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New York to Open New Facility for Asylum Seekers; Iranian Climber Back in Tehran After Competing Without Hijab; Liz Truss in Trouble as Inflation Rises. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired October 19, 2022 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:00]
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster. If you are just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories this hour.
In the coming hours President Biden is expected to announce that an additional 15 million barrels of oil will be released from the U.S. strategic petroleum reserve. The White House says it's an effort to ease rising gasoline prices but the amount of oil in the reserve is already at its lowest level since the 1980s.
And Ukrainian officials say they've shot down 13 kamikaze drones over the southern Mykolaiv region. Russia's continued attacks on cities across Ukraine have also led to power outages in the Dnipropetrovsk region. More on both of these stories ahead on "EARLY START."
Now New York City is opening a new facility today to serve 500 asylum seekers. The tent center on Randall's Island cost $325,000 to set up. But the city is still calculating the day-to-day operating costs. While some New Yorkers are not happy about the influx of migrants, others are doing what they can to help. CNN's Miguel Marquez has the story.
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MANUEL CASTRO, COMMISSIONER, NYC'S MAYOR'S OFFICE OF IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS: This is an historic moment.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the history of this city of immigrants.
CASTRO: We haven't seen something like this in New York City for nearly a century.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): This latest wave of migrants tough to absorb. The city now turning to tents, temporary shelter for individual asylum-seeking men.
CASTRO: New York City is doing everything possible to make sure asylum-seekers are treated well.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Already, dozens of hotels across the city no longer serving tourists. Instead, asylum-seekers, most from Venezuela, many of them, families with young children.
Several New Yorkers we spoke to who didn't want to attach their name or face to their views, expressed frustration at the city's response and the steady stream of Venezuelan immigrants coming to the city, stressing the budget and the school system.
[04:35:00]
One person even repeating a baseless fringe theory that this current wave is little more than a Democratic ploy to replace white voters with minorities. Still, some regardless of their feelings about immigration, say everyone needs to step up.
MARQUEZ: People came to your door and they were hungry.
SEBASTIAN "SAM" BONGIOVANNI, OWNER, VERDE'S PIZZA SHOP: Yes. There was a pregnant woman -- a young family, pregnant woman with kids, and there was another family with them.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Sam Bongiovanni opened Verde's Pizza just over a month ago on New York's Staten Island.
BONGIOVANNI: This is more or less the New York style pizza.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): In the last few weeks two nearby hotels have become shelters for migrant families.
BONGIOVANNI: This is not about Democrat and Republican, but this is a very Catholic Republican neighborhood and they do believe in the border laws and they don't like what's happening. They can't stand it. But they're Catholics first. I'm Catholic first.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Bongiovanni in New York's most conservative borough, stepping up despite how he or others feel about border politics. Many of his customers also pitching in. Every donation goes up on the wall.
BONGIOVANNI: Keep the slice and the tip. Use it for the migrants. God bless you for your help.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): The challenge of this current wave of migrants, enormous, most escaping a repressive Venezuelan government. They arrive in large numbers, many are families, New York's shelter system wasn't designed for migrants. And many of those coming have almost nothing and have no connection, no friends, no relatives anywhere in the United States.
ILZE THIELMANN, TEAM TLC NYC: In the past, we're meeting people who were on their way to their sponsors, who would take care of them, house them, feed them, clothe them. Now we have people coming here with nothing, with nowhere -- nowhere to go, no one to turn to.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): New York City schools also struggling to absorb some 6,000 newly arrived children who often don't speak the language and may be traumatized from their long and difficult journey. ROBIN KELLEHER, COMMUNITY EDUCATION COUNCIL DISTRICT 2: Here we are with thousands of kids and family members in a situation where they've been through hell.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Robin Kelleher's child now goes to school with kids from Venezuela. Her car now stuffed with everything from clothes to diapers for families starting from zero.
KELLEHER: I was there the first day when they were arriving, and the supplies that had come in over the weekend, because we had one-day notice, the supplies that had come in were gone in like, you know, the first like half an hour.
MARQUEZ: So, this facility is expected to start receiving migrants as soon as Wednesday. There's already one that's been open in Manhattan at a hotel there that for families only. The mayor of New York has declared a state of emergency over the migrant crisis here. And he says it may all cost the city as much as a billion dollars for this year alone. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Nationwide protests against Iran's authoritarian regime are in their fifth consecutive week now. Demonstrations erupted last month after Mahsa Amini died in the custody of the morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly.
CNN obtained this video from the pro-reform activists outlet IranWire. It shows protesters gathering around a fire at Amini's birthplace on Tuesday. She's become a symbol in the fight for women's rights and freedoms in Iran.
