Return to Transcripts main page

Connect the World

NYPD Clears Occupied Building at Columbia, 200+ Arrested; Clashes Erupt between Rival Protest Groups on UCLA Campus; Blinken Pushes Hamas for Ceasefire and Hostage Deal; U.S. Campus Protests and the Presidential Race; Weinstein in Court Today after Conviction Overturned; Call to Earth Protecting Sea Turtles; Amazon Beats Earnings and Revenue Estimates. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired May 01, 2024 - 10:00:00   ET

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

[10:00:00]

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome back, you're watching the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi, where

the time is 6:00 in the evening.

Calm on the campus of UCLA after dramatic developments overnight in California, when we saw violence erupt.

And the New York mayor has just defended the police department's move to clear Columbia University protest sites.

All these demonstrations sparked by what we are seeing in Gaza. And the U.S. secretary of state trying to bring an end in that violence. The latest

on the hostage and ceasefire talks are coming up.

ANDERSON: Well, moments ago we heard from New York's mayor about the removal of protesters, saw individuals from Columbia University, which had

been the epicenter of the pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

Police removed them from a campus building overnight and dismantled a protest camp. Sources tell us 230 people were arrested. Well, Mayor Eric

Adams defended the police actions. He blamed people who were not affiliated with the university. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ERIC ADAMS (D-NY), NEW YORK CITY: Young people are being influenced by those who are professionals at radicalizing our children. And I'm not

going to allow that to happen as the mayor of the city of New York. So the men and women of the New York City Police Department should be proud of

yourself.

At the request of Columbia University, after speaking with them throughout the week, at their request and their acknowledgement that outside agitators

were on their grounds, training and really co-opting this movement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Let's check the situation. CNN's Gabe Cohen is on the Columbia campus.

Two lines of inquiry really here. We should discuss exactly what happened last night and your observations of that. But I want to get your sense or

your response or your sort of reaction to what we've just heard from the New York City mayor, about his explanation about what happened.

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, if you're asking about the notion that the mayor has brought up about there being these outside

agitators, that's a big question mark right now. And it's something we have heard here Columbia and on campuses across the country.

We should get more answers on that in the hours and the days ahead because the 200-plus people who were arrested here on this campus last night,

they're going to be arraigned. They're going to be in court. So we're going to learn more about who these people are and if, in fact, if many of them

are Columbia students.

Or if more than half of them are not affiliated with the school, which is what city officials at this point have said.

Now you can see behind me it's a quiet day here on Columbia's campus. To clarify something you said, we're not actually on campus. It is right now a

secure campus. They're only letting some students and faculty inside.

There has been a lot of confusion. We can see here at the gate of who can get in and out. You'll also notice quite a few NYPD officers here. They're

expected to be on campus until May 17th, after graduation. That at the request of the school.

And to give you a sense of what the scene was like last night, Becky, it was a chaotic scene. And this right here, this building is Hamilton Hall.

This was really the center of the action last night.

On the second floor through one of those windows, we saw dozens of police officers in riot gear from the NYPD, entering the building, climbing on an

NYPD vehicle and through the window.

We know that they arrested dozens of people inside of this building and there was another huge group of officers that entered the campus through

one of these gates and arrested a lot of the protesters who were at the encampment.

One of the issues, though, that we are dealing with, Becky, in figuring out exactly what happened here is that, as I said, it's a secure campus. Media

has not really been allowed in over the past couple of weeks, except during very short windows each afternoon.

[10:05:04]

Last night, student protesters were allowed inside. But as the NYPD police action began, officers actually removed those members of the student press.

They told them they had to vacate the area. They had to leave the area while that police action was unfolding.

So really the images, a lot of the videos that we're seeing on social media, many of them were either posted by the NYPD, by officials or by the

protesters. Of course, both sides have their own interests.

And so really media was not allowed to see the action that unfolded last night. So a lot of questions remain as to exactly whether the NYPD's

actions were all correct, whether they followed protocols, because there was a lot that we did not see out here.

We're going to find out, Becky, in the hours ahead if there's any sort of protest action that happens in response to the clearance last night. But so

far, very quiet morning here.

ANDERSON: Gabe, it's good to have you. Thank you.

