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Counting Begins After India's Mammoth Election; Pushback From Israel's Far Right On Ceasefire Proposal; Israeli Army Confirms Deaths Of 4 More Hostages In Gaza; Ukraine Claims It Hit Missile System In Russian Territory; Fauci Testifies In Combative Hearing About COVID's Origins; Opening Statements Set for Tu8esday in Hunter Biden Trial; Landslide Victory in Mexico; Biden to Limit Asylum-Seekers Entering U.S. Illegally; China's Chang'e-6 Lunar Probe Leaves Far Side of the Moon; Trump Conviction on Chinese Social Media. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired June 04, 2024 - 01:00   ET

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

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[01:00:23]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm John Vause. Ahead here on CNN Newsroom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have created a world report of 642 million proud Indian voters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And it's all about moody record turnout in an election considered a referendum on the Indian Prime Minister and his bid for an historic third term.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNDIENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If you sign a reckless deal, Jewish power will dissolve the government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Netanyahu's dilemma, far-right extremist in his coalition threatened to bring down the government if he accepts a ceasefire deal with Hamas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): You're not Doctor. You're Mr. Fauci.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And Fauci under fire as COVID conspiracy theories fly on Capitol Hill with Republicans grilling Dr. Anthony Fauci, a 50-year veteran of public health.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.

VAUSE: And as our votes are being counted in the world's largest democracy across India, voting took place over six weeks, with more than half a billion people casting their ballots to decide a Prime Minister Narendra Modi will win an historic third consecutive term.

But his party the ruling BJP has won its first seat of the election. In the city of Surat in Modi's home state of Gujarat. That's according to the Election Commission of India. Security is tight at counting centers. Election officials say indications of who won and by how much should start to emerge in the coming hours.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAJIV KUMAR, CHIEF ELECTION COMMISSIONER OF INDIA: We have created a world record of 642 million proud Indian voters. This is a historic moment for all of us, for the nation as a whole.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The election is mostly seen as a referendum on Modi's decade in power, which is in growing economic inequality, with critics saying his Hindu first policies have led to hate speech and attacks on minorities, especially Muslims. CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson live this hour for us in New Delhi. So, Ivan, we have one result in 542 to go.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, this is an enormous undertaking, John, you were talking about as it's been described the world's biggest election where you've had, according to the official figures, 642 million people who voted that's more than the population of many countries and just a very long undertaking as well because the first votes were cast on April 19. And the counting has only begun about two and a half hours ago.

Now the ruling BJP Party of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they have won two elections in a row they had been in power for about a decade. And they were projecting that they would have a massive win in this election. The magic number here to get a majority in the lower house of parliament is 272 seats out of 543. And the BJP won 303 seats in the 2019 election.

So the big question, of course, is going to be can this party win the number of seats that Modi himself was projecting for his block some 400 out of 543 seats at the end of today's counting. The preliminary results that we're starting to get in suggest that yes, the BJP is favored to win, but it's a much more competitive race than many of the pollsters and even the exit polls had predicted, the exit polls that on Monday helped drive the record gains on Indian stock markets.

So that's going to be a big question moving forward because the preliminary results they're not finalized coming from the Election Commission of India, John, they suggest that the main opposition party, the Indian National Congress is leading in 100 seats, 100 of the different races, which if that trend continues, would suggest they will could be poised to win far more seats than they won in 2019 when that party was basically shellacked at the polls.

So this has gotten a lot more exciting. A lot more interesting to watch how this is going to unfold. People are going to be glued to seeing these exact election results. Though again, it does at this stage look like the BJP, the ruling BJP is still favored to come out ahead In this election, John.

[01:05:00]

VAUSE: So what is the definition of success here for the opposition? We know that BJP and Modi would like to get over that 400 seats in power? What are the opposition see as a successful outcome?

WATSON: Look, again, if we go back to 2019, when Congress only won about 53 seats, I believe, if they are poised to perhaps come close to doubling that, that is a success. That said, you know, you would still be potentially dealing with the ruling party looking poised to win a third term in office and that is not common in Indian modern politics.

And you would still have Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister, as the man on top, the most popular politician in the country, who in some circles enjoys almost like cult like status. And then that would come with it the challenges that I think many critics and observers have seen in the India's democracy where critics argue that that rights and freedoms of speech and press and religion have been reduced during Modi's party's period in power.

So, so some of those questions would still be very much open moving forward. There are a lot of things to look at right now. How the BJP will perform in states where it has enjoyed stronghold success in the past, whether or not they can break through into some of India's dozens of states and territories where they've been weak in the past. And there are suggestions if any of these polling results are true, that coalition politics may be much more important moving forward. So all the things that we should be watching very closely, as the counting continues in the hours ahead.

And I just want to state again, the scale of this election, we're talking about 15 million poll workers that were involved over the course of the past six weeks, John, and record high heat wave temperatures, where you had dozens of workers dying, doing their job due to heatstroke and heat related illnesses in recent days. John.

