Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Police Cleared Out Property and Arrest Dozens at Columbia University; Netanyahu Insists Israel to Enter Rafah with or without Deal with Hamas; Surgeon Recounts Challenges of Working in Gaza; Trump Criticizes Gag Order After Judge Issues $9,000 Fine. Dozens Missing after Flooding Disaster in Mai Mahiu; King Charles Returns to Work after Cancer Diagnosis. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired May 01, 2024 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:30]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, I'm John Vause. Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ERIC ADAMS, NEW YORK CITY: This must end now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And so riot police arrest dozens of anti-war protesters occupying a main building at Columbia University. Others rounded up and herded on the buses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We will enter Rafah because we have no other choice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The Israeli prime minister makes it clear an offensive on Rafah is more important than saving the lives of around 100 hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This gag order is not only unique, it's totally unconstitutional.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Wrong. Donald Trump fined thousands of dollars for repeatedly violating a gag order in his criminal trial, and warned prison time could be next.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: A major police presence remains on campus at Columbia University this hour, after dozens of anti-war protesters were rounded up and arrested, while riot police moved in to clear one of the university's main buildings which had been occupied for almost a day. Demonstrators stormed Hamilton Hall early Tuesday morning and according to police, barricaded themselves inside using chairs, tables, and vending machines. Police climbed through a second story window to enter the hall and used what they call destruction devices, including flash bangs but not tear gas.

This is the second time in two weeks, university officials have invited the NYPD on to campus to clear out pro-Palestinian protesters and a heavy police presence will remain there for the next 2.5 weeks. Police was sent in after a day of rising tensions between university officials and protesters. At one point, the mayor of New York City asked parents of students at Columbia to call their children and urge them to leave the area for their own good.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAMS: We cannot and will not allow what should be peaceful, a peaceful gathering to turn it to a violent spectacle that serves no purpose. This must end now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Joining us now is John Towfighi, Columbia undergrad and a CNN freelance reporter.

John, thank you for being with us. Where exactly are you right now? And what is the latest you have on the demonstrations, in the scene on campus at Columbia?

JOHN TOWFIGHI, UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Yes. Thank you for having me on, John. So I am currently in an undergraduate student dorm that is located off of the main campus, but just across the street from the campus gates at 114th and Broadway. So currently students are in their dorms because NYPD are still out on the streets with quite a large presence.

And as your viewers know, the NYPD raided Hamilton Hall, which was being occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters. They have confirmed they have cleared all protesters, but the NYPD remains on the streets, ensuring students aren't lingering about and milling.

VAUSE: So essentially they've sort of surrounded the perimeter of the canvas on the outside. And there is a strong police presence actually on campus as well?

TOWFIGHI: Yes. So the police specifically on Columbia's gated campus, which is a few block perimeter, which had the Hamilton Hall building has been pretty much cleared out. However, that perimeter around the campus, which is, you know, the streets were my dorm is there are still lots of police. I actually just went to the entrance to my dorm where there are still NYPD officers and they informed me that they are not allowing students to roam freely.

There are barricades on the street and they were trying to restrict pedestrian movement for the time being. VAUSE: A spokesperson for Columbia University wrote in a statement,

"We believe that the group that broke into and occupied the building, Hamilton Hall, is a led by individuals who are not affiliated with the university." Other words, they're not faculty, they're not students, they're not staff.

So is there any word on who these people are? How many of them there are? Are they the majority? Are they the minority those who occupied the building?

TOWFIGHI: Yes. That's a great question and something people are wondering on campus. So the NYPD, they think about half of the protesters that were occupying Hamilton Hall were not university affiliates and were what they call agitators, outside actors taking advantage of the movement. Now, I can't independently confirm number that were a part of the movement that were not students.

[00:05:02]

But I'd like to highlight that the university has been enforcing a Columbia person I.D. only policy on the campus for the past two weeks. So any non-affiliates that entered the campus would have done so breaking the university's law and a law that was not necessarily enforced.

