Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Elon Musk To Buy Twitter In $44 Billion Deal; Top U.S. Diplomat, Defense Secretary Met Zelenskyy In Kyiv; Village In Ukraine Completely Destroyed; U.N. Chief to Meet with Putin and Lavrov; Ukrainian Couple Separated by War; Kim Jong-un's Nuclear and Weapon Force; Coronavirus Pandemic; Beijing Residents' Mandatory COVID Testing; Title 42 Debate; Cutting into Macron's Power. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired April 26, 2022 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:32]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers in the United States and right around the world. I'm Isa Soares live in Ukraine. Where Russia says the nuclear option is very much still on the table, while Ukraine claims its resistance against stepped up attacks is going strong.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Rosemary Church live from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. I'll have all our other top stories, including the multibillion dollar sale of Twitter. What it could mean for the social media giant? And is Donald Trump's return to the platform now a possibility?

SOARES: Welcome to the show, everyone. It is 9:00 a.m. Here in Lviv, Ukraine. And there's a flurry of diplomatic meetings today to push for peace yet again as Russia ramps up strikes on Ukraine. Now in the coming hours, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres will be meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin. We're meeting in Moscow and then we're having a working lunch with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

And in Germany, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will be holding a meeting on the situation Ukraine with his international counterparts at Ramstein Air Base. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is expected to be there as well. This coming of course after Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. And that happened on Sunday.

They're the highest level U.S. officials to have travelled to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began. And they had some very strong words from Moscow after their visit. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine.

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. PRESS SECRETARY: We don't know how the rest of this war will unfold. But we do know that a sovereign independent Ukraine will be around a lot longer than Vladimir Putin is on the scene.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, meanwhile, Ukraine's capital is under a nighttime curfew this week. Authorities say it is to protect people in Kyiv from Russian attacks. The curfew comes as heavy fighting continues in eastern Ukraine. Nonstop Russian shelling has been reporting in Luhansk as well as Donetsk regions, you can see there in your map. Ukraine says it has successfully repelled several attacks as Russian troops are ramping up their offensive in "all directions."

The Luhansk administrator says the Russians are raising everything to the ground. That word --that exactly what is quote. Well, he referred specifically to this. Have a look at this, tiny village on the frontlines which has seen intense fighting over the past week and now really just lies in ruins. Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists blame each other for the destruction. And now there is this new warning from Russia's Foreign Minister. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): A nuclear war cannot be won, and must never be fought. The danger is serious and real. It should not be underestimated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Let's come on all of this. I like to bring in Ivan Nechepurenko. He's a Moscow bureau reporter for the New York Times and joins us now from Tbilisi, Georgia. Ivan, thank you very much for joining us this morning. Let me get a sense from you of what we heard in the last 24 hours from Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. We just play there. He's saying that the danger of nuclear war is real. Why would he say that? And why would he say that now, Ivan?

IVAN NECHEPURENKO, NEW YORK TIMES MOSCOW BUREAU REPORTER: Well, he -- they've been saying it for a few weeks now. They -- basically their message is that Russia cannot be pushed around that wherever you do, Russia always has this weapon that you cannot counter. And basically, Ukraine is Russia's backyard and no matter what the -- Russia will continue on its course. This is the message.

SOARES: And clearly coming of course, following on from that meeting between the U.S. -- the U.S. officials here in Ukraine with President Zelenskyy I think the time is actually important too no doubt.

NECHEPURENKO: Well, of course, of course everything is symbolic. Russia has conducted, you know, increased missile strikes against railway infrastructure yesterday in Ukraine. They have hit six railway stations in western Ukraine, saying that this are the stations and the infrastructure used to deliver weapons from the -- from the west inside Ukraine and into the Donbas area where the fighting is raging right now.

So, it's the message that Russia is willing to target the efforts that the West is summoning to help Ukraine in this war.

