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Calls for Biden to End Campaign; Political Aides Express Optimism on Biden; Political Aides Sent Radio Host Questions in Advance; Trump Says Biden Should Stay in the Race; Judge Pauses Some Filing and Deadlines on Trump's Classified Documents Trial; Judge to Hold Briefing on Supreme Court's Immunity Hearing; Parliamentary Elections in France; South Texas Prepares for Hurricane Beryl; More than 3,000 Wildfires Burning in California; Signs of Progress in Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Talks; Hamas Says It's Willing to Compromise on Permanent Ceasefire; Iran's President-Elect Masoud Pezeshkian Gives Victory Speech on Saturday; Voting Underway in French Parliamentary Elections; Vice President Reaches Out to Black Voters; British PM Keir Starmer Meets with New Cabinet; A Deadly Day for Kenyan Protesters. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired July 07, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:00:00]

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome to all our viewers watching from around the world. I'm Eleni Giokos.

Ahead on "Newsroom," political aides express optimism after President Biden's primetime interview, even as another Democratic lawmaker calls for him to end his campaign.

Runoff parliamentary elections are underway in France as the far-right works to build on its first place showing in the first round. And we were live in Paris.

And as Israel marks nine months since the deadly Hamas terror attacks, there are signs of progress in negotiations to see more hostages released.

With his key primetime interview behind him, President Joe Biden is set to make campaign stop in another key battleground state later today. Now, Mr. Biden is defiantly staying in the presidential race, even as another Democratic lawmaker calls for him to step aside. Here's CNN's Arlette Saenz with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden is pushing forward with his campaign, planning to hit the battleground State of Pennsylvania on Sunday, but even as the president is doubling down on remaining in the race, he has yet to fully quell some of the anxiety within the party about the future of his candidacy.

So far, five House Democratic lawmakers have called for the president to step aside in the 2024 campaign. The most recent lawmaker to do so was Congresswoman Angie Craig from a swing district in Minnesota. She wrote in a statement on Saturday that the president's debate, as well as what she viewed as a lack of a forceful response from the president himself in the days after had left her to believe that he would be ineffective in campaigning and beating Trump in November.

Now, the president has pushed back on the idea that top Democrats want to see him leave this race. But he has been consulting his senior team about the way forward in this campaign. The president dialed into a phone call with the co-chairs of his campaign on Saturday morning. Senator Chris Coons, one of those co-chairs, told CNN that the call lasted for more than an hour and that the president sought honest input and advice from that team about the best path forward in this campaign. Coons is expecting that President Biden will try to have more direct engagements like town halls or press conferences to send -- get his message out to voters, but also try to quell some of those concerns about his stamina and fitness to serve.

Now, the president will be campaigning in Pennsylvania on Sunday. He will attend a church service in Philadelphia before attending a campaign event in the Harrisburg area. But President Biden still is facing so many questions about the future of his candidacy as the pressure within his party has continued to build since that debate.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, traveling with the president in Wilmington, Delaware.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: After his lackluster debate performance, Democrats have been calling for more off the cuff moments from President Biden, but a radio host who interviewed him earlier in the week says the president's team had sent her questions in advance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREA LAWFUL-SANDERS, RADIO PERSONALITY: The questions were sent to me for approval. I approved them.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: OK. So, the White House sent the questions to you ahead of the interview.

LAWFUL-SANDERS: Yes.

BLACKWELL: OK.

LAWFUL-SANDERS: And I got several questions, eight of them, and the four that were chosen were the ones that I approved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Well, the Biden campaign responded, stating this, while interview hosts have always been free to ask whatever questions they please, moving forward, we will refrain from offering suggested questions. Now, while the president's ABC interview on Friday did not contain any fresh disasters, it doesn't little to calm the political storms surrounding his nomination. Biden's loyalists are still going to back for him, but their feelings appear mixed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN GARAMENDI (D-CA): His interview, I thought, was OK. He does not do a strong interview. He is always soft spoken, under spoken, if you would, when he does an interview. But he hit the subjects.

