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One World with Zain Asher
United Nations Approved Request for A New Member; Netanyahu Not Pleased By U.S.'s Pause Decision; Former Trump's Staff Testifies; University Divested from Israel; Palestinian Prisoners Abused in Cells; Duke and Duchess of Sussex Traveled to Nigeria. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired May 10, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: All right, coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. You are indeed watching ONE WORLD.
Just moments ago, the General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling on the Security Council of the U.N. to reconsider a Palestinian
request for U.N. membership.
It would also grant Palestinians new rights and new privileges. Israel's U.N. ambassador, meantime, accused those voting in favor of the resolution
of trying to, quote, "advance the establishment of a Palestinian terror state."
The measure will go to the U.N. Security Council. The U.S. has vowed to vote against any bid for Palestinian statehood. The vote at the U.N. comes
as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is defiantly vowing to do what it takes to win the war against Hamas, with or without the help from the
United States.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): If we need to stand alone, we will stand alone. I have said that, if necessary, we
will fight with our fingernails.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: His comments come amid a deepening rift with the White House and the U.S. president's threat to suspend arms shipments to Israel if there is a
full-scale invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza.
In a separate interview, the prime minister noted his decades-long relationship with President Biden, but again made it clear exactly where he
stands.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NETANYAHU: I've known Joe Biden for many years, 40 years and more. We often had our agreements, but we've had our disagreements. We've been able to
overcome them. I hope we can overcome them now, but we will do what we have to do to protect our country, and that means protect our future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The increased tensions between the U.S. and Israel comes as ceasefire talks are on pause and as the United Nations warns that a massive
ground attack in Rafah would lead to an epic humanitarian disaster. As the Israeli bombardment of Rafah intensifies, scores of tired, exhausted,
terrified, frightened families are trying to get out of harm's way.
The U.N. estimates that nearly 110,000 people have fled the region since Monday, and it warns aid into Gaza could grind to a halt in just a matter
of days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGIOS PETROPOULOS, HEAD OF SUBOFFICE, GAZA, UNITED NATIONS OCHA: Unless these solutions come quickly, our aid activities, our communication with
lack of fuel, banking activities even will halt within the next two days.
HAMISH YOUNG, UNICEF SENIOR EMERGENCY COORDINATOR IN GAZA STRIP: Let's be very clear. This will result in children dying. These are deaths of
children that can and must be prevented.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right. Meantime, the U.N. Agency for Palestinian Refugees had to temporarily close its doors in occupied East Jerusalem after parts of the
compound were set on fire. Set ablaze. Erdogan's chief said Israelis were to blame, and here's how the director of affairs in the West Bank described
it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADAM BOULOUKOS, DIRECTOR, UNRWA AFFAIRS, WEST BANK: It was started right here by some of the locals that live here, and we had about 100 people
watching, clapping, cheering, people taking videos up here. Big fire. All the kids were sitting here on the roof, on the ledge, watching, like
watching football.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right. CNN's Nic Robertson joins us live now from London. We also have Jeremy Diamond in Jerusalem for us as well.
Nic, let me start with you. We could talk about these new rights and new privileges granted by the U.N. to Palestine. Just in terms of what it means
for Palestinians, they can be that much more vocal at the U.N. It allows them to propose debate, for example, but really, when you think about the
overwhelming support that this measure received, 143 states voting in favor, it tells you so much about the way the world is moving on this
particular issue.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It really does, doesn't it? One hundred forty-three, 193 countries could have voted. Nine voted
against. There were 25 abstentions. Obviously, Israel voted against. We had very strong condemnation of what the U.N. General Assembly was about to do
from the Israeli representative there. And he was later then criticized by Pakistan's representative to the U.N. for insulting the General Assembly.
[12:04:52]
So, the mood is fractious, to say the least, as it has been through the history of the United Nations on this subject. If we go back to October
7th, when there's this huge feeling of support for Israelis and the horrific nature of Hamas's terrorist actions killing over 1,200 Israelis on
October 7th, the horror, the shock, there was an outpouring of support for Israel.
But I think, you know, when you get to where we are today, when almost 35,000 Palestinians have been killed as part of Israel's reaction to that
inside of Gaza, the mood has really swung the other way. And this gives, will give Palestinian representatives a greater say at the U.N. This is not
massively changing, but it's symbolic and symptomatic of where the situation is now.