VAUSE: Before police actually moved in to end the presence of the pro- Palestinian protesters there, the mayor of New York, New York City, rather he made this appeal to parents or students at Columbia. Listen to this. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAMS: Maybe some of the students involved don't understand what they are involved in. If you are a parent or a guardian of a student please call your child and urge them to leave the area before the situation escalates in any way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: I'm pretty certain you haven't had a chance to speak to every protesting student on campus, but in a general sense are these student protesters naive, children swept up in a protest movement, they don't understand because they're too young and immature? How do you see it?

TOWFIGHI: I would say, you know, I'm an undergraduate student. These are my peers. And I've been reporting on this movement not just for the past two weeks but for the past few months as a student journalist. And I can tell you the students who were organizing this pro-Palestinian movement were not naive individuals who are unsure what they were getting into.

This was a very, very organized, strategized and politically oriented movement, particularly the student negotiators who were talking with the university were, you know, articulating very interesting and well- thought-out demands. Of course, the student negotiators in the university did not come to an agreement. But the protesters who are students certainly knew what they were getting into and were taking a stand that they really felt was worthy taking.

VAUSE: John, great reporting. We appreciate your time and thank you for being there for us. John Towfighi there at a Columbia University. Thank you, sir.

TOWFIGHI: Thank you, John. I appreciate it.

VAUSE: Stay with the story a little longer. We're joined now by CNN senior national security analyst Juliette Kayyem.

Juliette, it's always good to have you with us.

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Good to see you.

VAUSE: OK. So here's part of the written request to the NYPD to act. It comes from the president of Columbia University. It reads in part, "With the utmost regret, we request the NYPD's help to clear all individuals from Hamilton Hall and all campus encampments. We trust that you'll take care and caution when removing any individuals from our campus."

OK, in a nonviolent situation where lives are not at risk and property is not being damaged, I thought the usual course of action was simply to wait it out. So was this decision to invite police onto the campus the best course of action here?

KAYYEM: It depends on sort of what your timeframe is, and it's hard to second guess or there's a number of competing interests going on at the university. And one is obviously finals. The next is graduation. The facility has to be cleared relatively soon just to get the graduation set up and stabilized. Lots of parents want to come. Most of the students are not involved with any of this whatsoever.

And I think that at least from Columbia's viewpoint, and I've talked to people at Columbia, I work with people who are working with Columbia, from Columbia's viewpoint, the escalation yesterday unless stopped and in other words entering the building unless stopped decisively in their mind would have just continued to other buildings.

So the most important part that my takeaway and my nervousness earlier in the evening was of course whatever you think about the politics of this, these are students, they are young people, and that no one got hurt is the most important thing. We can figure out their motivations and whether they are from the university or not.

But it seems like the police came in, they first wanted to de- escalate. They told people to disperse. They gave students what we would call off-ramps, to leave without arrest. And then those who wanted to or to stay or to be arrested were done so. So I look at it this now, then a little bit differently than I did four hours ago. And I think that's important to remember.

These are these are -- John, we live in a world of like, you know, could it have gone, you know, what could have gone horribly wrong, and we're not seeing that yet. VAUSE: Yes. It's a very good point to make. Just as a logistics

matter, the NYPD told CNN when officers moved in to clear the occupied hall, so-called distraction devices were used but no tear gas.

KAYYEM: Yes.

VAUSE: So what exactly are these destruction devices? Are they simply flash bangs? Anything else?

KAYYEM: Yes. Yes, mostly that. That's the only thing I saw was watching live. It was only thing which would essentially just disorients someone. It's not tear gas. The NYPD generally doesn't use tear gas. It was just a way -- basically a way to distract them from whatever organizing may have been done, and the relatively few number of people that were arrested. I know it's in the dozens.

[00:10:03]

So just either people had left before this moment or that it was just a sort of, you know, group of students is sort of the most persistent, I guess I would say, who remained and then got arrested. And some of them will face criminal penalty. Others will face clearly academic penalty, whether it's a denial of a class credit or even expulsion.

