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CNN INTERNATIONAL: Israeli Police: One Dead, 19 Injured In Jerusalem Blasts; European Lawmakers Declare Russia A State Sponsor Of Terrorism; Complaints Emerge From Newly Mobilized Russian Soldiers; Suspect In LGBTQ Nightclub Shooting To Appear In Court; Police "Making Progress" In Student Murders Investigation; Vote Decision: Is The U.K.'s Breakup Inevitable; German Team Appear To Protest Against Freedom Of Speech; Man United Announce Cristiano Ronaldo Leaving Club. Aired 8:20-9a ET

Aired November 23, 2022 - 08:20   ET

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

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[08:24:45]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, welcome to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster in London. Just ahead, Israeli police are searching for suspects in what they're calling a deadly combined terror attack. We're live in Jerusalem this hour. And the U.K. Supreme Court says Scotland can't go ahead with a second independence referendum. But will this only add fuel to the Scottish nationalist movement?

[08:25:17]

Israeli police described explosions that killed one person and injured be 20 others as a suspected combined terror attack. The first of two explosions happened at a bus station near the entrance of Jerusalem, the second in a nearby location about half an hour later. An initial police investigation indicates that explosive devices were planned at both sites.

One first responder calls the injuries very tragic, something we haven't seen in a very long time. No group has claimed responsibility. Hadas joins us from Jerusalem. Hadas?

HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Max, I'm at the site of that first bombing took place at a bus stop, a very busy bus stop near one of the main arteries into and out of the city. The first blast taking place just after 07:00 a. m., the height of rush hour.

And you can see some of the damage behind me. You can see, you know, there's people now coming to look at the site, but there appears to be a hole in the fence and a lot of debris, rocks debris. And just around us, we can see the marks of the shrapnel, likely the screws and the nails that police believe were placed inside of the bombs that when it exploded, it caused maximum damage.

One person was killed at this site, a 16-year-old Canadian-Israeli religious school student, and more than 15 others were injured. 30 minutes after the bomb at this site down the hill from us, there was another bombing at another bus station. Police now believe this was a coordinated attack, that in both instances, some sort of bag with the bomb inside was placed at both bus stops. And it does appear as though they believe that these were detonated remotely in some fashion.

Now, while this has been a deadly and violent year in this region for both Israelis and Palestinians, there hasn't been an attack like this, a bombing like this in Jerusalem or in Israel proper for years. And it's bringing back for many people the memories of the Second Intifida when suicide bombings, bombings at bus stations, at restaurants, became a regular occurrence. This is something unusual also because of the level of sophistication and organization that such an attack requires.

Now, the Prime Minister of Israel, Yair Lapid, has put out a statement saying that they are on the hunt because they still do not know who placed these bombs and who carried out this attack. No militant group has taken responsibility for this attack, although the Hamas militant group has praised it.

The U.S. Embassy and the American White House has condemned the attack, saying that terrorism does not reach any end. And now there is a fear that this is just the beginning, because the kindling has been dry on the ground for some time, that an attack like this -- that attack like this could somehow set off even more attacks.

There's a lot of fears that we could be on the cusp here of a Third Intifida just because these types of attacks have become so rare in recent years and so frightening for so many people here. Max?

FOSTER: Hadas in Jerusalem, thank you.

Let's turn our attention to Ukraine where officials are reporting a new wave of Russian missile attacks across the country. Kyiv's mayor says an energy facility has been hit and he's urging residents to stay in shelters. The regional governor says a residential area and critical infrastructure have been hit.

This comes as European lawmakers declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism. It's a symbolic move that's more about appearances than action. Russia getting that designation for attacks on civilian targets. The most recent example coming in the Zaporizhzhia region. Authorities there say Russian strikes hit a maternity ward, killing a newborn baby.