Well, that's the story in Columbia or just outside Columbia University in New York.

Let's get you to the latest flashpoint in what is this nationwide movement then, over at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Police there have

moved in on protesters, telling them to remove their encampment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON (voice-over): These are images from the past hour at the campus in Madison, where you can see heated scenes between protesters and the

police. Journalists there on the scene say protesters were given 15 minutes to clear their tents.

They add that some one of the demonstrators have now been arrested and that tents are being cleared out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: From New York to Wisconsin to Los Angeles. And there is an active police presence on UCLA's campus after violent clashes erupted there

during protests overnight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON (voice-over): Protesters are still present but the campus is reportedly calm. this was the scene hours ago, though, when violent fights

broke out after university officials late on Tuesday declared a pro- Palestinian encampment unlawful.

These dramatic videos show a group of protesters trying to pull barricades away from the pro-Palestinian camp. We've also learned the student

newspaper at UCLA, "Daily Bruin," just published an editorial, accusing the school of failing to protect students as violence escalated.

CNN has reached out to UCLA officials for comment. Well, let's bring in a student from UCLA, Benjamin Kersten.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: For his reaction to the images that we have seen and to the wider protest movement there. He is a member leader of the Jewish Voice for

Peace at UCLA.

Sir, just explain your involvement, if you will. And I'm going to run some videos of what we saw last night at UCLA and perhaps you can describe what

you understand to have been going on.

BENJAMIN KERSTEN, STUDENT LEADER, JEWISH VOICE FOR PEACE, UCLA: Absolutely.

Thanks so much for having me. My name is Benjamin Kersten. I'm a graduate student at UCLA and a member leader of Jewish Voice for Peace at UCLA,

which is a progressive, anti-Zionist Jewish organization that stands in solidarity with Palestinians and their struggle for freedom.

And is also a member of the UC divest coalition that's organizing the encampment, calling on the UCs to divest from all companies that are

complicit in the Israel and Israeli occupation and apartheid.

So I have been part of an encampment organizing there as much as I can. And although of course, we all take shifts. And one thing I can say from being

there is that the encampment has faced aggression and hostility from counter protesters the entire time that it's been up.

But that last night was a horrifying escalation. I was supporting from afar, watching live streams, in touch with people on the ground, trying to

coordinate supply drops of medical supplies and protective gear.

As late at night started getting calls and alerts that really, I think, what can only be described as Zionist militias descended on the encampment

and started trying to rip away barricades, throwing projectiles and skunk water and stink bombs, setting off fireworks toward the encampment and

getting into physical altercations.

And all the meanwhile, campus security, the other security forces they hired, there were shots of them, just standing off to the side.

[10:10:00]

Really not -- really not doing anything, which I think pretty clearly refutes the idea that the university is concerned about student safety.

ANDERSON: Who are those that you described as on-campus last night the counterprotest to this pro-Palestinian encampment that you support?

Who are, who are these individuals?

Are they students?

Are they individuals who are not affiliated in any way with the university and therefore shouldn't have been there?

KERSTEN: Sure.

Thanks. You know, there may have been students among them but by and large seems to have been outside groups.

The Israeli American Council stand with us. Some other groups are groups that have organized counterprotester presence in the last few days. I can't

say for sure if it was those groups last night or if it were others.

But certainly I saw a cast of characters who had been there previously, although there were -- there were also folks wearing masks as well. But

yes, by and large seems to be people who were not affiliated with the university.

ANDERSON: This is -- the reason I asked is we've just heard from the New York City mayor, Eric Adams, explaining why the NYPD went onto the Columbia

campus last night and the thinking behind their operation last night.

And it was because he said those holed up in the Hamilton building included students. But of the 282 who were arrested, the sense is, certainly from

the mayor and the NYPD deputy commissioner, that there were individuals not affiliated with the school; therefore, were trespassing and shouldn't there

have been there.

Trespassing in the least, also of charges of criminal activity more than trespassing. So -- and that was the reason the mayor and the commissioner

suggested they went onto the campus.

Do your support the police operation last night, if this were to remove individuals who shouldn't have been there?

KERSTEN: You know, it's a complicated question.

I -- what I support is student safety. And I think we need better mechanisms from the university to get us there.

