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Suspect Charged With Attempted Murder Of Slovak Prime Minister; Michael Cohen Back On The Stand At Hush Money Trial; More Israel Defense Forces Joining Rafah Operation; Huge Explosion In Jabalya, Northern Gaza; International Court Of Justice Hears South Africa's Request To Halt Rafah Offensive; Palestinian Evacuees Deal With Scars Of War; Dow 40K Is In Sight; Outsiders Left UCLA Protesters Beaten And Bloody. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired May 16, 2024 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:24]

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST (voice-over): Wherever you are watching in the world, you are more than welcome. This is the second hour

of the show. I'm Becky Anderson. It is 6:00 pm in Abu Dhabi. It is 10:00 am in New York.

Michael Cohen back on the stand in Donald Trump's criminal trial. More from Erica coming up on that.

Also, this hour, the man suspected of shooting Slovakia's prime minister has been charged with attempted murder. This video shows the alleged gunman

being taken into custody.

Israel's defense minister says more troops will be deployed for the ground operations in Rafah in southern Gaza. And --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I asked what makes him so resilient.

"Because I'm from Gaza, because I'm Palestinian," he says.

"Nothing can stop me."

ANDERSON (voice-over): Well, CNN visits a refugee compound where Palestinian kids try to find joy, despite the scars of war.

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ANDERSON: We'll have a lot more on what are our top international stories in just a moment. But I promised you I would get you over to Erica Hill in

New York. And that is what I'm doing.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Promise made, promise kept, my friend.

Of course, as you mentioned, this is day two for Michael Cohen. He was the prosecution's star witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial. He is back

on the stand now, court resuming. This is the second crucial day of cross- examination from Donald Trump's defense team.

Michael Cohen, of course, Trump's former fixer, onetime attorney. Today's questioning is expected to really focus in on Michael Cohen and the alleged

lies that he's told, the admitted lies that he has -- those lies he has admitted to as well.

The defense, we're told, is really going to hammer this home. It's what's being referred to as the "liar, liar, pants on fire" day of questioning

from the defense. And just a reminder here.

The reason we are talking about this, the reason Donald Trump is in court are these 34 felony counts. He has pleaded not guilty to all of them. But

this is a case not really about sex with a porn star or a hush money payment.

It's about the alleged cover-up of that payment and the falsifying of business records to hide it and the timing of that.

Jessica Schneider back with me this hour, our CNN justice correspondent.

So as we get started here on day two for Michael Cohen, what can we expect today, Jess?

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've actually gotten off to a little bit of a slow start here. Erica, you know, we're about a

half-hour in but there have been a number of sidebars with the attorneys and the judge.

There have also been a number of objections as the defense team is really getting off to a very slow and halting start to their cross-examination.

We were actually seeing some questioning now about a detective within the DA's office, who actually was suspended from the DA's office for having too

much of a buddy-buddy relationship with Michael Cohen.

We haven't seen a lot of questioning from Todd Blanche, Donald Trump's lawyer. But it seems like he might be trying to get at maybe some

impropriety within the DA's office with any relationship that this investigator might have had with Michael Cohen, just being too good of

buddies.

And maybe things kind of slipped through the cracks because of that. Again, the questioning so far has been very halting, a lot of objections that have

been sustained by this judge.

But what we're expecting to see in the second day of cross is maybe a defense team that's just a bit more streamlined today. They're going to

really focus in on Cohen's history of lying. Of course, he pleaded guilty and served time for lying to Congress.

So this is what the defense, eventually, after we get through some of this initial questioning, will likely zero in on. Their approach on Tuesday at

the beginning of their cross, it was definitely a bit scattered. That was the takeaway from people in the courtroom.

And at one point, we later found out, when the transcript came out, that Todd Blanche was actually kind of scolded by Judge Merchan for starting off

the questioning of Michael Cohen, asking about Cohen's attacks against Trump's lawyers on social media.

Judge Merchan really said, you started off in a misguided way.

Why did you do that?

So the cross really needs to be focused on this case, on the defendant, Donald Trump. And they need to go all in -- or they plan to -- on attacking

Cohen's credibility, because Cohen's really laid out some damning facts so far in this trial against Donald Trump.

[10:05:00]

So Erica, about 35 minutes in to court today, we're expecting it to go all the way through 4:00 pm.

Interestingly, the judge, before we even began the questioning, he asked the jury, could you please, could we have this trial on Wednesday?

