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More Pro-Palestinian Protests Erupted Colleges Acorss America, Several Students Arrested; Biden Sealed the Foreign Aid Bill to Resume U.S. Aid to Ukraine; Blinken Visits China to Spearhead Diplomatic Talks; Grammy Producer Ian Brennan Shares His Recent Collaboration with the Rohingya Refugees; TikTok Influencer Reacts to the Feared Ban of the Popular App in the U.S. Amid Her Popularity; Former Flight Attendant Now Becomes First Woman CEO of Japan Airlines in the Light of January's Tragedy. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired April 25, 2024 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
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ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all our viewers joining us from around the world. I'm Anna Coren live from Hong Kong. Just ahead on "CNN Newsroom".
Anti-war protests ignite across America's college campuses, prompting some officials to try and control a growing crisis.
Plus --
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The month's long wait is finally over. American weapons are heading to Ukraine in just a few hours. And later.
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SHIRA, TIKTOK INFLUENCER: I'm pretty sure the Chinese already have my data. Banning an app is kind of crazy.
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COREN: TikTok users are on edge. Millions of Americans could soon say goodbye to the popular app.
Los Angeles is becoming the latest flashpoint in the pro-Palestinian protests jolting American universities. Authorities announced not long ago that the number of people arrested at the University of Southern California has nearly doubled to almost 100. USC is a private university with private land, so protesters were violating trespass laws by refusing to disperse.
(VIDEO PLAYING) This unrest has been unfolding right in the heart of Los Angeles. Police say one person was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, but no other injuries were reported. The standoff at USC is the latest in a series of confrontations all over the country. On Wednesday, state troopers in riot gear confronted demonstrators at the University of Texas, arresting at least 34 of them.
And to give you an idea of how these demonstrations are spreading nationwide, take a look at this map. Protests have been held everywhere from Mexico -- New Mexico to Minnesota, Florida to Michigan.
Well, I want to bring in Angie Orellana Hernandez, who is a staff writer at the "Los Angeles Times". Angie, thanks for joining us. You were there on campus today. What did you see? Tell us.
ANGIE ORELLANA HERNANDEZ, STAFF WRITER, LOS ANGELES TIMES: So I was there since about 10:30 a.m. The day started with the protesters setting up an encampment at Alumni Park, which is located at the center of campus. I want to say like an hour and a half later, USC's Department of Public Safety officers started to approach the students and the encampment and they were confiscating tents, confiscating property, which caused an escalation.
At one point, DPS officers put their hands on a student and put them inside a vehicle, which led to more protesters surrounding the vehicle and asking for a blockade and eventually the DPS let the student go. And then toward 5 p.m., Los Angeles Police Department officers and riot gear showed on campus and started arresting protesters.
COREN: Police being called in by university officials to break up the protests, move on the encampments. Is that what is causing the violence, the flare ups?
ORELLANA HERNANDEZ: So the protesters were just chanting really up until I want to say 5 p.m. DPS officers gave them a 10 minute warning to disperse. They held their ground at Alumni Park, which was when LAPD circled the park and they started moving forward. Some protesters left the scene, but others stood, as I said, they stood their ground, which led to, I want to say, peaceful arrest. They handed the protesters handed themselves over one by one. And then once the group at Alumni Park were arrested, LAPD tried to contain the protest even further by pushing it off campus.
COREN: I mean, students are allowed to protest on -- on campus from those that you spoke to. Did they say that they are going to continue with this movement considering what is happening around the country?
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ORELLANA HERNANDEZ: So the students wrote a list of demands and they said that they would not leave campus until those demands were met. It is unclear what is going to happen moving forward because currently the campus is closed.
Some -- I want some professors are opting to move classes online and you're not allowed on campus without a student I.D. or without some I.D. that shows you're there for a business purpose.
COREN: But Angie, from your reporting, from what you have witnessed, do you see this continuing at USC?
ORELLANA HERNANDEZ: The students here expressed their demands. They said that they will not move until they are met. Today, they were pushed off campus, but they could come back tomorrow. It's really unclear what their plans are, but they showed today that they were determined to see it through.
And I'm sorry, go ahead.
COREN: No, I guess we're just interested in -- in your takeaways from -- from the day.
ORELLANA HERNANDEZ: Really, I think the biggest takeaway is the students are passionate in what they believe in and really if I had to take something away today is that I'm a bit confused as to why USC President Carol Folt has not spoken about anything of what has been happening on campus is really started to listen has been flaring up post October 7th but recently in the past week. I'm not sure if you saw the headlines.
