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Refugees Trapped Between Belarus and Poland; China Tests Nuclear-Capable Hypersonic Missile; Facebook Bets Big on the "Metaverse"; Red Sox Crush Astros to Take a 2-3 ALCS Lead. Aired 4:30- 5a ET

Aired October 19, 2021 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They put us in a truck and then they took us to the other border, they cut it, and they told us to walk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They cut the border? So, there was a wire and they cut the wire.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, they cut the wire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Isa Soares. If you're just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories this hour.

Former president Donald Trump is suing the January 6th committee in an attempt to keep White House records a secret. Later today, lawmakers will vote on contempt charges for former Trump aide Steve Bannon after he refused to comply with a subpoena.

Officials in Haiti tell "The Wall Street Journal," the gang that ducted 17 missionaries in Haiti is demanding $17 million in ransom. A team of U.S. officials is in Haiti to secure their release. Of course, we'll continue to follow both of their stories. We'll have much for you in about 25 minutes or so.

Now, nearly two months after the last U.S. troops left Afghanistan the State Department watchdog has opened a number of reviews tied to the U.S. withdrawal. That is according to a letter from the acting inspector general obtained by CNN. Now Afghanistan special immigrant visa program and evacuations from Kabul will be included in the reviews, which will act as scrutiny of the rushed U.S. exit.

The word came on the same day the State Department confirmed the top U.S. envoy for Afghanistan is stepping down. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, who will be replaced by his deputy, said it was the right time as the U.S. entered a new phase in its Afghan policy.

[04:35:00]

Well, Afghan refugees are among those caught up in a tangle really along the border between Belarus and Poland. They don't want to stay in either country and neither wants them. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has the story for you.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Trapped and desperate between Belarus and Poland, refugees begging for passage to Germany. And while many are stopped, an increasing number are now making it to Germany. To this refugee center in the town of Eisenhuttenstadt. 17-year-old Gino just arrived from Iraq via Belarus with her mother and sister, and says Belarusian authorities even drove them to the border.

GINO, IRAQI REFUGEE: They put us in a truck, and then they took us to the other border. They cut it and they told us to walk.

PLEITGEN: They cut the border?

GINO: Yes.

PLEITGEN: So, there was a wire and they cut the wire?

GINO: Yes, there was -- yeah, they cut the wire.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): The EU accuses strongman Alexander Lukashenko of state-organized human trafficking. Luring refugees to Belarus and sending them across the border. A claim Lukashenko denies. Poland says it has sealed its border with barbed wire and will even build a wall. Refugees are often trapped between the two sides for days and shoved back and forth. This woman from Syria tells me, the group she was part of slept under trees and ran out of food and water.

GINO: Five days later, we drank water from the floor -- on the floor. We don't have anything.

PLEITGEN: You drank water from puddles.

GINO: Yes, yes, yes him.

PLEITGEN: Few of the refugees stay in Poland. Most try to move on to Germany. The Brandenburg state government says. They also say they've gone from 200 new arrivals in all of August to almost 200 every day now.

OLAF JANSEN, BRANDENBURG IMMIGRATION AUTHORITY: We increased the capacity here, and we of course, also sped up all of the administrative procedures without compromising security and health checks.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Poland says the situation at its border with Belarus remains tense, and the interior minister of the German state with the highest refugee influx tells me he wants the EU to get tougher on Lukashenko. It's a question of tough international diplomacy, he says. We as

Europe cannot allow Belarus to do something like this. From my point of view, we could also involve Russia, all diplomatic channels need to be used.

But few believe solutions will come quickly. Folks at this refugee shelter say they are already preparing for more arrivals, and already are clearing additional space.

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SOARES: We want to bring in Fred Pleitgen now who joins me in London. And Fred, let's talk more about the politics of this. As you clearly stated in your piece, and hinted at, the EU clearly feels that Lukashenko is using refugees as tool of pressure on those EU countries. What can the EU actually do here?

PLEITGEN (on camera): Well, I think the EU right now, Isa, is exploring several things. First of all, you have Poland, which is obviously at the border, is the EU nation at the border with Belarus. And they have said they're going to continue their very hard line. They said that they're going to continue to keep their boarder hermetically sealed as they put it. And they also said that they're going to build a border wall.

Now that's also caused some big criticism within the European Union because one of the things that some of the refugees have told us, and some EU officials say as well that the Poles are actually apparently also pushing people back across the border, back into Belarus. And of course, that's something that causes a lot of criticism within the European Union. If you ask big nations like Germany, where you have that big influx right now, they want to take diplomatic action, as they put it, against the Lukashenko regime, and also against airlines that fly people, knowingly fly refugees into places in Belarus, for them to then be brought towards the border.