VAUSE: Ivan, thank you. Ivan Watson live for us there in New Delhi.

Well, joining us now live from London is Subir Sinha, Academic and Author Specializing in South Asian politics. He's also a director at the School of Oriental and African Studies at London University. And thank you for being up early. We appreciate your time.

SUBIR SINHA, DIRECTOR, SOAS SOUTH ASIA INSTITUTE: Thanks very much for having me. VAUSE: OK. So what do you make of this surge, which Ivan Watson was reporting from the opposition alliance? Do you think it will hold? Is Modi and his party still on track for more than 400 seats in parliament? How do you seen it?

SINHA: We are just in the first hour and a half of counting. So you know, obviously these will not hold all the way through the count. But early indications are obviously very different from the exit polls that came out in the last two or three days. But they're sort of closer to mid voting polls that have been released about 10 or 15 days ago, and definitely did not -- they just don't confirm the way in which the BJP was being projected to come close to 350 and the alliance to 400.

So I think it's a surprise for many people who had taken the exit polls more seriously than they perhaps should have it.

VAUSE: Just very quickly on those exit polls. They are sort of very notorious for not getting it right in India, I think, is that correct?

SINHA: Well, you know, the same posters 15 days ago, we're coming up with numbers, which are actually very similar to what we're seeing right now. But then they change their mind on the first of June, and began sort of talking about a supermajority for the BJP.

So yes, the science of exit polls, one reason to really know, is a science or speculation. And in the Indian case, I have to say that they have been also correct in many cases, especially certain pollsters, but at the moment, they seem to be quite wide off the mark.

VAUSE: In many ways, this election, which, you know, took a very long period of time, six weeks in all, it kind of looks like a U.S. presidential campaign in many ways the focus was just voting. He's been telling voters, I'm convinced that God has sent me for a purpose. And when that purpose is finished, my work will be done. God doesn't reveal his cards. He just keeps making me do things is what he said to an interviewer.

SINHA: Yes.

VAUSE: So how does that all fit in the sort of God complex, if you like with sort of his Hindu nationalist agenda, the anti-Muslim comments, the hate speech, which we've seen on the campaign?

SINHA: Well, firstly, I found that to be a very disappointing comment in a democracy because the very basic aspect of a democracy is that the elected leader and the person who elects them, are effectively similar to each other, almost equal to each other in terms of having similar kinds of constitutional rights.

In a democracy also you have to hold the leader accountable. But once you declare that yourself to be, you know, a messenger sent by God and that you do God's mission that obviously elevates the leader into a celestial realm while you sort of remain within the material world.

[01:10:06] And also that removes all sort of aspects of accountability which are key to any kind of a democratic polity. So, I mean, early trends, obviously, and I think he kind of meant that, particularly for the state of Uttar Pradesh, where he uttered these words. And we see at the moment that they are poised to lose 25 seats, and, you know, the trailing 25 seats, they had a much bigger share of the seats over there in the last elections.

And I think that sort of speaks well for the Indian voter, that through the fog of campaign rhetoric, and a lot of self- aggrandizement, as well as the way in which the media treats him with kid gloves in the Indian scenario. They were able to get alternative sources of information, and they were able to make their minds on issues other than these religious, anti-Muslim and elevation of the leader into a celestial realm.

And this confirms what something that we've been hearing that bread and butter issues, issues concerning employment, you know, rising prices, those kinds of things seem to have played so far, a much bigger role than I think a lot of observers were thinking when they came up with the polls of the last week.

VAUSE: Absolutely. And I guess we'll have to wrap up here but this is all done with the BJP exercising extreme control over the media as well, some draconian laws in place for that., restricting freedom depressingly

SINHA: Absolutely.

VAUSE: So, yes, well done, indeed voters for seeing through all that. Subir Sinha, thank you so much for being with us, sir.

SINHA: Thank you.

VAUSE: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be facing a stark choice, either agreed or U.S. about ceasefire deals with Hamas or refuse and keep his coalition government in power.

There's also door number three, delay and avoid. Over the weekend, Netanyahu denied claims that Israel had agreed to the peace plan and he insisted the war in Gaza will continue until Hamas is eliminated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We are working in countless ways to return our hostages, I think about them all the time. I think about the women all the time, about their families, about their suffering. Therefore, we have gone the extra mile to bring them back. But during this action, we have maintained the goals of war and primarily the elimination of Hamas. We insist that we complete both.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: As supporters of this ceasefire deal gathered outside the U.S. diplomatic commission and Tel Aviv, the Israeli military confirmed the death of four more Israeli hostages, hostage and missing families forum is now describing their death as a mark of disgrace. They're trying to increase pressure on Netanyahu to accept the U.S. announced deal.

