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Police Enter UCLA Encampment, Detain Protesters; Police Make Multiple Arrests at UCLA Pro-Palestinian Encampment; IDF Responds to Questions about Strike that Killed 10 Children; Hush Money Trial Resumes with New Gag Order Hearing; College Protests Trigger Mixed Reactions Outside U.S.; Dozens Killed in Highway Collapse in Guangdong Province. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired May 02, 2024 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Hello and welcome. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Paula Newton outside the courthouse in Manhattan. The hush money trial of Former President Donald
Trump resumes at the bottom of this hour with a new hearing on four more alleged gag order violations.
ANDERSON: But we'll begin our ongoing coverage of the nationwide pro- Palestinian protests on U.S. campuses. Overnight police moved into UCLA protest camp and detained some students. I'll also have your other top
international news this hour including the very latest on the crucial talks on a new deal between Israel and Hamas.
As I say though, let's begin with UCLA and these pictures, which came to us overnight. You can see officers moving in as protesters formed a line to
keep them out. This is the police started pulling down barricades, thrown up around the camp, arresting people and knocking down tents.
The LAPD has declared the camp unlawful. Well, earlier the protests were peaceful. This was the scene as police tried unsuccessfully to convince
protesters to leave. Well, so far, we're not seeing the sort of reports, we saw overnight violence. Certainly not this morning, it comes a day after
pro-Palestinian protesters faced off with pro-Israel protesters.
This is new video, from Royce Hall, a historic building on that campus now bearing the scars of occupation by protesters. CNN's Camila Bernal has been
on the scene of the campus. Here's what she was seeing just about an hour ago, as protesters stood their ground.
CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: -- to see here behind me of all the tents that the police officers were able to push out of the way, as they were
moving in to the encampment this whole area was part of the encampment. And now what you're seeing is sort of an encircled meant by police officers as
they continue to fire these flash bangs in the air to try to disperse the crowd.
There are definitely a lot more police officers than protesters are at the moment. It's actually hard to see where these protesters are. But they are
in a group in the middle of all of these police officers off to the other side, what I think is happening is that they're also getting rid of that
barrier that those protesters had set up with some of the plywood and the metal barriers.
So you're seeing some police presence off in the back, you're hearing the group of protesters in the middle still chanting, and still very much
defiant, despite the fact that they are surrounded by law enforcement officers. We have not seen them move in closer in the last couple of
minutes.
But again, you just never know when these officers move in closer and closer to give these protesters less room. And then you continue to see
people being arrested and being detained and being moved out of this area. We also are seeing a bus ready right next to this area to take a lot of
these people that are being detained.
So as you're seeing now these police officers are trying to get some of that garbage or some of the things that were in the encampment. They are
right now moving in closer and closer, you're seeing that happening at the moment as they move out the tents as they move out all of the things that
these protesters had inside of the encampment.
And as they get closer to that group of protesters who are still very much defiant and who are standing in the middle, they are all holding arms,
linking arms and trying to stay in place as you're seeing more and more of these officers bringing all of these tents out of the encampment.
[09:05:00]
ANDERSON: Let's get you some of the very latest pictures then from UCLA where as we've been reporting law enforcement is now making their way
around that encampment on UCLA's campus and demanding pro-Palestinian protesters, detaining them, demanding that they leave and detaining those
who are not prepared to do so.
What's happening here? Well, hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters have been arrested after a week-long or a week's long movement now across U.S.
campuses. As students demonstrate over the Gaza conflict, that has put the students involved at odds with university leadership. These were mostly
peaceful protests.
But on a number of sites and UCLA included the police have been brought in for what the university and the police have described as unlawful
encampments -- for our commentators to try and get their heads around what it is, that is unlawful about these encampments. And we will pursue that
reporting as we move through these couple of hours.
But suffice to say, we are seeing images of the use of force against what are the mostly peaceful protesters, inspiring students, it has to be said
in other countries to demonstrate their feelings about Gaza. And similar demands for divestment from institutions who are invested in Israel will
the UCLA protest, as I say, is one of many around the country.
CNN's Gabe Cohen joins us live from New York's Fordham University. We are just showing our viewers pictures of what is now early morning of course in
LA as police move demonstrators out detaining many of them gay and dismantling the encampment there. At UCLA, what's going on where you are?
GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, look, it's a quiet morning here at Fordham, UCLA, as you mentioned, is now the flashpoint of this protest
movement. That seems to have escalated here in recent days, but it's certainly not the only campus far from it where this is unfolding.
As of yesterday, more than 1500 people across the country, across at least 23 states, more than 30 campuses had been arrested and part of this
movement and just over the past 24 hours, we have seen arrests on campuses, like the University of Wisconsin, Dartmouth, and University of Buffalo.
And as you mentioned right here at Fordham University where protesters yesterday had put up tents inside this building right in this lobby space
through that window. Meanwhile, a massive group of demonstrators amassed here on the sidewalk. The school then called in the NYPD.
Officers showed up in riot gear and arrested and cleared out those protesters the school explaining the decision and a letter to call police
saying that they had had peaceful protests. But as they put it, we draw the line at intrusions into a classroom building especially by people who are
not members of our community.
There is a difference between free speech and people barging into your home to shout. And So Becky, at schools, like Fordham in Columbia which is just
uptown from where we are this is what we're seeing today. A lot of barriers, a lot of restricted entrances, and then of course a massive
police presence here at Fordham as well as Columbia.
Both schools have asked the NYPD to come in and stay on campus until after graduation to maintain order. And then of course, there's that message that
you heard about outside agitators. We have been hearing a lot about that here in New York and across the country.
In terms of the protests at Columbia, which you may remember just a couple of nights ago, a protesters had taken over Hamilton Hall, one of the
buildings on the campus occupied that which led to a dramatic scene a little more than 24 hours ago when the school called in the NYPD who enter
that building and the campus arrested more than 100 people.
And we heard Mayor Eric Adams here in New York talk about outside agitators saying that they were really a driving force, leading that protests that
they felt had become violent at Columbia. We also heard that here at Fordham what we have just gotten new reporting on the arrest numbers that
are coming in from Columbia.
More than 100 people arrested but we now know, according to an official that close to 70 percent of those people arrested, Becky, were affiliated
with Colombia that would mean of course close to 30 percent were not affiliated with the school. But initially, officials -- New York officials
had said they expected that more than half of the people who are arrested would not be affiliated with Colombia.
So there were some question marks about that narrative about this being all outside agitators and having talked to a lot of the protesters there's a
lot of frustration with that narrative because you talk to students who are saying we are the ones driving this movement.
[09:10:00]
This is not professional protesters, as we're hearing from a lot of people. So there is that conflict happening right now, but as you mentioned the
movement only growing now to UCLA. And it doesn't seem that it's going to stop having talked to protesters yesterday at Columbia, even though they
are barred from campus, it's restricted.
They said they're still going to come back and protests on the public street right outside the entrance today, tomorrow and everyday moving
forward until those divestment demands are met.
ANDERSON: Gabe, good to have you. Thank you. Our Attorney and Legal Affairs Commentator, Areva Martin joins us now live from Los Angeles. And we've
been looking, Areva, at the images throughout the night at UCLA as police there detain student protesters who have been part of this week's long
demonstration against Gaza.
These are pro-Palestinian protesters demanding divestment of these institutions from Israel and the police. Now there and in Colombia 24 hours
ago in New York, coming in some pretty violent scenes that we've seen, and calling a halt to these protests, how do you assess what is going on here?
AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY & LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: You know, Becky, one of the things that I'm looking at is the news that broke yesterday with
respect to Brown University and Northwestern University. Both of those universities were able to enter into negotiations with student protesters
and to reach agreements.
Agreements that didn't require or result in the calling of law enforcement agreements that didn't result in the suspension or expulsion of students,
but resulted in the students working together with the schools administrations, and coming up with a plan that would honor and respect the
role that student protests play in our foundation is a democratic country.
So it's kind of hard to watch what's happening at UCLA and Columbia, and juxtapose that with Northwestern and Brown without asking yourself, what's
the difference? Is it a difference in leadership that caused us to see the peaceful resolution of those two universities while watching these very
horrifying scenes at UCLA and Columbia?