Remember, Wednesday is usually a dark day for the court. But because of some of the holidays coming off, they have off this Friday. They have off

next Friday in advance of Memorial Day. Obviously, they have Memorial Day off.

The judge is asking, can we have court on Wednesday?

So it's potential; I think he's waiting to hear back from the jurors about if they're able to do that. But it potentially will have the trial Monday

through Thursday of next week, if the jury agrees to come in Wednesday, Erica.

HILL: All right, appreciate it, Jessica. Thank you.

We will continue to keep an eye on those developments happening here in New York City.

But Becky, I want to hand it back to you now in Abu Dhabi, I know there is a lot else happening in the world. And you're on top of all of that. Thank

you.

ANDERSON: Yes, that's right.

A lot of news out here. As we speak, the suspect accused of shooting Slovakia's prime minister, Erica, is now charged with attempted murder.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON (voice-over): This shows that the alleged gunman being taken into custody after what investigators say was a planned ambush on Wednesday. The

country's interior minister says the man, who hasn't been named, is not a member of an extremist group.

Well, meanwhile, prime minister Robert Fico remains in serious condition after what happened. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more on how this all played

out.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An assassination attempt in broad daylight. Slovakia's prime minister Robert

Fico shot and unable to walk. Bodyguards rushing him into a car. The alleged shooter still just feet away, tackled by police.

Fico was shot multiple times and immediately rushed to the hospital, then airlifted to a major trauma center. One eyewitness said the scene felt

like, quote, "a nightmare" and described hearing quick shots ring out in the crowded area.

LUBICA VALKOVA, WITNESS (through translator): It was quick one by one, like if you throw a firecracker on the ground. I saw a scratch on his head and

then he fell next to the barrier.

PLEITGEN: No one else was injured in the shooting, which happened in the central Slovak town of Handlova, just after an offsite government meeting.

This was Fico right before the attack, speaking calmly at a press conference, like any other day.

Fico, who served two previous terms as prime minister, was a divisive figure in Slovakia and across Europe. He won a third term last year by

running on a campaign to end military support for Ukraine, making no secret of his sympathies for Russia.

Fico is known for being anti-immigration, anti-LGBTQ rights and very critical of the European Union. But in the immediate aftermath of this

assassination attempt, politics has been set aside. One of Slovakia's opposition parties also calling it an attack on the nation's security.

MARIA KOLIKOVA, SLOVAK MP, FREEDOM AND SOLIDARITY PARTY (through translator): An attack on the prime minister is clearly an attack on the

internal security of Slovakia.

PLEITGEN: Many in this country of about 5.5 million people, deeply shaken and shocked by the violence.

VALKOVA (through translator): I think it's a nightmare that this is not possible to happen in Slovakia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, Fred Pleitgen joining us now from Slovakia.

And Fred, we have been learning a little more about the condition of the prime minister and indeed about the suspect.

PLEITGEN: You're absolutely right. It's quite a major development that we had basically over the past hour or so, where we've learned from the

country's president-elect that apparently the prime minister is now conscious and is actually able to speak.

In fact, the president-elect said he was in and visited the prime minister and had a short conversation with him. I want to listen in to a little bit

of what Peter Pellegrini had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER PELLEGRINI, PRESIDENT-ELECT, SLOVAKIA: It was a very personal discussion about how he feels and that I am very happy that he's arrived.

I told him that we stand behind him and we think about him and we are sending him a lot of energy that he will handle this very difficult

situation.

So it was such a kind of discussion, very personal. I know him over 20 years. So it was quite logically that we will speak about this kind of

things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: So there you have Peter Pellegrini, the president-elect of Slovakia. And one of the other things that he also said is that the prime

minister appeared to be very tired when he spoke to them.

[10:10:00]

Obviously that very little of a surprise, considering he suffered multiple gunshot wounds and some pretty severe wounds at that and having to be

treated here at this hospital.

And you're also absolutely right, Becky, to point out that we do have some further information on the suspect, still not being named by the

authorities but apparently a 71-year-old man.

And the authorities are saying that they continue to believe that all this was politically motivated, that, among other motivations was disdain for

the Fico government's decision to stop aid, military aid to Ukraine, that that also played a role as well.

But there were also some other grievances. And also -- and I think this is quite significant as well -- the government saying this was not part of a

wider group but that this person was, quote, "a lone wolf," Becky.

ANDERSON: It's fascinating. Good to have you, Fred.

