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International Criminal Court Issues Arrest Warrant For Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu; Trump Names Pam Bondi As New Pick For Attorney General; Russia Escalates, Strikes Ukraine With A New Missile, Warns West; Sexual Assault Claim Threatens Defense Pick Hegseth; Americans "Exhausted" by U.S. Political Division; Interview with Rockefeller Brothers Fund CEO Stephen Heintz; Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro Indicted; Atmospheric River Unleashes Heavy Snow, Rain, Flooding; Five Tourists Die in Backpacker Hotspot; Japan Celebrates Shohei Ohtani's MVP Award. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired November 22, 2024 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Paula Newton live in New York. Ahead right here on CNN Newsroom, accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. The International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Israel's Prime Minister.
Donald Trump announces a new pick for attorney general, selecting yet another loyalist soon after, controversial nominee Matt Gaetz withdraws his nomination.
And Russia sends a threatening message to the west just hours after firing a new nuclear capable ballistic missile at Ukraine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from New York. This is CNN Newsroom with Paula Newton.
NEWTON: We are getting strong reaction to the arrest warrants issued for Israel's prime minister and former defense minister. Everything from loud indignation to it's about time. The International Criminal Court accused Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including starvation, as a method of warfare and murder, persecution and other inhumane acts. Gallant said the warrant set a dangerous precedent and Mr. Netanyahu called the ruling absurd.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The truth is simple. No war is more just than the war that Israel has been waging in Gaza after Hamas attacked us unprovoked, launching the worst massacre against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Israel does not. Israel will not recognize the validity of this decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP) NEWTON: Now, it's important to note that the ICC issued a separate warrant for Hamas military chief Mohammad Deif on the right, you see him there, who was also accused of crimes against humanity. Israel says he was killed in an airstrike, but Hamas has not yet confirmed his death.
Now, meantime, U.S. President Joe Biden is calling the warrants against Israeli leaders outrageous. But the Palestinian Authority praised the action, saying it, quote, restores hope and confidence international law and its institutions and in the importance of justice, accountability and the prosecution of war criminals.
But what does the court's decision mean to Palestinians displaced by the war in Gaza? A few of them spoke out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNDIENTIFEID MALE (through translator): This is a great decision, but by God's grace, it's implemented. Netanyahu faces the darkest day as he's committed many crimes against the Palestinian people. He's killed our children, destroyed our homes, our women and our children. So we hope by the grace of God that he sees the darkest day and is put in jail and faces the same injustice that we have faced.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This decision has come very late. Today, Netanyahu is dealing with the Gaza Strip with complete barbarism, terrorism and terrorism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Some ICC members have already said that they would obey the court's decision and arrest the Israeli prime minister should he set foot on their soil. CNN's Nic Robertson has our details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, seen here on a visit to Gaza this week, now faces the most serious international challenge to his authority ever, accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, a result of his leadership leading to the deaths of more than 44,000 Palestinians in Gaza.
The ICC says it has reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu bears criminal responsibility for war crimes, including starvation, as a method of warfare and crimes against humanity, including murder, persecution and other inhumane acts. Netanyahu is accusing the ICC of antisemitism.
NETANYAHU (through translator): This is antisemitic measure that has one goal, to deter me, to deter us from exercising our natural right to defend ourselves against our enemies who rise up against us, to destroy us.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Israel's former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, who opposed some of Netanyahu's tactics in Gaza, is also accused. He is pushing back, saying the ICC is creating a dangerous precedent for self-defense.
The ICC's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, whom the IDF says it killed in July.
[01:05:06]
Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh, two other Hamas leaders who had been on the potential arrest list in May, are also now dead.
Netanyahu is now in an unenviable club. Omar Al Bashir of Sudan, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, also wanted by the ICC and unable to travel freely. Any of the 124 countries that are signatory to the Rome Statute will be obliged to arrest him or Gallant and send them to face trial at the ICC in the Netherlands, an obligation the E.U. foreign policy chief says must be upheld.
JOSEP BORRELL, EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF: It is not a political decision. It is a decision of a court of justice or an international court of justice.
ROBERTSON: It's going to put a lot of the E.U. off limits. France, Italy, the Netherlands have already said they'll arrest Netanyahu if he shows up in their countries. And Canada's Justin Trudeau has said the same, that Canada stands up for international law where Netanyahu will be able to travel those countries that are not signatories to the Rome Statute, like the United States and India, two of his favorite allies. Nic Robertson, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Bill Van Esveld is available is the acting Israel Palestine associate director for Human Rights Watch and he joins us now from Athens, Greece. Good to have you with us. I just want to ask firstly, how significant is this move? I mean, what measure of justice could be achieved with this?
