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Four Israeli Hostages Rescued In Gaza Military Operation; Official: United States Cell In Israel Aided In Hostage Rescue; Government Media In Gaza: At Least 210 People Killed In Israel Defense Forces Hostage Rescue; Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators Gather In DC; Biden Makes Case For Democracy As He Honors WW2 Troops. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired June 08, 2024 - 12:00   ET

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

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Like those brave fighters who sacrificed everything 80 years ago, and whose memory and heroism we honor at the cemetery in which so many of them have been laid to rest.

That's all we have time for this week. Don't forget, you can find all of our shows online as podcasts at cnn.com/podcast and on all other major platforms. I'm Christiane Amanpour in Normandy, France. Thank you for watching, and see you again next week.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN "BREAKING NEWS".

[12:00:40]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. And we are tracking two major breaking news stories this afternoon.

Next hour, President Biden is set to attend a state dinner in France. I will bring that to you live as it happens. You see, he's there in Paris with the First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, plus, the French president and first lady.

And dramatic new developments in the Middle East. Four Israeli hostages rescued from Gaza. The Israeli military launching that daring rescue mission in broad daylight. The Government Media Office in Gaza says the operation left more than 200 people dead in central Gaza, with hundreds more injured.

The mission ultimately freeing four hostages from the clutches of Hamas. All of them were abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7th.

All right. Now, back in Israel for the first time in eight months, making emotional reunions with family members who never gave up hope, President Biden making brief remarks on the rescue earlier today from Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to echo President Macron's comments, welcoming the safe rescue four hostages that were returned to their families in Israel.

We won't stop working until all the hostages come home and a ceasefire is reached. That is essential to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: We have teams around the globe tracking all the latest developments. Let's get started with CNN's Paula Hancocks, she is live outside the Sheba Medical Center in Israel, where the four hostages are undergoing medical examinations.

Paula, what more can you tell us about their rescue? How they are doing right now? Bring us up to date.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, so, the four of them are inside this medical center at this point, as you say undergoing medical checks. We have had an update from one of the doctors, saying that they are all stable, they are in good medical condition. That they are continuing into to undergo tests at this point.

Now, the friends and families of those four who were at the Nova music festival are inside as well. There have been emotional reunions between some of these hostages and their loved ones who have waited eight months for this moment.

Now, what we know of the rescue mission at this point is it happened around 11:00 this morning. We understand it was a joint mission between the Israeli military, the security agency and the police. And they all carried out what was described as a high-risk daytime mission. It happened in central Gaza in Nuseirat camp. And we understand from the IDF that they had intelligence and this is a mission that was weeks in the making to rescue these four hostages. And it was on Thursday night that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the green light to go ahead and to go in and bring them out.

Now, we saw images of the helicopter landing in Israel, and you could see the relief, the celebrations of, at least, two of those hostages back on home soil, after being taken hostage.

Now, we understand they are all with family. Now, in fact, one of them well known to many in the world at this point. This is Noa Argamani. She was the hostage who was put on the back of a motorbike by Hamas militants from that music festival, then taken into Gaza.

She was also used in a number of Hamas propaganda videos. And so, she is one of the free released. The other -- the other -- sorry, one of the four released. The other three, Andrey Kozlov, he was working security at the festival. He is a Russian Israeli citizen.

Also, Shlomi Ziv, he was also working security, at 40 years old. He has been freed. And Almog Meir Jan, 21 years old, who has been released as well. So, a lot of relief here that was just a press conference by the families of those who had been released -- sorry, excuse me, rescued is the word I should use. They were thanking the military for what they did. But also, commiserating, because one Israeli soldier was confirmed to have been killed in this rescue mission.

[12:05:05]

Of course, the price paid by those in Gaza for this mission was also unspeakably hi. Fred?

WHITFIELD: And I wonder, Paula, if we could too just put up the photograph of the four hostages released one more time, so that people can see who it is we're talking about who were rescued.

And I wonder, Paula, if you're able to tell us anything more, that the IDF or others are revealing about where they were located in central Gaza, how they were retrieved? And you said it was an operation a couple of weeks in the making, but were they -- were they all located in the same location or separately?

