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CNN International: U.S. Delegation Visits Kyiv as Aid Package Heads to Senate; U.S. Animation Studios' Work Found on North Korean Server; Modi Accused of Delivering Islamophobic Remarks at Rally; Robot Dog Prepares for Future Moon Missions. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired April 23, 2024 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:00]
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Authorities are responding, but not fast enough, say some residents of flooded towns. Angry, this man in Iran says, we do not have drinkable water or roads. And in Pakistan, this man says he's disappointed with the government.
They failed to help the local people here during this disaster, he says. They haven't sent any help, nor restored the roads or the electricity.
More rain is forecast across Asia, where millions will brace for the threat of even more damage.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, still to come, a delegation of U.S. lawmakers heads to Kyiv with billions of dollars in aid on the line as Russia continues to bombard major Ukrainian cities.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Anna Coren. Here are some of today's top stories.
News agencies in Malaysia say 10 people died in a mid-air helicopter collision. The crash happened at a naval base during a rehearsal for a Royal Malaysian Navy parade. All the victims were crew members aboard the aircraft.
The city of Baltimore is suing the owner and manager of the ship that slammed into the Key Bridge causing it to collapse. The city accuses the two companies of hiring an incompetent crew that lacked proper skill and training.
And Britain's Prince Louis turned six years old today. The youngest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales is fourth in line for the throne. His mother Catherine has taken a step back from royal engagement since disclosing a cancer diagnosis last month. Video out of Ukraine shows the top of a giant TV tower crashing to the
ground in Kharkiv after it was hit by a Russian missile. That's according to a Ukrainian official who says people working at the tower were in a shelter when it was struck. No injuries were reported but the strike interrupted TV signals in the city.
[04:35:00]
Kharkiv has seen a big increase in Russian strikes since the start of the year. That's one of the reasons Ukraine has made air defenses a top priority with the promise of more U.S. aid.
A delegation of U.S. lawmakers visited Kyiv on Monday as the U.S. Senate prepares to vote on a massive foreign aid package this week which includes $61 billion for Ukraine. The Congress members paid their respects to fallen soldiers laying flowers at a memorial.
They also met with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who's praising the U.S. for its support.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR, ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Four priorities, they are key. Protection of the sky, modern artillery, long range capability, and ensuring that American support packages arrive as soon as possible. And today's result is that all the dots have been dotted in the agreements on the ATACMS for Ukraine. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Congress. Thank you, America. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Congress. Thank you, America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Well, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is also promising more aid for Ukraine. He will announce the UK's largest ever military aid package during a visit to Poland today. It includes more than $600 million for Ukraine along with weapons, ammunitions and vehicles.
Sunak is also expected to meet with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to discuss European security and support for Ukraine.
Well, CNN's Clare Sebastian joins us now from London with more. Clare let's start with the British PM's trip to Poland and this huge aid package for Ukraine.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is a major aid package, as you say, Anna, including small arms ammunition, more storm shadow missiles. Those are those long-range missiles that have proved critical for Ukraine in its sort of deep battle behind enemy lines, over 60 boats. This will boost the existing commitment from the U.K. from around two and a half billion pounds to over three -- to three billion.
That's about $3.7 billion. The U.K. already the third biggest backer of Ukraine's military behind the U.S. and Germany. So a significant commitment here. Obviously, we've seen the U.K. has tried to be sort of front and center in this war, a trailblazer of sorts. The first to provide modern tanks, the Challenger tanks, the first to provide those long- range missiles, the Storm Shadows. So, you know, clearly showing that they still want to be out front in terms of the country's backing Ukraine.
But I think, look, this is a time when everyone is under pressure. I think you will see Rishi Sunak on these visits to Poland and Germany facing difficult conversations about how quickly the U.K. can boost defense production, how they can maximize the deterrent in NATO, especially given that all eyes are, of course, on the upcoming U.S. election in November. But, of course, a major commitment from the U.K. and coming at a very, very vulnerable time for Ukraine.
COREN: Absolutely. And those U.S. lawmakers in Kyiv, I mean, that $61 billion aid package, that can't come soon enough. We know air defense missiles that those systems are desperately needed.
What else is at the top of the list? And will it make a difference on the battlefield?