BILL VAN ESVELD, ACTING ISRAEL/PALESTINE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: Well, I mean, this is really a historic moment. There has been no justice until now for decades of international crimes in Israel and Palestine. And this is the first long overdue moment of accountability. And it's an opportunity for justice. And every government should support the independence and the ability of the court to apply the law that all states say they agree on.
NEWTON: You know, we heard from people in Gaza just a few moments ago. I have to ask how they may ask how will this help or perhaps maybe even hurt their plight, because some do fear that the timing of this will make a ceasefire even more difficult in the short term.
ESVELD: Well, I think the question we need to ask is why have these crimes been committed since day one, really? And what does that have to do with a ceasefire? Well, you know, you shouldn't have to wait for a ceasefire for crimes not to happen. And there's been no indication from Israeli authorities that they're going to radically rethink the way they've been fighting this war or condemnation of crimes by their own side.
You know, what we're seeing, what we've been seeing in northern Gaza since October 6th is arguably the worst humanitarian situation we've seen in Gaza since the beginning of the war. You know, you've got international experts saying famine is imminent and one of the crimes that Netanyahu and Gallant are accused of is using starvation as a weapon of war, which Human Rights Watch has also independently found to be going on.
So I think, you know, we, everybody wants to see an end to the suffering, but accountability for crimes is not an obstacle. It is an avenue to an end to that suffering.
NEWTON: And do you believe that? Do you believe it is an avenue? Because what I'm pointing at is the fact that Benjamin Netanyahu, certainly he does not see this in any way, shape or form as accountability. And he would likely argue with you saying that it will change his opinion about what to do next with Gaza in any way.
ESVELD: Well, it would be great if he changed his opinion about what to do in Gaza because we are extremely concerned that, you know, almost the entire population has been forcibly displaced. The entire population lacks adequate food and is facing severe malnutrition. You know, 90 percent of schools have been blown up. You could go on and on about how the way this war has been conducted is devastating for civilians.
So we do need to see a radical change of approach. And I think the, you know, the arguments that we've heard from the former Defense Minister Gallant just kind of go to show how weak and really nonsensical those arguments are. This ruling has nothing to do with legitimate self-defense.
By definition, killing people with no weapons who can't pose a threat to you, in other words, civilians, has nothing to do with self- defense. It doesn't make you safer. You know, there's nothing in this decision that says Israel can't go after Hamas or fight Palestinian armed groups. The point is you can't do that and kill very large numbers of civilian by imposing a siege on them, denying them medical care, you know, demolishing most of the infrastructure.
[01:10:10]
That's what this is about. It's really nothing to do with self- defense.
NEWTON: I want you to listen now to months earlier, Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor, broke the news on CNN about why he was even launching this type of an investigation. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARIM KHAN, ICC CHIEF PROSECUTOR: look at the evidence, look at the conduct, look at the victims, and airbrush out the nationality. And if a crime has been committed, we should move forward. Nobody is above the law. (END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: You know, I repeat, nobody is above the law. Now, while many who support Netanyahu, and I will say also a few who don't support him, find that the lack of emphasis on Hamas undermines the very ethos of these international institutions.
Now, I know that at least one member of Hamas is also wanted. He may or may not be alive at this moment. But you see what I mean, that in looking at this, that it tends to feel that some people in Israel say that, look, it is rewarding terrorists whose core belief is that civilians are legitimate tools of war.
ESVELD: I mean, that's -- I think not a conclusion that this decision by the court leads to in any way, actually. I mean, first of all, the person most responsible, according to, you know, Israel, for the military activity on the part of Palestinians against Israel, if he's not dead, is also one of those people indicted by the court.
Now, it's not just one Palestinian leader who was indicted. Also Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh were also in the prosecutor's request for arrest warrants. It's just that Israel has killed them in the meantime. So if you just look at the numbers in a way, you've got two Israeli leaders, three Hamas leaders who were indicted by the court.
But I think the more fundamental issue is that this ruling finally gets to break down and to look carefully at these Israeli claims of human shielding or the use of civilians by the Palestinian armed groups. I mean, what this ruling really says is, yes, there are definitely war crimes committed by the Palestinian side, but there's one atrocity by one side doesn't excuse atrocities by the other side.
And so the Israeli atrocities against civilians are really what's up for discussion here. What the court is going to be scrutinized. And you can't just say, you know, Hamas is doing something bad. That means we can kill as many civilians as we want without accountability.