HANCOCKS: So, what we know from the IDF at this point -- and I must point out, it's quite unusual for them to carry out an operation in daytime. This sort of operation would usually be done under the cover of night.

But it was unusual, they decided to carry their sights during the day because of specific intelligence that they had -- now, the IDF spokesperson saying that they went into two individual buildings in central Gaza in this area of Nuseirat. They say that they came under fire as they were in those buildings, and also as they came out of Gaza. Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Paula Hancocks, thank you so much. Let me bring in Priscilla Alvarez now in Washington as White House correspondent. And so, I wonder, Priscilla, what we understand is a U.S. official says an American cell in Israel supported these rescue efforts.

Are you able to break down for us what that means? In what way was the U.S. used as an asset or provided assistance in any way via intelligence or in other means for this to be a successful rescue operation?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, what we -- we are still gathering a lot of information here in terms of how the U.S. aided these efforts.

What we do know is what the U.S. official laid out, which is that an American cell in Israel did support this rescue effort and worked with Israeli forces.

Now, the National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, did release a statement this morning about this rescue. He did not mention U.S. involvement. But he did say the following, "Today, is really security forces conducted a successful operation to rescue four hostages from the grips of Hamas in Gaza."

He goes on to say, "Now, they are safe and reunited with their families, we commend the work of the Israeli security services that conducted this daring operation. So, you see there, the National Security adviser touting this operation, though not explicitly saying how the U.S. was involved.

Of course, the United States is pushing for a hostage deal in exchange for a ceasefire that has been an ongoing push by the United States. President Biden laid out that proposal at the White House not long ago, and has continued that ongoing pressure.

Just this week, the U.S. and 16 other countries joining together in a statement to call on Hamas to close the deal. We also know that senior U.S. officials went back to the Middle East to add some momentum to these hostage talks. It's unclear where those stands at this point. But clearly, this has been top of mind for the White House and senior U.S. officials.

And today, they are touting the successful operation by the Israeli forces. But we are still trying to get more information as to how the U.S. specifically helped in this effort. Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks, Priscilla.

Let's bring in Ben Wedeman. He is in Beirut.

Ben, I mean, this is a -- an extraordinary rescue operation in broad daylight, as we've learned from Paula Hancocks, and it was a joint operation. We just heard from Priscilla, unclear how and in what way the U.S. may have provided some assistance here.

While it is celebrated, there are four hostages that were rescued. It also came with a pretty sizable casualty count. We just heard one of the Israeli soldiers was killed. What do you know about where this happened, how it happened, and how it did consequently lead to the deaths of many.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the operation began, and I think mid-morning, that's when we started getting reports from the Nuseirat camp in the central part of the Gaza Strip, that Israeli ground forces and Apache attack helicopters were active in the air and this was an operation it may be being celebrated in the U.S. and in Israel as a successful operation.

But on the Palestinian side, the death toll has been extremely high. According to the government media office in Gaza, at least 210 people have been killed, many of them children. I've been going through lots of video that our cameraman shot at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, nearby, where many of the wounded and the dead are being taken.

[12:10:02]

210 dead, more than 400 injured, many of them women and children.

One Palestinian who spoke with CNN described the situation there as hell on earth. Fredricka. WHITFIELD: And then, Ben, because we're talking about areas that are concentrated with people who have been encouraged to flee, other areas of Gaza for the sake of safety, but many Palestinians are finding there is no safe place.

The UN's Agency for Palestinian refugees said nearly all internally displaced people have actually left the city of Rafah in southern Gaza.

What do you know about this?

WEDEMAN: Yes. According to UNRWA, there are currently only 100,000 people in Rafah City at the moment. That compared to just a few weeks ago, before the Israeli operation began there, they are around 1,200,000. So, Rafah is pretty much empty at this point.

Now, the United States had warned Israel against a major operation in Rafah, because of fear of a high death toll of about just more suffering imposed upon the Israel -- the Palestinian people.

But nonetheless, Israel has gone ahead with that operation and essentially turned Rafah into a ghost town. Many of those who fled have gone to the Mawasi area, which is on the Mediterranean, an area with almost nothing in the way of the basics of life.

