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One World with Zain Asher
Michael Cohen Confesses His Role In Trump's Life; Russia Advances In Capturing Ukrainian Territories; New Defense Minister Appointed In Russia; Biden To Raise Funds From Hollywood's A-Listers; Israel Salutes To Fallen Soldiers; Women's Crowning Glory Saved. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired May 13, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:30]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: What happened, when, and how? Trump's former right-hand man is on the stand.
One World starts right now.
From fixer and friend to foe, Michael Cohen is telling jurors what he says took place behind closed doors.
Also ahead, a shake-up at the top. A civilian economist is now the defense minister of Russia. Who is he and why was he chosen now?
And later, it's one of the most visible and emotional side effects of cancer treatment. We'll tell you about the groundbreaking new medical
technology that could make hair loss a thing of the past for cancer patients.
All right, hello everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching One World.
To a large extent, Donald Trump's hush money trial revolves around the actions of two men. Trump is, of course, one of them. The other is Michael
Cohen, the man who allegedly paid $130,000 to Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet. And Michael Cohen is on the stand right now.
Cohen is a lawyer, but described himself as Trump's fixer, testifying that he would lie and bully people to get what Trump wanted out of them. And
just a short time ago, Cohen spoke to the jury about an audio recording he made that appears to prove that Trump gave the OK for hush money payments.
So far, Cohen is only talking to prosecutors, but he is expected to face a withering cross examination in coming days. And whether or not the jury
believes Michael Cohen could determine the fate of this trial.
We want to tell you on the left side of your screen, you can see key updates from the trial. CNN has reporters inside the courtroom who are
keeping us up to the minute on what is going on inside.
Everything they see and hear will appear on that side panel in real time.
Our Jessica Schneider is tracking Michael Cohen's testimony and joins us now live with more.
Jessica, it is not an overstatement to say that that most, if not all of the prosecution's case and what we've seen from them since the beginning of
this trial really hinged on what we're hearing from Michael Cohen in his testimony today.
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Bianna, Michael Cohen is the star witness, the key witness. And like you said, he's probably the
only one who has that intimate firsthand knowledge about what Donald Trump did or didn't do.
And key to that, prosecutors just a little while ago did play that audio tape of Donald Trump and Michael Cohen. Cohen does admit he recorded it
without Trump's knowledge, but in it they're discussing that $150,000 payout to Karen McDougal. That was a payout that was actually paid by the
National Inquirer, was never reimbursed by Donald Trump.
But in that audio recording, Trump orders at one point, he says to Michael Cohen and the others pay in cash. Cohen says obviously that was all to
avoid a paper trail.
But that is the first part of the evidence that prosecutors are laying out as this example that Trump was extremely involved in every transaction that
Cohen worked on. You know, we've heard Cohen already testifying for two and a half hours this morning, and in it, he's testifying how Trump was this
micromanager just involves in every facet of the business that he was always apprised as to what was going on.
So now, as we're hearing this testimony about the hush money payment for Karen McDougal, it's really laying the groundwork for what will be Cohen's
portrayal of the Stormy Daniels hush money deal, because that is the only deal that is at the center of this case.
And it's expected that in the next few minutes, prosecutors will transition to Stormy Daniels, and Trump will likely testify how Trump was very, or
sorry, Cohen will testify how Trump was very involved in the deal, because that's what prosecutors need to prove.
They need to prove that Trump knew about this deal, that he directed the deal all to protect his presidential campaign, and then not only directed
the deal, but they need to prove that Trump was intimately involved in this decision to hide what the payments were really for.
Remember, Bianna, they labeled them as legal fees and retainers to Michael Cohen, when in fact, they were repayments for this hush money deal. And
that's obviously all where the falsification of business records charges come into play.
So, we are still hearing from Michael Cohen on the stand right now about this Karen McDougal deal, but they have touched slightly on Stormy Daniels
in the testimony over the past two and a half hours.
[12:05:00]
And presumably that's where prosecutors are going next, because like you mentioned at the top, that is what's at the heart of this. And they have a
big hurdle to prove that Donald Trump knew exactly what was going on and even directed it. Bianna?
GOLODRYGA: Knew about the payments and then knew about the falsification --
SCHNEIDER: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: -- of those business records as justification for those payments.
Jessica Schneider, thank you.
Well, with a bit more legal analysis, we are joined by former federal prosecutor and criminal defense attorney Amy Lee Copeland. Thank you so
much for joining us.
So we've just heard from Michael Cohen for a couple of hours this morning. His testimony expected to go on for a number of days before he is cross-
examined by the defense.