VAUSE: University officials and others at a number of campuses, not just Columbia, have made the point that many of these protesters are not in fact students, not faculty, not staff.

KAYYEM: Yes.

VAUSE: Here's New York City Mayor Eric Adams on that. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAMS: We have sounded the alarm numerous times before about external actors who attempted to hijack this protest, who have no, no affiliation with Columbia University.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So exactly who are these outsiders? And what is their endgame here? What are they trying to achieve?

KAYYEM: Well, some of them are just people who agree with the protests and that Columbia just became a center point for a variety of reasons. One is just because of the police activities that are two weeks ago when you really saw not just a response by Columbia students, but it really did launch the nationwide response by students throughout. So I want to be careful here. I mean, one is clearly there are outsiders and schools. All schools and universities have spent a lot of time advising them, which you've got to get the access control to these universities.

There can be controlled, access to buildings, access to common areas. On the other hand, just to make clear, we delude ourselves if we think that this is just like outside agitators or naive people. The students are reflecting a very strong sentiment not just in the United States, but throughout the world. They are -- we may not agree with them. They are committed, they're allowed to protest, they are not allowed to trespass or to damage property.

And I think as we look at the weeks ahead until graduation, which is essentially, you know, colleges and universities are just buying time until summer, right, when the students actually have to vacate, is to still allow for that peaceful protests. I think what we've seen is like it backfired significantly, when we don't give an outlet for these protests, whatever your politics are. And I think that's important for colleges and universities to remember in the weeks ahead, at least until the students vacate for the summer.

VAUSE: Yes. Good point, Juliette. Thank you so much for being with us. As always so good to have you with us. Your insights are invaluable. Thank you.

There was campus chaos and arrests at other universities Tuesday. The last day of classes were canceled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill due to disruptions from pro-Palestinian protests. At the University of South Florida, the police used tear gas to break up demonstrations. CNN affiliate reported police took a number of people into custody. Scenes were similar at California's Cal Poly Humboldt campus. Police in riot gear removed protesters who had been camped out there for more than a week. Police say more than two dozen people were arrested.

U.S. Secretary of State is in Israel pressing hard for a hostage and ceasefire deal with Hamas to come together within the next few days. Secretary Blinken is expected to meet with Israeli officials in the coming hours. He says Israel has shown a willingness to compromise. Now it's up to Hamas, saying, quote, "no more delays, no more excuses." But deal or no deal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding firm on plans for all-out offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Here's what he told hostage families during a meeting in Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NETANYAHU (through translator): We will enter Rafah because we have no other choice. We will destroy the Hamas battalions there. We will complete all the objectives of the war, including the return of all our hostages.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The Israel Defense Forces say it has now approved plans for upcoming missions. But officials from the Biden administration tells CNN they do not believe an offensive is imminent. Once again citing the lack of detail Israeli plan to try and protect more than one million civilians who've taken shelter in Rafah. Meantime, the U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres is urging both sides to agree to a ceasefire and hostage deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: For the sake of the people of Gaza, for the sake of the hostages and their families in Israel, and for the sake of the region, and the wider worlds, I strongly encouraged the government of Israel and Hamas leadership to reach now an agreement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: More details down from CNN's Jeremy Diamond reporting in from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Israeli officials are awaiting Hamas' response to the latest ceasefire and hostage deal proposal.

[00:15:02]

But as they are doing that, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is vowing that Israeli forces will enter Rafah one way or the other. He says with or without a deal, Israeli forces will enter Rafah and eliminate the Hamas battalions there.

Now he is the Israeli prime minister, his words should certainly be taken with the seriousness that they require, but they should also be taken with a grain of salt and viewed through the lens in which they were delivered. And that is certainly a political lens, one that is -- words that are intended for a domestic political audience as the Israeli prime minister tries to ensure that his right flank in his current government sticks with him.

But there's no question that this is bluster in part and that's because in speaking privately with Israeli officials, it's very clear that a hostage deal would indeed a prevent or at least delay a significant Israeli ground operation in Rafah. If there is a hostage deal, that means that there will be a ceasefire on the ground and that means that Israeli forces will not for at least some time enter Rafah.