The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet this week with the mothers of reservist soldiers called in to fight in Ukraine. This comes as complaints have been flooding in from Russian soldiers including those who have recently mobilized.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen has the details.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Stark images from what many believe to be the second strongest military in the world. This video posted on social media, purports to show new Russian recruits camped out in the snow and cold with little more than tarps for shelter, some trying to warm up by fires.

CNN cannot independently verify its authenticity but those posting it say the soldiers even had to buy their own food to survive. Problems during training, problems on the battlefield, these recruits vent their anger at the Russian military.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): We were abandoned without equipment, without everything. Where are the tanks? Where are the armored personnel carriers? Come on. Bring it or I'll come for you.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Dilapidated barracks, horrendous sanitary conditions, poor food. The list of complaints often documented in social media posts like this runs long since Russia says it has mobilized more than 300,000 men for the war in Ukraine since September with more than 50,000 allegedly already on the battlefield, the Kremlin says.

[08:30:07]

Some relatives, especially mothers, complaining about the treatment of their loved ones. This group in southwestern Russia, saying their husbands and sons had been sent to the frontline without adequate training or gear.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): The commander who gave the order that our men should hold the defense ignored the decree of the supreme commander in chief that the newly mobilized should not be sent to the first line of contact.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Even in the areas of Ukraine that Russia has annexed, mothers are taking a stand. Return students to their studies, this sign in Donetsk says.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): Vladimir, Vladimir, please return our children. There are many dead, many captured. The rest of the children are physically and morally decimated.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Soldiers' mothers traditionally carry a lot of sway in Russia, and Russian President Vladimir Putin seems eager to show he's not tone deaf to their plight, recently visiting what the military says were new recruits, even firing a sniper rifle himself.

Trying to convey, he cares about the new recruits.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): About our country, you know, of course, we have costs, most notably regarding losses in the special military operation. I think about it all the time.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): But many mobilized Russians and their relatives seem to feel left out in the cold after their country called them up to serve in a war that was never supposed to last this long.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE) FOSTER: The death toll is rising in Indonesia following Monday's shallow but powerful earthquake. This hour, the search for survivors continues. More than 270 people were killed in the West -- in West Java when the magnitude 5.6 quake struck. Officials there say at least 150 people are missing as crews dig through rubble looking for any signs of life. Aftershocks and landslides are making the job much harder.

Aftershocks are also rippling through northwestern Turkey following a strong earthquake that was felt as far away as Istanbul. It happened in the northwestern Duzce province. At least 50 people were killed. Local media report the quake was a magnitude 5.9. We'll be right back.

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FOSTER: In the U.S. later today, the suspect in a deadly mass shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado could make his first court appearance since the attack on Saturday. 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich was released from the hospital and moved to a jail on Tuesday. Five people were killed in a shooting, at least 19 others are injured.

The suspect could face multiple murder and hate crime charges. We've also learned from new court filings that Aldrich identifies as nonbinary and uses they, them pronouns.

Rosa Flores is following the story for us from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Rosa?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Max. The suspect that you mentioned, Anderson Lee Aldrich, is in the jail cell that you see behind me, in the building that you see behind me in a jail cell this morning. He was transported from the hospital yesterday to the building that you see behind me. And as you mentioned, he's expected to face a judge later this morning at about at 11:30 local time.

[08:35:05]

No charges have been filed at this time. What we're expecting will happen at 11:30 is the following. Usually because this is a first appearance, the first time that he's going to face a judge, the judge will read and inform the suspect of constitutional rights. That's very basic. Then the potential charges will be read.

Some of those potential charges, like you mentioned could include five counts of first degree murder and five counts of hate crime. Now, he has not been officially charged, he has not been formally charged. But the district attorney telling CNN that he is considering hate crimes. And he also says that more charges could be added, more counts could be added because we can't forget that not only did five people die, at least 19 others were injured.

Now we are learning more about the suspect's past. Now, this is -- because of a lot of the digging that our CNN Investigates team has been doing, these are producers that have been working countless hours to try to paint a clearer picture about the suspect. Now, according to what they've been able to dig up, let me start with the mother and the father of the suspect.

