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Trump Celebrates His First 100 Days of His Second Administration Despite Sinking Poll Numbers; Vietnam Marks 50 Years of the End of the War, Continues to Deal with the Agent Orange Exposure; UNICEF Appeals to the World in a Powerful Social Media Post. Aired 3- 4a ET
Aired April 30, 2025 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, Donald Trump celebrates his first 100 days in office, touting his record and boasting of retribution. But his sinking poll numbers tell a different story.
Plus, 50 years after the end of the Vietnam War, the country still grapples with the consequences of a chemical weapon that ravaged ecosystems and brought disease and illness to millions.
And as astronauts prepare to venture farther from Earth, scientists are working to ensure they stay fed by helping them grow food in space.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Good to have you with us.
U.S. President Donald Trump claims his first 100 days back in the White House are the most successful in history. He spoke to cheering supporters at a campaign-style rally in the battleground state of Michigan on Tuesday.
The latest economic data tells a very different story. Wall Street suffering the worst first 100 days of a presidency since Gerald Ford in 1974. Consumer confidence at its lowest level since the COVID pandemic and economists predicting the weakest GDP growth since 2022.
The president also bragged about his tariff policies, which he says have countries lining up to make new trade deals.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: They're coming from all over the world to see your president. They want to make a deal.
They want to make a deal. And, you know, we'll make deals, but we don't have to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The president also appears to have made another concession on tariffs, signing an executive order with exemptions for U.S. automakers. It allows reimbursements for duties on imported car parts if the vehicles are assembled in the U.S. and prevents manufacturers from facing multiple auto-related tariffs.
More now from CNN's Jeff Zeleny, traveling with the president.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: With his first 100 days now behind him, President Trump wrapped a rally in Macomb County, Michigan on Tuesday night, waxing nostalgic about the last decade of his public life, far more than talking about the challenges ahead.
But he said that his administration, so far in this first 100 days, has been the most successful and busy in history.
TRUMP: We're here tonight in the heartland of our nation to celebrate the most successful first 100 days of any administration in the history of our country, and that's according to many, many people.
This is the best, they say, 100-day start of any president in history, and everyone is saying it. We've just gotten started. You haven't even seen anything yet.
ZELENY: But that belies, of course, the challenges that remain for the president, his buzzer agenda, his tax agenda, and so much more. The president spent very little time dwelling on the economic anxieties that are so clearly coursing through the American country.
Nearly six in ten Americans believe that the policies of the Trump administration have worsened the economy. That was clear as we spent time talking to voters here in Michigan, that they want to hear more from President Trump on the economy.
There is no doubt that tariff policies and how that is ultimately resolved, including the trade war with China, will go a large degree to determining how successful the Trump administration will be. But for now at least, the president, basking in the glow of his supporters as they piled out of this rally, the next 100 days begin on Wednesday in Washington, with so much more and so many challenges to accomplish.
Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Warren, Michigan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Larry Sabato is the director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. He joins us now. Good to have you with us. LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA-CENTER FOR POLITICS:
Thank you so much, Rosemary.
CHURCH: So President Trump marked his first 100 days in office with a speech at a rally in Michigan Tuesday outlining what he considers to be his big achievements so far, while at the same time ignoring widespread polling that shows his job approval dipping to historically low levels. What was your overall reaction to what he had to say?
SABATO: There was absolutely nothing new in it, but that's often the case. He did shift emphasis a bit, though, and the White House has generally. They are trying to stay away from detailed discussions of the tariffs or the economy generally or prices.
[03:05:09]
And they're putting the focus on the one area where they have nearly 50 percent support and where arguably they've been the most successful, and that's border protection.
CHURCH: Yes, indeed. And Donald Trump says the economy is great. That's about all he said about it, he talked about eggs coming down 87 percent, which is false.
But polls show the majority of Americans disagree with him. And clearly, the economy is central to Trump's problems. But he barely talked about it, as you point out, he barely mentioned tariffs during his speech or his budget and tax plan that now has a July deadline.
Why avoid speaking about the very issue that swept him into the White House when there's clear economic anxiety right across America?
SABATO: He doesn't want to remind people that he did not bring prices down on day one, as he promised. He doesn't want to remind people that, in fact, he caused at least on two occasions the stock market nearly to crash. It's recovered somewhat, but it's clear that everyone is very nervous about what he's doing and why he's doing it and whether he really has a plan.