SOARES: Now, your reporting, Ivan for those who may not follow, but your reporting as followed a focus a lot on how the reality of war is being received in Russia. You recently wrote that the Russian people are largely standing by President Putin. What would you say you attribute that to?

NECHEPURENKO: Well, the thing is that the sanctions that have been imposed on Russia, have not really been felt in the country as acutely as they could have been felt and will be felt in a few months time. Russia is still running on the -- on the inventories and on the inertia that it has accumulated before. So basically, the Russians that haven't really felt the effect of sanctions yet. And the, you know, you always have to count in the factor of the media landscape that Russians exist in.

And, of course, it is basically only state one news that Russians now have access to. You can access other sources but you need to make an effort. And with the fog of war, it's really hard to make sense of things for anyone and the state news in Russia, they provide a very clear, pro-Russian picture.

SOARES: Yes. I was going to say there are ways for them to get that information if they so desire. I think that's important to note. But you were born and correct me I think you were born in St. Petersburg, but you left Russia recently after the Kremlin, of course, crackdown even harden on independent journalists there. What some of the things that you are hearing? But just about ordinary Russians, bit friends, acquaintances about what Russia is doing in Ukraine, what are they telling you?

NECHEPURENKO: Well, this is a very -- I would say, for many people, this is a very personal issue. And people often are reluctant to discuss politics because they -- the visit issue. And so many people -- friends in both Ukraine and Russia and relative section in both Ukraine and Russia. I grew up both in the Ukraine and in Russia too. And many people now it seems very reluctant to discuss it because they're afraid to lose the relationships that they have.

Because if they, for instance, if they say that they support Ukraine, and someone else doesn't, like I have relatives who support the war, for instance, I have relatives in the military, but I wouldn't discuss it with them because I wouldn't want to, you know, to argue and fight with them. And so, it's a very divisive issue. It's very hard. And I think the Russian government is using it and is using the, you know, the emotional standing that Russians find themselves in.

And this weariness that they do not -- do not want to claim responsibility for the apparent war crimes that Russia is committing in Ukraine for the, you know, they don't want to take responsibility for the essence of this war as such, because that is too much of a weight on their shoulders. They're going to have to live with that, of course, and they're going to have to see the reality in the future. But so far, it seems that many -- I wouldn't say most Russians, but many Russians are trying to hide from this. The grim reality that they live in.

SOARES: And we will be talking -- I'll be talking to our guests in the next hour exactly about war crimes and how they're verifying those war crimes across the country in the next hour or so. So just make sure if you're watching everyone, tune in for the next hour. Ivan Nechepurenko, pardon me. Thank you very much for joining us, Ivan. Appreciate it.

NECHEPURENKO: Thank you very much.

SOARES: Now, the demands on -- the demands on health care workers have increased exponentially since the beginning of the invasion. Many are putting their lives at risk every day to save others. Our Clarissa Ward and her team followed two brave paramedics as they attempted to save a wounded man during heavy Russian shelling. Have a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's the beginning of a 24 hour shift for paramedics Alexandra Rodkovskaya and Vladimir Venzel. They prepare their ambulance for the (INAUDIBLE) Kharkiv residents confront every day.

We have two (INAUDIBLE) Vladimir says.

[02:10:02]

WARD: Alexandra's mother stops by the dispatch center to give her daughter a hug. This is one of the most dangerous jobs. Every moment together is precious.

Loud stream of boom signals the day's work is beginning. That's incoming, now this ambulance worker tells us. Alexandra and Vladimir answer the call. Temperatura she says. The code used when someone has been wounded by shelling. Their flak jackets on, they're ready to roll out.

WARD (on camera): So, they've said that they forgot reports one person at least has been injured in the shelling and they're hearing some rockets as well. So, we're going to see what's going on.

WARD (voice over): The shells hit a residential apartment building. The paramedics need to act fast. Russian forces are increasingly hitting the same target twice. It's called a double tap. A horrifying strategy to take out rescue workers as they respond.

