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Australian Election Dominated by Cost of Living; U.S.-Canada Relations; Gaza Blockade Stretches into Third Month; Trump Asks Federal Reserve to Lower Interest Rates; E.U. Consumers Fight Trump's Policies with Their Wallets; Voting on Creation of City of Starbase, Texas; Planting Mangroves to Combat Rising Sea. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired May 03, 2025 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
Australians choose who will lead their country. We'll have details on the latest election being closely watched around the world.
President Trump shares his thoughts on a possible recession as the U.S. sees better than expected job growth. But prospects for the economy remain on shaky ground.
Plus, Prince Harry says he hopes to reconcile with his father, King Charles. Hear what he revealed in an explosive new interview.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: Polls are now closed in eastern Australia, while voters in the West have just under two hours to cast their ballots in an election dominated by cost of living concerns and the U.S. president's tariffs chaos.
Now you're looking at live pictures right now of voting in Melbourne. That is vote counting. Current PM Anthony Albanese of the Labor Party and Peter Dutton of the center right Liberal Party are the main contenders to be prime minister. Here's Albanese casting his ballot in Sydney a few hours ago.
CNN's Mike Valerio has more on what matters to voters and why Donald Trump is looming large over Australia's election.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Australia, the cost of living and housing prices are big drivers in the country's national
election but experts say so too are the trade policies of U.S. president Donald Trump.
Highly contentious issues that will likely fall to incumbent Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his labor party or main challenger conservative
leader Peter Dutton from the Liberal Party but political analysts say reaction to Trump's global tariffs could tip the election.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: Make sure you know where the destination is, because it is destination chaos and destination shambles
and destination cuts from Peter Dutton.
PETER DUTTON, LIBERAL PARTY LEADER: I don't know Donald Trump is my point. My point is that who I trust is the Australian people. My job is to stand
up for our country's interests.
VALERIO (voice-over): Dutton has said he wants to cut migration, overhaul so called woke agendas in his campaign to, "Get Australia back on track."
But he's trying to distance himself from comparisons to Trump, especially after the recent elections in Canada, where the conservative opposition
lost after he was favored to win. The defeat fueled by a backlash over Trump's policies and his comments on making Canada the 51st U.S. state.
But besides Trump's tariffs, there is another wild card in this election. For the first time, millennials and Gen Z voters outnumber the baby boomer
block, making up 43 percent of the electorate. Many are first time voters and what they care about could sway the results.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the Labor Party have done nothing for ordinary people since they've been elected. I think Peter Dutton would be worse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rising nationalism is my biggest concern right now because of the dangerous rhetoric that it contains.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To be honest, the political state of America is sort of -- it's heavily impacting the way that I'm viewing the current election,
just in the sense of trying to avoid the situation that's happening over there.
VALERIO (voice-over): China was one of the biggest international concerns in the last Australian election. Now Australians are worried about uncertainty in the global economy.
So while the U.S. president is not on the ballot Saturday, many Australians will be thinking of him as they cast their votes. Mike Valerio, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: I want to bring in Frank Bongiorno, who's a professor of history at the Australian National University. He joins us from Canberra.
Thank you so much for being here with us. So it sounds as though it's a very tight race.
What are the latest numbers telling you and why are most of the experts kind of being cagey about their predictions?
FRANK BONGIORNO, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY: Well the two-party preferred vote, which is normally considered a really important measure, has Labor consistently in front, usually 52- 48. Some of them are even a bit higher than that, 53-47. And normally that would basically be game over.
But one of the things that's happened in recent years is a very large number of voters, the kinds of voters who are often disillusioned with the existing system or the major parties, turning to minor parties, turning to independents.
And so we have fewer and fewer of those kind of traditional two-party contests, which means that there are a large number of seats where you know, you could get an independent.
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You could get a Green. It's certainly conceivable that we'll end up with a minority government; that is, neither of the major parties will actually be able to muster a majority on its own and it will have to turn to at least a part of the crossbench, those independents and minor parties, in order to be able to govern.