From what you've heard this morning, specifically with regards to that recorded audio that he himself says that he did without Donald Trump
knowing, but the audio where everyone, and jurors in particular, can hear Donald Trump say OK to the $150,000 payment to Karen McDougall. How
significant is that evidence for prosecutors?
AMY LEE COPELAND, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It's very significant evidence. They have tied Trump by his voice to an approval for this
particular scheme. And when you have all roads leading to Michael Cohen, who has been described even by the state as having a mountain of baggage,
you need as much of that independent corroboration as you can get that doesn't necessarily come from Cohen's mouth himself.
Few things are as powerful against a defendant as his own words. And this tape is certainly going to be powerful against the former president.
GOLODRYGA: And obviously they are working with a flawed witness here. And I've been hearing this morning from the legal experts we've had on
wondering if you agree with them that it's in the prosecution's interest to expose all of his flaws once again for jurors before the defense has its
turn to go after him. Do you agree with that?
COPELAND: A hundred percent. You don't want it to be a surprise in the defense case that Michael Cohen has written a book called "Betrayed." You
don't want it to be a surprise that he's a jerk to deal with and that no one liked him. And one witness described him as a pants on fire kind of
guy.
I think that's great that the prosecution has gotten out in front of it and through its entire case. The second reason, too, is that you need to show
that this is somebody who's willing to get his hands dirty. And that's certainly what the prosecution has spent a lot of time showing
in this trial, that if you needed something fixed, Michael Cohen was the guy to fix it. He's the one who would keep his mouth shut.
GOLODRYGA: So, assuming now that we have heard this audio of Donald Trump giving the OK to pay $150,000 to Karen McDougal, in comes now what we're
expected to hear about Stormy Daniels and the payment that Michael Cohen says Donald Trump approved and ordered him to make for Stormy Daniels.
We have yet to hear that. That's what we're expected to hear yet. But then the prosecution also has the added burden of having to prove that in
addition to that, Donald Trump then was involved and ordered the falsification of records for that payment.
How important will that line of testimony be for the prosecution to get right? Because that ultimately leads to the crux of the charges here.
COPELAND: The crux is right. All roads have led to Michael Cohen. They've set it up as well as they could through their testimony of other witnesses
to kind of give Cohen's testimony a boost before it even happens.
But Cohen is the guy that talks to Trump. And I thought it was really interesting that Cohen testified earlier that Donald Trump never
communicated by email because he didn't want to leave a paper trail. And so what Cohen has to say in these intimate conversations that he had with the
former president are almost certainly going to be what the state really has to rely on to prove its case. The twofold part, not just the falsification
of business documents, but the falsification for another purpose.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, and what we're seeing now from inside the courtroom is Trump saying that he that Cohen said he let Trump know that it was being
taken care of. I'm assuming that would be the payment and that the matter was being
resolved.
Also interesting color inside the courtroom, it appears that at least in the early morning hours of testimony that Michael Cohen was not looking or
making eye contact with the jury. So it would be interesting to see if that changes in terms of trying to make some sort of connection with them.
Criminal defense attorney Amy Lee Copeland, thank you so much.
COPELAND: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: We're turning to Ukraine now. In northeastern Ukraine, Russian troops are on the move, and terrified civilians are now running for their
lives.
Moscow's army is pushing forward with its surprise cross-border offensive in the Kharkiv region and claims to have captured nine villages in what may
be the fastest Russian advance since the beginning of the war.
In a rare admission, Kiev acknowledges that Russia has having tactical success and the situation has significantly worsened.
[12:10:02]
The town of Vovchansk, which is liberated, which was liberated from Russian occupation 18 months ago, is currently under attack. Thousands of residents
in the region are now trying to get out of harm's way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LLUBA KONOVALOVA, EVACUEE (through translator): Look, here I am. Two years in hell. Hell. Two years we endured. Hell.
You hear that? Explosions? Well, it was exploding next to our ears. The house, the windows, the gallery or veranda, the glass is all shattered. We
took out four bags of glass yesterday. As you enter the house, the windows with the glass are deformed, and we put sticks against them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Now this all comes amid a major shake-up at the highest levels of Russia's military.
CNN's Clare Sebastian has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Center stage, but already on shaky ground. This was to be outgoing Russian Defense Minister Sergei
Shoigu's last victory salute. Much less ceremony for the Kremlin's announcement of his replacement Sunday.