We see for ourselves. Get in, Vladimir shouts. Faster, faster, faster. We take cover under the stairwell. Alexandra is trying to find the wounded person, but there's no signal. At that moment, another barrage goes off. Brace for the impact.

Is everybody OK? Alexandra asks. Our team member Maria Adieva (ph) has cut up her hands on broken glass. Vladimir treats her injuries as Alexandra calls the dispatch again to find where the wounded are if. We got no connection, we're sitting in the entrance she says. And they're shelling the shit out of us.

The connection keeps dropping. Finally she gets through to the person who called for the ambulance.

Tell me your damn house number, she says. I repeat 12G, I've told you a thousand times he replies. The man is dying. We decide to try to make a run for it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go. Come on, come on. Maria, Maria, come on. Come on, Maria. Come on. Go go (INAUDIBLE)

WARD (on camera): OK. So we were just in an apartment building. They were looking for an injured man, a bunch of rounds came in and hit the next door building. So now we are getting out as fast as we can.

WARD (voice over): While we run out Vladimir and Alexandra run back in. We find them treating the injured man on the side of the road. The back window has been blown out by the blasts. She has shrapnel injuries and head trauma. Once they've stabilized him, they rushed him to the hospital. Vladimir asks about his pain. The man has been deafened by the blast. Arriving at the hospital, they've done their part. It's up to others now to save him.

WARD (on camera): I have to say I think you guys are like the bravest people I have ever met.

WARD (voice over): Back at base, we asked them why they continue to do this work. With all the danger it entails. It's normal. This is our work. Of course, it's scary. Like for everyone. Alexandra says. Today you were with us in the hottest place in the oven. But we're still alive. Thank God.

You feel it's your duty or obligation, Vladimir tells us. To help the people who are still here.

WARD (on camera): And what are your parents say? What is your family say? Aren't they wanting you to stop this work?

VLADIMIR VENZEL, PARAMEDIC: No comment. No, it's very difficult.

WARD: You must be scared.

VENZEL: Yes. Yes.

WARD: Proud but scared.

[02:15:05]

VENZEL: Called out all day, all night.

WARD: We saw your mother.

ALEXANDRA RODKOVSKAYA, PARAMEDIC: Yes. WARD: She's worried to the point of hysteria, Alexandra tells us. She says you need to leave. You need to go to some safe place. Why are you doing this? I have only one child. Stop it.

WARD: And what do you say?

WARD (voice over): I have to do it, she says simply. And with that they go back to cleaning their ambulance. Their shift only halfway through. Clarissa Ward, CNN, Kharkiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Extra ordinary work, putting themselves on the line there. Those paramedics to help and save others. Incredible report from Clarissa Ward and her team. I'll be back later this hour with more from Ukraine. But first, Rosemary church will have our other top stories after this break including this. Elon Musk's Twitter takeover. We'll have a look at the deal between the world's richest man and one of the world's top social media platforms.

And then later this hour, a new nuclear warding and huge missiles on display as North Korea marks a milestone military anniversary. Both those stories after a very short break. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, billionaire Elon Musk is one step closer to becoming a social media mogul. The Tesla CEO is now set to buy Twitter in a deal worth $44 billion. Musk says his goal is to bolster free speech and unlock the company's tremendous potential. But there are concerns about changes he could make to the influential platform. And CNNs Clare Sebastian joins me now from London with more on this.

Good to see you clear. So, lots of questions being asked about Elon Musk's $44 billion Twitter deal, including how far he'll likely go in allowing free speech on the platform. And will those previously banned like Donald Trump be allowed back on Twitter? So, what's being said about all of this?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Rosemary. Definitely the critical question going forward as we digest this very sharp turnaround by the board suddenly accepting his offer on Monday. This is what he has actually said in the press release on the deal going through. He said free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy. And Twitter is the digital Town Square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated. He said, I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust defeating the spam bots and authenticating all humans.