BRUNHUBER: All right. So it sounds like there are more wild cards this time around. And speaking of a wild card, I want to ask you about the effect Donald Trump might have on this campaign. We saw in the Canadian election, it was decisive, probably the issue that led to the Liberals' win.
So what effect, if any, has Trump had on the Australian election?
BONGIORNO: Yes. Look, I think it's been a kind of pale version of what we saw in Canada about three months ago. The polling was very bad for the incumbent Labor government here. And I think a combination of factors.
But the Trump sort of first 100 days, perhaps more than anything else, I think has really advantaged the Albanese Labor government, the incumbent. Peter Dutton, of course, is of the center right. And I think early on, in particular, you know, it was really in some ways imitating a kind of Trumpist politics.
So you know, he said he was going to cut over 40,000 public servants that, yes, there are attacks on sort of wokeism, those kinds of things very early on. He even appointed a shadow minister for government efficiency. So it all seemed like very much an echo of the American scenario.
And, of course, once the tariff wars started, I think that may have worried many voters, who turned to certainty. You know, in situations where you have, you know, global uncertainty, where people are worried about you know, the future, they're perhaps more likely to turn to an incumbent.
And I think we've seen fairly similar patterns here in Australia to those that we saw with Mark Carney in Canada. It's still, of course, possible. It's still conceivable that Labor won't get back in.
But the polling does suggest that, you know, the people are turning to kind of better the devil you know, rather than the -- what I think has been presented as the riskier alternative of a Dutton liberal national party government.
BRUNHUBER: Right. Interesting. So here in the U.S., young voters have the lowest turnout among all age groups.
But in Australia, where voting is compulsory, how important will their vote be and how are the parties trying to appeal to them?
BONGIORNO: Yes. So the voting of younger people is increasingly important. I mean, 20 years ago, it was sort of the Baby Boomers that mattered and I think helped to keep John Howard in power for the Liberal Party for many years. He won election after election.
But the coalition, that center right coalition has really struggled, I think, to attract younger voters. And when I say younger, I mean, we're not really talking about a youth vote. We're talking about people, you know, under the age of about 45. And that was really evident at the 2022 election three years ago.
And I think one of the big criticisms of Peter Dutton and the coalition is that they failed to win those voters over. And this is also true of women voters, where the coalition did very poorly again at the 2022 election.
I think there's a sense that there's just been a lack of a concerted effort to win over those voters this time around, that the coalition opposition hasn't really been able to build, you know, the kind of constituencies that it needed to get back into power.
BRUNHUBER: Right. All right. So listen, we only have about a minute left but I did want to ask you this.
What would an Albanese or a Dutton win mean for relations with the U.S.? BONGIORNO: One of the really interesting things about this campaign is that neither of the major parties seems to want to talk about that. I mean, they're very keen to talk about, you know, the price of petrol and, you know, marginal issues around taxation.
But you know, the convulsions coming out of the whole situation in the U.S. is something that they, you know, almost seem to be engaged in a kind of conspiracy not to discuss.
And I think because it's a really difficult issue in an election campaign, both of the major parties are very strong supporters of the alliance with the United States.
But I think both also realize that that's in very different and very choppy waters and that managing that relationship is in its economic and its strategic dimensions is going to be one of the biggest challenges for any incoming government.
BRUNHUBER: Interesting. Well, it'll be fascinating to see how this unfolds. Frank Bongiorno in Canberra, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.
BONGIORNO: Absolute pleasure.
BRUNHUBER: Well, as we said, Donald Trump had a significant impact on the Canadian general election. And now, a little more than a week later, prime minister Mark Carney will head to Washington for talks with the U.S. president.
On May 6th, Carney and his Liberal Party rode to victory with tough talk against the Trump tariffs. Now he'll head into a meeting with the coming week, anticipating hard negotiations and difficult conversations.
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Here he is.
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MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: I go there with the expectation of constructive, difficult but constructive discussions. That's the spirit of the conversations that the president and I had.
You know, you go to these meetings well-prepared, understanding the objectives of your counterpart and always acting in the best interests of Canada. And we'll go from there.
