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CNN International: Macron Calls Snap Election In France After Far-Right Surge; Israel War Cabinet Member Benny Gantz Quits Emergency Government; U.S. Officials Call On Hamas To Agree To Ceasefire Deal; Venezuelan Gang "Tren De Aragua" Infiltrating The US. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired June 10, 2024 - 00:00   ET

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

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[00:00:28]

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company.

Coming up here on CNN Newsroom, the rise of the right in Europe, the far right breaks through in parliamentary elections, but the E.U. Commission president assures quote, "the center is holding."

Faced with defeat French president Macron calls for snap elections at home dissolving the country's Parliament for the first time since 1997.

And in Israel, a blow to Prime Minister Netanyahu's leadership as his main political challenger resigns from the war cabinet.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Michael Holmes.

HOLMES: Welcome everyone. Far-right parties are projected to win a record number of seats in the European Parliament after four days of voting wrapped up on Sunday. Millions of people across 27 countries went to the polls in an election that will dictate Europe's priorities for the next five years.

Projections show the mainstream center right European People's Party will remain the largest group. European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen celebrating her party's success while acknowledging that extremes on both ends of the spectrum are gaining traction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

URSULA VON DER LEYEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: The center is holding. But it is also true that the extremes on the left and on the right have gained support and this is why the result comes with great responsibility for the parties in the center. We may differ on individual points but we all have an interest in stability and we all want a strong and effective Europe.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: Protesters took to the streets in Paris outraged at gains for right-wing parties in France. French President Emmanuel Macron perhaps seeing the writing on the wall, dissolved parliament and called snap elections after his party lost to the far-right in exit polls.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): The rise of nationalists of demagogues is a danger for our nation, but also for our Europe, for France's place in Europe, and in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo says that he's resigning after his party suffered a defeat in both national and European Parliamentary elections. He held back tears during the announcement stressing that the country needs a new government.

CNN's Melissa Bell now with more on the world's largest multi-country election.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A shift to the right at the European level as a result of the European elections held over the weekend the far-right making gains in a number of different European countries now representing, according to the projections, the second block in the European Parliament with the center right coming out on top. That means that the far-right is likely to have much more of a say than it had before at European level on things like immigration and climate policy. But it is here in France that the disruption has been the biggest as a result of the French far-right scoring more than 30% of the vote.

Here in French, Emmanuel Macron, announcing as a result of these elections something he didn't have to do. He's choosing to dissolve France's Parliament called snap elections that will take place in late June and early July and that if the voting at national level reflects what we've just seen at European level could mean big gains for the -- the far-right which could represent for Emmanuel Macron should they do well enough having to function with a Prime Minister from the far- right.

Still, for now, Emmanuel Macron's party hoping that this snap election will see his party come back in substantial numbers, nonetheless, urging the country to come together to keep the far-right out of government, the far-right. For its part, Marine Le Pen say they are now ready to govern. Melissa Bell, CNN Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And joining me now is CNN European Affairs commentator Dominic Thomas coming to us via Skype from Berlin.

Thanks for getting up early for us, Dominic. The -- the concern for many was, you know, not if Europe would shift to the right but how far and there have been gains and we saw it in Austria, the Netherlands, Germany, elsewhere. Macron as we just saw calling a snap election. What's your read on what we know about the results so far?

[00:05:04]

DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Yeah, well, thank you Michael. I'm -- I think, you know, it's fascinating about this election is that it starts off in 27 independent E.U. member countries and at the end of the day the configuration based on proportional allocation of members of the European Parliament becomes evident in the court -- in the Parliament in Strasbourg and these former national groups now join parliamentary groups that reflect like-minded similar kinds of ideas.

So I think what's, first of all, the interesting thing is that the sort of the center parties, as Ursula von der Leyen was describing them, have pretty much held on to their -- to their positions and have not really been eroded in any kind of significant way, except perhaps for the group that Emmanuel Macron belongs to.

But I think it's also important to point out that many of those center-right parties she's described have in fact moved considerably to the right. I think when it comes to then determining the question of the influence of the right, yes, as a bloc they are a significant portion, but between the ECR, the Conservatives and Reformists, and say the ID party that Marine Le Pen's group will go into, there are significant divisions.