Beijing seeing a bit of a love-in between the Chinese and Russian presidents. Vladimir Putin, hailing China as Russia's main economic trading

partner during his state visit to the Chinese capital.

And China of course, has deep pockets and the West wondering what that could mean for Moscow's ongoing war against Ukraine. We're live in Beijing

with CNN's Marc Stewart.

Let's start with the sort of overarching goal here. We are seeing a lot of -- a lot of shaking of hands, a lot of warmth between Beijing and the

Kremlin, between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin himself.

What's the goal?

MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Becky.

First of all, let's not underestimate the symbolism in all of this, to see Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin standing side-by-side. And along those lines

in the last hour or so, state broadcaster, state media here in China, CCTV, reported that Xi Jinping congratulated Vladimir Putin for beginning a fifth

term as president.

Again, yet another key optic in this broader picture of mutual respect, mutual admiration between these two nations, which is a big part of this

visit.

Not only is it about this relationship between these two men but this no- limits partnership between China and between Russia. As far as how this will progress, a big part of this meeting has been to discuss some of the

hotspots in the world; obviously the conflict that we're seeing in the Middle East but also the conflict in Ukraine.

Russia's war with Ukraine. It is interesting how Beijing is really trying to take a neutral position in all of this, saying that it's a neutral

party. Xi Jinping is denying accusations from the West that it's helping the Russian war machine indirectly through defense support.

It's also of note that China is saying that it is not necessarily condemning this war. If Xi Jinping Russia has not condemned this war. And

that is very telling. Some remarks today, in fact, suggested that Xi Jinping may be looking to be a peacemaker. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

XI JINPING, PRESIDENT OF CHINA (through translator): The Chinese side looks forward to the early restoration of peace and stability on the European

continent and will continue to play a constructive role to that end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: So there is a big military component to these discussions. In fact, when Vladimir Putin came here, he did not come alone. He had security

advisors; he had defense officials with him, showing that military issues are still going to be very much part of this relationship.

And it does make sense that these two nations want to have some kind of partnership, especially as Xi Jinping works to try to establish itself,

China, establish itself as the leader of a new world order, a big alternative basically to the West. Becky.

ANDERSON: Yes, and a mediator in that, he, of course, did broker the rapprochement between Saudi and Iran last year. It seems an awful long time

ago. And frankly, Beijing has made quite serious offers to play a mediation role in a political solution with Gaza. So you can see how that kind of

narrative is developing.

I mean, this is a political, this is military. And there are of course, economics seriously involved in what is this relationship, this bromance,

if you want to call it that, between Russia and China at present.

It is always good to have you, Marc. Thank you very much. Indeed, our man in Beijing.

Up next, trapped inside Gaza. The doctors putting their own lives at risk to save the lives of others. And --

[10:15:00]

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ANDERSON (voice-over): CNN investigates counterprotesters who showed up to pro-Palestinian rallies on U.S. college campuses. More on that after this.

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ANDERSON: Well, it does look as if there are investors out there intent on pushing the Dow Jones industrial average in New York through a milestone.

It is just shy of 40,000, which would be a big number psychologically and, of course, technically, because there are technical trades out there if

that market does indeed push to and through 40,000.

And we are just shy. Look, we've been here before. I mean, it was very close back in March. And these markets across the board, Dow Jones, S&P

500, the Nasdaq, all three of these markets have been on quite a clip of late, smashing through or surging through, at least riding through records.

So perhaps it would be no surprise, I can say a milestone, symbolic if you will, not much more than that. It just is a number that we are keeping a

good eye on. Certainly looks as if there is a healthy appetite on Wall Street for these stocks.

And the Dow Jones industrial average a further 1 percent higher, trading just shy of 40,000 as we speak.

Well. to new developments in the war in Gaza. Now in the past couple of hours, the Israeli defense minister has said additional IDF forces are

joining the ground operation in Rafah.

That is of course, Gaza's southernmost city, where more than 1 million Palestinians are or certainly were sheltering with nowhere else to go.

While in northern Gaza, we have just been getting this social media footage through of a huge explosion in Jabalya. operations there appear to be going

-- ongoing, despite Israel having said that that area was clear of Hamas. Get you to Jeremy Diamond in Jerusalem for the very latest.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, the fighting is certainly intensifying in northern as well as in southern Gaza. As you said, Israeli

defense minister announcing that more troops will be heading into Rafah.