DMITRY PESKOV, KREMLIN SPOKESPERSON (through translator): Today on the battlefield, those who are more open for innovations, more open towards a
quick implementation of the innovations, win. That is why it's natural that on the current stage the president has taken a decision for a civilian to
be in charge of the Ministry of Defense.
SEBASTIAN: The nominated civilian is Andrey Belousov, a career economist and former first deputy prime minister. That choice coming as the Kremlin
made a rare admission that defense spending is approaching Cold War levels. Its factories pushed to their limits amid sanctions and the labor force
decimated by war.
MARK ESPER, FORMER UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Russia is moving to a war economy and it's true seven percent of their GDP now is focused on
defense. They're on a war footing.
SEBASTIAN: That demand for weapons unlikely to slow. Ukraine frantically evacuating civilians in the Kharkiv region this weekend as Russia launched
a major cross-border offensive Friday, taking advantage of a narrowing window of opportunity as Kyiv waits for promised U.S. aid.
Unofficial video from a Russian military brigade purportedly showing a massive glide bomb hitting the Ukrainian border town of Vovchansk.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: The idea behind the attacks in the Kharkiv region is to spread our forces thin and undermine the moral and
motivational foundation of the Ukrainians ability to defend themselves.
SEBASTIAN: Russia's attack on Kharkiv may also be an attempt to form a buffer zone. This the aftermath of what Russia claims is Ukrainian attack
on a residential building in Belgorod. Russian state media reports more than a dozen dead. Russian lives, the other spiraling cost of Putin's war
and Shoigu's legacy.
Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Dara Massicot is a senior fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Russia and Eurasia program and she joins me now
live from Washington with more analysis.
Dara, always good to see you. So what do you make of this surprise reshuffling? I mean I guess it shouldn't be such a shock in a war that's
gone on this long to see some leadership changes at the top, but given how much Vladimir Putin prizes loyalty and that's exactly what he got after his
out of Sergei Shoigu. What do you make of this change now in replacement with an unknown economist?
DARA MASSICOT, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: I think there's a few interesting signals that are going on with this change.
There's been a bit of table setting over the past few weeks that suggest maybe his tenure was coming to an end with the arrest of his deputy and
several others under investigation and some carefully managed shots of another individual who, many thought would replace Shoigu.
His replacement was done in a very gentle way. He's given a respectable position. This was done after the Victory Day parade so he could have one
last time leading that. I think that he's overdue for being replaced. He's been in the job for about 10 years. The selection of Belousov is an
interesting choice and I think indicative of the Kremlin's priority to rebuild.
GOLODRYGA: And it's also indicative, would you agree, of what we're likely to see is a longer term investment that Vladimir Putin is willing to make
in this war. So much talk about coming to the peace table and negotiations for some sort of at least freeze in the fighting.
But it appears after especially now being inaugurated, and I say that in here quotes, "for a fifth term, Vladimir Putin is in it for the long run."
MASSICOT: I would agree with that. And the timing of this new appointment, and particularly someone with this kind of economic background, he is well
positioned to lead Russia's new 10-year rearmament plan that will probably be announced in early 2025.
[12:15:00]
So, he's got a good six months right now to go in there and tinker around with it and really set Russia up in the long term, whether we don't exactly
know the direction of force posture changes that they're going to take. But this timing and his skills suggest that there's going to be some changes
underway.
GOLODRYGA: Let's talk about what we've seen on the battlefield as of late. And that is a really aggressive onslaught, specifically in the Kharkiv
region. We should note the region is separate from the city of Kharkiv itself, which is the second largest in Ukraine. And Ukraine early on this
war was able to take back that.
That having been said, though, Russia, in just the last few weeks, has been able to take nine villages in the region. As we heard from the president
himself, Zelenskyy, saying he believes that the motive here is to spread Ukrainian soldiers thin in the region. Would you agree? And what does that
tell you about Russia's calculus at this point?
MASSICOT: I do. I do think that this is not necessarily a diversion. I think they had the Russians have enough forces to come in and try to create
a 10 to 30-kilometer buffer zone in northern Kharkiv.
But what it is doing, it's drawing line Ukrainian brigades offline elsewhere, and they're trying to surge up front right now. Russia has been
able to penetrate into Kharkiv. There's not a lot of defenses that I can see looking up there in terms of physical barriers on the ground or
minefields. But we might see that change as these Ukrainian brigades are making contact today with them in Kharkiv.
GOLODRYGA: How vulnerable do you think Kharkiv itself is as a city right now?
