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Ukraine Shoots Down Russian Drones In Pre-Dawn Attack On Kyiv; 7 Charged With International Smuggling For Russia; France Reach World Cup Final Again After Beating Morocco; Indian And Chinese Forces Clash On Disputed Himalayan Border; Fed Raises Interest Rates Half A Point To Highest Level In 15 Years; U.S. Makes Commitment To Invest $55 billion In Africa; Iran Is Expelled From The U.N.'s Commission On The Status Of Women; British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Expresses Sorrow Over The Death Of At Least Four Migrants In The English Channel; "Harry & Meghan" Documentary Breaks Streaming Record On Netflix. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired December 15, 2022 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Wherever you are around the world, great to have you with us. Ahead here on CNN Newsroom. Returned to the drones. The pre-dawn attack on Ukraine's capital or 13 already made drones were intercepted and destroyed. by Ukrainian Air Defense.
[01:00:00]
U.S. Fed warns tending inflation will take longer than expected and interest rates will remain higher for longer. And a miraculous and inspirational quest for a World Cup title comes to an end from Morocco, losing to France in the semifinals, but winning worldwide respect, admiration, and a place in history.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: Russia has launched one of its biggest drone attacks in weeks. In predawn hours, 13 Iranian made drones were detected on radar, apparently heading for Kyiv's electrical infrastructure. All 13 drones according to Ukrainian officials were intercepted and shut down before reaching their target. Falling debris damage a number of buildings but no injuries were reported.
One drone had the word "For Ryazan" written on and apparent reference to an alleged Ukrainian drone attack last week on an airbase inside Russian territory. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said lives were saved by the response of anti-aircraft defenses around the Capitol.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLOYDYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I want to thank our anti-aircraft forces and the Air Force for repelling another attack by Iranian drones this morning. In total, 13 drones were shut down. These are 13 saved infrastructure facilities. These are saved lives in one morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: More now, retired U.S. Air Force colonel and CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton is standing by in Washington. Good to see you.
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good to see you too, John.
VAUSE: OK, so the Ukrainian Air Defense they're batting 1000 after this wave of attack drones on the Capitol of Kyiv. And it all up, they've managed to get about two-thirds of the incoming drone since this began in earnest a few months ago.
Does that at least raise the question, do they really need the Patriot missile defense system? You know, there's a given a long training time for the patriot and the costs as well. Is it smart to use a $3 million missile to shoot down a $20,000 Ddrone?
LEIGHTON: yes, that's certainly a key question that needs to be answered by the Pentagon and anybody else who's giving patriots to the Ukrainians are potentially doing that. So, I think in this particular case, what you're looking at is the ability of the Ukrainians has certainly increased with systems like the NASAMS system and others missile systems, anti-missile systems that the Ukrainians have been able to employ.
When it comes to the Patriot you're looking at trying to really fill that upper tier of altitude and, you know, the weapon systems that the that the Russians are using to go after longer range systems to go after systems that are at a much higher altitude than they're able to shoot down right now. And that's really the difference would, in essence, complement what the Ukrainians already have, especially if it's wired together in the right way to provide what is known as an integrated air defense system. And if it's truly integrated, it can be highly effective.
VAUSE: We also heard from the Ukrainian president during his nightly address, he talks about the slow grinding progress, which has basically been a situation for Ukrainian troops on the ground. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENSKYY (through translator): There is no column on the front line. There is nothing easy and simple. Every day in every meter is extremely hard, and especially where the whole tactics of the occupiers are boiled down to the destruction of everything in sight by artillery, so that only bear ruins and craters in the ground remain evil.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And on the question of artillery fire on Tuesday, U.S. defense officials said Russia had almost depleted its supply of artillery rounds. There's now a similar assessment coming from the UK Chief of Defense Staff who tweeted this. So let me tell Putin tonight that his own generals and ministers are afraid to say that Russia faces a critical shortage of artillery munitions, this means their ability to conduct successful ground operations is rapidly diminishing.
OK, so if this is true, how soon will we see evidence of that? And how easily can Russia resupply from I guess their two best friends right now around in North Korea?