But I do think that the most important thing to take away from this is the sheer number of important E.U. countries in terms of the proportional votes, such as France and Germany, the Netherlands and Italy, in which the far-right parties either came in overwhelmingly first or in second position. And I think as one moves forward, that certainly will shift the conversation in terms of the power dynamics in Strasbourg and Brussels, Michael.

HOLMES: In Strasbourg and Brussels, but I wanted to ask you this, you know, in Germany, you know, just one example, Olaf Scholz's party did disastrously. We've talked about Emmanuel Macron, who called the snap election, Belgium's Prime Minister stepping down. But how do or do not EU election results trickle down to a domestic election outlook, a referendum on domestic politics, or not necessarily?

THOMAS: Yeah, well, there is a sort of fascinating kind of circularity to this, is that you begin with a set of kind of local questions that are addressed. And then these are either amplified at the E.U., if you find a significant number of partners, which then ironically allow you to shape policy, which will influence the domestic environment on agriculture, on immigration policy, and so on.

And in many cases, we've seen historically political parties that have not been able to make it into the leadership circles in Germany, in France, finding a kind of voice at the European Union level. I think the German example you just mentioned is especially complex here. The coalition ran by Scholz that has three parties in there, the center- left, center-right, and the Greens, together scored less than their opposition party, CDU, CSU, Merkel's party that sits at the EPP in Brussels. And you have a federal election coming up a year away.

It makes that coalition's ability now, I think, to legislate in Germany all the more complex. And that's a direct outcome of the E.U. election, just to look at one example, Michael.

HOLMES: Yeah, and the Greens doing disastrously there as well, which was something else. I mean, even by just doing well, if not winning, I mean, what potential influence does the right gain in the European Parliament? And if so, what policy impacts could a shift right would have?

THOMAS: Well, what we'll see is, first of all, in order to govern and legislate, it's not as if the center-right or center-left parties operate automatically along lines where they all agree. And there are some who would like, for example, to see Giorgia Meloni's group, who currently will sit with the ECR, on the far right. Some of those members are interested in kind of reaching out to some of those far- right constituencies, which will be divisive in those particular parties.

I think when you look at the politics of the EU today, Michael, the big questions are environmental questions and immigration questions. And these far-right parties have been sceptics on both of those and therefore can shape that particular narrative. But I think the broader question is the kind of adherence to or proximity to Russia, and the way in which the Ukraine conflict will play out moving forward.

And along those far-right lines, there are divisions there as well. And I think that moving forward, thinking about Europe, thinking about Europe as a kind of security space, is going to be the number one challenge in bringing unity. The more divided the European Union is, the more their detractors will gain in this particular dynamic, particularly with the shadow of the U.S. election just a few months away now.

HOLMES: Dominic Thomas, always good to get your analysis. Thanks so much.

THOMAS: Thank you, Michael.

[00:10:02]

HOLMES: Key Israeli War Cabinet member Benny Gantz has announced he's stepping down from the country's emergency government set up after the October 7 Hamas attacks. He described the decision as, quote, "complex and painful." His departure comes just weeks after he issued an ultimatum to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he called on him to lay out a plan for the war against Hamas by June 8th, and specifically what comes after.

Netanyahu asked Gantz to change his mind, saying that the time to now is the time to, quote, "join forces." But Gantz made his thoughts clear, accusing the Israeli leader of putting his own political considerations ahead of a strategy for a post-war Gaza. Here's part of his televised statement on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENNY GANTZ, RESIGNED AS WAR CABINET MINISTER (through translator): Regrettably, Netanyahu is preventing us from advancing toward true victory, which is the justification for the ongoing and painful cost of war. That is why we are leaving the emergency government today, with a heavy heart but with full confidence. I call on Netanyahu, set an agreed election date. Don't allow our people to get torn apart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Gantz was expected to resign on Saturday, but postponed his announcement following news that Israeli forces had rescued four hostages in an operation Gaza officials say killed scores of Palestinians. CNN's Paula Hancocks with more on all the developments from Tel Aviv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The departure of Benny Gantz from the Israeli war cabinet and the emergency government has left Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu more isolated, both domestically and internationally.

Now, Gantz had been seen as a counterweight to the more far-right elements within Netanyahu's coalition, and he had been pushing for a ceasefire deal to secure the release of all the hostages from Gaza, that despite an IDF mission on Saturday that rescued four of those hostages.