Of course, this does push the issue of Palestinian membership at the United Nations back to the Security Council, where the U.S., because at the
Security Council there's 15 votes, you can have vetoes, and the U.S. vetoed back then on April 18th, vetoing that application for Palestine to become a
member of the U.N.
So it goes back to that point, but that brings up that conversation again. So yes, I think in the overall arc of the narrative of what is increasing
support for the Palestinian voice and increasing frustration, disappointment, anger, even as we heard today with the Israeli position.
ASHER: Jeremy, let me bring you in. It's obviously Netanyahu making the rounds, still reacting to President Joe Biden's interview on CNN earlier
this week. Netanyahu effectively saying when it comes to Rafah, we will go it alone. We will fight with our fingernails if we have to.
We have to enter Rafah because we have to finish what we set out to do, which is, of course, defeating Hamas, regardless of whether or not the US
stands with us. Just take us through his words, Jeremy.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it certainly is a message of defiance from the Israeli Prime Minister in the face of what is one of the
most public threats and pieces of criticism that we've seen from an American president towards Israel in decades, really.
You know, this is, this was quite a moment and an inflection point in the US-Israel relationship to see President Biden effectively condition U.S.
weapons shipments to Israel based off of its conduct in the war in Gaza. That is not something that we have seen from President Biden up until this
moment. Even as we have seen that increased rhetoric for months, there was never any kind of actual tangible condition tied to that rhetoric until
now.
And certainly, that is a moment for U.S.-Israel relations. It's also a moment in terms of the relationship between President Biden and Prime
Minister Netanyahu, two men who have known each other for decades, who have endured ups and downs in their relationship over that period of time.
And certainly we are at a moment now, a low in Israel-U.S. relations and one that it's not clear exactly how it will be resolved because of the fact
that the Israeli prime minister and his government are very much indicating that they will not back down on what they view as a military necessity, and
that is carrying out this all-out ground offensive in Rafah to eliminate four Hamas battalions who the Israeli military says are embedded within the
civilian population in Rafah.
But what is clear is that already, even as we don't know when that all-out offensive will be carried out, when it will expand beyond what we have
seen, already we know that this limited military operation in eastern Rafah is already having enormous consequences on the ground.
At least 110,000 civilians have been displaced from their homes, some of them displaced for the second, third, or even fourth time to areas north of
Rafah that humanitarian organizations say are simply not suitable for that number of humans to be living in, given the lack of sewage, the lack of
running water in parts of that area, and just the access to basic humanitarian aid that they need.
One of the three functioning hospitals in Rafah has had to shut down because of this limited military operation, as the IDF is calling it, in
eastern Rafah, and the Rafah border crossing has now been closed for -- since the beginning of the week as a result of this military operation as
well, seriously hampering the entry of humanitarian aid as well as fuel that is desperately needed by those remaining hospitals in Rafah in order
to carry out those operations.
So there's no question that it's already having an impact on the ground, and that should the Israeli government and the Israeli military choose not
to heed the warnings from the United States, that the situation on the ground for Palestinian civilians will undoubtedly get much, much worse in
the days and weeks ahead.
ASHER: All right. The entire enclave is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe, as we've continued to point out.
Jeremy Diamond, live for us there. Thank you so much. Nic Robertson, thank you to you as well.
[12:10:07]
All right. The central figure, the most important prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial is set to take the stand. CNN has learned
former Trump fixer Michael Cohen will testify on Monday. Cohen's testimony is expected to last several days. He's the man who made the $130,000 hush
money payment to Stormy Daniels just weeks before the 2016 presidential election. Trump's reimbursement of that money forms the basis of the
charges against him.
Today's testimony at the trial has actually been fairly mundane, including a former Trump White House aide who saw Donald Trump signing personal
checks and analysts from AT&T and Verizon who were called to help amid evidence from Michael Cohen's cell phone.
On the left side of your screen, take a look here. You can actually see updates of the trial happening in real time. CNN has reporters inside the
courtroom, keeping us up to date on everything that's happening inside the courtroom and everything that they see and they hear is going to appear on
the panel, on that side panel.
All right, let's bring in CNN's Jessica Schneider with more for us. So, Jessica, just in terms of what's happening today, today is very different
from yesterday. I'll start there.