USC canceled Valedictorian Austin to Boston speech, which also led to a protest and the days after, and we have not heard from President Folt about that decision. We have not heard from President Folt about what happened today with LAPD appearing on campus. We have not heard from President Folt at all. The "Los Angeles Times" has requested repeatedly to talk to her on the record and we have not heard from her. And to no avail. So, I don't know what's happening in her office.
I don't know what her plans are, but Really, I think there is a need for transparency from her hand from her end on these decisions and we have not heard from that.
COREN: For sure. I think there's a lot of questions. And as you say, criticism of university officials and how they are handling these protests, which have now spread right across the nation. But Angie Orellana Hernandez in Los Angeles. We certainly appreciate you joining us. Thank you.
ORELLANA HERNANDEZ: Thank you so much.
COREN: On the battlefield in Gaza, Israel is stepping up airstrikes in the north with warplanes pounding the region for a second straight day on Wednesday, and the government spokesperson says Israel is moving ahead with plans for an all-out assault on Hamas in the southern city of Rafah, despite international objections satellite images from Maxar technology show the expansion of the 10 cities in Rafah, the city is now home to more than half of Gaza's 2.3 billion population.
Hamas has released video of an Israeli American hostage badly wounded in the October 7 attack. The first proof that Hirsch Goldberg Poland is still alive. It's not clear when the video was recorded, but he does make references to Passover and is nearly 200 days in captivity, suggesting it's from this week. Well, part of his left arm is missing. A former hostage says it was blown off by a grenade during the Hamas attack.
Well, let's bring in CNN Scott McLean live in Istanbul, Turkey. Scott, tell us more about this hostage. How recently we think it was made, obviously, in the past week. And why is Hamas releasing it now?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning. And yeah, so the Biden administration actually says that they received this video on Monday, two days before Hamas released it to the public. So if you take that at face value, along with what's actually in the video, it is at least a few days old, though.
Again, it is impossible to know precisely when this video was shot, though. Surely it is a relief to -- to his family that he is alive because, of course, there were serious doubts that that was the case.
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Perhaps the reason why this video was released, we don't know for certain, but Hamas may be looking to ramp up pressure on the Israelis to get a deal done. There's already plenty of domestic pressure within Israel. We've seen the protests there on the Israeli government to get a deal done. But so far, there is none that seems imminent or even close at the moment.
In this video, you hear from Hersh Goldberg-Polin, and he rails against the Israeli government and against Benjamin Netanyahu himself for rejecting previous hostage or rejecting previous deals to get the hostages released.
It is worth noting, of course, that he is a hostage himself, and it is almost certain that he is speaking under some level of distress or some level of duress, I should say.
He also says in the video, he tells his family that he loves them. He knows that they're working to secure his release. And we heard a statement from his family. And in it, they say that the time of the hostages is rapidly running out and the hostages need to be the top priority right now. We also heard in a video released by his parents about what they had to say. Listen.
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JON POLIN, FATHER OF HERSH GOLDBERG-POLIN: Seeing a video of Hersh today is overwhelming. We're relieved to see him alive, but we are also concerned about his health and well-being, as well as that of all of the other hostages and all of those suffering in this region.
RACHEL GOLDBERG, MOTHER OF HERSH GOLDBERG-POLIN: If you can hear this, we heard your voice today for the first time in 201 days. And if you can hear us, I am telling you, we are telling you we love you. Stay strong. Survive.
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MCLEAN: In that same video, Anna, you also hear from Goldberg-Polin's father, appealing directly to the parties involved in the hostage negotiations, the Americans, the Egyptians, the Qataris, the Israelis and, of course, Hamas as well. And he pleads with them to lean in, in his words, to seize this moment, to try to get a deal done, not only for the hostages, but to end the suffering that's taking place in the region.
Those negotiations, though, it's hard to see how this comes to an end because the parties are so divided at this point. The Hamas continues to insist on free movement of people within the territory, full withdrawal of Israeli troops and also a permanent ceasefire. All things that the Israelis have really shown no indication that they would be willing to agree to, especially since the Israelis continue to insist that the war will only end when Hamas is completely destroyed.
And that means at some point going into Rafah, one of the last places with really any level of safety where you have a million and a half people perhaps taking shelter there right now. Anna?
COREN: Scott McLean, we appreciate the reporting. Good to see you. Thank you.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump will return to a New York courtroom in the coming hours as the criminal hush money trial against him resumes.
Former "National Enquirer" publisher David Pecker is set to take the stand for a third day. Pecker has already testified about how he used his position to spread false stories about Trump's opponents while killing and flattering stories about Trump himself.