(Voice-over): A complex mission that achieved its objectives, according to Israel, extensive air power, hundreds of personnel, weeks of intelligence gathering and training to rescue four Israeli hostages held by Hamas in two residential buildings in central Gaza. This the moment IDF headquarters learned the hostages have been rescued.

For those on the ground, it was the deadliest day in six months, according to Gaza officials, capturing the moment of impact of Israeli air strikes. Sustained gunfire followed. The IDF says there were fierce gun battles with Hamas fighters throughout the operation, but did not provide evidence of this claim. Then a constant stream of dead and injured arrive at two nearby hospitals.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital overwhelmed by the sheer number of trauma cases. The breakdown of fighters versus civilians is unknown, but women and children are seen in every corner of this hospital.

Gaza officials and hospital directors say more than 270 were killed, hundreds more injured, sparking cries of a massacre from some countries, including the EU's top diplomat.

Israel claims less than 100 died, blaming Hamas for the shockingly high death toll. CNN cannot independently verify either side's figures.

LT. COL. PETER LERNER, IDF SPOKESPERSON: Hamas intentionally puts the hostages in houses of civilians with the house owners in the same houses at the same time.

HANCOCKS: As families of those rescued celebrate, calls for a ceasefire and hostage deal become louder. Even families of those rescued Saturday are not calling for more of these missions.

ORIT MEIR, MOTHER OF ALMOG MEIR: There are still 120 hostages in Gaza. And we want a deal now.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Seven living hostages rescued in three missions in the past eight months compared to more than 100 released during a one-week ceasefire last November. The United States and others say a hostage deal is the only solution.

JAKE SULLIVAN, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The best way to get all of the hostages' home and to protect Palestinian civilians is to end this war. And the best way to end this war, is for Hamas to say yes to the deal President Biden announced and that Israel has accepted.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): As residents deal with the devastation left behind in Nuseirat, survivors struggle to understand what happened.

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

HANCOCKS (voice-over): I am 60 years old, this man says, and have never experienced anything like this. A barrage of heavy gunfire, artillery, missiles, rockets. It was something unimaginable to the human mind. Paula Hancock's CNN Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Joining me now from Tel Aviv is Alon Pinkas, former Israeli Consul General in New York.

[00:15:05]

Good to see you, sir. Let's talk about Gantz. It wasn't unexpected, but what impact will Benny Gantz leaving the war cabinet have?

ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL IN NEW YORK: Good morning, Michael. Look, I mean, on the face of it, it looks to outsiders like this is a big political drama. It isn't because it was expected, because it's been brewing for weeks, perhaps even a few months. And the coalition is still stable. It just went down from 72 to 64 members of parliament out of 120. So that's a majority, a slim majority, but nonetheless, a majority.

HOLMES: In Israel, it's a decent majority, historically, really.

PINKAS: Well, yes and no, but what it does, Michael, what it does, it deprives Netanyahu -- deprives Mr. Netanyahu of the little respectability and credibility that he had in prosecuting this war.

HOLMES: Yeah, yeah. Sorry, Gantz again called, to that point, really, I mean, Gantz again called for elections. Plenty of people, including ordinary Israelis on the street, have been doing that for some time. What chance of that happening? And does Gantz's departure impact that election scenario at all?

PINKAS: Well, it does. It does, Michael, in the sense that once he was in, there were many people who said, well, the government, we don't like the government, but it is sort of balanced. And it would be, you know, unpatriotic, perhaps, or untimely to demonstrate.

With him out, with his withdrawal, the floodgates get open. Conceivably, you will see now even bigger demonstrations, even reaching levels of the constitutional coup demonstrations, which just preceded the war and went on throughout 2023. And you could see that very soon.

Now, you ask the key question here, Michael, how will this impact the possibility or the likelihood of an election? That depends on whether or not the coalition will crack or be riled by these demonstrations. And Benny Gantz, again, potentially opened the floodgates. But all Mr. Netanyahu has to do is to weather this storm and wait until July, when Parliament goes into recess, and he's stable until September.

HOLMES: Yeah. Another reason Gantz left is because his calls for a day after plan for Gaza went unheeded. Much of the world has demanded that as well. Yet Netanyahu hasn't presented one, doesn't seem to be any rush to do it. Is that hurting Netanyahu? And in some ways, does he get a sense of security now or a sense of pressure in the other direction from the hard right people in the war cabinet?

