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CNN International: Claudia Sheinbaum To Become Country's First Female President; African National Congress Loses Majority After 30 Years; Jury Selection Underway In Hunter Biden Gun Case. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired June 03, 2024 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
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ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour here, hello, and welcome to our viewers from around the world. I'm Erica Hill in New York.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, Mexico making history, electing its first female President. So, what comes next for her administration? We're live in Mexico City. Plus, President Biden's son Hunter in court today on felony gun charges, the first child of a sitting U.S. President to stand trial. We'll look at the political ramifications. And Dr. Anthony Fauci back on Capitol Hill today, testifying in front of the House Subcommittee, fireworks expected, as Republicans pressed him on the nation's pandemic response.
First up this hour from Mexico City to Mumbai (ph), key elections across the globe and some historic shifts coming along with those. Mexico electing its first female President Claudia Sheinbaum, according to Mexico's National Electoral Institute in South Africa. For the first time since the end of apartheid, 30 years ago, the ruling ANC party has now lost its majority, and a massive voter turnout in India, where a record 642 million people cast their ballots over the past six weeks.
Let's begin first in Mexico, where Gustavo Valdes is in Mexico City. So, Gustavo, what have we been hearing from President-elect Sheinbaum in terms of what we can expect from her administration?
GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Erica. Well, last night, she was very gracious. She thanked the opposition candidates. She acknowledged the historic moment and vowed to continue the policies of the current President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has been her mentor for many years. In her speech, she acknowledged that not all Mexicans voted for her, but she pledged to be a President for everyone.
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CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, PROJECTED WINNER OF MEXICAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION (Interpreted): Our duty is and always will be to look after each Mexican without distinctions. Although many Mexican women and Mexican men don't agree fully with our project, we will walk in peace and harmony to build a fairer and more prosperous Mexico.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALDES: Now, she represents the ruling party Morena, founded 10 years ago that has become a super political power here. They won most of the governorships in this election. They are also going to have the largest number of members in Congress. So, she is going to have a lot of help with her agenda moving forward which, like I said, she has pledged to be the same as Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. And the question now is whether she'll be able to eventually step away from under his shadow, and really make the next six years of vision of her country for the future. And that's what the voters want to see. They told us that it was very nice to be able to say that now they're going to have a female President, but they want action beyond the gender of their political leader.
HILL: So, Gustavo, to that point, what is first up on her agenda, as you mentioned, sort of the same agenda here? But, if she wants to set herself apart, where is she eyeing?
VALDES: Well, she is going to have to start with public safety. Mexico has had a very violent election cycle. The country is considered one of the most dangerous in the world. And this is what people want to see a change. So, she has an opportunity to set herself apart from what Lopez Obrador has done in the past six years, which has been a hands-off approach in which he'd never used the army or the police force to go directly again -- against the cartels, the organized crime. So, she has an opportunity here to define herself.
And then, very soon, we're going to see how she is going to deal with the United States. We're in the brink of a major announcement in the United States on immigration. Obviously, this is going to be a decision made by Lopez Obrador. But, this is going to be her first test. She is going to have to maneuver whatever Lopez Obrador agrees to in the next few days with the United States, and then see how she is going to continue that relationship with the Biden administration or whoever wins in November.
HILL: Gustavo Valdes in Mexico City, great to have you there. Thank you.
[11:05:00]
We're also tracking a major political shakeup in South Africa where the African National Congress, the ANC, has now lost its majority in parliament for the first time in 30 years, as CNN's David McKenzie with more on those elections.
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DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sometimes, change comes slowly.
CYRIL RAMAPHOSA, SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT: Our people have spoken. Whether we like it or not, they have spoken. MCKENZIE (voice-over): Sometimes, it comes fast. In just one election cycle, the ANC, the party of Nelson Mandela, with a staggering drop in support. After three decades of dominance, the voters have spoken, the party that has defined South African politics losing its outright majority.
TK POOE, WITS SCHOOL OF GOVERNANCE: I think it means that society has passed the ANC by. We've always been waiting for the moment. We just didn't know the appropriate vehicle.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Many South Africans were fed up with rampant corruption, huge unemployment, and deep inequality. But, the ANC collapse came in large part, thanks to this man, disgraced former ANC President Jacob Zuma. In just a few months, his new uMkhonto we Sizwe Party or MK, bled votes from the ANC, tapping into Zuma's loyal support in KwaZulu-Natal province. Zuma and his party have without evidence claimed there were irregularities at the polls, threatening trouble if results were announced.
MELANIE VERWOERD, POLITICAL ANALYST, FORMER ANC MP: Jacob Zuma is different, and it's always dangerous to let ethnic and tribal tensions rise too much. I don't foresee it being an issue in the foreseeable future. But, it is something that one always needs to watch.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): What to watch for next, coalition politics. The ANC likely must choose to combine with pro-business Democratic Alliance or the leftist radical Economic Freedom Fighters, perhaps even adding Zuma's MK. No one knows for sure.