It was quite interesting because the German foreign minister yesterday ahead of the meeting of the EU foreign ministers says that he believes a lot of airlines or some airlines are making a lot of money by knowingly contributing to what the EU calls state sponsored human trafficking. And that he want to start sanctioning some of these airlines and that doesn't only mean, as a put it, airlines like for instance Belavia, which is of course the Belarus flagship carrier which is already heavily sanctioned but also possibly some airlines that are based in the Middle East that fly out of places like Beirut, like Irbil, bringing more and more folks to that border area. Because the EU is saying the situation there is getting more dire by the day for the folks who are trapped at the border and trying to get across -- Isa.

SOARES: Yes, so really follow the money and trying to stem that. Thanks very much, Fred Pleitgen for us there, thank you, Fred.

You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. Just ahead, what China is saying about a report that it tested a hypersonic missile that circled the globe. We'll have that story for you after a very short break. [04:40:00]

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SOARES: Hundreds of political prisoners in Myanmar are now free. Military leaders said the prisoners are required to sign a document pledging not to commitment any acts of violence against the country. State television announced the amnesty for thousands of anti-coupe protesters on Monday. Their release came minutes after the country's military leader blamed his opponents for prolonging the unrest and blasted the association of Southeast Asian nations for not acknowledging that.

Now Ethiopia's Air Force has carried out air strikes against separatists installations in Tigray. State-run media the strikes Monday after the government initially denied it. Told Reuters one strike hit close to a market behind the hotel. The government is trying to regain territory taken by Tigray's People's Liberation Front, thousands of people have been killed and more than two million have fled the conflict in Tigray.

Now China denies it has tested a nuclear capable hypersonic missile. "The Financial Times" reports the launch happened in August. If it is true, it would have huge implications on the United States race with China and Russia to develop hypersonic weapons. CNN's Brian Todd has all the details for you.

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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. officials tonight closely monitoring China's missile program, following a report of a possibly ominous missile test. "The Financial Times" citing unnamed sources briefed on the intelligence, reports China tested a nuclear capable hypersonic missile in August. The report says the missile circled the Earth before speeding toward its target, demonstrating an advanced capability in space that, quote, caught U.S. intelligence by surprise.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, while not commenting specifically on "The Financial Times" report said this.

LLOYD AUSTIN, DEFENSE SECRETARY: We watch closely China's development of -- of armament and advanced capabilities and systems that will only increase tensions in the region.

TODD (voice-over): China denies testing a hypersonic missile, saying the test was a, quote, routine spacecraft experiment and implying it was for civilian purposes.

[04:45:00]

But analysts say if the report is correct, China's not only got a missile that can fly at five times the speed of sound and is more maneuverable than a standard ballistic missile.

DARYL KIMBALL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ARMS CONTROL ASSOCIATION: Because they're fast and they can avoid detection, they can decrease the amount of warning time we have and the amount of decision time that leaders have to respond in a crisis if hypersonic weapons are used.

TODD (voice-over): The idea that China might have fired a rocket into full orbit with this missile on it is disturbing to experts.

DEAN CHENG, SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION: If that's true, then we now have to start worrying about whether every Chinese satellite might not, in fact, be a disguised nuclear warhead. This is a very, very destabilizing development.

TODD (voice-over): This summer, it was reported that China began construction of what experts said were more than 100 new silos for intercontinental ballistic missiles in a western desert of China.

CHENG: What is very clear is that China is pushing to develop its nuclear capabilities, its strategic intercontinental capabilities, significantly beyond what has been the case for the last four decades, five decades.

TODD (voice-over): And China, according to U.S. officials, has been more aggressive recently in testing its weapons.

NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: As of the end of last month, September of 2021, the PRC have launched at least 250 ballistic missiles this year.

TODD (voice-over): But China's not alone in developing hypersonic missiles. The U.S. and Russia are also working on them. And recently, Kim Jong-un's regime claimed North Korea test fired a hypersonic missile with a warhead that could detach and glide.

KIMBALL: What I'm concerned about is an unconstrained ballistic missile and hypersonic missile race in East Asia in future years. We know there are military tensions between China and Japan, between the Koreas, between the United States and China.

TODD: Experts are increasingly concerned over North Korea's hypersonic missile tests. Where did North Korea get the technology? Analysts believe it is possible that China or Russia could have given it to them but they also say that China and Russia have expressed concern over North Korea having that capability. So, it's possible that North Koreans could have developed it on their own.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

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SOARES: Now Venezuelan President Maduro is rejecting a plea from the U.S. to free six former American oil executives. Intelligence officials picked up the CITGO 6 -- as you can see there -- from house arrest in Caracas over the weekend. The U.S. State Department calls them political pawns and their families have been urging the Biden administration to take action.