He says he does. But then Trump says a lot of things that aren't true.
CHURCH: And on Tuesday, President Trump also announced he's easing some auto industry tariffs. But anxiety and uncertainty surround the impact of these tariffs. It hasn't. The majority of Americans very worried.
But Trump's going to need to make more significant changes to his tariff policies, isn't it? If he wants to reverse this downward trend in his approval rating, with around 60 percent of Americans saying the economy is worse under him and his tariff price hikes haven't even hit yet, have they? I mean, in six or eight weeks, we'll know about it, won't we?
So what more does he need to do to change that sentiment among voters? Because presumably that's something he would want to do. SABATO: Well, you would think so. He seems very determined to follow
through because he's insisted on it for years and years and years, and now that he's finally been able to do it and it doesn't seem to be working, he's loath to admit he was wrong. That's always the case, he really never admits he's wrong.
But notice what he did. He went to Macomb County, Michigan, that's the home of the Reagan Democrats. Michigan is the key state for him that arguably put him over the top in both 2016 and in 2024.
And the autoworkers in Macomb are very unhappy with what's going on. So he took some of the tariffs back to please them. Maybe that's the key.
Maybe every locality in America that specializes in a particular good or service can invite Trump in and then he can get rid of all the tariffs. That may be the best solution.
CHURCH: Right. And of course, earlier Tuesday, reports were out that Amazon was possibly planning to show the added costs of tariffs on goods.
Trump's press secretary called that a hostile and political act. Trump then called Amazon boss Jeff Bezos directly, and he backed down the company, saying, quote, "This is not going to happen." So, Larry, when did transparency become a hostile act?
SABATO: Yes, imagine transparency being described this way, letting people know why they're paying more for certain goods and services. Who knows what Amazon had really planned to do or how far this has gotten. But what's important here is that it reminds us that all those billionaires sat in front of Donald Trump's cabinet at Trump's inauguration.
It showed how important they are and how close they are to Trump. And to this point, they have done everything that Trump has asked them to do. And then some.
So we'll have to watch this carefully, because I don't know that many Americans or many people around the world would really want billionaires to be running things.
CHURCH: Larry Sabato, always appreciate your political analysis. Thanks for joining us.
SABATO: Thank you, Rosie. I enjoyed it.
CHURCH: Japan's tariff negotiator is set to meet with officials in Washington today for a second round of trade talks. This comes amid calls from China for the international community to stand firm against President Trump's tariff threats.
CNN's Hanako Montgomery joins me now live from Tokyo. Good to see you again, Hanako. So what more are you learning about Japan's upcoming tariff negotiations with the Trump administration and, of course, any other possible trade deals in the works? HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rosemary. It's good to see
you, too. So we know that Japan's top tariff negotiator, Ryusei Akazawa, is currently on his way to Washington, D.C., where he's about to engage with the United States in a second round of tariff negotiations.
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Now, that's after the first round of tariff negotiations that happened earlier in April.
And Japan hasn't outlined specifically what they're hoping to achieve through these talks. But according to Akazawa himself, the 25 percent tariff that currently exists for Japan's auto manufacturing industry is just simply too high for Japanese carmakers. They can't absorb the additional costs associated with those tariffs.
So it's likely that Japan will try to lower those tariffs somehow, perhaps try to make some concessions, perhaps offering some really deals on non-tariff barriers.
But also, Rosemary, I do want to note here that this second round of talks comes on the heels of a recent executive order signed by the U.S. president, Donald Trump.
Now, this new executive order, like you just described there, does offer some really aid and concessions to auto manufacturers based in the United States, companies including foreign companies that produce and assemble cars in the United States.
Specifically, this executive order offers reimbursements of up to 3.75 percent on the value of the car produced in the United States. And the year after, that reimbursement cap goes down to 2.5 percent. And the year after that, the reimbursements would disappear entirely.
But again, these reimbursements, according to the U.S. president, are supposed to help U.S. auto manufacturers as the country is really in this interim period of moving auto manufacturing from competitors like China, Japan, Mexico and Canada back to the United States.
In fact, here's what the U.S. President, Donald Trump, said at a rally on Tuesday in Michigan about the new tariff changes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We don't want them building them in Japan. We want them to build them here. We want China to build them in here.