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BRUNHUBER: And he's signaling that one thing definitely not on the agenda is anything to do with the idea of Canada becoming the U.S. 51st state.
Now amid all the gloomy talk of recession and new high tariffs, the U.S. economy just had a good run. Stocks ended the week higher and the latest jobs report was surprisingly strong. But fears still linger that president Donald Trump's trade war could put it all into reverse.
And if it does lead to a short recession, the president says he'd be OK with that. Here he is.
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KRISTIN WELKER, NBC NEWS HOST: And that's my question, the long-term. Is it OK in the short-term to have a recession?
TRUMP: Remember this, look, yes, everything's OK. What we are -- I said this is a transition period. I think we're going to do fantastically.
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BRUNHUBER: Trump's comments come as Friday's jobs report shows the U.S. economy added 177,000 jobs in April, slightly down from March but more than expected. Wall Street also closed higher on Friday.
All the major averages gained more than 1 percent and the S&P 500 is on a record winning streak. It's regained all its losses since president Trump's tariff announcement at the beginning of April. But many Americans have yet to feel the full impact of the president's tariff war. CNN's Richard Quest has more on the mixed economic picture.
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RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST: When taken at face value, the jobs numbers were pretty good news for the U.S. economy. More jobs were created; the level of unemployment was steady and, all in all, one could say things are full steam ahead.
Except the jobs number, a bit like the GDP number that we saw earlier in the week, classed as rear view mirror data. It shows what has happened in the economy rather than where we're going.
And so far, if you look to the future, the data there is not nearly so encouraging. Yes, there are talks that tariffs are being negotiated with countries like South Korea and India. There are possibility of talks about talks about talks with China.
But so far no deals have actually been announced. And the reality is that, on tariffs, a major exemption was removed, the so-called de minimis exemption, goods coming from China worth under $800. They now have to have paperwork, they have to have tariffs.
And since there are more than a billion of them a year, it's going to be a headache for everyone concerned. And yes, all the other tariffs are still in force, 145 percent for China steel, aluminum autos, 2,025 percent here and there, 10 percent general tariff.
So as we look forward to the data, we can start to expect to see the results of the tariffs, the results of the slowdown and then the jigsaw will be complete -- Richard Quest, CNN New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Two months with no humanitarian aid. The situation in Gaza has reached a staggering new low. Food, water and basic health care have become nearly impossible to find. We'll go live to Gaza City for an update next on CNN NEWSROOM.
Plus, what the U.S. vice president is now saying about the war in Ukraine and how close we are to a ceasefire deal. That and more coming up. Please stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: In Gaza, residents of Jabalya searched for survivors and victims in the rubble of a destroyed house. Officials say a large number of people were killed and wounded in an Israeli strike there on Friday.
It comes as Israel's blockade of Gaza is entering its third month. Humanitarian groups say aid supplies are depleted and warn that Gaza is approaching all-out famine. Journalists covering the war are becoming more frequent casualties.
The U.N.'s human rights office says Israeli attacks have killed at least 209 journalists in Gaza since October 7th, 2023. Now the photojournalist you see in this video lost a leg in an Israeli strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp last month and now he's talking about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMI SHEHADEH, PHOTOJOURNALIST (through translator): I witnessed all the crimes that occurred and then came the moment when I became the victim of one.
I was a field journalist, wearing all recognized press markers. Yet I was directly targeted. I was in an open area, clearly identifiable as a journalist, wearing a helmet, a press vest, carrying a camera, surrounded by colleagues. And still I was hit. That moment changed my life entirely.
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BRUNHUBER: I want to bring in Olga Cherevko. She's a spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and she joins me live this hour from Gaza City.
Thank you so much for taking the time to be with us here. So 60 days without aid. Malnutrition has reportedly doubled in a month. You've called this the worst case scenario. So first, in terms of access to food, describe what's happening there in Gaza. OLGA CHEREVKO, SPOKESPERSON, U.N. OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF
HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS: Indeed. This situation is deteriorating beyond any kind of scenario that we could have imagined.
