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CNN International: Israel Claims "Operational" Control Of Egypt-Gaza Buffer Zone; NATO Meets Amid Pressure To Let Ukraine Strike Inside Russia; Jury Begins Deliberations In First Trump Criminal Case. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired May 30, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00]
OMAR JIMENEZ, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Hi, everyone. Welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Omar Jimenez, and this is CNN Newsroom.
Just ahead, the Israeli military says it has operational control of the buffer zone on the Egypt-Gaza border. We're going to have more on that development, and what it could mean to the region. Then, more than a dozen of Hong Kong's leading democracy activists and politicians have been found guilty on subversion charges. How it could impact what's left of the city's pro-democracy movement? Plus, U.S. President Joe Biden has often counted on Hollywood support. But now, CNN is learning that many stars may be hesitant to make endorsements. We're going to tell you the reason.
The United Nations is warning that humanitarian aid entering Gaza has dropped drastically, about two thirds -- by about two thirds since Israel launched its Rafah offensive early this month. Now, Rafah had previously been the central artery for aid flowing into Gaza. This comes as Israel's national security advisor warns that the war could last another seven months at least, through the end of this year. Meanwhile, Israel says it has operational control over a 14-kilometer buffer zone along the Egypt-Gaza border. The IDF says it found 20 tunnels that it says Hamas uses to smuggle weapons into Gaza. Now, Egypt has denied those tunnels exist.
CNN's Scott McLean is tracking the developments from Istanbul, Turkey, and joins us now. So, Scott, explain the significance of this corridor, Israel establishing control along the Egypt-Gaza border. What is its significance?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Omar. Yeah. So, the Philadelphi corridor is the strip of land between Gaza and Israel, and the peace agreement between Egypt and Israel signed in 1979 establishes this as a demilitarized zone, and that is why you have the Egyptians who have said in recent months, recent weeks, that the presence of Israeli troops along that corridor would be a violation of that peace agreement if they didn't give their permission. And there is no indication that Egypt has given its permission thus far.
As you pointed out, Israel says that they are in tactical control of that border, of that strip of land. It doesn't necessarily mean that there are boots on the ground all up and down at, though, but they're certainly in control of it. And because there was a naval blockade of Gaza, and of course, the Israelis control the other two borders of Gaza, really, this strip of land is the only connection that Gaza has with the outside world beyond Egypt. And so, now that Israel is in control of it, it makes it even harder than it was to get anything or anyone in and out of there.
We've already seen it with the closure of the Rafah border crossing there. Aid has been getting in through the other crossings at an absolute trickle. Of course, Israel has for years and years also complained about the tunnels that Hamas has built underneath of that corridor. They say that they discovered 20 more, some of them new, and they say that they informed the Egyptians. But, an Egyptian official speaking on state affiliated TV said that there are no tunnels, and Israel has not informed Egypt of anything. Omar.
JIMENEZ: And Scott, can you bring us up to speed in Rafah? Obviously, the world's attention has been there, given the strike and the ensuing deaths that have happened there and sort of the fallout politically as well. What is the latest with the situation in Rafah?
MCLEAN: Yeah. So, there are some indications that Israeli tanks are pushing even further west into Rafah. Already around a million people have left that area seeking safety elsewhere. And we've gotten word yesterday from the Palestinian Red Crescent that two of its medics were actually killed while driving an ambulance in that area to pick up injured people or to transport dead bodies. And they say that the Israelis deliberately targeted them because that ambulance was well marked, very clearly marked as an ambulance.
So, the Israelis have said that this is under investigation, but they have given some sense of an explanation. They say that this was a suspicious vehicle that approached, that it raised suspicion, and it posed a threat, and so accordingly, the IDF or an IDF tank fired on it. This is the 18th and 19th staff members from the Red Crescent that have been killed since the war began. The UN says that more than 250 aid workers have been killed since the war began.
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Plus, UN Human Rights Watch published a report a couple of weeks ago saying that Israel has fired or struck areas that were known areas where aid workers were located on eight separate occasions. And of course, I mentioned already the volume of people seeking safety elsewhere. Some of them are going to these designated safe zones or humanitarian zones, but "Save the Children" says that in just a four- day period, some 66 people were killed in those designated areas.
JIMENEZ: Yeah. Scott McLean, really appreciate all those perspectives and reporting. Really appreciate it. Thank you.
Meanwhile, America's top diplomat is taking part in the NATO foreign ministers meeting in Prague where support for Ukraine is dominating the agenda. And this comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken appears to be softening his language around Kyiv of striking, excuse me, within Russian territory. Now, some NATO countries say Ukraine should be allowed to strike inside Russia. The U.S., however, has been opposed to that. But now, Blinken is hinting at a possible shift. He is expected to meet with the Czech President. He is, as you can see on your screen there, he is on the right, in about half an hour. We will be keeping an eye on that. We are also hearing that Russia is now waging a war of sexual violence in the occupied areas of Ukraine. Survivors tell CNN, the victims are often men.
