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Far-Right Makes Significant Gains In European Parliament Elections; New Details Of Israel Rescue Operation; Israeli war Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz Quits Emergency Government; Narendra Modi Takes Oath As India's Prime Minister; Mass Urbanization Creating "Ghost Villages" in Rural China; Venezuelan Gang "Tren de Aragua" Infiltrating the U.S.; Zimbabwe Drought Caused by El Nino and Global Warming; Wildfire Survivors Rebuild Their California Community; India Faces Rival Pakistan in Thrilling Match. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired June 10, 2024 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:00:22]
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company. Coming up on CNN Newsroom. Protests in France as far right parties across the continent shake up the E.U. establishment. Emmanuel Macron now calling for snap elections.
We're learning new details about Israel's raid inside Gaza that rescued four hostages but also left scores of Palestinians dead and wounded.
And CNN investigates Venezuela's most notorious gang, victimizing thousands of people across Latin America. And now operating here in the US.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with Michael Holmes.
HOLMES: Welcome everyone. Far-right parties are predicted 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 now show that the mainstream center right European People's Party will remain the largest group with 184 seats. You can see them there in dark blue on that graphic. European Commission chief Ursula von der Layen celebrating her party's success, but 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 in Paris expressed their outrage at gains for right-wing parties in France. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, perhaps seeing the writing on the wall dissolving parliament and calling snap elections after his party loss to the far right in exit polls.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): It is a situation to which I cannot resign myself. The rise of nationalists and demagogues is a danger not only for our nation, but also for our Europe and for France's place in Europe and the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Marine Le Pen says that her national rally party is prepared to step in and take power.
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MARINE LE PEN, NATIONAL RALLY PARLIAMENTARY LEADER (through translator): We are ready to exercise power if the French trust us during these future legislative elections. We are ready to rebuild the country, ready to defend the interests of the French, ready to put an end to mass immigration, ready to make the purchasing power of the French a priority, ready to begin the reindustrialization of the country overall. We are ready to rebuild the country, ready to revive France.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo says that he is 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.
And the hard right party Alternative for Germany is celebrating after exit polls showed it taking second place in the election. The party has risen from a fringe group to a huge mainstream presence in Germany and is known for its virulent anti-immigrant policies.
Joining me now is CNN's Clare Sebastian in London. Good to see you, Clare. No shortage of upheaval in Euro politics from France to Belgium to Germany and on.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely, Michael. I think especially in France, you're seeing a clear reflection of how E.U. politics feed directly back international politics. And it's true. We are now seeing a shift to the right in the E.U. parliament.
Now on the face of it, A, it's not a shock, B, the numbers are not massive. The two key right-wing groupings in the E.U. parliament gaining some 13 or so seats according to provisional results. That's in a 720 seat parliament. But one, the big gains, as you showed that coming in particular from the sort of twin engines of Europe, France and Germany.
[01:05:03]
Secondly, we also, in that gray in I section that you see on the right, the non-aligned section at this point, have the AfD in Germany, which was recently kicked out of the ID group by Marine Le Pen. We also have Fidesz from Hungary. That's Viktor Orban's party.
So we're going to see some horse trading in the coming weeks, potentially some alliances forming there. The loss is also coming from the sort of center left and the green. So that sort of adds to this sense that the midpoint in the parliament is moving. And you may see in the center right that coalition that we expect to be led by Ursula von der Layen. And although of course that position will also be up for grabs in the coming week.
We expect that potentially that could see some policies watered down to avoid losing more votes to the right, things like immigration, climate and all of that. But the fact is also, as you saw from Ursula von der Layen, the center did gain votes. They are holding. She is looking to now form a coalition with fellow sort of centrist center left parties.
And I think it remains to be seen how much power the hard right itself could wield. They are not united on key issues like, for example, the war in Ukraine, Michael. But it is still significant. And we are seeing the mainstreaming of those right wing policies no longer a taboo in Europe.
HOLMES: Yes, no longer fringe. I mean, the French president, it was interesting. He didn't even wait for the final results before he gambled on calling a snap election. He must be pretty worried he could beaten at home by the right.
SEBASTIAN: Yes, it's a big gamble, I think. Look, for Macron, he'd already lost his absolute majority in the French parliament. He was already struggling to get some key policies through. And he's looking ahead, of course, to presidential elections in 2027.