ANDERSON: Gabe Cohen, our reporter on the ground in New York, pointing out that of the some nearly 300 arrested yesterday in New York, or authorities
were pretty confident and some 50 percent of those were be individuals not affiliated with the university, that hasn't turned out to be true.
It is those arrested, of those arrested some 70 percent are students. So that this narrative of sort of, you know, agitators behind the scenes, co-
opting these protests, not allowing the narrative to be one of simple sort of grassroots movement against Gaza is worrying, isn't it?
The other sort of narrative that is doing the rounds is that the recent rise in the protests has inflamed tensions, forcing university leaders to
decide when free speech on campus crosses a line and becomes threatening?
Again you know there's a lot more to that than perhaps some of the sort of, you know, the statements being made, which are somewhat lacking in nuance.
Can you just -- you know again, just a slightly deeper dive on what you genuinely believe ought -- to be allowed to happen on a university campus
in the United States in 2024?
MARTIN: Absolutely, Becky, students have a history of protests, and it is because of student protests that we've seen some of the biggest historical
events in this country. Look, these students are responding to the 30,000 plus individuals that have been killed in Gaza in Palestine since October
7th.
And I think, you know, it's wrong to judge the protests. I think we should be judging the response from the university, presidents and administrators
and you're right, this very false narrative that these are outside agitators, I think is just being used as an excuse for administrators to
call in police and to use as very heavy handed approach as it relates to students. And the facts just don't bear it out.
[09:15:00]
The facts bear out that these are students there in many cases not just students, but their faculties associated with the universities that are out
on the frontlines with the students are standing in solidarity. And what we've seen from some of these campuses is just I believe, abhorrent in
terms of the way that student protesters have been treated by the universities and the way that police have been brought in with respect to
riot gear.
And UCLA using, you know, a form of tear gas and other mechanisms to disperse what -- in some instances were peaceful protests of students.
ANDERSON: In most instances, I think it's probably fair to say, we are broadcasting internationally, of course, from here in the Gulf, but -- and
around this region. And beyond, of course, guards are in this wider region, it has been fascinating to see just how people -- how many people have been
interested in what is going on, on these U.S. campuses, the support that people have around this region for the young students who've been
demonstrating.
And there will be many people who are shocked to have seen these scenes overnight, who will not believe that they are seeing these sorts of scenes
in the United States in 2024. Just want to bring you on and our viewers what Bernie Sanders has posted on X today. The U.S. Senator saying some of
us have been out of school for many a while and may have forgotten what it is to be a student on American history.
Protesting injustice and expressing our opinions is part of our American tradition. And what makes this in fact a free country. That's what the
Constitution is all about. He did go on to suggest that the focus on these campuses to his mind. And Elizabeth Warren has said the same thing, heard
nothing from Joe Biden himself only from his spokesman.
But these two sorts of veteran lawmakers in the U.S., both saying that the concentrating sort of coverage on the campus protests takes away from what
is going on in Gaza at present moment. We have no ceasefire deal, and hostages are still being held an imminent Israeli military offensive on
Rafah. Do you agree with where these two U.S. lawmakers stand on this?
MARTIN: I do agree that protest and protest movement are a significant part of the fabric of our democracy, and that it is student protests that
throughout our history have caused or have called attention to grave injustice is whether we're talking about the Vietnam War, or we're talking
about the Civil Rights Movement.
Students have played a critical role in forcing our country to address a significant injustice is both at home and abroad. I also agree that there
needs to definitely be more focus on how do we end the mass of killings of children. We've seen that just a predominant number of people who've been
killed in Gaza are overwhelmingly children.
And so what is the administration doing and what are the world leaders doing to bring about it into the war? Definitely needs to continue to be
the priority of the student protests showing these horrific images of students being you know, attacked in some ways by police officers in riot
gear is very distressing.
I'm a parent of two students on the Columbia University campus. And this intense police presence that now is at Columbia and I suspect will be at
UCLA over the coming days is also very distressing for the students and their family members alike.
ANDERSON: It is your insight and analysis is tremendously important for us as we continue our special coverage of this and I am very appreciative of
your time today. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. We are back after a quick break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:20:00]
ANDERSON: Secretary of State Antony Blinken is back in the United States after his seventh visit to the Middle East where he urged Hamas to accept
the latest deal being offered for a ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages. Well families of Israeli hostages are again calling on their
own government to agree to a deal.