I want to bring in CNN's Melissa Bell, live from Paris. So, Melissa, NATO chief Stoltenberg, he is expected to deliver a keynote speech in the next hour or so based on the timing now. What should we expect?
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think to hear from him, much of what we've heard over the course of last few days, he has been speaking in Sofia. He has been elsewhere in Eastern Europe, and very consistently, speaking about the need now to take the fight for Ukraine up a notch, and essentially what he is asking allies to do, and he has been followed now by France, Germany, Poland, is to allow Kyiv to use the weapons they gifted against targets inside Russia from where attacks on Kyiv -- on Ukraine are launched. And this is something that appears to be making headway with some allies, not all. I think we'll hear a lot more about that and his reasoning behind it.
Essentially, the rationale he has been laying out so far is that this is first of all, of course, a war that Russia started, and it is asking Ukraine to fight with its hands tied behind its back. And when you consider also this in the context, Omar, and I think this is important of this new front to the north of Kharkiv, the third front that was opened by Russia just a few weeks ago, the fact that so much of this damage is being done, not just on the pressure that's been brought to the frontlines, but to the civilians of the Kharkiv region from just across the border is an important reminder of the need in its defense that Ukraine be able to hit the military targets just over the border there. That's the rationale that I think we're likely to hear him lay out as he urges allies to follow his call.
We have also heard from Secretary Blinken in response to that yesterday, Omar, when he was speaking in Moldova on the Moldovan leg of this trip ahead of this trip to Prague, where he said, look, there is no change of the American position for now. And of course, all eyes are very much on what the biggest donor of weapons to Ukraine will do on this issue or say on this issue. And yet, we have the Americans consistently adapted, adjusted to what's happened on the battleground, and I trust he said that we will continue to do so, a hint really that the position is certainly evolvable, that it can be negotiated and looked at.
And I think that's important in terms of the message that it's sending to Vladimir Putin, which has been heard loud and clear. We've heard directly from the Russian President on Tuesday that this -- any use of Western weaponry on Russian targets, on Russian soil would constitute a serious escalation and the start of something very different from what we've seen before with a very direct threat made, without naming them, to those small and populous nations on NATO's eastern flank.
So, Moscow is listening. And what we're hearing is a louder and louder recall that this now be something that be given to Kyiv, something that Kyiv, by the way, Omar, has been asking for fairly consistently over the course last couple of years, the ability to strike those Russian positions that are causing so much harm inside of Ukraine, Omar.
JIMENEZ: Yeah. And Secretary Blinken has said they've continued to monitor and assess, which of course is different from the hard position they had much earlier on. It'll be interesting to monitor. Melissa Bell, really appreciate the reporting.
Now, meanwhile, in the United States, in just about an hour, the jury in Donald Trump's hush money trial will return to the courtroom. Their day begins with a recap of some of the key testimony from the trial. Now, jurors have asked to hear again about the time National Enquirer President David Pecker met with Michael Cohen and Donald Trump. They also want the judge to reread some of his instructions to them.
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After that, they'll resume their deliberations.
CNN's Brynn Gingras is at the courthouse for us. All right. Brynn, what should we be looking out for today?
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Omar. I mean, there is some key parts that they're requesting from this testimony. If you go back to the closing arguments, remember, the lead prosecutor who gave his closing arguments said "Pay attention to David Pecker's test testimony". He called it utterly devastating, essentially said David Pecker had no bias on the stand because he actually called Trump a mentor. So, it's unclear, of course, why jurors want to hear back some of David Pecker's testimony. But, it's certainly interesting if you go back to those closing arguments.
But, like you said, there are four key parts of testimony, some of David Pecker when it comes to his interactions with Donald Trump regarding the Karen McDougal deal. Also, they want to hear back testimony not only from David Pecker, but also Michael Cohen, about that key meeting that prosecutors say happened in Trump Tower in August 2015, where they basically hatched out this catch and kill scheme, the basis of the conspiracy charges that the prosecutors allege against Donald Trump.
So, this will take about 30 minutes or so, according to the court, to read back these parts of the testimony. Then, after that, the jurors also want to hear more of the jury instructions. What we don't know is how much the judge left yesterday, saying let's find out. So, when court resumes, we will find out. Is it all 55 pages, which takes about an hour or so? Is it just a portion of those jury instructions? So, there is a couple things that are a little outstanding as we head back into court this morning. But, like you said, when it resumes and all of that is complete, those deliberations will continue. They've been going for about four and a half hours or so. And then, after they hear back this testimony and the jury instructions, they'll continue those deliberations on the fate of Donald Trump. Omar. JIMENEZ: And there are critical intricacies in some of those jury instructions, and maybe that's why they want to hear some back. As you mentioned, the judge also wants to see. And so, we will do the same. Brynn Gingras at the courthouse, thanks so much.