When I look outside the window, when I go outside and speak to the people and visit shelters, visit these remaining struggling community kitchens that are just struggling to prepare any sort of morsel of food for the people, there are fights everywhere.
There are people fighting over water. The inter-communal tensions, the kind of tension in the air is palpable. And we really are shocked at how far this has gotten. And literally everything is emptying.
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Community kitchens are closing and life is becoming has gone from being extremely difficult to intolerable.
BRUNHUBER: You spoke about the tension there. It was reported this week that thousands of desperate people stormed a U.N. school and warehouses in Gaza City looking for food.
I mean, what did you hear about that situation and how big of a problem is it?
I mean, desperate people resorting to desperate measures.
CHEREVKO: Absolutely. You know, during the ceasefire, we noted a market decline. And actually, no reports of looting or break-ins or attacks on humanitarian convoys.
Now this has become the norm. And we're hearing these reports almost on a daily basis, including things that that you mentioned, like desperate people breaking into warehouses looking for something to survive on. And we have nothing to offer them.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. And you know, there's no food going in. And then we've heard that you know, a bag of flour can cost $100.
I mean, how are people managing to feed their children?
And then you touched on water. I mean, access to clean water. Some people in Gaza have to choose between washing and cooking.
CHEREVKO: Exactly. In fact, bag of flour can cost much more than that. It's something close to $300-$400 these days, depending on where you are. And it's impossible to find in any case. And if you do find it, obviously nobody can afford it.
So people try to mix macaroni or any kind of crushed flour, you know, additives, to put into whatever they have. And, of course, people try to share with each other. And there's specific community initiatives. But this is very low scale and it won't last.
And as we mentioned already, some 35 community kitchens have had to shut down because all the stock has been distributed to them and they are no longer able to reduce the meals any further.
And I've spoken to many people who haven't eaten in days. I've seen severely malnourished children. Some of them will not survive. We've already seen reports of children dying from malnutrition. And this is just going to get worse unless the situation changes immediately and this blockade is broken.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. I mean, children dying of malnutrition is just unacceptable. And then we're talking about aid in the context of food. But I mean, there's also supplies and fuel.
I mean, what effect is all of this having on, for instance, hospitals and health care?
CHEREVKO: That's exactly right, Kim. It goes way beyond food.
And we are suffering on every level in terms of running out of supplies, like vital medicines, of not having the critical equipment to support the people in health care.
For example, not having the spare parts that -- they didn't come in even during the ceasefire, the sufficient spare parts to maintain equipment to repair water networks to do things like this.
I mean, two days ago, I visited a pediatric hospital, where they showed me a tiny baby, a 29-week baby that had been born prematurely. His twin had died a day before. And they the doctor told me this baby is 100 percent going to die because we do not have the equipment to keep him alive.
There are so many preventable deaths examples right now that are taking place, that are absolutely shameful and appalling that this is occurring, because this could be easily addressed and reversed.
BRUNHUBER: Well, that's exactly it. I mean, there are thousands of trucks full of aid just across the border, waiting to be let in. We have heard calls from some countries, like the U.K. and Germany to, you know, put more pressure to allow aid to get back in.
What more needs to be done?
CHEREVKO: Exactly. So there's -- food wise alone, there's 116,000 tons, metric tons of food, waiting at the borders. And we're ready to start.
And we have not stopped delivering assistance. But obviously, we're running out of everything and we're ready to start delivering at scale once again, the way we did in during the ceasefire.
What needs to happen for this?
Again, the decision makers, those who have the power to put pressure, they need to act. They need to make these decisions that will lead to breaking this very deadly blockade.
BRUNHUBER: All right. So really appreciate getting your expertise on this. Olga Cherevko, thank you so much.
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Really appreciate it.
CHEREVKO: Thank you. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Well, days after the war in Gaza began, a man in the U.S. state of Illinois killed a Palestinian American boy and severely injured the child's mother in a vicious hate crime attack. On Friday, he was sentenced to 53 years in prison.
