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Western Nations Condemn Israeli "Drip Feeding Of Aid" In Gaza; Venezuela To Investigate Alleged Abuse In El Salvador; China Places Exit Ban On U.S.-Based Wells Fargo Executive; Kenyan Human Rights Activist Freed On Bail; Protests In Mexico Denounce Gentrification. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired July 22, 2025 - 00:00   ET

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

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MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, PROFESSOR OF AFRICAN AMERICAN & DIASPORA STUDIES, VANDEBILT UNIVERSITY: What Theo managed to do was to balance both, hip-hop and Motown. He was able to be authentic with himself, look at the posters in his room about South Africa and Apartheid. It was political but on the other hand, it also showed the broad humanity, the universality.

Theo was any American kid. And if you can imagine yourself doing the things he did, you could transcend a narrow conception, a negative one of blackness, and embrace his universal human experience.

COATES: This one hit different. Michael Eric Dyson, thank you.

DYSON: Rest in peace, my man.

COATES: Thank you all for watching. "ANDERSON COOPER 360" is next.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: The slow burn of international outrage heats up over Israel's war in Gaza, ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Countries say the suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached, quote, "new depths."

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VAUSE: More than two dozen countries describe aid distribution in Gaza as a death trap, while demanding an end to the conflict.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They are coming from a concentration camp from a horrible place where they were sequestered by the government of El Salvador.

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VAUSE: Set free on Friday, an investigation began Monday into allegations by hundreds of Venezuelans of sexual abuse, beatings and torture while held in El Salvador's supermax prison.

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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Many came with signs blaming foreign money for driving up rents.

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VAUSE: And the rent is too damn high, this time in Mexico City. Growing anger over gentrification.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: In Gaza, aid distribution points are now being described as death traps where many are killed either by Israeli forces or, as the case over the weekend, caught in a stampede of desperation as aid trucks arrive, the few that is allowed by Israel into the territory.

A warning some of the images you're about to see are disturbing. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while seeking humanitarian relief since May, according to officials in Gaza. That's had triggered demands from 25 Western countries for Israel to end the war because the suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. These countries go on, "We condemn the drip feeding of aid, the inhumane killing of civilians, including children seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food."

Meantime, Israeli tanks have rolled into parts of Deir al-Balah in Central Gaza, the first time in this 21-month long war. That's according to witnesses, aid agencies as well as Israeli media reports. Israel issued evacuation orders for the area Sunday. The families of hostages back in Israel are condemning the move, saying the lives of their loved ones are now put at risk.

Among those who are dying because they can't get enough to eat, a 4- year-old girl. She clung to life in a Gaza hospital for weeks before succumbing to hunger and malnutrition. That's according to a medical source.

CNN's Paula Hancocks has her story. First, a warning, though. What you're about to see in this report is disturbing.

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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Four-year-old Razan Abu Zaher was hospitalized with malnutrition more than one month ago.

"Malnutrition has caused her to suffer from a mobility disability," her mother says. "Her health was good before the war, but there is nothing to strengthen her. No milk in the hospitals or pharmacies."

Sunday, Razan became the latest child in Gaza to die of hunger. A skeletal body laid out on a slab of stone, painful proof of the famine the U.N. and others have long warned about.

It is shocking, but should not be surprising. In the space of 24 hours, 18 deaths were caused by famine, according

to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. Yasser Ahmad was waiting at this soup kitchen since 6:00 a.m., desperate to take something home to his family of 12.

"Flour is expensive," he says. "Everything is expensive. Where can we get food from? We don't know what we'll do in the end. Eat each other?"

When his turn comes, the amount poured into his bowl is minimal. He walks the four kilometers back home. When his wife sees how little is in the pot, she starts crying.

"Is this enough for 12 people?" she asks. "Is it enough for a woman who is seven months pregnant? Even a 1-year-old child wouldn't be satisfied by this."

Pouring the watery soup into one bowl, the family eats together. The father allows himself just one spoonful, leaving the rest for his children and grandchildren. After this, he says he will go to another soup kitchen to see if he can keep starvation at bay for one more day.

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Israel says the military is working to allow and facilitate the transfer of humanitarian aid into Gaza, including food, adding there are trucks yet to be picked up by aid groups. The U.N. says Israel often denies permission to move aid or approves routes too dangerous to travel.