[04:05:00]

REP. GERRY CONNOLLY (D-VA): I do believe that what happened at the debate was more than a bad night. I am not about to throw him overboard because of a bad experience. I want to give him every opportunity to try to recover. Having said that, at the end of the day, we cannot afford to make a mistake about Donald Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Well, one person wanting Mr. Biden to stay in the race is making it very clear. Steve Contorno reports for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Donald Trump has remained largely quiet amid the Democratic fallout over Joe Biden's debate performance, but on Saturday he broke his silence, posting a mocking message to social media urging Joe Biden to stay in the race.

On Truth Social, he wrote "Joe Biden should ignore his many critics and move forward with alacrity and strength with his powerful and far- reaching campaign. He should be sharp, precise, and energetic. Just like he was in the debate."

Now, Donald Trump is certainly just stirring the pot with this social media post. But look, when we talk to people near and around his campaign, they believe that his easiest path to victory is for Joe Biden to remain in the race. So, perhaps what we're seeing here is some restlessness from the former president, as this story and focus remains on Joe Biden now for a second week, especially with so many key important dates on the horizon for Donald Trump. He has a rally on Tuesday in South Florida, another later in the week. He is going to name his vice president any day now, and a little over a week from now, he will hold his convention in Milwaukee. So, perhaps the question is, how long can he allow for this story and this focus to remain on Joe Biden?

Steve Contorno, CNN, St. Petersburg, Florida.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Meantime, the federal judge overseeing Donald Trump's classified documents trial paused some filings and the deadlines on Saturday. Judge Aileen Cannon also agreed to hold briefings on whether she should pause the entire case in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity. She set up a two-week schedule to hear those arguments.

The former president faces a total of 40 criminal counts related to the retention of classified documents, including national defense materials, so sensitive it required special handling. Trump has pleaded not guilty. But the Supreme Court's decision last month -- last Monday granted broad immunity to presidents for official acts.

Now, trial courts will have to assess whether Trump's alleged conduct is official or not. The high court decision will likely have an impact on all four criminal cases against him. Former federal prosecutor, Michael Zeldin spoke with CNN earlier about how it may affect the classified documents case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL ZELDIN, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: He took documents out of the White House while president. And the Supreme court decision seemed to say, well, you know, if it touches upon the outer fringes of his authority, then he's got some sort of presumptive immunity. So, I think that's a good argument that this was official conduct on his part, that the question of presumptive immunity should apply.

But I do not think it applies, Fred, in the obstruction part, because that occurred after the fact of his presidency. And I think it was in respect of legitimate requests for those documents. So, you've got two cases in one here. And I'd say they're going to be grappling with the issues that this raises for a while. And of course, if Trump wins re- election, the likelihood that this will ever go to trial is pretty de minimis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Well, voting is underway in France in the second and decisive round of snap parliamentary elections. CNN's Jim Bitterman joins us now live from Paris with more. Jim, great to have you with us. And clearly everyone We'll be watching whether or not the far-right and left pull off another strong showing. Give us an update on what's happening on the ground.

JIM BITTERMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, in fact, Eleni, there's -- we're at the 7th Arrondissement mayor's office in the town hall of the 7th Arrondissement. It actually happens to be my Arrondissement, my mayor's office. But in any case, people have been trickling in here since 8:00 this morning, sometimes coming in surges, sometimes bringing their babies, sometimes bringing their tennis rackets because of what they're going to do later on in the day.

But in any case, they are motivated to vote. This has been a really hotly contested election, as you kind of indicated. In fact, the turnout in the first round was the highest that's been seen in France for a legislative election since 1997.

So, we're seeing people come in, sometimes surging in here. They go to the table there in the background. They collect -- first, identify themselves and then collect ballots. There's two ballots. There's two people left on the ticket here.

In fact, of 76 people, legislators were-elected with 50 percent of the voters. So, in the first round of the election. So, those seats are assured. There's another 501 seats, however, that are up for grabs today. And, in those legislative districts, people will be voting for one, two or -- I mean, they'll be voting for one person, but they'll have a choice of two or perhaps three people to vote for.

One of the things that's happened between these two rounds is that there's been a lot of horse trading with -- in the cases where there are three candidates who passed the bar of 12.5 percent majority, who made it to the second round when there were three candidates, during the last week, some of the candidates have been voluntarily stepping down in order to stop the National Rally Party from coming to power. It's one of the things that has driven the turnout in these votes, Eleni.