So an Elysee source is saying that they are approaching this with the attitude of convince, convince, convince. They will be trying, of course, to secure a renewed mandate to stem the tide of the hard right in France. Though, of course, if they don't, you could see a potential political crisis where you could see a far right prime minister in the parliament and Macron having an even more difficult time with getting his more liberal policies through. Take a listen to the lead candidate from the Rassemblement National. This is the successor to the National Front, the main far right party, Jordan Bardella, what he had to say as those results were coming in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JORDAN BARDELLA, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL RALLY PARTY (through translator): Our fellow citizens have expressed tonight their desire for change, but also a path for the future. This clear message addressed to Emmanuel Macron and to European leaders marks the determination of our country to see the European Union change its direction, to go towards more democracy, more protection, more consideration for the people of Europe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: So it's worth pointing out there's no suggestion here of a sort of Brexit type era. These parties, like the Rassemblement National in France, don't want to leave Europe. They simply want to change Europe from within and sort of make sure that Europe has less control over their lives.
Coming off an era where, of course, we've seen the rise of the European Green Deal, those controversial climate policies, their oversight over COVID, you know, unity over the war in Ukraine, this potentially ushers in a new era where these kinds of parties are looking for less Europe. So a major gamble by Emmanuel Macron, of course. The first round coming up in less than three weeks. Michael.
HOLMES: All right. Clare Sebastian there with the very latest. Good to see you, Clare. Thanks for that.
Now, earlier I spoke to CNN European affairs commentator Dominic Thomas and asked him how these results could trickle down into domestic politics.
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DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: There's 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 run by Scholz that has three parties in there, the center left, center right, and the Greens together scored less than their opposition parties, 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 EU election. Just to look at one example. Michael.
HOLMES: Yes, and the Greens doing disastrously there as well, which was something else.
[01:10:00]
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 centre-right or centre-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 is 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 E.U. today, Michael, there are sort of the big questions are environmental questions and immigration questions, and these far right parties have been skeptics 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 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, the Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz says he's stepping down from the country's emergency government set up after the October 7 Hamas attacks. In a televised statement, he described the decision as, quote, complex and painful. Gantz's departure comes just weeks after he issued an ultimatum to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he called on him to lay out a new plan for the war against Hamas by June 8.l
Netanyahu asked Gantz to change his mind, saying the time is now to 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.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENNY GANTZ, RESIGNED AS WAR CABINER 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 Saturday, but postponed his announcement following news that Israeli forces had rescued four hostages held in Gaza. Officials there say that raid killed at least 274 Palestinians, wounded hundreds of others.
Israel claims it estimates the number of casualties from the operation to be under 100. CNN cannot independently verify either sides figures.
Now, last hour I spoke with Alon Pinkas, former Israeli consul general in New York, who said that while Gantz resignation may seem like big political drama, it was actually expected and brewing for weeks. I asked him about Gantz's call for elections and whether his departure could impact that scenario.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALON PINKAS, FORMER ADVISER TO EHUD BARAK AND SHIMON PERES: With his withdrawal, the floodgates can 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 asked 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 floodgate.
HOLMES: Yes.
PINKAS: But all Mister Netanyahu has to do is to weather this storm and wait until July when parliament goes into recess and he's stable until September.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: CNN's Paula Hancock has been tracking all developments and has more now for us from Tel Aviv.
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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 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.
[01:15:00]
HANCOCKS (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 learn 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 airstrikes. 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 a 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 (voice-over): 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 hundreds of 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, U.S. 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. 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 of unimaginable to the human mind. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Kenneth Roth is the former executive director of Human Rights Watch. Sir, it's good to see you. There has been understandable celebration at four Israeli hostages being rescued. But how much of the world is saying at what cost?
I mean, we can't verify numbers, but Gaza authorities say 300 Palestinians killed, 400 wounded. Israel puts it at around 100. But regardless, are you asking that question, too? Hostages free, but at what cost?
KENNETH ROTH, FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HAMAS RIGHTS WATCH: Absolutely. I mean, the latest numbers I've seen say at least 270 people killed, nearly half of those women and children. And while it's wonderful that the four hostages are freed, you've really got to ask, was this operation even necessary?
Because there still are upwards of 100 hostages left. There's no possibility that most of them will be militarily rescued. There needs to be a deal. That deal could have included these hostages, too. But Netanyahu went forward.
HOLMES: Yes. What are your thoughts, by the way, on these reports that at least some of the Israeli forces involved in the raid were disguised as displaced Palestinians, even as Hamas leaders, and used a truck that was made to look like it was delivering furniture?