Thousands across Gaza risk their lives every day in the search for food. At least 73 people were killed Sunday by Israeli gunfire, or trying to access aid according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The IDF says it, quote, "fired warning shots" in order to remove an immediate threat posed to them. It cast doubt on the death toll. The U.N. says accessing aid has become a death trap. The U.N. World Food Programme says Gaza's hunger crisis has now reached new levels of desperation.

Hospital officials say they are seeing an unprecedented number of starving citizens arriving at emergency departments, a man-made catastrophe that has been continuously warned about. No one can say they didn't see this coming.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: For four decades, General Wesley Clark served in the U.S. Military. He is NATO's former Supreme Allied commander and founder of Renew America Together.

Welcome back, sir. It's good to see you.

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: Thank you. Good to be here.

VAUSE: So, a U.N. worker in Gaza described the situation like this.

"We're in the death phase. Everything around people at the moment is death. Whether it's bombs or strikes, children wasting away in front of their eyes from malnourishment, from dehydration and dying."

And those aid distribution points operated by an Israeli private organization have been described as death traps as well.

Now Israel has every right to self-defense, but rights usually come with responsibilities. Are those responsibilities being met in Gaza? Do you see this as a strategic choice by the Israelis as part of a much wider military plan?

CLARK: I think it's time that we could do better with the food distribution there. I think there's sufficient security for Israel to establish the right kinds of checkpoints, to clear people coming in to stand in line for food, and to have more effective means of distributing the food. If it takes more manpower to do it, we should provide -- Israel should provide that military manpower that's necessary.

Look, this is -- it's a terrible humanitarian crisis. And I think it's in Israel's interest to do everything it can to alleviate this crisis so it's got more freedom of action to deal with the residual of Hamas.

Hamas, of course, is still turning down ceasefires and still attempting to gain the advantage. And one thing we can't afford is for Hamas to come out of this and say that they succeeded, that they defeated Israel. So that's not an acceptable alternative. But I do think it should be possible to devise a more effective means, a safer means for the population of Gaza to get their food resources.

VAUSE: The U.K. is among 25 countries, some of the major allies of Israel, now demanding an end to the war in Gaza. Here's part of a joint statement explaining why.

"The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity."

And Britain's foreign minister also addressed the ongoing forced relocation of Gaza's population. Here he is.

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DAVID LAMMY, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: It's two and a half months since Prime Minister Netanyahu restarted offensive operations. The IDF has driven Palestinians out of 86 percent of Gaza, leaving around two million people trapped in an area scarcely over 20 square miles. Whatever this Israeli government might claim, repeated displacement of so many civilians is not keeping them safe. In fact, it's quite the reverse.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: The Israelis, in their defense, say this is all about trying to put pressure on Hamas to agree to a ceasefire. But how effective are these tactics in actually getting to that ceasefire? These tactics being used by Israel right now?

CLARK: Look, there's no real alternative to this. You can't buy Hamas out. You can't deal with the terrorists any other way than by saying that they will be destroyed. Now, if they came forward and said, look, let us go and let us have a ceasefire, or we'll evacuate everybody, everybody who's Hamas will be out of here. But they haven't said that. They want to maintain their grip on the population of Gaza through terror.

They want to claim that they got a victory out of this, and they want to continue to cause trouble. And how many are there? Is it 10,000 now? A thousand? A 500 hardcore? Israel knows. The world doesn't know. But Israel is still taking casualties from these people with its soldiers. And I hope the majority, and I believe the majority of people in Gaza are fed up with this.

[00:10:05]

But on the other hand, Israel also has to establish a more effective means, more secure means of getting food to the population.

VAUSE: As someone who's, you know, been in charge of many successful military operations in the past, you know, I'm just curious about how this tactic of, you know, controlling the food distribution, which is incredibly dangerous right now in Gaza and the access of humanitarian supplies into the territory, how that gels with the military plan in defeating Hamas.

Has there ever been a situation, you know, which you've seen where, you know, a successful outcome has been achieved by, you know, essentially denying the population adequate food supplies and making whatever food there is available, but in a very dangerous way?