Some of them blocked a highway in Tel Aviv on Thursday morning. Meanwhile, Israel is keeping up with its airstrikes on targets in Gaza. Palestinian
officials say two children, a four year old boy and her sister were killed at a refugee camp late on Tuesday. The IDF says Israel is fighting to
dismantle Hamas, while taking precautions they say to mitigate harm to civilians.
Let's connect with CNN's Jeremy Diamond who joins us now live from Jerusalem. That's the position of the IDF. Is that reflected by what we see
on the ground, Jeremy?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, we've just concluded an analysis of a strike that took place two weeks ago, we brought you that
story at the time and airstrike in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp where we saw this harrowing image of several dead children splayed on the ground around
a foosball table at the time hospital officials told us that it was an Israeli airstrike.
The Israeli military said the incident was under review. But now we've gone back to the scene we've collected shrapnel taking images of the crater at
the scene. The marks of damage in that street and munitions experts have now told us that they believe this was likely caused by a precision guided
munitions fired only by the Israeli military.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DIAMOND (voice-over): This grainy home video is the closest -- will ever get to see her 10 year old daughter. A stack of school certificates, a
wardrobe of her favorite clothes, the perfume she used to wear, all that remains of the daughter Mona poured everything into. There is no Shahid
(ph) now.
Every time she came in. She said mom, I would say my soul, my soul. My soul is gone. Shahid (ph) was one of 10 children killed when an Israeli
airstrike hit the crowded street in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp where she was playing with her friends. Her pink pants impossible to miss among the
small bodies splayed around the foosball table in the chaotic aftermath.
Two weeks later, the Israeli military still won't take responsibility for the strike that killed her. CNN provided the IDF with the coordinates and
time of the attack based on metadata from two different phones in the immediate aftermath. The IDF said they did not have a record of that
strike.
They said they carried out a strike at a different time than described, and that the collateral damage as described in the query is not known to the
IDF. The IDF makes great efforts to mitigate harm to the civilian population from areas where strikes are being carried out.
Evidence recovered and documented by CNN at the scene of the strike paints a very different picture of Israeli military responsibility.
[09:25:00]
This circuit board and bits of shrapnel walls and sharp steps distinctively, pockmarked and a small crater barely a foot wide, all
pointing three munitions experts to the same conclusion. The carnage was likely caused by a precision guided munitions deployed by the Israeli
military.
CHRIS COBB-SMITH, WEAPONS EXPERT: I've seen these strikes so many times. There's a relatively small crater in the road, there's no large shrapnel
holes, or fragmentation holes that would have been -- which would have been caused by say a mortar round or an artillery round. The fragmentation is
consistent.
DIAMOND: So in your view, this strike was caused by a precision guided drone fired missile.
COBB-SMITH: Absolutely. This is an Israeli munitions, the local militias, the local forces do not have anything with this amount of sophistication.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Before carrying out the strike Israeli drones would have surveilled the Al-Maghazi refugee camp from above. Seconds later, the
missile hits the street below, landing in the middle of the road, just a few feet away from the foosball table, where Shahid (ph) and her friends
were playing that day, delivering certain death.
Against all odds, these children have returned to play at the very same foosball table, including some of Shahid's (ph) friends. I miss her a lot,
Sama says wearing a necklace she had made her. She says she was nearly killed with her friends going home moments before the strike to drink
water.
Others were not as lucky. 8 year old Ahmed is fighting for his life, bleeding from his brain, his skull fractured. His chances of surviving are
slim, his doctor explains. He is fighting not to become the 11th child killed in that same strike.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DIAMOND (on camera): And sadly, Becky, I do have to report this morning that Ahmed did indeed become the 11th child killed in that strike. He died
this morning from the wounds he sustained in that strike. And just to come back to that Israeli military statement, you know, in all that we heard
from them effectively denying that this was their strike pointing to another strike at a different time of the day.
Although people on the ground tell us there was no other strike. The Israeli military and that statement didn't one say that they would
investigate what is undeniable here, which is that 10 children now 11 children have died from this one strike, Becky.