So far, he's not mentioned the allegations of hush money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels to silence allegations she had an affair with Trump.
Meanwhile, the judge in the case could rule at any moment on the district attorney's motion to sanction Trump for violating the court's gag order.
Well, meantime, in Washington, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether Donald Trump should have absolute presidential immunity, including for his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Trump maintains the alleged acts were part of his duties as president, although judges have rejected those claims in many instances. Multiple courts have agreed Trump's alleged efforts to subvert the election were based on his efforts to seek a second term in office, not a presidential act.
Well, Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election are bringing new legal troubles for some of his closest allies. An Arizona grand jury has handed up an indictment against several key figures who were part of Trump's inner circle. CNN's Zachary Cohen has the details.
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ZACHARY COHEN, CNN U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Another indictment for efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, this time here in Arizona, as not only the 11 fake electors now facing criminal charges, but members of Trump's inner circle, his inner orbit that helped push that effort to overturn the election nationally.
Now, there were seven key swing states that were targeted by the Trump campaign and the Trump team in that push. And this indictment points the finger directly at members of Trump's inner circle for helping orchestrate that effort. That includes people like White House, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. That includes people like the former president's one time personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, and conservative lawyer John Eastman, who has been labeled the architect of the fake elector scheme.
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And that's really what's at question here in Arizona at the center of this indictment is the effort and the alleged conspiracy to put together these 11 fake electors and have them sign a fraudulent certificate that was ultimately submitted to the U.S. Congress. And the indictment alleges that the scheme only failed because Mike Pence declined to participate at the end of the day on January 6th, 2021.
Now, we'll have to see how this criminal indictment plays out. Well, the next steps are initial court appearances. We could see some plea deals after that.
But prosecutors in Arizona joining those in Georgia and Michigan to bring criminal charges for this fake elector scheme, especially at a time when the federal case against Donald Trump has largely stalled because of the Supreme Court challenges.
Now, the prosecutors here in Arizona are bringing these charges almost three years after these alleged actions took place. But Donald Trump himself is listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in this case. They joined Michigan as listing Donald Trump as sort of at the top of this alleged conspiracy.
Zachary Cohen, CNN, Phoenix.
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COREN: Shipments of U.S. military equipment will be heading to Ukraine soon after President Biden signed a bill to provide billions of dollars of aid to the war ravaged country.
Plus, the U.S. secretary of state is on a tough mission in China, improve relations between the two countries, but also draw a line in the sand for Beijing. We'll have a live report on his visit.
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JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: -- to make America safer. It's going to make the world safer. And it continues America's leadership in the world. And everyone knows it. It was a difficult path. It should have been easier and should have gotten there sooner. But in the end, we did what America always does. We rose in the moment, we came together and we got it done.
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COREN: A billion dollars' worth of military hardware is being prepared for Ukraine after U.S. President Joe Biden signed off on a massive assistance package that includes nearly $61 billion of aid for Ukraine.
The shipment includes long range missiles and other military equipment the Ukrainians had asked for. Ukraine did get some attack missiles recently from the U.S.
Well, the Pentagon revealed Wednesday they were delivered to Ukraine earlier this month after President Biden secretly approved the transfer back in February. CNN's Clare Sebastian is live for us in London following the story. Clare, President Biden said aid would start arriving in the coming hours. Do we know what's in this shipment and how soon the rest of this lifeline will start coming in?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah Anna, from what we know about this first billion dollar aid package, it seems to be a recognition of the key, the several key effects of this six month delay in getting you at the U.S. Congress to pass more aid. One, of course, is that the front lines, particularly in the east, have been profoundly destabilized. That's why you see things like HIMARS artillery rounds, anti-aircraft missiles, Bradley fighting vehicles on the list.
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That is the kind of equipment, along, of course, with artillery shells that will help Ukraine stabilize that front line. And of course, the second key thing that we've seen step up in the past six months or so has been that Russia has stepped up aerial attacks on Ukraine's cities beyond the front lines.
And to that end, we see more air defense missiles on the list for this package, specific ammunition as well to counter drones, which will be useful on the front lines. And of course, in terms of -- of protecting cities, President Zelenskyy saying that the specific aid included in this package was the result of a joint effort between the U.S. and Ukraine to sort of tailor it to their specific needs. Take a listen.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): No matter what anyone says, we are getting the support we need. We need to continue to protect lives from Russian attacks. These days, we have been working with our American friends at all levels to quickly fill this package from the United States with the weapons our soldiers need from ATACAMs and artillery, from anti-tank weapons and missiles for the HIMARS to necessary air defense and equipment.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SEBASTIAN: Well, of course, in terms of the speed of how quickly this is going to arrive, the Pentagon has been saying that it can move within days. We know from U.S. officials that U.S. European commanders also been preparing equipment, having it positioned closer to Ukraine. So this should start to have an impact pretty quickly. Anna.