But as all of this is happening, there are dozens of foreign doctors who are trapped inside the Gaza Strip, who were set to depart, including at

least 22 American doctors who are at the European hospital on the outskirts of Rafah.

[10:20:00]

We spoke with several of them to talk about why they are stuck and what they hope for the future.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. AHLIA KATTAN, ANESTHEIOLOGIST AND ICU MEDIC: We were evacuated from that safe house which was supposed to be the day-conflicted zone.

DIAMOND (voice-over): After more than two weeks in Gaza Dr. Alia Kattan should be back home in California with her three

children.

KATTAN: This is where we've been sleeping.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Instead, she's sleeping on the floor of Gaza's European hospital as her five year old daughter wonders when her mom will

come home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you mom so much. Happy birthday to mama, who are the best ever.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Dr. Kattan and her husband are among at least 22 American physicians now trapped in Gaza after an Israeli military offensive

in Rafah shuttered the critical border crossing to Egypt.

KATTAN: Rafah borders are now closed. And that was our safe entry and exit the WHO is trying to negotiate a safe exit for us. And it's not

happening.

DIAMOND (voice-over): As Israeli and Egyptian officials trade blame for the crossings closure.

KATTAN: I'm just on my way to operating room.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Dr. Kattan and her colleagues are doing what they can to keep this overwhelmed and under resourced hospital running.

LAURA SWOBODA, NURSE PRACTITIONER: We were not aware of how dire the situation is here. There wasn't so to wash our hands between infected

wounds with maggots. There wasn't sanitizer wipes to wipe down the tables after each patient.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Israel is now threatening to widen its offensive in Rafah.

SWOBODA: Always we can hear the drones in the background.

DIAMOND (voice-over): A move that the U.S. and international aid groups warn will have dire humanitarian consequences. One that will put even more

strain on Gaza's already overwhelmed hospitals.

KATTAN: All of us don't want to leave unless we're replaced by physicians and medics and nurses and all the people that are keeping this hospital

going.

My message to the U.S. government is however they can help to maintain a safe corridor for medics to come in and out to bring supplies and

themselves to support the innocent civilians and women and children. So please do that.

DIAMOND (voice-over): But until that happens, Dr. Kattan is stuck, unsure when and how she will make it home.

DIMAOND: What's the most difficult part of that uncertainty right now?

KATTAN: Missing my kids and waking up in the morning and realizing they're not next to me. But the harder part is, knowing that I get to leave

eventually. And I get to go home and be safe. I've developed a lot of friends here who are the same age as me and have kids my age and they don't

have those securities and those basic necessities.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DIAMOND: And Becky, nearly 10 days after that Rafah border crossing closed, there are still ongoing negotiations we're told between Israeli and

Egyptian officials to try and reopen that crossing.

But for now, there's a lot of blame game but not a lot of solutions being presented. We also understand that authorities are looking into ways to get

these doctors and other aid workers out via other crossings into Israel. But so far that hasn't happened. Becky.

ANDERSON: Jeremy, it's always good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.

Well, I'm just going to get you back to New York very quickly because we are looking at what would be a significant milestone on the Dow Jones

industrial average. We are at 39,992.92, just about 8 points shy of the 40,000 level on the Dow Jones industrial average.

Let's get you back to CNN's Matt Egan.

Why are we seeing what we are seeing at this point?

I mean, these markets have been on a clip, haven't they, I mean, if -- we may or may not make it during this trading -- this trading session. But at

some point this market is going to crash through that 40,000 mark.

Why?

EGAN: Becky, I think this reflects optimism about the economy, about the fact that that recession that people feared doesn't appear to be imminent,

that a soft landing really is possible. I mean, if people were worried about a recession, we'd be talking about Dow 30,000 or 25,000.

So the fact that we're just 10 points away, we've gotten to within just a point or two of 40,000, it does say a lot. Now if you talked to veterans on

Wall Street, they'll say they don't even know where the Dow is trading, right?

[10:25:00]

They don't look at the Dow because it's only 30 stocks, it's kind of an antiquated, flawed average. They look at the S&P 500. But look, the S&P

500, that is the benchmark, that's also at record highs. The Nasdaq composite also hitting records.

And the Dow, remember, it is a make-up of 30 of some of the best-known companies really in the United States. We're talking about McDonalds and

JPMorgan, Apple, Amazon, Disney.

I mean, this is America, so this is a bet on American business, on the U.S. economy.