So, this is what he's actually said. He wants to make more transparency to give you as visit -- to give users' visibility about when tweets are promoted or demoted. He said that he's going to take a lighter touch when it comes to content moderation that that when there's a gray area around a tweet that his view would be to let that tweet exist. And in terms of banning people from the platform, he says he would be more in favor of a timeout.

Obviously, the question around former President Donald Trump will be a critical test of his views on free speech. Musk has not specifically commented on this. But President former President Trump himself speaking to Fox on Monday said that he would actually not want to return to Twitter even if invited. He would rather join his own new social media platform called Truth Social. So, that remains to be seen, Rosemary, the deal expected to close by the end of the year.

CHURCH: All right. We'll see what happens there. Clare Sebastian joining us live from London. Many thanks. And joining me now from San Francisco is Josh Constine. He is a principal investor and head of content at venture capital firm SignalFire. Good to have you with us.

JOSH CONSTINE, PRINCIPAL INVESTOR AND HEAD OF CONTENT, SIGNALFIRE: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: So, news of Elon Musk's $44 billion Twitter deal has many worried asking how far he might go allowing free speech and whether those banned from the platform like Donald Trump will be allowed back on. So, how far do you think Musk will go with these changes to Twitter?

CONSTINE: Elon Musk is a free speech absolutist. And the problem is that freedom of speech doesn't mean that you should have freedom of reach. The original laws of freedom of speech, were meant to say that you can say anything you want about the government in a public place. That's different than being able to say whatever you want and pushing that into the phones and homes of people around the world.

And that's why I think that these moderation policies that are very hands off could be quite dangerous to users who aren't quite as invincible as the richest man in the world.

CHURCH: And that is one of the big concerns, isn't it? Because even though Musk says efforts to police, the platform have gone too far. That's his opinion. If Twitter is subjected to less regulatory scrutiny, what could that mean in terms of allowing hate speech misinformation to remain on the platform unchallenged?

CONSTINE: The U.S. government has done very little to regulate that kind of speech, even though there's been a ton of hubbub, especially from Republicans saying that they've been censored when in fact, they've often violated the policies of these social networks. And that's why they've been punished. And so, the problem here is that having Elon in control means that we can be returning to an earlier era of Twitter with a lot more hatred and a lot more hate speech directed towards the most vulnerable people in the world.

And I think the problem won't be whether the U.S. government steps in but whether Twitter's own employees boycott his policies. Many of them have spent the last decade working on their safety and moderation policies to ensure a safer place for people to discuss current events. And if Elon rolls those back, he can see a huge walkout from employees. And we've seen time and time again, it's not user boycotts or government regulation. It's the employee walkouts that truly change policy in Silicon Valley.

CHURCH: And we know from his statement that Musk is promising to add new features to Twitter, including making the algorithms open source to increase trust, he says, defeating the spam bots and authenticating all humans. But how big an operation would that be and how will he remove spam bots without wiping out useful bots like the weather and others?

CONSTINE: That a huge question, especially the open sourcing of the algorithm which could allow those exact same spammers to suddenly gain the system and get their menacing tweets to the top of your timeline. Now, here we see that Elon is but -- Elon butting Twitter is the modern equivalent of Hearst and Pulitzer buying newspapers in the late 1800s. So, they can defame their opponents and promote their own businesses.

But unlike Jeff Bezos owning the Washington Post in the modern age, Twitter is the global newspaper. And instead of pressuring editors into coverage, Musk can use these moderation policies to protect his allies from punishment and silence his critics. In effect, he's becoming the editor-in-chief to the entire world.

CHURCH: Do you worry that this could actually signal the end of Twitter as we know it?

CONSTINE: Twitter has become a fundamental communication utility. And I don't think it's going anywhere. In fact, that's why I believe Musk is buying the company because he knows that it is essential to the future of communication. But that's also one of the reasons he wants to own it for self-serving purposes. It's been a huge marketing arm for Tesla and seeing that he's had regulations thrown against him and been suspended or had tweets, you know, altered or as he puts it censored in the past.