LEIGHTON: Yes, that's going to be very interesting. I mean, Iran, I guess, is an easier resupply route than North Korea just because of geographic distances, although the North Koreans and the Russians share a very short border with each other.
The real impact I think John is going to be, you know, how big are the stockpiles that the Russians have actually moved into Ukraine, or at least in the proximity where their forces can use them. I'm a bit concerned that the assessments may be wrong. I ended to the Russians will have more artillery than we are actually giving them credit for and that, of course is, you know, something that we have to watch out for.
But assuming that the U.S. and UK assessments are correct, then the Russians could potentially run out of ammunition, you know, within the next four to eight weeks, I and that, of course would change the course of the war considerably. Somehow, I don't think that's going to happen exact li8ke that though.
[01:05:00]
VAUSE: Yes, and there has to be some kind of ceasefire I guess for Christmas or ever winter that doesn't appear to be on the card so at least judging by an answer here from Kremlin spokesperson. Listen to this.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Are the Russian authorities considering the possibility of a Christmas or New Year ceasefire? And are they ready to respond if such a proposal is made by Kyiv?
DMITRY PESKOV, KREMLIN SPOKESMAN (through translator): No, we have not received any proposals from anybody. This topic is not on the agenda.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
VAUSE: Not on the agenda, and Ukraine is facing some tough choices right now. Yes, after months of heavy fighting and operational pause, kind of makes sense to them from a military point of view. But that could impact international support. And then if they push on, they also face the risk of a failed offensive. And then there's the possibility of Belarus getting involved opening another front to the north. Where do you see this all heading in the coming weeks or months?
LEIGHTON: Yes, I'm afraid that a Christmas truce like they had in 1914, between the German and British lines, which was unofficial, that, you know, unless it's unofficial, it's not going to happen. And that's very unfortunate. But I think in the case of the Russian rejection of even the possibility of such a proposal, what you're seeing John is a really bad path forward where this war will grind on and a very cumbersome, very slow process in certain parts.
However, once the weather freezes, I think things may change a bit in the mobility aspect will become a really important part here. And that's going to potentially let the Ukrainians move forward when the ground really freezes. So it's very possible that the Ukrainians may have some capabilities, especially with nuclear weapons systems, that they wouldn't be able to use very effectively against parts of the Russian front.
But their ability to get to, let's say, the Crimean border, or to move Russian forces out of the Donbas completely that I think is questionable, at least within the next two months or so. I think that so that's a very difficult thing for them to do.
VAUSE: We thought we'd be talking about this whole going into 2023. Thanks very much for being with us, sir.
LEIGHTON: You bet, John. Absolutely.
VAUSE: In the U.S. authorities say they've uncovered an attempt to allegedly smuggle weapons grade technology into Russia. Seven people have been charged so far, including to U.S. mationals. Prosecutors allege the scheme involves shipping sophisticated American technology, which will be used for nuclear weapons development to Russia through countries including Estonia, Finland, Germany, and Hong Kong, in violation of U.S. law. CNN's Alex Marquardt has details.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): This house on a quiet street in Southern New Hampshire home according to federal officials, to a man accused of belonging to a Russian covert smuggling ring, charged with trafficking sensitive military grade components to Russia, including for developing nuclear weapons.
The DOJ alleges that the resident Alexey Brayman was working alongside American citizen Vadim Yermolenko from New Jersey, both were arrested. The ring included five others, all Russians, among them Vadim Konoshchenok, a colonel in Russia's domestic intelligence agency, the FSB. He was stopped at the Estonian border attempting to cross into Russia. His car packed with thousands of us made bullets used in sniper rifles, as well as around 35 kinds of semiconductors and other electronics parts.
STEVE HALL, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Given the sanctions and the impact that that's having on the Russian military, I think Moscow has reached out through its intelligence services and said, Look, we have to redouble our efforts to get these electronics let the other stuff go by the wayside. The priority right now is trying to get back on track in Ukraine. MARQUARDT: Prosecutors say the smuggling ring unlawfully sourced purchased and shipped millions of dollars in military and sensitive dual use technologies from U.S. manufacturers, including advanced electronics and sophisticated testing equipment used in quantum computing, hypersonic and nuclear weapons development, and other military and space based military applications.