So I want to just let you know you're going to be very proud of this country very soon. And with my China tariffs, we're ending the greatest job theft in the history of the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MONTGOMERY: So as you just heard there, Rosemary, Trump is really hoping that manufacturing goes back to the U.S., creates job in the United States. But again, really, whether he's able to do that, we don't really quite yet know.
And of course, even though this executive order does offer some concessions for certain auto manufacturers, the 145 percent tariff on all imports from China still exists.
Also, I do want to note here that 3.75 percent is not really that high in the grand scheme of things. And it will help some Japanese auto manufacturers like Toyota, for example, that already has a pretty large presence in the U.S.
But for companies like Mazda, Mitsubishi, Honda, for example, that still produce outside of the U.S. quite often, it will be still very expensive and they'll likely still be scrambling to make deals with the United States about these tariffs. Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right. Hanako Montgomery, joining us live from Tokyo with that report. Many thanks.
Well, the head of one of the world's top ranked airlines tells CNN the global trade war is already affecting their business. Korean Air CEO says they stand to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue if the tariff standoff continues.
CNN's Mike Valerio sat down with the company's CEO.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a new chapter and a delicate moment for Korean Air, a redesigned look announcing a long awaited acquisition of its former rival, Asiana Airlines.
Korean Air CEO Walter Cho tells us plans for new planes and upgrades to all cabin classes are still moving forward, even when tariff turbulence rattles the travel industry.
VALERIO: Do you see a downturn when it comes to passenger volume here, or are you thinking that you're going to be OK through this?
WWALTER CHO, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, KOREAN AIR: Well, we're already seeing the downturn in passenger volume between Trans-Pacific and also to Europe.
VALERIO: How big?
CHO: Subtle, maybe 5 percent compared to last year, but it has some significant impact to our business.
VALERIO: So when you're talking about down 5 percent, what does that mean in dollars in terms of revenue lost?
CHO: Anywhere between $500 million to a billion dollars a year.
VALERIO (voice-over): That is, if the current downturn lasts all year. Cho says he projects Korean Air to stay in positive territory in 2025. But advisory firm Tourist Economics projects under an expanded trade war scenario, international inbound visits to the U.S. could decline by 12.7 percent, a $22 billion annual loss in inbound travel spending.
Cho says for now, there's some resilience in the skies.
CHO: The reservation data for this summer is very strong. Starting June, mid-June, everything's full.
I'm not planning to downsize in our cargo. I mean, we're going to refocus our volume to Europe and other places where demand will still be there.
VALERIO (voice-over): Then there's buying American. In March, Korean Air finalized its biggest ever deal with Boeing in order for up to 50 wide-body planes, a $32 billion deal hailed by the Trump administration.
We asked if Cho sees this as a move to strengthen ties with the U.S.
[03:15:01]
CHO: Yes, but, you know, I was always a Boeing fan, so to speak. I always have, you know, well, there's only two choices. But, you know, I always trusted Boeing and I would always go to Boeing for my needs.
VALERIO (voice-over): As major U.S. carriers reduce routes, Cho says Korean Air isn't cutting any, adding flights to L.A. and Atlanta, betting big on America and that trade war winds will soon calm.
Mike Valerio, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Pakistan believes India may soon launch a military strike in retaliation for a deadly attack on civilians in India-controlled Kashmir.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ATTAUALLAH TARAR, PAKISTANI MINISTER FOR INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING: Pakistan has credible intelligence that India intends carrying out military action against Pakistan in the next 24 to 36 hours on the pretext of baseless and concocted allegations of involvement in the Pahalgam incident. Indian self-assumed hubristic role of judge, jury and executioner in the region is reckless and vehemently rejected.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: No details on how Pakistan reached that conclusion, but tensions between the two nuclear armed rivals have been rising after militants massacred 26 tourists in India's Kashmir region one week ago. India accuses Pakistan of being involved in the attack, which Islamabad denies.
The U.S. and China are urging both sides to show restraint. Still to come, 50 years on since the end of the Vietnam War, and though decades may have passed, the conflict is still taking a toll on the people and the environment. We'll be back with more on that after the break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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CHURCH: Thousands of people turned out to celebrate 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
Crowds lined the streets of Ho Chi Minh City for a military parade and air show as people danced, sang and waved flags. The anniversary commemorates the beginning of Vietnam's reunification.