MASSICOT: I think that's a very large city, and I think that's beyond Russia's grasp to cordon that city or do a direct assault on it, I think,
is well beyond the means that they have. And indeed, they didn't do that in the invasion two years ago. I don't think that they have that in that kind
of capability lined up for that. No, I don't think a direct assault on the city is the likeliest course of action.
GOLODRYGA: And when can we really expect to see a shift in Ukraine's favor with regards to the supplemental finally being passed and starting to see
armaments on the battlefield from the West?
MASSICOT: That is a question that I very much would like to know as well. I am understanding that weapons are flowing in, but it's not the bulk. It's
not enough to stop the advances just yet. And I'm unfortunately not sure when those timelines are going to improve. I would hope soon.
The situation in Donetsk to me is the most severe and where Ukrainian units need artillery very quickly and they need to replenish a lot of air defense
systems that they have. The Russians have been targeting more effectively lately.
GOLODRYGA: Looking forward, what would you say are some of the most important strategic moves that Ukraine needs to make in a game of really
catch up since for six months now they've been without the weapons that they've needed so much now that they are on their way finally. What are the
most important strategic moves they need to be focused on going forward?
MASSICOT: Well, I think there's two pieces to that. One is the weapons. Those are flowing in quickly, or we hope very quickly. But two, there is
still an unresolved challenge with Ukrainian manpower. And some of these units are really quite degraded in terms of the casualties that they've
had, and they're not flowing in replacements fast enough.
And all the weapons in the world won't make any difference if the units are too weak to fight and defend. So I would say that Kyiv has to address this
issue and pretty quickly.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, there's a lot of pressure on the president to lower the conscription age as well in the country, but obviously that's having a huge
impact on its economy as well.
MASSICOT: Dara Massicot, please come back. Thank you for joining us.
MASSICOT: Thanks so much for having me. I'll be back.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, thank you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The late, great Hannibal Lecter is a wonderful man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Wow. Well, Donald Trump praises a fictional serial killer over the weekend, but it wasn't the only bizarre rant in his New Jersey rally.
We'll bring you details ahead.
Plus, U.S. President Joe Biden is set to return to the West Coast next month for a star-studded event in Hollywood. Find out who is on the guest
list after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:22:00]
GOLODRYGA: All right. During a campaign fundraising event on Saturday, U.S. President Biden blasted his Republican rival Donald Trump as, quote,
"clearly unhinged."
During a rally in New Jersey that very same day, Trump went off on a bizarre rant where he mixed up the names of several people and places and
then falsely claimed offshore windmills are slaughtering whales. He also spent time praising a fictional serial killer and cannibal.
The presumptive U.S. Republican presidential nominee tried to link Hannibal Lecter from the "Silence of the Lambs" to migrants at the U.S. southern
border.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They're emptying out their mental institutions into the United States. "Silence of the Lambs." Has anyone ever seen the "Silence of the
Lambs?" The late, great Hannibal Lecter is a wonderful man. He oftentimes would have a friend for dinner.
Remember the last scene? Excuse me. I'm about to have a friend for dinner. Is this poor doctor? I'm about to have a friend for dinner. But Hannibal
Lecter. Congratulations. The late, great Hannibal Lecter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Not even sure how many of those supporters behind him know which movie he's talking about.
Well, new polling from The New York Times and Siena College shows Trump leading in crucial states on the electoral map.
The polls show him leading President Biden in four key states, including Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, and Michigan. It's closer in Pennsylvania and
Wisconsin, with no clear leader in either state.
Well, Joe Biden will be hitting up the Hollywood A-list for a big Los Angeles fundraiser next month. Superstars such as George Clooney and Julia
Roberts are set to appear along with former U.S. President Barack Obama.
In March, Obama appeared alongside former President Bill Clinton for a fundraiser in New York and hauled in over $26 million for the Biden
campaign, which is trying to maintain its advantage when it comes to fundraising over rival Donald Trump.
The latest filings from March showing Mr. Biden's war chest has nearly twice the funds.
Joining me now to discuss this further is CNN White House correspondent Arlette Saenz. Arlette, so the president's making his way out to Hollywood.
A lot of money expected from this fundraiser. Tell us who we can expect to see there.
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, Bianna, President Biden is hoping to tap into some more star power with this fundraiser that will
feature not just former President Barack Obama, but two high-profile celebrities, Julia Roberts, and George Clooney.
Now, this fundraiser is expected to take place in about mid-June. And it comes as the Biden campaign is really trying to widen the cash advantage
that they have over former President Donald Trump. But they are hoping that this fundraiser in the Los Angeles area will be able to draw in not just
those high-dollar donors, but also small-dollar donors as well.