CLARK: I think it's very, very difficult to separate Hamas from the population. That's the problem. And somehow the Israelis believe that their system of restricting access to food and causing people to come to certain distribution points will give them greater freedom of action elsewhere. They've already tried designating areas where the population has to move. Hamas moves into those areas, as it -- as they knew it would.

So this is a game of deadly violence by both sides. But it's Hamas that's provoked it and is using its own population in a totally immoral and illegal way as shields to defend its terrorist activities.

VAUSE: That's a very important point, and a very good one to finish on, sir. Thank you for being with us, General Wesley Clark. Thank you, sir.

Another round of direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine set for Wednesday. Ukraine's president has been pushing for negotiations to resume. The Kremlin, though, warns both sides remain far apart. While Moscow says it's in favor of talks, Russian military attacks on Ukraine are showing no sign of letting up. In the capital Kyiv, a subway station being used as a shelter was damaged in one strike. Russia launched at least 450 missiles and drones overnight Sunday into Monday, capping off a day of attacks which killed at least two people and wounded 16.

Venezuela says it's investigating El Salvador's president and other Salvadorian officials over the alleged abuse of Venezuelan migrants held in the notorious mega prison there. More than 250 Venezuelans who the U.S. deported to CECOT prison back in March arrived in Venezuela last week. Their return was part of a deal that also freed 10 U.S. nationals and permanent residents, along with dozens of Venezuelan political prisoners. That's according to U.S. officials.

Venezuela's attorney general held a news conference Monday laying out details of the alleged mistreatment. He says the former detainees reported sexual assault, torture and beatings by Salvadorean prison guards.

Journalist Stefano Pozzebon following this live now from Bogota.

So, Stefano, what sort of authority does Venezuela have here in this investigation? What could be achieved by this? How serious is this inquiry, if you like?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I don't think that there will be anything more than a war of rhetoric, a war of words. Venezuela and El Salvador don't entertain diplomatic relations since at least the Nayib Bukele took power a few years ago, and himself personally and the Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, are entertaining in a longstanding dispute about who stand more accused of violating human rights.

Look, I think that this is a tricky one because you have on one side the Venezuelan government, which has an abysmal record of human rights, especially when it comes to population behind bars, that is accusing now the government of El Salvador, who have created and built these enormous prison for their own population and now started welcoming in migrants deported from the United States of violating human rights.

And it's very interesting that the Venezuelan attorney general, just like you said, John, in the lead, has called for an investigation by the International Criminal Court. Well, that same International Criminal Court is in charge of an investigation by the -- that same International Criminal Court is in charge of an investigation against the Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro. So I think that it's important to hear some of the voices from these migrants that have just been returned.

And I think that we have one just for you, fresh from Caracas, I think, John. Let's take a listen.

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ANDY HERNANDEZ, VENEZUELAN MIGRANT (through translator): Seeing myself in an orange jumpsuit was a real shock for me. ICE officials, prison guards, managers. They all have tattoos with crowns, roses, clocks on their arms and legs, on their neck. It's contradictory. We Venezuelans are gangsters. But them the Americans are not?

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POZZEBON: So those questions, of course, John, remain. Why have these people been apprehended and treated as criminals? If we know that crossing into the country, albeit, illegally, is not a criminal penalty?

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Well, so those are the questions that we have. And it's very interesting. It's nice to see images of migrants finally return with their loved ones after spending months and months in a notorious prison in Central America. However, is the Venezuelan government entitled to conduct an investigation into another government's abuse against human rights? Well, there are doubts about it, perhaps, John.

VAUSE: Especially coming from Venezuela.

Stefano Pozzebon there, thank you so much. Live there in Bogota.

We'll take a short break. When we come back, two people who traveled from the U.S. to China now being prevented from leaving that country. More on what led to the exit ban after a short break.

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VAUSE: The U.S. based Wells Fargo banker who recently traveled to China is now being prevented from leaving. Officials in Beijing say the exit ban was ordered amid a criminal investigation. But details about the case and how the executive may be linked to it remain unclear. A U.S. Commerce Department employee has also been banned from leaving China as well.

Let's go to CNN's Kristie Lu Stout live in Hong Kong for all the details.