COREN: Clare, we know there is no silver bullet, but the long range ATACMs the U.S. secretly sent earlier this month, do the Ukrainians believe that these long range missiles, that they could perhaps be a game changer?
SEBASTIAN: So what we've seen, Anna, is that there's a sort of secondary battle taking place, which is where these ATACMs and other long range missiles like the Storm Shadows that the U.K. has just pledged to send more of will have an impact. And that is what's being called by military analysts, the deep battle where Ukraine attacks far behind enemy lines, trying to degrade Russian military installations, equipment, storages, things like that before it even reaches the front lines.
And I think it has had an impact. Certainly, we've seen the long range missile strikes in Crimea, for example, have been critical in what was essentially the biggest success story for Ukraine of 2023, which was gaining the upper hand in the Black Sea.
So it's clear that Ukraine wants to do more of this. They've been using their own drones on Russian territory and occupied regions as well. And the ATACMs will play a major role and perhaps have already started playing a major role in that in terms of Russian reaction to this.
And of course, this is where it's taken such a long time for the U.S. to get to the point of supplying weapons is the fear that Russia will see this as an escalation. We hear from the Russian ambassador to Washington who called this an underhand act. He said it would be impossible to justify it and claimed without evidence that Russia has already shot down several of these ATACMs. Anna.
COREN: Clare Sebastian in London, we appreciate the reporting. Thank you.
Well, joining me now is Michael Bociurkiw, former spokesperson for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. Michael, great to have you with us after that torturous gridlock in Congress. Finally, this aid package for Ukraine has been approved. Shipments due to -- to start in the next few hours. Explain to us what this means, not just in terms of weapons, but psychologically for the country.
MICHAEL BOCIURKIW, FORMER SPOKESPERSON, ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE AND SR. FELLOW AT THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Right. Well, it's absolutely a huge development. I've spoken to my Ukrainian contacts from government diplomacy and elsewhere. Everyone is very, very pleased. And the fact I think it's a bit of a surprise, actually, Anna, that this is coming so quickly, especially those longer range ATACM missiles with a range of about 300 kilometers that now give the Ukrainians a capability to strike from inside Ukraine to the Kerch Strait Bridge into Crimea and elsewhere. So that is a huge development.
But, you know, it needs to be said that this should have come many, many months ago, because in the meantime, the Russians have been able to dig in with trenches, with barriers to Ukrainian forces. They've -- they've also been able to position more men there and they've also been able to stockpile more missiles.
One final thought, if I can, on that particular one. You know, I think that delay, which is very costly to Ukraine in terms of human lives and damage to infrastructure. It may prompt some Americans to think, why is it that an unelected con man, Mr. Trump, can block such a big package of aid and in the process compromise U.S. security, European security and Ukrainian security?
COREN: Yeah, as you say, I mean, it's not just territory that has been lost, but countless lives. Speak to us the damage that has been done as this has stalled in Congress for the last six months.
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BOCIURKIW: Sure. Yeah. Well, to give you a very vivid example, I'm usually based in Odessa and I've noticed over the past weeks that for incoming Russian missiles and drones, there's a lot less air defense rockets going up to to intercept these things. So what that means is big, big damage to critical infrastructure.
One of the key energy providers in Ukraine has -- have lost 100 percent of their generation capacity.
And where I live, one of the two ports, two big ports in Odessa, was struck by Russian forces just a few days ago.
And, you know, again, it boggles the mind because people should be considering this infrastructure, the ports of Odessa, as a critical component of the global food supply chain. I can't understand why more Western muscle isn't being deployed there to protect these critical sea lanes, on par almost with what's being deployed, the muscle being deployed to the Red Sea.
COREN: Michael, we know this is $61 billion, but is it enough for Ukraine not just to stay in the war and hold ground, but to actually fight back and reclaim territory?
BOCIURKIW: Well, the reality is -- is that Ukraine needs to fire so much muscle firepower to the Russian side that this is going to be depleted rather quickly, because don't forget, they've been conserving missiles for the past few months. So I think what this means is that the American administration is going to have to find new ways to get money to Ukraine.