PINKAS: Well, as for the hard right, he's now isolated in a lunatic coalition of extreme right-wingers, of zealots and theofascists. So I don't think this is a place he wants to be because this will attract much more pressure than Israel that he had experienced until now.

Now, as for the post-war plan, look, Mr. Gantz has been patiently, some say lethargically, been dragging this on for eight months. The U.S. came out with a plan, which you may agree or disagree with if you're Netanyahu, but the U.S. came out with a plan as early as December and January. It was called the Biden Doctrine, if you recall. And Mr. Netanyahu refused to even engage in negotiations and even engage in talks about this. So Mr. Gantz, by raising this, raises a valid point.

But the question is, where were you for four or five, for the last four or five months? Because, you know, right now it doesn't seem like Mr. Netanyahu is going to agree to any kind of talks on a post-war framework.

HOLMES: Yeah. When we look at the hostage release operation and the -- I mean, undeniably horrible Palestinian numbers of dead and wounded, some have pointed out that, you know, the only major release of hostages in this conflict was in a deal with Hamas. Precious few have been rescued militarily, a handful. Does Gantz's departure or anything else impact strategies by either Netanyahu or Hamas when it comes to ceasefire negotiation?

PINKAS: I doubt that very much, Michael. I don't think his departure will have any effect on the prosecution or management of the war. In fact, there's a case to be made that he's been marginalized in the last six months. I mean, he joined in early, mid-October, and here we are in mid-June.

[00:20:06]

And his contribution was marginal at best. He made no significant impact on the military management of the war. Despite his experience, him and his political partner, Gadi Eisenkot, who's also a former IDF chief of staff.

Now, as for the hostage operation, look, that was heroic. That was meticulously planned. It could all have been redundant had there been a deal. And Mr. Gantz is demanding a deal now. But again, as I told you before, Michael, where were you for the last two or three months? Because the deal was there to be made.

HOLMES: Great analysis as always, Alon Pinkas. Thank you so much for making the time.

PINKAS: Thank you, Michael. Good morning.

HOLMES: Good morning. Well, as he looks to Washington's NATO summit in July, the U.S. President warning against isolationism. Mr. Biden back in the U.S. now after wrapping up his five-day visit to France, a trip that kicks off a diplomatic blitz of sorts that also includes the upcoming G7 gathering in Italy.

On the last day of his visit, President Biden stressed the importance of alliances while paying tribute at a World War I cemetery. He says the stop was a symbolic show of support for partnerships that can prevent future conflicts. Biden earlier spoke of the cherished ties, as he put it, between the U.S. and France.

Still to come here on the program, Donald Trump back on the campaign trail, but he can't stop talking about that criminal conviction. More on his latest stop when we come back.

Also, India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, sworn in for a historic third term. We'll look at the challenges he faces as he's forced to rely on coalition partners to form a government for the first time.

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HOLMES: In the coming hours, Donald Trump is set to have an interview to help determine his sentence after being convicted in his criminal hush money trial. The meeting will be virtual with his attorney- president, as Trump, of course, is back on the campaign trail. Trump's advisers are eager for him to leave talk of his legal troubles out of his speeches, but that's not been the case so far. CNN's Alayna Treene reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Former President Donald Trump in his first campaign rally since being convicted in a Manhattan courtroom last week, surprisingly, did not talk about that trial specifically during his speech. Instead, he spoke about his legal troubles more broadly. He also criticized special counsel Jack Smith, who was not part of this case, referring to him as a quote, "dumb, son of a bitch." And also claimed that the weaponization of the Justice Department in this country is worse than what you would find in a third world country. Take a listen to how he put it.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'll tell you what, no third world country has weaponization where they go after political candidates like we have either. This guy can't get elected anything without cheating. The only way he can get elected is to cheat.

TREENE: Now, despite that rhetoric, I will tell you that from my conversations with Donald Trump's Donald Trump's campaign, they really do want him to leave this week's long trial in the past and really begin turning back to a general election campaign message. That includes talking about immigration, something he spoke about at length on Sunday, as well as the economy and crime. And he did make one new announcement on Sunday.

He said that a second administration of his would eliminate taxes on tips. And that's something particularly important to voters here in Nevada, especially given the state's reliance on tourism and transportation.