NEWTON: Yes. And I do note the Human Rights Watch just a couple weeks ago released a detailed Human Rights Watch report on what was going on in Gaza with the Israeli military. You do forgive me, though, a little bit of cynicism given people have seen what happened in Syria and the fact that accountability, even jurisdiction there was fought all the way along. We will continue to watch this closely. Bill Van Esveld in Athens for us. Thank you.
ESVELD: Thank you.
NEWTON: Now just in CNN, more explosions in the southern suburbs of Beirut. You're looking at the aftermath. Explosions happened only minutes ago and we have not -- we don't have much information as of yet. You see the smoke rising there.
But this is an area that's been frequently attacked by the Israeli military as it pursues members of the militant group Hezbollah. Now the IDF has been issuing evacuation notices for parts of these suburbs and we will continue to bring you more details as they become available.
Now, allies and advisers are said to be coalescing quickly around Donald Trump's new pick to be U.S. Attorney General. The president elect announced he will nominate former Florida attorney General Pam Bondi. She most recently worked for the right leaning think tank America First Policy Institute. Trump's first pick, former Congressman Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Gaetz denies wrongdoing.
Now California police, meantime, have released details of an alleged sexual assault in 2017 by Trump's defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth. He claims the encounter was consensual. His attorney says Hegseth paid the woman as part of a confidentiality agreement. More now from CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju.
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MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Matt Gaetz pick imploded on Capitol Hill after he stepped aside and said that he was no longer wanted to be in consideration for this job because he didn't want to be distraction for the Trump administration. It was clear he did not have much of a path to get the job.
[01:15:04]
Now, Donald Trump moving in a different direction with Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general for this position, someone who's been loyal to Donald Trump over the years, defended him in that first Trump impeachment. Her chances of confirmation are much better than Matt Gaetz's were, but it's still uncertain. A lot of senators don't know her. They have the chance to assess her prospects and get a chance to question her and see how the confirmation hearings go.
But there are also questions about other nominees as well, including Pete Hegseth, who's Trump's pick to be the Defense Department secretary. Now, he's someone who is also not well known in his policy views is how he would run the department. But also the controversy stemming from a 2017 allegation of sexual assault that occurred in California.
Now, he was not charged in that case, but there is a police report that details these allegations in full. And even as Hegseth denied these allegations in private meetings with lawmakers, some lawmakers, including Kevin Kramer of North Dakota, raised concerns about this and wants more information.
KEVIN CRAMER, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: It's a pretty big problem given that we have, you know, we have a sexual assault problem in our military that a number of us, and certainly the champions being Kirsten Gillibrand and Joni Ernst. But I've been on board with them and in support of the legislation to deal with it since the chain of command was not.
And so, yes, it becomes a problem again. You know, this is why you have background checks, is why you have hearings. This is why you have go through the scrutiny. I'm not going to prejudge them, but, yes, it's a pretty concerning accusation.
RAJU: Now, ultimately, the big question will be if the votes are there for Hegseth and these other nominees. A lot of Republicans are holding their cards close to the vest. They say they want to get some more information from those nominees and want to see how the confirmation hearings ultimately play out.
But it's clear Donald Trump has his work cut out for him to get some of these critical nominees across the finish line, particularly Pete Hegseth, as well as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard. We'll see ultimately how the Bondi pick comes down on Capitol Hill when senators have a chance to assess her nomination. Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Joining me now from Los Angeles, Jessica Levinson. She's a professor at Loyola Law School and host of the Passing Judgment podcast. Good to see you. As we continue to try and parse fast moving developments with this transition. You know, Donald Trump seemed to capitulate pretty quickly on Gates. Why do you think that is?
JESSICA LEVINSON, LAW PROFESSOR, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: Because there was just no path forward. I think this was the nomination where frankly, right out of the gate, it wasn't clear that it was going anywhere. And then it just got worse. From the moment that the nomination was announced, there was a drip, drip. And it seemed like the news just couldn't kept getting worse for Matt Gaetz and that he could not overcome the threshold that he needed for a confirmation.
I think that President Trump saw that clearly. Some people are saying that the mission was already accomplished for this particular appointment in that he resigned from the House. And it looks like, at least for now, that ethics commission report on him will not see the light of day.