These are university students in northern Iran chanting for freedom and equality during their protest march on Tuesday. Meanwhile, an Iranian rock climber is now back in Tehran after competing without her hijab in South Korea on Sunday. Elnaz Rekabi told Iranian state media on arrival that she accidentally competed without her head scarf. There's growing concern she could face repercussions given Iran's current political climate. CNN's Nada Bashir joins me now here in London. A huge response from her fans in Tehran there but they also believe that she's only saying her hijab fell off to avoid being arrested.
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: The comment nor the context in which this is taking place, she has returned to what we saw was a hero's welcome. Many gathering at the airport cheering for her upon her arrival. Because of course, there has been significant concern around her safety because we've heard from human rights organizations, we've heard from her friends speaking to activist groups saying that she had been incommunicado for a time. They weren't able to reach her all because she competed in South Korea without wearing her mandatory hijab.
And of course, we've heard from some saying this is a real show of opposition to the regime's authority. Iranian women are required to wear the hijab within their country. That's often enforced violently by the morality police. But in particularly sports women are also required to wear the hijab overseas when representing their country. But now she has returned to that hero's welcome. But there are concerns that she has been speaking under duress saying that actually she competed without covering her hair accidentally. Take a look.
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BASHIR (voice over): The fate of Iranian athlete Elnaz Rekabi could hang in the balance after video merged showing the prominent rock climber competing in South Korea without her mandatory headscarf or hijab. The religious veil is mandated by the Iranian regime both at home and overseas when officially representing the country.
ELNAZ REKABI, IRANIAN CLIMBER (through translator): The future is very bright, especially for women in rock climbing.
BASHIR (voice-over): Her hopes for the future however, now in limbo. In a post on Instagram, Rekabi issued an apology, saying she had been called to climb unexpectedly creating an unintentional issue with her hijab.
There's some activists have questioned whether her statement was written under duress. Now some fear she may face punishment upon her return to Iran.
MAHMOOD REZA AMIRY-MOGHADDAM, DIRECTOR, IRAN HUMAN RIGHTS: Based on the knowledge that we have from the Iranian authorities, they will do whatever they can to try to undo the so-called damage she has done to their authority.
BASHIR (voice-over): Iran's strict dress code is enforced, often violently by the country's notorious morality police. The very authority under whose custody 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in September. She had been detained for allegedly wearing her hijab incorrectly. Amini's death has, however, sparked a moment of reckoning for the country's hardline regime, with nationwide protests now entering their fifth week.
Women and girls across the country removing their mandatory hijabs and even cutting their hair in a show of defiance against the regime's severe restrictions on women's rights, a movement which has gained support across the international community.
RAVINA SHAMDASANI, SPOKESPERSON, U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE: What we have to stress is that women should never be prosecuted for what they wear.
BASHIR (voice-over): But the Iranian regime continues to pursue a brutal and deadly crackdown on protesters. And there are growing concerns that Rekabi could be used by the regime as an example to other women.
AMIRY-MOGHADDAM: The bravery that she has shown will certainly inspire millions of Iranian girls. And I think that's the main problem. BASHIR (voice-over): While the Iranian embassy in Seoul claims that reports for Rekabi will be arrested upon her arrival in Iran are, quote, fake news. Fears remain that she too, will face the brutal repression of the Iranian regime.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASHIR (on camera): And look, Max, it's unclear what situation she's facing right now. But we've heard from rights groups including Amnesty International saying that she could face harsh repercussions for her actions including arbitrary detention, ill-treatment by the Iranian authorities, even potentially torture for that defiance show. She has maintained that it was an accident -- Max.
MACFARLANE: OK, Nada, thank you.
Wall Street looking to keep its force of momentum when trading begins in just a few hours. We'll take a look at what drove the markets higher after this short break.
And Britain's embattled Prime Minister claims the government has restored economic stability. But a new report on inflation is in helping her case.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Soaring inflation is helping corporate America rake in profits. Stronger than expected earnings from Johnson & Johnson and Lockheed Martin help drive a rally on Wall Street on Tuesday. The Dow gained nearly 340 points more than 1 percent on the day. The Nasdaq finished 96 points higher, just under 1 percent. And the S&P 500 rose nearly 1.25 percent.
Shares of Netflix soared 14 percent in afterhours trading after the company reported its third-quarter earnings. The streaming giant said it added 2 million -- 2.4 million, in fact, subscribers reversing recent declines. But Netflix says it wants investors to focus less on those numbers and more on revenue. The company claims its main competitors had combined losses of over $10 billion this year while it turned a profit of $5 to $6 billion.
A new report shows the U.K.'s rate of inflation rose more than 10 percent in September. It was driven by big increases in food and drink prices which are up more than 14 percent. Britain's new finance minister during his fifth day on the job said he understands families are struggling and that the government is working to deliver stability and growth.