ROTH: It appears that Israeli forces committed the war crime of what's known as perfidy. That is, when you're fighting a war, you wear uniforms in order to distinguish combatants from civilians. That's how you protect civilians.
Now, you know, combatants are allowed to engage in Bruces (ph), pretend to go right, but really the left, but they're not allowed to pretend to be civilians. And that seems to be what Israel admits to having done, using a civilian truck, actually having a female soldier dressed as a civilian driving the truck. This is a blatant war crime that they're admitting to.
HOLMES: Yes. You tweeted on Sunday, and I wanted to quote from it. You said Hamas commits a war crime by operating from civilian areas, but that does not relieve Israel from its separate legal duties not to cause disproportionate harm to civilians, to take precautions to spare civilians and not disguise soldiers as civilians to carry on the point were just discussing.
[01:20:10]
Why is the world seemingly unable to stop that disproportionality, which we've seen so much of, especially recently?
ROTH: Well, I mean, let me give one example where Israel, I think, did meet a Hamas war crime with its own war crime. And that is, you know, one responsibility of the attacker, even if Hamas is operating from civilian areas, is to take all feasible precautions to spare civilians. That's what the law requires.
One way to do that is to fight at night when there are fewer civilians around. But Israel deliberately launched this attack in the middle of the day because it thought it would surprise Hamas. But of course, the market that they ended up bombing was filled with civilians, which accounts for a good part of this toll.
Now, why Israel able to get away with this? Much of the world is appalled, but the most important person keeps funding and arming them. That's Joe Biden. He says the right things. He says, be more careful about hitting civilians, let food and humanitarian aid into Gaza. But he doesn't do anything to back that up. And so long as these seem as if they're empty words, they're not met by consequences. Netanyahu feels that he's got a green light.
HOLMES: I wanted to ask you about this, too, and we kind of touched on it a little bit at the beginning. The reality is that more than 100 hostages were freed under a temporary truce last year. Israel, I think they have rescued militarily, seven hostages.
ROTH: That's right.
HOLMES: And in the meantime, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed, and according to Hamas, Israeli hostages killed by Israeli bombs. Do you think this operation, with the deaths it has brought, will impact negotiations for a ceasefire, though?
ROTH: I mean, I hope so. But Netanyahu has his own reasons to keep fighting, to avoid a deal, because once the fighting ends, his political reckoning is going to begin. What happened with the intelligence failure on October 7? You know, why were Israeli troops more preoccupied with protecting settlers in the West bank than protecting the kibbutzim on the border with Gaza?
This is very likely going to lead to his losing office and again, facing his corruption charges. So, sadly, for very personal reasons, he wants to turn this into an ongoing war and not strike a deal with Hamas, which is, frankly, the only way the vast majority of the remaining hostages are going to get home alive.
HOLMES: Always good to talk with you, Kenneth Roth. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
ROTH: Thank you.
HOLMES: India's prime minister Narendra Modi, is sworn in for a historic third term. We'll take a 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: U.S. officials are working to persuade the G7 to approve a massive loan to Ukraine using profits from frozen Russian assets.
[01:25:04]
$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 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. A senior officer in Ukraine security service telling CNN that the northern front in Kherson has been stabilized thanks to additional weapons and the permission to use them on Russian territory. They say it is now possible to conduct local counter attacks and recapture some territories taken by Russia.
In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been sworn into office after a shocking election result saw his BJP party fall short of securing an outright majority. He is now forced to rely on coalition parties to form a government for the first time since coming into power a decade ago.
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HOLMES (voice-over): 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 fuelling 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.
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.
HOLMES (voice-over): 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.
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.
HOLMES (voice-over): A possible new playing field in Indian politics, where the star player has to be more of a team player with tougher competition.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Elsewhere India, police say militants attacked a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims in the state of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, killing at least eight people, 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 for the gunman is underway.
There is 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 now home to wildlife and decaying, abandoned buildings. Marc Stewart shows us what China's mass urbanization looks like.
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MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In parts of rural China, time stands still.
STEWART: 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.
STEWART (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.
STEWART: 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.
STEWART (voice-over): To give you some context, in the 1980s, only about 20 percent of Chinese families lived in cities. Now that number is closer to 70 percent. This village reflects that transition.
STEWART: 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.
[01:30:06]
Urbanization on such a massive scale has drastically changed the economic and social landscape across rural China.
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)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Marc Stewart reporting there.