He's trying to guarantee his mouthpiece to the world because the Twitter -- or the Tesla stock that he's actually putting up in debt so that he can make this purchase relies on his ability to speak to his fanatic fans about the future of electricity.

CHURCH: All right. Well, we'll be watching to see what happens to Twitter going forward under Elon Musk, of course. Josh Constine, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

CONSTINE: My pleasure.

CHURCH: And still to come here on CNN. Empty store shelves in Beijing, mass COVID testing has residents fearing a lockdown is coming. The latest details and a live report just ahead.

Plus, our live coverage of Russia's war on Ukraine continues here from a woman whose husband is fighting for Ukraine on the frontlines of Mariupol.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: when he called it could be 10 or 15 seconds and then bombing and no connections.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END Ukraine on the frontlines of Mariupol.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: when he called it could be 10 or 15 seconds and then bombing and no connections.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:00]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

SOARES: And more on our breaking news story this hour, a few high- level diplomatic meetings on the conflict in Ukraine will be held in the coming hours. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will be meeting counterparts in Germany. And the U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres will be meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and that will be happening and Moscow. But Russia is not giving any indication, thus far, it is ready for a ceasefire. Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DMITRY POLYANSKIY, RUSSIAN DEPUTY AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: Secretary General asked for the acceptance. That's very simple, you ask, we accept. You don't ask, we don't accept.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it time for a ceasefire?

POLYANSKIY: Sorry?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a time for a ceasefire?

POLYANSKIY: I don't think --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the Secretary General asked for a ceasefire, will Russian comply?

POLYANSKIY: I think he asked for Easter ceasefire and Easter is over right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Right. So, in the meantime, Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have stepped up their offenses and are trying to take Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, and that's in the Donetsk region, while partially blockading the City of Kharkiv. In the besieged Southern City of Mariupol, there's still no safe way out for hundreds of civilians that have been sheltering inside the Azovstal Steel Plant. Now, on Monday, Ukraine said it was unable to establish a humanitarian corridor to try and evacuate the plant, and conditions inside seem to be growing increasingly desperate. As you can imagine, Ukrainian forces released this video on Sunday. It appears to show women, as well as children, sheltering in an underground bunker. One woman says the children haven't seen sunlight in more than a month and a half. And food and water, as you can imagine, running out at this point.

Well, the sprawling steelworks is the last major bastion of the Ukrainian defense in the City of Mariupol CNN's Matt Rivers spoke with a wife of one of the soldiers defending the city who says he'll keep fighting even if it costs him his life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Before Mariupol became a hellscape, before Russian military depravity turned the city into a cemetery, there was love here. Just two weeks before the war began, Natalka Zarytska this person spent valentine's day with her boyfriend in the city. They took this picture at a cafe and this one after eating. And a few days later, she snapped this one of him from her window seat on a train that would take her back to Kyiv.

NATALKA ZARYTSKA, HUSBAND FIGHTING IN MARIUPOL: He kissed me and said Natalka, I don't know when I will see you again.

RIVERS (voiceover): Resignation from a man who understood the realities of the war to come. Natalka's boyfriend, who we are not naming or showing for security reasons is a soldier in the Azov battalion, a unit that has fought the Russians in Mariupol for months.

We went to see Natalka at her home in Kyiv where she told us her boyfriend was given a command to, "Fight until the last drop of blood."

RIVERS (on camera): What did you think when he told you that?

[02:35:00]

ZARYTSKA: I recommended him to save his life, but he answered no. I should keep on a command. I'm a soldier. And I have to be here.

RIVERS (voiceover): She says her boyfriend lost cell service on March 3rd. His silence was as deafening as the bombs that by then had started to fall around Kyiv. Forcing her and her family down into this cellar. It was in here that after two weeks she heard from him.