We are hearing from Madeleine Westerhout, who basically was essentially Trump's personal assistant and privy to so much, especially when it came to
scheduling meetings, for example, between Michael Cohen and Donald Trump and having them perhaps talk about checks that Michael Cohen was going to
use to reimburse Stormy Daniels. Take us through that.
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and that was some of the key testimony yesterday and today from Madeleine Westerhout. You know, she
sat right outside the Oval Office during her time at the White House. So, she continued her testimony this morning. She did make a few interesting
points during her testimony.
First, you know, she talked about this unusual arrangement with the former President Trump having what was a separate P.O. box that he received mail
at while he was in the White House. And that was because, in terms of his view, the White House process of just accepting and distributing mail, it
often took too long. Sometimes things were lost.
So, that was a bit of a quirky arrangement that the jury heard about. Most notably, though, Westerhout, she did testify today during cross-examination
that Trump would often sign his checks without even reviewing them.
She talked about his penchant for multitasking, where he might be on the phone while signing a stack of checks, doing any number of other things.
This, of course, will help the defense in arguing that Trump just didn't know exactly what he was signing when he signed those checks to Michael
Cohen as reimbursement for the Stormy Daniels hush money.
Since Westerhout's testimony this morning, we have heard from a number of people from AT&T, Verizon, also staffers within the D.A.'s office, those
people just being used to get in various evidence, like phone records and tweets and other things that were subject to subpoena.
Of course, Zain, the big spectacle, perhaps, will be on Monday, when Michael Cohen is expected to take the stand for what should be several days
of blockbuster testimony. You know, he could be this witness that will potentially provide what is a link, potentially, between Trump and his hush
money scheme to shield these records and what the payments were really for.
You know, the prosecution needs Michael Cohen to link Donald Trump to this scheme, where, you know, they called these payments to Michael Cohen's
legal expenses, when in fact, they were reimbursements to help Trump's campaigns. That is the basis of this criminal indictment.
So, Michael Cohen will be key, and he'll also testify, likely, about what, in prosecutors' eyes, was a crucial February 5th, 2017 White House meeting,
where Trump and Cohen discussed the hush money payment, how it would be made and, potentially, how it would be covered up.
So, Zain, we have to go through some housekeeping now with some of these minor witnesses who are on the stand today. The judge actually said that
we'll probably wrap up within the next hour. He's going to make it an early day for jurors today on Friday, gearing up for what will be a very big
Monday with Michael Cohen. Zain.
ASHER: Monday is going to be major. Jessica Schneider live for us there. Thank you so much.
Let's dive deeper into all of this. Joining me live now is David Weinstein. He's a former state and federal prosecutor.
So, I'm just going to pick up where Jessica left off in this idea that Monday is obviously going to be a huge day. Michael Cohen is going to be
taking the stand. Michael Cohen is a problematic witness, right, for the prosecution. This is a man who went to jail.
Just in terms of his credibility, the defense is going to try to poke holes in his credibility any which way they can. How does the prosecution
withstand that?
DAVID WEINSTEIN, FORMER FEDERAL AND STATE PROSECUTOR: Well, Zain, he is a crucial and critical witness, and he has plenty of baggage to go along with
him.
[12:14:56]
And so, the prosecution is going to front that baggage out. They're going to talk to these jurors. They're going to tell them about his prior
convictions, about what he's been convicted of, about the fact that he is, in fact, a convicted felon, and that he got a benefit from the government
before.
And certainly, at this point in time, he's being called. He's been served with a subpoena. But in this instance, whatever benefit he got from the
government, he already received it. So, this prosecution team is not giving him any further benefit. So, certainly, the defense is going to say that
his testimony is jaded. He shouldn't be believed.
But look, the reality is, when you're putting on a former co-conspirator in a conspiracy, that's how you get the information to the jurors about how
the conspiracy operated, who knew what was going on during the course of the conspiracy.
Now, it's not a charged conspiracy here, but they're using his testimony to show these jurors what was going on inside the mind of the defendant, who
they say was the head of this conspiracy. And that's the only way to get it in. And quite frankly, the defense is going to say all of these bad things
about Cohen, but he was there working in tandem with the person who's being charged with these crimes.