Now, just looking ahead to Monday, Donald Trump is set to have a pre- sentencing hearing with the probation officer. Now, this is pretty routine following a conviction like his. However, what's not normal is that it is going to be virtual. We're told he'll be at his Mar-a-Lago home with his defense attorney, Todd Blanche, for that.

Alayna Treene, CNN, Las Vegas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Iran has approved six candidates to run for president in its upcoming election. The list includes the mayor of Tehran, as well as the current speaker of parliament. Iran's powerful Guardian Council, though, did not approve former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The election will take place on June 28 and comes after Iran's President and Foreign Minister were killed in a helicopter crash last month.

In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been sworn into office after a pretty shocking election result saw his BJP party fall short of securing an outright majority. He's now forced to rely on coalition parties to form a government for the first time since coming into power a decade ago.

A third term in office for India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. But after eclipsing Indian politics for the past decade, Modi will now have to share the spotlight. His BJP party failed to win a majority in parliament in the country's recent election, as it did in his previous two terms. So it will now have to share power with coalition members as part of the National Democratic Alliance to be able to govern. It was a reality check from voters. Modi's popularity and success in building India's global standing wasn't enough for some voters worried about unemployment and high prices.

Critics also accused Modi and his party of fueling Islamophobia and religious violence in India while rolling back civil liberties. Factors that may have given the opposition a big boost in the polls and caused Modi to lose his one-party grip on politics. Speaking to his coalition partners last week, he acknowledged the new reality of his leadership.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NARENDRA MODI, INDIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): A majority is essential to running the country. That's the essence of democracy. But to run a country, consensus is also essential.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: The next five years for Modi will be about balancing his own party's agenda with the various interests and possible concessions made to coalition partners and also contending with a resurgent opposition galvanized by the vote.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MALLIKARJUN KHARGE, PRESIDENT, INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS: This is a mandate in defense of the Constitution of India and against price rises, unemployment, and crony capitalism and also to save democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: A possible new playing field in Indian politics where the star player has to be more of a team player with tougher competition.

Elsewhere in India, police say militants attacked a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims in the state of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, killing at least eight people and injuring 33 others. They say the militants fired at the bus, causing the driver to lose control and swerve into a gorge. No group has claimed responsibility but a search is underway for the gunman.

The decades-old balloon feud between North and South Korea picking up speed again. South Korea says it is ready to respond to the latest round of so-called trash balloons flying in from North Korea after they found about 50 new balloons sent overnight from Pyongyang, dropping litter and so-called filth on the streets.

South Korea is not confirmed whether they will resume their loudspeaker broadcasts across the border on Monday, but they say they will respond in the necessary time and duration, as they put it.

Now, those broadcasts appear to be angering North Korea, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, calling them a, quote, "prelude to a very dangerous situation." She's warning that the North will send in a, quote, "new response" if they start up again.

[00:30:09]

Still to come on the program, a Venezuelan gang has sowed terror in several Central and South American countries. Now U.S. officials warn they're entering the United States.

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HOLMES: And welcome back to our viewers around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. You're watching CNN Newsroom.

Now, U.S. officials are trying to persuade the G7 to approve a massive loan to Ukraine using profits from frozen Russian assets. $50 billion would become available to Ukraine for use in the war with Russia, but some details still need to be worked out before the deal can be finalized.

Sources say U.S. President Joe Biden is trying to fast-track the process so an announcement can be made in the G7 communique this week. U.S. officials say the deal would send a message to Moscow that it won't outlast international support for Ukraine.

And U.S. officials believe Venezuela's most notorious gang is now established in the United States and is allegedly running a multi- state human trafficking ring, attacking police officers and dealing drugs.

Rafael Romo tells us how the Tren de Aragua gang entered the country and how law enforcement is trying to counter the threat.

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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For the last several years, they have terrorized multiple South American countries. Police in the region say a Venezuelan gang known as Tren de Aragua has victimized thousands through extortion, drug and human trafficking, kidnapping and murder.

And now U.S. law enforcement, including Customs and Border Protection and the FBI, say the gang has made their way into the country.

BRITTON BOYD, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: The FBI El Paso can confirm that members of Tren de Aragua have crossed into the United States.

ROMO: Alvaro Boza, a former Venezuelan police officer now living in Florida, says he fled his country in large part because the gang had become so powerful they could kill law enforcement like him with impunity.