ANDERSON: Jeremy Diamond on the story. Thank you. Well, Israel's Foreign Ministry is slamming Colombia's decision to break off diplomatic ties with
Israel saying the move rewards Hamas. President Gustavo Petro made the announcement at a rally in Bogota on Wednesday.
Mr. Petro says the Israeli government's handling of the situation in Gaza is quote, genocidal. Colombia says it will now recall its diplomats from
Israel. Last year Bolivia cut diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv. Let's bring in journalist Stefano Pozzebon joins us live from Bogota, can you just provide
some context for this?
STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: Yes, Becky, the context is that Gustavo Petro has always been one of the harshest critics of Israel's role and politics
in the Middle East even before the October 7th attack and the response of Israel to those attacks from Hamas has always been a very harsh critic of
the Israelis government and the state and the role they play in the Middle East.
The attacks on October 7th and in particular with the response and the waging of the war in Gaza Petro have become one of the harshest critics on
the international stage. And these moves of breaking diplomatic relationships with Israel and recalling the diplomatic personnel from Tel
Aviv has been threatened time and again over the last few months.
But never actually triggered, because one thing that we need to understand is that Israel is a massive supplier of light weapons or firearms to the
Colombian army and the Colombian Special Forces in particular, these are the guys that go out into the jungle to hunt down -- traffic in terrorists
and paramilitaries.
So that's why even with higher rhetoric. And Petro himself has clashed with the Israeli ambassador here in Bogota, time and again over the last few
months. These dramatic increases in the rhetoric and the polarization, these recalling the ambassador have never happened because of the
importance of that military partnership between the Colombian Special Forces and the Israeli ones.
And now, this has been triggered with increased rhetoric all around the world. And Petro in his talk yesterday, he made reference to the protests
that in the U.S. University saying that millions of people stand that with a Palestine and stand with Colombia.
[09:30:00]
And so will be interesting to see first, whether Petro pays a political price for tarnishing that relationship in terms of military equipment with
Israel, and whether other countries in the region after Colombia and Bolivia, severe ties with Israel could follow through with such a move,
Becky.
ANDERSON: Thank you. Well, for more on the latest developments in the Middle East region, subscribe to our "Newsletter". Meanwhile, in the Middle
East, you'll get an inside look at the biggest stories and trends including a rare firsthand look at the Iranian drones and missiles that recently you
were fired at Israel.
Some of which of course, did actually land all that more in our "Newsletter", meanwhile, in the Middle East, and you can scan the code with
your phone's camera on the QR code below. Well a special hearing gets underway today to consider the claim that Donald Trump breached his gag
order four more times.
Former president could end up with more fines or worse. We are live outside the Manhattan Courthouse with the very latest. Plus, we are gauging
reaction in the Middle East. The U.S. college campus protests a live report on that, forthcoming.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: And we return to our breaking news story. Right now, Donald Trump back in New York courtroom where he faces allegations that he violated the
gag order four times in his criminal hush money trial. Now special hearing on those claims is underway at this hour.
Remember the former president was already fine $9,000 earlier this week, and warned in fact, about potential jail time. At a campaign rally in
Michigan Wednesday, Trump rallied against the gag order and attacks the judge calling it a kangaroo courtroom. Brynn Gingras joins us now outside
the courtroom. Brynn, you've been covering this really day after day now.
He has already been fined for the gag order. So what can we expect from these new four violations? And you know they're being presented in court
right now.
[09:35:00]
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, they are. So he was fined $9,000 as you said, $1,000 is the limit, the prosecutors can ask for
these fines even in the judge's order, which was eight pages long. He said, I don't think that money is really going to affect Donald Trump. I mean,
kind of made that statement and said, so if you keep violating this, you could face jail time.
And we already have reporting from our colleagues that the secret service and the court marshals are already talking about how that could actually
work, what that would look like. Now, that was all set in that order. That was two days ago, prior to that is when prosecutors went forward and said,
hey, he, you know, violated this four more time.
So will he see jail time today or in the near future? Who knows, but certainly, the judge is at a limit with his toleration. But what we know is
that there are former violations, these all have to do with statements that Donald Trump has made to the media. They're not like true social posts or
anything like that, that we saw with the other nine.