HALL: When you see something like this happen, it's good evidence that the sanctions are indeed working because the Russians would be doing it in a much easier way if they could, but they simply can't.
MARQUARDT: The Eastern District of New York unsealed a 16-count indictment alleging that the seven were affiliated with Moscow based companies directed by Russian intelligence, which were sanctioned after Russia invaded Ukraine. The network, the U.S. Treasury Department says is instrumental to the Russian Federation war machine. What was being smuggled FBI director Chris Wray said poses great danger in the hands of our adversaries.
MARQUARDT (on camera): U.S. officials say that the proceedings to extradite that FSB colonel from Estonia to the United States will begin soon. Russia has said that his detention by Estonia on behalf of the United States is unacceptable. They have vowed to respond and as for the two men who were arrested here in the United States, they have been released on bail, but their passports have been taken, their travel has been restricted.
[01:10:09]
They are expected in court in Brooklyn on February 7. Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
VAUSE: Court ruling is expected in the coming hours and we're the Peru's former president Pedro Castillo to remain behind bars. Meantime the military has been deployed across the country at key infrastructure sites. Peru declared a state of emergency Wednesday, but the dead violent protests over Castillo's impeachment and arrest. At least seven people have died since the protests began last week. 47 others have been sent to hospital. Protesters are still blocking highways across Peru and disrupting air and rail traffic.
So there'll be no storybook ending for Morocco at this year's World Cup. France secured a ticket to the finals defeating Morocco and bringing to an end the hopes and dreams of millions across Africa. The reigning champions defeated the Atlas Lions tubule Wednesday. Les Blues ere heavily favored despite Morocco string of recent upsets. Morocco now plays Croatia with third on Saturday, all eyes we are the big showdown between France and Argentina on Sunday.
(INAUDIBLE) at least say there was all sorts of celebrations featuring fireworks and sounding horns, French flags, flares and CNN's Jim Bittermann live on the air when the final whistle was blown as this reaction from central Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): You can probably tell from the noise exactly how joyful the French fans are tonight. They came out into the streets here just minutes after the match concluded. And now thousands of people are out in the Champs-Elysees, a traditional place where the French come to celebrate. This was a extremely hard fought match. And you can tell how joyful the fans are from the noise but also the way they express themselves. Here is a couple of examples.
From here, the French go on to face Argentina on Sunday night of the World Cup finals. If they win that, they'll have won two World Cups in a row. And you can bet that they'll be even bigger celebrations on Sunday night. Jim Bittermann, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
VAUSE: Joining us from Doha is reporter Amine El Amri, who's covering the World Cup for the Moroccan newspaper, Le Matin. They all just seem a little bit too happy there in Paris. Thanks for being with us again. Morocco is reckless, right? It may have come to an end now. But this team yet has written themselves into history in so many ways, both on and off the field. So when you look back, whenever it looks back at Morocco is 2022 World Cup, what do you think will be remembered the most?
AMINE EL AMRI, SPORTS JOURNALIST, LE MATIN: Hi, John, thanks for having me. I think what will people remember most is that solidarity and audacity that actually the Atlas Lion showed in the face of more favorite teams. I think also that great, great emotional moments of players celebrating with their moms. I think it has been one of the highlights of this World Cup.
VAUSE: Yes, there was at one great photograph there very memorable indeed. I want you to listen Morocco's coach, and why he believes the team lost to France. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALID REGRAGUI, MOROCCO COACH (through translator): For competition of the highest level like the World Cup, I think we came up a bit short, not in terms of quality or tactics. It was more athletic, physical. We had too many injuries, too many players playing it's 60 percent or 80 percent since the start of the competition, and with that we couldn't make it past the semifinals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And yet the team was devastated by injury and was, you know, struggling. But as you say they still played with audacity. They took it right to the French or throughout this match. They didn't take a step backwards if you like. So was it really injury? Was that the factor here the difference between winning and losing?
EL AMRI: Yes, I think at this level it really makes a difference. When you see for example France yesterday, they weren't favorites by playing better or being more technical but they were better physically and it's so like players like Tchouameni, Griezmann, Giroud, et cetera. They were just better physically.
VAUSE: We're also now looking forward to the finals between Argentina and France that brings us a matchup between Argentina is missing in France and Bombay (ph). So what can we expect there?