And it does look like Canada that could include, for example, selling off frozen Russian assets.
But it's also giving a push to, for example, in Europe, where there is, you know, we have to admit some opposition to aid to Ukraine, for example, releasing the millions and millions of interest accumulated from frozen Russian sovereign assets and Belgian bank accounts and giving that to Ukraine.
So a lot of thinking going on how amidst this opposition, if we want to call it that, in the various democracies that, you know, elected officials can get more money to Ukraine, because if they don't, it's going to become a lot more expensive. Mr. Putin will not stop at Ukraine. And if he does attack a NATO country like Poland, that would trigger the need for U.S. and other allied boots on the ground. So the cost could be immense.
COREN: Michael, do you envisage a Ukrainian counteroffensive in 2024, or is it more likely to happen the following year?
BOCIURKIW: I think what we're going to see is Ukraine upping their defensive positions along the front line and also air defense systems. But I think you're also going to see the use of what the U.S. is providing, a long range strike capability to strike inside Ukraine to legitimate military targets. And also, for example, putting out once and for all Putin's pet project, the Kerch Strait Bridge, which transports a lot of military supplies into the front line.
But, you know, the Russians will use various tactics, including their long range missiles to fire at cities like Kharkiv, as far as Lviv in western Ukraine.
And then this is also a psychological warfare that the Russians are waging because it is causing a lot of anxiety in Ukraine, forcing people to make that very, very difficult decision whether to stay or go.
And it also hurts business confidence. None of the airports in Ukraine have been open since the start of the war, and that creates huge logistical bottlenecks.
COREN: Michael Bociurkiw, always great to speak to you. Thank you for your perspective.
BOCIURKIW: Thank you for having me.
COREN: The U.S. Secretary of State is walking on a diplomatic tightrope in China. Right now, Antony Blinken is headed to Beijing after wrapping up meetings in Shanghai. He's expected to land next hour and will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart later in the day. Washington wants to improve relations with Beijing, which hit a historic low last year. But at the same time, Blinken is also expected to push back on China's stance on Taiwan and its support for Russia's arms industry.
For more, let's go to CNN's Steven Jiang in Beijing. Steven, obviously, there will be a lot to discuss. What is Antony Blinken hoping to achieve?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yeah, Anna, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I think this kind of trip is best described as high stakes, low expectations. And I should add, amid growing frustrations from both sides, with each holding an ever longer list of grievances and complaints against the other.
And you mentioned some of the U.S. issues and topping the agenda for Secretary Blinken is Beijing's continued support for Russia's defense industrial base that has allowed Moscow to continue to wage its brutal war against Ukraine, especially at a time, as you heard from the previous guest, when Kyiv is facing severe weapon and equipment shortages.
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Now, this is an issue American officials have become increasingly vocal about in recent weeks, and they have said there would be serious consequences for Chinese entities that have been providing Russia with not just technologies and tools, but also financial report.
And the other issue, of course, is Taiwan, especially since we are less than a month away from the island democracy swearing in its new president.
Now, remember, in that massive foreign aid package just signed into law by President Biden, there is actually more than eight billion dollars set aside for Taiwan and other U.S. allies in this region. The Chinese obviously are not happy about it, but so far their responses to those developments, including that forced divestment of TikTok in the U.S., which is also included in that bill, have been relatively muted, perhaps because Secretary Blinken is actually here and they are expected to talk about all of those issues behind closed doors.
But the Chinese have a lot to push back on as well, especially on the economic front, with their officials very much highlighting the quote- unquote "U.S. crackdown", targeting U.S. not only launching investigations against Chinese companies and industries, but also increasingly stringent export controls.
So the good thing is both sides are talking now after years of deep freeze, but experts are concerned whether or not they were just talking past each other instead of having really meaningful and impactful dialogue. But at the end of the day, though, Anna, it is very difficult to see any major breakthroughs because what the Americans are asking for really touched on the very foundation of China's current political system and its foreign policy under strongman leader Xi Jinping. Anna.
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: But as you say, Steven, it's about maintaining that relationship. Steven Jiang, joining us from Beijing. Good to see you. Thank you.
Still ahead.
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Rohingya refugees in their own words, the unvarnished truth on vinyl, the pain of persecution, the hope that remains in their hearts, songs from their souls. That's coming up on CNN. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: The U.S. Supreme Court appears deeply divided after hearing arguments over a strict abortion ban in the state of Idaho and whether states can criminalize abortions in medical emergencies. CNN's Paula Reid has the latest from Washington.