GIOKOS: All right. Jim Bitterman, thank you so much. And of course, we'll have much more on what's at stake a little later in the program. We're watching those elections in France very closely.

Now, we're moving to the threat from what is Tropical Storm Beryl, and it's far from over. Beryl is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane in the coming hours before making landfall on the Gulf Coast of Texas on Monday, bringing high winds, heavy rains, and life-threatening storm surges.

In towns along the Texas Coast, evacuations and preparations are underway for the first storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season to make a direct hit in the United States, CNN meteorologist and -- Chad Myers breaks down the latest forecast for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Beryl is trying to intensify a little bit at this hour, and so we are going to see what happens in the morning hours when the Hurricane Center puts out their 5:00 advisory. The track's still right along the Texas Coast in very warm water.

Yes, we still have some shear out there trying to not make Beryl rapidly intensify, but in the overnight hours, that shear kind of drops off a little bit, we'll have to watch.

Here's the European model that we've been watching all week. You look for where the cluster is. Well, now there aren't too many outliers to the left or to the right. They're really right down the middle of where that cone is at this hour.

We do know that there is going to be some surge, likely four to six feet. So, up to two meters of surge of water coming on shore, maybe going over these barrier islands and then into the bays, into the estuaries there, just to the west there of the Gulf of Mexico.

Likely winds of 110 miles per hour in some spots, although I think most of that may be in the higher elevations of the storm, maybe not so much down low where we'll probably be somewhere between 75 and 85. It's not out of the question, but that is not the forecast.

We are still looking at the rainfall potential here, probably eight to 10 inches, but unlike Harvey that stalled, this storm continues to move to the north and spread its rainfall on into the Midwest. So, we're not seeing anything like it. The 50 and the 60-inch potential rainfall that flooded so many people there in Houston just a few years ago.

So, we'll keep watching it for you. New updates coming up at 5:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m., and of course, all through the day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: Meanwhile, a potential record-breaking heat wave dragging on in the United States. Nearly 100 million people are under heat advisories across the country and in the Western U.S. Extremely dangerous and possibly deadly heat is expected to persist in the region, triggering the highest two levels of heat risk on record for much of California and the Southwest for today. The oppressive heat wave will be felt from coast to coast. Tens of millions of people could experience triple digit temperatures over the course of this week.

Now, that scorching heat is also fueling dozens of wildfires in California right now. One of the biggest is the Lake Fire in Santa Barbara County in Southern California. That fire has burned more than 13,000 acres or more than 5,000 hectares. It is 0 percent contained and fire officials warn that it has the potential for rapid growth thanks to hot winds and dry air.

Now, three firefighters were injured and four structures were destroyed by a fire in central California. The French fire has burned 908 acres, but officials say crews have been able to keep it from growing.

Coming up ahead, what Hamas says it's willing to compromise on in ceasefire talks with Israel, as well as the impact it might have on efforts to free Israel's hostages.

Plus, we'll continue our coverage of the snap parliamentary elections in France. How might the high stakes vote determine the future of President Emmanuel Macron? That's coming up ahead.

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[04:15:00]

GIOKOS: A senior Hamas official tells CNN the group is ready to compromise in ceasefire and hostage release talks. Hamas was demanding Israel agree to a permanent ceasefire before signing any deal, but now, Hamas says it would accept an agreement that included talks towards a permanent ceasefire.

Meanwhile, and Israeli attack on the Al Nuseirat refugee camp killed at least 16 Palestinians and wounded dozens more. Israel claims the area was a hideout for militants who attacked Israeli troops. A warning that the video we're about to show you contains some disturbing images.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza says the strike hits a United Nations school where displaced Palestinians were taking shelter. Now, in this video, you can see injured children being taken from an ambulance. One woman says she survived three other similar attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UM BILAL MUSLEH, SCHOOL STRIKE SURVIVOR (through translator): They intend to finish the people before the ceasefire. We stopped being mindful due to fear. We were sitting in the classroom and all the glass came down on us. Some people were thrown here and others there, as well as our children. They were crying and screaming. It's not sensible of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Well, anti-government activists in Israel have kicked off a planned day of disruption marking nine months since the Hamas attacks on October 7th. Activists have been blocking intersections throughout the country and gathering outside ministers' homes, calling for their resignations.

