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U.S. Authorized Transfer of Bombs to Israel; Christine Squires is Interviewed about Israel's Strike on World Central Kitchen Aids; Taiwan Still Digging out after Earthquake; Weather Threat for Eclipse Viewing. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired April 04, 2024 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: This just into CNN. We have some new reporting about U.S. weapons transfers to Israel. The Biden administration very recently authorizing more than 1,500 pound bombs and more be sent over to Israel. This as lawmakers like Senator Elizabeth Warren, who we just spoke to, are calling on President Biden to use weapons transfers like this as leverage to get Benjamin Netanyahu to change course. And Biden and Netanyahu are set to speak in a phone call today.

Let's get more on this new reporting. CNN's Natasha Bertrand has this for us.

Tell us more, Natasha.

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kate, so we're told that the U.S., in recent days, did authorize a new transfer of two - of over 2,000 munitions to the Israelis, including over 1,500 pound bombs and another 1,000 plus small diameter bombs. And these are notably munitions sales that had been notified to Congress and approved many years ago. And so they did not require new congressional notification. Instead, once these orders essentially became fulfilled, then the State Department was able to authorize that transfer to the Israelis.

But we are told that this transfer authorization came before this latest strike on an aid convoy by these Israelis on World Central Kitchen. But still, it is likely to generate further questions over the administration's policy of continuing to provide these weapons and this kind of equipment to the Israelis amid public condemnations by President Biden, by senior administration officials of how they are carrying out this war in Gaza. We are told by a former senior State Department official that if they wanted to, the U.S. could, in fact, choose to suspend these kinds of approvals. However, the administration, so far, showing no signs that they are willing to do that, saying that they're investing essentially in Israel's long-term security here, and reiterating that Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas and other threats.

But, obviously, this latest transfer authority is going to raise more questions about whether they should be using their authority and their leverage in a different way. BOLDUAN: Yes. Natasha, thank you so much for this new report and

bringing it to us.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. This is all coming to light as accusations that Israel purposely targeted the aid group World Central Kitchen, killing seven of its aid workers in Gaza.

With me now is Christine Squires, the president and CEO of Americares, a health focus relief and development organization that responds to people affected by poverty or disaster.

I just want to start with this. I want to start with what Jose Andres, the founder of World Central Kitchen, said about the attack on his people in Gaza.

Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE ANDRES, FOUNDER, WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN: What I know is that we were targeted deliberately, non-stop, until everybody was dead in this convoy. That - that - that cannot be. That cannot be the role of an army. That cannot be the role of an army that has hundreds of drones above Gaza in any single moment.

The humanitarians and civilians should never be paying the consequences of war. This is a basic principle of humanity. At the - at the time this looks like it's not a war against the regime (ph) anymore. It seems it's just a war against humanity itself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: When you hear those words and that he believes they were targeted, just looking at how they happened, how has this attack affected your operations, or people on the ground that work with Americares?

[09:35:05]

CHRISTINE SQUIRES, PRESIDENT AND CEO, AMERICARES: Thank you, Sara. I first want to start by saying, my deepest, deepest condolences going out to the loved ones, the family and the colleagues of the World Central Kitchen staff who have been killed in this attack. This is a devastating, horrific situation. We are devastated as a humanitarian community.

I also want to mention that this is about 200 aid workers who have died trying to deliver aid. And the consequences that people need help in Gaza, there are millions of people displaced. They are living in unsanitary living conditions. Infectious disease is spreading. There is war. There's thousands of deaths. And aid workers need to be able to move safely to deliver aid to those in need. We are focused on health, so we're looking at delivering medicines and medical supplies. We have some aid that has gotten in. But this is devastating to the humanitarian community and devastating to those in Gaza who need help.

SIDNER: Is there any group that works with you, because I know you work with partners, who is in Gaza, who has decided that they have to stop for now because of the danger of being hit by a strike, by an Israeli strike?

SQUIRES: Yes, there are several organizations, because of this, who have paused their operations. They're assessing their security situation. One of our partners, Anara (ph), has done so. And it will again affect the swift delivery of aid.

SIDNER: You know, when you hear that and you know that civilians are starving, a famine is imminent according to the World Health Organization, what's your message to Israels leaders as more and more agencies decide to stop or pause operations for fear of being endangered there?

SQUIRES: Well, our message is that we need safe passage of aid to come through. Not only getting it around inside Gaza. There are trucks that are lined up at the Rafah crossing and other crossings ready to go. Just to give you some sense, before October 7th, about 500 trucks a day were getting into Gaza to support Gazans in need and now it's 150. So, all piled up together, we need measures to allow for the safe passage of aid, and that includes a ceasefire.