During the trial, the court heard harrowing testimony and emergency call audio. The mother and child had been renting rooms from the man in October 2023. She said the landlord targeted them because of their faith, telling them during the attack they had to leave because they're Muslim, in response to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Seventy-three-year-old Joseph Czuba was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder and hate crime charges. The attack renewed fears of rising anti-Muslim discrimination in the U.S.
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BRUNHUBER: Ukrainian authorities say Russia launched a massive drone attack on Kharkiv in the northeast. It sparked fires in homes, apartment buildings and warehouses across four districts of the city on Friday. The attack reportedly left at least 47 people wounded, including an 11-year-old child.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged his allies to stand up to Russia, saying, quote, "Almost every night in Ukraine turns into a nightmare that costs lives."
U.S. vice president JD Vance claims that president Trump managed to secure a really big breakthrough in the peace process but he told FOX News he doesn't believe the war will end anytime soon. Here he is.
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J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's going to be up to the Russians and the Ukrainians. Now that each side knows what the others' terms for peace are, it's going to be up to them to come to an agreement and stop this brutal, brutal conflict. It's not going anywhere but it's not going to end anytime soon.
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BRUNHUBER: CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has more.
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I think the vice president's comments that the war is not about to end anytime soon, very much pointing toward Ukraine and Russia to find a solution here, is possibly a reflection of the reality. Or maybe whether the White House now understands Moscow's head is in
all of this, that they are not urgently wanting some kind of ceasefire and the fact they've been rejecting for over a month an unconditional ceasefire offered by Ukraine and the United States.
But it might also be potentially read as the beginnings of this administration trying to disentangle themselves from this particular peace initiative. Very much of their own making, as indeed as the deadline they've set themselves about how fast they thought they could achieve it.
And we've seen, of course, the change in staff in Trump's inner security circle of Mike Waltz being moved to a U.N. ambassadorship and Marco Rubio, both secretary of state and national security advisor, now as well.
That keeps a similar but reduced negotiating team at the table. But it certainly suggests a lack of consistency within the White House security circles. The Moscow outside might potentially seize upon that as an avenue where they can delay or prolong these talks a little longer.
But there's the possibility here, too, that, as this notion of peace that Trump has so urgently wanted seems more and more distant, Vance suggested there had been a big breakthrough recently.
But let's be honest, outside of the rare earth minerals deal signed between Kyiv and Washington, we're not seeing leaps ahead in terms of how fast a peace deal might actually come to fruition. A lot still needs to be done.
There have been assessments from senior Western officials that perhaps Russia's limiting its goals. It doesn't want to try and take more of Ukraine. It is happy with what it has and wants to focus on its economy.
I would argue that's pretty convenient for a Trump administration that wants to paint a picture of a Moscow that will, frankly, stay where it is, if indeed it accepts a ceasefire.
But there's so much more left to do here. And perhaps the vice president's comments are a reflection of that. Also too, perhaps colored with this administration's general unease or perhaps tiring of how they might actually get some diplomatic progress here -- Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.
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BRUNHUBER: In a matter of hours, Elon Musk could gain something he hasn't had before: his own town. The vote to create a SpaceX company town in south Texas has some of the neighbors worried about what comes next. That ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to offer reassurances as his trade war feeds recession fears. He says the American economy will be, quote, "OK" in the long term, even if there is a short recession.
Now all this comes as a new round of auto tariffs goes into effect. Now most auto parts imports will come with a 25 percent tax. This will have a huge impact. Not a single car of the 10 million turned out by U.S. plants last year was built without at least some imported parts.
Trump is allowing limited reimbursements for car producers but those will be eventually phased out.
In other news, the president is using the stronger-than-expected April jobs report to push the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates.
And the U.S. footwear industry is asking the White House for tariff relief. A letter from their trade group, made public on Friday, says the taxes could wipe out hundreds of businesses and tens of thousands of jobs.
Dozens of Brands like Nike, Crocs and Steve Madden say the tariffs hit their industry especially hard because high tariffs already are in place on children's shoes. They say, without relief, they could be looking at extra costs of almost 200 percent.
E.U. consumers are resisting Trumpism with apps and boycotts of American-owned brands. CNN's Melissa Bell has the story from Paris.