They've already just a moment ago sent out a fundraising e-mail where President Biden sent an e-mail to his small-dollar donor list, telling them
about this event, giving them the opportunity to enter into a contest to potentially meet George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Barack Obama and, of
course, President Biden.
[12:25:05]
And so, it's one of those efforts by the campaign to really tap into those small-dollar donation contests to potentially meet George Clooney, Julia
Roberts, Barack Obama and, of course, President Biden. And so it's one of those efforts by the campaign to really tap into those small-dollar
donations.
Now, I'm told that this event's actually not going to be like that giant event that we saw with President Biden, Obama and Bill Clinton. It's likely
to be a smaller event at one of the key donors' home. But it does come as they're trying to tap into celebrity star power, political star power to
draw in more money for their campaign.
Now, one thing that we are still waiting to hear from the Biden campaign is how much exactly they raised in the month of April. Heading into this
month, they certainly have had a pretty big advantage over former President Trump when it comes to fundraising.
If you take a look at the numbers that were raised in the month of March alone, Biden was ahead of Trump with about -- ahead by about $100 million
cash on hand, really giving him a giant campaign war chest as the campaign has been rolling out advertising, building up their battleground state
operations as they have their eye on that November election.
But one thing that will be watched very closely is how Biden did last month compared to Trump. Trump's campaign told donors that they raised about $76
million in April. At some point, there is an expectation that this cash advantage could potentially narrow.
That's something that we saw back in 2020 when Trump had a huge advantage over Biden. But once Biden secured that Democratic nomination, he was able
to coalesce the Democratic money. So there could be some tightening in that money raise. We will see whether that comes in the -- from the month of
April, as we're expecting the campaign at some point this week to release their numbers for that last month.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Arlette Saenz from the White House, thank you.
Still ahead for us, Israel marks a somber Memorial Day. As the prime minister talks about its current war against Hamas and promises to collect
a heavy price from the enemy. We'll have details ahead.
And a little later, a charity that helps people keep an important part of their identity while they face the tough battle with cancer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARLA THOMAS CAVALIER, CANCER PATIENT: Some days I was sick as a dog. But I go look in the mirror, I say, girl, you ain't so bad after all.
[12:30:00]
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to One World, I'm Bianna Golodryga.
Well, Israel is marking Memorial Day, the solemn holiday honoring the country's fallen soldiers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the
ceremony that the current war was a choice between the nation and what he calls the monsters of Hamas. Protests and scuffles broke out at some of the
events.
Now, this comes as Israeli forces ramp up attacks on Gaza from the north, the center and the south, leaving Palestinians with nowhere safe to go. In
the north, Israel says that it's trying to prevent Hamas from regrouping.
A U.N. agency for aid in Israel is calling for operations. They are an inhumane displacement of Palestinians.
Well, in the south, Rafah, the U.N. says more than 360,000 people have fled over the last week. Egypt, which borders Rafah, now says that it will
support South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
The war has already left more than 35,000 people dead in Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. Now, top American officials are once again
warning against a full-scale Israeli ground offensive in Rafah.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We believe two things. One, you have to have a clear, credible plan to protect civilians, which we haven't
seen. Second, we also need to see a plan for what happens after this conflict in Gaza is over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Jerusalem and filed this report just a short while ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are witnessing a significant intensification of Israeli military activity in the Gaza Strip, in both
southern, central and northern Gaza.
The Israeli military now says that they have troops from three different divisions operating there and in some cases going back into areas that they
had previously withdrawn from.
And the foremost example of those is the Jabalia refugee camp, where Israeli troops moved in once again over the weekend. This is an area that
they had withdrawn from months ago, but the Israeli military now says that Hamas militants have returned to that area in the vacuum that has existed
since the withdrawal of Israeli troops.
And what that's resulting in is heavy fighting in an area that had not witnessed that kind of fighting for months now. It also means the
displacement of more people who had returned to that area, who have been ordered to leave once again.
We're getting reports of intense shelling and gunfire from people on the ground, footage showing people fleeing the area even today.
The director of an ambulance service in northern Gaza says that ambulances have had trouble evacuating the dead and the injured amid the heavy
fighting. He is also alleging that ambulances have been targeted by Israeli fire. That's something that we've reached out to the Israeli military for
comment on.
The Israeli military over the weekend also expanding its military operations in other parts of Rafah, where we saw a week ago those first
evacuation notices falling more over the weekend, more areas of eastern Rafah ordered to evacuate, and the Israeli military now expanding military
operations there.