[04:20:00]

Thousands took part in anti-government protests in Tel Aviv Saturday. Police used water cannons to disperse people accused of blocking a road. Demonstrators are calling for a new election and the release of Israeli hostages. Avi Mayer is the former editor-in-chief for the "Jerusalem Post," and he joins us now live from Jerusalem. Avi, great to have you with us. Thank you for taking the time.

You know, one of the big issues around securing a deal has been the question of a permanent ceasefire. Hamas is now open to a temporary halt in fighting. How does this change the potential outcome of these negotiations?

AVI MAYER, FORMER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, JERUSALEM POST: Well, Eleni, just relate to the beginning of the segment that there was, in fact, a target that Israel was striking within that U.N. school in Gaza. In fact, as we know, Hamas has exploited schools, hospitals, mosques throughout this campaign, and that's what happened there. Of course, it's terribly unfortunate that civilians were also harmed as a result of Hamas' cynical exploitation of them.

As for what's happening in the negotiations, we do understand that Hamas has been playing this game for several months now, appearing to make certain concessions and then withdrawing them at the last minute. In this case, what we understand is that they have formally dropped their demand for a permanent ceasefire. But what they have said is that they want a ceasefire to continue so long as the negotiations are ongoing. That raises significant concerns, both in Israel and on the part of other negotiators, because it essentially gives Hamas an incentive to drag out these negotiations as long as possible and essentially make what would be a temporary ceasefire permanent. That is something that Israel and other negotiators will not accept, and that is a major sticking point at this time.

GIOKOS: Of course. And it just sees the unraveling of these negotiations at a time where there is enormous desperation to get the hostages released. And of course, what we see in Gaza on a day-to-day basis. The question now is, you know, why is Hamas changing its stance on the line of, you know, requesting a permanent ceasefire, as you say, it's -- these are caveats that they're hoping that they'll be able to engage in those negotiations while some kind of truce is underway.

MAYER: Well, we don't know exactly what Hamas' calculus is at this time. It is certainly possible that the increased military pressure that Israel is applying to Hamas, particularly in Rafah and other areas, is encouraging it to concede points that it had not previously been willing to concede.

It's also possible that it's eyeing certain international developments, the rise of certain political partners, the potential fall of a Biden administration and his replacement by former President Trump with grave concern that he may not be at a former -- a former and future President Trump may not be as willing to engage with Hamas and with this conflict as the extent that Biden has. And that, of course, would, perhaps, imperil their ability to gain any kind of concessions in the course of any future negotiations. So, they're looking to sort of wrap this up as quickly as they possibly can.

GIOKOS: So, I mean, in terms of Hamas being open to making a concession, what kind of pressure does this actually place on Benjamin Netanyahu?

MAYER: Well, look, Prime Minister Netanyahu has been under significant pressure for quite some time now on the part of the Israeli people, who of course want there to be a hostage deal that brings back those remaining hostages, many of whom we understand, at this point, to no longer be alive, but some of whom we believe to, indeed, still be alive.

You see these protests happening pretty much every Saturday night now and also during the week. We understand that there'll now be a week of disruption where protesters will fan out throughout the country to pressure the government to reach that deal. But we understand from the Americans and other players that, in fact, it has been Hamas that has been the primary obstacle to any kind of deal over the past few months.

It remains the primary obstacle at this time. The question is whether it will drop this demand and actually engage in full faith negotiations in order to reach some kind of a deal between Israel and Hamas at this time.

GIOKOS: Yes. I mean, taking a, you know, macro view on this, it's nine months today since that October 7th terror attack. You know, we've been hearing from the hostages. We know what the families are going through, and then we look across the border into Gaza as well, and just day-to-day impact on civilians. The U.S. says that they believe that, look, there could be a significant breakthrough at this point on the framework that is being created. Is there a sense that this is a breakthrough moment in terms of what we could see on the negotiation front?