ZARYTSKA: When he called, it could be 10 or 15 seconds and then bombing and no connection --

RIVERS (voiceover): But with what connection he did have, he would send her videos of the utter destruction that surrounded him. We can't show you those for security reasons. RIVERS (on camera): What do you think when you watch these videos?

ZARYTSKA: I think they're empty. I feel the empty. Absolute empty.

RIVERS (voiceover): Along with the videos were selfies and texts. And on his birthday, a particularly special message.

ZARYTSKA: He gave me a proposition that I couldn't --

RIVERS (on camera): Say no to?

ZARYTSKA: -- say no, yes.

RIVERS (on camera): What did he write to you?

ZARYTSKA: (Speaking in foreign language). I love you. Do you want to be my wife?

RIVERS (voiceover): A few days later, a marriage certificate made it official. Now, a wife, she says she refuses to cry. Her husband is stoic in the face of death, so she will be too. How else to describe her reaction to the last message he sent?

ZARYTSKA: My husband told me, he said Natalka, please, be glad, because very soon it will finish.

RIVERS (on camera): When you say it's going to finish very soon, what are the two options?

ZARYTSKA: Very simple. They will arrive or they will be killed. Just two options.

RIVERS (voiceover): Matt Rivers, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: A beautiful love story from Mariupol there. And if you would like to help people in Ukraine who may need, shelter, food, or water, please go to cnn.com/impact. They will find several ways that you can help.

We're live from Lviv, Ukraine. I'm Isa Soares. I'll see you in about 20 minutes or so with much more on the war here in Ukraine. For now, I will hand it back to Rosemary Church who will pick it up after a very short break, I hear.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAEL CLERIZO, AUTHOR AND CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, WSJ. MAGAZINE: The Seiko Prospex. By the way, Prospex means professional specification which is appropriate because this watch has its origins in a 1965 expedition to Antarctica by a Japanese crew. Seiko was the giant of Japanese watchmaking at the time. So, it got the job of making a watch that could endure the hardship conditions of Antarctica. This is a watch that you can wear up to 1,000 feet underwater. It always reminds me of a Japanese samurai warrior with all these different layers of metal and wood over them. It can take a beating, and it can respond.

So, if you are looking for something that has that robustness, that strength, but at the same time you just want something that looks very striking, and will grab peoples' attention, this is a great watch.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:40:00]

ANDREA VENA, CHIEF CLIMATE AND SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER, EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY: I'm Andrea Vena. I'm the Chief Climate and Sustainability Officer at the European Space Agency.

The Great responsibility the ESA has to be responsible is linked very much to the fact that since the (INAUDIBLE), our programs are contributing to the understanding of climate change. Our satellites are contributing to the climate variables that are used by scholars and scientists all over the world to identify what are the hotspots for climate change. Therefore, we feel accountable. We know what is the situation. And therefore, it is very much important for ESA to be on the leading edge for fighting against the climate change.

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. South Korea is calling for complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula just hours after North Korea staged its latest grand military parade. On the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army, Kim Jong-un vowed to strengthen and develop his nuclear force, "At the fastest possible speed." This all comes after a flurry of missile tests by North Korea this year and warnings from South Korea and the U.S. that Pyongyang could resume nuclear weapons tests for the first time in five years.

CNN's Blake Essig joins me now from Tokyo with more on all of this. Good to see you, Blake. So, what more are you learning?

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Rosemary, North Korea's highly anticipated military parade celebrating the founding of its army was held last night. And according to North Korean state-run media KCNA, both Kim Jong-un and his wife were there to see it. During a speech delivered at the parade, as you mentioned, Kim not only said that North Korea will continue to strengthen and develop its nuclear force. But then, North Korea's armed forces are fully prepared for any fight.