SIDNER: How does that work? You - obviously, a ceasefire has been spoken about quite a bit. We heard from Kamala Harris that she was calling for a ceasefire with the return of those who had been kidnapped by Hamas.

I do want to ask you how it actually works. Is there a lot of contact between the aid agencies on the ground there and the IDF? As we heard from Jose Andres, there was contact. They had given them a plan. Is that how your organizations work?

SQUIRES: Well, we work with partner organizations who are on the ground. I will tell you that when there was a pause in fighting at the end of November, aid was able to get in. We were able to deliver six tons of medicines and medical supplies. So, having a pause in fighting, having a ceasefire is a solution to be able to support Gazans in need and save lives and absolutely make a difference. So, there are solutions available. There's aid waiting to get in. And we just need that pause in fighting. We need for safe passage of aid to come through.

SIDNER: There is a dire situation there for the civilians in Gaza.

Christine Squires, thank you for the work you do and thank you for joining us this morning. I really appreciate it.

SQUIRES: Thank you, Sara.

SIDNER: John.

BERMAN: All right, the death toll from the earthquake in Taiwan has grown with more than 600 people still stranded. We've got new reporting from the ground.

And a hospital in Alabama halting IVF treatments out of fear of new lawsuits.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:43:26]

BERMAN: All right, this morning, new frightening video of the moment the huge earthquake hit Taiwan. Nurses in a maternity ward in Taipei gathered babies together - you can see them right there - protecting them as the building shook. We've also got video of drivers on a hillside road when the quake triggered a rockslide. They begin backing up. You can see that boulder smashing into one of the vehicles. CNN has not independently verified the video and is unaware of how many people were inside or if any one was injured. The death toll in Taiwan now stands at ten. More than 1,000 have been injured, many more still unaccounted for.

CNN's senior international correspondent Ivan Watson is near the epicenter there.

Ivan, what are you seeing there?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, if you wanted an example of the frightening power of Wednesday morning's earthquake, just look at this, you know, an entire apartment building careening on its side. The authorities are going to be getting ready to demolish it as they have at least one other building in this city that was also badly damaged. Firefighters, they brought residents out on ladders out of that after it nearly tumbled over.

And this has been a deadly disaster. As you mentioned, at least ten people killed, more than 1,000 injured, including the mayor of this city.

But then, take a look down this road, right? You see that most of the buildings here are not damaged in the least. They're lit up. The restaurants down the road are operating. It is very active.

[09:45:01]

And I think that reveals just how experienced this community near a - located near a fault line is when it comes to earthquakes and how resilient Taiwan is as well. There are people sheltering, more than 100, in a gym nearby. And that's where I met the mayor who was on crutches after some furniture fell on him. But he said part of why the death toll isn't much more, isn't much larger is that - that people here are accustomed to earthquakes and they're taught as children how to deal with them and to respond to them. But also probably very strong building regulations after a devastating earthquake in 1999 killed more than 2,000 people.

The situation in the mountains is much more dire. Take a listen to this survivor of one of those rock slides.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There were too many rocks, like bullets, falling from above. We didn't know where to run. We were all scared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: It's in the mountains where the authorities are still trying to rescue hundreds of people. Fortunately, in the last couple of hours, John, we've learned that 30 hotel workers who were trapped on a remote mountain road, they have all been safely rescued.

John.

Ivan Watson, amazing reporting. I have to say, just seeing the building behind you in the background, which you're really close to you, I also have to say, just leaning over there, remarkable imagery.

Ivan, thanks for being there for us. Appreciate it.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: So they broke in through the roof and left with $30 million in cash. Now police are trying to figure out how these burglars really pulled off this wild heist.

The new CNN original series "Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight," it premieres this weekend. And you can watch the first two episodes this Sunday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 9:00 p.m. on CNN.

Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: NASA has declared a state of emergency over Texas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is something amiss. We are watching mission control. NASA has gone through this before 17 years ago with a the space shuttle Challenger. You can see in their eyes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you work in human spaceflight, this is the worst possible thing that could ever happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:51:52]

SIDNER: On our radar, an Alabama hospital says it is halting IVF treatments at the end of the year citing litigation concerns. This comes, of course, after the state supreme court ruled that frozen embryos are children and anyone destroying them can be held liable for wrongful death. This is the same hospital, by the way, that was the focus of the two lawsuits, who alleged a patient dropped and destroyed frozen embryos back in 2020. Alabama's governor signed off on new laws to try to protect IVF last month, but acknowledged more work does need to be done.