FIKILE MBALULA, ANC SECRETARY-GENERAL: We call on all South Africans to resist the efforts of those forces who want to weaken our democracy, who want to undermine our electoral processes, and who want to disregard the will of the people.
JOHN STEENHUISEN, DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE LEADER: Coalitions can work. They work all over the world. It requires maturity, and yes, there is going to be choppy waters ahead for South Africa, but we will navigate them.
MCKENZIE: Do you want to be part of a governing coalition?
STEENHUISEN: Of course. I mean, your whole point of being in politics is to get into government.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): The results are deeply embarrassing for President Cyril Ramaphosa. He staked his reputation on reviving the ANC.
MCKENZIE: Is Cyril Ramaphosa under pressure now?
POOE: Oh, no. He is beyond under pressure. I think he might need to start looking for a new job. He always thought of himself as the next incumbent to President Nelson Mandela. Last recollection, President Nelson Mandela never lost an election.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): But, Ramaphosa is well known as a skilled negotiator, a skill that will now become very handy indeed.
David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: And turning our attention now to India, where a historic turnout for female voters, over six weeks of voting, some 642 million people cast their ballots, according to the country's Chief Election Commissioner. Of those, an estimated 312 million were female voters. That is the most in the country's history. Official results are expected on Tuesday. India's Prime Minister Modi is posting on X after the polls had closed that he is confident of a victory.
We are keeping a close eye this morning on Wilmington, Delaware. That's where jury selection is now underway in Hunter Biden's federal gun case. The President's son facing three felony charges, including making false statements on a form to purchase a firearm and then unlawfully possessing that gun. The historic case marks the first time the child of a sitting U.S. President will stand trial.
CNN Senior Crime and Justice Reporter Katelyn Polantz joining me now live from Wilmington. So, Katelyn, as we look in Washington, rather, as we look at this, walk us through what's going to happen today. So, jury selection could take a little time.
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: It already is taking a little time, Erica, because there are quite a few questions that the jurors were being asked individually as the judge is trying to find enough jurors, about three dozen, who could qualify to serve on this jury, who could be fair and impartial.
So, they don't know the Bidens directly and they wouldn't have strong opinions, especially around the issues of this case, about gun control, because this case is about Hunter Biden purchasing a gun in October of 2018, and about addiction, because a large part of the prosecutor's case is trying to prove that Hunter Biden was addicted to drugs at the time that he bought that gun, and the alleged crime is that he ticked "no" on a box on some forms when he purchased the gun that said he wasn't addicted to drugs, when at the time he in fact was a user of crack.
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In this case so far with the judge in the courtroom, with the potential jurors, they are being asked about people that they might know that have had struggles with addiction. One man has already been excused from the jury pool because he had someone that struggled with addiction and also said, because of the Trump case in New York, he thought that prosecutors could be charging cases based on politics. So, that was enough for the judge to toss him.
But, in Wilmington, Delaware, Hunter Biden's home state, his hometown, there are lots of Biden connections. There is a woman, so far from our reporting, that is remaining part of the jury pool, could potentially be a juror in this case, who is a bartender, and has served Hunter Biden's uncle in the past. So, a lot of family connections there in the state of Delaware.
HILL: Yes, certainly. And the President and the First Lady have really been standing by their son, the First Lady in court this morning, and the President actually putting out a statement.
POLANTZ: That's right. This is a case about Hunter Biden's drug addiction at a very low point in his life. And so, the Biden family clearly is trying to make a showing of support for him as he faces this case being brought by Joe Biden's own Justice Department against his son. What the President has said so far is a statement. I am the President, but I am also a dad. Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today. Hunter's resilience in the face of adversity and the strength he has brought to his recovery are inspiring to us." That's part of the statement from Joe Biden. The President also says he is not going to be commenting on an ongoing federal case.
So, he stayed away from the actual case itself and tried to veer away from the politics, instead, just showing support for his son, as well as the First Lady showing support for Hunter Biden and being in court today and even giving him a hug in the courtroom.
HILL: Katelyn, appreciate it. Thank you.
Also with me now, CNN Legal Analyst Joey Jackson. Joey, always good to see you. It's interesting, as Katelyn said, President Biden trying to keep the political out of this. A lot of folks would love to make this political and really love to make this about Joe Biden, although it's really about Hunter Biden. Some of the pushback, though, is actually fairly similar to what we heard around Donald Trump's most recent trial, of course where he was convicted last week, that this is a charge or these charges, I should say, are rarely prosecuted, and that this feels overly political. Is that accurate, Joey?
JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yeah, Erica. I do have to, good morning to you, say that it is. And why? I think there is a world of distinction between what we saw relating to the former President and the conviction and relating to this as we look there at the counts and what are they lying on the federal gun forms. One is you're lying to the licensed owner of the particular location where you purchased it. The other is you're lying on the form, and the other is you are in illegal possession of a firearm. And the reality is we've reached the place now where we can legitimately talk about the issue of weaponization.