And there's no question that the possibility of that Rafah offensive is weighing very heavily on these negotiations, weighing very heavily on this latest Egyptian framework, which could see some 20 to 33 Israeli hostages released over several weeks, weeks of pause in the fighting and potentially even a longer-term ceasefire for at least one year. But now the question is, what will Hamas' response be?

Hamas' leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, has received this proposal over the course of the last few days, and he's been reviewing it and his response could come as early as today, perhaps tomorrow, but there's no question that that response will be critical to determining whether or not a hostage deal, a ceasefire, will be possible in the coming weeks, or whether instead Israeli forces will begin evacuating civilians from Rafah and then moving troops in.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Well, for a firsthand account of the current medical and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, we're joined now by Dr. Mohanned Mallah. He's a trauma and critical surgeon. He's also a volunteer with the Syrian American Medical Society.

Dr. Mallah, thank you for being with us.

DR. MOHANNED MALLAH, TRAUMA AND CRITICAL CARE SURGEON: Thank you for having me.

VAUSE: OK. So it seems that the Israeli prime minister is determined to go ahead with what is an all-out military offensive on the border city of Rafah. The U.N. secretary general, like many world leaders, is warning of the deadly consequences of any kind of military offensive. Here he is. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GUTERRES: A military assault on Rafah would be an unbearable escalation, killing thousands more civilians, and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So as a trauma surgeon who just spent two weeks working at the Gaza's European hospital, when you hear about a potential military offensive on Rafah, what is your immediate, biggest concern, and what sort of medical response will there be to treat hundreds, if not thousands of wounded?

MALLAH: So just as set up to this, I mean, I have traveled to 55 countries. I've operated on five continents. I am a trauma surgeon in the U.S. where we have a lot of gun violence and so I am no stranger to, like, I am no stranger to suffering. I'm no stranger to death and critical illness. And nothing from my past, from my history has ever prepared me for what I saw in Gaza, in my two weeks in Gaza. There was no way to -- none of my education or my training has prepared me for that, or the experiences I've had in all of these other low, middle- income contexts.

And so my immediate reaction is just, I mean, it's nothing new. It's the civilian population, so it's not going to happen. It's already happened and is continuing to happen. And people are dying every single day and it doesn't seem like there's any end in sight. So yes, I mean, I obviously would not want this offensive to move forward into Rafah where you now have over 1.5 million I think the last number I heard or 1.1 million people who are civilians who are trapped there.

They have nowhere to run. I think that's what one of the key differentiators in the situation as the people have nowhere to go.

VAUSE: As you say, you were at the hospital in Gaza and it shouldn't be one of the safest places to be, and it wasn't. Here's a clip from your time there. It was posted on Instagram. And you're talking about some of the challenges and your emotions that you were feeling at the time. I want to play for our audience. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MALLAH: I feel very hopeless in trying to do the most basic here for patients. And I recognize my own weakness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Can you tell me a little bit more about that moment and what you're feeling and what your thoughts were, and what your emotions were?

MALLAH: Yes. I think, I mean, it's a recognition of my own privilege and being able to be a witness to that situation.

[00:20:07]

But I also have an American passport and I have that privilege, and I can leave, and I'm looking at -- I'm having this emotional reaction because I'm sad by what I see and I'm watching my colleagues, my brothers and sisters in the field of surgery, health care, workers that are united around the world where we all -- it doesn't matter if you're -- what color you are, what religion you are, what God you pray to, we're all united by this ethos of helping our fellow human.

And to stand there and watch my fellow humans in this profession attempt to do the best they can for the people that they're watching come in every day and they don't have an option to leave. I mean, I watched one of my critical care intensive colleagues come in one day and literally he walked out of the room and he came back in, his face had changed. And I said, what's going on. He said my house was just bombed and my cousin is now dead. And I have to leave and go be with my family.