I mean, these exit bans happen from time to time, but what do we actually know why it's been put in place this time?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is what we learned from China on Monday, that China has placed an exit ban on a Wells Fargo executive. And this was linked to an ongoing criminal investigation. Now, separately, we've also learned that the U.S. embassy in Beijing has confirmed -- sorry, I'm getting some sound coming back into my ear. That a Chinese American working for the Commerce Department has also been blocked from leaving China.

And all this is just amplifying concerns about the risks of traveling to and working in the world's second largest economy. On Monday, we heard from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They talked about the Wells Fargo case, and this is a statement that we heard from the spokesperson there. Let's bring it up for you, saying this, quote, "Miss Mao Chenyue is involved in a criminal case being handled by Chinese authorities who have lawfully imposed exit restrictions on her."

"According to Chinese law, the case is under investigation and Miss Mao is temporarily unable to leave the country and is obligated to cooperate with the investigation," unquote.

The details of the criminal case are not clear, and this is what we know about Mao Chenyue. She was born in Shanghai. She is based in Atlanta, Georgia. According to her LinkedIn profile, she's been working with Wells Fargo since about 2012, and she heads its international factoring business. She was also recently named chairperson of a global international factoring network.

We've also received a statement from Wells Fargo in regards to this case. Wells Fargo said this quote, "We are closely tracking the situation and working through the appropriate channels so our employee can return to the U.S. as soon as possible."

Now, since this exit ban, I should add Wells Fargo has suspended all travel to China.

Now we're also following the case of the U.S. Commerce Department employee, who's also been banned from leaving the country. According to the "Washington Post," they say this is a Chinese-American man. He works for the trademark department of the Commerce Department. He was traveling on a personal capacity in China, visiting relatives there, when it was found out that he had not disclosed in his visa application that he worked for the U.S. government.

This morning we received an e-mail from the U.S. embassy in Beijing about this case saying this, quote, "We can confirm that a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office employee, while traveling to China in a personal capacity, was made subject to an exit ban in China. We're tracking this case very closely and are engaged with Chinese officials to resolve the situation as quickly as possible."

Now, these incidents are amplifying concerns that it is risky to travel to the People's Republic of China. And we've heard from international security experts saying that companies need to closely and carefully vet the backgrounds of their American employees before giving the green light for them to travel to China. In fact, this is what we heard from one international security expert, his name, Dell Buckner, who says, "Those with government ties, with dual nationality or involvement in sensitive technologies like defense or advanced technology should not travel to China, including Hong Kong and Macau."

Now, China's Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, stresses that all citizens, whether foreign nationals or Chinese citizens, must abide by Chinese law while inside the People's Republic of China.

Back to you.

VAUSE: Yes, these travel bans can last for months or even years, and there's no real rhyme or reason as to when they get imposed. That's some of the problems here.

Kristie, thanks so much for being with us. Kristie Lu Stout live in Hong Kong.

Well, he calls himself the people's watchman. Now, this prominent Kenyan activist has been released on bail. We'll bring you the latest on his case just ahead.

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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

Foreign ministers from 25 Western countries, including major Israeli allies, are condemning what they call the drip feeding of aid from Israel into Gaza. The statement says the suffering of civilians has reached new depths. Palestinian Health Ministry reports more than 1,000 people have been killed seeking aid since late May.

Ukraine and Russia are expected to hold their first direct talks since early June. On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirms negotiations will again be held in Turkey. The Kremlin says it supports this latest round of talks, but warns the two sides are diametrically opposed in their demands.

And the Venezuelan government says it's investigating several El Salvadorian officials, including the country's president over allegations of abuse. They're coming from Venezuelans who had been imprisoned at the notorious CECOT mega-prison before returning to their home country last week.

Kenya's leading human rights activist is now free on bail after his arrest on Saturday. Police found a tear gas canister and a single rifle round in his office.

CNN's Larry Madowo reports authorities now backing off from their more serious legal threats.

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LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boniface Mwangi is the most prominent Kenyan activist yet to be accused of facilitating terrorism in relation to recent protests against the government of President William Ruto.

But there's a trend here. In fact, civil society groups say more than 100 Kenyan protesters have been charged with terrorism, money laundering, and arson in what they see, and many in the legal community and in the human rights community say, is a weaponization of the criminal justice system to punish dissent and to make protesting too expensive in Kenya. Boniface Mwangi finally appeared in court on Monday, and the charges

have been downgraded to illegal possession of ammunition in connection to tear gas canisters and a spent round that were found at his office, Mageuzi Hub. "Mageuzi" means "revolution" in Swahili.