And so, that's the only way the testimony comes in. It's ultimately up to these jurors whether they believe him or disbelieve him. And that's why
we're seeing all of this record evidence that's coming in through these records custodians, things about their meetings, to corroborate his
testimony.
And so, that's what we're going to see a lot of in the coming week. I think the crucial part here is going to be the cross-examination, obviously, but
to the extent of how far do they go. Look, I think they went a little bit too far with Stormy Daniels this past week. They should have stopped a
little earlier. How far are they going to go with Michael Cohen?
ASHER: That is what we will see next week, David. But just in terms of the main thing that prosecutors are trying to use Michael Cohen to prove here,
they want Michael Cohen to essentially prove that Trump knew what he was signing, that he knew what he was signing when he signed that $130,000
check.
He knew that it wasn't a legal expense, and he knew that it was essentially going to go to reimpose Michael Cohen for those hush money payments. That
is what the prosecution is setting out to prove here.
WEINSTEIN: That's correct. That's what they need to come away with after his testimony. And again, they're going to do that not only based on the
words of Michael Cohen, but on the words of other witnesses who have previously testified about what went on in connection with these payments.
Some of the actual records from the banking institutions that have been admitted, these cell phone records that they've been talking about today,
tweets that have been published and that are out there, all those social media reports, some of the testimony about people who said that Trump knew
exactly what was going on and when these meetings took place.
And as was pointed out, that crucial in-person meeting that took place where he and the former president were the only people who know what was
being said. Again, they need to prove criminal intent here, and they're doing that with their star witness. He is certainly going to be one of
their star witnesses and the linchpin here for their case.
So, it's important for him to withstand the cross and for the prosecution not to hide anything about him and to front it all before the defense
starts asking questions.
ASHER: That's going to be a key tactic. David Weinstein, live for us there. Thank you so much.
All right. I want to turn now to -- all right, still to come here on ONE WORLD. All right. We'll have much more news after this short break. Don't
go away.
[12:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: That's Eden Golan, Israel's entry into the iconic Eurovision song contest. Golan competed in Thursday's semi-final, making it to this
weekend's grand final in Sweden.
But her appearance was not without controversy. Protesters outside the venue are demanding Eurovision disqualify Israel because of its war in
Gaza. Organizers did, however, reject the original lyrics of Golan's song because they were thought to reference the October 7th Hamas attacks.
Meantime, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sent a good luck message to Eden. Mr. Netanyahu wished her success and commended her for
performing under less-than-ideal conditions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NETANYAHU (through translator): Eden, I would like to wish you success. You know what? You have already succeeded. Because you are not only taking on
Eurovision in a proud and very impressive manner, you are also contending successfully with an ugly wave of anti-Semitism and representing the state
of Israel with enormous honor. So may you be blessed with success and know that when they boo you, we are cheering you on.
(CROWD CHANTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: In the U.S., the pro-Palestinian protests are showing no sign of stopping. This was a scene at George Washington University Thursday, a day
after police cleared the protesters' encampment there. As you see, the protests lasted into Thursday night when the protesters marched to the
office of the university's president. D.C. police say 33 people were arrested on Wednesday. Many were later released.
All right, we've been telling you about demands from many student protesters that their universities cut financial ties with Israel.
Ireland's famous Trinity College, Dublin, is the latest to listen to student demands, announcing that it will actually divest from some Israeli
companies by next month.
The move comes after talks between the prestigious college and demonstrators. Protesters had set up tents on campus last week. They also
blocked access to the Book of Kells, which is a popular tourist attraction at the college. It cost the university a lot of money, the fact that
tourists couldn't access it.
Time now for the exchange. I want to bring you someone who has had first- hand knowledge about these protests. David Landy is an assistant professor of sociology at Trinity College. He joins us live now from Dublin.
David, thank you so much for being with us. I mean, this is such a sharp contrast to what we've seen in the United States. I mean, you look at
what's been happening at Columbia, you look at what's been happening at UCLA, where you see police officers clashing with protesters.
A very starkly different thing happened at Trinity College, whereby the university leaders essentially said, OK, we will divest from Israel. Just
walk us through, take us behind the scenes and explain to us how this happened.
DAVID LANDY, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN: Yes, it's a wonderful victory for staff and students who have been encouraging and
demanding college to divest from Israel and also to cut ties with universities, Israeli universities, that operate in an apartheid system and
currently within the context of Israel's current campaign, a genocidal campaign in Gaza.