So they're a little bit different, but they do attack witnesses like Michael Cohen, they talk about the jury in general, in one of the
statements that he made and so we'll see how the judge procedures. We don't expect any ruling from the bench today. But it's possible he may make some
statements.
NEWTON: Yeah, it's important to understand the red line that the judge is trying to mark and yet the former president went in just a few minutes ago
and calls this a bogus trial. Now he is just walking up to the red line at that point.
GINGRAS: Yeah, exactly.
NEWTON: And crossing it even if he criticizes the judge, which is important to note. OK. After this goes on to have again, the witness taking the stand
again.
GINGRAS: Yeah.
NEWTON: Keith Davidson lawyer, who negotiated the deals, right --
GINGRAS: Yeah, the hush money payments for both Karen McDougal and of course, Stormy Daniels, which is at the stork center of this whole entire
case, he was extremely lively on the stand. I mean, there was a lot of interest from the jurors, they were taking a lot of notes, and there was
some laughter that actually happened in the courtroom with things that he was saying.
So he's an interesting person. He also just at the end of court on Tuesday, started getting into his conversations with Michael Cohen, who he was
making those negotiations with and kind of, you know, saying that Michael Cohen wasn't exactly an easy person to deal with. And I'm saying that
politely, I think he was a little bit harsher actually on the stand.
So I think that the testimony today is going to be pretty good for the jurors to get a setup of exactly how these deals were made. And then it'll
set up the next couple of witnesses that we might see either today or tomorrow.
NEWTON: Yeah, there's much as you say about the atmospherics in the courtroom, that there is laughter that Michael Cohen has not a character
that some people like to deal with the point is incredible, and that's what we're going to hear more of --
GINGRAS: Right.
NEWTON: Great, thanks so much.
GINGRAS: All right.
NEWTON: I really appreciate it. Joining us now is Amy Lee Copeland. She is a criminal defense and appellate attorney. OK, Amy, we've just kind of
sketched out how the morning is going to go, I want to deal with that gag order first allegations of more valid violations. You know, this is
supposed to be a deterrent.
Do you think that's worked from what you've heard in the last few days? Because, as Brynn and I were just discussing $1,000 maximum for each
violation, it's like you and I buying a latte in terms of what it means to the former president.
AMY LEE COPELAND, CRIMINAL DEFENSE & APPELLATE ATTORNEY: I think that's exactly right. This is not deterring him at all. And remember, Paula, this
is a guy that said before the trial even started that he was sure that he was going to be incarcerated unfairly, that he was like Nelson Mandela.
And so we're going through all of this, the judge does have incarceration as a power, he doesn't want to use it. I understand from the reporter that
they're talking about how that would work. But clearly, if you're being told not to do it, and you continue doing it that shows a certain amount of
scoring.
NEWTON: You know, what's been interesting here, though, is how the judge is really in a tough position, as you said, politically, incarcerating the
former president could actually be a big boon to his campaign and can be seen in a way as political interference by the Trump camp. I mean, if
you're judging this position, what do you do?
COPELAND: You know I have nothing but respect for Judge Merchan. He seems to be very measured. He seems to be trying to find solutions short of
incarceration. You know, he's expressed frustration that state law limits the violation to $1,000. One of the things I think prosecutors are
approaching him about now is that if the former president does take the stand, that he'd be allowed to be cross examined about all of these out of
court statements.
So I'm not sure what the judge is going to do. But so far, he seems to be very careful in what he does, and very considered that man. I'm glad I'm
not in his position.
NEWTON: Absolutely not, even though he isn't experienced judge, as we said, those allegations about those gag order violations ongoing at this hour, I
want to talk to you about what happens next. We have Keith Davidson back on the stand, one of the witnesses. I have to say, and you tell me being the
legal expert that from what we've heard so far about someone like Michael Cohen and some of the testimony that's been given, there is that phrase,
right, reasonable doubt.
Would you say that so far, the prosecution has been able to eliminate reasonable doubt because right now, yes, we know that there have been
payments?
[09:40:00]
Yes, evidence of that has been presented. But crucially, we have not seen a lot of evidence linking that to the former president definitively.