And he told CNN he will not be intimidated. He will not stop.

BONIFACE MWANGI, KENYAN ACTIVIST: If you look at the actuality (ph) that they have information, that I use Mageuzi to distribute money to goons. I have never worked with goons my entire life.

The people that I've worked with my entire life are actually present here. The guys who are singing in court. I know every single one of them.

MADOWO (voice-over): The Law Society of Kenya says the government is undermining the right to protest in the country. And they pointed out something that many have raised concerned about.

The recent protests have been infiltrated by armed hired goons who have rained terror both on protesters and other members of the public through assault, robbery, looting, and damage to property.

And they say this is not sporadic. These appear to be people who are sponsored, or at least facilitated by the government --

MADOWO: -- because they have been filmed working alongside police, and police have so far not charged any of them.

But the charge of terrorism is a serious one, which carries long prison sentences in the country.

I have covered actual terrorist attacks in this country at the Westgate Mall, at the Dusit attack at Garissa University, where tens of Kenyans were killed by terrorists affiliated with al Qaeda.

And using a terror charge on mostly peaceful protesters trivializes what terrorism means and rubbishes the losses of real Kenyans who have suffered at the hands of real terrorists.

And that is why there's so much outrage in the country about the use of these charges against people who are just speaking out against the government of President William Ruto.

Larry Madowo, CNN, Nairobi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: We have this note to add. Kenyan authorities defended the terror charges against protesters in a statement, saying all charges were strictly based on available evidence. The interior minister insists the offenses met the legal definition of terrorism in Kenya.

We'll take a short break when we come back. Protesters in Mexico City say the cost of living is skyrocketing, and they can't afford to continue living in their own homes. And some are now turning to violence as their frustration grows. More on that in a moment.

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VAUSE: Mexico's president is condemning protesters who set fire to books at a university over the weekend.

Many are complaining about gentrification, especially by cashed-up foreigners, which is leading to housing inequality in Mexico City. But President Claudia Sheinbaum compared those burning books to fascists, saying acts of violence will not be tolerated.

CNN's Valeria Leon has more.

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VALERIA LEON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Mexico City, anger over housing costs spilled into the streets again Sunday.

It was the second protest in less than a month, part of a growing movement against gentrification that's been building in the past year.

Many came with signs blaming foreign money for driving up rents and pushing locals out of their own neighborhoods.

"They suddenly can't afford to live in the area anymore," this man tells me. "They have to move farther away to places that are even more vulnerable."

With housing out of reach for many Mexico City residents and a visible influx of tourists and digital nomads in some of the capital's most desirable neighborhoods, foreigners have found themselves in the eye of the storm.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We demand a law to defend our roots, a law that defends housing as a common good.

LEON (voice-over): Protesters insisted the march was peaceful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We just want to express how we feel. We're not here to do anything wrong. We're here to prevent that.

LEON (voice-over): But the contemporary art museum inside Mexico's most prestigious public university was vandalized. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned the violence.

"Were some actions we don't agree with, and we will never agree with," Sheinbaum said. "A small group, just a tiny part of one of the demonstrations, entered University City, broke the windows of a bookstore, and burned books."

But these protests reflect more than a single march. The city's housing tensions have been escalating for years. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of foreign remote workers, or digital nomads, have relocated to Mexico City, pushing up demand for housing in some of the city's most attractive areas. And where demand is high, prices soar.

EDY NAVA, MEXICO CITY RESIDENT: The price of rentals has gone really, really high in the last couple of years since the pandemic started.

We have seen that a lot of our greenest areas or our parks or nature reserves have been started to -- to be destroyed because people are willing to build these big condominiums with a lot of apartments.

[00:40:00]

LEON (voice-over): And as Mexico City prepares to co-host the 2026 World Cup, officials promise an inclusive event for all.

But for many locals, the worry is that the locals, the worry is that the event's global attention and investment could speed up the very changes they're protesting.

Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. I'll be back with more news at the top of the hour. In the meantime, please stay with us. WORLD SPORT starts after a short break.

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