And, Becky, there's also always this debate when we see a milestone like this, about whether or not this is good for Wall Street, good for Main

Street. And you could argue a few different ways, because we know that rich people, they own more stocks than the average American.

But also average Americans own a lot of stocks, right, 52 percent of Americans, according to the Fed, 58 percent of U.S. households, they own

stocks either directly or indirectly through their retirement accounts.

So the fact that the market is up is good news. I would argue for Main Street as well and I also think it's worth taking a moment just to think

about where we've come from. It was about four years ago during the worst of the COVID crisis that we actually saw the Dow drop below 20,000, below

19,000 at one point.

So we've more than doubled since those COVID lows. And if you go back even further to the 2008 financial crisis, at one point the Dow had plunged

below 7,000. So we've come a very, very long way.

And again, I do think this reflects optimism about the economy and perhaps about what the Fed can do when it comes to interest rates.

ANDERSON: It's interesting, because this economy, in this state that it is, with a market indicator like this, should be a really positive story for

Joe Biden going into what is this really critical period of 2024.

With an economy looking in good shape, it's not doing him any favors. And just before we go, let's remind ourselves, despite the fact that this looks

very, very healthy, people are still feeling squeezed when it comes to their daily spend and their daily accounts, Matt.

Correct?

EGAN: Oh, absolutely, Becky, I mean, listen, the market celebrated yesterday's inflation report, showing the consumer prices were only up 3.4

percent year over year.

But that actually is not a great number historically, right?

I mean, that is well above the pre-COVID rate. The reason why it was good news is because we were talking about 9 percent inflation two years ago and

4 percent to 5 percent a year ago.

So the market has celebrated the progress on the inflation fight. But that doesn't mean that the cost of living is still not a problem. It is.

And we've seen that in survey after survey, the Consumer Sentiment Survey out just a week ago showed that consumer sentiment plunged last month -- or

actually to start this month -- by the most in years to a six-month low.

And that does reflect frustration with how expensive life is, right?

It's obviously food and gasoline, both of which, by the way, have improved. But it's the cost of shelter, of owning a home, of renting a home, of day

care, of baby formula, of fixing your car. And so all of those frustrations are real political liabilities for President Biden and his White House.

But I got to tell you they would be much happier to talk about a market milestone like 40,000 than being in a situation where the markets were in

turmoil. So while Dow 40,000 may not necessarily help President Biden in the polls, I would imagine a market crash would certainly have hurt him.

ANDERSON: Yes.

I know a former president who would have been touting this as a huge success were he still in office. And he may be in office going forward. But

we are very likely to have crashed through 40,000 by that point. Thank you, sir.

Matt Egan is in the house and you can monitor those numbers through the hour on the bottom of your screen. We will keep you bang up-to-date as

things develop.

Still to come, Michael Cohen now back on the stand, facing a second day of cross examination by the defense team in Donald Trump's criminal trial.

Can they convince the jury the prosecution's star witness cannot be trusted?

We are live at the courthouse up next.

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ANDERSON: Criminal trial.

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: Hi, there, welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson Abu Dhabi. Erica is in New York.

We're doing this.

We keep doing this to each other, don't we?

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: And she's been watching the crucial home stretch --

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON: I tell you what, tell me what's been going on today. It seems as if it's been a bit of a slow start.

HILL: Yes. You're right. It absolutely was off to a slow start, Becky. So this is just to remind our viewers, this is day two of the cross-

examination by the defense of Michael Cohen, who is the key witness for the prosecution.

He is the guy who was Donald Trump's fixer at one point, worked for him for years. He has laid out how he really admired Donald Trump for a long time,

of course, until he didn't, which is now.

He at one point served as his attorney and he is the guy for the prosecution, who has put Trump in the room, if you will, said that he knew

what was going on, not only with that hush money payment but with then how the repayment to Michael Cohen -- because he initially paid Stormy Daniels

that $130,000.

How that repayment was then falsely logged in the business records as a legal retainer to Michael Cohen. So he has done his best to connect those

dots and put Donald Trump with full knowledge of that.

What we're seeing now from the defense after what was sort of a scattershot cross-examination on day one, where they were all over the map in terms of

a timeline, they are really working now to home in on Michael Cohen as a liar.

Because, Becky, history has changed, because once he said had changed, because he is an admitted liar. He lied to Congress. And so what they're

starting off with here is talking about some of the different lies that he has gone through.