NEWTON: Yes, it'll be interesting to see if he takes up his job in the next Congress because he did win that election in Florida. Let's go to the next person in line, though. Pam Bondi. She is experienced and loyal. But this is interesting. Maybe she's not too far from the kind of Attorney General that Trump wanted in Gaetz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAM BONDI, FORMER FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Listen, the prosecutors will be prosecuted, the bad ones. The investigators will be investigated because the deep state last term for President Trump, they were hiding in the shadows, but now they have a spotlight on them and they can all be investigated. And the House needs to be cleaned out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Needs to be cleaned out. Do you shall tone this down if she's confirmed? LEVINSON: I think that depends on her boss. So if she is confirmed and
if President Trump continues this type of rhetoric when he becomes president again, then I think there's very little to indicate that she would tone this down. The question is whether or not actions follow the rhetoric.
And if she does, in fact, do something that we've not seen in modern with the head of the Department of Justice, which is use that very powerful agency to go after a president's political opponents. That obviously is not what we're accustomed to. It's not what we've seen in the past. It's quite arguably not what the Department of Justice is there to do.
But again, I'm looking not really so much at the rhetoric, but at the actions.
NEWTON: Yes. And it's interesting. You just remind everyone that the Department of Justice must be independent, right?
[01:20:00]
LEVINSON: Well, must be. I think best practices certainly is that it is. And that's why, for instance, you've seen the Biden administration not only say we're not going to get involved with some decisions which many presidents before President Biden have said, but also you see the Biden administration appointing special counsels. Jack Smith, of course, was a special counsel to create even more separation between the administration and the investigations into President Trump because President Biden's administration acknowledged that it could look like he was going after a political opponent.
I don't think we're going to see a lot of special counsels appointed during the Trump administration. And I think this really is a test as to whether or not our gentle person's agreement that the Department of Justice is independent from the president will continue to hold.
NEWTON: Yes, it is quite a test. I want to move on to the nominee for defense secretary. That would be Peter Hegseth, who paid a woman who accused him of sexual assault. I want you to listen to his reaction about that. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, TRUMP'S PICK FOR U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: As far as the media is concerned, I'll keep this very simple. The matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared. And that's why I'm here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: You know, he's denied any wrongdoing whatsoever. But there is a nondisclosure agreement. His lawyer admits that to CNN. What do you think Trump voters make of this selection and his judgment overall with these picks?
LEVINSON: So one thing I just want to mention is there is a difference between no charges were brought and being completely cleared. And I don't know that he's making that distinction in a legal sense. In terms of Trump's voters, I mean, I think that this is what Trump said that he was going to do, that he was going to, he said very clearly over and over again. For instance, we just talked about the Department of Justice that he was going to go after political opponents.
Now we're talking about Pete Hegseth, who doesn't have, frankly, the resume that we're accustomed to when it comes to the secretary of defense. But he has been very loyal to the president and obviously a regular on Fox News. And I think those are the types of qualifications that President Trump is looking for.
Whether or not the allegations of sexual misconduct that have been made with respect to a number of the different nominees here is something that affects Trump's base. I really don't know in the sense that for years now we have seen that allegations that would typically sink a president or a candidate have really not affected this particular president and his candidacy.
NEWTON: Yes, it is a very good point. And yet we did have the Senate this time indicate quite clearly to President Trump that they would not likely confirm Matt Gaetz. So we'll see what they will do with some of these other confirmation processes. Jessica Levinson, once again, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
LEVINSON: Thank you.
NEWTON: And still to come for us, the dire warning from Ukraine's president after Russia launches a new ballistic missile will have the latest developments. That's next.
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NEWTON: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia's use of a new mid-range ballistic missile is a severe escalation of war. He's now urging world leaders to respond, saying Vladimir Putin must be stopped. The Russian president says Moscow launched a ballistic missile on Ukraine's Dnipro region on Thursday.
The Ukrainian military earlier claimed the weapon was an intercontinental ballistic missile, a development that raised alarm in the West. Putin says Moscow is entitled to strike military targets of countries whose long range weapons are used against Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): From this moment on as we have repeatedly emphasized on previous occasions, the regional conflict in Ukraine provoked by the west has acquired elements of a global character.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now the attack came after Ukraine fired longer range American missiles into Russia for the first time this week. That's according to Russia's defense ministry and two U.S. officials. CNN's chief international security correspondent Nick Paton Walsh is following the latest developments from Kyiv.
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A familiar horror, but a quite different sight on Ukraine's skyline. Multiple projectiles at 5:00 a.m. apparently from one missile hitting an industrial site in Dnipro city, suggesting as Ukraine reported, Russia had launched a new type of ballistic missile, perhaps intercontinental. A stark escalation.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Today. Our crazy neighbor has once again shown who he really is and how he despises dignity, freedom and human life in general and how afraid he is. He is also so afraid that he is already using new missiles.