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MICHEL CERDAN, #BOYCOTTTRUMP MEMBER: So --
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So -- so before you would have come in and you would have taken these chips.
CERDAN: Yes, I used to take this one but now, when I took this one.
BELL: Across Europe, a quiet protest is playing out in supermarket aisles. American products left untouched. The #BoycottTrump is gaining traction as Facebook groups rally Europeans to push back against U.S. policies with their wallets.
Michel joined a French group in March.
CERDAN: As long as we are aggressive, a policy of American administration, we want to make president to say, stop it.
BELL: His group even provides an app called DeTrumpify Yourself that let's consumers know if a company's funding traces back to the United States.
CERDAN: Further, I wonder if it is so we just use the app and it says, yes, it's --
BELL: It's American. So American.
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CERDAN: Well, we'll try with that. We look like.
BELL: This is a very French brand.
CERDAN: Very French. But sometimes we have surprised. Yes.
BELL: So we can buy.
But sometimes you get surprises because you find that a company that you thought was French has in fact been bought by an American group. And that's the point of the app.
CERDAN: Exactly.
BELL: One recent survey in France found that six out of 10 people support consumer boycotts of U.S. goods. The poll also showed that the hardest hit American brands included Tesla, McDonalds, Coca-Cola and Victoria's Secret.
But it's not just products. Travel to the U.S. from Europe is also down. In March, visits dropped 17 percent compared to the same time last year.
GHISLAINE, #BOYCOTTTRUMP MEMBER: It's changed the way we travel. It's changed the way we consume. There's hesitation and fear about going to the United States.
PROTESTERS: Stop Trump.
BELL: So Ghislaine, who asks us not to use her last name as she has family in the United States, joined a small group of American protesters on Thursday.
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BELL: Just here in Paris, there have been three anti-Trump protests in as many weeks, including this one at the heart of what is the traditional day of demonstration here in Paris, the May Day protest with a decidedly American feel. Now this group includes not just Americans who live here but also some of their European allies and American tourists who've just taken a day off of their vacation to make their voice heard.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm here for my grandparents, who were immigrants from Italy.
And, they were -- there was prejudice against them and they were very, very proud to be in America. And I'm not sure they would be today. BELL: Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The White House is harshly criticizing Germany over designating the far right Alternative for Germany party as extremist. Secretary of state Marco Rubio, Elon Musk and vice president JD Vance have attacked America's longtime ally.
Vance even accused the Germans of rebuilding the Berlin Wall. Germany's domestic intelligence agency classified the ADF as extremist for what it says are racist views. Both Vance and Musk have previously voiced support for the party, whose co-leader has been fined for using Nazi slogans.
The extremist designation allows for greater state surveillance and monitoring of the party.
The Trump administration is making an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court over who can access Social Security data on millions of Americans. The White House wants Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to have access.
But a lower court blocked it. Now that court said the data exceeds what, quote, "all but the few most experienced and trusted in the administration" are permitted to review. The White House says DOGE employees need the data to make reforms that fight fraud.
One of the lower court judges said those efforts are a fishing expedition and are based on little more than suspicion.
Elon Musk is already the richest man in the world but he could soon have something new to add to his portfolio, a company town. People in the tiny south Texas community that's home to SpaceX will vote today on whether Starbase, Texas, should become a city, since many of the nearly 300 eligible voters are SpaceX employees.
The measure is expected to pass and that has some people worried. Ed Lavandera reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's only one way on land anyways to reach SpaceX. For generations, highway four was the road less traveled.
RENE MEDRANO, LOCAL LANDOWNER: We bought out here. All of this dirt road.
LAVANDERA: And for Rene Medrano, traveling the path less taken to a hidden beach at the southernmost tip of Texas has made all the difference in his life.
But this retired high school coach fears Elon Musk and SpaceX are taking too much control over who can access this part of their world.
MEDRANO: People want to go to Mars, let them go to Mars. There's people that want to go to the beach and enjoy Boca Chica Beach. OK?
Let's compromise.