For the very latest on the ceasefire deal here's CNN's Jeremy Diamond reporting in from Jerusalem.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, for nearly eight months, the loved ones of these four hostages have hoped and prayed that they would eventually emerge from their captivity in Gaza, come back to Israel alive and well, but instead, the Israeli military on Monday delivering the worst possible news to these families telling them that they believe that their loved ones are now dead, and that their bodies are still being held hostage by Hamas.

Admiral Daniel Hagari, the top spokesman for the Israeli military, saying that based on new intelligence, the military assesses that these four hostages were killed a few months ago during their Hamas captivity in Gaza, saying that the assessment is that they were killed while together in the area of Khan Younis during Israeli military operations there against Hamas.

Now, he doesn't explicitly say that the Israeli fire was responsible for their deaths, but he acknowledged that there will be quote difficult questions about exactly how they died. We should note that one of these four hostages a 51-year old British Israeli citizen Nadav Popplewell, Hamas last month said that he had been wounded and that in an Israeli airstrike and that he subsequently died of his injuries. The three other hostages mentioned here are Haim Peri, 79 years old. There's 80-year old Yoram Metzger and 84-year old Amiram Cooper.

And with this news, the families of these hostages and the families of so many other hostages are now raising their voices urging the Israeli government to stand by this proposal that is now on the table and to make a deal with Hamas. And they're doing so at a time when we've heard the Israeli prime minister over the last couple of days, focusing on the fact that this proposal will not automatically lead to a permanent ceasefire will not automatically lead to an end of the war in Gaza.

And he's doing so because since President Biden on Friday put this Israeli proposal out in the open for the public to see to bring a lot of public pressure to bear.

[01:15:00]

Two far-right members of Netanyahu his governing coalition, the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich and the National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir had been threatening to pull the rug out from under Netanyahu to topple the government effectively over this deal because they believe it will lead to an end of the war and Netanyahu in insisting that it will not.

There is now concern that not only is he not being successful in convincing these far right members of his government to support this deal, but also the concern being from Israeli government officials, according to two sources, familiar with the matter that Netanyahu is potentially undermining the deal itself, undermining the ambiguity about exactly how you get from a phase one ceasefire to a longer term phase two ceasefire, undermining the key selling point effectively, that would be made to Hamas.

But now the question is, will Netanyahu have to choose between the survival of his government or this hostage deal? The answer may lie in what Hamas his response will be as we still await Hamas his official response to this latest proposal. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.

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VAUSE: Steven Cook is a Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. His latest book is "The End of Ambition, America's Past, Present and Future in the Middle East." Congratulations on the book. Good to see you.

STEVEN COOK, SENIOR FELLOW FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Thanks very much John.

VAUSE: So, Israel's national security minister the far right anti-Arab Itamar Ben-Gvir laid out in stark terms the consequences for the Israeli prime minister, if he accepts this ceasefire deal.

(BEGIN VIDE CLIP)

ITAMAR BEN-GVIR, ISRAELI NATIONAL SECURITY MINISTER (through translator): I say to the Prime Minister, if you sign a reckless deal that will bring to the end of the war without the elimination of Hamas, as the cabinet itself has decided Jewish power will dissolve the government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Yes, it seems Ben-Gvir, the other far right. extremist within the coalition, they haven't staked out this position for political reasons. They'll go to horse trading here. Right. There's not much room for negotiation with ideologues.

COOK: No, there is not. I think this is a red line for Ben-Gvir and his partner, Bezalel Smotrich, who together control 14 seats in the Knesset. So his threat to bring down the government is very real. And they have from the store held Prime Minister Netanyahu, his feet to the fire on the destruction of Hamas. And this deal that the President proposed, from their perspective, would prevent Israel from doing that.

VAUSE: So is there wiggle room in the ceasefire itself in the wording because the language is ambiguous. And it seems both sides could begin phase one of the deal, which is that what is your day ceasefire and the release of hostages? And then way later the agreement actually lead to the end of the war?

COOK: Yes, I think the ambiguity, especially in the President's words, last week, is very, very important. The administration was at pains to indicate that this was the administration's interpretation of an Israeli proposal. But by going public, they're clearly putting pressure on both the Israelis and Hamas on this. And that ambiguity comes in between phase one, which as you point out is a six-week ceasefire, a release of hostages release of Palestinian prisoners, withdrawal of the idea from populated areas of the Gaza Strip.

And then moving into phase two, what happens in between phase one and phase two is the ambiguous place. And that's where Netanyahu is able to argue with members of his coalition like the far right, that during that interim between phase one and phase two, Israel can still pursue military operations while they negotiate with Hamas over a more durable ceasefire. That's not what the President said. And I think it was done on purpose.