I mean, I cannot imagine any scenario in my hospital that I work in or any of the hospitals where I trained in where that would happen and that would be OK. And where people would to be OK with that happening. And yet it's happening every day. Everybody has lost family. Everybody has, you know, lost their house, and they continue to come to work.

VAUSE: And then there's the situation with the children of Gaza who have been killed and wounded at an extraordinary rate. When you were there, what was your experience with operating on children? What was the sort of medical supplies that you had that you didn't have? How did they cope and how are you coping with that?

MALLAH: Yes, it was beside humanity. I mean, I saw -- the last statistic I heard was the highest concentration of pediatric amputees. And the pediatric orthopedic surgeon that was with us like every day just came in exhausted because he had just been operating all day. And I -- my own, the hardest story for me to swallow was a particular 7- year-old girl who is in front of me who had half of her leg blown off and she was screaming in the way that a child would, you would expect, obviously it's not new to me. I've seen this before.

But she was screaming asking for pain relief, asking for drugs to sedate her. And we didn't have it. And so literally the anesthesiologist started singing to her because that's all he could offer. And I am behind my mask as a, you know, 15-year trained trauma surgeon crying, watching the scenario and wondering what it's like for someone who has been trained and knows the solution, but can't do it because the world is not giving him the medicines that we know work. It's not expensive. And that is -- history will judge us for this.

VAUSE: Yes, that's a good point to end on, sir.

Dr. Mohanned Mallah, thank you for your time. And thank you for sharing your experience. It's valuable, very valuable. Thank you, sir.

MALLAH: Thank you for having me.

VAUSE: We're taking a short break. When we come back, after being fined thousands of dollars for violating a gag order during his hush money trial, Donald Trump now on notice jail time could be next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:25:25]

VAUSE: In the former Soviet republic of Georgia police in the capital Tbilisi have used water cannons to clear a crowd outside parliament protesting the so-called foreign agents bill, which many have likened to a Russian style law used to crack down on free speech. According to Reuters officers also fired tear gas into the crowd and a main opposition party tells the news agency its chairman was badly beaten during the protests.

The bill, which is expected to be approved by lawmakers, requires groups that get more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as foreign agents. Similar to legislation in Moscow.

New York judge overseeing Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial warned the former U.S. president he could face jail time if he continues to violate a gag order. Judge Juan Merchan handed down a $9,000 fine for nine violations, the maximum allowed by law. $1,000 each if you can't do the math. Trump later criticized the punishment after the court and called the gag order unconstitutional. He likely faces more fines when the case resumes Thursday.

CNN's Paula Reid has more now reporting in from New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jurors in the hush money case against former president Trump heard from a lawyer who represented two women who allegedly had affairs with him while he was married. Keith Davidson represented both Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels. He explained to the jury how he sought deals with the "National Enquirer" for both of his clients.

He told the jury how the release of the Trump "Access Hollywood" tape suddenly drove up interest in Daniels' story.

TRUMP: I just start kissing them, it's like a magnet.

REID: The jury was shown texts that Davidson sent to former "National Enquirer" editor, Dylan Howard, about both Daniels and McDougal. Of McDougal, Davidson texted, I have a blockbuster Trump story. Howard responded, talk first thing. I will get you more than anyone for it. You know why. Davidson and McDougal were in conversation with ABC News about sharing her story, he testified, but McDougal did not want to tell her story and prefer the deal with the "National Enquirer," which would have kept her story from the public.

At one point while Davidson and Howard were negotiating, Davidson wrote, throw in an ambassadorship for me. I'm thinking Isle of Man? He said that text was a joke about Trump's presidential run. That somehow, if Karen did this deal for AMI, the publisher of the "National Enquirer," that it would help Donald Trump's candidacy. Davidson said he received a hefty 45 percent of McDougal's $150,000 deal.

Earlier in the day, prosecutors questioned other witnesses like Michael Cohen's former banker, Gary Farro, who provided details about a different hush money payment that was made to Stormy Daniels by Michael Cohen. Trump was seen leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed several times during Farro's testimony. Prosecutors also briefly called the executive director of C-Span's archives to the stand. His testimony was used to enter videos of Trump into evidence.

