey.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): The doctor says last year during Bakhmut was much busier.

UNKNOWN (translated): 250 people a day.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): The beds here are empty now, not because the war was getting better, quite the opposite. This unit, the 93rd Mechanized Brigade, say it's because they're running low on infantry.

PATON WALSH: And that's how they leave, in complete darkness with their headlights off. So worried are they about the Russians spotting this place.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): Nick Paton-Walsh, CNN, Eastern Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Time for a short break. When we come back, controversy at the Vatican, where two Italian newspapers report the Pope used an anti-gay slur during a recent meeting.

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[03:30:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Los Angeles police are searching for suspects linked to the fatal shooting of soap opera actor Johnny Wactor. He was shot early Saturday morning after interrupting a group of men trying to steal parts from his car. CNN's Camilla Bernal has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNNY WACTOR, SOAP OPERA ACTOR: She said she was pretty worried about you. She ended up in the hospital.

CAMILLA BERNAL, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The "General Hospital" and soap opera community heartbroken and shocked after the fatal shooting of actor Johnny Wactor.

WACTOR: Is it true?

BERNAL (voice-over): Authorities are still searching for the person that killed the 37-year-old who was best known for his role as Brando Corbin. Early Saturday morning, he was working at a rooftop bar in downtown Los Angeles.

His mother, speaking to CNN affiliate KABC, says that after leaving work around three in the morning, he thought someone was working on his car or towing it. The Los Angeles police department says three people were trying to steal the car's catalytic converter when they were interrupted.

As Wactor approached the car to talk, one of the suspects looked up and shot him, according to his mom. His former fiance also speaking out.

TESSA FARRELL, FORMERLY ENGAGED TO WACTOR: He, I guess, was seeing them do it in the act and was standing up for what he believed was right and, you know, protecting his vehicle and his car and he was being brave and it, you know, you never anticipate someone would kill someone for that.

BERNAL (voice-over): Wactor was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The entire "General Hospital" family is heartbroken to hear of Johnny Wactor's untimely passing. The show said in a statement, he was truly one of a kind and a pleasure to work with each and every day. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones during this difficult time.

Wactor was on "General Hospital" from 2020 to 2022, appearing in more than 150 episodes.

WACTOR: Because you're incredible.

BERNAL (voice-over): His on-screen wife saying Johnny was the absolute best. So genuine, so caring, incredibly hard-working and humble with a huge heart that spread so much kindness and joy.

The actor also appeared on "Criminal Minds," "Siberia" and "NCIS".

[03:35:01]

FARRELL: I will actually always think of him as this spirit that loved to celebrate life and be alive and push the limits of experience and be, he was an amazing actor. He was really funny.

BERNAL: And the Los Angeles Police Department says that the three suspects got in a car and escaped. They have not released details or a description of the suspects or the vehicle, but they do say they're looking for the people responsible. Now, in terms of catalytic converter thefts, they have skyrocketed since 2019, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association, by 900 percent. They steal these for the precious metals. And in this case, it was not just theft, but also murder.

Camilla Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: South Africa's ruling ANC party is hoping it can win enough votes to stay in power, even as the country endures blackouts, unemployment and stark inequality. The case it's making to voters, that's next.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. South Africans headed the polls Wednesday in what could be a momentous general election. The African National Congress party is facing serious challenges to its 30-year rule as the country suffers from high unemployment, economic stagnation, power cuts and rampant corruption.

David McKenzie joins me now from Johannesburg. So, David, what's the latest on campaigning for Wednesday's election and what's being said about the likely outcome?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, I think the anticipation is really building. This is the most critical election here in South Africa since the dawn of democracy.

And you have a number of opposition parties that are really threatening the possible hegemony, one might put it in terms of critics of the ruling ANC over the past 30 years. The ruling party has said that they are the answer for this country. This will be a very closely fought election.

[03:40:05]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE (voice-over): I.T. worker Malian Bata knows how to gin up a crowd. He's volunteered for the ANC since he was just 15. But now it's crunch time. MALIAN BATA, AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS VOLUNTEER: We want to show the support to the ANC because ANC has been supporting us.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): The party of Nelson Mandela needs their voices and it really needs their votes. 30 years in power and the party that has defined South African politics faces its strongest challenge yet.

MCKENZIE: This could be the most closely contested election since the dawn of South Africa's democracy. And many believe that the ruling ANC could lose its majority. But their supporters say don't count them out yet.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): The ANC can fill stadiums, yes, but it also has a formidable ground game. Spending vast sums on this campaign, getting right into neighborhoods with senior leaders.

