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CNN International: Vote Counting Underway in India After 642 Million People Cast Ballots; Claudia Sheinbaum Wins Presidency in a Landslide; Netanyahu: Claim Israel Agreed to Peace Plan "Not True"; Biden to Limit Asylum-Seekers Entering U.S. Illegally; Filmmaker Braves Jungle to Document Migrant's Journey the Darien Gap. Aired 4:00-4:30a ET

Aired June 04, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 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.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Rwanda has a reputation for being very well planned.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not. It's not well planned. If it was well planned, we wouldn't be sitting here in a boat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translated text): We do it for the sake of the children. We do it for their future, for them to get a better future.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm so impressed with those people. I really hope that I will be able to tell their story in a good way that respect them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, a warm welcome to our viewers joining us from around the world. I'm Max Foster. It is Tuesday, June the 4th, 9 a.m. here in London, 1.30 p.m. in India, where votes are being counted following a general election in the world's largest democracy.

Early results show Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling BJP-led alliance is leading the count so far, but the opposition Indian National Congress is also making strides. However, these are very early trends and the balance could be shifting all the time as the day goes on. Millions of people cast their vote over seven phases from April the 19th to June the 1st, and Indian officials are calling the mammoth process a success.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAJIV JUMAR, CHIEF ELECTION COMMISSIONER OF INDIA: This is a historic moment for all of us, for the nation as a whole. 642 (million) ever anywhere in the world in any of the electoral exercise. That has been the incredible power of the voters of India.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, Modi, who first swept to power in 2014 by promising growth and change, is seeking a rare third consecutive term if his ruling BJP-led alliance wins another five years in power.

CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson is live this hour in New Delhi. It's incredible to see this process play out -- Ivan.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure, and the vote count is a massive undertaking because, according to the official figures, at least 642 million people cast their ballot. So it's going to take a while to count up all of these votes.

The magic number here is 272. That's how many seats in the lower house of parliament that somebody has to win to win a majority. The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, was predicting at the beginning of this that his alliance would win some 400 seats out of the 543 in the lower house of parliament. As of now, the preliminary results are suggesting that his alliance will do well below that, that, in fact, it may be difficult for the BJP, his party, to win an outright majority, which it has done twice in national elections over the last 10 years.

Again, it is still early, but if you want an indicator about the uncertainty, look at the Indian stock market, which rallied on Monday, had record gains after exit polls had been published, showing a big win for the BJP. And today, with these uneven results and signs that the opposition is doing much better than had been predicted, the stock market right now, Max, is down nearly 6 percent. Again, an indicator of just how uncertain the results are going to be and a suggestion that we have to watch this very closely to see how it will shake out in the next several hours.

FOSTER: How, you know, if they don't get the votes they want, are we still talking about a right-wing alliance that would come out of this?

WATSON: I think that's where things are still headed. Make no mistake, it does still look like the National Democratic Alliance, that larger bloc led by Narendra Modi, does look poised to win a majority. But again, as I pointed out, his party alone, the BJP, might not win an outright majority for the first time in a decade.

And if that is the case, then he'll have to rely on a coalition in government. So it could be a bit less stable majority for the first time in a decade. And if that is the case, then he'll have to rely on a coalition in government. So it could be a bit less stable.

It raises questions in governance that Modi has not had to deal with to date. It would also mark a success potentially for the main India opposition alliance and the biggest player in that, which is the India National Congress, which performed dismally in the last two national elections. And again, the preliminary results suggest that it has performed far better.

But, you know, wait and see. Let's watch and see how this goes. One other conclusion that has come out, and I can quote the chief election commissioner, he has said that one lesson they've learned from this election, which has been going on for some six weeks, is that they should have done it earlier in the year before a deadly heat wave set in that in the last week alone, Max, has killed scores of election workers. He's saying it's just too hot, and that is one lesson he's taking away from this mammoth process -- Max.

FOSTER: Ivan in New Delhi, back with you throughout the day. Thank you.

Mexico's president-elect is promising a government for all without corruption or impunity. Claudia Sheinbaum won a landslide victory to become the country's first female and first Jewish president. She's facing a huge challenge in fighting crime and gang violence. Many see the vote as a referendum on the policies of her mentor and predecessor. But he says Sheinbaum must chart her own course.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR, OUTGOING MEXICAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Of course, there must be changes. There will be changes because the transformation continues. But there must be changes. There must be a change of officials. She is the one empowered to make all the decisions. I am not going to influence anything. She is going to choose her team.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, more now from CNN's Gustavo Valdes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 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 fairer and more prosperous Mexico.

VALDES (voice-over): 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 leftists, 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 Ph.D. 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.

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.