But the U.K.'s leadership seems anything but stable. Liz Truss is in a fight for her political life as she prepares to face Parliament for the weekly Prime Minister's questions and it's not at all clear that she'll show up. I'm sure she will show up, Scott. She eventually showed up the other day when everyone thought she wasn't going to show up. SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it was a bit of a weird
scenario. On Monday, I guess when Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the Commons, deputized for her and she was asked after Liz Truss had come into the Commons and sat right behind her, whether she could guarantee that Liz Truss would actually be there to answer questions today. And she said, yes. So, yes, we expect Liz Truss to be there.
Yesterday she put out a statement saying that, look, she wants to be honest with the British people about the tough times that lie ahead and, in that statement, -- that written statement that she put out after meeting with her cabinet turned out to be pretty prescient given the new inflation numbers we're seeing now, 10.1 percent. Ticking up slightly from August numbers at the end of September year-over-year.
As you mentioned though, Liz Truss's political life may well be on the line here. A junior cabinet minister was asked yesterday, how many chances she has left? And he said, frankly, not very many. And a new poll shows that she's dug herself a deep hole. So, I'll run you through it.
The poll found that only one in five people think that the Conservative Party should keep her on as Prime Minister, 3/4 think she cannot regain the trust of the public and 2/3 think that she cannot win back the trust of the markets. This on top of polling showing that the Conservatives would be absolutely trounced by the opposition Labour Party if an election were to be held today. So, if that's the case, then the question is why hasn't her own party moved to try to boot her out already? Well, here's how the Foreign Secretary James Cleverly explained it this morning.
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JAMES CLEVERLY, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: What I'm not convinced by, far, far convinced by, is that going through another leadership campaign defenestration another Prime Minister will either convince the British people that we're thinking about them rather than ourselves or convince the markets to stay calm.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLEAN: James Cleverly also suggested that those who are plotting behind the scenes to take down Liz Truss haven't really considered what might actually come after her. And obviously it's an open question as to whether or not there is a candidate, whether or not there is someone the party could put forward who would obviously be able to sort of unite the two factions of this party.
FOSTER: U.K. politics.
MCLEAN: Always fun.
FOSTER: Scott McLean, thank you.
Now to a stunning image captured far above earth. An astronaut on the International Space Station took this photo, what appears to be two bright blue orbs of the earth's atmosphere. What may seem mysterious is actually the result of two unrelated rare events.
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The blue sphere on the bottom is a lightning strike. They're usually hard to see from the space station because they're covered by clouds. But in this case, there was a gap in the clouds and the lightning illuminated the surrounding cloud walls. The other blue sphere in the upper right was created by light from the moon hitting tiny particles in the earth's atmosphere. Now you know.
Still ahead on CNN. The NBA season off to a bang. We'll have the highlights is the world champion Golden State Warriors take to court against LeBron James and the Lakers.
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FOSTER: The NBA season is off to a rip roaring start with two marquee match-ups to tell you about. LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were on the road in San Francisco to take on the reigning champion Golden State Warriors. Steph Curry didn't disappoint the home crowd with a game high 33 points. James dropped 31 for the Lakers. But it wasn't enough to save Los Angeles from its sixth straight opening night loss. Warriors 123, Lakers 109.
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Now to Boston where the Celtics opened the season against the Philadelphia 76ers. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scoring 35 points for the Celtics. James Harden had the biggest bid on the court and he scored 35 points for the Sixers. The game was tied at halftime but the Celtics poured it on down the stretch. Final score, Boston 126, Philadelphia 117.
In Major League Baseball the New York Yankees powered past the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday to advance to the American League Championship Series. They took the lead early and never let go really. Giancarlo Stanton homered the first inning and then Aaron Judge following with homerun in the second. The Yankees advance to their third ALCS in six seasons. Game one against the Houston Astros is set for later today.
Meanwhile, Kyle Schwarber entered the record books for this Towering Homerun On Tuesday, Helping The Philadelphia Phillies defeat the San Diego Padres in their series opener. His home run was the farthest ever traveled at a Petco Park flying 448 feet and the first ever to reach the second deck in right field. out of that park. The first ever to reach the second deck in right field. Bryce Harper hit a home run earlier in the game and the Phillies beat the Padres 2-0.
And if you're over 50 you might want to rethink staying up late to watch TV. A recent British study revealed that people in that age range need more sleep. The study takes a look at the group of people in the U.K. who had no chronic disease at the age of 50 but found those who slept five hours or less face a 30 percent higher risk of developing chronic diseases than those who slept at least seven hours a night and that risk only increased with age. So, you can plan to improve your sleep here's what the experts are saying. Establish a consistent sleep schedule, keep the bedroom dark, dark, quiet and free of pets. Avoid drinking caffeine, alcohol and eating large meals before bed. Probably not doing any of them.
Thanks for joining us. Christine is ever heathy though on "EARLY START."
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