I will say, on the one hand, part of the encampments and part of what I've experienced at the encampment at UCLA is that, even though it is a student-

driven effort and the vast majority of people there are students, it also takes help from the community to sustain an effort like this.

But then certainly when it comes to what happened last night with these outside agitators, outside aggressors, it does -- it does -- I think we

were really waiting for the university to do something.

And what I would say is that the university's non-action in terms of what it really means to keep students safe but also their non-action when it

comes to the encampments' demands is ultimately what allowed the violence of last night to take place.

And so, in my mind, I'm thinking about how Congress is hearing more hearings on whether Jewish students feel safe enough on campus. Meanwhile,

protesters are coming into UCLA and taking these actions and launching fireworks at people who are, who are protesting for justice.

ANDERSON: You're a member leader of Jewish Voice for Peace at UCLA.

As a Jewish student, do you understand concerns over anti-Semitism?

You see any of that in these pro Palestinian protests?

And at the end of the day, and you've just explained, this is about Gaza and this is about demonstrating and protesting against the university's

investments.

Do you feel these protests are going anywhere -- two questions. Two, three questions wrapped up in there.

KERSTEN: Yes, a few questions.

And, of course, I have -- I have more than a few thoughts in response, because these are weighty topics and topics that deserve to be treated with

real rigor.

As a Jewish person. I truly feel like I do have empathy and compassion for people who may hear certain chants.

[10:15:00]

Who may have certain understandings about the state of Israel that have been taught to them through the institutions that they've grown up in.

And that they now find these movements to be challenging. And yet, as you said, this is, this is about Gaza and I think that, for me the stakes of

talking about student safety on (INAUDIBLE) are such that we're talking about chants that may make people uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, every university in Gaza has been reduced to rubble. And I think we all need to be much more critical in our assessment of anti-Semitism,

because there is a real rise in anti-Semitism.

But when charges of anti-Semitism are used to slander and delegitimize very valid criticisms of Israel, its policies toward Palestinians and to

criticize Zionism, which is a political position, it makes us less prepared to deal critically with anti-Semitism.

And one thing that I want people to understand about the encampments is that there are spaces for discussion. And as an organizer with Jewish Voice

for Peace, we work with our partner groups, Students for Justice in Palestine.

We teach each other, we learn from each other. It doesn't mean there aren't sometimes disagreements or misunderstandings. But I have a lot of respect

for the way students are really thinking about how we are in a movement together for, yes, for a better and more just world.

And that we should -- we really do share a vision of justice and equality and dignity for all without exception. And that's, we mean that.

I feel like I answered maybe --

ANDERSON: Good to have you.

KERSTEN: -- your first question --

ANDERSON: A real pleasure.

No, no. No, no. Listen, I gave -- I wrapped up three questions in that and you very adroitly answered them. So thank you for your time today on CNN.

CNN's Stephanie Elam joins us now from UCLA's campus.

It's been fascinating to listen to Benjamin describing what happened last night and his thoughts on where the university stands and what happens

next. For those who didn't just hear our eyewitness guest, he's saying that this was one-sided violence, the counterprotesters started it.

What else -- that's his perspective.

What else are we learning about what happened?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're still trying to assess how exactly what was the impetus for this, Becky. Last night, I can tell you, I

was here all day yesterday and some little yelling here and there, yelling over the barricades but it was nothing like what we saw last night.

And there are videos where you can see, in the videos that, from this side where I'm standing, that they were pulling on these barriers and pulling on

these barricades, pulling on the plywood from that side, which, on that side is the pro-Palestinian encampment on UCLA's campus.

And as you can see now, this was all very neatly orchestrated last night, where there was -- the barricades were up, the plywood was all neat. There

was nothing in the middle of this walkway. There were security there.

When I left campus last, yesterday evening. All of this is where this took place. And you can see how it's devolved. We saw fireworks in some of that

video being launched at that side, people throwing things at that side, throwing into the tents on that side.

We saw some look like maybe water or pepper spray or something that was being sprayed back out this way. But it did seem to be coming from this

side over here.

And the way that the university has set it up, is this sort of like no-man zone here, where they had security in this area. But obviously that wasn't

enough. They tried to put it back in place and it just wasn't working.