SEBASTIAN: You know, I think it will. The sense is that it will make a difference almost immediately because Ukraine, of course, has had to ration ammunition over the past few months while it waits for new aid. Now, with the confidence, as we look ahead, of course, to the Senate vote and the president's signature, which he says will happen, they can have some confidence that the aid will come. So they could perhaps ration that ammunition less rigorously.
But look, overnight, the Air Force saying that it had to shoot down some 15 Shahed attack drones. There were missiles found. You see those -- those pretty shocking images out of Kharkiv of the TV tower collapsing. That is a city that has been under relentless bombardment for months.
President Zelenskyy in his conversation, his telephone conversation with President Biden on Monday, saying that Russia is showing its intention to make that city unlivable.
So, yes, it will make a difference. But again, you know, you see with this congressional delegation, President Zelenskyy using this moment to call for this to happen as quickly as possible. He's saying he needs concrete assistance on the ground -- Anna.
COREN: Clare Sebastian, good to see you. Thank you for the reporting.
Well, U.S. researchers have discovered a trove of documents inside a computer server housed in North Korea. Evidence in those files suggests U.S. studios unknowingly outsourced animation work for popular cartoons to those in enemy territory. Alex Marquardt has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): "Invincible" is a popular animated show streaming on Amazon Prime, with a third season on the way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your power's got to be due any day now, son.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): It's based on a comic book about a superhero teen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wasn't ready before.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): While its main character is all American, some animation in the new season may come from one of America's biggest foes, North Korea. Martyn Williams is a North Korea analyst at the Stimson center.
[04:40:03]
MARTYN WILLIAMS, STIMSON CENTER SENIOR FELLOW: I'll show you what we found.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): He shows us what was inside a recently discovered North Korean internet server.
WILLIAMS: There's a bunch of working files in here.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): Files including sketches and video from North Korea, which resemble the animation from two shows produced and streamed by American companies. Amazon's "Invincible" and another, coming soon called, "Iyanu: Child of Wonder," set to stream on Max, which, along with CNN, is owned by Warner Brothers Discovery. There's no evidence that the studios knew that any proprietary work was on a North Korean server.
WILLIAMS: At some stage in this production process, these files appear to being worked on by the North Koreans.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): There's a clip of "Iyanu" which hasn't been released yet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, let me spare your life.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): Williams says a lot of American production work is outsourced, particularly to China, where it could then be subcontracted to North Koreans without the American company's awareness.
WILLIAMS: It's very common. Numerous Chinese companies have been sanctioned by the U.S. for working with North Korea, not just in animation, but in other areas as well.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): A draft of one animation has Chinese instructions translated into Korean. There's also this production sheet in English for "Invincible."
MARQUARDT: Is there any evidence that the American studios knew about this?
WILLIAMS: We didn't find any evidence that they had any direct knowledge of any of this. We found the names of some animations, we found the names of some U.S. companies, but nothing that concretely tied that back to the U.S. companies.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): Using North Korean labor would be a violation of U.S. sanctions. Max and the producer of "Iyanu" Lion Forge Entertainment declined to comment. Unique Studios, which co created the graphic novel series, did not respond. Skybound Entertainment, which produces "Invincible," told CNN it never approved outsourcing and would investigate.
WILLIAMS: It's just something that's very difficult to kind of figure out who you are working with because once stuff starts getting outsourced, once stuff starts moving through the system, actually finding out who the person is at the other side of the keyboard is very, very difficult.
MARQUARDT: The U.S. government does give American companies advice and guidance on what to look out for, how to do their due diligence to make sure they know who they're working with. But that can be a lot of extra work, which is difficult, especially for small companies, the kind that may need to outsource animation and programming work. And it is high stakes for these companies because the Treasury Department can file lawsuits if the sanctions are violated.
Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: India's prime minister is hoping for a third straight term and he's finding support in the country's most populous state. More on that.
Plus, the criticism Narendra Modi is facing from the opposition.
Plus, they say a dog is a man's best friend, but maybe not just on Earth. What scientists are learning from a robotic replica.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:45:00]
COREN: India's Prime Minister is facing backlash from members of the opposition and the Muslim community amid accusations of delivering Islamophobic remarks during an election rally. Narendra Modi spoke to a large crowd in the western state of Rajasthan on Sunday.