GINGRAS: Yeah.
JIMENEZ: All right. Human rights groups have condemned the ruling by a court in Hong Kong that found 14 opposition figures guilty of subversion. Now, it follows the largest national security trial since Beijing's sweeping crackdown on the city. Prosecutors say they plan to appeal the acquittal of two former district councilors.
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout has the details.
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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A dramatic day in court in Hong Kong as dozens of pro-democracy campaigners learned their fate in a landmark trial verdict.
LAWRENCE LAU, BARRISTER: Thank you.
STOUT (voice-over): 45 people convicted of subversion charges under the city's National Security Law, all now face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. They are part of a group known as the "Hong Kong 47", politicians and activists who were accused of organizing an unofficial primary election in 2020. They were arrested in dawn raids across the city back in 2021, rounded up after Beijing imposed draconian security laws following six months of anti-government protests across Hong Kong in 2019. 14 of the group were found guilty on Thursday. 31 had already pleaded guilty in advance, including high- profile activist Joshua Wong, who is already in jail.
STOUT: Here in Hong Kong, there were tears in court as the verdicts were read out. Family members crying openly as they learned the news that their loved ones could face life in prison.
STOUT (voice-over): Two others were acquitted due to lack of evidence, the first acquittal so far during the national security trials. Outside the magistrate's court, they gave thanks to their supporters.
LAU: Thank you very much for the concern over all the defendants of this case, please, please carry on your concern and give them love if us, if any.
STOUT (voice-over): Sentencing will be announced at a later date, then the cases will likely go to appeal. Hundreds of people showed up to witness the trial, including diplomats from the U.S., EU and elsewhere, surrounded by tight security from police. Amnesty International called it a sham trial to purge political opposition in a city which once prided itself on its freedom of speech and right to public protest. Chinese officials deny that the laws have suppressed any freedoms, saying they restored stability to the city. But, experts say Hong Kong's legal system has been dramatically altered. JOHN BURNS, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: It's absolutely clear
that the National Security Law reduced the independence and the autonomy of the judiciary, no juries, much more difficult to get bail.
STOUT (voice-over): So far, Hong Kong police say nearly 300 people have been arrested under the laws, which now include new legislation introduced in March. Six people were arrested on Tuesday, accused of writing Facebook posts with seditious intent against Chinese officials, a sign that the crackdown on dissent in the city is expanding.
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Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.
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JIMENEZ: Thank you for that reporting.
Now, early results from South Africa's election suggest a seismic shift in power. The African National Congress has governed the country for the 30 years since apartheid ended. But, years of corruption, rampant unemployment, and crime have eroded the party's support. Now, at last check, the ANC had 43 percent of the vote. You can see some of the results here, preliminarily, at least. And while it had the most of any party, it still hasn't reached the 50 percent it needs to retain control. Keep in mind, only 20 percent of the returns have been counted and the winner might not be known until Friday or Saturday. So, something to monitor.
Still to come today, more aid arrives in Papua New Guinea following a deadly landslide. The country's Prime Minister blames climate change for the disaster. And later, could today be the day we get a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court about Donald Trump's claim of presidential immunity? We're going to have a chat with CNN Supreme Court expert coming up.
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JIMENEZ: The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea is blaming the climate crisis for the increase in natural disasters in his country, including the deadly landslide last Friday. Now, India has joined Australia and New Zealand in pledging aid to Papua New Guinea, where as many as 2,000 people may be buried under rubble.
More on the story now from CNN's Anna Coren.
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ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Almost a week since a catastrophic landslide wiped out a vibrant community in Papua New Guinea, the people of Yambali are trying to come to terms with their loss. Hundreds if not thousands of people lie buried under nine hectares of debris, the size of more than nine football fields with rubble eight meters deep at some points. MATE BAGOSSY, UNDP: It was an entire village and shops and a fuel
station and the lodge and the church and the school. It is basically a mountain that has fallen on their heads.
COREN (voice-over): Those who did survive have used what they can to shift boulders, the size of cars, but generations of families may never be seen again.
SANDIS TSAKA, ADMINISTRATOR OF ENGA PROVINCE: The trauma and the emotional scar on the people that have survived is great, then we continue to see kids without parents who keep crying out for their parents, where they are, orphans, fathers that have lost entire families, mothers that don't know what to do.
COREN (voice-over): Miok Michael lost six loved ones in the disaster.
MIOK MICHAEL, LOST FAMILY MEMBERS IN LANDSLIDE: (Inaudible), my grandma and three of my cousins, and within (inaudible), it's adding up to 19 of them.
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COREN (voice-over): Michael went to the site when he heard what had happened, filming this video. He says homeless survivors had no place to sleep. The sheer scale of the disaster and the remoteness of the site has made the response extremely challenging.
