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Humanitarian Conditions Worsen In Sudan; Vote On GOP's Debt Limit Plan Scheduled For 4:45 P.M.; GOP Senators Block Quick Passage Of Top Military Nominees; Montana House Debates Discipline Of Transgender Representative. Aired 3:30-4p ET
Aired April 26, 2023 - 15:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:30:00]
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Now to Sudan where evacuations are underway as the cease fire appears to be holding in some parts of the country. Witnesses on the ground tell CNN they are running out of food and that stores have either been run out completely or have been looted. The World Health Organization warns that food is so scarce, it is expecting more people will die.
Water is also hard to come by. You can see people trying to fill up tanks. It's actually over here. They don't know when they're going to have access to water again and what they're getting may not be clean. We're told some are so desperate they're getting water directly from the Nile River. Water that is untreated.
Along with a lack of food and water, there is little to no medical care. In the capital of Khartoum, 61 percent of the health facilities are closed. The World Health Organization is estimating that some 24,000 women are going to give birth in the coming weeks without any maternal care. Civilians are recounting the horrors they've seen on the ground as the violence escalates. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UMAR YUSUF YARU, STRANDED NIGERIAN STUDENT: A bad situation here, seriously. I don't know what is going to happen. It's so bad, believe me, (INAUDIBLE) it's so terrible here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: As for the violence, it isn't just from the warring factions but from a total lack of police. The death toll right now stands at more than 500 and that includes at least two Americans. One of them is a Sudanese American doctor. He was trying to take his father to a dialysis appointment when he was stabbed outside of his home in Khartoum.
As people desperately try to flee all of this, it is becoming even harder to get the very thing that's needed to leave -- gasoline. Fuel prices have surged. One witness telling us a can is now up from a little over $4 U.S. to $67 a gallon on the black market.
We want to discuss it with an expert. Bryan Stern is cofounder and CEO of Project Dynamo. It's an organization working to rescue Americans and allies in Sudan. Bryan, first and foremost, what are the biggest challenges that you and your team are facing in getting civilians out?
BRYAN STERN, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, PROJECT DYNAMO: Thanks for having me. You hit the nail on the head. Resources are the big one. Gas is expensive. Water's hard to find. Food is a challenge. You know, this is Africa so things are always a challenge here on the continent.
The other big thing is obviously command and control. We have a so- called cease fire on the ground but that cease fire is only as good as the people that keep it. There's very good reason to believe that it's been broken to some extent or another. How big of a violation is a little debatable.
But the lack of command and control between the different groups has proven to be a problem for them and also for organizations like Project Dynamo who are trying to get things done on the ground. Getting things like landing clearances is hard. Getting things like cargoes establishes hard. Even if you get approval, doesn't mean they're actually valid, if you will.
SANCHEZ: Interesting. So, I want to play for you some sound from the spokesperson of the National Security Council, John Kirby, who spoke to CNN about trying to get Americans out of there. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KIRBY, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SPOKESMAN: I would just tell you that the universe of Americans, American citizens that have expressed a desire to leave and a willingness to move on short notice is a very small number. And so, I really believe --
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: It's far less than the 16,000 estimated to be there, John?
KIRBY: Incredibly far less than that. Much, much less than that.
BOLDUAN: Can you give me an estimate?
(CROSSTALK)
KIRBY: I think it's important to remember, most of those 16,000 that you've seen -- first of all, that's an estimate. Most of them are dual nationals. They grew up in Sudan. They've got family members in Sudan that are not dual nationals and they don't want to leave.
[15:35:02]
I'm hesitant to give you an exact number but it's very small. It's in the many dozens of a kind of a number.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: It seems like getting an exact figure is an issue. Somewhere from dozens to 16,000. What's your estimate? STERN: We don't have an estimate. What I can tell you is that on our
website, ProjectDynamo.org, it is where people go to number one donate. We are donor funded. We could use the public's help, please. But it's also where people go to register. So, there's a button that says, Sudan evacuation form.