WALSH (voice-over): CNN obtained these exclusive images of the missile debris. Ukrainian experts pouring over the pieces to determine what this new threat is. Little dispute it was something new. The Kremlin kept silent during the day bar this bizarre episode at a Foreign Ministry briefing that spoke volumes.
MARIA ZAKHAROVA, RUSSIA'S FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESWOMAN: Hello.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Masha?
ZAKHAROVA: Yes, I am at a briefing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On Yuzhmash, About the ballistic missile strike, that the Western media are talking about, we are not commenting at all.
ZAKHAROVA: Yes, OK. Thank you.
WALSH (voice-over): Perhaps a trailer for Russian President Vladimir Putin's big reveal. He said the missile was a new hypersonic non- nuclear device called the Hazelnut. There are no means to counter such weapons today. He said the missiles strike targets at speeds of 10 mach. That's 2.5 to 3 kilometers per second. The modern air defense system available worldwide in the U.S. developed missile defense systems in Europe cannot intercept such missiles. This is impossible.
He framed the strike as a response to American and British supplied missiles, ATACMS and Storm Shadows slamming into Russia proper over the last 72 hours.
We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against the military objects of those countries that allow their weapons to be used against our objects. And in the event of an escalation of aggressive actions, we will respond just as decisively and in kind.
Yet, Kyiv was yet more on edge when the siren sounded Thursday afternoon. A U.S. official insisted Russia had few of these new experimental missiles, and it had warned allies about the strike. It's unclear if that led to its embassy shutting suddenly a day earlier, citing fears of an aerial assault.
Russia sending a clear signal, but now not with a test like this. In 48 hours, it's made a nuanced change to its nuclear doctrine and launched a new missile. Total silence so far from Western leaders, but the blast was heard across Ukraine. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kyiv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now, to many Americans, political division in their country has never been worse. We look at what can be done. That's after the break.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome back. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Newton.
Donald Trump has a new pick for the nation's top law enforcement job. he now wants former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi in the role. His first choice, former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz stepped aside, denying allegations that he paid a 17-year-old girl for sex.
There's growing scrutiny over Trump's pick for Defense secretary meantime, Pete Hegseth. California police have released a detailed report on his alleged sexual assault in 2017 in which Hegseth claims the whole encounter was consensual. Now, his attorney says Hegseth paid the accuser as part of a confidentiality agreement.
More now from CNN's Kyung Lah. And a warning her report contains graphic content.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY NOMINEE: We welcome the opportunity to talk to any senator that wants to talk to us.
KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: President-Elect Donald Trump's pick for Defense secretary on Capitol Hill, speaking on camera for the first time about a sexual assault allegation.
HEGSEITH: I'll keep this very simple. The matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared. And that's where I'm going to leave it.
LAH: A newly-released 22-page police report from Monterey, California doesn't clear Pete Hegseth, though prosecutors did not file charges.
But it does add much more detail to the allegations that surfaced last week and threatens to jeopardize Hegseth's nomination.
The report lays out very different stories of what happened at this Hyatt Hotel in the early morning hours of October 8th, 2017.
Hegseth was the keynote speaker at a California Federation of Republican Women event. After it ended, the woman called Jane Doe in the police report, texted someone, "I'm headed to the bar with other women from the group."
One of the conference attendees told police Hegseth touched her knee. The woman asked Jane Doe to help her to be a crotch blocker trying to stop Hegseth. From there Jane Doe's memory, she told police, becomes hazy.
The police report states she believes that something may have been slipped into her drink, though the report doesn't have medical evidence for the claim.
After the bar closed, surveillance video captured Hegseth and Jane Doe heading towards the pool walking together, arms locked together. Guests complained to the hotel that they were being loud.
A hotel worker described Hegseth as very intoxicated, but Jane Doe appeared very coherent.
She told police she didn't know how she got into Hegseth room, but that he took her phone and blocked the door with his body. When she tried to leave, she recalls saying "no" a lot.
Jane then remembers Hegseth over her, his dog tags hovering over her face. He ejaculated on her stomach, threw a towel at her, and asked, are you ok?
Jane Doe's memory started to return in the days after. She went to the hospital, where she requested a sexual assault exam and then spoke with police.