On April 30, 1975, communist-run North Vietnam seized the city known at the time as Saigon, the capital of the U.S.-backed South. The conflict killed some three million Vietnamese and nearly 60,000 Americans. Even today, 50 years on, the country is still grappling with the human toll and environmental damage from chemicals used by U.S. forces during the war, namely Agent Orange.
The chemical was a mix of herbicides used to destroy vegetation, but its components have also been linked to cancer, birth defects and environmental damage that lingers to this day. It has seeped into food and water supplies, and some three million people, including children, still face serious health issues due to exposure to Agent Orange. Now, there are new concerns that U.S. President Donald Trump's cuts to foreign aid could hinder the cleanup effort.
And for more on this, we want to bring in Aniruddha Ghoshal, a reporter with the Associated Press focusing on environmental and climate issues in the region. He has written about the lingering toll of Agent Orange, and he joins us this hour from Ho Chi Minh City. Appreciate you being with us.
I'm hoping we can hear you. I didn't hear you there. I'm hoping our audio is OK.
ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL, REPORTER, ASSOCIATED PRESS: I said, thank you for having me.
CHURCH: Wonderful. Yes, we've got you there.
So despite the Vietnam War ending 50 years ago, the battle against the herbicide, Agent Orange, continues to this day with millions of people still dealing with the effects of that toxic chemical. What disabilities, birth defects and other health issues have been linked to Agent Orange?
GHOSAL: So as you mentioned, Vietnam estimates that there are about three million people, including children who still suffer from very serious health issues that are linked to exposure to Agent Orange. And these range from cancer to birth defects of the spine and nervous system. And these tend to be individuals in Agent Orange hotspots where heavy spraying took place, where and as a result, the toxin has lingered and has seeped into food systems and potentially impacts multiple generations. What's important is that the science of causality is still incomplete, both in terms of the health impacts of the direct exposure or generational trauma.
And this is partly because when the Vietnam and U.S. started working together to rectify the issue, they didn't focus on the contentious issue of the impact on people's health. Instead, the focus was on environmental impacts and clearing it.
CHURCH: And what level of support to those impacted by exposure to Agent Orange receive and what's being done by Vietnam and, of course, the U.S. to clean up the toxic legacy of the war?
GHOSAL: So Vietnam initially fenced off heavily contaminated sites like Da Nang airport and provided support to impacted families.
[03:25:04]
It has since been working with the U.S. to clear up Agent Orange hotspots, which, you know, to date punctuate the country. 58 of its 63 provinces still have Agent Orange hotspots and there are still large sites that are contaminated.
For context, the U.S. completed a hundred million dollar cleanup at Da Nang airport, which during the war was used for storing and transporting Agent Orange. But Vietnam points out that a massive area, roughly the size of 10 soccer fields, still needs to be cleaned up.
CHURCH: And of course, we did mention as we led into your interview that there are concerns that U.S. President Donald Trump may discontinue a commitment to this cleanup operation because he has cut other foreign aid. Talk to us about how possible that is.
GHOSAL: Yes, it's a lot of anxiety about aid cuts and more broadly about the erosion of trust between the two countries, which would take place if these programs addressed at war legacies were to discontinue.
And during our reporting, the U.S. State Department told us that war legacy projects like clearing dioxin at a site called Bien Hoa or demining programs in Central Vietnam would remain active and running. It did say that it would conduct assessments for allocation of future resources.
But the issue is that if a cleanup once started is interrupted, you now have this exposed contaminated soil, which could then get into waterways and harm more people.
And U.S. aid staffers in Vietnam are expected to be gone by later this year. And there is a lot of apprehension that even if there is funding, there may not be anyone left to administer the funding for remediation programs.
And I mentioned the erosion of trust, and that is actually really key because the relationship between these two former foes has been built over the last three decades. And dealing with these legacies of the war, like Agent Orange, dealing with them together has been vital to this relationship.
CHURCH: All right, Aniruddha Ghoshal in Ho Chi Minh City, many thanks for joining us. I appreciate it.
GHOSAL: Thank you.