And if you look out here now, I mean, if you look down just right here, you can see like this appears to be blood on this box piece here. There's just

things littered about, zip ties that are out here.

It's all much calmer because, after 1:00 in the morning local time, that is when Mayor Karen Bass came out, said that what was happening here was

abhorrent and she had asked Los Angeles Police Department to move in.

We've seen different law enforcement organizations out here after that point. Once they did get onto campus, we saw the tone here definitely start

to change. We saw them make a wall of law enforcement and push people out.

They put up a barricade to keep people from coming in this area. And if you look over here, you can see, the presence of law enforcement is still very

much here on campus, here. They're very much around on this field.

[10:20:00]

And it's all quiet. We did here chanting and singing a few hours ago, coming from the encampment. And then we did see some people having some

skirmishes on the other side after police had pushed people out.

That said, since then, as we got closer to sunrise, things have definitely calmed down. The energy has been brought back down here. But there are

questions about what happened.

And you have reporters for the "Daily Bruin," which is the student newspaper, asking, where was law enforcement?

And basically calling the university complicit in the violence that happened last night because the chancellor put out a statement, saying that

they were increasing security. But yet, if they were here, they were not present when all of this and started to go down, the melee that occurred

last night.

So still questions about what happened and what will happen moving forward today -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. It's good to have you, Stephanie. Thank you.

Well, we've been reporting on these protests around university campuses.

What do they revolve around?

Well, it is the crisis happening in Gaza. And it is to that we all going next. Steps (ph) to bring the humanitarian crisis to an end and stop the

fighting. U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken is in Israel today, trying to achieve just that. We're live in Jerusalem up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: U.S. secretary of state has wrapped up a meeting with the Israeli prime minister in Jerusalem. Antony Blinken and Benjamin Netanyahu

are continuing their efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza as part of a hostage deal but pinned the blame on Hamas for holding up any agreement.

It was a point Blinken made throughout the day in both Tel Aviv and in Jerusalem. And indeed earlier in the week in Amman and in Riyadh.

While meeting protesters after the meeting with the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, he told demonstrators who are calling for the release of

Israeli hostages that the U.S. will not rest until they are safely returned. CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins me now from Jerusalem.

What is it that Blinken is saying specifically?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, Blinken is really trying to ramp up the pressure on Hamas.

In particular making clear that he believes that the latest proposal on the table is extraordinarily generous. As he said the other day, today, he is

making clear that Hamas should accept this proposal and accept it quickly.

And also making clear that if a deal is not achieved, that it will be because of Hamas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Bringing your loved ones home is at the heart of everything we're trying to do. And we will not rest until

everyone -- man, woman, soldiers, civilian.

[10:25:00]

Young, old is back home. There is a very strong proposal on the table right now. Hamas needs to say yes and needs to get this done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND: And as you saw, protesters this morning who were demonstrating calling for a deal, he made clear that the U.S. government is committed to

securing such a deal, to seeing the hostages eventually released. But now what we're all waiting for, Becky, is for Hamas' response and we had

expected that it might come as early as yesterday.

It has not yet come in as far as we know. And so, for now, a lot hanging in the balance here, of course, not only the possibility of this deal but the

alternative, which is, as Israeli officials have said, a major Israeli military offensive in Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians are

currently sheltering.

Something that would likely have very severe humanitarian impacts on the civilian population in Gaza, if indeed it moves forward, Becky.

ANDERSON: And if this response from Hamas calls for an end to the fighting, a permanent ceasefire, it is going to be difficult to get this

through because that is not where Benjamin Netanyahu is prepared to go at this point.

You have new information about public support for this potential deal, Jeremy, what do Israelis think?

DIAMOND: Well, what's really interesting is that the Israeli prime minister right now is coming under enormous pressure from his right flank,

from finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the right wing of his government, who, without them, Netanyahu

would not be prime minister.

And that's why we're seeing him make statements like deal or no deal. We will go into Rafah as he tries to mollify the right flank of his

government.

But while that may be the position of the right flank to say, you should not go into this deal, that could potentially lead to an end of the war

that would see some 30 Israeli hostages released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, the majority of the Israeli public actually

supports that.