The mother of the suspect has been arrested multiple times, including for false reports of crime and DUI. The father, our producers found, was a porn actor and also an MMA fighter, which left the grandmother to raise the suspect. And then Max, there's a slew of other things. When the suspect was a teenager, he was viciously bullied. The suspect changed his name from Nicholas F. Brink to Anderson Lee Aldrich.

And then, as you mentioned, we just learned last night -- and this was in a footnote in court documents that the suspect identifies as nonbinary. Max?

FOSTER: OK, Rosa, thank you.

Police in the U.S. state of Idaho say they're making progress in the case of four college students who were killed earlier this month. They still don't know who the killer is or how many people they're looking for. CNN's Natasha Chen spoke with a representative about what police know so far.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I asked the police spokesman here whether they're any closer to finding a suspect. And what I was told is they're definitely making progress. What that means is they've interviewed more than 90 people, they've chased more than 700 leads, and they've set up a portal online for people in the community who might have relevant surveillance footage to be able to upload those videos to police.

And they say they've actually received quite a number of submissions. And so right now, their investigators are combing through those very large video files to see what may be relevant to hand over to the detectives on this case. Now, I did ask about the general threat level to the community. After all, a suspect has not been caught.

And so the spokesperson tells me that people do need to be vigilant. Here's what he said.

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AARON SHELL, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, IDAHO STATE POLICE: Anytime that there's a person's crime of this magnitude of murder, you know, assault, those types of things, there's always a threat to the community when those suspect or suspects are out in the community. So, yes, there are threats. We recognize that.

It's always wise for people to walk the doors, walk in pairs, be alert of what they're doing. You know, there is somebody or some people out there somewhere that are murderers, and we want to find them and bring them to justice.

CHEN: Is there more than one suspect potentially?

SHELL: So, potentially.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHEN: So he's not ruling out the possibility that there may be more than one person responsible for these killings. Meanwhile, the University of Idaho sent a message to students on Tuesday night saying that for the remainder of the semester, both in person and remote learning options will be available. That's after many students gave their input about how they would like to see the university proceed for the remaining two weeks of the school year after the Thanksgiving holiday break.

The university president said that faculty will be prepared with remote options, and while remote learning is not preferred, that will be available to students. Back to you.

FOSTER: Still to come, the U.K.'s top court says no to Scotland's bid for another independence vote. But will this setback only fuel those calling for referendum? And we'll take a closer look after the break.

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[08:41:43]

FOSTER: Is the breakup of the U.K. inevitable? The country's Supreme Court says a second Scottish referendum on independence can't go ahead without Westminster's approval. But is this the end of the road for independence, or will this just translate into more support for Scottish separation?

This is what the Scottish First Minister has to say about it. She's very much leading the independence charge. "While disappointed by it, I respect the ruling of the U.K. Supreme Court. It doesn't make law, only interprets it. A law that doesn't allow Scotland to choose our own future without Westminster consent exposes as myth any notion of the U.K. as a voluntary partnership and makes the case for independence."

She goes on to say, "Scottish democracy will not be denied. Today's ruling blocks one roots to Scotland's voice being heard on independence. But in a democracy, our voice cannot and will not be silenced. I'll make a full statement later this morning." Which she did, and she repeated many of those points.

Let's bring in CNN's Nada Bashir. I want to bring up actually first the latest result, Nada, that we have for a referendum. It was back in 2014, 55 percent against 45 percent. So most people in Scotland voted to remain within the United Kingdom. But actually, if we look at the polls now, Nada, they're much tighter than that, which is what's driving Nicola Sturgeon towards another referendum. And this is a setback, however, she spins it.

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Absolutely, it is a setback, but a lot has changed since 2014, and that is the case that the Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, and the Scottish National Party have been making. We've seen Brexit, of course, where the majority of authorities in Scotland voted to remain in the European Union.