Meanwhile, a close ally of Nicolas Maduro has appeared in the U.S. court, faced charges he laundered money on behalf of the Venezuelan government. Colombian businessman Alex Saab was extradited from Cape Verde to the U.S. over the weekend and Venezuela's embattled leader isn't happy about it. Take a listen.

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NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The United States government assured the unitary platform that they were not going to take Alex Saab because that would interfere with dialogue. Yet they did it. I'm not going to lie. They did it with malice. With criminal spirit. They kidnapped Alex Saab. They kidnapped him.

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SOARES: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Of course, we'll stay on that story for the latest as it develops.

Coming up right here, the future of the internet brought to you by Facebook. Details of the tech giant's plans to build a new virtual reality. That's just ahead.

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SOARES: Facebook is betting big on building a new virtual reality. The technology giant says it plans to hire as many as 10,000 workers in the EU to build a "Metaverse." Now it sounds like an idea straight out of a science fiction movie, right, but fans say it is the future of the internet. CNN's Anna Stewart has the story for you.

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ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: This announcement from Facebook has prompted many around the world to question what is the "Metaverse?" Which sounds like something straight out of science fiction. It's a vision for the future where users could interact online as avatars in a virtual world, with the aid of virtual and augmented reality, to bring the experience much closer to real life.

Some people have already dip their toes in the "Metaverse." Those who play multiplayer games or attend virtual conferences using VR headsets. But this could extend to having virtual homes, attending virtual concerts and virtual shopping, for all of your virtual needs.

And Facebook is not the only player that's investing in this space. The competition from game developers like Roblox and Epic Games.

It's interesting though that Facebook has picked the EU for this big investment. A market that's not really considered all that friendly when it comes to U.S. tech companies. The EU Commission has launched many anti-trust probes on the U.S. tech firm including one on Facebook in June which is ongoing. Ireland has fined WhatsApp -- a Facebook owned company -- for breaching data privacy rules. Something WhatsApp is appealing. The EU parliament has also invited Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, to speak next month. But by investing in the EU with 10,000 job, Facebook will make the EU much more invested in its future.

Anna Stewart, CNN, London.

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SOARES: Thanks very much, Anna.

Now Amazon plans to add 150,000 temporary positions in the United States for the upcoming holiday season. That's a 50 percent increase over the last year's holiday hiring. It may be a struggle to fill all of those spots. Seasonal job searches in September were down slightly from the same time in 2020 and down nearly 40 percent from 2019.

Now, Apple debuted a multiple new items on Monday, including two high end Mac Books powered by a next generation silicon chips. Apple boasts its 70 percent faster than the previous version. Another hot item is the third iteration of the AirPod, which comes with better sound quality, a longer battery life and realtime sound.

Now the Boston Red Sox smashed their way into the history books on Monday night. CNN's Patrick Snell has our minute in sports -- Patrick.

[04:55:00]

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Isa, thanks so much. We start right here in the U.S. and a history making night in the Major League Baseball post season for the Boston Red Sox who won a very one-sided game three of the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros. Red Sox star Kyle Schwarber, smashing the 430-foot grand slam. This the third grand slam, or a four-run homerun, if you refer, making Boston the first team to hit three grand slams in any single post-season series. Boston 12-3 winners and now 2-1 up in the series.

Monday night, American football action, the Titans and the Bills clashed in Nashville. Titans running back Derek Henry rushing for 143 yards and three touchdowns for the 27-year-old. The decisive score there in the fourth quarter, Titans winning it 34-31.

Alexander Lacazette, first goal in the Premiere League this season, Arsenal scoring deep into stop his time, to salvaging the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace.

And amazing screens at T-20 men's Cricket World Cup, as Ireland bowler Curtis Campher taking four wickets in four consecutive balls against the Netherlands. The South African born 22-year-old, now just the third player in a T-20 international to achieve the amazing feat. And our congrats to him. Isa, with that, right back to you.

SOARES: Thanks very much, Patrick. Pretty busy day in sports.

Now Colombia finally seems to have a solution for dealing with Pablo Escobar's so-called cocaine hippos, putting them on birth control. The notorious drug lord brought four hippos into Colombia in the 1980s for his own private zoo. Since then, they've grown to a population of 80. Biologists say they are a threat both to people, as well as the environment.

So now, the government is try a new tactic, using darts loaded with a contraceptive to sterilize the remaining hippos. Scientists say it's cheaper and safer to keep them.

And that does it for me. Thanks very much for watching. I'm Isa Soares. "EARLY START" with Christine Romans and Laura Jarrett is up next and more of course on the January 6th insurrection investigation. I shall see you tomorrow. Have a wonderful day. Bye-bye.

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