According to Kan News (ph) here in Israel, a poll from them shows that a majority of Israelis support a deal that would see the release of 30

hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners; 54 percent of Israelis support that position.

Now as it relates to a deal that would see the release of all abductees in exchange for a complete end of the war and the release of thousands of

terrorists, on that front, you have slightly less support but still 47 percent of respondents, a strong plurality in Israel in terms of the

respondents to that poll.

So that just gives you a snapshot in time, of course. But it does give you a sense of the kind of opposing dynamics here in Israel. A majority of the

public wants a deal, wants a deal now. But the key members of Benjamin Netanyahu's government, those who are keeping him in power, are opposed to

this latest framework.

The question is, if that government collapses, we've already seen a member of the opposition, Yair Lapid, for example, say that he would come in as a

white knight to save this government, to keep it in power. Not as simple as it sounds but certainly a possibility.

ANDERSON: Busy times. Good to have you, Jeremy. Thank you.

Let's take you to Paris now, where we are seeing May Day demonstrations beginning. Crowds are turning out to mark International Workers Day, a day

that champions the rights of working people worldwide.

And pushes for further change where needed. Well, these are live pictures coming to us now. We will keep monitoring developments there and bring you

any further reporting as and when we get it. Taking a short break, back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:30:00]

ANDERSON: Welcome back. You'll watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, here on CNN. Time where I am, which is in the UAE, is just after

6:30 in the evening.

Now police are deployed on the University of California at the Los Angeles campus after a night of protests that turned violent. The current situation

there much calmer than what we saw yesterday -- earlier when clashes broke out between rival groups after university officials declared a pro-

Palestinian encampment was unlawful.

Police eventually were called in to restore order. The university's newspaper is accusing the school of failing to protect students as the

violence escalated.

Meantime, a controversial protest camp has been dismantled from Columbia University in New York. Police moved in there and removed demonstrators who

barricaded themselves into Hamilton Hall. More than 200 were arrested. New York's mayor says the break-in was led by outsiders not affiliated with the

college.

Well, the White House is weighing in on the growing protests. The U.S. national security spokesman says, and I quote here, "The president believes

that forcibly taking over a building on campus is absolutely the wrong approach.

"A small percentage of students shouldn't be able to disrupt the academic experience -- the legitimate study -- for the rest of the student body,"

end quote.

Stephen Collinson has a new digital piece on CNN, saying that these growing protests are but the latest difficult test for President Biden and a boon

to Donald Trump's bid for reelection. Good friend of the show, Stephen joins me now.

A test for Biden, Stephen that he seems to be -- failure, at least if you take a look at the latest polling, 70 percent disapproval. Biden has a

problem.

How's he going to sort this out?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's the disapproval number for his handling among Americans of the Israeli war on Hamas in

Gaza.

And among under 35s, it's even worse. It's at 81 percent. And this is a cohort of voters the president needs to show up in big numbers in November.

It is going to win those critical swing states that will decide the election.

The president is in a difficult position at home and abroad.

At home, does he stand up and criticize these protests, especially those that have turned it to occupations and in some cases to violence and

alienate younger voters, who are already skeptical of him?

Or does he risk looking like there is a major national story taking place that he is not in control of?

Anytime a president looks like he's a victim of events that's a dangerous one, especially for someone that's asking voters in less than six months to

reelect him.

I think the campaign view is that this, while a very visible story, is not actually a determinative one. If you look at polling, there are many more

issues that young voters care more about than the Israel-Hamas war.

[10:35:04]

So I think that explains the rather careful White House response so far.

ANDERSON: Let's see what Donald Trump is saying.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Biden is supposed to be the voice of our country and it's certainly not much of a voice. It's the voice that

nobody's heard.

And if you look, I don't think he's -- I don't think he's able to do it. I don't think he's got what it takes to do it. But he's got to. He's got a --

he's got his up but he's got to be heard.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

ANDERSON: In his defense, he has -- they've actually put a statement out or we've heard from the national security spokesman now.

But it does begs the question, does Donald Trump have a point?

Even that White House statement. I just read in the lead-in, was given by John Kirby.

COLLINSON: Yes.