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 are entering the United States.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: U.S. officials believe Venezuela's most notorious gang is now established in the United States and allegedly running a multistate 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.
GEN. OSCAR NARANJO (RET) COLOMBIAN NATIONAL POLICE (through translator): It's the most disruptive criminal organization operating nowadays in Latin America, a true challenge for the region.
ROMO: 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.
Officials say the gang originated in Venezuela's Aragua State where its leadership operated out of the notorious Tocoron Prison, which they controlled for years.
When Venezuelan officials raided it in September, they found the inmates had built a swimming pool and several restaurants inside the prison walls in addition to weapons seized from inmates including automatic rifles, machine guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
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.
[01:34:50]
ROMO: 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.
ROMO: The U.S. State Department calls Tren de Aragua Venezuela's most powerful criminal gang.
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. 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."
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: It just was a recurring name. Why many constituents, Venezuelan constituents left Venezuela? Was because of this organized criminal gang.
ROMO: Rolando Vazquez, an immigration attorney in Florida says many of his clients, mostly Venezuelan immigrants, have been victimized by the gang.
VAZQUEZ: 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.
ROMO: In late May, customs and border protection added the criminal group to its 2024 gang list, saying that 41 suspected members of Tren de Aragua were arrested in the last fiscal year while entering the country illegally and an additional seven have been detained so far this year.
According to a court document, prosecutors believe the brother of Venezuelan man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley is affiliated with the gang.
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.
BOZA: No customs officer from the CBP or the FBI has a way of really identifying a Venezuelan criminal.
ROMO: Vazquez, the immigration attorney says, the time for U.S. law enforcement to act is now.
What would you like to tell them?
VAZQUEZ: They should take this, this criminal organization as a serious threat to our communities. They're not just going to focus on victimizing, you know, the local immigrant communities. And as we already see, they're beating up, they're killing U.S. citizens. They're threatening U.S. citizens myself, for example. These people don't care about anything.
ROMO: Some federal officials seem to agree.
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: The man accused of killing Laken Riley has pleaded not guilty in court. He has not been accused of having connections with Tren de Aragua. His brother, who is suspected of being in the gang, faces a federal charge of possessing a fraudulent green card.
Now, as he looks to Washington's NATO summit in July, U.S. President Biden is warning against isolationism. He's back in the U.S. after wrapping up his five-day visit to France, a trip that kicks off a diplomatic blitz 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.
[01:39:52]
HOLMES: Biden earlier spoke of the cherished ties between the U.S. and France.
Now in the coming hours, Donald Trump is set to have an interview to determine his sentencing after being convicted in his criminal hush money trial.
The meeting will be virtual. His attorney will be present. Trump, of course back on the campaign trail now. He did make stops in California, Arizona, and Nevada, where he unveiled new campaign promises.
But Trump also addressed his recent criminal conviction, claiming U.S. President Joe Biden weaponized the Justice Department to win the November election which, of course, is not true.
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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: 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.
The judge could sentence Trump to probation or up to four years in state prison on each count in the hush money case with a maximum of 20 years.
Still to come here on the program, millions are at risk of starvation in Zimbabwe as that country deals with one of its worst droughts on record -- in a moment.
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HOLMES: Families in Zimbabwe are struggling to put food on the table as a terrible drought plagues the country in southern Africa. The threat of another failed rainy season has UNICEF raising the alarm.
CNN's Lynda Kinkade with our report.
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Children lineup for what may very well be their only meal today. Waiting patiently for a scoop, maybe two of macaroni.
Their parents who rely on neighboring farms for work out of the job due to crop failure. No crops mean no food. Let alone any money to buy it. A drought caused by a combination of naturally occurring El Nino and human-induced global warming plague Zimbabwe.
It's the worst drought here in years after a failed rainy season from October to March. And the threat of another below average season later this year. Crops have dried up and families are s struggling to put food on the table.
In a flash appeal, UNICEF said 7.6 million people need life-saving support. Of those the most vulnerable are children.
LETWIN MHANDE, MOTHER OF FOUR. Food is a big challenge and sometimes the kids carry corn snacks to school. this is different from previous years when we had good rainy seasons and I could at least pack something decent for them.
We can now only afford to have one meal per day because we have no choice.
KINKADE: At this feeding station and four others donors fund two meals for about 1,500 children a day. But as the drought persists and donations dip, resources are stretched increasingly thin.