And I'll tell you that that little button has been getting a lot of play today and yesterday and we fully expect it to get a lot of play tomorrow. So, we have hundreds of people that are registered. We're not at thousands yet but that's mostly because people don't know we're out there. But I fully expect we get there though.
SANCHEZ: And Bryan Stern, we very much appreciate the work you do. Please keep us posted on any way we might be able to help an amplifier message. Thanks.
STERN: Thank you. Projectdynamo.org. Please donate. It's a very expensive operation and we need the public's help.
SANCHEZ: Thanks so much -- Brianna.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: This just into CNN. We now have a schedule for this debt ceiling spending cut bill for the House GOP has actually been scheduled. It has a time. So, let's go to CNN's Melanie Zanona. She has the very latest on what we can expect on this. Mel, when is this set to happen?
MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Yes, House Republican leaders are moving full steam ahead with a vote on their debt ceiling plan which would slash federal spending. They are expecting a vote now this afternoon around 4:45 p.m.
And it is just the latest sign that GOP leaders are feeling confident about their whip count. They have been working members through the weekend. They made a number of last-minute changes in the middle of the night to win over hold outs. And have been able to successfully flip a number of undecided or no votes into the yes camp. But there's still a few more holdouts. They have little room for error. Nothing final -- still final, but GOP leadership feeling confident at this point -- Brianna.
KEILAR: All right, 4:45. We will see if this actually happens. Melanie's Zanona, thank you so much -- Jim.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: So why is GOP Senator Tommy Tuberville blocking 184 military promotions? We are following this and more in CNN NEWS CENTRAL.
[15:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Today, some new polling from Pew that shows an overwhelming number of U.S. adults say their views on abortion have not changed since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. More than six in ten say that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. But an increasing number of American who is live in states where abortion is prohibited say it would be more difficult to get one in their area. No surprise perhaps.
After the Dobbs decision, the Pentagon started reimbursing service members for travel expenses and providing paid time off for reproductive health procedures including abortions. And now to Republican senators, Alabama's Tommy Tuberville and Utah's Mike Lee are holding up almost 200 high profile military promotions over this policy. Here's Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren who is trying to break the blockade.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): Holding up the promotion of every single military nominee isn't democracy. It's extortion. And that kind of extortion has serious consequences for our national defense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Among the promotions being held up, Navy Rear Admiral Frederic Kacher, who is up for vice admiral to Seventh Fleet commander. Navy Rear Admiral George Wikoff to vice admiral with assignment as commander of Fifth Fleet navy rear admiral. And finally Navy Rear Admiral Shoshana Chatfield first, female president of the Naval War College, now up for promotion to vice admiral and to be the U.S. military representative to NATO. And obviously, a very critical juncture in the war in Ukraine of course.
So, joining us to discuss all of this is the deputy Pentagon press secretary, Sabrina Singh. Thank you so much for being with us. I do want to just start off the top here because it seems that there are these very opposed sides in this disagreement. I just do want to be clear, Tricare doesn't cover abortion except for in the case of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is in danger. We're talking leave, right, time off and travel expenses.
Can you guarantee for female service members, military spouses and dependents, that you will not back down on providing coverage for these expenses considering these are people who have no choice about what state they live in?
SABRINA SINGH, DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: Thanks, Brianna, for having me. And that is exactly what the secretary committed to when he made the decision to make sure that reproductive care -- healthcare is accessible to our service members who might live in states where that care is not accessible to them.
This is, again, exactly what you outlined. Providing transportation costs for them so they can go and receive the care they need in a state that provides that service. And we have to remember, I mean, this is about making sure that people, our service members, our civilians, have access to what they need to do. Not only for their health, but to be able to work.
[15:45:02] And they don't get to choose the states that they live in. So, you said it correct at the very top. And so, the secretary is committed to upholding that promise and committed to making sure that our service members and our civilians have the healthcare that they need when they need it.
KEILAR: How long until this starts affecting military readiness? Because the Senator does not appear willing at all to back down on his side.
SINGH: Well, we've certainly have been in touch with Senator Tuberville's office but we've made our case very clear. Holding up these nominations of our flag and general officers is incredibly dangerous. It puts our military readiness at risk. These are about promoting the people who need to go into the positions at the right time that they were promoted, at the right place and right position.