Now, that issue, Erica, has to be related to things that are factual in nature. And let's just take a step back and evaluate it because every case, regardless of the law, turns on its facts. We're talking about someone who was addicted and drug addicted. And the reality is, many people, unfortunately, in this country and elsewhere, throughout the world, suffer from that. It's a thing. It's a real thing. Why do I say it? Because it's troubling. It's problematic, but it's also relatable to the issue of prosecutorial discretion. What are we prosecuting and what are we not?
The other issue is you have possession of a gun that was not used towards any unlawful purpose. There is no one that was shot. There is no one that was injured. There is nothing certainly at all that was done with regard to the gun. You have a short term, 11 days that the gun was apparently in his possession, or at least owned by him for that period of time. You have a person whose brother, Beau, in 2015 died of brain cancer, which led him to that dark place. You have a person who growing up suffered trauma with respect to loss of his mother and daughter.
I raise these things, because, Erica, this is what defense lawyers, like myself, talk about in court every day. It's called mitigation. And what you try to do in any case to prosecutors and to judges is to have them see the nature of, right, just humanity. It's about being equitable. It's about being fair. It's about being proper and being right.
Last point, what I'm speaking of is not like, oh, what are you kidding? Are you serious right now? You're being political. I'm not. I'm telling you how court systems work. Last year June, June 20th, there was a deal. And what did that deal say? It was a diversion agreement, which means in English, you know what, stay out of trouble. Live your life right. Be as good as you possibly can be. Get better. Do better. And these charges will be dropped. Dismissed. Done. They were in connection, of course, we know, Erica, to the -- excuse me, California charges which related to taxes. His taxes were paid. We will give you misdemeanors. You'll walk away. Then politics gotten away and here we are.
So, I just don't like to see this thing. I think courts should be courts of equity. I think courts should be about not who your last name is, who your first name is, but what you've done, and do you have the ability to get better and do better.
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And once our courts get there, I think we'll be in a better place. But, we're so politicized. We're so political that here we are, and I don't think we should be.
HILL: Here we are, and we're going to be hearing a lot. This trial could last anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on whose estimate you're going with here. Among the evidence, prosecutors are expected to bring in Hunter Biden's own memoir, some text messages. We're also going to hear reportedly from his ex-wife, from his sister-in-law, his late brother's wife with whom he had a relationship after his brother Beau died, also the mother of one of his children.
Joey, we're not going to hear though from a psychiatrist that the defense wanted to bring in. They wanted to talk about addiction and whether he knew he was an addict in 2018. Why would that not be allowed in his testimony?
JACKSON: So, that's a big blow. I mean, look, judges have a fair amount of discretion, and this judge has determined that the addiction issue, as it relates to determining whether he knew he was -- had an addiction or not, is not up for expert opinion. And perhaps the defense will try in other ways to get it in, whether it is through his family members who were testifying and relating the state of mind he was in at the time, what drugs he was using, what he was doing, what he was about, how his behavior was.
But, I disagree with the judge in terms of not allowing it in. You are allowed, once you have an expert, to establish your defenses. And if the prosecution wants to cross-examine your expert with respect to raising issues that rely upon the expert's credibility, the expert perhaps not having evaluated him at that particular time, that's fine. But, to particularly exclude it and say, hey, there is nothing to see here, I think it is relevant.
You're an addict. How do addicts behave? How do they conform? How do they not conform? How do they go about their daily activities in life? How do they function? What are the differences, if any, with respect to people who are not addicted? All that is fair game. And so, I think you want jurists on that jury, as it's being selected now, who might have some empathy, some sympathy, some relatability, to someone in the family, a friend, someone else they knew who was going through it so that they can know this is how addicts behave. And I think it's a shame that the judge did not permit it, saying it's not relevant. It's not probative to the issues here. It is. And otherwise, it would create confusion. I don't think it creates any confusion. I think it creates clarity.
But, judges rule every day and every night. Sometimes, I agree with their ruling. Sometimes, I don't. But, we know in our system. We have to live by them. And the defense is going to have to operate in the confines of not having the ability to call that expert, Erica.
HILL: Joey Jackson, appreciate it, as always, my friend. Thank you.
JACKSON: Thank you.
HILL: Still to come, Dr. Anthony Fauci currently being grilled by U.S. lawmakers on the government's response to COVID-19 and his role. We're live in Washington. Plus, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy making a surprise appearance in Singapore, his message for defense chiefs from across the Asia-Pacific region.
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HILL: Dr. Anthony Fauci facing a grilling at this hour in Washington at a hearing on the U.S. government's response to the COVID pandemic.