[01:34:42]
LAH: Hegseth told police what happened at the Hyatt was consensual. Hegseth says Jane Doe didn't want to leave his room, saying there was always conversation and always consensual contact. Hegseth told police Jane Doe showed early signs of regret.
Hegseth's lawyer tells CNN this police report confirms what I've said all along that this incident was fully investigated, no charges were filed.
Hegseth's attorney also tells CNN that the woman was paid as part of a settlement account and that there is a confidentiality clause as part of that deal.
Now, last week I did speak and meet briefly with the victim. She is not being identified by CNN because she is the alleged victim of a sexual assault.
But at the very mention of Hegseth's name, she became she became visibly distraught. She says needed to reach out to her attorney, that she didn't know what she was allowed to say. She has not replied to subsequent follow ups for a request for an interview.
Kyung Lah, CNN -- Los Angeles. (END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now, of course, there is no question the presidential election and its aftermath are continuing to take a toll on Americans, according to More in Common, a nonpartisan group dedicated to building a more united and inclusive America 90 percent of Americans say their country has never felt so divided.
So they do agree on some things.
The group study reports that 67 percent of people say they're fatigued by the polarization in the United States but this so-called exhausted majority are eager for change and would like to find more common ground.
Stephen Heintz is the president and CEO of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, founded by the sons of the late industrialist John D. Rockefeller. The fund says it works to advance social change for a more just world.
And hear, hear to that as we all try and navigate what has been a lot, right, in terms of whether you're dealing even with nuclear families or the communities as a whole. Principally right now in the United States, a lot of division, right?
Can you explain the very essence, though, about what you're getting at when you talk about the exhausted 65 percent of Americans, those that are just done with the division and want to try and bridge those political and cultural gaps.
STEPHEN HEINTZ, PRESIDENT/CEO, ROCKEFELLER BROTHERS FUND: Yes. You know, this is the result of very, very in-depth polling not just a small sample of Americans but a very large sample of Americans, coupled with focus groups and social science research.
And this body of work conducted by an organization called More in Common revealed that Americans are kind of organized into various political tribes. And on the two ends of the spectrum are the true believers on the left and the right. But they're relatively small groups.
And clustered in the center, something like 67 percent of Americans really are this exhausted majority. They are tired of the polarization. They are unhappy with the way the country is going.
And I think this was reflected in the election results. I think the election was basically a referendum on the status quo. And Americans essentially rejected the status quo.
So I think that the divisions are there but the optimistic element of this is that if we work to reach the 67 percent of Americans who actually would like more common ground, would like to be connected to their neighbors, would like to have a stronger voice in our democracy, and would like to have a belief in a better economic future for their families we can overcome a lot of this polarization and division. NEWTON: Yes. I mean, as you point out, it may be tribal, but in terms
of the ultimate goals as Americans most believe in the same things and what's good for one American is likely in many times good for the other.
But I want to ask you, what have you seen that works? There are grassroots programs all over the country. Is it personal relationships? Is it consequential leaders? Is it a shift in the media that has to happen.
HEINTZ: Well, you know, like so much else in our complicated world, it's all of the above. But I think the most important work is actually what happens at the community level. You know, we think of democracy as the institutions, like the U.S. Congress or the Supreme Court or the processes like elections, and yes, of course, they're absolutely essential.
But without a vibrant culture of democracy, without a citizenry that has the belief in democracy and practices democracy in their daily lives, in how they work with their neighbors, how they solve problems, how they think about the future.
[01:39:56]
HEINTZ: You know, all the reforms to the institutions and processes will be insufficient. So, I think the real work has to be done at the community level. And this is where I also get energy, because there are lots of communities across this country, all over the country, in every region of the country where citizens are coming together across various lines of difference and working together to actually solve problems or improve conditions for their community.
And this is what we have to nourish and support and build on for the future.
NEWTON: And in terms of nourishing that, you know, the historian Doris Goodwin Kearns has reminded us in her latest book that the 60s were equally as fraught, a divisive time for Americans.
Is this epoch different culturally and politically? And I do want to lean on what you said about, you know, poly-crises around the world and the fact that do you believe inherently that the challenges going forward, whether it's the United States or beyond, are more difficult right now? It is not our imagination.
HEINTZ: Well, I think some of the challenges are indeed far more difficult. I mean, we just have to look at the fact that we're living in a period of such extraordinary and in some ways unprecedented turbulence.
We have you know, a major war in Europe, a major war in the Middle East, 182 other violent conflicts around the world -- the largest number of violent conflicts in three decades.