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PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Today, the Supreme Court heard another historic case on abortion as protesters on both sides of the issue gathered out front.
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The high stakes hearing focused on Idaho's abortion ban and how it applies in medical emergencies.
The state allows exceptions when the life of a mother is at risk. But the Biden administration sued the state, arguing that federal law requires the state to allow the procedure if it is needed to stabilize a patient, even when the mother's condition is not yet life threatening.
Joshua Turner argued for the state and faced a barrage of medical hypotheticals from the liberal justices.
ELENA KAGAN ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES: All of these cases are rare, but within these rare cases, there's a significant number where the woman is, her life is not in peril, but she's going to lose her reproductive organs. She's going to lose the ability to have children in the future unless an abortion takes place.
REID (voice-over): Conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined her liberal colleagues in pressing Turner on the state's position and how it leaves doctors open to prosecution.
JOSHUA TURNER, LAWYER FOR IDAHO: If they were exercising their medical judgment, they could, in good faith, determine that lifesaving care was necessary. And that's my point, is this a subjective standard?
AMY CONEY BARRETT, ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES: But some doctors couldn't. Some doctors might reach a contrary conclusion, I think is what Justice Sotomayor is asking you. So if they reached the conclusion that the legislature's doctors did, would they be prosecuted under Idaho law?
TURNER: No, no. If they reached the conclusion that Dr. Reynolds, Dr. White did, that these were life-saving...
BARRETT: What if the prosecutor thought differently? What if the prosecutor thought, well, I don't think any good-faith doctor could draw that conclusion, I'm going to put on my expert.
TURNER: And that, Your Honor, is the nature of prosecutorial discretion.
REID (voice-over): Justice Barrett and Chief Justice John Roberts had tough questions for both sides and could end up being the swing votes that determined the outcome.
Elizabeth Prelogar argued for the government that Idaho is subject to a federal law called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA.
ELIZABETH PRELOGAR, ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES: In Idaho, doctors have to shut their eyes to everything except death. Whereas under EMTALA, you're supposed to be thinking about things like, is she about to lose her fertility? Is her uterus going to become incredibly scarred because of the bleeding? Is she about to undergo the possibility of kidney failure?
REID (voice-over): She faced questions from conservatives about how to protect unborn children.
SAMUEL ALITO, ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES: Have you seen abortion statutes that use the phrase unborn child? Doesn't that tell us something?
PRELOGAR: It tells us that Congress wanted to expand the protection for pregnant women so that they could get the same duties to screen and stabilize when they have a condition that's threatening the health and well-being of the unborn child.
REID: A decision on this case is expected in late June, right in the middle of the presidential election season. Now historically, Republicans have used the abortion issue to rally their supporters. But since Roe was overturned, the issue has actually helped Democrats. So a lot riding on this decision from the high court.
Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.
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COREN: Still ahead.
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Music that makes a difference. The Rohingya people sing about their persecution and genocide by the military government in Myanmar.
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COREN: The words of Mohammed R., a Rohingya refugee, sung on location at a refugee camp in Bangladesh. He's one of several who wrote and recorded music about the genocide committed against them by the military government in Myanmar. They've lived on their land for thousands of years, but the Muslim Rohingya are now considered illegal immigrants in the Buddhist majority nation.
And while much of the lyrics do deal with this tragedy, there is also hope amid the despair and the universal feeling of longing for love. Well, these songs were all recorded without overdub on a new album called "Rohingya Refugees, Once we had a home".
Well, joining me now from Naples, Italy, is a Grammy Award winning producer and author, Ian Brennan, who obviously produced this beautiful music. His latest book is called "Missing Music Voices from Where the Dirt Roads End". Ian, thank you so much for joining us. That music is just stirring. The importance of hearing from these Rohingya refugees in their own words, you know, these songs they wrote and performed. Tell us the messages that they wanted to share.
IAN BRENNAN, GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING PRODUCER AND AUTHOR: Well, they wanted to talk about their experiences, which are horrific. And the patterns become very clear when you hear the same stories over and over again of abuse and sexual assault and murder and destruction of homes and even mosques and being forced, do or die, to leave the country or be killed.
But more than anything else, what they wanted to sing about as much so was love. And there are beautiful love songs, love songs about longing for home and for those left behind, but also those that they've met in the life that they're in now in the largest refugee camp in the world, in southeast Bangladesh, with over almost a million people there.
COREN: That is truly extraordinary, considering the trauma they've endured and then the squalid conditions that they're living in.