TSAKA: The disaster is of a scale and magnitude that we've never experienced in this part of the world or in this country, for that matter, and the loss of life, the number of lives we lost will surpass any natural disaster that has happened in Papua New Guinea.
COREN (voice-over): Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister pointed the finger at climate change for an increase in disasters across the rugged Pacific nation.
JAMES MARAPE, PRIME MINISTER OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA: In this year, we had extraordinary rainfall that has caused flooding in river areas, sea level rise in coastal areas and landslides.
COREN (voice-over): Now, Australia has begun flying in and distributing aid. The Papuan military says it will open the highway soon, help at last for people who have lost their homes, their way of life, their entire community.
Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.
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JIMENEZ: Now, the heat wave that's gripped northwest India has claimed its first life. Local media report that a 40-year-old labourer in Delhi died of heatstroke Wednesday. The temperature inside India's capital reached, excuse me, a record high of 52.9 degrees Celsius. That's 127 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, officials in Delhi are rationing the water supply to help accommodate areas that have little or no water. But, at last check, the temperature in Delhi has fallen to still a sweltering 43 degrees or 109 degrees Fahrenheit. So, an important situation to monitor there.
Still to come, we're going to return to the courthouse in Lower Manhattan in New York where jurors in the Trump hush money trial are about an hour away from resuming their deliberations. We'll bring you the latest. And do you remember this? Beyonce was a huge supporter of President Barack Obama. So, what about this election campaign cycle? Which stars have declared their allegiance so far? We'll explore that, coming up.
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JIMENEZ: All right. In about an hour, the jury in Donald Trump's hush money trial will get back to work deciding his guilt or innocence. They spent four and a half hours deliberating on Wednesday, and finished the day by sending two notes to the judge, asking to rehear some testimony and get some clarification on the judge's instructions.
With more, here is CNN's Kara Scannell.
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KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The historic first criminal trial of a former President and presumptive Republican nominee is now in the hands of a jury.
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DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Mother Teresa could not beat these charges, but we'll see. We'll see how we do.
SCANNELL (voice-over): 12 Manhattan residents, seven men and five women, deliberating if Donald Trump is guilty of 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in an attempt to influence the 2016 election.
TRUMP: These charges are rigged. The whole thing is rigged.
SCANNELL (voice-over): After nearly four hours of deliberations, the jury sent in their first note, asking for portions of testimony to be read back from former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, and former Trump fixer Michael Cohen, about a meeting at Trump Tower. Prosecutors say there was a 2015 meeting there between the two men and Trump, where Pecker allegedly agreed to be the eyes and ears for Trump's campaign and flag any negative stories to Cohen. There were several other meetings there that Pecker and Cohen testified about during the trial. The testimony will be read back to the jury at the start of deliberations on Thursday.
The jury also had a second question before they were dismissed for the day about Judge Juan Merchan's instructions. Earlier, he explained that to find Trump guilty, they must unanimously find that he falsified business records with the intent to violate New York state election law, promoting or preventing the election of a candidate to public office by unlawful means. The jury does not need to be unanimous about what those unlawful means are. Prosecutors have put forward three theories about how Trump violated election law, a corporate donation or individual contribution exceeding $2,700, falsifying other business records such as Michael Cohen's bank records and tax law violations.
As it did during his 17 hours of intense testimony and closing arguments, Michael Cohen and his credibility took center stage. Under our law, Michael Cohen is an accomplice, Judge Merchan said to the jury. Even if you find the testimony of Michael Cohen to be believable, you may not convict the defendant solely upon that testimony unless you also find it's corroborated by other evidence. Cohen, the prosecution's star witness and the only person called who could directly implicate Trump, testified he spoke to Trump twice to get his sign off just before making payments to Stormy Daniels. He said Trump approved the repayment scheme.
Trump's defense painted Cohen as a liar and a thief who could not be trusted, out for revenge on his former boss. The judge left the jury to deliberate with these parting words. "It is not my responsibility to judge the evidence here. It is yours", Merchan said. "You are the judges of the facts, and you are responsible for deciding whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty."
Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.
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JIMENEZ: So, for some analysis on what's going on in deliberations, we now welcome in former Federal Prosecutor Gene Rossi. He spent three decades trying cases as a U.S. attorney. Really appreciate the time. I want to start with one of the intricacies here that the judge has made a distinction in his instructions to the jury saying, although a felony conviction -- with a felony conviction, they have to be unanimous that he falsified records with the intent to commit, aide or conceal another crime, which in this case violation of New York election law. But, the New York election law says you can't conspire to use unlawful means to promote a candidate's election. Jurors don't have to be unanimous on what those unlawful means were. How unusual is this? Why is it being structured this way?
GENE ROSSI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: OK. That's an excellent question. Here is the law. Judge Merchan is following New York law on this issue. You have to agree that there was a conspiracy to commit, have false invoices, and also to affect the election or to affect the tax laws. You don't have to agree to the unlawful means.