COPELAND: You know I think where that's going to really come in is with Michael Cohen himself. And what the prosecutor has tried to do up to this
point is just to establish that Cohen can be believed, you know, they admitted in their opening statement that Cohen came in with a mountain of
baggage.
And they just want people to kind of box it in like, this is what happened. These were my dealings with them. I think it's pretty smart of them to show
the jury that he's not the most likable guy. I think that the Attorney Keith Davidson describes him as a, Pants on Fire kind of guy.
I'm reminded of testimony from a drug agent once about a confidential source that had a sort of background and the drug agent testified, you
know, you can't buy dope with the Pope. I think that the prosecution is doing a good job of showing that if you're going to get something fixed,
Michael Cohen's to do to fix it --
NEWTON: Yeah, and the interesting part will be how they continue to try and build up his credibility as these other witnesses appear on the stand. Amy,
thanks so much, really appreciate the insights. And we will be right back after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Let's get you up to speed on the campus protests across American colleges. Here is the very latest. Law enforcement has now cleared an
encampment at the UCLA campus in California They tore down barriers and detained pro-Palestinian protesters. The university has repeatedly called
for people to disperse or face arrest and it issued an alert a few hours before dawn, saying police deemed it an unlawful assembly.
Latest confrontation coming as protests against Israel's bombardment of Gaza disrupts university campuses across the United States. So how exactly
are these protests being viewed around this region of the Middle East and beyond? Well, let's bring in CNN's Senior International Correspondent, Ben
Wedeman, who has worked across this region for decades.
Keep in mind that the United States is very quick to criticize Russia, Iran and others when it of course comes to crackdown on peaceful protests. Ben,
what we're seeing at the moment in the United States does appear to be a crackdown on student protests, most of which have been peaceful? What are
your assessment of what we are seeing and your sense of how this is being viewed around this region?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, in the Middle East, it's viewed very differently. For instance, in Israel, we've heard
Prime Minister Netanyahu calling these protesters anti-Semitic mobs, which seems to be his knee jerk reaction to any of the even mild criticism of
Israel.
[09:45:00]
On the other hand, channels like Al Jazeera, which is broadcasting live pictures from these protests and the crackdown across the region. And I
mean, let's sort of take a step back and just look at what's going on Becky. These are state security services, in some cases, backed up by
snipers and armored vehicles cracking down in the middle of the night, using in some cases, tear gas and rubber bullets against largely peaceful
protesters who object to the government.
The U.S. government's support of a war in Gaza, conducted by Israel, and many of them are being hundreds of them are being rounded up and arrested.
Now, if this were, as you rightly said, Russia or Syria or Iran, the State Department, the White House would be roundly condemning this crackdown on
peaceful expression of contrary opinion, but because it's being done by the United States, on behalf or in support of Israel, the United States seems
to have hung up itself awareness.
And as I'm hearing on some channels broadcast from the United States, praise for the security services, in this case. So certainly in the Middle
East and even here in Europe, where people are fed up after seven months of seen images of civilians being slaughtered in Gaza. And the crackdown on
the protests in the U.S. is not surprisingly been widely seen as rank, hypocrisy Becky.
ANDERSON: Ben, Elizabeth Warren, the veteran U.S. lawmakers spoke with CNN, earlier this morning, she had this to say on the protests.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): It is foundational to our democracy, that people have an opportunity to raise their voices to protest to be heard by
their elected officials and to be heard by everyone else in the country that's guaranteed in the constitution.
It is also foundational, that it has to be peaceful. And that it's not about bullying or attacking other people or interfering with other people's
ability to go to class to do the things they need to do. My concern is to keep the focus on what's happening in the Middle East. There are things
that our government needs to be pushing for right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And a similar vein, from Bernie Sanders both, of course sees U.S. lawmakers on the sort of progressive side of U.S. politics. Both suggesting
that they have sympathy they go on with a but, but the focus should be on what is going on in Gaza. I know there'll be many people watching this
program who say they aren't sort of mutually exclusive.
We can continue to see and support protests, many will say whilst at the same time keeping a focus on what is going on in Gaza, after all that is at
the root of what these student demonstrations are all about Ben.