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Fauci is the former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and really became the face of the government's COVID response here in the U.S. Well, today's House subcommittee hearing comes after more than a year of investigations, and among the topics expected to be addressed, federal COVID records, the NIH grant process, and also Dr. Fauci's emails. Some Republicans claim Fauci improperly used his personal email to hide important discussions about COVID-19. Some Democrats, ahead of the hearing this morning, getting together to defend Dr. Fauci. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): This investigation of Dr. Fauci shows that he is an honorable public servant, committed to the public health, and he is not a comic book supervillain. He did not fund research to create the COVID-19 pandemic. He did not lie to Congress about gain- of-function research in Wuhan, and he did not organize a lab leak suppression campaign to cover his tracks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Joining us now from Washington, Lauren Fox. So, Lauren, walk us through what the goal of this hearing is today for this Subcommittee.
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. This has been an ongoing investigation, Erica, for upwards of 15 months now, and members of the Committee actually heard from Fauci behind closed doors back in January. He testified over two days, for about 14 hours. So, many of the questions that they have in public today likely have already been answered behind closed doors. They did release that transcript on Friday.
But, what Republicans are trying to show today is that Fauci was not completely honest or forthcoming about the origins of the coronavirus in the beginning of the pandemic. What Democrats are arguing is that this was an ongoing crisis back in 2020 that Fauci was doing everything that he could and all that was scientifically and readily available at the time to stop the spread of the pandemic and to understand the root cause of that pandemic. But, it took time to uncover. Now, you're going to get caught up in some of that potential nuance today in the hearing, but we can also expect that there is fireworks that are going to occur because of just the political nature of the coronavirus in the years after the pandemic.
Now, as Democrats are asking Fauci questions, many of them are applauding his efforts to get the vaccine finalized, that that was something that he ushered through, something that they say saved lives. Meanwhile, on the Republican side, they continue to question him about the origins of COVID. And like you noted, they have questions about whether or not he ever used his personal email to conduct official business.
Now, Fauci defended himself against those accusations, saying in his opening statement, that to the best of his knowledge, he never used his personal email address to conduct official business. Here he was on other issues, defending himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, FORMER DIRECTOR, NATL. INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES: (TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY) -- bribing them with millions of dollars in grant money is absolutely false, and simply preposterous. I had no input into the content of the published paper. The --
(END VIDEO CLIP) FOX: You see there, Democrats are expected in the hours ahead to continue defending Fauci. They also released a new staff report this morning countering some of the Republican talking points that we are continuing to hear this morning. So, a lot more to unfold in the hours ahead. Erica.
HILL: Lauren, appreciate it. Thank you.
This just into us here at CNN. Take a look at the New York Stock Exchange. We're learning the NYSE is now investigating a technical issue. Dozens of stocks halted. The exchange says the problem is related to a mechanism that's actually designed to prevent dramatic swings in stock prices.
CNN's Matt Egan is covering this for us here in New York. So, Matt, what happened here?
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Erica, they're still investigating exactly what happened. But, the latest is the New York Stock Exchange says that this issue appears to be getting resolved. What happened here is, there is something called Limit Up-Limit Down, which, as you mentioned, it's a mechanism designed to prevent stock prices from swinging wildly. And so, the exchange says that there was a technical issue with the price bands that are published, not by the New York Stock Exchange, published elsewhere and circulated throughout the industry, and that issue caused stocks to be halted, multiple stocks. I saw dozens of stocks get halted.
Now, NYSE says that the impacted stocks have either reopened or are in the process of reopening. But, this may take some time, because I was just looking a minute ago, and the most notable example was Berkshire Hathaway.
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That's the holding company run by legendary investor Warren Buffett, and the Class-A shares for Berkshire are listed as trading at just $185 apiece, which normally would be good for a stock, but this is a company that usually trades above $600,000. So, that loss would translate to a decline of 99.97 percent on the day. Obviously, that is not accurate. We were going to bring it up as a full screen and show you. But, I don't want to alarm anyone because this is clearly a glitch.
So, in the next few minutes and hours, I would imagine, Berkshire should reopen, and the other impacted stocks, which include Chipotle and Barrick Gold, hopefully they will reopen as well, ideally, showing the accurate price now. Erica.
HILL: All right. Matt, really appreciate it. Thank you.
EGAN: Thanks.
HILL: We'll keep an eye on that for you.
Meantime, Kenya facing the aftermath of those record-breaking stories we've been covering for you. We will take you back to Nairobi, where people have now been dealing with living in floodwaters for more than a month. Also ahead, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu now pushing back on the Gaza ceasefire proposal announced by President Biden, as other Israeli leaders threaten to topple the government.
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HILL: Welcome back. Thanks for joining us here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Erica Hill in New York. Let's get you caught up on some of the international headlines we're watching at this hour.
Ukraine's President thanking his Philippine counterpart for agreeing to attend an upcoming peace summit. Volodymyr Zelenskyy making a surprise visit to Manila during his Asia-Pacific trip, as he looks to bolster support for the peace conference in Switzerland later this month. Zelenskyy also saying Ukraine plans to open an embassy in the Philippines this year.