TRUMP: As you have seen, right now I am being viciously attacked with lies and smears. It's a phony deal. I have no idea who these women are.

REID: And before all the day's testimony began, Judge Juan Merchan ruled Trump must pay $9,000 for violating the gag order put in place at the start of the trial. The judge ruled Trump violated the gag order nine times and charged him $1,000 per violation and ordered him to take down the offending posts by the afternoon, which Trump did.

The judge raised the possibility of jail time if Trump continues to violate the gag order, stating, therefore defendant is hereby warned that the court will not tolerate continued willful violations of its lawful orders, and that if necessary and appropriate, under the circumstances, it will impose an incarceratory punishment.

Trump's comments after a court appeared to be within the bounds of his gag order. But when court resumes on Thursday, the day will start with another hearing on four additional instances where prosecutors say Trump violated the gag order. Now, of course, these were all before Trump was found to have violated the gag order and fined that $9,000. It's unclear what the judge will do this time if he finds these violations are also valid.

Paula Reid, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: in a wide-ranging interview with "TIME" magazine, Donald Trump has not ruled out potential political violence from his supporters if he loses another bid for the White House. Here's what the twice impeached, four-times indicted, one-term president told "TIME."

[00:30:12]

"I think we're going to win. And if we don't win, you know, it depends. It always depends on the fairness of an election."

Trump also spoke about Israel's war with Hamas and abortion access in the U.S., refusing to say if he would veto a federal abortion ban. And he did not object to the idea of punishing women who actually undergo an abortion.

He said, quote, "I don't have to be comfortable or uncomfortable. The states are going to make that decision. The states are going to have to be comfortable or uncomfortable, not me."

The Biden campaign was quick to pounce on these remarks, saying, quote, "Donald Trump's latest comments, leave little doubt, if elected, he'll sign a national abortion ban, allow women who have an abortion to be persecuted" -- or prosecuted, rather -- "and punished, allow the government to invade women's privacy, to monitor their pregnancies and put IVF and contraception in jeopardy nationwide."

A short break here. When we come back, rescue missions underway in Kenya. Neighbors and relatives of those lost in massive floodings search for their loved ones.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

More heavy rain is on its way for parts of Kenya left struggling with deadly, widespread flooding already. Meteorologists say parts of the country received half a year's rainfall in April alone.

More is expected next week, making misery for tens of thousands of people who've been displaced from their homes even worse. One community reeling from a disaster which killed at least 71 people. Dozens remain missing. Search missions are underway.

CNN's Larry Madowo has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After weeks of heavy rains and flash floods, devastation is everywhere in this part of Kenya. Homes swept away, vehicles overturned, trees uprooted.

Here in the town of Mai Mahiu near the capital Nairobi, birds still seeing yearly the few trees that remain. But on the ground, death and destruction are everywhere.

Dozens were killed after floodwaters blew through a tunnel under a railway bridge, according to locals and first responders in Mai Mahiu. Rescuers are clearing debris as they try to recover bodies and reach survivors.

MADOWO: They're trying to clear the heap back there because they believe somebody could still be buried under there. These are remnants of a house. There's a tree that was uprooted.

And all of that because across the road from here, after they heard a phone vibrating, they were able to pull out the body of a man after hours of digging.

MADOWO (voice-over): Dozens are still missing after the flash floods here.

[00:35:04]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We still don't know where our son is. That night was his third birthday. I put him too bad well and covered him. I didn't know I was saying goodbye.

MADOWO (voice-over): Thousands have been told to seek higher ground or have been evacuated to government-run facilities, like Githukuri Makau, who lost everything he owned.

GITHUKURI MAKAU, FLOOD SURVIVOR: I had a full house of clothes, but I have nothing now, not even a mattress. It's totally plain. You can't tell there was a house there. I'm now left destitute. There's nowhere to go.

MADOWO (voice-over): While flooding is not uncommon during the country's wet season, experts say the El Nino weather phenomenon and the climate change exacerbated this year's rainfall.