Now, in the past, these parades have been used to unveil updates to the country's missile arsenal. And KCNA is reporting that the Hwasong- 17, its longest-range developmental intercontinental ballistic missile in super large multiple rocket launchers were part of the celebration. While we still don't know every piece of military hardware displayed last night, North Korea watchers expected that the parade would likely feature weapons from Kim Jong-un's weapons wish list. That wish list includes items like hypersonic glide vehicles, underwater launch nuclear weapons, and a 15,000-kilometer ICBM. All of those weapons have either been tested or are in development.

Now, so far this year, Pyongyang has conducted about a dozen weapons tests. And based on last night's speech from Kim Jong-un, there are no signs that it will slow down its military development anytime soon. In fact, South Korean military officials have reported for weeks that the North has been working to restore tunnels of its main nuclear test site sign that the North could be preparing for its first nuclear test in about five years, as you had mentioned.

Now, it is worth noting that last night's parade took place and South Korea welcomes a new president, Yoon Suk-yeol, who takes office early next month. The president-elect has pledged to take a hard line against North Korea, which he calls the main enemy of South Korea. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Blake Essig joining us live from Tokyo. Many thanks.

In China, Beijing is rolling out mass testing for another 16 million residents this week, that's in addition to the 3.5 million people already being tested in the capital. It's part of a bid to contain a COVID outbreak described as urgent, and grim. CNN's Selina Wang joins me now from Kunming in China,

Good to see you, Selina. This, of course, has many residents there concerned they could face similar draconian measures that we have been seeing in Shanghai.

[02:45:00]

What, if anything, are authorities doing to try to improve their response in the midst of mass testing and these severe lockdowns?

SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, that's right. That is the fear. Beijing, this is the center of power, the capital of China. They are desperate to avoid the failures of Shanghai and many in Shanghai have been struggling to get enough food and medical care during this week's long lockdown. And authorities, they've been trying to reassure residents saying we're going to keep the supermarket stocked. There's going to be enough daily essentials. The prices will remain stable. But still, people are worried and you've seen residents lining up at the supermarkets. They're panic buying. Store shelves are getting emptied. They're worried that Beijing could become the next Shanghai.

Since Friday, Beijing has reported 80 total COVID-19 cases and, Rosemary, that number sounds very low, but Beijing is not taking any chances after they saw how the Omicron outbreak in Shanghai so quickly spiraled from just a few into tens of thousands. The city is now rolling out mass testing to 20 million residents. They'll be tested three times over the course of the next several days.

Many parts of the city -- several parts of the city are also going into lockdown, including dozens of residential communities. Large gatherings have been banned. And people are being asked to work from home and to not do any traveling that is not essential.

In Shanghai, meanwhile, Rosemary, those COVID cases continue to climb and people are angry and frustrated and sensors in China are having trouble keeping up with the volume of complaints from people. One video that has been circulating online and that has since been taken down by sensors is a six-minute video called, The Voices of April. It includes a compilation of the desperation of residents and their criticisms of the government policies. It includes the shouts of residents in their locked-down homes were struggling to get enough food. It includes the pleads of a son who is desperately trying to get his father into a hospital, it includes the cries of babies who have been separated from their parents, and the cries of an exhausted health care worker.

But despite all of this frustration, China is doubling down on its zero-COVID policy. Betting that this is going to keep China from dealing with the explosion of COVID-19 deaths that have been seen in other parts of the world. Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Selina Wang, joining us from Kunming in China. Many thanks.

The French presidential election may be over, but critics of Emmanuel Macron are still hoping they can cut into his power. We will explain how they plan to do it just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MIKE SOMMERS, PRESIDENT & CEO, AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE: If we meet every commitment, if every country meets every commitment of the Paris Climate Accords, more -- almost 50 percent of the world's energy is still going to come from natural gas and oil in 2040. And that means we need more investment in this sector, not just in the United States, but throughout the world.