UNKNOWN: Voting for ANC until now.

MCKENZIE: Why do you still want to vote for the ANC?

UNKNOWN: I want to vote because my ANC works for me.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): Millions of South Africans like Tuli Gwala depend on modest government social grants to survive. For decades these grants have been the party's trump card.

But South Africans want more. Breathtaking unemployment, sustained electricity blackouts and stark inequalities have left many feeling betrayed by the promises of the ANC.

Once loyal supporters are abandoning the ANC, even forming their own parties, there are more than 50 on the national ballot.

HERMAN MASHABA, LEADER, ACTIONSA PARTY: I voted for the ANC twice. All these people here before, majority of them used to vote for the ANC. Look at the ANC's electoral support, every year it's going down.

MCKENZIE: The ANC government has presided over huge allegations of corruption and there is a very significant problem with unemployment. Why should people this time vote for this party given that record?

FIKILE MBALULA, SECRETARY-GENERAL, ANC: We are a party that have made strides in terms of renewal and fighting the stigma, so to say, of being associated with corruption.

MCKENZIE: Is it enough to win this election? Are you feeling confident?

MBALULA: The elections will be won on the basis of the work we do among our people and as you can see we are not idling.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): Never idle. Not during campaign season. But on election day, will voters be singing a different tune?

(END VIDEOTAPE) MCKENZIE: Now Rosemary, the polls will open bright and early on Wednesday, run pretty late in the day. More than 27 million people have registered to vote here in South Africa and as I've said, this is a very critical election that could see a sea change in how politics works in South Africa. But it's too early to tell for sure yet, of course. Rosemary?

CHURCH: We'll be watching very closely, as will you of course. David McKenzie, joining us live from Johannesburg.

Well 10 people are dead and at least 160 missing after a suspected Boko Haram raid on a village in Nigeria. A local official tells CNN around 300 gunmen arrived in Kouchi village around 5.30 Friday afternoon and left at 4.00 a.m. on Saturday. During that time, they made fires for warmth, cooked food and made tea. Amnesty International is condemning Nigerian authorities for what it calls an utter failure to protect lives. The area has faced recurring kidnappings for ransom in recent years.

Time for a short break. When we come back, coping with the pressures of society by dropping out. School, finances, crowds, all contributing factors. How researchers are battling the phenomenon.

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[03:45:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Researchers in the U.S. and across Asia are trying to get a better understanding of hikikomori. It's a Japanese term for people who cut themselves off from society, sometimes for months or even years. It affects an estimated 1.5 million people in Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea. But it's showing up in other countries as well. The rise of the internet, COVID isolation and financial or academic pressures are often cited as causes.

Joining me now is Hamish McLeod, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Glasgow. Appreciate you being with us.

HAMISH J. MCLEOD, PROF. OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW: Pleasure to be here.

CHURCH: So you were part of a study that examined this hikikomori phenomenon. How widespread is it? And who's the most vulnerable to it?

MCLEOD: It's widespread across nations now. And increasingly as more studies are done in a variety of countries, we're finding people are having extreme social withdrawal. So it's not just something that's limited to Japan or other Asian countries. It's been found in Nigeria, Denmark, Spain, the U.K. and France. So it's a widespread problem and a source of great suffering to the families that are affected as well as the person who's withdrawn.

CHURCH: And so what actually triggers this extreme social withdrawal and isolation? What is it?

MCLEOD: I think it's important to realize that there's probably two kinds of withdrawal. So some withdrawal happens as a coping response that people may have in the face of life stresses. And that can be an adaptive thing that helps people recover.

But for hikikomori where people withdraw for six months or more, it's often because they've failed to achieve a cherished life goal. Sometimes it's a failure to achieve something at university or to get a job that was sought or to meet expectations such as the kind of career that you're going to pursue.

[03:50:07]

And for that kind of person, they seem to react by withdrawing and cutting themselves off from society.

CHURCH: So how do you diagnose and of course, more importantly, perhaps treat a person going through this level, this extreme level of isolation?

MCLEOD: Yeah, I mean, it's one of those things that's unfortunately very tricky because the person themselves may not reach out for help. It's often the family members that will be the ones who identify the problem and they'll sometimes have been waiting for months and in some cases years before things get bad enough for them to seek help from services.