We have the global climate crisis. We have a crisis in governance where lots of citizens around the world have lost faith in their governments' ability to help make their lives better.
So we have this crisis, and we have three existential risks embedded in this. You know, the climate crisis first and foremost. But a new nuclear arms race, which is building up between the U.S. and China and Russia, and the advent of hyper disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence, but also biomedicine and nanotechnology.
All of which have the potential to do enormous good but also pose significant threats that could alter human life.
So this is qualitatively a very different kind of period. And I think it's very disorienting for a lot of people which reinforces the polarization and the fear and the concern and the anxiety.
And then politicians and leaders play on those anxieties, and unfortunately, in our fractured and often, you know, manipulated social media environment, information then becomes weaponized. And all of these forces interact together.
NEWTON: And you make a good point that in that kind of a world, certainly, whether it's in the us or beyond, reaching across to the neighbor is likely the most effective thing to do.
Stephen Heintz, we must leave it there for now. I really want to thank you for your thoughts.
HEINTZ: Well, thank you for having me.
NEWTON: Brazil's former president has been indicted in an alleged coup plot that even involved possible assassinations. Ahead, details on the allegations against Jair Bolsonaro and dozens of others.
[01:43:16]
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NEWTON: Gunmen opened fire on buses and cars carrying Shia Muslims in northwest Pakistan Thursday killing at least 42 people and wounding 20 others. That's according to the Associated Press.
At least ten people were brought to hospital in critical condition. The attack took place in the Kurram District where clashes between Sunnis and Shias have killed dozens in recent months.
And it comes just a week after authorities reopened a highway that had been closed due to violence. No one has so far claimed responsibility.
Brazil's federal police have indicted the country's former president, Jair Bolsonaro, in connection to an alleged plot to kill his successor.
CNN Brazil reports that Bolsonaro had full knowledge of a plan to prevent Luiz Inacio Lula da Dilva from taking office after his election victory in 2022.
Journalist Stefano Pozzebon has more. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN JOURNALIST: The indictment of former president Jair Bolsonaro is rocking Brazilian politics this week. The prosecutors have indicted the right-wing leader on Thursday on charges including attempting a coup d'etat, criminal organization and the violent suppression of the rule of law.
Bolsonaro, who lost the 2022 presidential election to Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, has always denied these charges. But it's the third time that the former president has been indicted.
According to our affiliate CNN Brazil, the federal police allege that Bolsonaro had full knowledge of a plot to prevent Lula and his government to take office in January 2023, and that that plot included even plans to kill Lula, his vice president Geraldo Alckmin, and the Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
The prosecutors have presented their final investigation report, which is hundreds of pages long, to the Supreme Court in Brasilia. It will now be a decision for the Brazil's attorney general to rule whether to present formal charges against Bolsonaro and essentially put him onto trial.
If we were to go on to a trial, it would likely take place next year. But this scandal is already making headlines today.
For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon -- Bogota.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Tourism turns deadly with five deaths in an idyllic vacation spot in Laos.
That story after the break.
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NEWTON: You see it there. Glowing lava and smoke seen rising from an Icelandic volcano Wednesday. Now the eruption forced the evacuation of a geothermal power plant and two hotels at the world-famous Blue Lagoon. A three-kilometer fissure opened as well, but air traffic was operating normally Thursday. Officials say this eruption was significantly smaller than the last one.
[01:49:53]
NEWTON: It was the seventh such event in the region since last December. Iceland lies on the border between North America and Europe, and one of the most active volcanic areas in the world.
Northern California and parts of the Pacific northwest are bracing for yet another storm. It's expected to strengthen and move toward the coast Friday. And this is coming on the heels of a powerful atmospheric river boosted by a bomb cyclone that unleashed heavy mountain rainfall, snowfall and torrential rain, including life- threatening flooding across coastal areas of northwest California.
More now from CNN's Chad Myers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, a couple of things going on here. Flooding in northern California. Also some very heavy snow in the mountains.
And it's all because of the atmospheric river we've been calling it all week. It's just a river of moisture in the atmosphere. And when it hits the topography of land, all of that rain and the snow wants to fall out.
So 12 inches of precip here. So about what -- 300 millimeters of rain. 20 inches of snow in the mountains and it's very heavy snow. This is the stuff you make snowballs and snowmen with.
But the problem is now its warming up and now it's going to rain on that snow. And that snow is going to try to melt and it may not melt slowly. It may melt rather quickly, clogging drains and causing more flash flooding.