VAUSE: Well, despite the threats to bring down the government, by members of his far right coalition, the U.S. State Department Monday is still confident that Israel will accept the ceasefire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW MILLER, SPOKESPERSON FOR THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE: It was a proposal that they developed in consultation with the United States and Qatar and Egypt, three countries that have played the mediating role throughout this process. But this was ultimately an Israeli proposal. The proposal on the table is nearly identical to what Hamas said it would accept just a few weeks ago, and it is now time for them to act.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Is the Biden administration sort of underplaying the threats that Benjamin Netanyahu is facing politically just saying it's just domestic politics at this stage?

COOK: I think that they are. There is a very real threat that Ben-Gvir and Smotrich leave the government. But a leader of the opposition Yair Lapid has said that he'll come in and support Netanyahu and the government. Should the right wing leave the government as long as there is an actual hostage deal? He won't go any further than that. That means nets now in a very, very difficult position.

He can get the hostages out but once this war finally comes to an end.

[01:20:00]

But once again faced legal jeopardy the deal with the too far right ministers was that it would essentially shield Netanyahu from the legal problems he has stemming from a long standing corruption case.

VAUSE: Well, adding to the urgency here for Netanyahu to accept this deal and make the ceasefire work and get the hostages. There's confirmation that four more Israeli hostages confirmed dead. The families are those still being held in Gaza protested again, outside the Prime Minister's residence in Jerusalem. This is what one relative had to say. Listen to this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAY DICKMANN, COUSIN HELD HOSTAGE IN GAZA: I'm here to support my government in taking this deal, the deal that Netanyahu suggested our prime minister that will get all our people back home. We are only in support for the return of all hostages.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So what's the calculation here for Netanyahu except the ceasefire loses coalition? What if he rejects the ceasefire, then what?

COOK: Well, if he rejects the ceasefire, the Israel Defense Forces continues its operations in Rafah in under the theory that military pressure will bring the hostages home. That's what the Israeli government has been saying for months now. And that has not brought the hostages home.

So he is on a very, very significant dilemma here. And he's trying to make the case that he can bring the hostages home and continue military operations against Hamas. Clearly, his right wing partners don't believe that and that's where the threat to the government comes from.

VAUSE: Steven Cook as always, thank you so much, sir. Good to see you.

COOK: Have a good evening.

VAUSE: At least 24 people have been killed in the latest Israeli airstrikes in artillery shelling in Gaza, according to hospital officials. The strikes appear to have targeted Khan Younis, Gaza City and a camp in central Gaza. Two teenage brothers and a mother and daughter are among the dead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOAMMAR ABU SHAMMA, GAZA RESIDENT (through translator): there were children of a family that felt safe here in the middle of the night they struck them with missiles. The father was sitting here, the children were over there. The missile came and left them torn into parts. We didn't see any militants in the area. They were all children. They hit them without any prior warning. The house fell on them. The whole house fell down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Meantime, the U.S. military continues with repair work on a temporary humanitarian piece of Gaza's coast. Last month, high seas force motorized sections of the pier to run aground. Spokesperson says to only vessels that are part of the operation remain beached to taking on a lot of water and sand.

Ukraine has announced a successful strike on a Russian missile system on Russian soil using Western supplied weapons. Ukraine claims to target they hit was a Russian S300, a long range surface to air defense system. Ukrainian Minister appear to taunt the Russian saying quote, burns beautifully.

Days earlier U.S. President Joe Biden lifted some restrictions on Ukraine greenlighting the use of U.S. weapons, but limited strikes Russian territory near Kharkiv. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been urging the White House to loosen those restrictions on targeting Russian military sites, especially as Russia continues its involvement of north eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian military released these images of some of the destruction in one town in the Kharkiv region.

When we come back top medical expert Dr. Fauci answers questions about the last pandemic. And the next one. There's some crazy conspiracy theories from Republicans as well.

Also ahead, opening statements set to begin in the coming hours in the trial of Hunter Biden, details on the jury and they will hear the case of the U.S. President's son after a quick break.

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[01:25:47]

VAUSE: Well, he was known as America's doctor, a calm reassuring presents a bit of an unprecedented medical crisis. But the House Republicans, Dr. Anthony Fauci plays a central role in their unproven conspiracy theories about the COVID pandemic.

And so it was when he was called to testify once again on Capitol Hill. This was the final showdown between Fauci and Republicans mandate vaccines, the origins of the pandemic, and more than 50 years of public service health. Fauci has now retired but yet his family still are receiving credible death threats to this day. CNN Lauren Fox has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dr. Anthony Fauci once again defending his actions and recommendations during the Coronavirus pandemic, in his first public congressional testimony since he retired in 2022.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, FORMER DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We were having people for reasons that had nothing to do with public health as science refusing to adhere to public health intervention measures.

FOX: As Republican sought to undermine his credibility.

GREENE: Do the American people deserve to be abused like that, Mr. Fauci, because you're not doctor, you're Mr. Fauci in my few minutes.