India votes in a weeks-long election, which Modi's ruling party is widely expected to win. During the speech, he appeared to refer to the Muslim community as, quote, infiltrators.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NARENDRA MODI, INDIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): When the Congress was in power, they said Muslims have the first right over the nation's wealth. This means they will collect people's wealth and distribute it to whom? To those who have more children, to the infiltrators.
Do you think your hard-earned money should be given to infiltrators? Would you accept this? This is what the Congress manifesto is saying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Opposition members are labelling these comments as hate speech. They have long accused Modi and his party of using divisive rhetoric to boost their brand of Hindu nationalism.
Prominent Muslims are also speaking out. Among them, journalist Rana Ayyub, who wrote on X, quote: This is not a dog whistle. This is a targeted, direct, brazen hate speech against a community.
It's been nearly 10 years since Modi first became Prime Minister and it's expected that he will secure a third consecutive term after India's current elections.
CNN's Will Ripley travelled to a massive rally in Uttar Pradesh to speak with some of his supporters.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are underneath the giant tent with thousands of people a few hours outside Delhi in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state.
I have no idea how many people are here. Easily thousands, if not tens of thousands and they are all here to see the man who is standing on that podium right now, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
I'm not exactly sure what compels people to come out to events like this, other than just the pure excitement and spectacle of it and what people are saying is that they came out here to show their support. To show their support for a politician that they believe listens to them and delivers on his promises to them.
How many -- how many times have you come to one of these.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fifth time.
RIPLEY: Your fifth time? Why do you keep coming back?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My prime minister perfect leader in all of our world.
RIPLEY: Do you know the crowds going to be very big here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
RIPLEY: Why do so many people want to come?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are excited for seeing Narendra Modi. Actually the main reason is that he is a very nice leader.
RIPLEY: You can tell anybody who's wearing orange, saffron is the official color of the BJP and some of these are grassroots organizers who've been really instrumental in Prime Minister Modi's success.
The largest democratic exercise in the world and this is what it looks like at one of the hundreds of rallies that Modi has held since becoming prime minister ten years ago.
That maybe why it seems that the BJP and Prime Minister Modi is an unstoppable behemoth in this election which is going to go on for six weeks here in India in seven different phases including here in India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh.
Will Ripley, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Meantime, the BJP's opposition in Parliament is accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party of going after critics to silence them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COREN (voice-over): A late night convoy of vehicles through the streets of India's capital last month set off shock and anger. As Delhi's Chief Minister in the back seat had just been arrested on charges of corruption.
Avind Kejriwal is the fourth and most senior leader of the Aam Aadmi Party to be arrested for corruption. While India's largest opposition party, the Indian National Congress, recently had funds frozen. Both parties claim these actions are politically motivated. As Modi and his ruling BJP, eyeing a third term in office, try to eliminate all opposition.
In a rare show of unity, opposition parties came together for a rally against what they believe is an undeniable threat to the nation.
RAHUL GANDHI, INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS PARTY: There's no democracy in India today. The idea that India is the world's largest democracy, it's a lie, it's a complete lie.
COREN (voice-over): Earlier this month, AAP Education Minister Atishi claimed she was threatened with arrest unless she joined the BJP.
COREN: Atishi, do you think that you will be arrested?
[04:50:00]
ATISHI, AAM AADMI PARTY: I think it's entirely possible.
COREN (voice-over): The Oxford Educated Minister now effectively running the AAP says Modi and the BJP have weaponized government agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate and Tax Department to go after their critics.
ATISHI: So today these federal agencies are being used to destroy the opposition and I think this raises very serious questions about free and fair elections and the level of playing field in the country. COREN (voice-over): Claims the BJP denies.
JAIVEER SHERGILL, BHARATIYA JANATA PARTY: Does Prime Minister Narendra Modi condone anybody crossing the red line of political decency? Does Prime Minister Narendra Modi tolerate anybody tearing the basic fabric of our constitution? No. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very strict.