And then the diagnosis usually involves trying to rule out that there's not another explanation. So sometimes there are problems such as anxiety disorders or other kinds of mental health conditions. But basically, if the person's had persistent withdrawal for more than six months without contact outside of the home and no other role functioning such as engagement, employment or work or training, then that usually would lead to the conclusion that the person's showing the hikikomori pattern.

CHURCH: And is there a particular age group that's more vulnerable to this phenomenon? And what do family and friends need to be looking out for so they can offer early support and intervention?

MCLEOD: Yeah, I mean, it's probably important to think of it not necessarily as something that affects only a particular age group, but the onset certainly affects younger people more. And that makes sense partly because this is when a lot of the initial steps into adult life and attempt to achieve cherished goals like completion of university or getting employment and leaving home, all of these things tend to come on at late adolescence, early adulthood.

But in Japan, where hikikomori was first identified in the 1990s after the economic contraction there, some of those people have ended up staying in their withdrawn state sometimes well into their 50s and 60s. And now as their elderly parents are passing away, these people are being re-identified in society. So it affects people across the age range, but the onset is younger. And to your question about how to help, one of the first things I think is that it's the families around the person that may need the first port of contact and help with how to communicate with and reconnect with their family member.

The helping of people with hikikomori in the longer term tends to involve gradual re-exposure and reintroduction into social roles, things like work and employment, sometimes group therapies that encourage social interaction and then gradual re-exposure to roles and responsibilities can help people recover. And it is important that some people do recover very much back to normal functioning with the right support.

CHURCH: Well, that is good to know. Hamish McLeod, thank you so much for joining us and explaining it to us. We appreciate it.

MCLEOD: Pleasure.

CHURCH: The Vatican has yet to respond to reports that Pope Francis used an anti-gay slur in a recent meeting with Italian bishops. Two Italian newspapers reported on the May 20th closed-door meeting in which the Pope allegedly said gay men should not be allowed to train for the priesthood. One paper says the 87-year-old Pope, who speaks Italian as a second language, may not have realized how offensive his comment was. Pope Francis has demonstrated a more welcoming approach to LGBTQ plus Catholics, including the possibility that priests could bless same-sex couples.

Tributes are pouring in for one of the true giants of basketball. Hall of Fame player turned broadcaster Bill Walton died Monday of cancer. The towering redhead led UCLA to national championships in 1972 and '73. He was an outspoken activist against the Vietnam War and was even arrested at a campus protest in 1972. Walton went on to win NBA championships with two teams, the Portland Trail Blazers and the Boston Celtics. He was named the league's most valuable player in 1978. A series of injuries derailed his career on the court, so he moved into broadcasting. Bill Walton was 71.

[03:55:00]

Boxer Mike Tyson is said to be doing great after experiencing what representatives call a medical episode during a cross-country flight on Sunday. A spokesperson for the 57-year-old says Tyson became nauseous and dizzy due to a ulcer flare-up, but says it won't affect a planned boxing match in July. He will face former YouTube creator turned boxer Jake Paul. It will be Tyson's first professional match in nearly 20 years and his first fight since 2020 when he fought Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition match.

Late night host Jimmy Kimmel says his son is recovering from his third open heart surgery. He shared this photo online writing, Billy, you are the toughest and funniest seven-year-old we know. Billy was born with congenital heart disease, but Kimmel hopes this will be his last surgery, saying his son is happy and healthy. He also paid tribute to the late U.S. Senator John McCain for pushing to keep the Affordable Care Act in place, which he credits for helping families get the medical care they need, regardless of their ability to pay.

Well Monday was quite a day for foodie thrill-seekers. You are looking at the annual cheese rolling race in Gloucestershire, England. Hundreds of competitors from around the world barreled down a very steep hill, chasing a wheel of double Gloucester cheese. The first to the bottom wins the cheese. An estimated 5,000 people watched as racers tumbled, flipped and slid down the muddy hill. And despite some bumps and bruises along the way, several of this year's winners say they managed to walk away relatively unscathed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBY LAMPE, WINNER, WOMEN'S DOWNHILL RACE: I got some scratches on my face, but that's to be expected when you're really rolling down the hill.

DYLAN TWISS, WINNER, MEN'S SECOND DOWNHILL RACE: It's a little bit daunting. I just knew that I had to relax and go with it, not fight the hill. I had a slight expectation that this is the sort of thing I could win, but was very surprised when they singled me out and said, come across.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Rosemary Church. "CNN Newsroom" continues next with Max Foster.

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