WILLIAM RUTO, KENYAN PRESIDENT: It is a realization that, while we had a drought a year ago, today we have plans. A year ago, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique were having floods. Today, they are having drought. That is the reality. That is the new normal.

MADOWO (voice-over): The U.N. resident representative in Kenya has said, the country is facing a climate emergency that he did not cause. Drought and floods.

Relentless rain has also impacted Burundi and Tanzania, where at least 155 people have been killed by flooding. Meanwhile, rainfall is expected to continue in several parts of Kenya for the next six days. The floods in many areas showing no signs of letting up.

Larry Madowo, CNN, Mai Mahiu, Kenya.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: As always, the devil is in the detail, and so it is with that G-7 announcement to end all use of coal by 2035. Officially now replace all coal with some coal.

The announcement came out two days of meetings in Italy with a key -- with the U.K. energy minister claiming on Monday the group had agreed to end all coal use. But turns out it's some.

So they've now phased the unabated use of coal. Italy's environment minister says it's still a step in the right direction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GILBERTO PICHETTO FRATIN, ITALIAN MINISTER OF THE ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY SECURITY (through translator): Coal is one of the major sources of climate-warming emissions. A special thanks, because there has been significant work by all countries, and particularly by friends representing Japan, on an exit goal. This is the first time that at least a path and a goal have been set.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And here are the details. Countries can continue to use coal past 2035 under certain conditions: as long as they don't contribute to global warming of more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. How they will measure that is a mystery.

They also need to capture and store carbon emissions. Capture and store is dodgy at best.

Still to come here on CNN, King Charles returns to public duties for the first time since he began cancer treatment. We'll tell you about his official outing, his first one, in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:40:07]

VAUSE: The founder of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange has been sentenced to four months in prison in the United States for allowing money laundering on his platform, Binance.

In a settlement with the U.S. government, 47-year-old Changpeng Zhao, known as C.Z., or C. Zed, depending on where you come from, agreed to step down as CEO and pay $200 million in fines.

Prosecutors wanted a three-year sentence after U.S. authorities said Binance allowed bad actors to use the platform for transactions which have been linked to child sex abuse, narcotics, and terrorist financing.

A 14-year-old boy has died after being attacked by a man with a sword in London early Tuesday morning. Video shows the suspect wielding what appears to be a samurai-type sword. Police say the man first drove his car into a house in East London before the attack near a busy tube station.

The attacker was eventually taken down by a Taser. Four other people were injured and are critically -- and are critically -- currently in hospital, I should say, with non-life-threatening injuries.

Injuries to two officers involved, though, were considered to be significant. Britain's King Charles III is back at work for the first time since he announced his battle with cancer. The 75-year-old monarch and his wife, Queen Camilla, met with other cancer patients at a treatment center in London.

Their first official public outing was meant to reassure the public. It was meant to send an important message about early cancer screenings.

CNN's Max Foster has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: King Charles was all smiles on this visit to a cancer unit in London. This was his first official engagement since his cancer diagnosis back in February.

We've only seen him once in public for an impromptu walkabout around Easter, but clearly, his doctors are comfortable enough for him to go back to his diary of engagements. We don't know how many there will be, but clearly, he's allowed to meet the public, and there's no vulnerability there.

Royal sources being clear, they're not going to give any more detail about what type of cancer he has or at what point he is in the treatment.

But this visit was significant. He chose a cancer center for this first engagement, because he wants to promote awareness around cancer. He spoke about the importance of early diagnosis, something that he's really keen to emphasize. He's using his high-profile position to get a positive outcome, if you like, from his illness.

He was on good form, as was the queen. And we expect to see him more. The diary of engagement is there, but they're going to take each one as they go. Again, on medical advice.

Max Foster, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: I'm John Vause. Thank you for watching. I'll be back at the top of the hour. More CNN NEWSROOM.

Please stay with us. After a very short break, WORLD SPORT is up. See you in about, what, 17 minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:45:33]

(WORLD SPORT)

[00:57:40]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)