EL AMRI: I mean, a final epic proportion (ph) because the two teams have been just marvelous in this World Cup.
[01:15:06]
I think that there's going to be more pressure from the Argentinian side because this is the reigning champions. And France has got this great, great, great national team manager who is Didier Deschamps, somebody who is really clinical and knows exactly what he's doing.
VAUSE: And that's spectacular and as memorable and as great as the football has been on the field -- has been on the field. Away from the field, there's also been this ongoing controversy of a treatment of migrant workers. And now the word of another death.
FIFA issued a statement which read, FIFA is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of John Kibue, as a result of injuries suffered in an accident on 10 December 2022. Thoughts and sympathies are with his loved ones at this sad time.
He was working as a security guard, at least given the appalling response from officials in Qatar to the death of another migrant worker last week. When we're looking at this World Cup tournament, how much of a stain will there be by the deaths of these not just at you know, at the moment of these migrant workers, but in the lead up to the World Cup? It really seems to be hanging over this World Cup in a major way.
EL AMRI: Yes, I think it's going to be part of the legacy of this World Cup, because obviously, it's a big event for here in Qatar and all the Arab world and yes, sacrifices have been, you know, conceded all along the way. But for us, also journalists, we're going to remember this World Cup, losing a great one, like Grant Wahl.
So yes, I think it's not going to be stained. But, you know, every part of the history there's a good and bad side. And yes, definitely Qatar will be remembered for both.
VAUSE: And you mentioned, Grant, we now have word on the cause of death, here's his wife Celine Gounder speaking to CBS.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CELINE GOUNDER, WIDOW OF GRANT WAHL: It's just one of these things that had been likely brewing for years. And for whatever reason, it happened at this point in time.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: It was an aneurysm basically. So nothing nefarious there. But, you know, it seems a lot of people thought that maybe there was some suspicious circumstances around his death, which, I think says a lot about what people think of what's happening in Qatar.
EL AMRI: Yes, I think it says also that when you lose somebody, you know, so dear, at an age so early, people would be looking for reason. But I can tell you, John, it has been really, really tiring to work in these conditions, because the World Cup is so compact. And I can witness by saying that, for example, I've been having three to four hours sleep every night, and the AC going on and the conditions was so tiring.
So, my condolences to Grant's family and friends. And I had the pleasure to meet him in June 1 in Cincinnati during a friend debut between the U.S. and Morocco and his been so welcoming. And this is a great loss for journalism, sports journalists around the world.
VAUSE: Yes, I mean, it looks like fun from the outside. But it is a lot of work when you get into that. Yes, you'll deserve a rest when you get a bed.
EL AMRI: Thanks, John.
VAUSE: Thanks for being with us. Thank you.
EL AMRI: Thank you.
VAUSE: We'll take a short break when we come back, inflation may be cooling but in the U.S. official interest rates continue to rise now at a 15-year high. So what will that mean for anyone buying a house. Also ahead, India and China on the edge of the video showing troops are both countries clashing at the border, for that in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:20:57]
VAUSE: Welcome back everyone. Video has surfaced of a skirmish and disputed region on the India-China border. The clip appears to show a previously unreported clash between Indian and Chinese troops in September 2021 comes amid reports of a scuffle along the border last week, which led to injuries on both sides. CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson following this story live. He's in Hong Kong right now. So what more do we know about this? And why does this matter? What's important here?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's giving us a window into these clashes that we've heard reports about for years along the border between the world's two most populous nations that both happen to have nuclear weapons.
Take a look at this video. It's more than a year old from September 2021 from what we understand from an Indian military source, and here you have the Chinese and Indian militaries, beating each other over a barbed wire high in the Himalayas. Again, we've been able to confirm that this was took place around September 28, 2021. This is according to an Indian military officer in the area of Arunachal Pradesh.
The video goes on for some two minutes until the Chinese forces appear to withdraw behind a stone wall that they're out there and then the Indians kind of declare victory. Why is this coming out now? Well, it does appear to have been leaked and it came out and appeared in the internet just days after the Indian defense ministry announced that there had been some kind of a scuffle in a different part of the disputed border between India and China on Friday with injuries on both sides, none considered to be serious.