WEDEMAN: Yes. And let's keep in mind these -- many of these protesters, probably before the 7th of October, were not particularly aware of the
decades old conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. But I think what we have seen since then, in the last seven months, is many of them have
learned more about it.
And many of them aren't necessarily supportive. We call them pro- Palestinian protesters, but many of them are simply anti-war protesters. They are opposed to this war. And I think that's what is at the center of
these protests. And I think it's important to keep in mind that these are students, many of them at the most elite universities in the United States,
and they're getting something of a lesson on the Middle East.
And someday they will be in positions of power. And I think we can confidently predict that when that happens, they will not be as sympathetic
to Israel as the current generation that is in power in the United States. And perhaps the politicians in Israel should be somewhat more aware of,
perhaps what we're seeing is a generational shift in opinion in the United States and in Europe and elsewhere in the in the world, to the conflict in
the Middle East, Becky.
ANDERSON: Well, I had a guest on the other night, who was suggesting that over the years and in protests on student campuses have off times been a
precursor for what is to come.
[09:50:00]
And it's not the first time that the States has seen evidence of a crackdown on protests. And I think if anybody was around long enough to
have been around in 68, in the 80s, the anti-apartheid protests and beyond, I mean, it's not unfamiliar to have seen the sort of clamp down that we are
seeing at present.
But if the voice behind the protests is a precursor of things to come, then I think your point is very well made, thank you. Ben Wedeman in the house
for you still to come, the death toll from devastating flooding in Kenya continues to rise with many people still missing. Straight ahead we are
getting you live on the ground.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. In Kenya nearly 200 people have now died from weeks of torrential rains and devastating flooding. The Red Cross says there were
moments of hope when people were rescued from floodwaters south of Nairobi on Wednesday. But at the same time tourist safari camps have been flooded
and evacuated as tents are swept away. You can see a lot of cars underwater and heavier rain in the forecast for this month.
And in China at least 48 people have been killed after a highway collapse following weeks of severe rainfall. It happened in Guangdong Province in
southern China, an area that has been experiencing widespread flooding. Officials say swathes of the highway quite simply disintegrated, sending
cars plummeting down the hill that you can see there. Well, Kristie Lu Stout has more on what happened and what rescue workers and how up against?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The death toll is rising after a section of highway collapse before dawn on Wednesday, send the cars
plummeting down a hill and killing dozens of people. This mountainside highway is in China's Southern Guangdong Province. It connects Meizhou City
and Dabu County.
And video shared widely on social media purport to show the disaster. This clip shows the initial emergency response with rescue workers at the scene
in darkness and there's a raging fire where the road should have been and then social media video taken after daybreak shows the aftermath including
the nearly 18 meter long gash in the earth according to state media.
Aerial video reveals dozens of cars and piles at the bottom of a ravine and you can also see the smoke rising from the charred vehicles scattered
across the side of the mountain. It's not clear who shot the videos and CNN cannot independently verify their authenticity. State media say around 500
rescue workers were sent to the scene.
This disaster injured dozens of people who are being treated in hospital and are unstable condition this according to state run media citing city
officials. Additional medical teams were sent to the hospital to quote make every effort to treat the injury.
Guangdong Province is an economic powerhouse. It is home to 127 million people. And it's recently seen heavy rain and widespread flooding, which
has displaced over 110,000 people. It's according to official estimates of the heavy rain has also caused this section of highway to literally
disintegrate at a time when many of the victims are on the road at the start of China's Labor Day holiday Kristie Lu stout, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[09:55:00]
ANDERSON: I'm closer to where I am in Abu Dhabi, in the UAE, turbulent weather, forcing Emirates to cancel flights again in and out of Dubai as
heavy rains and high winds battered the UAE that comes of course only two weeks after the country experienced the heaviest rainfall in 75 years.
The airline has canceled a total of six flights and is warning of road delays around Dubai Airport. The weather has led the government to enforce
work from home policies for companies in both private and public sectors. I can report those certainly here in Abu Dhabi, although the rain was heavy
overnight it has now stopped and the forecast is good. Well, stay tuned for more coverage with me Becky Anderson, another hour of "Connect the World"
is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:00]
END