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

Gustavo Valdes, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Hospitals in Gaza report at least 24 people have been killed by the latest Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling. Officials say homes hit in Khan Younis, Gaza City, and a camp in central Gaza. Two teenage brothers and a mother and daughter are amongst 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)

[04:10:00]

FOSTER: The U.N. says the analysis of satellite imagery shows 55 percent of all structures in Gaza, nearly 140,000 buildings, have been destroyed or damaged since the war started.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to the U.S. Congress is on hold, at least for now. He was invited by top congressional leaders to discuss the state of the war. The first date proposed, June 13th, conflicts with a Jewish holiday. House Speaker Mike Johnson says there's a sense of urgency to get it scheduled soon, hopefully in the next couple of weeks. Sources say it will likely happen next month.

Well meanwhile, pressure is mounting on Israel to accept a new ceasefire hostage release proposal laid out by the U.S., but Netanyahu is claiming that Israel didn't agree to that plan. His spokesperson says U.S. President Joe Biden presented only a partial outline, and Netanyahu is insisting the war will not end 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)

FOSTER: Supporters of the peace proposal gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv on Monday. This comes as the Israeli military confirms the deaths of four more hostages.

Following the news, Israel's hostage and missing families forum is demanding that Netanyahu approve the new plan. The organization says the deaths of the hostages are a mark of disgrace and a sad reflection of previous proposals that went nowhere.

Joining us is CNN's Nada Bashir. It does feel as though Netanyahu is almost confronting Biden by saying he never agreed to the deal, so therefore he can't sign it.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And actually, when we listened to Biden's speech on Friday, the tone from the U.S. President was almost a warning to the Israeli government. Take this option that we're handing to you.

And of course, Biden framed this as a deal that had been come up with the Israeli government, although with the backing of the U.S. But he also acknowledged that there would be factions of the Israeli government that would not back the deal, particularly in the far right. And now what we're seeing is the Israeli prime minister really coming under pressure from within his own cabinet.

We know, of course, that some far right ministers, including the national security minister, Ismael Ben-Gavir, have threatened to pull out of the government if indeed that deal is signed.

Netanyahu is also facing pressure from his own citizens, many of whom have been protesting for months now, calling on the prime minister to focus more on securing the release of hostages.

And of course, we did hear from the Israeli government, from the prime minister, saying that Biden had only outlined a partial aspect of this proposal, that they would not be agreeing to any sort of lasting ceasefire without their full terms being agreed to, primarily the destruction of Hamas.

But despite this, we've heard yesterday from the U.S.'s ambassador to the U.N., saying that the U.S. will go ahead and circulate a draft resolution calling for this three-phase peace plan at the U.N. Security Council. The State Department says it is confident that the Israeli government will back this plan. But clearly we're hearing mixed messages from either side, as well as that mounting pressure.

But this is a plan which would essentially see not only the release of hostages gradually, as well as the exchange of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, but essentially a lasting ceasefire, the return of Palestinian civilians to all parts of Gaza, and crucially a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from populated areas.

That is something that the Israeli government has long been stood against. We've heard from the prime minister repeatedly saying now that they will not agree to a deal that does not see the full destruction of Hamas.

Biden framed this on Friday in a way that really highlighted the Israeli government's primary pretext for launching this war. He said that Hamas has been downgraded now to a point where they would not be able to carry out an attack like we saw on October 7th, and that a continuation of this war will not only prevent any lasting security for Israeli citizens, but will also further Israel's isolation. So a warning message there perhaps from President Biden, but clearly Netanyahu is facing his own internal pressures as well.

FOSTER: OK, Nada, thank you.

Several volcanoes erupting around the globe, the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii, Volcanoes National Park, started spewing lava early on Monday after being dormant for three months. The U.S. Geological Survey reports the eruption has since paused, but they warn the activity in the region is dynamic and could change quickly.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Rim, a volcano in Indonesia briefly erupting on Tuesday morning. This time-lapse video shows Mount Ibu sending an ash plume three miles high. A series of eruptions since May have led to the evacuation of seven nearby villages, but no new evacuations have been ordered at this time.

[04:15:05]

Hundreds of residents living near an active volcano in the Philippines were ordered to evacuate after an eruption sent a volume of ash several miles into the sky. Scientists say the blast took place for six minutes, causing a strong earthquake. Officials warn that falling ash would affect surrounding villages. Aviation officials say more than 60 flights were cancelled.

Now just ahead, braving the Darien Gap. I'll speak with a filmmaker who's documenting the journey made by tens of thousands of migrants every year through the treacherous terrain between Panama and Colombia.

Also, why Republicans are still going after top infectious disease expert Dr. Fauci, long after his retirement and well after the end of the pandemic.

And Chinese social media goes wild over Donald Trump's felony conviction. Why some users are calling for a U.S. civil war. Next on CNN. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: U.S. President Joe Biden is set to announce strict new limits on the number of asylum seekers crossing illegally from Mexico. CNN's senior White House correspondent MJ Lee has the 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 212F 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 imagine 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.

[04:20:00]

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 President 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)

FOSTER: The number of migrants crossing a treacherous jungle to reach the U.S. is soaring. The Darien Gap is the only overland path connecting Central and South America. Up to 2,000 people a day enter the dense jungle. They come from Venezuela, Ecuador, Haiti, and even further away to make that trek north.