BRENNAN: It is. It is extraordinary. And love is a very powerful thing. And I think what we forget so often is that even in war-torn countries and even in places that maybe are identified as being dangerous or that there are terrorists, that the vast majority of citizens are terrorized by those same individuals. They are the victims and they want nothing more than peace. Nothing more than peace.
COREN: And you said the miracle of a microphone is allowing us to hear the quietest singers who would otherwise remain almost inaudible. Explain to us the process of these refugees writing and then recording this music.
BRENNAN: Well, they have very little instrumentation available to them. They shared the same mandolin. They had two, but most of them shared the same mandolin. They used objects from their environment as percussion. They're not able to go on Amazon and buy something, a drum kit, so they used the mop bucket that they clean with and turned it upside down, and that's their bass drum. And they grabbed a pan that they cook with and a spoon, and that's their cymbal.
Yet, with these means, the honesty and the directness of the music is anti-A.I. It's music that's truly coming from the base of the human soul in the purest form and the way music has always been made, born out of daily life and their experiences. And with no goal other than to share their voice. It's a very generous and courageous act for them to do that. And there's nothing more intimate than the human voice, the fingerprint of the human voice.
And the quietest singers are the ones that we really should listen to most, the ones that are the most reluctant, the most shy, the most meek, the most humble. They often have the most to share. And I think we have an ethical duty to turn away from those that demand attention, that are starved for it, and that are screaming to be heard.
COREN: And tell us the story that stood out most to you, and describe to us also the conditions that these almost million Rohingya are living in.
[03:45:00]
BRENNAN: Well, the conditions are very dire. Many families, what the ration they're given a day is eight cents a day for their entire family, yet an egg at the time we were there, a single chicken egg, cost 11 cents.
So this obviously leads to desperation and it leads to exploitation, particularly of the women that are there. Often women that have been widowed and women that are there alone with their children.
The physical environment is very, very daunting. They're living, most of them, in covers with tarp and bamboo sticks. And a lot of these were destroyed just a few months prior to our being there by a major cyclone that came through.
And there were landslides also. The area where most of them are is prone to that. But none of them discussed this. None of them complained about that. None of them talked about that. Instead, they were there to sing, and they were very happy to do so. But one of the most moving moments was a gentleman was speaking about his experience back home.
He was sharing something with people he knew well that he'd never shared before. And I could not understand what was being said, but it was very clear that this was something very, very profound and emotional. And there's a moment as he's speaking, it was clear that something very emotional was already happening, but there's a moment where his voice just shifted and there was this flood of emotion. And at that moment, these men that were gathered, about seven men, began to weep, all of them, as he was expressing this.
And it was incredible to see, because these are individuals that in general would probably be described as stoic. And to see a group of men weeping anywhere in the world is fairly rare. But to see this moment was intimate. I felt some shame as well and some guilt almost, because I was crying, but I turned away because it's their pain. But it was so courageous of them to share this. And what he was discussing was so horrific, discussing how they had come and burned down his mosque and how he could no longer pray and how he felt that they'd stole his soul. COREN: The suffering and the trauma that these people have gone
through, the murders, the babies thrown in the fire, the sexual violence that you speak about. Ian Brennan, we appreciate you bringing this to the world through music, such stirring music. Thank you for joining us from Naples in Italy.
BRENNAN: Thank you so much.
COREN: Stay with CNN. We'll be back after this short break.
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COREN: TikTok says it's not going down without a fight after President Joe Biden signed a bill that could potentially ban the app in the U.S. The company says it will challenge the legislation in court. Well TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, now has at least nine months to sell the app or face a ban in U.S. app stores and internet hosting devices. That means U.S. users would be cut off early next year. Legal experts say the law could be shot down by courts as a violation of the First Amendment.
Well joining me now is TikTok influencer Shira in Austin, Texas. Shira, great to have you with us. Tell us how the ban will impact your business, your career.
[03:50:02]
SHIRA, TIKTOK INFLUENCER: I think the ban would be extremely devastating to me as of right now. I have currently half a million followers that I've been growing for about three months. Oh, sorry, three years. And it's years of work going to be wiped away with, you know, no help from the government. I need to pay my rent somehow. And, you know, my groceries and interest rates are going up and I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do.
COREN: So U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle believe that TikTok is a threat to national security. That's why they are pushing for this ban. Why are they wrong?
SHIRA: It's so funny that the excuse is that it's security reasons, because I think TikTok's been around for, I think, seven or eight years or something like that. And if it was really, truly a security threat, why did it take this long for them to do something?