While at the same time, we need to be reducing emissions. And that's a top priority for us as well. In fact, the American Petroleum Institute came out with a policy just last year on how you can continue to invest in American oil and gas while at the same time reduce emissions. And we have a good record. In fact, in the power sector, just in the last 15 years, we've been able to reduce emissions by 40 percent. And most of that is because of a fuel switch that has gone on from coal to natural gas. We want to be able to continue to export that environmental progress throughout the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:50:00]

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: There is a lot to chili peppers than just their fiery hot flavor. Chili peppers have more Vitamin C than oranges and they're a good source of Vitamin B6. They also contain a compound called capsaicin which gives chili pepper its spicy kick. And studies suggest that capsaicin can provide weight loss by curbing your appetite and boosting your metabolism. Capsaicin has also been associated with a lower risk of heart disease and cancer. Acidic ingredients can help neutralize the spice, add to your dish some lemon or lime juice, chopped tomatoes, or a dash of wine. And dairy products are also a great way to cool down chili pepper. For a creamier dish, add yogurt or sour cream, and harder cheeses that are grated or shredded can add texture, perfect for a bowl of chili. CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. A U.S. federal judge is keeping in place, Trump-era COVID restrictions along the U.S.-Mexico border. The measures allowed border authorities to turn migrants back to their home countries because of the public health crisis. The Biden Administration planned to end the practice known as Title 42 in about a month. Both Democrats and Republicans have spoken out in favor of the rules. And more than 20 States asked the court to keep them in place.

Opponents of Emmanuel Macron are calling on voters to deny the French president a parliamentary majority in upcoming legislative elections. Another strong showing for the Far-Right party could scuttle Mr. Macron's domestic agenda and French support for Ukraine. CNN's Melissa Bell has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): As Emmanuel Macron became the first French president in over 20 years to win a second term, the European flag served as a reminder of what had been at stake.

EMMANUEL MACRON, RE-ELECTED FRENCH PRESIDENT: Merci.

BELL (voiceover): His Far-Right rival Marine Le Pen had promised to defang Europe's institutions turning the EU into a much looser alliance of sovereign nations, a position apparently backed by 42 percent of voters.

MARINE LE PEN, FRENCH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (through translator): To our French leaders, as for the European leaders, this result bears witness to the great mistrust of the French people towards them which they cannot ignore, and to the widely shared aspirations for great change.

BELL (voiceover): It's a change Vladimir Putin has been backing for years. Receiving the Far-Right candidate just ahead of the 2017 French election. And last week, the jailed Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, weighed in. Urging the French to back Macron and describing the Russian bank that lent Le Pen's party nearly $10 million in 2014 as a well-known money laundering agency created at the instigation of Putin in a tweet just hours ahead of the French candidate's debate.

MACRON (through translator): You depend on Russian power. You depend on Mr. Putin.

LE PEN (through translator): I am a completely free woman.

BELL (voiceover): Marine Le Pen insists the loan was strictly a financial arrangement that her party is reimbursing in full. But she remains cautious about further sanctions against Moscow.

LE PEN (through translator): To pretend that the French or other European peoples could absorb the consequences of a total cut-off of Russian gas, oil, or raw materials is simply irresponsible. BELL (voiceover): But Macron has gone much further than just sanctions, sending 100 million Euros of weaponry to Kyiv. Something Le Pen had said she would be prudent about.

[02:55:00]

She also announced that she wanted a strategic replenishment (ph) between NATO and Russia.

BELL (on camera): In the end, neither her positions on NATO and the EU nor her proximity to Moscow prevented Marine Le Pen from achieving a historic score, coming within five and a half million votes of Emmanuel Macron. She is now looking to June's legislative elections to try and deprive him of his governing majority which could present challenges for France's continued support to Ukraine.

BELL (voiceover): And Le Pen is far from alone in Europe, with allies amongst the blocks of Far-Right and Eurosceptic parties. Many of them also historically close to Moscow. By Monday morning, she arrived at her headquarters, defeated but unbowed. Vowing to start afresh fight for her own vision of the future. Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And thanks so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. More of our breaking news coverage Live from Ukraine right after the short break. Stay with us.

[03:00:00]