In fact, the defense attorney saying at one point, you knew you were lying under oath, recounting all the different times that Michael Cohen took this

oath, the same oath, of course, that he took before making his way to the witness stand, in this case against Donald Trump.

He said you knew you were lying under oath. He says, yes. And then at one point, Becky, he was just pressing him. And he was saying, so hold on a

minute. The defense attorney is saying hold on. Let me get this straight. You have said that you accept responsibility for these lies.

[10:35:00]

But you've also said here in this courtroom that the reason you were lying was your loyalty to Donald Trump.

So which one is it?

And he said, yes, I take -- I take responsibility for it. So walking through a lot of those moments right now. And Becky it's, as you know, that

the key here for the defense is they don't have anything to prove. The burden of proof is on the prosecution in this U.S. court.

But the defense, if they can get just one of those 12 jurors to have some doubts about Michael Cohen, some doubts about his credibility, whether he's

actually being honest in this moment, given the fact that he has admittedly lied several times in the past.

They only need one juror to say this doesn't all add up to me. I don't believe this guy. And then they have a hung jury. And that's what they

need, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yes.

One of the reasons they've used this, of course, the 2020 podcasts, where Cohen is heard saying, "Revenge is a dish best served cold," as you rightly

point out, Cohen acknowledging he publicly took credit for getting Trump indicted.

It's good to have you, thank you very much indeed.

And we have heard from the judge asking the jury whether they are prepared to work through next week. Of course, they'd been taking a dark day Monday.

As for Wednesday's and indeed tomorrow, Trump is apparently allegedly going to his son's graduation or at least that is why the Friday session is

canceled this week. So the judge asking the jury whether they will work Wednesday next week. It continues.

I'm just going to get you an update that the Dow Jones industrial average, we've been adding, keeping a close eye on it, see whether it hit the

milestone 40,000 mark. I'm told it has briefly hit that level. It is off that.

Now we are trading around 39,990 and change, about 0.5 percentage point higher. There's clearly an investor or two out there who has been pushing

this market higher today. But both the other two markets in New York, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, also higher today. So the Dow very much reflecting

the mood on Wall Street.

But obviously that key milestone an important one. And it has touched it briefly today.

If we take a break, let's do that. Back after this.

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ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me out of Abu Dhabi; Erica Hill, my colleague in New York for you today.

And right now elsewhere, the International Court of Justice in The Hague is hearing South Africa's request, a request to halt Israel's Rafah offensive.

Now last week, South Africa filed an urgent request for additional measures in its pre-existing genocide case against Israel. Here's what its legal

team said a short time ago.

[10:40:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PROF. VAUGHAN LOWE KC, SOUTH AFRICAN LEGAL TEAM: South Africa's request was initially focused on Rafah because the imminent prospect of death and

suffering on a massive scale resulting from Israel's attack.

Since that request was made, it has become increasingly clear that Israel's actions in Rafah are part of the end game in which Gaza is utterly

destroyed as an area capable of human habitation. This is the last step in the destruction of Gaza and its Palestinian people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, that's South Africa, outlining its case today, with Israel responding on Friday. And we will, of course, be watching the entire

process very carefully for you.

Meantime, those who have managed to escape the horrors of this conflict are trying to find some semblance of normality. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh spoke to

Palestinian evacuees, who are now in Doha.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARADSHEH (voice-over): Far from a place of death and destruction, Gaza's children trying to be children again. But everywhere you look here, you see

the real cost of a war, Israel says is against Hamas, what the U.N. has called a war on children.

So many injured little ones, so many who have lost limbs. Mahmud can no longer ride a bike. The 9-year-old lost both his arms in an Israeli strike.

He is one of hundreds of children evacuated by Qatar for medical treatment.

Mahmud is finding ways of living a childhood shattered. He shows off how he has learned to use his feet to play video games.

"I want to fulfill my dreams. I want to be a journalist and a pilot," he says.

The once independent child now needs his mother to feed him, dress him and take him to the toilet. I asked what makes him so resilient.

"Because I'm from Gaza, because I'm Palestinian," he says. "Nothing can stop me."

Most children here like Mahmud don't want to talk about their injuries. They found sanctuary in this unlikely place, a compound Qatar built for

World Cup fans, now turned into housing for nearly 2,000 Gaza evacuees, most of them women and children.

It's a safe space to deal with the trauma of war and offers us a firsthand glimpse into the suffering, which Israel has forced us to cover from afar

by preventing international journalists from freely accessing the enclave.