There is no running water, there is no sewage. There are some field hospitals, there's very little in the way of shelter. So, the situation in Rafah, even though we're focusing today, on Nuseirat camp, the situation in Rafah is dire. And of course, in Mawasi, where all of these people are crammed into, the concern is about health conditions getting worse.

In fact, I think just the other day, we were talking about a report put out by the U.N., warning that by July, more than a million people in Gaza, will face death and starvation. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Yes, extraordinary numbers. All right. Ben Wedeman, thank you so much. Priscilla Alvarez and Paula Hancocks to you, as well.

All right, let's bring in CNN political and national security analyst, David Sanger, his new book, "New Cold Wars" is available right now. David, welcome.

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Good to be with you, Fredricka. And what a remarkable rescue story, isn't it?

WHITFIELD: It is an incredible one, especially, since we really don't know all the details. But we know, you know, the end result has led to these four, who have been released and rescue -- rescued, I should say. Not released, but rescued. And there they are right now -- the four.

So, we understand this rescue still means there are 116 hostages who were taken in the October 7th attack, who remain in Gaza, Israel and Hamas, you know, have faced immense global pressure to agree on a ceasefire deal. What do you suppose -- or what kind of impact might this rescue have on any other ceasefire or hostage negotiation talks?

SANGER: It's just the right question, Fredricka. And it's a little hard right now to measure out exactly how this could play out.

In the days leading up to the rescue, we saw Hamas, which had initially been somewhat open to the terms that President Biden laid out, rejected on the basis that there wasn't a permanent ceasefire, linked to it, or at least that was their public statements. We don't know what they said in private.

You've got to imagine that the combination of the rescue operation itself, which tells Hamas that there's been some penetration of their system. And the huge casualties that appear to have gone along with it, civilian casualties of Palestinians. You've heard Ben say that it may be more than 200, takes you back to the brutal calculus of this war, which is that in order to achieve the means that the Israelis believe they need to both defeat Hamas and rescue hospitals, they are willing to go tolerate huge numbers of Palestinian casualties.

And the question is, is that going to move Hamas at all? Does Hamas care that much about the Palestinians who are suffering because they have not reached out to the peace deal? And would the Israelis even stop these operations even if there was a deal?

WHITFIELD: It's unclear how much more information we will ever get in this operation. We know right now from our reporting, is that it was a daytime operation, it was something that these allied forces were able to work on over a period of weeks because of Intel that was gathered.

[12:15:12]

But I wonder from your point of view, and really from the point of view of the global community, because people are starving for information about the, you know, IDF operation and Israel's approach here. What kind of information do you believe will important for the IDF to release on this operation to satisfy people's curiosities?

SANGER: Well, it's more than curiosity. They are going to have to explain in some way, how they got through that, what I call before the brutal calculus. In other words, what made them come to the conclusion that the rescue wonderfully successful for these four was worth a -- that high-level of civilian casualties? And was there a way too --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Right. And we understand 210 killed and maybe 400 injured, but continue.

SANGER: Right. And four rescue. Right. So, then, the question comes naturally, was there a way for Israel to do this more surgically that wouldn't carry that awful casualty counting.

That casualty count is we have to caution, our listeners and viewers that it is preliminary at this point. I could imagine it getting significantly worse. I could imagine it being a bit diminished. I think the second really interesting question is what the role of the United States, Britain, other allies were here. The U.S. and Britain have hostage intelligence teams on the ground. Of course, there are many dual citizen hostages, which partly explains this.

I am pretty certain by the time you are done with this, you are going to discover that there was U.S. signals intelligence for U.S. grown intelligence that helped identify where these hostages were being held.

And thus, the United States was a piece of this, that is a wonderful thing, given the tensions between the president and Prime Minister Netanyahu. But it's also going to make the allies bear some responsibility for participation in an operation that obviously had this many casualties.

So, it's always with these -- it's always a mixed -- a mixed bag. Right? The joy of the release, and the question of did you need it to be that brutal to civilians nearby?