CHURCH: Still to come, coping with cutbacks and empty stomachs. I'll ask the head of a food bank about the Trump administration's plans to get rid of some food assistance programs. Back with that in just a moment.
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CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Rosemary Church. Let's check today's top stories for you.
The British military has launched new airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in a joint operation with U.S. forces. The U.K.'s Defense Ministry says the strikes on Tuesday targeted buildings south of the capital Sanaa used by the Houthis to manufacture drones.
Pakistan says it has credible information that a military strike from India is imminent in retaliation for last week's deadly militant attack on tourists in India-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan denies any involvement in that attack. The U.S. and China are urging the nuclear- armed neighbors to show restraint.
U.S. President Donald Trump celebrated the first 100 days of his second term with a rally in the battleground state of Michigan. He claims the economy is booming, but the latest data shows stocks, consumer confidence and job openings all on the decline.
Well despite sinking poll numbers and a slew of economic warning signs, Donald Trump insists he just completed the most successful first 100 days of any administration in U.S. history. The President told a crowd of supporters on Tuesday there's more to come.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're going to have something that you won't even believe. We will end inflation, slash prices. We've already ended inflation, raise wages and give you the greatest economy in the history of the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: But a new CNN poll shows nearly 60 percent of Americans believe his economic policies have hurt the country. Only 27 percent consider the current financial climate an improvement. Many Americans are not just worried about making ends meet, but also about putting food on the table.
Last month, the Trump administration's Agriculture Department announced it's cutting funding for two pandemic-era food programs that provided more than $1 billion to farmers in 40 states, supplying fresh food to food banks, pantries and schools.
[03:35:01]
According to Feeding America, 47 million people in the U.S. face hunger, including one in five children, and some 50 million Americans turned to food programs in 2023.
Earlier, I spoke with the CEO of the Facing Hunger Foodbank, and I asked if she's noticed a significant change in how people are coping since Donald Trump took office now that the federal government is dialing back its efforts to address hunger.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CYNDI KIRKHART, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, FACING HUNGER FOODBANK: With the most recent changes with USDA, in terms of not following the previous administration's administration of CCC funds with TFAP, as an example, we had 11 loads of food, about 330,000 pounds of valuable food resources canceled for the month of April, which would have been distributed in the next few weeks.
So for a food bank that distributes about a million pounds a month, a full third of that going away is significant for us, and our communities are struggling, we're very rural with a lot of remote areas and already barriers to access for food. So people are really feeling those challenges, especially when we don't have the food resources to supplant what they have.
CHURCH: So when those resources are not coming in, what do you do? What is plan B in that situation?
KIRKHART: Well, we always say that the way that we get food is either through donations or purchase. And if I don't get the food donated, then I have to find ways to purchase product, not necessarily having that built into my budget for the volume that I would be having to replace.
So we're going to have to really get creative. But one thing we are is hopeful that the partnerships that we've always experienced with USDA in particular will find a way to move forward and hopefully to find a way to have Congress push forward a good farm bill.
CHURCH: And of course, we know that Trump's trade tariffs will go into full effect in about six to eight weeks. So that is when we can expect more price hikes on groceries. How will that impact what your organization is trying to do at this point when you're struggling to sort of make ends meet as it is?
KIRKHART: All right. Well, certainly when the public pays higher prices for food, food banks do as well. But one thing that we are reminded of is in the previous Trump administration, when we did have the tariffs, we also had trade mitigation product. So if that comes about, that will certainly offset some of the food resource challenges that we're experiencing currently.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: New Russian drone attacks on Ukraine are rattling hopes for a possible ceasefire. Ukrainian authorities report at least one person was killed in what they say was a massive Russian drone attack on the city of Dnipro on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, at least 30 civilians were wounded after more than a dozen Russian strikes on Kharkiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Kyiv is preparing to speak with the U.S. about slapping new sanctions on Russia to try and put pressure on Moscow to end the war.
Mr. Zelenskyy also warned that Vladimir Putin might be planning to launch further attacks from neighboring Belarus in the coming months.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Look at Belarus. Russia is preparing something there this summer using military drills as cover. And that's usually how they start a new attack.
But where will it go? I don't know. Ukraine, Lithuania, Poland, God bless, no. But we all need to be ready.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: President Trump's envoy for Ukraine flatly rejected a Russian proposed three-day ceasefire, calling it absurd. The Trump administration has warned it will walk away from mediating an end to the war if progress is not made.