[01:44:46]
SAMANTHA MUZOROKI, KUCHENGETANA TRUST FOUNDER: Well, I felt that as a mother and as a woman and a member of a community, I should chip in when I hear the cries of a child next door saying they haven't eaten since yesterday.
I had a moral obligation to satiate that need.
KINKADE: In nearby Malawi and Zambia, the El Nino-driven drought means crops are failing, prices are soaring and people are struggling to find food. All three countries have declared natural disasters.
This Malawian farmer is used to harvesting 50 bags or 50 kilograms from her field. But with little rainfall along with a worm issue, that number has plummeted to just two.
FANNY KUNKHOMA, SUBSISTENCE FARMER: I don't know what the future holds for me because honestly, I didn't expect two bags. I feel like crying because I can't understand this.
What am I going to do with my children out of the two bags? I have literally nothing to give the children.
KINKADE: It's a humanitarian crisis, one that aid organizations are working to fight. But even as El Nino wanes, the globe only gets warmer due to climate change. And after the struggle to survive this season families live in fear of what will come next.
Lynda Kinkade, CNN.
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HOLMES: Austria meanwhile is battling the opposite issue. Heavy rain causing severe and destructive flooding there with more rain expected today and tomorrow. Local media says some E.U. election voters in Styria, Austria's second-largest state could not get to polling stations as they were inaccessible, or even destroyed.
There have been nearly 200 large hail reports and more than 100 heavy rainfall reports across Europe since Friday.
The western U.S. is just starting to recover from a brutal heat dome that brought record-high temperatures. Hot weather, plus dry conditions of course, that's a recipe for wildfires causing death and destruction.
CNN's Bill Weir visited a community that knows this all too well.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Since climate change has helped create the most flammable earth in human history, every new wildfire season brings new reminders that resilience is everything.
It determines which communities burn to ash and which ones survive and rise like Paradise, California.
WEIR: So this whole thing was like your home was burned to the ground?
HEIDI LANGE, PARADISE, CALIFORNIA RESIDENT: House burned to the ground. I never made it home that day.
WEIR: It's been just over five years since a mile-wide blowtorch known as the Camp Fire came roaring over the mountains and into this town of 26,000. It took 85 lives, 90 percent of the structures, and two-thirds of the population never returned.
But the people who rebuilt, like Heidi Lange, really want to be here.
LANGE: I kind of took an inventory of, you know, everything that was still here. My community and my neighbors and my friends and my church and my job was all still here. So, my little village -- my little village is here in Paradise.
WEIR: The native tree species of California had millions of years to adapt to wildfire, to survive and thrive. Now the people of California have to do the same in much less time.
And here's a perfect example. If you didn't know, you'd never know that this was once a neighborhood of hundreds of families, middle class workers, retirees, mostly living in prefabricated, highly- flammable homes, the kind that right now would cost more to insure than the home is worth.
And this insurance crisis is creating sort of a perverse natural selection of survival of the richest.
So, how old is this house?
CARL JOHNSON, PARADISE, CALIFORNIA RESIDENT: I was born in '39. This was born in '40.
WEIR: Carl Johnson's house survived the Camp Fire. But when he went to renew his $1,100-a year insurance policy --
JOHNSON: I got one quote from Farmers Insurance that said $14,702 --
WEIR: A year?
JOHNSON: -- a year.
WEIR: As major insurers decide that places like this are just too risky to cover, Carl is among those forced to go uninsured.
GARY LEDBETTER, PARADISE, CALIFORNIA RESIDENT: A lot of people that were here the day of the fire never came back. But the people that chose to stay, I think that's amazing.
WEIR: While Gary Ledbetter managed to find decent insurance after rebuilding what may be one of the most fireproof new homes in all of the West.
LEDBETTER: I had my own torch and my own Bic lighter and I tested materials these guys wanted to use.
WEIR: Is that right?
LEDBETTER: Yes.
WEIR: You're trying to burn their samples?
LEDBETTER: Yes. And as it's flaming in my hands, I throw it down and say, we're not using that.
WEIR: During the Camp Fire, all the fire hydrants lost pressure. So, Gary connected his swimming pool to a sprinkler system that includes the roof. And every vent and window is engineered to survive an ember storm.
[01:49:50]
LEDBETTER: And its fiberglass instead of vinyl. So it's not going to catch fire. It's not going to melt. And with these windows, the screen is on the inside.
LANGE: I did a metal roof and stucco Vulcan vents, which are engineered to close up when they're exposed to a certain degree of heat so they don't let the embers draw in. And I have more gravel than any normal girl would.