FOX (voice-over): Republicans accusing Fauci of trying to downplay a theory that the Coronavirus may have originated in a lab something Fauci adamantly denied.

FAUCI: I did not edit any paper, as shown in my official testimony. So you said about four or five things, Congressman, that would just not true.

UNIDENIFIED FEMALE: Well, we have emails to prove it.

FAUCI: Well, you don't.

FOX (voice-over): Despite intense questioning from Republicans like Congressman Jim Jordan.

REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): Did U.S. tax dollars flow through a grant recipient to the lab in China?

FAUCI: Yes, of course. It was a sub award to the Wuhan Institute.

JORDAN: And who approve that award? What agency approved that award?

FAUCI: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.

JORDAN: Your agency approved that, right?

FAUCI: Yes, it did after.

JORDAN: Does that have anything to do with this downplaying the lab leak theory?

FAUCI: No.

JORDAN: Nothing to do with it.

FAUCI: Nothing.

JORDAN: Do you do you agree that there was a push to downplay the lab leak theory?

FAUCI: Not on my part.

JORDAN: Really?

FAUCI: Really.

JORDAN: Wow.

FAUCI: Wow.

JORDAN: I think I think most of the country find that find that amazed I said 11 seconds.

FAUCI: Well, look at the facts. I've kept an open mind throughout the entire process.

FOX (voice-over): During the nearly four-hour hearing, Republicans seizing on a series of private emails suggesting some NIH aides may have attempted to bypass public disclosure requirements.

FAUCI: The individuals at the NIH and NIAID are of a very committed group of individuals. And this one instance that you point out, is in a barren sea and an outlier. FOX (voice-over): And Republicans questioning some of the key guidance

government officials gave in the early days of the pandemic.

BRAD WENSTRUP, CHAIRMAN, SELECT SUBCOMMITTEE ON CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC: While policy decisions should have been based on scientific data. Some frankly, were not. The burdensome six foot social distancing rule did not have sufficient scientific report. In your words, it just sort of appeared.

FOX (voice-over): Democrats sought to defend Fauci applauding his leadership on the COVID vaccine and defending his right to be addressed as a doctor in the hearing room.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are we allowed to deny that a doctor is a doctor just because we don't want him to be a doctor?

GREENE: Yes, because in my time, that man does not deserve to have a license. As a matter of fact, that should be revoked, and he belongs in prison.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Suspend.

REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): So that's completely unacceptable to be able to deny Dr. Fauci who's here a respected member of the medical community, his title, and that's actually a personal attack on his care.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I have instructed her.

GREENE: He's not respected.

UNDENTIFIED MALE: And I've instructed her to address him as doctor.

GREENE: I'm not addressing him as doctor.

GRACIA: Dr. Fauci, I am so sorry, you just had to sift through that. That was completely irresponsible. Quite frankly, some we're hearing this might be the most insane hearing I've actually attended. I've only been in Congress for a year and a half, but I am so sorry that you are subjected to those level of attacks and insanity.

FOX (voice-over): Lauren Fox, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:29:49]

VAUSE: Opening statements are set to begin Tuesday in the trial of Hunter Biden. The son of the U.S. President Joe Biden is facing felony charges for allegedly purchasing a handgun while he was addicted to drugs.

Hunter Biden is charged with lying on federal gun forms and unlawful gun possession. He pleaded guilty to the three federal charges against him, although he has been open -- sorry, not guilty -- he has been open in the past about his struggles with alcohol and crack cocaine addiction.

The 12 jurors were chosen on Monday in a Delaware courthouse. Some potential jurors were dismissed because of political bias.

CNN's Paula Reid has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT): First Lady Jill Biden arriving at court to show support for her stepson.

JILL BIDEN, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: I love Hunter and I'll support him and I -- in any way I can.

REID: Even in the middle of a close presidential race, President Biden has been unwavering in his support for his only living son.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm very proud of my son.

REID: The two seen at a state dinner last month, at church together last week and riding bicycles in Rehoboth Beach over the weekend.

In a statement today, he said, "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 has been charged in part with lying on this ATF form when he purchased a firearm. Prosecutors allege he failed to reveal he was a drug addict and using at the time.

He has entered a plea of not guilty, although he has been open about his struggles with addiction in both his 2021 memoir, "Beautiful Things," and in interviews.

HUNTER BIDEN, PRESIDENT BIDEN'S SON: I went one time for 13 days without sleeping, and smoking crack and drinking vodka exclusively throughout that entire time.

REID: The case was initiated by Special Counsel David Weiss, the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney in Delaware. Hunter was expected to resolve his gun charges as part of a plea deal, but that fell apart last year.

ABBE LOWELL, HUNTER BIDEN'S ATTORNEY: Hunter owned an unloaded gun for 11 days. There will never have been a charge like this brought in the United States.