And, of course, we've seen the country now plummeting economically, financially, Nicola Sturgeon herself criticizing the Westminster government and the Conservative Party. Of course, we've seen three prime ministers now in just a matter of weeks. She has accused the Conservative Party of presiding over a government of chaos and pushing the country into financial crisis.

And, of course, she believes that Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party no longer hold a mandate, that this is the right thing to do, to respect democracy and to respect the will of the Scottish people. But the Westminster government and Rishi Sunak, of course, remain firm that this is not the right course of action.

Rishi Sunak himself saying today in Parliament that he believes the Scottish people want the government to focus on the matters most important to them, including the cost of living crisis. But the picture has changed significantly since 2014 and the Scottish National Party now saying it will campaign to defend, in its words, democracy in Scotland, making this a primary priority for them in a campaign ahead of the general election.

FOSTER: In terms of where we go from here, she is basically suggesting, isn't she, that if there's an election, that would be a referendum for Scotland. But why have things changed more recently? She often cites Brexit as a turning point for the effort and therefore you'd get a different result in a referendum now.

[08:45:01]

BASHIR: Well, Brexit certainly was a key turning point, but the Scottish Parliament has also accused Westminster of essentially eroding those devolved powers to the Scottish Parliament, of centralizing authority to Westminster, and essentially leaving the Scottish Parliament feeling as though they know no longer have the power that they once had over their region.

Now, of course, that is a key concern. And ahead of that general election, they will be focusing on calls for another independence referendum. She did say that this was just one avenue to secure independence of Scotland. So they will be looking at other ways to do that. And in particular, of course, the results of that general election, which will be seen by Nicola Sturgeon, by the Scottish Nationalist Party, as a de facto referendum on the potential for an independent referendum.

That will be a key focus ahead of the general election. But, of course, Nicola Sturgeon herself believes that the government in Westminster does not have a mandate, particularly in Scotland anymore. She has previously called for an early general election. There have been called for that even within Westminster.

And we had a pretty fiery response from the Scottish representative in Westminster. Ian Blackford, just a little while ago, speaking during Prime Minister's questions. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IAN BLACKFORD, SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY WESTMINSTER LEADER: Last year, the people of Scotland voted for the Scottish Parliament with a majority in the mandate to deliver an independence referendum. The Prime Minister has every right to oppose independence. He has no right to deny democracy to the people of Scotland.

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKERS (in unison): Yes.

BLACKFORD: If the Prime Minister keeps blocking that referendum, will they at least be honest and confirmed that the very idea that the United Kingdom is a voluntary union of nations is now dead and buried?

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKERS (in unison): Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: And look, Max, this is how the Scottish National Party is now framing it. This is a threat to democracy in Scotland and to the will of the people in Scotland. So that will be what they are campaigning on ahead of the general election.

In response to Ian Blackford, we did hear from the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, saying that he believes the Scottish people want the government to get on with those key priorities of things affecting people up and down the country, including the cost-of-living crisis, focusing on the NHS. But that's the same response we've heard before from Boris Johnson, of course, in relation to the prospect of an independence referendum.

But we are still seeing that debate picking up heat in Scotland and across the country. We've even seen pro-independence protest and demonstrations taking place over the last few weeks. So this is certainly not going to put that question to bed.

FOSTER: OK, Nada, will we continue to cover it, let's say. Thank you for joining us.

Still ahead, all the latest from the Qatar World Cup. We're live in Doha as some of football's biggest names, team Germany take to the pitch this hour and make a statement before their match. We'll explain.

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[08:50:06]

FOSTER: Day four of the World Cup underway in Doha, Qatar. Germany and Japan just kicked off their match, and for the third time in four days, there was a scoreless match. Morocco held Croatia to a draw earlier. Croatia, you may recall, with a 2018 runners up.

For the rest of the day, Spain takes on Costa Rica. And after a 36- year absence, Canada is back in the World Cup, taking on Belgium in a few hours time.

