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CNN International: Defense Weighing If Hunter Biden Will Take the Stand; Dangerous Venezuelan Gang Tren de Aragua Infiltrating the U.S.; Trash Balloon Feud Between North and South Korea Escalates. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired June 10, 2024 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster. If you're just joining us here, our today's top stories.

A shakeup in the Israeli war cabinet as former Defense Minister Benny Gantz announces his departure. Gantz called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to set a date for elections. Thousands of Israeli protesters have been making the same demand for months. This is the U.S. reaffirms its support for Israel's efforts to rescue hostages in Gaza. An IDF raid this weekend on a Palestinian refugee camp brought four hostages home alive. Officials in Gaza say the raid killed at least 274 Palestinians. Israel says it estimates the number of casualties from the operation to be under 100. CNN can't independently verify either side's figures.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump is stepping away from the campaign trail today for a pre-sentencing interview with a probation officer. Trump was convicted of falsifying business records in New York as part of a hush money scheme. His sentencing is scheduled for July the 11th.

Hunter Biden's federal gun trial resumes today, but it's not yet clear if the president's son will testify in his own defense. Hunter's accused of having a gun whilst being addicted to crack cocaine and lying on a form about his drug abuse.

CNN's Marshall Cohen has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, has a huge decision to make. Will he testify in his own defense at his criminal trial that's currently underway in Wilmington, Delaware? He's facing three felony charges for allegedly lying about his past and continuing drug use in 2018 when he bought a gun.

It's against federal law for a drug user or a drug addict to buy a gun or possess a gun in this country.

So why might he want to take the stand? Because it's a very risky move. There are so many things in his past that the prosecutors could throw at him if he's on the stand. Well, for his part, the defense attorneys that have been representing

Hunter throughout this case have said that one of the things they want to make sure that the jury hears, if he does testify, is that he can tell them that he has been clean and sober and law abiding since 2019. The jury in this case has heard so much about his rampant and almost unstoppable drug abuse in the years, including when he bought that gun in 2018. That's a big part of the prosecution's case.

[04:35:00]

So the defense might try to rebut some of that by telling the jury about his subsequent sobriety and how he was trying to get sober not too long after he bought that gun.

Now, the prosecutors have said in pretrial court filings that if Hunter does testify, they might want to ask him about his discharge from the Navy in 2014 because he tested positive for cocaine back then. And also, they said they might try to undermine his credibility, might try to impeach his credibility. They said when they charged him that he lied on federal background check forms about his drug use, they said in these filings that if he testifies, they might also try to convince the jury that he lied also about his taxes.

They have charged him in a separate federal indictment in California, all about his taxes and alleged tax evasion. And the prosecutor said that they may try to bring in some of those allegations into this case to demonstrate to the jury that in their view, he cannot be trusted on the stand, on his tax forms or on a gun form either.

So we'll find out Monday when the proceedings resume in Delaware at 9 a.m. Eastern. We should learn pretty soon if he's going to testify. If he doesn't, then we will probably be heading straight to closing arguments in this historic case.

Marshall Cohen, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: The governor of Texas says President Biden is gaslighting Americans with his new action on the southern U.S. border. Mr. Biden's executive order bars migrants crossing the border illegally from seeking asylum if that number exceeds a daily average of 2,500. But Greg Abbott says that policy announced less than a week ago isn't aggressive enough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R-TX): All this new Biden policy is going to do is to actually attract and invite even more people to cross the border illegally. And you've seen on videos ever since the Biden order went into place, there's no slowing down of people crossing the border. In fact, it's just accelerating. And so this is gaslighting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Mr. Biden is soon expected to follow up on this order with another move, this time focusing on providing legal status to long term undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens.

U.S. officials say members of Venezuela's most notorious gang are taking advantage of southern migration routes and are now established in the United States. The Tren de Aragua gang is allegedly running a multi-state human trafficking ring, attacking police officers and dealing drugs.

Rafael Romo tells us how they entered the country and how law enforcement is trying to counter the threat.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 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 (voice-over): 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. Bosa 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. He 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.

ROMO (voice-over): 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.

ROMO: 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's 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.

[04:40:03]

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

ROMO (voice-over): 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 the United States.

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

ROMO (voice-over): And that's the key, federal officials say, when it comes to making sure this new threat in the United States does not grow into the national security challenge it's become in several Latin American countries.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now coming up, North Korea is sending more trash balloons over the border to South Korea and Seoul is weighing its options. Details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: As he looks to Washington's NATO summit in July, U.S. President Joe 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's also going to include the upcoming G7 gathering in Italy.

On the last day of his visit, President Biden stressed the importance of alliances whilst 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.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[04:45:00] JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And the idea that we're able to avoid being engaged in major battles in Europe is just not realistic. That's why it's so important that we continue to have the alliances we have, continue to beef up those alliances, continue to keep NATO strong, continue to do what we've been able to do for the last, since the end of World War II.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: 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 a loan available to Ukraine for use in the war with Russia, but some details must still be worked out before the deal can be finalized. Sources say U.S. President Joe Biden 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.