WEIR: Wildfire is as vital to a forest as rainfall. But human fear of it has shaped and reshaped entire ecosystems, often for the worse.
But by shifting the way they think about nature, shelter and community, Paradise is out to prove to the rest of the overheating world how to live with fire because there's no other choice.
Bill Weir, CNN -- Paradise, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: In a much-anticipated match that turned out to be a thriller. India and Pakistan squared off in the cricket Team 20 world cup in New York. We'll show you. Which team triumphed in a battle between two bitter rival.
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HOLMES: Well, there is a new king of the clay, Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, winning his first French Open title on Sunday, beating Germanys alexander Zverev in five sets to claim his third Grand Slam victory overall. At just age 21, Alcaraz is now the youngest man to claim a Grand Slam title on every surface. Well, there's no chance of a medal at the summer Olympics for WNBA
rookie Caitlin Clark this year, but she's taking it in her stride.
The highly-touted guard for the Indiana Fever didn't make the roster for the U.S. women's basketball team heading to Paris but Clark says there are plenty more chances to come.
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CAITLIN CLARK, INDIANA FEVER: Honestly no disappointment. Like I think it just gives you something to work for. You know, that's a dream. You know, hopefully one day I can be there and think it's just a little more motivation. You remember that and hopefully in four years and four years comes back around, I can be there.
I'm going to be rooting them on to win gold. I was a kid that grew up watching the Olympics so yes, it'll be fun to watch them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: U.S. women have won gold at seven straight Olympic Games going all the way back to 1996. They will play their first game in Paris, July 29.
Now, India and Pakistan have one of the most passionate and intense rivalries in world cricket. So when they met at the T20 World Cup in New York on Sunday expectations were high and the match didn't disappoint, low scoring as it was.
World Sport's Patrick Snell reports on what some are calling the super bowl of cricket.
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PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: An absolute carnival atmosphere inside the stadium here in New York -- over 34,000 fans.
And I'll tell you one point to going into the TV broadcast, the decibel level inside the ground reaching 123. But let me tell you, those fans inside treated to an absolutely epic contest despite the earlier rain delays.
Among the packed house, India great, the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. Pakistan winning the toss, which is so important at this New York venue which has seen concerns raised over the specially adapted drop- in pitches.
[01:54:49]
SNELL: But there was certainly no troubling India's skipper Rohit Sharma after his team were asked to bat first. A glorious six (ph) off just a third ball met with absolutely raucous applause from India fans.
So much of the focus is always on India superstar batter Virat Kohli, but Pakistan coming off that shock and embarrassing loss to America, removed him for just four India at one point, 19 (INAUDIBLE).
Rishabh Pant top-scorer for India though but when he fell for 42 of the bowling (ph) of Mohammad Amir, India's hopes looked bleak. Amir event dismissing (INAUDIBLE), the very next pool but he would be denied a famous T20 world cup hat-trick when Arshdeep Singh played it safe and blocked the delivery out.
Amir, in fact, one of two Pakistan bowlers on hat-trick balls during India's innings. Pakistan then needing 120 for the win, but it would be the lightning quick Jasprit Bumrah who played a key role in India's fight back.
First accounting (ph) for Pakistan skipper Baba Azzam (ph). Then an absolutely unplayable delivery to claim the prize wicket of Mohammed Rizwan (ph), the tables have turned and in the end, Pakistan needing 12 runs from the last two bowls.
But despite a boundary of the penultimate delivery of the match Pakistan would fall six runs short. India sealing a famous win, that for so long had looked very unlikely indeed. Pakistan left absolutely distraught.
JASPRIT BUMRAH, TOOK 3 WICKETS FOR INDIA: It did feel like we are in India and the chair is always appreciated and (INAUDIBLE) and the people were really loud. So yes, we were really happy with the support they regard. And you know, that gives us energy on the field as well.
SNELL: As a result, Pakistan has now suffered two defeats from 2 and I have to say their hopes of reaching the super 8 of this tournament look rather bleak indeed. They take on Canada in their next game. That one is on Tuesday.
While in stark contrast, India will be looking for a third-straight wind when they take on surprise package team U.S.A on Wednesday. The Americans themselves looking for a third consecutive victory.
Patrick Snell, Long Island -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: The U.S. having a heck of a run.
Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. You can follow me on X and Instagram @HolmesCNN.
Stick around, my friend, colleague and fellow Aussie Lynda Kinkade has the rest of the news after the break.
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