REID: Prosecutors plan to call Hunter's ex-wife and his late brother's widow, whom Hunter later dated, to testify about his drug use during the time he purchased the gun in 2018.

They are also likely to use Hunter's infamous laptop, which contains embarrassing emails and photos to bolster their claims.

Hunter's attorneys have previously said the files were manipulated and sued the computer repair shop owner who helped make the materials public.

H. BIDEN: I've made mistakes in my life and wasted opportunities and privileges I was afforded. For that, I'm responsible.

REID: As he fights two criminal cases, he has also taken a more aggressive strategy towards dealing with Republican-led investigations on Capitol Hill.

REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): Hunter Biden should be arrested right here, right now, and go straight to jail.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Excuse me, Hunter. Apparently, you're afraid of my words.

REID: His second criminal trial on tax charges is scheduled to begin in September in Los Angeles.

The jury is comprised of six men and six women. The majority of the jurors are black. And many potential jurors talked about how people close to them have struggled with addiction. Several of those people made it onto the jury including also lawful gun owners are on this jury panel, including one who said even if he smoked marijuana, he still has a right to own a firearm.

Paula Reid, CNN -- Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: In a moment here on CNN, a landslide victory in Mexico's presidential election. What the outgoing president is saying about his protege and the job she will be doing.

Also ahead, Donald Trump's guilty verdict is a hit with China's netizens. How his felony convictions have sparked a frenzy on China's social media.

All that, when we come back.

[01:33:47]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Watching historic election around the world. These are live elections just coming to us from New Delhi in India where the time is five minutes past 11 and counting of votes is underway. In fact, more than 600 million votes from weeks of national elections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to win a third consecutive term and that would be historic.

In South Africa, the ruling ANC Party is considering coalition partners after it lost its majority for the first time in 30 years.

And in Britain, Brexiteer Nigel Farage says he will run for parliament as a candidate of the hard-right Reform U.K. Party. That general election is one month from today.

And Mexico's 21st president-elect is promising a government for all without corruption or impunity. Mexico's first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum won a landslide victory in Sunday's election, notable in a country where women only won the right to vote in the 1950s.

A coalition appears on track for a super majority in the lower house, and it's close to one in the senate.

Reining-in drugs, violence, criminal gangs and the power of the drug cartels will be the biggest challenge for this new president as it has been for many of her predecessors.

The vote is also seen as a referendum on the policies of her mentor and predecessor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. He says Sheinbaum must chart her own course.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR, OUTGOING MEXICAN PRESIDENT: Of course, there must be changes. There will be changes because the transformation continues, but there must be changes.

There will be changes because the transformation continues. There must be changes. There must be a change of officials. She is the one in power to make all the decisions. I am not going to influence anything. She is going to choose her team.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: More now from CNN's Gustavo Valdes in Mexico City.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Claudia Sheinbaum has made history as the first woman projected to be the next president of Mexico.

The 61-year-old, handedly defeated her two opponents with at least 58 percent of the vote, according to the National Electoral Institute.

CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, MEXICAN PRESIDENT-ELECT (through translator): 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 fair and more prosperous Mexico.

VALDES: Besides being the first woman set to become president, she would be the first one of Jewish ancestry. Her grandparents migrated from Eastern Europe, fleeing Nazi persecution. Although she rarely mentions her religious background.

Her parents were leftist, according to a biography by journalist Arturo Cano in which Sheinbaum says that she grew up talking about politics all day with her parents.

But her first career is academia. She has a PhD in environmental engineering focused in renewable energy and climate change.

Her introduction to politics happened in 2000 when she became Mexico City's environmental minister under the head of government, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. She became part of his team during his three presidential campaigns. And in 2018, when he won the presidency, she was elected chief of government of Mexico City.

She pledged to continue the policies of Lopez Obrador with a five- point plan. Increase public safety, free public education, fight poverty through social programs and a higher minimum wage, better regulation of water resources and transition to renewable energies.

[01:39:43]

VALDES: On foreign affairs, she has pledged to protect Mexico's sovereignty and while recognizing the importance of their relationship with the United States, she wants to focus on growing ties with Central and South American nations.

The transition of power should be an easy one since she's going to be taking over her friend and mentor on October 1st.

Gustave Valdes, CNN -- Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: The U.S. President Joe Biden set to announce stricter daily limits on the number of asylum requests from illegal migrants -- 2,500 a day.

CNN senior White House correspondent MJ Lee has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The border of course, is one of the most politically-fraught issues here in Washington and what sources briefed on this executive order tell CNN is that this is an announcement that could come from President Biden as early as Tuesday and that what it would allow the administration to do is effectively shut down the U.S.-Mexico border to asylum seekers if the number of daily crossings crosses a certain threshold.

Now we are told that unaccompanied children are expected to be exempt from all of this, but that would be worrisome to a lot of immigration advocates who say that that could actually have the result of incentivizing and encouraging some families from sending children to the border on their own.