WHITFIELD: Right. Lots of unanswered questions, yet, as you underscore just looking at those pictures of the relief, the happiness on the faces of those hostages released.

(CROSSTALK)

SANGER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: And their family members, the embraces there, you know, the raising of the fist, I mean, all of that, really just so priceless.

SANGER: It is, and tells you how important it is to get those other 120 out.

WHITFIELD: Yes. David Sanger, thank you so much.

SANGER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, still to come, President Biden is in Paris, making the case for freedom and the future of democracy, and highlighting the close ties between the U.S. and France.

And later, pro-Palestinian crowds are gathering outside the White House in Washington, D.C. today to protest the Biden administration's handling of the war or its position on the war in Gaza. That and more coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:23:03]

WHITFIELD: All right. Happening right now, President Biden is preparing to head to the Elysee Palace in Paris for a state dinner with French president, Emmanuel Macron. It is all part of his high stakes trip to France, aimed at strengthening the alliance with a critical U.S. ally and reinforcing their commitment to support Ukraine in its war with Russia.

This morning, Macron welcomed Biden and the first lady at a parade ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe. And Biden and Macron surveyed the troops and laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier there.

The close ties between the U.S. and France are on full display today, as Biden continues to push his message of protecting democracy and freedom, following his D-Day anniversary speech on Friday.

CNN's Kayla Tausche is joining us now from Paris. Kayla, great to see you. So, Biden and Macron also just made remarks as they also about to embark on the dinner. What more can you tell us about what they said?

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the two leaders delivered prepared remarks at the Elysee Palace. The government's declining to allow traveling press, a local press to ask questions on a wide variety of topics, instead choosing to keep the focus of the visit on the strength of the bilateral relationship.

On the areas of alignment, they said that they were happy to hear the news, grateful for the rescue of those four hostages, but called for the release of the remaining hostages. And they said that they remained committed to the pursuit of western ideals and the support of Ukraine.

Here is what President Biden said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This week, we have showed the world once again, the power of allies, and what we can achieve when we stand together. That's what this relationship between France and the United States exemplifies. You know, we see the Ukraine, where our two countries are standing with the Ukrainian people, as they fight off Putin's brutal aggression.

You know, Putin might kind of stop at Ukraine. It's not just Ukraine, it's about much more than Ukraine.

[12:25:00]

All of Europe will be threatened. We are not going to let that happen. The United States is standing strong with Ukraine, we are standing with our allies, and we're standing with France. We will not -- we will not say it again, walk away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAUSCHE: Now, that comment and implicit shot across the bow at Donald Trump, who is seeking to reclaim the presidency in the United States and has threatened to begin withdrawing support from NATO if other NATO allies like France and like other countries don't begin paying more for their collective defense.

Now, with elections happening across Europe and in the U.K. in the coming weeks, and then in the U.S. in November, what these two leaders are really trying to do today was to say that they are making the preparations, they are laying the groundwork in hopes of being in it together.

Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Kayla Tausche, keep us posted there from Paris. Appreciate it.

All right. Right now, pro-Palestinian demonstrators are gathering in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. They are angry over the Biden administration's handling of the war in Gaza. We'll go there live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:30:28]

WHITFIELD: All right, now, crowds are gathering outside the White House in Washington, D.C. to protest what they say is President Biden's failure to act after Israeli military forces began operations in Gaza. Nearly a month ago, the President told our Erin Burnett, he would stop arms shipments if Israel crossed the red line.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They're going to Rafah. I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, to deal with that problem. We're going to continue to make sure Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome and their ability to respond to attacks that came out of the Middle East recently. But it's just wrong. We're not going to we're not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells used.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Brian Todd is outside the White House at Lafayette Park, where it looks like there's a pretty sizable presence there. They have gathered there, knowing the President is overseas. So what are they saying?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, I'll set the scene for you. Large influx of people just got into Lafayette Park, so we've got a few thousand here now. We expect the crowd to grow. But take a look. The theme is the red line. Everybody, a lot of people wearing red here, carrying red signs. The speeches have just started in earnest. We're going to kind of walk this way, as our photojournalist Joe Merkel and I show you the scene here. Speeches just started a short time ago.