So, in one way, the event took five days. In another way, you could say that it took nine months because there's been consistent campaigning on
this issue ever since Israel's incursion into Gaza. But in another way, it actually took 10 years.
[12:24:59]
Like, there has been student campaigning on BDS, demanding the students' union divest, demanding the students' union support BDS, demanding college
ends ties and so on. And this moral leadership from the students has been also tied in with solidarity from staff as well.
And so, for instance, in, I think, November, we had almost 500 members of staff in Trinity College signing a letter demanding that college cut ties
with Israeli institutions. And so, when students went out there in the encampment, they weren't isolated. And like, what college initially tried
to do was they tried to fine them. They issued a massive fine on the students.
ASHER: Right. It was about 214,000 euros. It was a ridiculous fine, basically.
LANDY: Yes, it was a sort of unpayable fine. And there was massive societal indignation about this. You had alumni in the college contacting the
college saying, this is a disgrace. You had the fellows of Trinity College.
I know it's an archaic term. These are the scholars of distinction in Trinity demanding that college de-escalate the conflict rather than what
we've seen in the United States where college administrators have been escalating the conflict.
So, the students weren't isolated when they went out in the encampment to protest. And this meant that when college administrators faced a choice,
because obviously they wanted to get business back to normal, they wanted to have access to the Book of Kells, which besides being a tourist
attraction.
ASHER: So, the motivation, of course, for them sort of agreeing so quickly was partly financial. They were losing so much money because tourists
couldn't access the Book of Kells, right?
LANDY: Absolutely. So, it was partly financial. And it was also partly because they faced the choice. Do we proceed by attacking the students? Do
we proceed by fining them, sanctioning them? And in some ways, the question is, do we proceed by alienating and excluding large sections of the college
community? Do we proceed by excluding an apartheid state currently engaged?
ASHER: But you know, here's what I think is also an important point to mention. I mean, yes, the students have had a long history of campaigning.
They had the staff behind them, but they also had the country behind them. What I mean by that is that Ireland is very different from other
governments in Europe.
Now, Ireland has had a long history of sympathizing with the Palestinian cause, and that is because, you know, Ireland was essentially Britain's
oldest colony. So, Ireland and the Palestinian movement share a lot of similarities. At least that is how it's viewed in Ireland. So that is also,
you can't sort of remove that contextual history from what happened here.
LANDY: Absolutely. I mean, we would see this as like, in Ireland, we would see our attitude to what's happening in Gaza as being normal. It's normal
when you see tens of thousands of people being killed, when you see the population being starved and displaced, schools and hospitals being
destroyed. It's normal to oppose this. It's normal to want to sanction the state that does it.
And so, in some ways, the question is, why does a lot of the E.U., why does a lot of the U.S. not have this normal reaction? And I think the answer
might be the fact that Ireland was colonized, more that we didn't participate in colonial violence in these military --
(CROSSTALK)
ASHER: And that's actually something that makes Ireland different from a lot of other European governments, is that they weren't, they were sort of
victims of imperialism as opposed to carrying it out.
LANDY: Exactly. It's not that there's no racism in Ireland, but rather than having inflicting colonial violence, as in the case of the U.S. and Europe,
we have an experience of resisting it. And so there is absolutely a sympathy with the Palestinian plight, a understanding of their struggle for
freedom.
And beyond that, there's a lot of civil society activism on this. There's a lot of connections that are being built up with Palestinians. And it's very
hard when you're having Palestinians coming over, for instance, we're hosting the Palestinian women's football team soon, to look them in the eye
and say, no, you deserve a car, but you don't deserve anything better.
[12:29:49]
ASHER: David, I was just going to say, we do have to leave it there because we are out of time. But thank you so much for this. Very different. I'm in
New York, and it is very different seeing what took place there at Trinity College, Dublin, obviously, pretty much the equivalent.
I talk to people about it being the equivalent of Oxford and Cambridge, but in Ireland, you know, just seeing what happened there, comparing that to
what is happening where I live here in New York.
But David Landy, we have to leave it there. Thank you so much for joining us to discuss this. I appreciate it.
And we've actually just learned Harvard University has placed protesters on involuntary leave. That is according to the Harvard Crimson newspaper. For
about two weeks, demonstrators against the war in Gaza have camped out in Harvard Yard.