An African safari turned deadly for an American tourists. This video captured shows a bull elephant charging a vehicle - oh, my goodness - during a game drive in Zambia. According to a hospitality company overseeing the tour, the 80-year-old woman was one of six tourists just taking part in a regular excursion to view wildlife at the Kafue National Park. Investigators are looking into this case.

L.A. police are on the hunt for thieves who just pulled off the largest heist in California history. "The L.A. Times" reporting an experienced crews broke in through the roof of a money storage facility on Easter Sunday. They made off with $30 million, without ever triggering a security system. Employees didn't even discover that the theft happened until they opened the vault on Monday. Aerial footage of the storage facility Wednesday showed a hole with debris, but it's unclear if that damage occurred during the burglary.

I have a question. There are storage facilities just for money? I did not realize that.

BOLDUAN: That's your take on that.

SIDNER: That's my take. What? What? OK.

BOLDUAN: Weekend trip? Shall we?

SIDNER: I mean, you know, I know about banks, but they're - what's going on?

BOLDUAN: Well, you know what -

SIDNER: Look at that thing. It's huge.

BOLDUAN: It is huge. And - I think physically, wouldn't $30 million in cash also be huge?

SIDNER: Absolutely.

BOLDUAN: There's lots of questions.

SIDNER: There's a lot of questions here.

BOLDUAN: We are going to dive deep very quickly (ph).

So, four days now until the total solar eclipse. A pretty big deal. An even bigger deal, finding the clearest spot along the path of totality in the United States. Who will have the best view, and when, and what should you do about the whole thing?

Let's go to CNN's Tom Foreman. He's got much more on this.

Explain to us, how many people are going to be able to see this really, Tom.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot. I liked the term path of totality because it - path of totality sounds more like a philosophical concept, doesn't it?

BOLDUAN: It does.

FOREMAN: I'm pursuing the path of totality.

BOLDUAN: I think about my life. Yes. Yes. Exactly.

FOREMAN: Yes, that's exactly right. You're on the path, I'm telling you.

Thirty-two million people will be in the path of totality, but you really have to add about 20 million or more to that because the last time we had one of these eclipses at this level we had at least that many people traveling to the zone. This time it's a little wider, so you'll have even more showing up.

And all of this to see something that's going to last for three-and-a- half to four minutes in terms of the part where you have the complete solar eclipse. If you look at the path that is going to follow, it's really lovely. It goes right to the heart of the country up here from starting in Mexico, coming up through the U.S., up into Buffalo, Burlington, Vermont, and then on up into a piece of Canada up here.

[09:55:06]

Nice, big, wide swath there. Lots of people will get to see it. And people be traveling in from the outside.

Weather, you know, we don't know. There are a possibility of big storms down here. Possibility of clouds up here. Check the forecast day to day to day. It can change.

But remember, through all of this, what we're seeing, Kate, is really miraculous because, think about this, the sun is 400 times bigger than the moon. And the moon is about a quarter as big across as the earth. So, for this to block this, it only works because the sun is also 400 times as far away from us as the moon. That is such a unique relationship that we don't have proof that this exists anywhere else in the universe. It probably does because the universe is really big, but amazing, amazing few moments there to just get a glimpse of.

BOLDUAN: Unique relationship. I think that's what we could all say about all of us together.

SIDNER: That's what we have.

BOLDUAN: Whenever you come on, Tom Foreman.

FOREMAN: On the path to totality, yes.

BOLDUAN: On our path to totality together.

SIDNER: We meet.

FOREMAN: Yes. Yes.

BOLDUAN: Tom Foreman, thank you so much.

FOREMAN: You're welcome.

BOLDUAN: The best way to see this solar eclipse is on CNN. CNN's special live coverage of the eclipse across America. Coverage starts Monday at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. Or you can stream it on Max.

BERMAN: In the zone of totality.

Thank you for being with us.

BOLDUAN: It sounds so -

SIDNER: (INAUDIBLE).

BOLDUAN: Super creepy (ph) when John says it.

SIDNER: Go ahead and put them on.

BERMAN: This has been CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SIDNER: What can we do?

BERMAN: Safe viewing.

CNN NEWSROOM with Jim Acosta is up next.

BOLDUAN: Safety first.

John, you're so (INAUDIBLE).

SIDNER: You know you want to.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:00]