But the result of that military operation is that hundreds of thousands of people have now been forced to flee Rafah, 360,000 people, according to the
United Nations main agency in Gaza, have had to flee Rafah over the course of the last week.
And they are being displaced, some of them for the second, third or fourth time even, fleeing what was the last refuge in Gaza. And now enormous
questions about what they are finding further north.
And we are getting some answers to that question. And that is humanitarian aid officials saying that there simply is not adequate infrastructure,
there aren't adequate resources to sustain the flow of hundreds of thousands of people headed to what the Israeli military has described as
this humanitarian zone in al-Mawasi, as well as parts of western Khan Yunis and central Gaza. People there are finding a lack of sewage infrastructure,
a lack of water infrastructure.
[12:35:00]
Humanitarian aid groups having trouble getting the adequate resources to people there who are setting up makeshift tents and shelters on the sides
of roads, sometimes in these very sandy areas, lacking the kind of infrastructure that we were just talking about.
And this is all leading to warnings from the United States, from international organizations about the consequences of a further expansion
of Israeli military activity in Rafah.
For now, it's not clear when that all-encompassing, large-scale ground offensive that's been threatened for months will come. For now, the Israeli
military seems to be doing this piece by piece, but already even those pieces having enormous consequences on the ground.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Time now for The Exchange. We want to take a closer look at the situation on the ground there and the war between Israel and Hamas.
CNN political and global affairs analyst Barak Ravid joins me now. He's also a politics and foreign policy reporter for Axios.
Barak, thank you so much for joining us.
As we know, this is a very painful Memorial Day for Israelis. The country has lost hundreds of soldiers this year, of course, notwithstanding the
number of civilians lost on October 7th alone.
How is this Memorial Day sitting with Israelis, given that, as we've been reporting, it's not only that there is a targeted operation in Rafah right
now, but also hearing that once again, Israeli troops are fighting a resurgent pocket of Hamas fighters throughout Gaza, specifically now in the
north and the central part of the enclave?
BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yes, Bianna. Well, you know, in Israel, every Memorial Day, you can put one of the channels on
television and it screens all the names of the soldiers who were killed since the State of Israel was formed.
And this year, there are hundreds more names that are being screened during those 24 hours. And Memorial Day in Israel is also connected to
Independence Day, that Israel will be in Israel tomorrow. And I think that this year, it is very, very different, both because of how people feel and
both because of how it looks like.
For example, this year, Netanyahu, the Prime Minister, is not going to attend any of the ceremonies during Independence Day tomorrow, which is
highly unusual because for an Israeli prime minister, this is a huge day. You're basically on TV all day. And he's not doing it because he knows that
there will be protests against him. It's just one example of how different this year is from any year since 1948.
GOLODRYGA: So, he doesn't want to be the face of the protest here. And yet, we saw the IDF Chief, Herzi Halevi, speaking during these Memorial Day services, taking responsibility once again for their failure in
preventing October 7th.
I want to go back to what we saw over the weekend, where we saw Antony Blinken, Secretary of State, once again say, quote, "the U.S. needs to see
a plan for what happens after this conflict in Gaza is over," reiterating that the U.S. has yet to see a plan, and then warned Israel that that could
be left with the country itself holding the bag on an enduring insurgency.
What are the ramifications for this government if that does prove to be the case, if this turns into a prolonged war, because for at least one of the
reasons, this government is not providing and not coming up with a day- after plan?
RAVID: It is already a prolonged war, and I think more and more Israelis, every week that passes, are starting to say, where is this thing going? You
know, just the other day, the IDF came back to the Jabalia neighborhood in northern Gaza for the third time since the beginning of the war, meaning
every time they went in, they took out Hamas, they went out, Hamas came back again.
And the reason this is happening is because there's nobody else, there is no alternative. And for example, what the Israelis are trying to do now,
seven months after the war started and after the U.S. and other countries told the Israelis again and again and again, you know, have some
alternative for Hamas.
So now, for example, in the Rafah crossing, for the first time since the beginning of the war, they went to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah
and said, do you want to take over the Rafah crossing? And this is something that Netanyahu refused to do for more than six months now.
And now he flipped because he understands that there's no other solution, nobody else to take over, and if Israel, and if nobody else takes over, the
bag will stay in Israel's hands and it will have to stay in the Gaza Strip and conduct there, you know, a military regime which will end, you know,
who knows how long until it ends.