Now President Biden would be using an authority that's called the 212(f) authority. This was a regulation that was actually used by former president Donald Trump during his administration and he received a lot of criticism, including from many Democrats at the time.

So it's not hard to President Biden getting criticized for hypocrisy for leaning on this authority himself. And of course very hard to ignore the politics that are at play here given that border security is one where President Biden and Democrats have gotten so much criticism for, and really a lot of pressure to do more to get a better handle on the border.

The timing, of course, is really significant as well given that we are just a couple of weeks away from that first presidential debate between President Biden and former president Donald Trump.

Now, the White House is not confirming this forthcoming announcement that we expect again on Tuesday, but a White House spokesperson said this in a statement to CNN. They said, "As we have said before, the administration continues to explore a series of policy options and we remain committed to taking action to address our broken immigration system."

Now, the big caveat here, of course, is that there could still be some final changes that are made to the final text of this executive order. But when it does come, it will be sweeping. It will be a significant political announcement and Present Biden is certainly hoping that it is something that could strengthen his political hand before November.

MJ Lee, CNN -- at the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Well, the World Food Programme has sent its first convoy of trucks delivering food assistance to Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince out to being suspended for months by gang violence. The WFP also says it has access to Haiti's international airport for humanitarian, passenger, and cargo flights.

The agency says many Haitians are suffering from severe catastrophic hunger which will continue to worsen without access to those in need.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN-MARTIN BAUER, HAITI COUNTRY DIRECTOR, WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME: The port has been closed for a long time and it was looted. And the airport was closed so effectively Port-au-Prince for the past few months has been an island.

So it's really important for WFP and other humanitarian to be able to bring supplies into the city to run a central programs so the essential services that people rely on. We had healthcare, water and sanitation, food. They require the free movement of goods and people. And right now, we just haven't had that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: When we come back heading home from the far side of the moon. A Chinese lunar probe doing something no other space program has done before. We'll tell you what that is.

[01:43:39]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: The Chinese lunar probe on its way back to earth after collecting soil and rock samples on the moon. This would make China the first country to return samples from the far side of the moon which always faces away from earth.

Here live from Beijing, CNN's Marc Stewart is following developments.

Can I ask you a science question, like is there any difference between the far side and the other side of the moon, Marc?

Because this is all just about science. As with the space program everywhere, there's politics which go along with this, right?

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely John. And you will appreciate that having spent time in China.

Look, I don't want to discount the science of all of this but the politics, the political symbolism, in all of this is as much as the space story as what we have seen this rover do.

It has been just a few hours since we have seen some pictures here in Beijing of this Chang'e-6 not only collecting the soil samples but unfurling a Chinese flag on this far side of the moon, this untouched area, the Aitken Basin on the South Pole.

And to see that flag there for the first time, it's a big ego boost for China and its space ambitions as well as national pride.

Let's listen to what one Chinese scientist had to say. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The national flag should be able to inspire patriotic enthusiasm among Chinese people around the world. I think people across the country should be looking forward to this picture and be proud of our great motherland.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: Taking pride in our motherland. I think that really does say it all. The Chinese space agency also making a note that this particular flag was made of composite materials so some scientific advancement on that front.

But as far as its broader mission, these soil samples that were collected will be brought back to earth. It'll take about 50 days or so for this lunar lander to arrive in the inner Mongolia region of China.

These soil samples are going to be important for several reasons. First of all, it will give us some more insight as to the composition of the moon and the broader solar system.

But for China, it's also been a real test of its scientific and technical prowess for this lunar lander to be able to collect the samples. That will help it for some of its bigger ambitions including building a research station on the lunar surface as well as sending actual astronauts to the moon by 2030.

John, I was at this launch just a few weeks ago on Hainan Island, the national pride surrounding the space program right now, it is just palpable bread.

VAUSE: Running (ph) circuses there in China. Marc Stewart in Beijing, thank you, sir. We appreciate the update.

Well, as a convicted felon, Donald Trump is now banned from entering dozens of countries. The U.K., Canada, Australia -- all major U.S. allies, each refuse entry to felons and that list also includes China where social media is now filled with mocking of a former president.

CNN's Will Ripley has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: On China's tightly-controlled Internet A.I. generated images of Donald Trump in an orange prison jumpsuit. Posts about the former president's felony convictions trending on Chinese social media, racking up hundreds of millions of views untouched by Beijing's heavy-handed censors.

This user asks, "Can he be put behind bars? Will this lead to civil war?"

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 19 states have seceded?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The United States army ramps up activity.

RIPLEY: As the movie "Civil War" hits theaters in China this week, one of just 34 foreign films allowed all year.

This comment says Trump supporters hurry up and mobilize, storm the Capitol. Another uses Trump's popular Chinese nickname, "Comrade Nation Builder Trump should not be fighting alone."