The Darien Gap lies on the border between Panama and Colombia. It's more than 96 kilometers of rainforests, steep mountains, and swamps.

The government of Panama says more than 250,000 migrants crossed on their way to the U.S. last year. Filmmaker Rasmus Krath is documenting their journey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translated text): Let's lift them out of the water

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translated text): Oh, it's really deep here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translated text): Hold the child!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translated text): It's so hard to see the children here. The keep walking and walking without having any breaks. Everybody is just walking and no one waits for anyone. Here everybody just wants to get out of the jungle. So you can't count on anyone waiting for you. So the only thing to do is to keep focus on getting out of here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Joining me now from Copenhagen, Denmark, filmmaker and adventurer Rasmus Krath. Thank you so much for joining us. I just want to bring up some of the video just to illustrate the journey you took.

And it's the children, isn't it, that really sort of stand out and also the heroism of their parents.

RASMUS KRATH, ADVENTURER AND DOCUMENTARIAN: Yes, for me especially, I was moved by the many children who are crossing the Darien Gap together with their families. Almost half the migrants I followed were families with small children, even babies, who are not supposed to be in these harsh environments. So that's the extreme situation that's unfolding right now.

FOSTER: If we start at the beginning, why do they embark on this journey?

KRATH: Well, people have different reasons. The majority is right now from Venezuela, which current situation has led a quarter of the population to leave the country. More than 8 million Venezuelans have left Venezuela over the last 10 years, mainly because of poverty, that people can't get jobs, the prices are rising, and some feel forced to leave because they're basically starving.

That's the majority of the Darien Gap migrants. Also the family that I follow closely in my film.

FOSTER: And, you know, they know it's a dangerous journey. They've heard the stories. But how did it compare to the stories that you've heard?

KRATH: Well, it's the same. Many people know, well, everybody knows that the jungle is dangerous. Some are more enlightened and have more information than others.

I also met migrants who actually didn't know what they were going to cross. I met people who had not even food and water or any backpack and then just started the journey. And during the trek, which is several days, for many migrants, they realize what they have ventured into and starting to realize the danger.

But most people have a certain knowledge, but some almost no knowledge, which is also one of the very extreme things in the Darien. Many people, they walk into the unknown.

FOSTER: And once they're there, they realize they can't go back. I mean, we saw how people died on the journey, but they can't stay there, can they? They can't rest. They've got to keep going. And that's something that they realize along the way.

KRATH: Yes, exactly. Everybody's moving forward. We walk 12 hours a day, especially because of the danger that both the territory has, but especially from the robberies and the assaults that the migrants are subject to, especially on the Panamanian side, where many groups of migrants there are robbed and raping are part of that. Even small girls are getting raped by different gangs. So the migrants, once in the forest, want to get out as quickly as possible. And so did I.

FOSTER: Did you come across any authorities along the way? There will be people watching this saying they shouldn't be allowed to go along that very well-trodden path. I mean, what's stopping them in terms of official opposition?

KRATH: Well, basically nothing.

[04:25:00]

And there are also several routes through the Darien. It's a vast area. We met one small Panamanian military camp inside the jungle. But they only let the migrants pass. I guess there were seven or six soldiers.

And there are other routes that other migrants take where they probably don't even need anything. The thing is that most part of Darien is the lawless area with not the control of neither Colombia and Panama, which is also why this entire migration is possible. Nobody's stopping them.

FOSTER: Did the family you were focusing in on, on the film, get through? What's their -- where are they now?

KRATH: Well, yes, they got through. And I'm following them right now. They are somewhere in Central America on their way, on their continuous journey. And I've gotten a lot of videos from them, knowing the situation and also the hardships they meet as migrants continuing further north. It's not been easy. They've been robbed twice, kidnapped once. Starved, walked on the highway. That's the situation of many migrants when they leave Darien.

FOSTER: There are people, you know, who are very worried about immigration levels, and that doesn't just apply to the United States. It applies to countries around the world. They hear about the numbers of people crossing borders and they say it has to stop.

I know you're not involved in the politics here, but what are you hoping your film says to those people?

KRATH: Well, my main message is to try to humanize the fact of migration, to put human faces on migrants, which is also what I'll do in my film following the family from Venezuela. Because I believe that when we understand, partly that these people are actually individual persons, we usually talk about them in numbers, and when we know their backgrounds, their reasons to migrate, and also what they actually are looking for, then we can probably treat the entire subject of migration in a more constructive way, and especially also a more caring way.

I'm not -- I don't have a political agenda saying that we should open or close borders. My message is to put human faces on the migration and understand that they are individuals, human beings like you and me.

FOSTER: OK, Rasmus Kraft, thank you so much for sharing your video with us. It's an incredible story.

KRATH: Thanks.

FOSTER: Now, opening statements in Hunter Biden's trial, beginning in the coming hours. Details on the jury that will hear the case ahead on CNN.

Plus, the torrential rain ended weeks ago in Kenya, but in some communities the floodwaters are still there. As you can see, residents believe a corrupt government has let the crisis last for too long now.