The theme of the red line is that the crowd here believes that President Biden broke a promise when he drew that red line regarding the incursion into Rafah, which occurred about a month ago, and that he broke a promise by not doing more about it. So this is what they're going to do. What they're going to do later in about a half hour, is unfurl a two mile long red banner around the circumference of the White House. Now they fenced off that circumference, but they're going to try to unfurl a two-mile long banner around the circumference of the White House. Right now, that banner is in 100-foot pieces. They're going to be assembling it in about a half hour and unfurling it. So we're going to hopefully get a good visual there. But right now, I want to talk to one of the event organizers. This is Leigh Ann Fullahan (ph). Leigh Ann (ph), thanks for joining us. Just tell us the central point that you want to make here today.

LEIGH ANN FULLAHAN (ph), EVENT ORGANIZER: The people of the United States know the difference between right and wrong. Biden refuses to draw the line between right and wrong, so we're here to do that because we know that we will not accept this ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people, not only funded by the United States, but executed by the United States as well.

TODD: What do you want to come out of this in the future, weeks and months, as this war just kind of grinds on in Gaza?

FULLAHAN (ph): We want to continue growing, continuing growing the political pressure on the White House. It doesn't matter who's sitting in the White House. They are united around supporting Israel's genocidal war on the Palestinian people. We want to make very clear that we will not rest until our demands are met and our demands are possible. We are asking the White House, the State Department, the Pentagon, cut all aid and weapons transfers to Israel immediately. If you say that the death of civilians is your red line, what about this morning when over 200 people were killed in a refugee camp, the Nuseirat refugee camp, with U.S. bombs and actual U.S. troops on the ground, U.S. personnel were there assisting them.

This is unacceptable. We have been out for eight months, growing the movement, and we're not going to stop. We're going to be here as long as the genocide continues, and we're making our message very clear, and we want everyone to join us.

TODD: All right, thank you very much for speaking to us Leigh Ann (ph). Good luck with the event today. Thank you.

So there you have it. This is the central theme, the red line. They call it the people's red line. After they unfurl the banner, in a short time, they're planning on having what they call a symbolic trial on the ellipse on the other side of the White House, where they will have human rights lawyers read a series of what they believe are war crimes against U.S. officials and others. That's going to be a symbolic trial on the other side of the White House, on the ellipse later this afternoon. So lots of symbolism and a large growing crowd here this afternoon, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Brian, while we're also waiting -- awaiting more details about how the operation, the rescue operation, happened today. I mean, those are some of the questions we have about how the U.S. may have been involved. We can't confirm what she just said, which was U.S. troops were on the ground, but we are still awaiting information like that, whether it's intelligence or whether there were other assets that were used from the U.S. to assist, what if anything is the administration saying today?

TODD: Well, Fredricka, we have reached out to the White House for comment on this event and on the other events that have gone on in Gaza. So far, the White House not commenting. They generally don't want to comment on resistance of events like this one, and we've reached out to them this morning for some kind of a comment on this and other developments this morning. We've not heard back from them as of yet. We don't necessarily expect to, but we'll see. It's been obviously a very kind of momentous morning in Gaza and here in Washington and elsewhere.

[12:35:16]

WHITFIELD: All right, Brian Todd, we'll check back with you there at Lafayette Square, just outside of the White House, where people have gathered. All right, this protest is just hours after that Israeli hostage rescue operation in central Gaza today, which Gaza officials say killed more than 200 people. Joining me right now is the Secretary General of Doctors Without Borders, Christopher Lockyear. Great to see you. I wonder if you're able to give us your reaction to the rescue operation that took place today. But also, we know, consequently, while four hostages were rescued, we do understand a corroboration coming from officials on all sides that some 210 people were killed and one Israeli soldier was also killed during this operation, and perhaps 400 Palestinians additionally injured.

CHRISTOPHER LOCKYEAR, SECRETARY GENERAL, MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES: Yes, well, the scenes that our teams are reporting from Gaza over the last couple of days are absolutely horrific. The only word that I can summon to describe it is apocalyptic. Over just two days ago, in the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the middle area, we received over 300 injured patients, some seven -- or over 70 people who were dead on arrival. We are in a situation where people are being treated in other people's blood. The hospital is on its knees.