MAYER: Well, we have heard cautious optimism on the part of Israel and other parties that this could in fact serve as some kind of a pathway towards a deal. But of course, it is indeed very cautious optimism. We had thought that we were close to a deal in the past. Indeed, Israel put forward this plan that was presented by President Biden more than a month ago. We've waited for a month for Hamas to even conceived some kind of response to this and give some kind of formal answer and we now know that there is some perhaps wiggle room and room for negotiation, but we're not quite there yet.

[04:25:00]

So, yes, there is optimism, but it's cautious optimism. Of course, all Israelis and Palestinians, the majority of them want is for this warfare to end and for there to be some kind of peaceful resolution off in the distance.

GIOKOS: And, Avi, a growing chorus globally as well for some kind of ceasefire. Avi, thank you so much for joining us. Avi Mayer, much appreciated.

MAYER: Thank you.

GIOKOS: Well, Iran's president-elect is making his first promises to voters after winning the presidential runoff. Former Reformer Masoud Pezeshkian gave a victory speech on Saturday after defeating his ultra conservative rival.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MASOUD PEZESHKIAN, IRANIAN PRESIDENT-ELECT (through translator): I consider your vote as a heavy responsibility on my shoulder, and I pledge to continue to be a listening ear for your words, and a voice for the voiceless and rejected.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Right. So, analysts expect Pezeshkian to push for some changes in Iran, but Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has already urged the president elect to stay on the same course as his hardline predecessor. And for some voters, it's the economy that matters most of all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We really needed a literate president to solve the economic problems of the people. Thank God that Mr. Massoud Pezeshkian won with the same low percentage of people's participation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I really have no feelings because these candidates only make slogans, and when they take power, they do nothing for the people. So, I have no feelings for Mr. Pezeshkian.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Well, voters in France are casting their ballots in a crucial and decisive round of parliamentary elections. Can the country's far- right build on its strong first round performance? I'll be speaking to you to an expert just after the short break. Stay with CNN.

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[04:30:00]

GIOKOS: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and in Canada. I'm Eleni Giokos. And you're watching "CNN Newsroom."

His primetime interview is over and now U.S. President Joe Biden is pushing ahead with his campaign. He will make campaign stops in the critical battleground State of Pennsylvania in the coming hours. Meanwhile, Biden is reportedly seeking honest input on his re-election efforts from campaign leaders. One campaign co-chair is now promising more direct engagements from the president through town halls and press conferences.

But calls from Democratic lawmakers for Mr. Biden to step aside are growing louder. Five House Democrats are now publicly calling for him to abandon the race.

Vice President Kamala Harris is stressing the stakes of this election to black voters who will be critical to Biden's fortunes in December and in November. CNN's Eva McKend has more from New Orleans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVA MCKEND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Vice President Harris framing this election in stark terms, signaling to this largely black audience at the Essence Festival that another Trump presidency could imperil American democracy.

She also used the platform to elevate what she would characterize as the successes of the Biden-Harris administration. She talked about lowering the cost of insulin. She also talked about elevating the issue of black maternal health. Never once did she seem to be angling to be at the top of the ticket herself, though, both publicly and privately.

She talks about being proud of being President Biden's running mate and imploring black voters to get out and vote in this election. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: You have the former president who is running to become president again, who has openly talked about his admiration of dictators and his intention to be a dictator on day one, who has openly talked about his intention to weaponize the Department of Justice against his political enemies, who has talked about being proud of taking from the women of America a most fundamental right to make decisions about your own body.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: And black voters so key to the Democratic coalition, black women often referred to as the backbone of the Democratic Party and in our conversations with them, we don't hear them calling for President Biden to step aside, they are supportive of the president. They are supportive of Harris as his vice president. And instead of most consequence to them, really, they say is for the former president not to be re-elected.

Eva McKend, CNN, New Orleans, Louisiana.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Voting is underway in France in the second and decisive round of snap parliamentary elections. More than 49 million people are eligible to cast ballots for 577 seats in the National Assembly. The country's far-right National Rally Party, spearheaded by Marine Le Pen, made historic gains in the first round of votes last summer.