The Kremlin's proposed ceasefire would coincide with Russia's World War II Victory Day commemorations on May 9th and the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. The U.S. and Ukraine are demanding a longer truce that Moscow has so far refused to accept.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Our proposal, which was voiced by Russian President Vladimir Putin, is the start of direct negotiations without preconditions.
[03:40:04]
A ceasefire in this situation is seen as a precondition that will be used to further support the Kyiv regime and strengthen its military capabilities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Coming up, a powerful post about current conditions in Gaza that you need to see. Global spokesperson for UNICEF will join us live after this short break. You're watching CNN.
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CHURCH: The families of hostages are enraged after the Israeli Prime Minister's wife was overheard saying this about the fate of those still held in Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (translated): We have, of course, an important task, not only to win, but also to bring home (the hostages). Until today, we have returned 196 of our hostages, 147 of whom were alive. There are up to 24 living. Up to 24 living, fewer.
I say up to. And the rest are, I'm sorry to say, not alive. And we will return them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Israel has said in recent weeks that it believes up to 24 of the hostages are still alive. However, this hot mic moment appears to indicate the government may have more information about them. The group representing the hostages' families slammed Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, demanding full disclosure on the status of their loved ones.
Well meantime, the United Nations World Food Program said last week that it has run out of food in Gaza. And this comes almost two months into Israel's humanitarian blockade of the enclave.
UNICEF's global spokesperson, James Elder, put up a powerful post on Instagram. There's no audio, but the message could not be louder. Take a look.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
And James Elder joins us now live from Geneva. Appreciate you being with us. What's been the response so far to this very powerful post? And why did you feel the need to get this message out at this time?
JAMES ELDER, GLOBAL SPOKESPERSON, UNICEF: Rosemary, the response is not nearly enough. We have seen in the last week some major governments, the U.K., the Germany, France, talking about ending this blockade.
But we're 60 days in. And the reason it's so important is because we are losing more and more lives. More and more children are being killed because of this blockade.
So malnutrition -- rates of acute malnutrition in children, Rosemary, doubled in a month. Doubled in the space of a month after amazing work being done when there was a ceasefire, when hostages were going home and when we could get food in, 90 percent of families with water have to choose between do we wash or do we cook. And a lot of women are giving birth preterm because of the level of
stress. And we've got dozens of incubators, Rosemary, across the border. So 60 days, the level of illegality around that is almost unprecedented.
We have to be allowed to get aid into the Gaza Strip because right now, as that post says, unfortunately, yes, the only thing entering, the only thing children are seeing coming into Gaza are bombs and missiles.
CHURCH: Yes, incredible post. And that message hopefully will be heard.
So talk to us. If there is no food going in, what are people doing on the ground in terms of feeding their children, their families?
ELDER: We are now in that vicious cycle, Rosemary, of malnutrition and disease. So those two to go hand in hand in a very dangerous way. And that is when a child doesn't get the nutrition that they need, then they are more at risk of a disease.
And disease, of course, is spreading because there's a lack of water. So people can't use the sanitation they need.
Big water systems that UNICEF runs are lacking a lot of the fuel for those things. And hospitals are overflowing. You cannot take a child to a hospital in Gaza because they're malnourished or because they've got diarrhea because the children being treated are children who've been part of bombardments.
I think the critical thing here is that this is not just about principle, but principle very much so, Rosemary, practically like hostages. Let's all be clear. We must all agree it was abhorrent that hostages were taken in Gaza.
And even more so now there are still grandmoms and brothers and sisters still somewhere in the Gaza Strip. But what we've seen is that the release of hostages happens through ceasefires and negotiations. More than 140 people have been released during those times, less than 10 during military means and blockades.
So children are being punished right now. And it's not doing anyone any good. As my executive director said 16 months ago, peace in the Middle East will not be gained by killing so many children in Gaza and by doing so much devastation.
So, you know, Rosemary, since World War II, UNICEF has worked on a very simple principle for the children who are downtrodden and at the wrong end of the stick. And that is we advocate they're in a classroom, they get food, they get water, they get medical care.