Boza says, a fellow police officer, who refused to cooperate with the gang, was shot 50 times.

ALVARO BOZA, FORMER VENEZUELAN POLICE OFFICER (through translator): He refused and was murdered and tied his body to a motorcycle and dragged it throughout the San Vicente neighborhood to demonstrate the power of the Tren de Aragua. BOYD: They have followed the migration paths across South America to other countries and have set up criminal groups throughout South America as they follow those paths. And that they appear to have followed the migration north to the United States.

[00:35:06]

ROMO: U.S. border patrol chief Jason Owens, who has confirmed multiple arrests of alleged Tren de Aragua members over the last year, issued a warning in early April after reporting yet another arrest.

"Watch out for this gang," he said. "It is the most powerful in Venezuela known for murder, drug trafficking, sex crimes, extortion and other violent acts."

(On camera): The challenge for law enforcement officials is that it's very difficult to know how many members of Tren de Aragua are already here in the United States.

What some Venezuelan immigrants are telling us here in Florida and other states is that they are already beginning to see in their communities the same type of criminal activity they fled from in Venezuela.

ROLANDO VAZQUEZ, IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY: They do have their hands in prostitution, contract killing, selling of drugs, selling of arms. You name it, there're just all types of criminal activity that they can engage in. Anything that's an illicit activity, they're going to engage in for a profit.

JUDGE MINDY S. GLAZER, 11TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OF FLORIDA: Tren de Aragua, a violent Venezuelan street gang that is operating in the United States, according to the FBI.

ROMO: A judge in Miami-Dade County said in a hearing that one of two suspects in the murder of a former Venezuelan police officer in south Florida allegedly is a member of the gang.

And more recently, a New York police source told CNN the 19-year-old who allegedly opened fire on two officers after they tried to stop him for riding a scooter in the wrong direction has tattoos associated with the gang.

Boza, the former Venezuelan police officer says the U.S. government has no way of knowing if a Venezuelan immigrant asking for asylum at the southern border is in reality a criminal because Venezuela, as a matter of policy, does not share intelligence with United States.

BOYD: Our biggest concern would be making sure our partners are aware to be on the lookout.

ROMO: And that's the key federal official say when it comes to making sure this new threat in the United States, that's not growing to the national security challenge it's become in several Latin American countries.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Coming up on the program, we take a look at one of China's ghost villages, a result of the country's rapid urbanization. Now, nature reclaiming the spaces where generations of people used to live.

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HOLMES: Now, as more people in China move to cities to find work and raise their families, a growing number of communities are becoming so- called ghost villages. Once full of life and thriving, these places are home now to only wildlife and decaying abandoned buildings. Marc Stewart shows us what China's mass urbanization looks like.

[00:40:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In parts of rural China, time stands still.

(On camera): We're on a road trip to show you what's known as a ghost village. We are technically still in Beijing, about 40 miles from the city center. And we came here to show how people have moved over time. This was once a thriving village. Now it's almost abandoned.

(Voice-over): Houses in the village are overgrown with weeds. In this home, reminders children were once here. Artwork and school certificates hang on the wall. Shoes lay on the ground.

We don't know exactly what this once was, but it's clearly locked up. The windows are broken. No one has been here for a while.

To give you some context, in the 1980s, only about 20% of Chinese families lived in cities. Now that number is closer to 70%. This village reflects that transition. This shift isn't without side effects. As young people move to cities for better opportunities and jobs, in some cases, they're leaving parents, even children, behind.

Urbanization on such a massive scale has drastically changed the economic and social landscape across rural China.

(On camera): What's happening here isn't that much of a surprise. Modernization has been a big part of the Chinese government's blueprint for the future, an effort to keep up with the strength of the West. So we're seeing this movement from farm to factory and now beyond.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Now, Apple wants to hang with the big kids in the world of artificial intelligence. Today, the tech giant is expected to announce a partnership with ChatGPT maker OpenAI and unveil its first generative AI tools for iPhones. It comes as NVIDIA has just passed Apple as the world's second most valuable company. Thought to be called Apple Intelligence, its AI tools will likely most benefit its Siri personal assistant.

Thanks for watching the program, spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. Stick around World Sport next and I'll see you with more news in about 15, 20 minutes.

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