The administration now says they cannot sit for exams and must cease to be on campus. The Crimson reports the encampment, though, has largely remained
peaceful.
I want to turn now to a very controversial police shooting in Florida. The sheriff's office has released body cam footage from a deputy who shot a man
to death in his home last week. Twenty-three-year-old Roger Fortson, an active-duty senior airman, was in his apartment alone. Police were
dispatched following a disturbance call.
We're going to play that body camera footage now for you. The airman's family had called for its public release. And I really do have to warn you
before we play this. It is extremely difficult to watch. It is very disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: Sheriff's office, open the door. Sheriff's office, open the door. Drop the gun. Three twelve shots fired. Suspect down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: It's really difficult to see that video. The sheriff is disputing claims by Fortson's family, who say the deputy involved went to the wrong
apartment. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is demanding answers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN CRUMP, ATTORNEY: You don't hear him give the verbal command to drop the weapon or put your hands up. He immediately within a split second
of saying step back, which Roger, a decorated military airman, follows all his commands. He goes to step back and bam, bam, bam.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: We will continue to follow the story for you and keep you posted. Extremely heartbreaking.
All right. Still to come here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: How many Palestinians are there in there right now?
UNKNOWN: Who are you?
UNKNOWN: Give me please now.
UNKNOWN: Hang on, what is it that you want?
UNKNOWN: Who are you guys?
CHANCE: We're CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: A shadowy prison in the Negev Desert. Accusations of abuse of Palestinian detainees by Israeli troops. An exclusive CNN investigation
ahead.
[12:35:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. Welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher.
Since military operations began in Gaza, a growing number of Palestinians are being held in the Sede Teman military detention center in the Negev
desert, a shadowy facility where reports of widespread abuse of detainees are emerging.
For the first time, CNN speaks to three serving Israeli whistleblowers who have worked in various capacities at the prison. They describe a systematic
pattern of abuse there, including mass detention in stress positions, sensory deprivation, beatings, and torture. They say they're speaking out
as a matter of conscience.
Matthew Chance has this exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHANCE (voice-over): It's a place the Israeli military doesn't want us to see.
How many Palestinians are there in there right now?
UNKNOWN: Who are you?
UNKNOWN: Give me please now.
UNKNOWN: Hang on, what is it that you want? My camera or my card?
CHANCE: But CNN has gained exclusive evidence of Palestinian prisoner abuse from multiple Israeli whistleblowers. At the Sede Teman facility in
southern Israel, we joined human rights activists amid growing public concern for the detainees being held inside.
This is a protest by Israeli citizens outside a detention center close to Gaza, where we know hundreds of Palestinians have been held. You can see
it's a closed military facility. It's behind a barbed wire fence. We're not permitted access.
And there's hostility from passersby. We just had somebody drive past in a car and they shouted out to us in Hebrew, you're defending murderers.
UNKNOWN: No.
CHANCE: You're defending -- how do you analyze that?
UNKNOWN: No, we're defending basic human rights.
CHANCE: And eyewitnesses are now speaking out. Away from the military facility near the beaches of Tel Aviv, one young Israeli army reservist
agreed to speak about scores of detainees at Sede Teman, he says, are kept in cages or pens, constantly shackled and blindfolded, many for weeks on
end. We've hidden his identity and voice to shield him from prosecution.
UNKNOWN: We were told they are not allowed to move and must sit upright. They're not allowed to talk or peek under their blindfolds.
CHANCE: And what happened if they did do that? What kind of punishments were meted out?
UNKNOWN: We were allowed to pick out problematic people and punish them, having them stand with their hands above their heads for an unlimited time.
If they didn't keep their hands up, we could zip tie them to the fence.
CHANCE: The Israeli military says detainees are handcuffed based on their risk level and health status. But the account tallies with photographic
evidence obtained by CNN of Palestinian detainees inside Sede Teman. And with hand and wrist injuries shown to CNN by dozens of Palestinians
released back into Gaza.
"I was zip tied and blindfolded," says this former detainee, "and tortured in a way I never imagined." One source telling us the restraints were so
tight they had to amputate a man's hand.
[12:39:56]
The view that I've heard expressed is that, you know, how do you think Israeli hostages are treated by Hamas?