LAVANDERA: The latest chapter in SpaceX development is an election tomorrow to make this high-tech outpost an official city. If approved, the city limits would stretch from the Texas coast inland along Highway 4. Residents here will also elect a mayor and two commissioners, all connected to SpaceX and are running unopposed.
This is the entrance to what is poised to become the newest city in Texas, made in the image of Elon Musk, if you will. It is Starbase, Texas.
In recent years, a well-manicured neighborhood has sprouted in this marshy coastal plain. There are airstream trailers, single family homes, rows of freshly planted palm trees, SpaceX employs more than 3,000 people in this facility.
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This will be the proverbial company town.
Jared Hockema is a local Democratic Party official and city manager of nearby Port Isabel.
What is your concern with Starbase becoming a city?
JARED HOCKEMAN, PORT ISABEL CITY MANAGER: SpaceX is great. It's brought a lot of jobs. The question always comes back. Are you using public power to benefit a private interest?
LAVANDERA: Every time SpaceX launches or moves rocket parts, Highway 4 is closed down. The company needs to get permission from local county officials. But SpaceX and some Texas lawmakers want to give SpaceX more control of the road closures and access to the nearby beach.
As we drove the public streets of Starbase, a security guard started following us around. We wrapped up our work and moved along.
SpaceX and the candidates running for public office did not respond to CNN's requests for comment.
So you're going to be one of the original settlers of Starbase, Texas?
I guess that's the way --
ANTHONY GOMEZ, MANAGING PARTNER, ROCKET RANCH: I hope so. Pioneers. Pioneers.
LAVANDERA: Do you -- do you -- do you feel that way or is that being --
GOMEZ: It feels like manifest destiny sometimes.
LAVANDERA: Anthony Gomez runs a business called Rocket Ranch. Hundreds of people come to this observation point on rocket launch days.
GOMEZ: We do launch observations. It's the closest place to see it from in America.
LAVANDERA: Three-point-seven miles away. So when that rocket takes off the big one.
GOMEZ: You can feel it. Yes, your entire -- I mean, every molecule in your body vibrates with joy. It's amazing.
LAVANDERA: Gomez says turning Starbase into a city will help Elon Musk and SpaceX make even greater progress in space travel.
GOMEZ: They're moving at an incredible pace. The most important thing about this mission is that its time sensitive, like humanity is finite, consciousness is finite. You have to move quickly.
LAVANDERA: As we reach the beach with Rene Medrano, he pointed out, SpaceX wants approval for up to 25 launches a year and why he fears were this development is headed.
Do you worry about what Elon Musk and SpaceX is up to by trying to create this city?
MEDRANO: The number one thing that I think a lot of people are worried about is to get the SpaceX, have a gate and it says, closed forever. And then now we can never, ever enjoy the beach that we have now.
LAVANDERA: Ed Lavandera, CNN, Boca Chica, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Britain's Prince Harry says he hopes to make amends with members of the royal family. He's calling on his father, the king, for a reconciliation. That and more coming up. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: We're getting exclusive new details about the upcoming trial of musician Sean Diddy Combs. Multiple sources tell CNN some of Combs' former sexual partners and a male sex worker are among those expected to testify in the criminal case against him that begins next week.
The key witness is Cassie Ventura, singer and ex-girlfriend of Combs. Combs is accused of running a criminal enterprise, where he and others coerced women into sexual situations known as freakoffs, where women were often drugged and forced to engage in several days of sex acts with male prostitutes. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denies all allegations
against him.
A despondent looking British Prince Harry is revealing details about his estranged relationship with his father, King Charles. In an interview, the Duke of Sussex says the king stopped speaking to him because of his legal battle to restore security for him and his wife and children when they visit the U.K.
Now Prince Harry says he hopes to reconcile with his family. CNN's Max Foster has the story.
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PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: I would love reconciliation with my family.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Prince Harry revealing he no longer speaks to his father, King Charles, in an explosive BBC interview.
PRINCE HARRY: You know, there's no point in continuing to fight anymore. As I said, life is precious. I don't know how much longer my father has. He won't speak to me because of this security stuff. But it would be nice to reconcile.