It was a dramatic blow to President Emmanuel Macron, who's been gambling on stopping a surge to the right. His centrist alliance slumped to third place behind the left-wing New Popular Front coalition. Mr. Macron called the high stakes vote last month after the right's strong performance in European Parliament elections.

Nicole Bacharan is a historian and a political scientist. She's also a former national fellow at the Hoover Institution. She joins us now live from Provence in France. Thank you so very much for joining us. Good to have you with us on this day.

Just how fractured is French politics right now? How divided would you say the electorate is?

NICOLE BACHARAN, HISTORIAN AND POLITICAL SCIENTIST AND FORMER NATIONAL FELLOW, HOOVER INSTITUTION: It's extremely divided? I mean, the projections at the polls give the National Rally, the far-right party, ahead of everybody else. And the whole question is whether they will have an absolute majority, then thus the ability to form the next government, or whether they will have -- they will be number one without a full majority.

In which case, we are probably heading to chaos, or at least, you know, constant back and forth and a very difficult situation to form a government and to pass any kind of law or budget.

GIOKOS: I mean, you're describing a scenario where we'll have a hung parliament. How likely is that right now based on what you've been seeing and of course, the divisiveness as you've elaborated on?

[04:35:00] BACHARAN: I would say probably, and you know, I mean -- I may be proven wrong the National Rally will not reach an absolute majority. In which case we would have, you know, the three blocks, left-wing blocks made of very unlikely bedfellows. I mean, I don't see them working together. They are very, very different, ring of (ph) party. We would have a central block close to President Macron, but a lot smaller than it was two weeks ago. And then, we would have the far- right.

The capability of these three blocks to negotiate is very, very unlikely. I mean, they -- they're not good at it. It's -- there are some really dislike each other with a passion and compromise and negotiation, it's not a French tradition in Parliament.

GIOKOS: Yes. I want to talk about why traditional politicians haven't been able to contain this tidal wave. What are people voting on right now? Is it a matter of inflation? Is it a matter of immigration? Could you give me a sense of what exactly is going on in the ground where you see voters, you know, changing very dramatically who the options -- who they would normally vote for?

BACHARAN: You're right to qualify it as dramatic, and it's been a few decades already. But all of the parties won against voting for the far-right. And it hasn't worked. And the far-right has been climbing and climbing and climbing in the polls and in the election.

You could say that the motivation of people voting for the far-right are close to some of Donald Trump's voters, the feeling of being ignored, belittled abandoned. They don't recognize their country anymore, that's what they say. And they feel very, very alienated from decisions taken in Paris or in Brussels at the European Union.

They are losing public services one after the other, would it be schools and health care, doctors, postal office, train station you name it. And now, they want to be heard. The feeling of not being heard is crucial there. And the more there is this large block forming to, as they say, build a dam against the far-right, the far more I can feel those voters being motivated by something like, you are afraid of us? We will show you.

GIOKOS: Yes. So, as we wait to see if, you know, Emmanual Macron builds some kind of coalition, depending on how this plays out, how is this overall -- how are these French elections going to affect relationship with the European Union overall?

BACHARAN: Well, if there is a coalition government, I think not much will change, because the coalition government won't be able to push any major change. If the National Rally would have an absolute majority, they are Eurosceptics, they are NATO-sceptic, they plan to diminish the contribution of France to the European Union, which would be extremely difficult because, you know, French farmers in particular get very, very large subsidies from the European Union.

However, when it comes to support to Ukraine, support to European defense and knowing that President Macron is a big defender of a larger European budget in every field and mainly on defense, I don't see that it could work. I mean, I think relationships with a national majority -- with a absolute majority to -- for the National Rally would make -- it's not a make or break, but would, you know, shake the European Union very deeply as well as the commitment to NATO.

GIOKOS: Nicole Bacharan, great to have you on. Thank you so much.

BACHARAN: My pleasure.

GIOKOS: The U.K.'s new prime minister is working over the weekend and making changes to government policy after voters handed Labour a landslide election victory. Keir Starmer met with his new cabinet and confirmed his government will not asylum seekers who arrive in small boats to Rwanda. That decision effectively ends a Conservative party plan before it began.