In this room, women gather for a session of Palestinian embroidery. It's therapy, a distraction.

But how could anyone forget what they've been through and all they've lost?

Alma quietly sits, watching her grandma embroidering. Her wounded mother is in hospital, her injured father still in Gaza.

MONA AL-ROUBI, GRANDCHILDREN KILLED IN GAZA (through translator): I didn't expect Alma to survive. She had a fractured skull, an amputated leg,

shrapnel in her back and a broken arm.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): Like many children, Alma has lost more than her leg. The blast that maimed her took her 8-month-old sister, Sham, who died

in her arms, and her 6-year-old brother, Ahmed.

"I am sad about my brother and sister."

Alma choking back tears, can't say any more. Everyone in this room is missing loved ones, those gone and those they've had to leave behind.

Weighed down by grief and guilt, they tell us they deprive themselves of food and sleep.

SOHEIR ISSA, SONS KILLED IN GAZA (through translator): I've been sleeping on a couch.

How can I sleep on a bed when my sons are sleeping in a tent and on sand?

How can I eat when my children are hungry?

KARADSHEH (voice-over): Soheir's three children and husband are in Rafah. Like others, she desperately wants to get them out.

She shows us pictures of what used to be home where she was injured, where she lost her mother, 6-year-old niece and two of her sons, all killed in a

strike, she says, while they were sleeping. She gleams with pride talking about her boys, 16-year-old Sharif was top of his class. Mahmud had just

gotten a scholarship to study medicine abroad.

ISSA (through translator): Israel left no dreams. I now find myself thinking I wish I had let my sons take up arms instead of dying like this.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): Soheir says she raised her boys to never carry weapons.

[10:45:02]

To serve their people through their education.

ISSA (through translator): I want to tell them, you destroy the people. The mothers, you created more hatred. I used to feel for them, with the

hostages, as a mother who has lost her children. If I could avenge my son's death, I would do it myself.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): Memories and photos, all she has left of them.

ISSA (through translator): When I go to sleep at night, I put my arms like this. I imagine I'm hugging Mahmud and Sharif, hugging my mother.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): Pain in this place is palpable. Those who've made it out may have escaped the war. But there is no escaping the everlasting

scars it leaves behind -- Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Doha.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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ANDERSON: We've been keeping an eye on the Dow Jones industrial average. It has briefly touched what is a milestone 40,000 mark. Traders, it seems,

optimistic that the Fed is headed for a rate cut later this year after a better-than-expected inflation report out of the United States. Matt Egan

is back with us.

Matt, they pushed and they pushed and they blew that number down.

(LAUGHTER)

MATT EGAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR WRITER: They did, Becky, finally moving decisively passed the 40,000 level. This is a major market milestone. I

mean, the Dow is arguably the best known market indicator on the planet.

And it just did something it's never done before. This does reflect optimism about the U.S. economy, optimism about inflation, about interest

rates. And so this is good news. We will have some people point out that the stock market is mostly owned by the more affluent households and that

is true.

But more than half of U.S. households, they do own stocks in some way, either directly or in their 401(k) or retirement accounts.

So really this is something that benefits many people. And there are political implications too, because actually within just about five minutes

of the Dow hitting 40,000, the Biden campaign sent out an email, an email blast, celebrating this milestone, saying that, under Joe Biden Dow crosses

40,000 mark.

Market set record highs and pointing out that, years ago, Donald Trump warned that the market would crash if Joe Biden became president. So you'll

see some more talking points from the Trump and Biden campaigns as the markets hit a major milestone here.

ANDERSON: Yes, and it could have been so different. So interesting times for us. Thank you, Matt.

EGAN: Thanks, Becky.

ANDERSON: I want to take us and you -- well, I tell you what, let's stay in the United States, shall we?

To a story that we brought you a few weeks ago amid the height of the campus anti-war protests. Students who had formed an encampment at the

University of California/Los Angeles were violently attacked by far-right groups and pro Israeli counterprotesters.

You may remember that. It took police hours to respond to that. And we are now getting a clearer picture of what happened and who was involved in the

attack that night. Kyung Lah has more on what is this CNN investigation.

[10:50:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN SR. U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the worst violence of any of the ongoing college protests.

UCLA, where counter-protesters used sticks and boards against a pro- Palestine encampment.

It was more than three hours of unrestrained violence the night of April 30th that led to injuries and bloody scenes, as campus security and law

enforcement allowed it to continue.