South Korea says it may suspend its landmark military agreement with North Korea over a slew of trash balloons coming over the border. The agreement which was signed in 2018 was meant to lower border tensions and prevent accidental clashes. The South Korean military says the North has sent over at least 1,000 balloons carrying trash since just Tuesday. North Korea said it was a temporary response to South Korea sending leaflets in the other direction.
Authorities in India say excessive heat has now killed at least 77 people over the past 10 days. The heatwave hitting as the country just wrapped up, of course, its six weeks of voting. 33 poll workers are among the latest victims, and those high temperatures are expected to continue until at least midweek.
More than a month after floods submerged Kenya's largest city, some areas in Nairobi are still underwater, and many residents say it's the wealthy neighborhoods which have been the focus of the government's response efforts, leaving people in Nairobi's poor neighborhoods to suffer.
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For more, CNN's Larry Madowo is live this hour in Nairobi. Larry.
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Erica, this kind of highlights part of the inequality in the class struggle even in their response to the flooding. Kenya saw some record rainfall between March and May, and that was right across the country. However, the response has been criticized for heavily coming down on the poor. We saw bulldozers going across slums in the city and taking down anything that was in what is called repairing land, 30 meters close to a river, all that's been taken down.
But, the complaint here is that in wealthy neighborhoods where people are also built on repairing land where that should not be, nothing has been done. And in some cases, the rain was obviously too much more than Kenya has seen in some time. But, part of the problem, part of the flooding was because of just poor drainage and poor urban planning, and in some cases, what should have been public land that's protected falling into private hands, as is the case in this story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MADOWO (voice-over): This is not a river. This is a family's courtyard in Runda, one of Nairobi's wealthiest suburbs. More than a month after record rains and floods hit Kenya, their home is still submerged. Jonathan Dass says they haven't even started quantifying how much his family has lost. Nothing is left untouched after two meters of floodwaters moved in.
MADOWO: These are rally cars.
JONATHAN DASS, DISPLACED RUNDA HOMEOWNER: A lot of people were moving into the city. We've got people coming from abroad, who want to live in these luxurious leafy areas. And there is a lot of demand for that. At the same time, we're not moving fast enough to be able to plan properly and understand what needs to be done to accommodate all these people coming in.
MADOWO: Runda has a reputation for being very well planned because it's a diplomatic quarter. The UN is here. The U.S. Embassy is here.
DASS: I don't know what to say, Larry. It's not. It's not well planned. If it was well planned, we wouldn't be sitting here in a boat.
MADOWO (voice-over): All this water in Runda has nowhere to go because the drainage of this water pan is blocked. Residents blame in on corruption and impunity.
DANIELA BLATTLER, DISPLACED RUNDA HOMEOWNER: There is someone who is backfilling slowly but surely. So, the dam is becoming smaller and smaller and there is not an outlet to send the water that arrive to somewhere else.
MADOWO (voice-over): Sean Blaschke can only navigate his backyard with a paddleboard, a far cry from the playground and garden it was before the rains.
MADOWO: Is that fish here?
SEAN BLASCHKE, HOME SUBMERGED IN RUNDA: There is actually quite a bit. This is practically a fish farm at the moment.
MADOWO: Did you always have catfish before?
BLASCHKE: Nope. Nope. This is a fairly new perk of living on Lake Runda.
MADOWO (voice-over): Some of the Runda residents whose homes remain underwater have lived here for decades without drainage issues until now.
MADOWO: Do you believe this is a manmade disaster?
DAVID DASS, RUNDA HOMEOWNER: It's -- we've had a lot of rain. But, the magnitude of the disaster is created by greedy grabbing.
MADOWO (voice-over): Across town from Runda in Nairobi's oldest slum Mathare, bulldozers have brought down everything standing within 30 meters of the river. Many had just 24 hours' notice.
MADOWO: This used to be somebody's house. In fact, I stood on top of this exact same house in late April after some of the worst flooding Kenya has seen claimed some lives in this informal settlement. The government then ordered them out, forcefully evicted thousands of families from this area and demolish their homes.
MADOWO (voice-over): Nairobi's poorest have suffered the most from the flooding, and the evictions that have left so many homeless.
RACHAEL MWIKALI, MATHARE COMMUNITY ORGANIZER: What we have seen is that the rich are enjoying the rights, but as the poor, we are fighting to enjoy the rights that is supposed to be our rights, which is not fair.
MADOWO (voice-over): The Kenyan government maintains that the mandatory evacuations were for the sake of public safety after flooding killed more than 300 people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MADOWO: Many of those who lost their homes in Mathare will raise them. In fact, one of them told me these are where our memories are. We can't touch and feel our memories anymore. And the question they have is the government saw us building here. Some of them had approvals. So, how can you turn back and demolish our homes with just a few hours' notice when you've seen us here for years and years and years? And that is the contrast with the complaint hear about those in wealthy neighborhoods who don't have the same level of violence, the forceful evictions and demolitions happening to them, and still having to deal with the problems of corruption that exists in the Kenyan society. Erica.