The new prime minister also spoke by phone with international leaders on Saturday telling the media that the agenda included Ukraine and NATO ahead of the alliance's summit this week in Washington, D.C.

CNN, in the meantime, has witnessed brutal killings of young protesters in Kenya. Coming up, what they were fighting for and how their families are responding. That's coming up next. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:40:00]

GIOKOS: Kenya's president announced sweeping budget cuts on Friday, a measure to appease the outrage of young Kenyans. For three weeks, protesters have demanded an end to soaring living costs and to government corruption. They're also demanding accountability and justice from the police.

According to human rights groups, security forces have killed at least 40 unarmed protesters in the past few weeks of unrest. Some of the worst violence happened in late June. A CNN crew was on the scene witnessing the deadly confrontation where at least three people were shot dead. CNN's Larry Madowo has the details for us. And we must warn you, the images you're about to see are disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A prayer for the dead. The family of Ibrahim Kamau say their final goodbyes, his body being taken for burial. He was only 19. His mother tells us Ibrahim had just graduated from high school and was hoping to go to college. Ibrahim was shot twice in the neck at a protest in Nairobi.

EDITH WANJIKU KAMAU, MOTHER OF IBRAHIM, KILLED IN PROTEST: I didn't go that day because I didn't have childcare. But we always went together and came back because the protests were peaceful. The first thing I want is justice for Ibrahim and all the kids who died because they all had dreams.

MADOWO (voice-over): Protests broke out across Kenya last month against a proposed finance bail largely driven by young people organizing on social media. But the deadliest day was June 25th, when protesters stormed Parliament in Nairobi. Human rights groups accused police of shooting dozens of unarmed protesters, including some who were fleeing. No one has accepted or denied responsibility for the killings.

[04:45:00]

Our crew filmed the shocking scenes, like here, left of your screen, a man running away is shot in the back with a tear gas canister at close range. These protesters, standing over a man who's apparently dead, police fire a non-lethal round directly at them. Nairobi's police chief, seen here, commanded the operation, his officers clearly contravening their own rules for the use of force.

CNN analyzed the deadliest two hours when most of the protesters are believed to have been killed. Keep an eye on the man in white overalls waving his arms earlier in the day. 25-year-old Erickson Chalamutisia (ph) was supposed to be at the butcher's shop where he worked, his mother said, but ended up here. CNN's camera captured him dancing until shots ring out.

Police advance towards the protesters. More shots and people run away. Amid the chaos, we spot Erickson again. He is lifeless on the sidewalk. Around him, other protesters are also on the ground. As the smoke lifts, one man has been shot in the head. People rush to help, but police keep firing at them. A bag is thrown in the air as the smoke grenade goes off, but that protester escaped. We were on the scene as this unfolded.

MADOWO: There are three bodies lying on the ground. After we heard live ammunition coming from parliament, a police truck is on fire and the protesters appear to be pushing the police, overwhelming them, getting closer to Parliament.

MADOWO (voice-over): Unknown to us at the time, Erickson's body was being carried away behind me, his white overalls soaked in blood. We obtained his autopsy report. Erickson was shot in the back and bled to death.

Moments later, another injured protester is carried away, but he is lucky he survived. That protester is 26-year-old Ian Keya, who was also hit in the back.

IAN KEYA, PROTESTER: I'm in pain because of the government.

MADOWO: He was demonstrating because he's been jobless since he graduated five years ago.

KEYA: Our main mission is to change Kenya, to be a better Kenya.

MADOWO: Do you regret going out to protest?

KEYA: I'm not regretting anything because it's my right.

MADOWO (voice-over): Ian is a keen bodybuilder, but has lost the use of his legs. CNN obtained three autopsy reports of protesters who were demonstrating around parliament on the same day. Two died from gunshot wounds, one was shot in the head, the other in the back.

One opposition lawmaker concerned about police brutality in recent days says he will fight to hold those responsible.

YUSUF HASSAN ABDI, KENYAN OPPOSITION MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: We cannot accept this colonial-minded, archaic, trigger happy police. Something must change. And we would make sure that the victims of this particular crisis get justice.

MADOWO: Families buried their dead. Young men and women vocalizing their anger at a government they feel is not listening to them, not helping them create a better future.