[12:40:08]
GOLODRYGA: You know, it's one thing, Barak, for those in the opposition, those in other countries, even allies and friends of Israel and for
journalists to pin the blame, at least some part of the blame on the Netanyahu government for this resurgence on the fact that there is no day
after plan. And thus, we're seeing pockets, once again, regrouping of Hamas fighters throughout the enclave.
It's quite a different thing, though, when you have top generals speaking out off the record, but to journalists lobbying the same accusations. And
that's what we've been seeing these past few days. What do you make of that?
RAVID: Well, and you see even inside the cabinet, the war cabinet meetings, Netanyahu is alone, basically, in this position of, you know, first we need
to take out Hamas and only then the day after will come and then we'll see what happens.
But the IDF chief of staff told him in the cabinet meeting, he told them all the achievements that the IDF has achieved in the last six months are
going down the drain because there's no alternative for Hamas. We are not, we don't have any plan for the day after, so Hamas manages to come back.
The minister of defense, Gallant, is telling Netanyahu the exact same thing. He even put forward a plan that Netanyahu rejected. Two former IDF
chiefs of staff who are now members of the war cabinet, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, are telling Netanyahu the same thing.
They're telling him, OK, you want to go into Rafah? You want to take those four battalions? Tell us what's your plan for the minute after, the hour
after? What are we going to do with Rafah? Are we just going to stay there?
And Netanyahu is pushing back on all those questions and all those proposals and he's still in his position that the day after will only come
after Hamas is eliminated. When is Hamas eliminated? Who knows?
GOLODRYGA: Yes, and now it appears that from U.S. intelligence and Israeli intelligence seems to corroborate that Yahya Sinwar may not even be in
Rafah, is not believed to be in Rafah anymore and may be in the northern part of Gaza.
Barak Ravid, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate your time.
Still to come for us, we get the latest from court as Michael Cohen continues to testify in Donald Trump's hush money trial.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:45:17]
GOLODRYGA: Returning to our top story now. And Michael Cohen, a key witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial is continuing to testify. He's described
himself as Trump's former fixer and could directly implicate Trump in the decision to pay hush money to Stormy Daniels.
Cohen has been on the stand since this morning saying that he would sometimes bully people just to try to keep Trump happy. Trump is facing 34
charges stemming from allegations that he falsified business records to cover up the payment.
Let's go back to our justice correspondent Jessica Schneider who's been following the latest developments. We had a short break, Jessica. But it
appears that Michael Cohen has been back on the stand for the last half hour. So, what more have we heard from him?
SCHNEIDER: Bianna, we are finally getting into the heart of this case. Michael Cohen has finally started to describe all of the circumstances
surrounding the Stormy Daniels hush money payment. And this testimony is actually coming right after talk about the Access Hollywood tape that of
course was released one month before the election.
So, the timing is Stormy Daniels was threatening to come out with her story after the Access Hollywood tape. And because of that, Cohen testified today
that if that Stormy Daniels story got out, it would be catastrophic to the campaign.
So, Cohen said when he got this word about Stormy Daniels possibly going public, he says he immediately went to Donald Trump's office where Trump
told Cohen, in Cohen's words, quote, "take care of it."
So, we are going to continue to hear Michael Cohen really build on how involved Trump was surrounding this hush money payment. We are already
hearing from Cohen in the courtroom that Trump was saying that this could be devastating to his campaign, that he apparently wasn't as concerned
about what this would do about his relationship with Melania Trump, his wife. But Cohen testified this was all about the campaign.
So prosecutors are getting at the fact that Donald Trump was scrambling and his advisers and Michael Cohen were scrambling all to try to save his
candidacy. So prosecutors are going to continue talking about this Stormy Daniels hush money payment.
Hopefully in their eyes they'll be able to elicit testimony from Cohen not only about Trump being involved in the payment, but prosecutors want to
hear more and if they can get it from Michael Cohen about how Trump directed the payment.
And then what we will likely or potentially get to and what is the key to this case is how intimately involved was Trump in directing the repayment
to Michael Cohen and then labeling it as legal expenses.
That is something we have not heard direct evidence of yet, Bianna. And that is the key to this case, the 34 counts of falsification of business
records. If prosecutors can't elicit this out of Michael Cohen, their case might not hold up. This case isn't about hush money, it's about the cover
up of that repayment.
So, as we're getting into the Stormy Daniels testimony right now from Michael Cohen, presumably in the next few hours we will be hearing more
about how directly involved Trump was because that is the key to this case. So, we're just starting to get at it now, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Jessica Schneider, you'll be following it closely for us. Thank you so much.