HILL: Yeah. It's really something, such an important look at it. Larry, I appreciate it. Thank you.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing back now against a Gaza ceasefire proposal announced late Friday by President Biden, saying it is quote "not true" that Israel agreed to a ceasefire. An Israeli government spokesman says Mr. Biden presented only a partial outline of the deal that Israel offered to Hamas, adding Israel will not agree to any permanent ceasefire until all hostages have been released from Gaza, and the governing and military capabilities of Hamas have been destroyed. That three-phase proposal that Mr. Biden laid out on Friday would combine the release of hostages with a full ceasefire.
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CNN's Jeremy Diamond following all of these developments for us in Jerusalem. So, given the pushback here, Jeremy, and the pressure from far right members of Netanyahu's own government, where does this possible deal stand right now?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, there is no question that there is a lot of uncertainty and a lot of murkiness, some of it intentional by the Israeli Prime Minister himself, to try and muddy the waters, and try and deflect from some of the criticism that he is beginning to face from far right members of his government.
Now, let's start with what President Biden did on Friday. He laid out this proposal, and he very much framed it as a way to end the war. And he did so quite intentionally, not only as a signal to Hamas and to the rest of the world, but also what he was aiming to do, was to ensure that this Israeli government stands by this proposal, which they came up with themselves, and also to try and head off some of the anticipated criticism from these right-wing members, who are now threatening to leave the government should this deal actually go through.
And so, the Israeli Prime Minister over the last few days has been focusing on trying to reframe this Israeli proposal, insisting that Israel has not agreed to and will not agree to upfront a permanent ceasefire to this conflict. And indeed in this Israeli proposal, as President Biden himself described it, it is only in the first phase of this agreement that these two sides would actually negotiate getting to a permanent ceasefire in the second phase of this deal. And that is the nuance that the Israeli Prime Minister is focusing on at the moment, trying to convince these right-wing ministers that he is not agreeing to end the war, and that it will be subject to further negotiations with Hamas.
Now, at the same time, the Israeli Prime Minister is trying to have his cake and eat it too. He is talking about the fact that the Israeli -- that the government is not yet committed to an end to the war, that it will still focus on destroying Hamas. But, ultimately, that is something that remains to be negotiated.
HILL: What about the Israeli public, Jeremy, and the families of the hostages? How are they reacting to this proposal, and really everything that is being, in many ways, sort of hashed out in public?
DIAMOND: Well, there is no question that the families of Israeli hostages have been ramping up the pressure on this government throughout, and they are doubling down on those efforts over the last few days with rallies in Tel Aviv and in Jerusalem to encourage the Israeli government to make this deal a reality. The Israeli Prime Minister, of course, is no stranger to that pressure. And the question is, what does he view as most important? Does he view the survival of his government as most important, or does he view getting this deal done as the priority? And that still remains to be seen.
But, there is a world in which he won't have to make that decision, of course, and that is if Hamas, which is currently reviewing this latest proposal but has yet to actually provide its response, if Hamas rejects this proposal, then there is no decision for the Israeli Prime Minister to make. But, the question is, if Hamas does agree to this, what then will the Israeli Prime Minister choose? Erica.
HILL: Yeah. Jeremy, really appreciate it. Thank you.
Well, amid growing questions about President Biden's red line in Rafah, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is saying today that he hasn't yet seen a quote "major operation" by Israeli forces in Rafah, characterizing the offensive that has now reached the city center as a limited operation. Austin making those comments in Singapore where he attended a security conference with defense chiefs from across Asia.
As our Natasha Bertrand reports, Russia's war in Ukraine was also a top concern.
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NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Erica, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Sunday that he believes Russia's advances near the city of Kharkiv in Ukraine are slowing, and that President Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to use U.S.-made weapons to strike inside Russian territory will quote "certainly help Ukrainians defend themselves." But, he (inaudible) that the U.S.'s policy prohibiting Ukraine from using long-range U.S. weapons to strike deep inside Russia further than just across the border from Kharkiv has not changed.
And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he has been urging U.S. and his other international allies to loosen those restrictions even further on how and where those Western-made weapons can be used to hit Russian military targets over the border inside Russia. Now, Zelenskyy, he did make a surprise visit to the Shangri-La Dialogue here in Singapore over the weekend to try to get support from Asian leaders for a peace summit that Ukraine is hosting later this month in Switzerland, and more generally, of course, to broaden the international coalition against Russia.
[11:40:00]
And while he did meet with a number of defense officials here, he was unable to secure a meeting with Chinese officials, and he has said that he wants to speak with China who, according to the U.S., has been propping up Russia's defense sector. And on Sunday, President Zelenskyy actually outright accused Russia of working with the Chinese to try to undermine that upcoming peace summit. But, Zelenskyy did ultimately manage to get buy-in from at least one key Asian partner, which is the Philippines, which, according to him, has committed to attending that peace summit later this month.