An oversight body is investigating police conduct during the protests, but many here don't believe they'll ever see justice.

Larry Madowo, CNN, Nairobi.

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GIOKOS: CNN asked the Kenyan police and the ministry of interior about the conduct of security forces during the protest but has not received a response. President William Ruto has said in interviews that the police tried their best and has maintained that criminals infiltrated legitimate protests. We're going to a short break. Stay with CNN.

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GIOKOS: Well, now to the spectacle. Ernest Hemingway immortalized in his book, "The Sun Also Rises," the annual running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. The nine-day long San Fermin Festival kicked off on Saturday with the first bull run. Thousands of people in white outfits and red scarves crammed into the narrow streets trying to outrun six heavy bulls. Each race takes less than three minutes.

Every year, dozens of people are injured. And protesters say it's cruel on the animals, but that hasn't stopped the bull run, which some say began in the 12th century.

The semifinalists are all in place at Euro 2024 after England and the Netherlands outlasted their quarterfinal opponents. CNN World Sports, Patrick Snell has all the action.

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PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: And then, there were four. A dramatic Saturday of football at Euro 2024 seeing England and the Netherlands emerging victorious, but only just. This match was goalless. This is the England-Switzerland game. Fifty minutes from time and that's when the Swiss take the lead through Breel Embolo, and Switzerland's fans sent into delirium. But could they hold on to their lead? Well, the short answer would be no, because five minutes later, it's Bukayo Saka who shows all his class, wonderful finish there, right into the corner, beautifully placed into the net for one. All this match going to extra time, then penalties.

And a heartbreak for the Swiss as Manuel Akanji sees his country's first spot kick saved, everyone else scored, and it's Trent Alexander- Arnold to win it for England, and the Liverpool man does not disappoint. Another great escape for the English, who's head coach Gareth Southgate celebrating victory now in his 100th match in charge.

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BUKAYO SAKA, ENGLAND FORWARD: I think it shows how much we want to win this tournament. You know, the last two games, you know, we've been 1-nil down in the late stages and we've came back. So, yes, hopefully, next game we can probably win in 90 minutes, but if this is what it takes, then we'll do anything.

HARRY KANE, ENGLAND CAPTAIN: Great resilience from lads to go behind with only 15 minutes to go to then turn it up again and get the goal like we did. Fantastic finish from B. He deserves that. And then, yes, you know, penalties is penalties. It's a nerve-wracking situation, but I felt prepared, you know. Obviously, I weren't involved in this one. I was on the side, but I felt comfortable in the lads. We do a lot of preparation for these moments. And yes, five out of five one saves on pips. That's all it takes.

[04:55:00]

GARETH SOUTHGATE, ENGLAND MANAGER: To come from behind again and show the character and the resilience that we did, we talked to the players about that. You know, winning tournaments isn't just about playing well. I thought we did play well today, but it's not just about that. You've got to show all those other attributes as well to win. And yes, we showed them all tonight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: Straight to the other quarterfinal with Turkey without the suspended Merih Demiral taking on Holland. And it's the Turks who reached the Euro semis in 2008, taking the lead here through the Fenerbahce defender. And it's a great header from Samet Akaydin who breaks the deadlock 10 minutes before the break.

With 20 to go, and the Dutch respond in style. It's Stefan de Vrij with a superb header to level the match at one apiece. Unsavable head, a brilliant technique. That's Dutch delight. And Dutch delight turning to Dutch elation and euphoria. Minutes later, uncertain defending and it's Holland ahead. Cody Gakpo will claim it as the ball crosses the line. It was ruled an own goal in the end, but Netherlands with a 201 victory. They book a spot in the semis.

So, those semis are now set at the Euros on Tuesday. We're going to get all eyes on Spain and France as they go head-to-head in Munich. La Roja looking to become champs of Europe for a fourth time. And in the other semi, it's England taking on the Netherlands in Dortmund. A huge amount to look forward to this coming week. Can't wait for all that. But for now, it's right back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: All right. Well, thanks so much for joining us for the style of "Newsroom." I'm Eleni Giokos. I'll be back in just a moment. Stay with CNN.

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