And let me give you an analogy that I'm frankly stealing from a dear friend of mine, who is a legal analyst. Burglary, burglary is the unlawful entry into someone's home, if you will, with the intent to commit another crime, such as theft, assault, rape, arson. So, you have to be unanimous on the burglary and you have to find that there was some unlawful purpose, but the jury doesn't have to agree on what unlawful purpose it is. So, a juror could think you're going in to burn the house down, a jerk or think you're going in to murder somebody, but they don't have to agree a unanimously. That's what's happening here. And I got to stress this. Judge Merchan is following the law in the
state of New York. I will repeat that. He is following the law in the state of New York. He didn't just make this instruction up.
JIMENEZ: Yeah. Yeah. As some have claimed, including, I should mention, Donald Trump himself has claimed that this is an unlawful process and unlawful thing that the judge is doing here. As you mentioned and correctly point out, this is the proper procedure that the judge is following.
[08:30:00]
Now, as far as the jury itself during this deliberation process, they did ask to hear -- read back of four separate parts of witness testimony --
ROSSI: Right.
JIMENEZ: -- yesterday, but significantly, two parts had to do with a 2015 Trump Tower meeting when Trump met with David Pecker, the former publisher, who agreed then to be the eyes and ears of the Trump campaign, flagging any negative stories to Michael Cohen. They asked for read back of both Pecker's testimony about that meeting and Michael Cohen's testimony about that meeting. What does that signify to you, if anything?
ROSSI: I got to just stress this. Reading the tea leaves, tasseography, is always dangerous. But, I think this is good for the prosecution because the prosecutor had stressed this in his closing. Look at the testimony of David Pecker. So, what I think the jury is doing is they're trying to corroborate what Michael Cohen said. And if you read David Pecker's testimony, they are almost like bookends. They're almost identical in terms of their description of the August 2015 meeting, which is crucial for this case. It is the capstone of this case. It's how it started. And that's when the conspiracy among Mr. Trump, Mr. Cohen, and Mr. Pecker and others was started. And they are looking at when the conspiracy started in trying to corroborate Michael Cohen's testimony.
Punch line for me, even though it's reading tea leaves, this is a positive sign for the prosecution.
JIMENEZ: All right. Look, plenty to watch for, and yes, look, reading tea leaves at this point is a fool's errand. But, we do what we can here. Former federal prosecutor Gene Rossi, really appreciate you being here. Thanks for the time.
ROSSI: Thank you.
JIMENEZ: Of course.
All right. Let's go back to one of our top stories. We're bringing you live pictures from Prague, where NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is holding a news conference, as the NATO foreign ministers meeting gets underway in the Czech Republic. You can see the Czech President on the right; Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General on the left there. So, we're going to continue to monitor what's happening there as we expect Secretary General Stoltenberg to make some more wide-ranging remarks next hour.
All right. We were speaking about the Trump trial wrapping out -- wrapping up to. Now, we want to move to one that has not yet started. The U.S. Supreme Court will gather in just a couple of hours and is expected to issue several decisions. Now, we are awaiting rulings on several hot button issues, including abortion pills and gun control. But, the most eagerly anticipated case, at least in regards to the 2024 election, regards the question of presidential immunity from prosecution. That legal debate is holding up Trump's trial and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election in multiple jurisdictions. Now, the court heard oral arguments on presidential immunity more than a month ago at this point.
So, I want to bring in CNN Supreme Court Analyst Joan Biskupic with more. Alright, Joan. What should we expect today? A lot of potential issues on the table here.
JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN SENIOR SUPREME COURT ANALYST: That's right. Good to see you, Omar. And I have to say, the biggest ones we really don't expect yet.
JIMENEZ: Yeah.
BISKUPIC: We're on high alert through the end of June. This morning, all nine of the justices, usually all nine, occasionally, we might have one missing this time of year, will ascend the bench. And this is the part of the court that we can't even get the audio publicly. So, I will be in the room. And the justices who happen to be the authors of the majority opinions for whatever is released today will read excerpts from the bench. It's a process that usually takes about 15, 20 minutes. And I can tell you that, like you, I am certainly awaiting whatever they're going to rule on whether former President Donald Trump should be shielded from criminal prosecution related to the events following the 2020 election.
And there is a related one that will -- is testing whether defendants who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, should be subject to charges of corruptly obstructing an official proceeding, and that could also affect the Donald Trump case. And you mentioned also, we have abortion cases we're waiting for, most notably involving the Food and Drug Administration's regulation of the abortion medication mifepristone that will affect access to that abortion pill nationwide.
But, I don't want to let the air out of the balloon too fast. But, I don't think those decisions will be coming yet, Omar, just because it's early enough in this crunch time --
JIMENEZ: Yeah.