This is just another example of a health healthcare system which is crushed, a healthcare system which has been under constant attack, and with this is also in a situation of extreme propaganda as well. There are reports in terms of, there are maps being publicized today by the Israeli army in COGAT, which indicates that we, MSF, are running a field hospital in the Gaza Strip. We are running, we are supporting the Al-Aqsa hospital. We're supporting the Nasser hospital on a number of primary healthcare centers. But we're not running a field hospital in the Gaza Strip.

We've asked for permission to run a field hospital that was granted. But we have not had permission for the supplies to run that field hospital. So it is not accurate to report. It is not accurate -- the reports going around that we are running a field hospital are not accurate. This is another example of the instrumentalization of humanitarian assistance that we've been seeing in Gaza over the last few months.

It's an incredibly difficult endeavor to run humanitarian assistance anywhere around the world, but particularly in Gaza, at the moment, where we have not been able to get supplies in through the Rafah crossing since it was taken by Israeli forces back six or seven weeks ago. And when supply does get in, it's almost impossible to pick it up because of the highly insecure environment that our teams are working in.

WHITFIELD: So it's very complicated to say the very least. So for clarity, while the desire is for Doctors Without Borders to operate and run field hospitals. You're unable to do so because you can't get the stream of supplies in order to do that. However, many of your volunteers and among, you know, your cadre of very experienced medical professionals. You have been able to work within some of the other hospitals to assist. So I wonder if there's a way in which to assess how successful you feel like you've been able to be to meet the growing needs of people there.

LOCKYEAR: Well, I'm incredibly proud of the work that our teams are doing on a daily basis. The creativity that they're showing in terms of being able to reinstall healthcare facilities. Just a few weeks ago, when the Rafah incursion started, we had to leave our hospital, some of our hospitals in Rafah, the Indonesian Rafah field hospital, the Emirati hospital, and we install ourselves in the Nasser hospital.

So of course, I'm incredibly proud of what they're able to achieve. At the same time, it is nowhere near enough in terms of what is needed, being able to provide the healthcare that is needed in these sometimes, you know what, often catastrophic, highly complicated surgeries and follow ups that are needed, let alone all of the silent killings that we're seeing on a daily basis because of the complete collapse of a healthcare system with people dying from various diseases.

So, yes, I'm very proud of what we're managing to be able to do and what our teams are doing in incredibly difficult circumstances. The supply is hanging on an absolute knife edge, but it is absolutely nowhere near enough. The image of humanitarian assistance or the justification that humanitarian assistance is being used to continue this conflict in this way is wholly unacceptable.

[12:40:24]

WHITFIELD: Christopher Lockyear, we hope we can have you back and talk more, because I know this is just the tip of the iceberg about the kind of work that you and your colleagues have been able to do, the work that you want to do, and how this is impacting so many lives there on the ground. Appreciate your continued efforts. Thank you so much.

LOCKYEAR: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: When we come back, President Biden continues his high stakes visit to Europe, the impact his message could have on the campaign trail in the U.S., next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:45:37] WHITFIELD: All right, just moments ago, we're looking at these ravishing pictures of the arrival of guests at the Elysee Palace there in Paris, just ahead of the state dinner. French President Macron is hosting, of course, the guest of honor, President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, really lovely seeing these pictures, and, of course, seeing the military band. A moment ago, oh, there they go, on cue that was also serenading the guests as they arrive. That's a red carpet event, indeed.

So as President Biden takes the world stage this week, he is making a renewed case for democracy as he honors the members of the greatest generation who helped end World War II, and in this election year, he is also reaching out to allies and issuing stark warnings about the perils of isolationism. Joining us right now with more on all this, CNN political analyst, Julian Zelizer. He's also a professor of history at Princeton University. Great to see you.

JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: So while Biden repeatedly, you know, hit home the message of reassurance and commitment to alliances and fighting tyranny, he also, you know, without uttering Trump's name, implied that he, Biden, cannot guarantee anything pending the November election. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're living in a time when democracy and more risk across the world than any point since the end of World War II, since these beaches were stormed in 1944. Now we have to ask ourselves, will we stand against tyranny, against evil, against crushing brutality of the iron fist? Will we stand for freedom? Will we defend democracy?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: He will also be making remarks at the dinner and perhaps reiterating some of that. And I wonder, from your point of view, do you see this resonating on the campaign trail?

ZELIZER: I think it is a powerful message. It creates a unifying theme defending democracy. He is connecting the dots between the threats here in the United States that he sees from the GOP to all the international strains and threats that U.S. and its allies face. Will it overcome the kind of opposition he has here? I doubt it. I don't think many Republicans are going to agree with how he assesses the situation or change their votes.

And then within the Democratic Party, we're seeing more turmoil recently over foreign policy and these issues with regard to the Middle East. So it's a powerful theme, but I'm not sure it will alleviate the fault lines that he is confronting here in the country.

WHITFIELD: And before I get back to domestic politics, I wonder, how do you think this is landing on the world stage by Biden trying his best to offer reassurances, particularly to European allies. ZELIZER: Well, I think the message is welcome. I think allies need to hear assurances that the United States is committed to the post-World War II order that was put together and was able to preserve a significant amount of peace. But they are worried. I mean, they see what happens on Capitol Hill. They see the partisan divisions over these very themes. And I think many leaders don't have confidence come 2025 that these principles will still hold.

WHITFIELD: OK. And now back to U.S. politics, you know, following a conviction on 34 charges of falsifying business records, Donald Trump is saying out loud, if he's elected, his focus will be going after his political enemies. He's also returning to that dialog of his of not supporting NATO Allies if they are not paying enough on defense. So is this the kind of campaign talk for Donald Trump that inspires voters?

ZELIZER: Well, I think it's his bread and butter, and within the GOP, it does seem to inspire voters. In 1984, Ronald Reagan ran on the theme, it's morning in America again, optimism. Clinton and Gore in 1992 ran on the theme, hope, not fear. I think Trump's talking to a very different Republican party with a very different message about retribution, us versus them aggression. He's almost like a UFC fighter in the political arena, and I don't think that's going to change. It might, though work with the Republican Party, who has not abandoned him because of this message.

[12:50:13]

WHITFIELD: All right. Julian Zelizer, we'll leave it there for now. Great to see you. Thanks so much.

ZELIZER: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: A heat wave that has already proved deadly is expanding into new areas. We'll find out where millions of people are under threat this weekend, next.

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[12:55:08]

WHITFIELD: All right dangerous and deadly heat impacting millions out west this weekend. And temperatures will be soaring even more next week. Let's bring in CNN meteorologist Elisa Raffa, So Elisa, this is bad, and it's only going to get worse.

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's early for this too. We've had some of the earliest 110 degree temperatures on record in places like Las Vegas this week. They're getting a little bit of a break for now before the heat comes back in the next couple of days. We do have some of that red major heat risk from Oklahoma City back down into Texas, where we could have some unsafe conditions that are capable of heat sickness as we go through the day today.

So again, for early June, this is pretty hot, makes you more vulnerable to heat sickness. Here's a look at some of those numbers, still above average today, in Phoenix, going for 110 degrees, when average is 103 easing back to about 106 by Monday. Same thing with Las Vegas, 10 degrees above normal today. 97 is normal. Looking at temperatures back up your 107 and then the ease up a little bit, getting down to 103.

But we're still above average by about 10 to 15 degrees through the day today and into tomorrow. What's even, you know, ebbs and flows to injuries. Look at these overnight low temperatures. We're finding them sweltering in the 80s from Phoenix to Las Vegas, so that, you know, can exacerbate heat sickness, because you don't get any relief at night. Swelter all day, and then you don't even cool off at night.

WHITFIELD: Well, you got to drink a lot of fluids in for a large part, a lot of the vulnerable population. This is the time to stay in.

RAFFA: Yes, absolutely.

WHITFIELD: All right, Elisa Raffa, thanks so much. Appreciate that. We'll be right back.

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