UNKNOWN: This sentiment was voiced in the facility, but I think that if Hamas is so abominable, which I agree with, then why use Hamas as a bar?
It's a descent into dehumanization.
CHANCE: A descent that's accelerated since the rampage by Hamas on October 7th last year, the killing and abduction to Gaza of hundreds of Israelis
provoked outrage and a brutal response.
Amid Israel's wrath, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed and thousands detained for interrogation. Transported to facilities like Sede
Teman, where one Israeli guard now tells CNN prisoners are routinely beaten. We've hidden his identity and voice too.
UNKNOWN: You can take them out and hit them maybe four or five times with a club. It's not dying in the face so you don't see blood. The detainees lie
belly down being hit and kicked, people screaming and dogs barking at them. It's terrifying. Some detainees are taken away and beaten really hard, so
bones and teeth are broken.
CHANCE: So, you saw people who were subject to these beatings who had their bones broken and who had their teeth broken?
UNKNOWN: Yes, it's a practice which commanders know about. They want intelligence but they also want revenge and punishment for what happened on
October 7th.
CHANCE: The Israeli military hasn't approved CNN's requests for access to Sede Teman. But at the gates of the facility, we challenged the Israeli
guards.
How many Palestinians are there in there right now?
UNKNOWN: I don't know. I prefer not to answer it.
CHANCE: Do you know if they are being handcuffed? Are they being blindfolded?
UNKNOWN: No, no, no.
UNKNOWN: This is a facility --
CHANCE: As we leave, masked soldiers approach.
UNKNOWN: Hello. How are you?
UNKNOWN: I'm filming this way.
UNKNOWN: Who are you guys?
CHANCE: We're CNN. They try to take our cameras.
UNKNOWN: Give me please now.
UNKNOWN: Hang on. What is it that you want? My camera or my card?
CHANCE: Then order us to leave.
Well, we're driving now to meet one Israeli with personal experience of Sede Teman facility. It's experience that he says has left him shocked at
the condition and the medical treatment of Palestinian detainees there.
He told us he treated Palestinian detainees with gunshot wounds fresh from the war zone in Gaza but was appalled at the lack of equipment and
expertise.
UNKNOWN: The problem is Gazans who were brought in are labelled as terrorists and it is very popular opinion over here that terrorists deserve
to die so they do not deserve the same medical care as everyone else.
CHANCE: Satellite imagery obtained by CNN shows how the Sede Teman facility was expanded after the October 7th attacks with detention facilities and
makeshift medical bays being added after public hospitals in Israel refused to treat injured Gazan suspects.
Eyewitness accounts describe a field hospital with 15 to 20 patients virtually naked and blindfolded with hands and feet shackled to their beds
and wearing diapers. One eyewitness told CNN painful procedures were carried out by underqualified medics. Treatment the medical worker told us
amounts to punishment.
UNKNOWN: In my view, it's the idea of total vulnerability. If you imagine being unable to move, being unable to see what's going on, that's something
that borders if not crosses into psychological torture. The Israeli military says prisoners are stripped for security checks and that
investigations are opened when there's suspicion of misconduct.
Still accounts from Israelis and Palestinians inside and the shocking images paint a disturbing picture.
Matthew Chance, CNN at Sede Teman in southern Israel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[12:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, in just the last few minutes, court testimony in the Donald Trump hush money trial ended for the day. Before the break, we heard
from a paralegal about phone records and on Monday, CNN has learned that Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, is going to be testifying.
Cohen is the most important prosecution witness in this case, the man who made, who actually made the hush money payments to Stormy Daniels that were
allegedly reimbursed by Donald Trump.
Let's once again bringing CNN's Jessica Schneider to help us sort through all of this.
Obviously, today wasn't the most exciting day in court, especially when you compare it to Stormy Daniels taking the stand yesterday. But the big focus
for everyone, the day we all have to sort of circle our calendars and mark and sort of look forward to from a legal perspective is, of course, Monday.
That's when we're going to be hearing from Donald Trump's former fixer, Michael Cohen. Take us through that.
SCHNEIDER: Yes. We had to get through some of this housekeeping today. The jury was just dismissed here. Had to get through the housekeeping, the dry
stuff before the big blockbuster witness on Monday, who is Michael Cohen.
So just to walk you through a little bit of what happened today, we had witnesses from Verizon, AT&T. They had to get phone records in. Granted,
Michael Cohen will probably talk about some of those phone records when he appears on Monday.