BISKUPIC: -- that I'm expecting those more later in June. But, let me just mention at least one that might be coming today.
[08:35:00] We -- one of the cases that were -- that was argued in November involved Second Amendment rights, and as you probably remember, two years ago, the justices greatly expanded Second Amendment gun rights, and tested this session is a federal prohibition that would keep guns out of the hands of people who are subjected to domestic violence restraining orders, and that case could be ready to be handed down today, Omar. And there are a few others that haven't been as much in the public eye, including one involving -- it's actually a bankruptcy case, but it's a fallout from a major issue involving the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma and the opioid crisis and a settlement from that tragedy and whether that had been properly approved by a bankruptcy court.
So, there'll be cases that are kind of -- are being closely watched by different parts of America. But, the really big ones I would expect will come later in June, Omar. But, we'll all know, as you rightly said, in just a couple hours after the justices take the bench at 10 a.m. Eastern Time.
JIMENEZ: It's important perspective, and there are a whole host of issues, as you beautifully laid out. I feel much better knowing that you are going to be in the room, because if anyone is going to be close to these decisions, I want it to be you. Joan Biskupic, thanks so much.
BISKUPIC: Thanks, Omar.
JIMENEZ: Really appreciate it.
BISKUPIC: Thank you.
JIMENEZ: All right. So, I'm going to recite a list of names, and I wonder if you will guess what we're going to be talking about next. All right. Kanye and Donald Trump, Beyonce-Barack Obama, Lady Gaga-Joe Biden. And here is another voice you're going to recognize.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT DE NIRO, ACTOR: If Trump returns to the White House, you can kiss these freedoms you buy that we all take for granted. And elections, forget about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: All right. I'm sure you know the answer. That's Robert De Niro. And we're talking about Hollywood's connection to Washington, to elections, and to presidential candidates. Let's take a brief look.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
JIMENEZ: I mean, that was just some of the moments over the years. That was then. This is now. In this divisive political climate, many stars are reluctant to get involved. CNN Correspondent Priscilla Alvarez joins us now to discuss her new reporting on this. So, Priscilla, what can you tell us about this dynamic ahead of this year's election? PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is some trepidation to get involved because of the hyper polarized political landscape, and also because of the disapproval of the Israel-Hamas war. I'll give you an example. Mariah Carey stopped by the White House in December to set up Christmas decorations to her song "All I Want For Christmas Is You". Her comments section in that post was full of criticism from people, fans who said that she shouldn't have done that, given that we were in the midst of this war. And so, it's those kinds of examples that can cause some weariness amongst celebrities to get involved in this moment.
Now, of course, celebrity endorsements are crucial to presidential bids because they can help reach voters that are otherwise hard to reach. And so, strategists say that they are useful for the end game. It is not everything but it certainly helps. And historically, as you laid out there, Hollywood really has rallied around Democratic candidates, and the Biden campaign has some star power that they've already acquired. I mean, you saw Robert De Niro this week. In June, there will be a fundraiser with Julia Roberts and George Clooney, which will really help them rake in cash. We already saw an example of that in March in New York City where they also had a star-studded events.
So, the Biden campaign is continuing to have these conversations behind closed doors to prepare for more rollouts. In fact, I'm told that they anticipate the most of them to come out between Democratic National Convention and Election Day because timing is everything in all of this. They want to get people who are tuning in, in the later parts of the year to get them animated and excited for this election.
But, the other big question is, can they get the younger stars to weigh in?
[08:40:00]
Because these younger generations are the ones that they are also trying to bring on to the ticket, and given that the Israel-Hamas war yet another example of it playing out on TikTok, can they also get those younger stars to endorse the President? These are still open- ended questions again, just given the landscape that we're in right now. In fact, two examples of celebrities that don't want to weigh in, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. He endorsed Biden and 2020. He says he is not endorsing anyone this time around, And Cardi B, who also endorsed Bernie Sanders, then Biden, says she is not voting.
So, this is clearly a potential problem. The Biden campaign says, look, we are -- have conversations with celebrities. There are more to come. And really, it's not about introducing Joe Biden to voters, but rather trying to use them to deliver their message not only for him, but also on issues, and that could also be the out (ph), according to strategists, that we could see celebrities start to galvanize and mobilize more around issues like climate change and abortion, even if they decide they don't want to endorse a presidential candidate. Omar.
JIMENEZ: Yeah. And as Israel's national security advisor has warned that they have expectations this war would last until the end of the year. And so, this dynamic is likely not going away before the presidential election in the U.S. in November. Priscilla Alvarez, really appreciate the reporting. Thank you.
Meanwhile, South Korea is not buying Pyongyang's reasons for sending trash over the border via balloon. Now, officials in Seoul want the North to immediately stop sending the balloons, about 260 so far, which are carrying bags of trash and fertilizer.