Still to come, cold versus cancer. We'll tell you about a charity that is helping women to keep their hair while they fight the deadly disease.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETHANY HORNTHAL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HAIRTOSTAY: I have to talk to an 18- year-old who has ovarian cancer, which is, you know, horrifying. When she gets to tell me that she graduated with her hair on her head, she made it,
you know. Then I know why I'm here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[12:50:00]
GOLODRYGA: Two Austrian daredevils have flown through London's Tower Bridge. Take a look at this. Marco Furst and Marco Waltenspiel jumped from
a helicopter at 3,000 feet, flying over the River Thames and navigating through the bridge towers. They achieved the feat on May the 2nd, reaching
a top speed of 246 kilometers an hour.
Incredible and something I would never, ever dare to do. Well, the story we've been telling you throughout the hour, cancer is the word itself,
chilling and scary. And for many, the only way to fight it is chemotherapy. But there is a side effect of chemo that is also very scary to many, hair
loss.
Well, now a new treatment is allowing some people to keep their hair during chemo. Sarah Sidner shows us the charity that wants to make sure all women
can afford it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAVALIER: I started doing the ugly cry. I said, no, no, no, I can't lose all my hair. Because if I was in the dog world, I would be a Rottweiler.
OK, that's how big my head is, right?
SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When San Francisco makeup artist Carla Thomas Cavalier was diagnosed with stage three endometrial
cancer in 2015, she thought losing her hair was inevitable.
Why was it that element, your hair, that made you just lose it?
CAVALIER: Because vanity is a son of a gun. You know, I got big hair, I don't care, but it's my hair.
SIDNER: It's not just about vanity. It's really about trying to keep some semblance of normalcy while grappling with the realities of a life-
threatening illness.
CAVALIER: We got to kick cancer in the butt, OK?
SIDNER: With this technology, chemotherapy patients are able to keep some of their hair. It's called scalp cooling, or cold capping, something both
Thomas Cavalier and I tried.
FAYE RIMALOVSKI, TECHNICIAN, PENGUIN COLD CAP: The caps need to be about anywhere between negative 28 to negative 32 degrees Celsius, depending on
the hair and the type of chemo. And essentially what you're doing with the cold cap is you're freezing the hair follicles to prevent as much chemo as
possible from traveling through.
It's going to be a little tight.
SIDNER: Women frequently cite hair loss as the most distressing side effect of chemotherapy. And in one study, it found 8 percent of women would
consider refusing treatment because of hair loss. But scalp cooling therapy doesn't come cheap. It costs hundreds of dollars per treatment, depending on which system you use and whether a technician
is helping you.
Thomas Cavalier wouldn't have been able to afford it if not for Bethany Hornthal. Hornthal is the executive director of HairToStay, a non-profit
helping patients pay for scalp cooling treatment.
UNKNOWN: HairToStay made it possible for me to keep my hair during chemotherapy.
SIDNER: She doesn't just help people afford it. Hornthal actually had a major role in getting the technology approved in the United States. In
2010, Hornthal was approached by doctors at the University of California San Francisco to help source funding for an FDA trial on scalp cooling.
Five years later, they successfully cleared the first scalp cooling system through the FDA. But Hornthal realized her fight was much bigger.
[12:55:00]
HORNTAL: I learned that insurance was not going to cover scalp cooling. And here I had had a role in bringing some innovation to this country to help
people who are in a really overwhelming and challenging situation. And now at least a third of the people who needed to use scalp cooling were not
going to be able to afford it.
SIDNER: So Hornthal continued her fundraising work, but now with a focus on subsidizing the treatment for patients.
HORNTAL: When I have to talk to an 18-year-old who has ovarian cancer, which is, you know, horrifying when she gets to tell me that she graduated
with her hair in her head. She made it, you know, then I know why I'm here. I know why I'm -- I'm sorry, I know why I'm doing this.
SIDNER: Hornthal says HairToStay has helped nearly 6,000 cancer patients access scalp cooling treatment, including Thomas Cavalier.
What would it mean if the cold capping technology wasn't there?
CAVALIER: I would probably be one of those women who would sit in that having chemo. We found a way to save 100 percent of my hair, and I could
not have done that without HairToStay.
In some days I was sick as a dog, but I go look in the mirror, I say, girl, you ain't so bad after all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Bethany Hornthal is a hero for what she has done, and so is our Sara Sidner for continuing her brave fight and bringing us this personal
story from her as well.
Well, that does it for this hour of One World. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Thank you so much for watching. Amanpour is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