What Trump is trying to do is to create a dark, dystopian picture of a United States,

a country where cities are in uproar, where violence and crime is rampant, where it is under siege from immigrants and leftist forces. So this

clearly plays right into Trump's demagogic strategy.

We saw a very interesting interview that he did with "Time" magazine this week, where he refused to rule out violence after the election, depending

on the result, Trump is creating this strongman image.

He is trying to convince a majority of Americans or enough to win the election that the country is spinning out of control, not just at home but

the war is on the march abroad, that there's a possibility of a third world war.

He did try this in 2020, you'll remember, after the Black Lives Matter protests, after the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer.

At that point, Biden managed to win the election. He managed to convince Americans that this picture that Trump was painting, this American carnage

-- to paraphrase Trump's first inaugural address -- wasn't the reality about the United States.

Biden's the incumbent. A lot of people are angry.

They are discontent with the state of the country.

And the economy it could be that this argument is a more successful one for Trump this time around. And that's why a lot of people are saying, well,

sometimes the president needs to control the narrative of a developing and dramatic event.

So I don't think it would be a surprise to see Biden come out in a few days and try and create his own spin on what's happening on these campuses.

ANDERSON: Despite, as you said, this actually not being front and center for even youngsters in their decisions on how they vote. All right. Thank

you.

Starting today, there is a near total ban on abortion in Florida. The new law lowers the state's time limit from 15 weeks of pregnancy to just six

weeks, which is before many women, of course, even realize that they are pregnant.

Florida has been a destination for women seeking an abortion, who've traveled from other southern U.S. states with more restrictive laws. CNN

medical correspondent Meg Tirrell is in Jacksonville, Florida, this morning.

You are outside an abortion clinic.

What have women there been telling you, Meg?

Well, back, we were here yesterday in the last hours, leading up to this change in Florida's law. And this has been an important access point for

women, not just in Florida but across the South; 7,000 people per month obtained abortions in Florida throughout 2023.

We spoke with a patient here at the clinic yesterday, who is here to obtain a medication abortion. She was comfortable only sharing her first name,

Candace, and not having her face on camera for privacy reasons. She said she's already mother of two children. And here's how she described this

ban's effect on people like her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CANDACE, CLINIC PATIENT: I've experienced traumatic births. I went on to have to two healthy children but it was very touch and go. It's high-risk.

And now being over that 35 mark, it's even more high-risk for me to get pregnant.

So it's very scary that these laws are being put into place. My life matters and it's just -- it's a tough thing to have to go through. I don't

think anybody plans to do something like this until it happens to them and they're faced with that decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TIRRELL: Throughout the day yesterday and Monday, the clinics said they'd scheduled two to four times as many patients to try to see as many as

possible before the law changed.

ANDERSON: Good to have you.

[10:40:00]

CNN medical correspondent Meg Tirrell.

The disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is back in court in New York today, just days after his rape conviction was overturned. The hearing will

assess the next steps in his case, which could include a retrial.

Last week, the New York court of appeals overturned the sex crimes conviction against Weinstein, whose downfall became a powerful symbol of

the #MeToo movement. Jean Casarez is live in New York with more on what we can expect from this hearing.

What's your sense at this point?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, Harvey Weinstein will be in the courthouse behind me. He was brought down from Mohawk

Correctional Facility in upstate New York, where he was serving out his New York prison term.

Came at the end of the week, actually has been in Bellevue Hospital because of some medical issues. But his attorney tells me that he is expected to be

in court.

The big question here is, will the prosecution retry this case?

Because the highest court in New York actually ordered a new trial. But its at the discretion of the prosecution. And the response was on Friday that

we will do everything in our power to retry this case.

But it's left to be unknown, to see if they actually mean that because it's sort of ambivalent in one sense. But what the highest court of New York

said was there was just too much evidence that the judge put into the case and the trial of Harvey Weinstein.

And by the time it got to the jury, he'd lost constitutional rights, the right to a fair trial, due process rights, so many that are embedded in the

Constitution.

Because you are supposed to be tried on the charges before you. But with everything else came in, the courts said he's being tried on things that

are not relevant to this particular case, these particular charges. But we have to speak of the victims of all of this.