Will Ripley takes a look inside the North Korea's week in the news.
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WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A bizarre week on the Korean peninsula began with a failed satellite launch. Fears of falling debris from North Korea triggered emergency sirens in Japan Tuesday morning. Tuesday night, in South Korea, blaring cell phone alerts like this, ominous warnings turned out to be overblown, no satellite or missile debris. North Korean balloons, more than 260 of them, raining down trash and fertilizer, South Korea says, on neighborhoods like this.
SONG KWANG-JA, RESIDENT OF YONGIN CITY, SOUTH KOREA (Interpreted): I had goosebumps. It felt like a childish prank. I was surprised to hear it.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Kim Yo Jong, younger sister of the North Korean leader, issued a statement, calling the balloons a form of freedom of expression, a response to South Korean activists who've been sending balloons to North Korea for years, carrying leaflets condemning Kim Jong Un's government. Her statement says that those South Koreans only see balloons flying south and not the balloons flying north. Now, the trashy South Koreans are brazenly claiming that their leaflet distribution against us is freedom of expression and that our corresponding actions are a clear violation of international law. South Korea's government says North Korea heavily restrictive but labeling its balloon activities as freedom of expression is self- contradictory. The United Nations Command in South Korea is formally investigating North Korea's balloon launch, calling it irresponsible and a public health risk.
KIM MIN-HEE, RESIDENT OF YONGIN CITY, SOUTH KOREA (Interpreted): Why are they sending things like this? I'm worried that they might send something dangerous.
RIPLEY (voice-over): "Fighters for a Free North Korea", a North Korean defector group based in South Korea vows to continue sending balloons north, telling CNN they sent leaflets, $1 bills, and during COVID, vitamins, masks and Tylenol. They say North Korea sent us back filth in response. That's barbaric. On Thursday, North Korea launched something more familiar, what's believed to be a barrage of short- range ballistic missiles. Kim's sister says more balloons may be coming, dismissing South Korean outrage as nothing but hot air.
Will Ripley, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE) JIMENEZ: Still to come, from a Texas factory to the battlefield, this ammunition is destined for Ukraine. But, as the U.S. ramps up its output to help Kyiv, it's also helping its own military. And authorities in Iceland ask people to evacuate the area near the Blue Lagoon after a volcano erupts again, and the pictures are pretty incredible. We're going to explain more, coming up.
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[08:45:00]
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JIMENEZ: A U.S. General in World War One famously said that infantry wins battles but logistics wins wars. That appears to apply to Ukraine, as NATO estimates that Russia now makes three times more artillery shells than the U.S. and Europe combined. U.S. arms makers are trying to close the gap.
As Oren Liebermann reports, they're helping the U.S. military in the process.
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OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Just outside Dallas, Texas, test rounds of artillery ammunition are rolling off a new U.S. production line.
LIEBERMANN: The goal of the U.S. is to produce 100,000 155-millimeter artillery shells like these a month by the end of next year. This facility alone, when it's at full capacity and up and running within the next 12 months, will make nearly a third of that, 30,000 shells a month.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): The U.S. has committed more than $51 billion in security aid to Ukraine since the start of the war. The weapons go to Ukraine, but the vast majority of the money comes right back into the U.S. in manufacturing facilities, jobs and production.
CHRISTINE WORMUTH, U.S. SECRETARY OF ARMY: I think what we've seen from the lessons learned in Ukraine is that all of us, the United States, our NATO allies, need more munitions. We need bigger stockpiles. Conflicts can be more drawn out than we thought
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): And when one weapon from U.S. inventories goes to Ukraine, another newer weapon takes its place. Bradley infantry fighting vehicles sent into the thick of the fight will be replaced by the latest models of the armed and armored systems. Counter-battery radars, Ukraine has used to defend against incoming fire, will make way for newer radar systems. And ATACMS missiles that Ukraine has used to strike deep within occupied territory are to be replaced with advanced longer-range precision strike missiles.
LIEBERMANN: As we send weapons to Ukraine, the U.S. replaces them with either newer variants or newer systems. It is a way of modernizing the U.S. military. WORMUTH: That's right. I like to say we're not going to replace old
with old. We're going to replace old with new. We are modernizing through the support that we're giving to the Ukrainians.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): To feed the Kremlin's war, President Vladimir Putin has placed Russia's economy on a full wartime footing, trying to outproduce the West in what is becoming a grinding war of attrition. Russia spends nearly seven percent of its GDP on defense, with plans to go even higher, far more than the U.S. or any Western nation. Even if Russian weapons are lower quality, an old military adage says that quantity has a quality of its own.
When Russia burned through its own supply of artillery ammo too quickly, North Korea sent millions of rounds that made their way to the frontlines. Iranian Shahed drones have expanded on already deadly Russian arsenal and the Kremlin wants more. The U.S. effort to produce weapons at the speed of war took precious time to close the gap.