Secondly, you have Facebook, YouTube, Google. Every company on the Internet steals your data and sells it to a third party. So why don't we have like, I don't know, a law that prevents all of that instead of just focusing all their energy on TikTok?
COREN: Many TikTok users believe that the ban would impact on their freedom of speech. Do you believe that that is more important than national security?
SHIRA: I definitely think that security is important. Just like I said, I think you need to have a law that protects American privacy. But, you know, First Amendment right is really, really important to most Americans. And literally banning an app is kind of crazy in this day and age.
COREN: How would you feel if your data was actually going to the Chinese government? Would that bother you?
SHIRA: No, I'm pretty sure the Chinese already have my data. They probably got it from, I don't know, Google or Facebook that I've been selling my data for many, many years. I'm not really sure what they would do with my data. I don't think it would really do anything. Everybody has my data. I don't really care, to be honest.
COREN: Okay. How do you plan to mobilize and fight against this bill?
SHIRA: There is not much that I can do, unfortunately. I try to speak about it on my TikTok. I try to tell my community, but we're kind of powerless against the government, to be honest.
COREN: Okay, so you're not going to turn up in Washington with placards and join protests?
SHIRA: I don't think so. But if there is a local protest, obviously I'm going to join that. I am still kind of scared of protests. I think they can get a little bit out of hand sometimes in the United States. So I personally wouldn't feel super safe going to one. But, you know, we'll see.
COREN: Okay. Shira, what is your message to U.S. Congress regarding this ban?
SHIRA: I think that the U.S. Congress needs to stop listening to Meta. I'm pretty sure that Meta's lobbying and the fact that most of Congress people have Meta stock, including Nancy Pelosi, who has a million dollars in Meta stock.
They need to really think about their people and all of the jobs that are going to be lost, not just content creators, people who work in TikTok and other people who are close to TikTok, like agents and talents, all of them are going to lose their jobs overnight. Who's going to take care of that and who's going to help them through this? They really need to stop, I don't know, being pushed around by big companies and taking their money and really trying to do what's best for the people.
COREN: TikTok influencer Shira, we thank you for your time.
SHIRA: Thank you.
COREN: Japan Airlines' new president has achieved a rare feat in her country. Mitsuko Tottori is the first woman and former flight attendant to climb to the top job. She assumed the role earlier this month amid the fallout from various safety incidents within the aviation industry. CNN's Hanako Montgomery has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over0: An entire plane swallowed by flames. Smoke and fear filled the cabin. These are the dramatic scenes from Japan that unfolded on screens across the world when a Japan Airlines flight collided with a Coast Guard aircraft on the runway.
But mass tragedy was avoided that January night. Five Coast Guard crew members were killed, but all 379 aboard commercial flight 516 escaped unscathed.
[03:55:05]
Americo Mitsuko Tottori, Japan Airlines' incoming president, attributes to passenger cooperation and a well-trained crew.
MITSUKO TOTTORI, JAPAN AIRLINES CEO (through translator): We are constantly updating our operations based on the lessons we have learned from past case studies. I think we were able to put these lessons to the test.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): But for Tottori, safety isn't just a priority. It's instinct.
Starting as a flight attendant, she rose through the ranks in a country where women hold less than 13 percent of senior and leadership roles, the lowest among G7 nations, according to the World Economic Forum.
She's now the first woman and former flight attendant to become JAL's president. But her rise, she says, shouldn't come as a surprise.
TOTTORI (through translator): I hope that Japan will soon become a place where people are not surprised when a woman becomes a president.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Tottori's remarkable career began in 1985, just four months before the deadliest single aircraft accident in aviation history. JAL Flight 123 crashed and killed 520 people on board, leaving just four survivors, and Tottori with the haunting reminder that safety is irreplaceable.
TOTTORI (through translator): Safety must be a priority for everyone working at JAL. That important value has been engraved in my heart.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): But her dedication to safety faces another critical test. Boeing, long a JAL partner, now grapples with mounting allegations of neglecting aircraft safety and quality following alarming plane incidents in this month's Senate whistleblower hearing.
MONTGOMERY: Are you concerned at all about the whistleblower complaints regarding the gaps in quality and safety of Boeing airplanes?
TOTTORI (through translator): Well, it seems that the CEO has just changed, so I'm not particularly concerned. I believe they will overcome this, and I will continue to support, communicate with them. MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Her faith in Boeing strong, but the
manufacturer must prove that its aircrafts live up to her indispensable value.
Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Tokyo.
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COREN: Well, thank you so much for your company. I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong. Newsroom with Max Foster, he's coming up next. Stay with CNN.
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