Because it took their courage to step forward. Now the most important conviction here -- and there were two of them in New York -- but sexual

criminal act in the first degree. Mimi Haleyi is the young woman that testified very bravely in that court and gained that conviction.

She spoke out on Friday about coming to this courthouse and having to testify all over again. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIMI HALEYI, WITNESS: People really don't know what I had to go through and what the other women had to go through in preparation for this and all

the fears surrounding it and all the different things.

It's like insane. Like its grueling, it's hard. It's you living in fear for years. You know, this, this whole process took years and then you're

getting harassed. I wish it was as easy as going, sure, I'm going to do it again.

But it's like, wow, you have no idea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Now the case here was 23 years, that conviction for Harvey Weinstein, which has now been overturned.

But for Mimi Haleyi's count, it was a 20 year prison sentence. So this is what the prosecution could go forward with. But remember there is a Los

Angeles, California, conviction of 16 years that he conceivably is serving at this moment since the other case was overturned.

But they're also will it be an appeal in that case?

A very vigorous, aggressive appeal. But at this point, all focuses today and all really all focuses on the prosecution, what they're going to do at

this point, Becky.

ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you.

We are back after a quick break. You're watching CNN. I'm Becky Anderson with CONNECT THE WORLD, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:45:00]

ANDERSON: There are seven different species of sea turtles living in our oceans. Nearly all are endangered, with three of the seven now classified

as critically endangered. That is according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Today on our series, "Call to Earth," we visit the idyllic and densely populated Caribbean island of Barbados, where a conservation project has

been working for more than 25 years to restore local sea turtle populations. Have a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The island of Barbados boasts more than 80 picture-perfect white sand beaches, making it

a top Caribbean vacation destination.

But this stunning coastline is also home to some of the oldest animals on Earth, sea turtles.

CARLA DANIEL, FIELD DIRECTOR (voice-over): Barbados is unique in the Caribbean, whereas many of the other islands have leatherback turtles

nesting primarily, we have hawksbills.

We actually have the largest nesting population of hawksbill turtles in the insular Caribbean.

ASHER (voice-over): Local biologists Carla Daniel is the field director for the Barbados Sea Turtle Project, which works tirelessly to save the

critically endangered hawksbill species.

DANIEL (voice-over): If I could describe our hawksbill population, I would say precarious. While it is increasing, it is currently quite dependent on

human intervention.

And if at any point that intervention is not possible, I think there will certainly be a sharp decline in the population, quite rapidly.

It's coming everywhere but over here.

ASHER (voice-over): Today, Carla is responding to a call about an unexpected overnight guest in someone's pool.

DANIEL (voice-over): Want to sort of -- up. (INAUDIBLE).

Quick, quick. Almost there. Just office sat here (ph). And gently down. All in all a good morning, a simple rescue. She's safely back into the water

and she will live to nest again.

ASHER (voice-over): The Barbados Sea Turtle Project formed in 1987, a time when harvesting sea turtles and their eggs was legal on the island. It

would take more than a decade for that legislation to change.

DANIEL (voice-over): Everybody sees the turtles as being critical to our island, an important aspect of our diversity. And they want to ensure they

survive as much as we do.

ASHER (voice-over): While the turtle population has been recovering, these ancient sea creatures are facing a new series of threat. Habitat loss

because of climate change and coastal development is a major problem. But Carla says light pollution is the primary issue impacting hatchlings'

survival.

DANIEL (voice-over): When hatchlings emerge from the sun, they look around and they orient themselves in the direction that is brightest. On an

undeveloped island that has dark, the water will always be greater than the land. And that instinct drives them straight to the sea.

On a heavily developed island like ours, with lots of lakes on a cool sign (ph), they put all of that same drive but instead they're going inland.

ASHER (voice-over): In Barbados, nesting season for hawksbills is generally from May to October, a busy time for Carla and her team.

DANIEL (voice-over): So first thing I did was to check to see what stage of nesting she was at to determine whether I could approach or not. And

she's already commenced laying, which is good.

ASHER (voice-over): This time of year, also attract a lot of tourists to the island.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): People ask (ph) the sea turtles almost on a daily basis. It is that popular. We will not be able to represent our

park or niche in tourism if it wasn't for the turtles. They're so vital it has become.