Ukrainian forces say they've destroyed a state-of-the-art Russian stealth fighter jet, meanwhile, in a drone attack over the weekend. There are only a few reportedly in combat, and it was nearly 600 kilometers from the front lines in the war.

The decades-old balloon feud, meanwhile, between North and South Korea picking up speed over the weekend. North Korea sent dozens of trash balloons into South Korean territory, and South Korea responded with loudspeaker broadcast. But one South Korean politician is urging both countries to stop the, quote, childish chicken games.

Mike Valerio joins us now from Seoul. We've had another update as well about a response from North Korea, I believe.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Max, that's right. And we were able to confirm through South Korea's joint chiefs of staff that they have seen indications that North Korea appears to be preparing loudspeakers of their own along the border of the DMZ to blare propaganda messages from the northern side to here and the southern side of the DMZ.

So again, Max, you know, if you're just following this whole drama, this is all resulting from dueling balloons from South Korea for years, sending slices of life, slices of freedom via balloons to North Korea.

And North Korea in recent days responding by calling those deliveries filth and sending trash balloons here to the Seoul metropolitan area and in different parts of South Korea.

So yesterday we saw South Korea respond with loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts for the first time in about six years. And Max, you know, it's worth pointing out when we say propaganda broadcasts coming from South Korea, we're not talking about old Cold War stuff. We're talking about a song from BTS that played on these huge military loudspeakers emanating from the roofs of these trucks that you're seeing on the screen right there. Other K-pop songs. So we're talking about soft power blaring from South Korea to North Korea. Also, South Korean news reports detailing human rights abuses perpetrated by Kim Jong-un and his regime in North Korea. North Korea for its part, Kim Yo-jong, the sister of the northern leader, saying that this could be a prelude to a very dangerous situation. Warning of more consequences.

But Max, earlier last week we were able to speak to the founder of a South Korean group. He defected from North Korea in 2000 and he justified sending these balloon deliveries north. And what was sent in those deliveries? Here's what he told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PARK SANG-HAK, FOUNDER, FIGHTERS FOR A FREE NORTH KOREA (through translator): We send money, medicine, facts, truth and love. But to send filth and trash in return? That's an inhumane and barbaric act.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALERIO: So, Max, a lot of mixed feelings about this. The main opposition leader here in South Korea, Lee Jae-myung, is saying that this is essentially a game of chicken from his point of view. And it could lead to a localized conflict or very absolute worst case scenario, an all out war.

That seems to be mirroring the points of views of many constituents who we've been talking with over the past few days, specifically farmers who live near the DMZ, who have said, you know what, we're just trying to live our lives here and we want this all to stop.

But in some, Max, we here at CNN have counted one 1,110 trash balloons from North Korea to South Korea. Everybody living here in Seoul just wants it to stop.

They've said that this is getting old really fast, but it's all about the tempo of how this tit for tat increases or hopefully slows down over the next few days -- Max.

FOSTER: OK, Mike Valerio, live in Seoul. Thank you so much.

Now, a bit of rivals, India and Pakistan met in a much anticipated and thrilling match at the T20 Cricket World Cup in New York. Who came out on top when we come back?

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: There's no chance of a medal at the Paris Olympics for WNBA rookie Caitlin Clark this year, but she's taking it in her stride. The University of Iowa and Indiana Fever star didn't make the roster for the U.S. women's team, but Clark says there are plenty more chances to come.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CAITLIN CLARK, INDIANA FEVER GUARD: 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 I think it's just a little more motivation. You remember that.

And you know, hopefully in four years, when four years comes back around, you know, 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)

FOSTER: The U.S. women have won gold at seven straight Olympic Games going back to 1996. They'll play their first game in Paris on July 29th.

There's a new king of clay. Carlos Alcaraz of Spain won his first French Open title on Sunday. He beat Germany's Alexander Zverev in five sets to claim his third Grand Slam victory overall. At age 21, Alcaraz is now the youngest man to win a Grand Slam title on every surface. He won the U.S. Open in 2022 in Wimbledon last year. He's the youngest man to win at the French Open since Rafael Nadal back in 2007.

[04:55:00]

Pakistan cricket fans endured heartbreak in the T20 Cricket World Cup in New York on Sunday as India edged to win by just six runs in the bitter rival's nail-biting encounter. After a rain delay, India batted first, managing a gettable total of only 119 runs. But in response, with Pakistan needing 18 runs from the final over, they came up just short.

Pakistan now have lost two matches in a row, which means their fate will depend on results of the USA team who dealt Pakistan a shock defeat in their previous match.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: In the spotlight, officials in Florida's Panhandle are asking beachgoers to exercise caution after three people were injured in two separate shark attacks over the weekend. A 45-year-old woman was swimming with her husband when she was attacked on Friday. Two teenage girls were also attacked on the same day, according to the local fire department.

The South Walton Fire District said yellow and purple flags are being used to warn people of the hazards.

And Apple wants to hang with the big kids in the world of artificial intelligence. The tech giant is expected to announce a partnership today with ChatGPT maker OpenAI and unveil its first generative AI tools for iPhones. Those tools are expected to be called Apple Intelligence and they're likely to be used to ramp up Siri's usefulness.

Thanks for joining me here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster in London. CNN "THIS MORNING" up next after a short break.

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