CATHERINE HAMILTON, NEWS EDITOR, UCLA DAILY BRUIN: They were there spraying, they were there pulling barriers and they were there to very

clearly do some serious harm to the students who were on campus.

LAH: When you look at the counter-protesters, how many of them were UCLA students?

HAMILTON: I would say basically none of them.

LAH (voice-over): Who are the most aggressive offenders?

A CNN investigation of hundreds of videos from multiple sources shows many of them are outsiders, not UCLA students. Among the people who showed up

that night, far-right agitators with no apparent connection to the Middle East war, others driven by pro-Israel beliefs.

Among them, this man. He strikes a pro-Palestine protester with a long white pole and is part of a mob that pummels the man as he falls to the

ground.

He's seen in multiple videos wearing this white mask, striking the barriers, throwing objects into the encampment.

Without his mask, we see who he is. 18-year-old Idan Onn of Beverly Hills, a senior at a local high school.

LAH: Come inside to the kitchen. How do I get inside?

LAH (voice-over): I spoke with his mother.

LAH: Hi, there, are you Sharon?

Hi. Hi, let me introduce us.

LAH (voice-over): She did not want to be on camera but quickly identified her son from this picture at UCLA that night. She described in detail how

her son found the mask and pole on the ground and said he was defending himself in this fight.

On her Facebook page, Idan Onn's mother posted and circled a screen grab of her son from a local TV station. She wrote in Hebrew, Idan went to bully

the Palestinian students in

the tents at UCLA. Idan's mother and father proudly support Israel and defended their son's actions at UCLA, saying he is heading to Israel to

join the IDF. After our interview, she texted to say Idan denies being at UCLA.

Older men were also at the front of the violence.

Tom Bibion recorded pulling bike racks, plywood, kicking protesters, throwing cones at the students in the encampment, water bottles at

protesters and yelling expletives.

We went to ask Bibion why he'd gone to the campus that night.

LAH: Hi, you're Mr. Bibion.

TOM BIBION, ALLEGED FAR-RIGHT AGITATOR: Yes, can you turn that off?

You don't have permission to record me.

LAH (voice-over): Bibion was wearing the same jacket he had on in the video from UCLA. He's a Los Angeles resident, age 42, seen at a 2022 pro-Trump

protest outside the Los Angeles FBI office. He did not want to explain why he's on video doing this.

BIBION: You're being a little rude and I'm going to call the police if you don't leave.

LAH: Sure. OK.

LAH (voice-over): We identified not just Tom Bibion but other older men who have no apparent affiliation with UCLA.

LAH: I mean, you've seen them at how many other events?

ANGIE GIVANT, PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM: Lots of different events, school board meetings, city council meetings.

LAH (voice-over): Angie Givant is a Los Angeles area public school mom who's been tracking right-wing protesters in her area. The group who she'd

seen protesting gay rights in public schools were drawn to UCLA that night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The revolution ain't happening tonight. Man down, man down.

LAH (voice-over): Though they were clearly at UCLA that night, there's no evidence these men participated in the violence.

NAREK PALYAN, ALLEGED FAR-RIGHT AGITATOR: Here comes the Jew song, man. Cover your ears.

LAH (voice-over): The man who was live streaming, Narek Palyan, appears to be a persistent agitator who posts anti-Jewish tropes on his social media

accounts.

But at UCLA, he stood with the pro-Israel crowd.

LAH: Hi, I'm Kyung Lah from CNN.

LAH (voice-over): Palyan claimed to us that he has a child at UCLA, though a student didn't accompany him that night and that he had good intentions.

PALYAN: I was definitely keeping the peace, OK, at least trying to.

LAH: You weren't there to make it worse?

PALYAN: No,, of course, I wasn't there to make it worse.

HAMILTON: I hate to say it but I was expecting us to start working on an obituary the next day because I thought something that serious would happen

to the students in the encampment.

LAH: Do you feel like they won?

[10:55:00]

HAMILTON: Based on the way they were cheering when the police arrived Tuesday night, I think they might feel that they won.

LAH: We reached out numerous times to the UCLA Police Department with specific questions. We did not get a response about the response that

evening or the follow-up investigation. We also reached out to CHP and LAPD and both of those agencies referred back to the UCLA Police Department,

saying it is the lead agency.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, that's it from us, from the team working with me here in Abu Dhabi. And those who worked with us around the world, it is a very good

evening from here, just before 7:00 in the evening here. But stay with CNN. "NEWSROOM" is up next.

END