We already know that there will be at least a couple of rivers that are going to get to major flood stage here. So there's your rain and the snow. Great news for the ski resorts there, but they really don't need all of it at once.
Now we move toward Europe where look at all the areas today that will have some type of weather alert from low to medium, and even to high in Romania, with wind and snow there. And then there's a big storm system that's going to affect northwestern Europe by the end of the weekend with a major wind event.
Now there will be snow there will be significant snow, and likely most of it will be closer to Turkey, yes. Seems a little bit far south, but that's where the storm is going.
Now, the wind. There's the low-pressure center that is going to be west of the U.K. And we are going to see that wind. This is Sunday.
And I mean, this is one of those 60, 70 kilometers per hour, maybe even wind gusts along the coast of over 100 kilometers per hour. So pretty big event here coming into northwestern Europe and eventually by next week, all across the entire continent.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: And thanks for that, Chad.
Five tourists have died in Laos due to suspected methanol poisoning in connection with tainted alcohol.
More details now from CNN's Mike Valerio.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the new health alert from the U.S. embassy in Laos says essentially this. If you're traveling within Laos in the area, be especially watchful for bottles of liquor that may look like they've been tampered perhaps there's a label on one of the bottles that doesn't look right, that doesn't look like it's been printed professionally.
So that is the warning that has gone out, because we seem to have this expanding story line from Laos of more and more people being poisoned by alcohol tainted by methanol.
So to give you an idea of what we're talking about. Two people from Denmark, one American citizen, one Australian citizen and one person from the United Kingdom all dead in this same town of Vang Vieng. It's in the middle of Laos, a beautiful, idyllic unspoiled corner of Asia where so many tourists and backpackers go as they look for the journeys of a lifetime, a real adventure.
And we've been able to follow the story lines of two Australian teenagers -- Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones. Both 19 years old, both from Victoria who were aiming to have this similar journey of a lifetime before heading on to university studies.
But their family members tell our affiliates in Sydney a few days ago, that late last week, they're both suspected of consuming some kind of tainted alcohol.
They both fall violently ill, to the point where they both need to be moved from Laos to neighboring Thailand to a hospital in Bangkok and one of the teenagers unfortunately has died, Bianca Jones. So far Holly Bowles as far as our reporting shows, is remaining on life support.
So the story line right now rests on the question of whether this will grow.
And when we're talking about why methanol. Our reporting is also shown that just a little bit of methanol used in counterfeit bootleg alcohol can make you drunk, a small quantity.
But a small quantity of methanol and alcohol can also be toxic. It's used to produce alcohol in a cheaper way, but it's also a far more dangerous way to manufacture alcohol as well.
So this story expanding to several countries beyond the borders of Laos here in Asia.
Mike Valerio, CNN -- Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:54:50]
NEWTON: Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani and New York Yankees Aaron Judge have been named Major League Baseball's most valuable players. Now in the American League, this was Judge's second MVP honor of his
career. The Yankee captain led the Majors this season with 58 home runs, 144 runs batted in and 133 walks.
For Ohtani meantime, this was his third MVP award and the first in the National League. The National League slugger became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season all while recovering, think about it, from elbow surgery.
Fans are celebrating Shohei Ohtani's win in the land where he was born and played earlier in his career.
CNN's Hanako Montgomery has the latest on Japan's national hero.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What can't Shohei Ohtani do? The news of him winning the most valuable player award comes on the heels of his stellar season.
Ohtani made history as the first player ever to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. He's also won MVP this time solely as a designated hitter. He didn't pitch this year because yes, he was recovering from elbow surgery while breaking all these records.
And Japan couldn't be prouder. Fans here have been eagerly awaiting their favorite baseball superstar to win MVP once again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought he was a monster for being able to hit that hard in rehab. I admire him.
MONTGOMERY: Japan also hoped he'd win MVP unanimously and he did. This also marks his first MVP win in the National League, and he achieved it in a year when his team, the Dodgers, won the World Series.
So even though this is his third MVP win, in a lot of ways this one feels even more special for both him and his country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From children to old people everyone is longing for him.
CROWD: Let's go Dodgers.
MONTGOMERY: People in Japan were with Ohtani every step of the way. During the World Series, roughly 13 percent of Japan tuned in, giving the game higher TV ratings here than in the U.S.
Ohtani's first season with the Dodgers was nearly flawless.
So on behalf of Japan, congratulations again Ohtani.
Hanako Montgomery, CNN -- Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: And I want to thank you for watching. I'm Paula Newton.
CNN NEWSROOM continues with my friend Lynda. Kinkade. That's after a short break.
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