I've done this for 20 years. This is the first time in my career, Rosemary, that I have to begin in Gaza by advocating that children are in fact children and then working from there. And that's why this blockade is allowed to happen, that's why people have turned away, but it's too much now. [03:50:04]
Those with power cannot turn away. We cannot see thousands upon thousands of children killed from the air.
And now the very same risks of disease and malnutrition on the ground because of a blockade where there are people in five-star restaurants 20 kilometers away and thousands of tons of aid, Rosemary, for these children and incubators for pregnant moms just across the border.
CHURCH: So, James, what needs to happen to get Israel to allow humanitarian supplies to get into Gaza? And why is there not more international pressure being applied to Israel to get this done?
ELDER: It's a great question. And it is the question. And it's a question we've asked.
And the highest levels of the United Nations have pushed. And now, as I say, you have influential government saying enough.
And yet nothing has changed. And as I say, the argument should be very clear. The argument should be around not punishing children.
Children cannot suffer any more in any sense of in any legal sense and at the same time getting hostages home. And that's why this is so incredibly frustrating and troubling, because ceasefires get aid in. People get a chance to breathe.
Children get the support they need. Hostages go home. We're not seeing that.
We're seeing the exact opposite of that right now. Why that is the case? The centers of power are still not putting enough pressure to ensure hostages to get home and to ensure hot children stop paying this horrible price for a war that they did not create.
CHURCH: James Elder, a powerful message to the world. Hopefully they are listening. Many thanks for joining us, I appreciate it.
And we'll be right back.
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CHURCH: Feeding astronauts in space can be very expensive. We're talking thousands of dollars per meal. Now, as crews prepare for longer missions away from Earth, scientists are looking to cut down on the cost of food by having astronauts grow it themselves.
CNN's Nick Valencia has our report.
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NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Europe's first returnable commercial spacecraft, Phoenix 1, launched on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket last week. One purpose of the mission, to test whether astronauts could grow all of their own food in space. As the momentum for space exploration grows, the attention now turns to the astronauts. With Mars on the horizon for some time in the 2030s, a round-trip mission will last about 18 months.
[03:55:03]
DR. RODRIGO LEDESMA-AMARO, IMPERIAL COLLEGE-LONDON: This project is about how we can produce the food we need if we want to travel in space, if we want to colonize other planets. It's really difficult to bring everything we need from Earth.
Just think that an astronaut consumes between half a kilo and 1.5 kilograms of food per day. And every kilogram we ship to space can be $20,000. So imagine every meal can be something like $10,000.
VALENCIA (voice-over): NASA, the European Space Agency, and other partner countries have long been working aboard the space station to learn how to live in space and growing some food. Now, the Imperial College, with the help of the Bezos Earth Fund, are investigating how to create food that both astronauts and people on Earth can produce sustainably using bio-foundries, with cells acting as mini-factories.
The plan is to use microbes and microorganisms such as bacteria or yeast, enabling space crews to grow their own food, fuel, and even medicine.
LEDESMA-AMARO: If we bring a tiny little cell out into space, that cell can then grow and produce everything we need.
VALENCIA (voice-over): The team hopes the mission will reveal whether the cells can produce the variety of products they seek, from vitamins to dairy products to biodiesel. And that's just the start.
LEDESMA-AMARO: But down the line, when we have the moon base, we need these kind of bio-reactors to be able to really sustain permanent settlement of human civilization in this environment.
VALENCIA (voice-over): The team hopes to provide space crews with the taste of home while out in space, and maybe make some space pizzas.
Nick Valencia, CNN.
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CHURCH: Well, the world's largest solar telescope is shedding new light on our understanding of the sun. A newly released image shows the surface of our nearest star in unprecedented detail.
The close-up reveals a cluster of continent-sized dark sunspots that are areas of intense magnetic activity. Detailed images like this allow scientists to learn and predict potentially dangerous solar weather.
The European Space Agency has successfully launched its biomass satellite into space. The satellite will collect data on the carbon content of the Earth's forests and measure the effects of deforestation and climate change for the next five years.
The mission manager says the satellite's radar is able to see through layers of ice and sand, which could tell researchers more about the structure of ice in Antarctica and what the world looked like thousands of years ago.
I want to thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church.
"Amanpour" is next, then stay tuned for "Early Start" with Rahel Solomon, starting at 5 a.m. in New York, 10 a.m. in London. Have a wonderful day.
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