We have almost over 60 three- and four-star generals up for promotion and for different positions coming up. I believe within the next nine months. And as the secretary has said before, this will have a ripple effect on our service members and our military readiness. And so, we are -- we continue to urge Senator Tuberville to lift his hold on these nominations --
KEILAR: But Sabrina, when does that start?
SINGH: Well, again, we're in touch with his office. We're continuing to work with the Senator and we're continuing to work with Congress to urge that these holds be lifted. Immediately. And we've --
KEILAR: So, when does -- I'm so sorry to interrupt you. But when does the military readiness, when does that begin to be affected? When do you actually start having people who are not going into position, who are not having their PCS -- their permanent change of station, who are not going to the next duty station, going to the next job?
SINGH: Well, again, these are positions that are opening up over the next few months and as you have these positions vacate, you're going to have another people step into those positions and enacting or a temporary role. And that's where you're going to see the impact. You're going to see the impact of someone doing two jobs when that needs to be that role filled by a three or four star.
And so, again, this is going to happen, as a ripple effect as the secretary has said. I don't have an exact date or time when military readiness is all of a sudden impacted. It's going to be overtime. And that's what we are concerned about. We need to continue to project to our allies, our partners around the world and our adversaries that we are a cohesive unit here at the department and all around the world.
And that begins at that three- and four-star level, all the way down through lower ranks. Again, these holds we find them incredibly reckless and dangerous and we are urging Congress to move forward on these nominations.
KEILAR: Sabrina, thank you so much for being with us and joining us from the Pentagon. We appreciate it -- Jim.
SCIUTTO: Happening now in Montana, lawmakers debating whether to censure their only transgender member after she spoke out about her position on gender affirming healthcare and protest then erupted in her defense. What's next if that vote goes through? We'll bring you up to date.
[15:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Debate is underway now in the Republican controlled statehouse in Montana. They will soon vote on the question of approving disciplinary action against Democratic member Zooey Zephyr. You may remember, she's the state's only transgender lawmaker. But GOP colleagues have refused to let her speak until she apologizes for comments, she made during a house debate on gender affirming care. Zephyr spoke just moments ago. Let's have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZOOEY ZEPHYR, (D) MONTANA STATE SENATE: Today, I rise in defense of those constituents of my community and of democracy itself. Last week, I spoke on the governor's amendments to Senate Bill 99 which banned gender affirming care. This was a bill that was one of many targeting the LBGTQ community in Montana. This legislature has systematically attacked that community. We have seen bills targeting our art forms, our books, our history, and our health care.
And I rose up in defense of my community that day, speaking to harms that these bills bring, and that I have firsthand experience knowing about. I have had friends who have taken their lives because of these bills. I have fielded calls from families in Montana. Including one family whose trans teenager attempted to take her life while watching a hearing on one of the anti-trans bills.
And in that hearing, our caucus pleaded with the Republican chair of the judiciary committee to not allow certain testimony to keep decorum. We were told a lot of people have a lot of opinions on these things. So, when I rose up and said there is blood on your hands, I was not being hyperbolic. I was speaking to the real consequences of the votes that we, as legislators, take in this body.
And when the Speaker asks me to apologize, on behalf of decorum, what he is really asking me to do is be silent when my community is facing bills that get us killed.
[15:55:00]
He's asking me to be complicit in this legislature's eradication of our community. And I refuse to do so, and I will always refuse to do so.
I would also say that if you use decorum to silence people who hold you accountable, then in the name -- all you are doing is using decorum as a tool of oppression. Additionally, when the speaker disallowed me to speak, what he was doing is taking away the voices of the 11,000 Montanans who elected me to speak on their behalf, and when I --
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Zooey Zephyr there, Democratic member of the Montana statehouse. Passionate words defending her position on gender affirming care. They're about to vote there on whether to censure her.
KEILAR: Yes, defiant words indeed.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
KEILAR: That does it for us. But don't go anywhere, "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right after this.