So, China's Foreign Ministry, they did respond to those accusations that Zelenskyy made, that they are working with the Russians to undermine that forum, and they said on Monday that they hope that the peace conference will quote, "not become a platform creating confrontation between camps". Erica.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Natasha, appreciate the reporting there. Thank you.
Still to come this hour, a new poll is shedding some light on how Donald Trump's guilty verdict may impact his reelection campaign. Plus, a new executive order from President Biden aimed at the southern U.S. border. What could it mean for asylum seekers?
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HILL: The presumptive Republican nominee is, of course, now a convicted felon. So, how could that guilty verdict impact Donald Trump's campaign? This is a historic first, a former U.S. President to be convicted of a crime. It shows that more than half of Americans, 57 percent, say the jury reached the right verdict in that case. The new polling also found support for Donald Trump remains largely unchanged in the face of that verdict.
CNN's Harry Enten joining me now with more from New York. So, these new polls, what else are they showing us, Harry?
HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Yeah. You mentioned that basically limited impact so far, right? And we could see this very well on the horse race numbers, Joe Biden versus Donald Trump. And what we see from according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that was done after the verdict came in, is there has been very little change. Oh, well, we have this one up here. I'll talk about this. Oh, there we go. Now, we got the right one. There we go. Very little change. And what we see is Joe Biden up by two points. Compare that to where we were pre- conviction in New York, when it was a tie. That type of movement is well within the margin of error. In both particular cases, I think the way you might want to talk about it is no clear leader.
Of course, the one thing I will point out, Erica, is if we start seeing this two-point movement across not just one poll, but multiple polls, that could be very interesting because the race is so close that even the slightest bit of movement in a race that really hasn't moved at all would in the grand scheme be tremendous movement, especially when you funnel it down to the swing states like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
HILL: And you know that we would drill down on that for several hours, if not several days, Harry --
ENTEN: Of course.
HILL: -- if we did see a little bit of movement like that. It's interesting. We have five months to go here. There was a sense before the trial that this was sort of baked in. Now that we have a verdict, it seems that that is in fact where we stand.
[11:45:00]
What does it mean moving forward? Do we have a better sense and also a better sense of what this could mean for potentially some of these other legal issues he is facing?
ENTEN: This is, as you pointed out, I think a lot of folks had this baked in. And the way you can see that is you could ask, before the trial, do you think that Donald Trump should be found guilty or not? And the majority of Americans said that, in fact, he should be found guilty. 56 percent of Americans said they thought Trump was guilty before the trial. After the verdict came down, well, look at that, 57 percent, which is basically the same as 56 percent, thought that the jury made the right verdict.
And applying this forward with all these different legal troubles that Trump has going forward, the polling is probably not going to shift that much, the idea that Americans, the few Americans who are undecided or that finely tuned into this stuff, is just not true. The real people who are tuned in to this are the people on the very far left and those on the very far right. The Republican base, the Democratic base, those folks have already made up their mind. And yeah, Trump might be able to raise a ton of money going forward if he is found guilty, and then these other trials, but the fact is, when it comes to that middle, the electorate, the ones that truly matter, nah, they're not going to probably change their mind based upon any of these potential verdicts down the road.
HILL: They are not budging. As you point out rightly, we have these extremes, sort of the more extreme of each side. We also have some very consistent messages that we've heard from the former President, both leading up to and during and after the trial. Of course, he loves to call any legal issue he is facing, a political witch-hunt. How successful has he been with that narrative?
ENTEN: Well, pretty successful with his own. 87 percent of Republicans believe it. But, when you ask the American electorate at large, no, he hasn't been successful. Right? This is a great question. The New York hush money case was mainly about enforcing laws fairly to uphold the rule of law, gets the majority answer 52 percent. Now, politically motivated to hurt Trump, ain't that far behind, at 46 percent. But, that is not going to win an election. Right? He has not convinced the majority of the electorate to be on his side on these issues.
Again, most Americans think that Trump was guilty before the trial, agree with the verdict. Most believed that the rule of law was upheld. Of course, the ultimate question as we go forward is whether or not anything can shift this race, especially with two historically disliked candidates, and so far, nothing has, Erica.
HILL: Nothing has. Senior Data Reporter Harry Enten, always a pleasure, my friend. Thank you.
ENTEN: Pleasure was mine.
HILL: Well, President Biden is aiming to tighten the U.S.-Mexico border with a new executive order, a move that comes, of course, on the heels of that historic presidential election in Mexico that we were just discussing at the top of the hour. Sources telling CNN this new order would dramatically limit migrants' ability to seek asylum at the U.S. border. It also comes, of course, amid repeated claims from Republicans that the President has failed to tackle the border crisis.
CNN's Arlette Saenz joining us now from the White House with more. So, Arlette, first of all, what more do we know about this executive order in terms of what it would entail and also the timing? ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, sources
have told us that President Biden is expected to unveil a sweeping new executive action relating to the border as soon as tomorrow, as he is looking to tackle a major political vulnerability for him heading into November's election. Now, sources who have been briefed on the details of this potential executive action said that essentially the President's move would shut down the border for asylum seekers who are crossing the border unlawfully, once a certain daily crossing threshold has been met.