We also had staffers from the D.A.'s office. They got an evidence that they've reviewed in this case like tweets and text messages. Interestingly,
the district attorney, Alvin Bragg, was even in the courtroom today watching over some of his employees as they testified.
But the most interesting testimony probably from today, it was a carryover from yesterday, Madeline Westerhout. She sat right outside the Oval Office
and she talked a little bit about just Trump and the way he operated. The most interesting thing that came out of her testimony was the fact that she
said sometimes Donald Trump would multitask while signing checks. Sometimes he'd be on the phone, maybe not exactly paying attention to what he was
signing.
So that might be key for the defense here in trying to argue that Donald Trump wasn't always 100 percent aware of the financial documents that he
was signing or taking part in. But of course, the big blockbuster testimony will in fact be on Monday.
It's interesting. Next week, we'll have court Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. It's off on Wednesday and Friday. Friday, so Donald Trump can attend his
son Barron's graduation. But Michael Cohen will probably be on the stand for all three of the days that we are in session next week.
Zain, it's going to be very interesting to see how exactly he can provide that link between Trump and the hush money scheme, because of course that
is at the core of the prosecution's case and exactly what they need to prove to get a guilty verdict here.
ASHER: The prosecution needs him to be portrayed as credible, right?
SCHNEIDER: Exactly.
ASHER: Because that's going to be a key issue for him.
SCHNEIDER: Yes.
ASHER: Jessica Schneider, live for us there. Thank you so much.
[12:49:56]
All right. Now for my favorite story of the day, Harry and Meghan receiving a warm welcome in Nigeria. We'll have details of their three-day visit to
my home country and what they hope to accomplish. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are in Nigeria on a three- day visit. Earlier in Abuja, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan kicked off a mental health summit that benefits girls and young women across the
country.
The trip comes after a quick visit to London by Prince Harry, where he celebrated the 10th anniversary of his Invictus Games, but did actually not
meet with his father, King Charles, who, as we know, was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.
Stephanie Busari joins us live now from Abuja. Stephanie, I am so excited to see Meghan in Nigeria, because I remember when she revealed that she is
actually 40 percent Nigerian, which basically means we're sisters.
And just in terms of what she's actually set out to do on this trip, it's all about promoting mental health and it's all about, for Harry at least,
because of the Invictus Games, it's all about meeting with wounded soldiers and their families. Take us through that, Stephanie.
STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN SENIOR EDITOR, AFRICA: Absolutely. Well, Zain, let me just say we're missing you right here to welcome our sister home.
And this trip is very much on brand for Harry and Meghan. It's all about mental health. It's all about the wounded soldiers. And it's very much a
charm offensive.
We saw them at a school earlier this morning playing with little kids, dancing, practicing little dance steps with them. They're such naturals and
people are really just lapping it up.
And we saw -- I've just seen some pictures. I don't know if that's been circulated widely yet. After the school, they went to the defense HQ to
meet some soldiers, some wounded soldiers and serving soldiers. And you saw Harry standing in front of them, ramrod straight, showing off his military
background and saluting them and really taking part in that kind of military tradition.
Then they went off and Meghan signed a book. This was a closed-door meeting. She signed a welcome book and she wrote, thank you for welcoming
me, welcomed me home. And really, this is a sort of welcome home of sorts for Meghan.
[12:54:59]
You know, she did reveal that she was 43 percent Nigerian and people are very excited about having her here to delve into her heritage and to
explore that. And, you know, this, they've been invited by Nigerians Defense HQ and they actually said during a media briefing that one of the
reasons that the couple accepted to come to Nigeria was for Meghan to discover more of that heritage.
So, this trip is really just about being very relaxed, being fun and just showing a different side of themselves. And people are laughing it up,
Zain.
ASHER: No, absolutely. And I really hope I'm sure that she's really exploring our culture. You know, I'm sure that she's going to be having
dinner tonight and they're going to be giving her Jello fries, Garri and ogbono soup, suya. You know, I'm sure she is. And so, I can't wait to hear
her talk about what she thinks of Nigeria.
Stephanie Busari, we have to leave it there. Thank you so much.
All right. That does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher. Amanpour with my friend and colleague, Bianna Golodryga is up next. You're
watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