FOSTER (voice-over): The Duke of Sussex spoke to the BBC after losing a court case over his security arrangements when he and his family visit the United Kingdom. Harry saying Friday's ruling makes it impossible for his family to return to the U.K.
PRINCE HARRY: Obviously, pretty gutted about the decision. We thought it was going to go our way. I can't see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point.
FOSTER (voice-over): The British government downgraded Prince Harry's security in 2020 after he and Meghan stepped down as working royals and moved to California, where they're raising their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
PRINCE HARRY: When that decision happened, I couldn't believe it. The one thing that I could rely on is my family keeping me safe.
FOSTER (voice-over): A palace spokesperson issued a statement about the court's ruling, telling CNN issues raised by Harry in the interview were "examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion."
The Duke of Sussex also talked about the years-long rift with the royal family. He said the publication of his book, "Spare," in 2023 ripped open old wounds after he shared scathing and intimate details about his experience as a royal.
PRINCE HARRY: , of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book., of course, they will never forgive me for lots of things. FOSTER (voice-over): But losing this case, Harry said, is a sticking point.
PRINCE HARRY: The only thing that I've been asking for throughout this whole process is safety. I love my country. I always have done, despite what some people in that country have done.
FOSTER (voice-over): Max Foster, CNN, London.
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BRUNHUBER: And we'll be right back with more here on CNN NEWSROOM. Please stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Coastal regions in Indonesia are disappearing into the ocean. The nation's construction developments have left local communities increasingly vulnerable to the impact of climate change. CNN's Allison Chinchar has more on one woman's efforts to save her submerged village.
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ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Years of rising sea levels and sinking land have pushed this once dry Indonesian hamlet slowly under the water, now surrounded by the ocean two kilometers away from the nearest shore.
Persija and her family try to hold back the water with mangrove trees.
PERSIJA, MANGROVE FARMER (through translator): The floodwaters come in waves gradually, not all at once.
I realized that after the waters began rising, I needed to plant mangrove trees so that they could spread and provide protection for the house from the wind and the waves, as well as providing nesting places for birds that have so far benefited us.
CHINCHAR (voice-over): Traveling by boat, Persija tends to her mangrove trees in the sea every day. She estimates she has planted around 15,000 mangrove trees a year for the past 20 years. She and her family survive off the fish her sons catch for the market. She used to grow crops, now impossible.
PERSIJA (through translator): At that time, I could still grow rice, chilies, peanuts, corn, all kinds of sweet. Potatoes and cassava grew here. Yet now, everything that I used to be able to produce, I have to buy it all. CHINCHAR (voice-over): Although climate change plays a part in the
rising sea levels, environmentalists say the main cause of the land being taken by the ocean in Indonesia is human interference; specifically, construction.
With these land development projects comes the need for a large water supply. When that supply is lacking, developers will drill for groundwater. This, paired with the weight of the buildings and foundations, will cause the land to sink, otherwise known as land subsidence.
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With her world slowly sinking beneath the waves, Persija is still fighting for her home one mangrove tree at a time.
PERSIJA (through translator): I'm no longer concerned about how I feel about being isolated here since i decided to stay here. So we take all these hurdles with a pinch of salt.
CHINCHAR (voice-over): Allison Chinchar, CNN.
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BRUNHUBER: Archeologists discovered a medieval shipwreck while excavating a former fish market in Barcelona. According to the team, the ship is believed to have sunk off the Catalonian coast sometime in the 15th or 16th centuries. They say underwater finds like this one are rare and require extra precautions to remain intact.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): One of the key factors in preserving the current condition of the ship is maintaining the original level of moisture it had when we found it, which was 100 percent humidity.
So now we have to constantly keep it watered and at night we use an irrigation system to ensure the wood stays completely soaked.
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BRUNHUBER: So far, the ship's stern and 30 curved wooden ribs have been found. Experts have noted its Mediterranean style construction but also highlighted potential design influences from regions along the Atlantic.
As the excavation progresses, more details about its origins are likely to emerge.
Well, that wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.