For years, the U.S. relied on decades-old plans like this one in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to make artillery rounds, a World War Two-era defense industrial base that suddenly fell far short. This new artillery plant is part of a surge in weapons production that isn't done yet, with pressure on the U.S. to supply Ukraine's military, as it modernizes its own.
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): It took two years from start to finish to bring us here, and now we're just in the process of building the munition stockpile that we need not only to help our allies in Europe and elsewhere, but to deter countries like China and Iran and North Korea.
LIEBERMANN: It's not just artillery ammunition that's being ramped up in terms of its production. The U.S., for example, also wants to produce many more Patriot missiles, 650 a year, up from only 100 now, and that's been a critical munition for Ukraine to withstand Russian aerial assaults.
[08:50:00]
It's not a question of resources, but a political will.
Oren Liebermann, CNN, in Mesquite, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JIMENEZ: Thank you, Oren.
Still to come, we're going to show you this is what is left after a tornado hit in Ohio community. You can see the devastation. But, what causes tornadoes? Our meteorologist Derek Van Dam will explain.
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JIMENEZ: Welcome back. I want to take a look at these incredible images out of southwestern Iceland. A volcano there is spewing smoke and lava for the fifth time since December. Look at that lave there. Lava flows have now cut off all but one road leading to the town of Grindavik, which remains largely evacuated after a previous eruption. But, the city's mayor now says the situation there is much better than initially feared, but those images still incredible. Iceland's famous tourist destination and geothermal hotspot, the Blue Lagoon, was evacuated on Wednesday before the volcano erupted. Incredible pictures aside, still a dangerous situation for many people in the area as that country continues to monitor.
Now, here in the United States, throughout this week, we have seen plenty of tornado watches issued for many U.S. states including Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee. Three million people have been on the lookout for threatening weather conditions with damaging winds, heavy rain and very large hail.
Meteorologist Derek Van Dam finds out more about the science of tornado forecasts.
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DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Really the precise weather conditions that spawn monster tornadoes is a topic heavily studied by forecasters. Now, that mystery is one step closer to being solved, thanks to a first-of-its-kind partnership.
HANK SCHYMA (AKA PECOS HANK), STORM CHASER: So, this is a supercell that is in Oklahoma in May, and it's just beginning to start to drop its first tornado of the day.
DAM (voice-over): Hank Schyma, also known as Pecos Hank, is a professional storm chaser who has documented some of the world's most intense tornadoes. He has collaborated with University of Wisconsin research scientist Dr. Leigh Orf, who utilizes one of the world's most powerful supercomputers to simulate the same twisters.
LEIGH ORF, RESEARCH SCIENTIST, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN: He is capturing some of these low pressure areas around the storm, little tiny worlds, they probably last about five seconds, and you can see the same thing going on in my simulation.
DAM (voice-over): Pairing up Dr. Orf's animations with Hank's storm chasing footage provides clarity and realism that gives scientists confidence in their models, and hopefully the detail needed to put the last pieces of the puzzle together.
SCHYMA: That's another thing that I think these simulations can really help this. We need to figure out why one storm is dropping these big tornadoes and why another one is not.
DAM (voice-over): It's a tag team effort, one behind the lens and one behind the screen. But, they hope to see the benefits in real life.
ORF: The combined effect, looking at lots of storms, it's basically crunching through to get to saving more lives. It's just there is no easy way to get there and it's just the hard way. But, it's -- I'm willing to do it. DAM (voice-over): Knowing when a storm is going to produce the next
big tornado, and just as importantly, if it's not, could reduce the amount of false alarms that the public has to navigate.
SCHYMA: The cry wolf effect is, if we can limit that, it would actually be more effective.
DAM (voice-over): With 2024's active tornado season, there has been plenty for this scientist and storm chaser to team up on.
[08:55:00]
I'm CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JIMENEZ: Fascinating. Derek, thank you.
Now, a two-day rescue operation to save a humpback whale in Western Australia ended in success. The 10-metre long mammal was tangled in a fishing net which was wrapped around its body when it was spotted near the port city of Fremantle.
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VOICE OF MELISSA EVANS, DEPARTMENT OF BIODIVERSITY, CONSERVATION AND ATTRACTIONS: With this animal, it was quite a complicated entanglement. The line was wrapped around, one of the pectoral fins. It also went through the whale's mouth and then around the body. So, it was quite a challenge to cut the right lines at the right time to free that animal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: Wow. And it's not uncommon to see whales off the Australian coastline at this time of year since it's the start of a migration season.
All right. That's it for this hour. Thanks for joining me here on CNN Newsroom. I'm Omar Jimenez. I'm going to be back next hour with Eleni Giokos on Connect the World, as CNN's coverage of jury deliberations in Trump's hush money trial continues. We're going to have a lot more news on that front and on the headlines around the world. Stay with CNN.
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