ASHER (voice-over): They also play a vital role in the overall marine ecosystem.

[10:50:03]

Hawksbills, in particular, are among a few animals that feed on sea sponges, which, in excess are detrimental to coral health.

DANIEL (voice-over): Sea turtles are definitely our guardians when it comes to these vulnerable small islands. They are kind of a linchpin in the

entire thing. And they're helping to keep it together.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Isn't that beautiful?

Let us know what you're doing to answer the call with the #CallToEarth. It is 10 to 7 here in Abu Dhabi. We will be back after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: It's a big week for investors and the U.S. economy. Here's how Wall Street's faring right now. Let's have a look at those numbers for you.

Investors poring over the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, showing that labor demand cooled more than expected in March.

Now keep in mind that the monthly U.S. jobs report is out on Friday and that's key.

Of course, these markets are mainly focused on watching the Fed at the moment. That's because its decision day for U.S. interest rates, the

announcement is just hours away. CNN's Anna Stewart watching all of this for us.

We can see what the markets, at least, in the U.S. are doing ahead of this.

What are the expectations at this point?

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The expectations for the Fed were never great for this particular meeting. So we don't expect there to be any moves

at this stage. I think what will be interesting, though, is what the Fed is going to do going forward from here.

At the start of this year, Becky, we were expecting only some traders were expecting as much as six rate cuts this year. In March when the Fed met,

they said they were still expecting to have three rate cuts this year.

Now, as of the last couple of weeks, with inflation looking like it's picking up, the economy looking like it's slowing, expectations have

shifted drastically with some traders not expecting a rate cut until perhaps as late as December this year.

And you mentioned the jobs data that we've had out. It's a really mixed picture. We've had, just in the last 24 hours, we actually had also ADP

data, which showed that private sector employers are actually adding more jobs than expected last month.

We've also had the data you're seeing there on your screen, which is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, showing that labor demand cooled in March.

But yesterday, U.S. labor cost accelerated in the first quarter. So a really mixed picture for the Fed to look at.

We do have that jobs report as well on Friday, I think that will be key. But a lot has changed since the last time the Fed met.

ANDERSON: I know you've got info out of both Amazon and Starbucks.

What have you got for us?

STEWART: Yes, I want to show you what equities are doing right now stateside as they wait for that big Fed decision because it's a pretty

mixed picture. It is a little bit fat. This is the first day of the trading month. And April was in a cooling month for -- this is actually the first

down month we've had after a five-month streak of gains.

You'll see that the Dow Jones is trading ever so slightly higher, largely a result actually of Amazon, which reported after the bell yesterday,

possibly dragging up some strong results from Amazon. They have cloud computing services at their core. That's doing really well, as a result of

AI.

The outlook was slightly disappointing, though, and you're also seeing -- I think you showed Starbucks just now.

[10:55:02]

Now Starbucks had an absolutely dreadful earnings report for the first quarter. It declined in same-store sales, which was the first since 2020.

They also slashed their full year outlook. So you can see there Starbucks trading down over 16 percent of that stage.

What's really interesting about this, I think, Becky, is consumer confidence because we did have a report out yesterday, showing that

consumer confidence is slipping in the United States. Perhaps that is also the Starbucks affect. People can't afford their cup of coffee anymore.

ANDERSON: Oh, dear. Oh, dear.

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON: All right, thank you for that.

That's it for CONNECT THE WORLD.

In fact, it's not. I've got a little "Parting Shots" for you before we go tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON (voice-over): This is "Zarqa Al Yamama," the first Saudi opera and the world's largest Arabic grand opera.

This special performance you see here is hosted at the King Fahad Cultural Centre in Riyadh and was written by the Saudi poet Saleh Zamanan.

It's another turning point in the kingdom's ongoing cultural transformation, where music in public places was, of course, once

restricted when the morality police once imposed gender segregation.

Now this operatic story is based on the well-known Arab folklore tale about a tribal wise woman who attempts to guide her people to survival in the

face of existential crises.

I was in Riyadh this weekend, Sunday-Monday and I have to say, I met a number of people who've been to see that opera and they absolutely loved

it.

Well, that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD, stay with CNN, "NEWSROOM" is up next.

END