Chinese social media users often called Trump, the Chinese nation builder, a play on his isolationist policies, dividing the U.S. and its allies, building up Beijing and weakening Washington on the world stage.

[01:49:53]

RIPLEY: Trump's legal troubles fueling Chinese state media's ongoing narrative of American democracy in decline. A stance summed up by this Chinese academic.

"The attitudes of both parties reflect the rottenness of American politics and the law now seems to be used as a political weapon.

Alex from Beijing says, "In the United States, you can still run for president even if you have a felony or have committed a crime? This kind of thing is unimaginable in China." Wen, a student says, "If Trump can still become president after being convicted I think he may try to use this power to quash the charges."

"It's politics," says Xia Ye (ph), the multiparty system will have such problems. China does not have such problems because of the one- party system."

The comment echoes China's larger narrative that the U.S. is a superpower in decline, a democracy marred by dysfunction, division, chaos that ultimately benefits Beijing.

All of it, perhaps a welcome distraction from Tuesday's 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Experts say China is not just watching what's happening in the U.S. from the sidelines. The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that influence operations are in full swing ahead of the November election, aiming to sow discord and amplified divisions within the U.S.

Whether its social media campaigns or Chinese state media portraying the United States as this democracy that's falling apart, it's clear some say that Beijing's goal is to weaken America's standing on the global stage.

Will Ripley, CNN -- Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Israeli passport holders have been banned from the Maldives. The president of the island nation says the ban in in protest over the war in Gaza. He's following a recommendation, he says, from cabinet members.

Israel's foreign ministry recommended Israelis avoid traveling to the Maldives in the first place and encourage those staying there to leave because of difficulties in providing diplomatic assistance to Israeli citizens, should there be a need.

Students and staff at the University of Toronto in Canada, have a symbolic graduation ceremony for Palestinians killed in the war in Gaza who will never have a chance to earn degrees or diplomas.

Graduation caps were placed on empty chairs. The names of college-aged victims were read aloud at a vigil prior to the university's official ceremony.

According to Palestinian reports, all of Gaza's institutions of higher education have been damaged or destroyed by the Israeli military.

When we come back, volcano alert in Hawaii. Kilauea is erupting once again with stunning images of glowing lava flows.

And we'll have more of this when we come back.

[01:52:30] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: The International Air Transport Association is meeting in Dubai right now. It comes as Boeing faces growing concerns over the safety of some of its planes as well as questions over who will lead the company when current CEO Dave Calhoun steps down at the end of the year.

CNN's Richard Quest caught up with the head of United, Scott Kirby to talk about the troubles facing Boeing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: You believe they were -- they focused on the balance sheet and it's all on the profit and loss rather than on the product.

SCOTT KIRBY, UNITED AIRLINES: Yes, I think all of us did that. But you know, too focused on the short-term financials. And this goes back really decades. Too focused on -- the (INAUDIBLE) goes back to McDonalds merger (ph) -- to focus on the short-term financials instead of focusing on building the best products in the world and building them with high-quality. And then the financials take care of themselves.

[01:54:54]

QUEST: And could you see that developing I mean both (INAUDIBLE) when you were at the American and you know, could you see this happening?

KIRBY: Absolutely. And it's a gradual, it's the kind of thing that happened -- culture change is usually gradual and it's gradual and you could also see it. But it's also the reason that I'm confident they can turn it around because they have great people who remember that, who want to take pride.

You talked to people at Boeing, they talk about building the B-29 to win World War II. And there are people -- they have the legacy, the history of doing that. And so it's there in their DNA, in their bones. So I know they can do it. They just got to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Well, fresh off winning a record 15th champions league title, Real Madrid announced its adding French superstar Kylian Mbappe to its already star-studded lineup. The long (INAUDIBLE) deal will put him in the Spanish capital for five years.

During his seven years with Paris Saint-Germain Mbappe became the club's top scorer, helped PSG snag six league titles. But the 25-year- old has never won the champions league. Mbappe called the transfer a dream come true.

Well, Coca-Cola is still the number one soda in America. The runner up has been dethroned. Dr. Pepper is now the second biggest selling soda brand in the U.S. but long-held by Pepsi. After slowly gaining market share, Dr. Pepper has now inched ahead of

Pepsi as the number two soda in America. According to trade publication Beverage Digest, Coke is still the leader by a comfortable margin behind Dr. Pepper, then Pepsi, then Sprite and then Diet Coke.

A volcano in Hawaii has rumbled back to life after being dormant for three months. The Kilauea Volcano located in Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park started spewing lava early Monday.

U.S. geological survey reports the eruption has since paused but warns that the activity in the region is dynamic and could quickly change. The volcano is the youngest, most active on Hawaii's islands.

Well, thank you for watching. I'm John Vause.

CNN NEWSROOM continues with my friend and colleague Rosemary Church. Hopefully, after a break, see you right back here tomorrow.

[01:56:58]

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