CNN's Amanda Davies following all of this from Doha. Germany versus Japan now well underway, and the Germans appear to show a protest ahead of the national anthems, or was it during the anthems? AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: It wasn't actually during the anthems. We will come to that because, you know, Germany have been one of the most vocal supporters of wearing that "OneLove" armband, which, until a couple of months ago, nobody's ever heard of. But now, we all know was a pretty common phrase, an armband that a number of the UEFA European top teams decided they wanted to wear here in Qatar, where it's illegal to be gay, as a show of solidarity, a fight, a message for inclusion in society.

Of course, FIFA have stood by their rules, their regulations, and said that any team or player exhibiting a symbol of political protest or message would be punished on the field of play by being shown a yellow card. So there's been a lot of anger amongst these European teams and bodies from around the world, the likes of Amnesty International, the likes of the Football Supporters Association, against that decision by FIFA.

And UEFA's Human Rights Working Group, reacting to the news, said that there might still be action that they were going to take. So there was a lot of speculation ahead of Germany taking to the field a little bit earlier on. That Manuel Neuer might still wear that "OneLove" armbands and be prepared to take the sanction.

But instead of that, a very, very powerful message from the entire team after the anthem, as they lined up for the traditional team photo, the entire Germany team covered their mouths. It, of course, appeared to be a protest very quickly afterwards that a message was posted via the German Football Association social media, which said this. "We wanted to use our captain's armband to take a stand for values that we hold in the Germany national team, diversity and mutual respect. Together with other nations, we wanted our voice to be heard.

It wasn't about making a political statement, human rights are nonnegotiable that should be taken for granted, but it still isn't the case. That's why this message is so important to us. Denying us the armband is the same as denying us a voice. We stand by our position."

So that is the stance that Germany have taken. We wait to see. This is not a story that's going to be going anywhere over the next four weeks or so, Max. We are yet to hear from FIFA or Qatar's organizers as to whether or not any action will be taken against Germany. I can tell you it is now halftime in their opening match of this tournament against Germany. They are one up, Ilkay Gundogan, with the goal from the penalty spot.

FOSTER: Also, lots of talk about Ronaldo. He's always a big talking point, isn't he? But he has left Man United with immediate effect, wondering how that plays into his position in the Portuguese team. Also, Man United potentially being sold by the owners. And this is because of a lot of issues back home for what was home for Renaldo, his home team.

DAVIES: Yes, it was certainly a busy day. You can imagine, at Old Trafford at the home of Manchester United yesterday, wasn't it? I think the feeling is that Manchester United ultimately have got the right thing for them with Cristiano Ronaldo leaving, but perhaps wouldn't have wanted to get there in this manner. A club, traditionally, that do not like their dirty laundry being aired in public.

But that is the decision that Cristiano Ronaldo, such a club legend. He famously took part in an Adidas advert just a couple of months ago as, you know, the legendary number sevens of Manchester United, alongside the likes of Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham. You know, they would not have wanted this to happen in this manner, but it was without doubt always going to happen after he took that nuclear step, really, of that interview with Piers Morgan.

He was obviously very unhappy. It's been a subject that has really dominated Manchester United's headlines since Erik ten Hag took over in the summer.

[08:55:09]

What are you going to do with Cristiano Ronaldo? He really hasn't fitted into United's plans in the manner that Ronaldo thinks he should be fitting into the plans, given his standing as a player and everything. He has won a five times Champions League winner.

The word coming out from here in Portugal, though, is that it hasn't been a distraction to Fernando Santos' camp and their build up to their opening games against Ghana. That is officially the statement. But ultimately, Christian Ronaldo doesn't have a club to play at come the end of this tournament. So you suspect there is still quite a lot going on behind the scenes.

FOSTER: Yes. We need to know where is going, don't we? Amanda, thank you very much for joining us in Doha.

Thanks for joining me here as well on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster in London. First Move with my colleague Julia Chatterley is up next.

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