COREN (voice-over): Polls suggest Modi and his BJP-led coalition will win the general election. But his Hindu nationalist policies and clampdown on civil rights and freedoms have these voters enraged.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Our democracy is being murdered. India is becoming a dictatorship.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We are here to fight the lies and the false propaganda this government has used to feed the public.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brand Modi is about the global faith in the Indian economy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With Modi, Modi chants.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The opposition is completely in tatters.
COREN (voice-over): Pro-government media dominates the airwaves. Which means voices like Ravish Kumar, arguably one of India's most prominent journalists, are being silenced.
Having received death threats for his coverage, he resigned after a business tycoon considered close to Modi bought the company he worked for. Kumar now broadcasts on YouTube, where he's still allowed at the moment to voice his dissent.
RAVISH KUMAR, JOURNALIST (through translator): If a country as big as India has accepted that it can achieve glory without the media, and if it has accepted that any claim doesn't need to be verified or debated, good luck to them.
COREN (voice-over): While international leaders embrace Modi and the unrivaled potential of his powerhouse economy, critics say the world needs to wise up to what is really happening.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN (on camera): Well, still to come on CNN NEWSROOM, Taylor Swift strikes again. The singer's latest album has fans swarming a spot mentioned in a song. We'll let you in on her not-so-secret inspiration next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: Well, they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. But U.S. scientists and NASA believe they can teach a robot dog how to walk on the moon. Isabel Rosales has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A four-legged, moon- walking robot dog could be on the horizon. And it could help us learn more about other planets. Whether it's sand, snow, or rocks, this little machine is learning to navigate the ground. It's a NASA-funded project called Lassie, which stands for Legged Autonomous Surface Science in Analog Environments.
Oregon's Mount Hood is where scientists or testing the robot dog otherwise known as Spirit.
CHRISTINA WILSON, COGNITIVE SCIENTIST, OREGON STATE: We're using that dog to actually measure properties of the surface here on Mount Hood. Scientists are interested in that data because it tells us things about how that, you know, planetary surface formed and how it moves, and how it might move in the future.
[04:55:04]
ROSALES (voice-over): Just as humans can detect changes and surfaces as they walk, Spirit can do the same.
FEIFEI QIAN, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, USC: Ideally, you are doing a very novel thing to turn each leg of the robot into a solar or regular sensor, so that when the robot is wandering around, every step, we want the robot to be gathering information about the environment.
ROSALES (voice-over): As Spirit learns to adapt to challenges it also gives scientists data to improve future robot designs.
WILSON: Moving forward, two missions that are going to occur on our moon, we're going to have huge humans and robots really for the first time on planetary missions working side-by-side.
ROSALES: Isabel Rosales, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know anything about saving worlds. But you do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trust me, kid, I'm no hero.
You were an X-Man. You were the X-Man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Well, there's your first look at what Disney and Marvel Studios hope will be a huge summer hit. It's the first trailer for "Deadpool and Wolverine," the third in Marvel's Deadpool series starring Ryan Reynolds. The film marks Hugh Jackman's return as Wolverine, sporting his comic book yellow suit, and he's rocking it.
There's also speculation about an appearance by Taylor Swift. It hits U.S. theaters July 26. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAYLOR SWIFT, SINGER: And so I watch And so I watch as you walk into some bar called The Black Dog and pierce new holes in my heart You forgot to turn it off ...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
That's "The Black Dog," one of the newest tracks of Taylor Swift's latest album, The Tortured Poet's Department.
And in true Swifty fashion, fans have already discovered the inspiration behind the song. It refers to a pub in South London Swift is believed to have frequented with a former boyfriend.
"The Black Dog" itself is capitalizing on its 15 minutes of fame.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LILY BOTTOMLEY, EVENTS AND SOCIAL MANAGER, THE BLACK DOG: We've had reports of a certain blonde regular but wouldn't want to give too much away. We're a very cozy, small neighborhood pub, so something like this happening is a dream. You know, it's something that money can't buy, and we're just so thankful to the fans because they've just been amazing.
We've got a Swift burger that we've put on. We've also got a couple of cocktails, brackets, Taylor's version. So it's, yes, we've got some nice bits.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Well, thanks so much for your company. I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong. CNN "THIS MORNING" is up next after this short break. Stay with us.
[05:00:00]