Now, it comes as the White House is trying to show this more aggressive posture towards border issues as they are facing concerns among American voters, and at a time when former President Donald Trump has also tried to make his hardline immigration policies a key focus of the presidential campaign. Now, sources who have been briefed on the details for this proposed executive action say that essentially they would stop asylum seekers who are crossing the border unlawfully from seeking asylum at the U.S. southern border once a daily threshold of crossings has been met. That limit would be about 2,500 apprehensions each day.
Now, essentially, this would mean that this plan would go into effect immediately as the current apprehensions are at about just under 4,000 people daily. Additionally, unaccompanied minors who would be crossing the border would be exempted from this, a move that could potentially cause some frustration among immigration advocates who are concerned about families sending their children alone to endure these border crossings. Also, this would allow authorities to turn away migrants back to Mexico or their origin country.
Now, what President Biden would be using is tapping into a pre- existing authority to clamp down on these border crossings, something that former President Donald Trump also did while he was in office, a move that had frustrated some Democrats.
[11:50:00]
This proposal could potentially receive some fierce blowback from progressives as well as immigration advocates up on Capitol Hill. But, the President has really been trying to take this more aggressive approach to confront a politically vexing issue for him. They've really tried to turn the tables on Republicans since Republicans up on Capitol Hill scuttled those bipartisan border talks at the urging of former President Donald Trump. Now, the timing of this is also interesting, since if it is in fact rolled out tomorrow, it would come just weeks before Biden is expected to face off against Trump in that first presidential debate right here on CNN on June 27.
So, the White House really trying to get ahead of this, trying to show that the President is doing more to address the issue of border security at a time when it has become a growing concern on voters' minds heading into November's election.
HILL: Arlette Saenz live at the White House this morning. Arlette, thank you. One more thing before we go today, a record win, another one, for the
goat. U.S. swimmer Simone Biles, her reign continues. We've got the details after this short break.
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HILL: One more thing before we go, Simone Biles adding a ninth all- around title in U.S. gymnastics. The Olympic gold medalist started the day in first place with a score, look at that, more than three points ahead of the second place competitor. Next up for the 27-year-old, the U.S. Olympic trials, and of course a chance to add to her many records at the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Joining us now, CNN Sports Correspondent Carolyn Manno. I mean, I just can't. She is amazing every time.
CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: She is, and she is really building her confidence, Erica. It's great to be with you. I mean, to see her smile is so good. We know that she is the goat and she first won this U.S. Gymnastics Championships over a decade ago, back in 2013. If you think about how long she has dominated this sport, winning the all-around title for a record extending ninth time over the weekend, the four-time Olympic gold medalist turning in the top cumulative scores in the four events, balance beam, floor, vault and uneven bars, finishing almost six points ahead of the silver medalist Skye Blakely.
And a lot of people had been watching her after she returned to competitive gymnastics last year, a lot of people familiar with what happened to her in Tokyo. She got the twisties. She was able to shine an even bigger spotlight on athletes prioritizing their mental health routine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIMONE BILES, MOST DECORATED GYMNAST IN HISTORY: Today, it's just getting out here, getting comfortable and confident in my gymnastics, and hopefully going to Olympic trials and making that next step towards Paris. So, I couldn't be more proud of how I'm doing this time of the year and just gaining that confidence over and over, getting myself back in front of a crowd and just doing what I do in practice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MANNO: And Erica, you heard her mention the trials. The U.S. women's team is going to be chosen later this month at the Olympic trials in Minneapolis. She is looking to become the first American woman since Dominique Dawes back in 2000 to make three Olympic teams in her gymnastics career. She looks well on her way.
HILL: She really does. This is this really something. It's also, as you mentioned, she is looking at Paris, of course. I mean, I would think her chances are pretty good.
MANNO: They are pretty good. So, at the Olympic trials, that's when the team is selected, and the athlete that does the best there, the top overall ranking athlete at those trials will automatically earn a spot on the team, and then the athletics selection committee will decide which other four members will be there and they can choose alternates as well.
[11:55:00]
It stands to reason that she will be on the team. She has done phenomenally well all year long. And like she said, this was an important step, build up a little bit of confidence, get everything, kind of feeling very good for her because the Paris Olympics is a whole another stage. It's a much bigger stage. But, these competitions in front of a live audience, to see her smiles, what matters most.
HILL: Absolutely. And I love hearing her talk about -- as you pointed out, she has become such an important, I think, role model for so many people, being so open and honest and vulnerable, and seeing her out there talking about her confidence and just doing what she does in practice, but doing it at that competition, so good to see. Carolyn, thank you.
MANNO: Yeah.
HILL: Thanks to all of you for joining us this hour. I'm Erica Hill in New York. Stay tuned. One World is up next. You're watching CNN.
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