But this was something that was highlighted by the Indian Defense Minister. Take a listen to what he had to say about this incident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAJNATH SINGH, INDIAN DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): On December 9, 2022, People's Liberation Army troops tried to transgress the line of actual control in the Yangtze area of Tawang sector and unilaterally change the status quo, the Chinese attempt was contested by our troops in a firm and resolute manner.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Now, in the aftermath of that, the Chinese military came out and accused Indian troops of illegally crossing the border and said that they pushed them back in a resolute manner and then that the commanders from both sides had a meeting to try to deescalate the situation.
All of this goes to show John that there are real tensions between New Delhi and Beijing and though the border has been the scene of an outright war in the 1960s, and there have been clashes in different areas along this long, 2,100 mile, 3,379 kilometer border, over the years and in past decades.
This situation really escalated in 2020 went up to 20 Indian soldiers were killed and at least four Chinese soldiers were killed in clashes where both sides were using clubs believed to have nails in them. And the relations between New Delhi and Beijing have deteriorated since for example, at the G20 Summit in Bali, which I covered just last month. Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister he met Chinese leader Xi Jinping, they shook hands, but they didn't have a bilateral sit down meeting.
And that's all the more striking when you consider that these are two neighbors sharing again along and disputed border, they could be doing lots of trade. Instead, they are not really getting along. There is significant animosity there and probably to China's concern. India has been apparently getting closer to the U.S. potentially participating in this quad formation that includes Japan, Australia and the U.S. in military exercises. Beijing doesn't like that. John.
VAUSE: Well, a lot of things Beijing doesn't like but I guess that's one of them. Ivan Watson there live for us in Hong Kong.
New data shows the economic impact of zero-COVID in China. [01:25:00]
The government reports retail sales dropped almost 6 percent in November compared to a year ago, the worst contraction since May. Unemployment hit its highest level in six months, probably sales have plummeted as well. All of this came before Beijing abruptly began easing some pandemic restrictions.
The U.S. Fed increased interest rates went up by half a point that will be lower than recent rate hikes of three quarters of 1 percent. But the central bank warns even though inflation has started to cool now at 7 percent, it remains too high and well above the base official target of 2 percent. And so rates will likely continue to rise well into next year. Here's CNN's Matt Egan.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER (on camera): The Fed is still pumping this economy with tough medicine aimed at trying to get inflation under control. It's just lowering the dosage a bit. And that is an acknowledgment of the fact that inflation has cooled off in recent months that the feds medicine is working.
Now, the Fed statement, though, reiterated that inflation remains, quote, elevated. That is an acknowledgment that more work needs to be done here. Fed Chair Jerome Powell, he said during the press conference that they're going to see more concrete evidence that inflation really is cooling off before they gain confidence that things are going back on a downward path.
So no victory laps here at the Fed. And I think that makes sense. I mean, 7 percent inflation, of course, is better than the 9 percent inflation in the U.S. economy earlier this year. But it's still 7 percent inflation that is still triple the Feds goal. And so that does mean that we're going to see an all likelihood higher interest rates next year and the Fed officials they're penciling in about 75 basis points of rate hikes for 2023. That means higher borrowing costs.
Remember, mortgage rates recently hit a 20-year high, credit card rates are at record highs. They could go even higher as the Fed continues to raise interest rates and this also means more downward pressure on the economy.
Now on that front Fed officials, they downgraded their view on the economy for 2023. They now see near zero GDP growth in 2023. They also bumped up their forecast for inflation. And they see the unemployment rate going from an historically low level today of 3.7 percent up to 4.6 percent next year.
Now that is not high overall. But it does still translate to the loss of roughly 1.6 million jobs. And it's another reminder of the real pain here caused by not just high inflation, but the Feds war on high inflation.
Now the hope is that inflation will cool off enough in the coming months to allow the Fed to stop raising interest rates before it starts a recession. I'm Matt Egan at the Federal Reserve in Washington. Back to you.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
VAUSE: Thank you, Matt. We'll take a short break. When we come back. Dozens of leaders from across Africa now meeting in Washington and a rare (ph) summit, all aimed at countering Beijing's growing influence. Just ahead, we'll take a closer look at China's big investments in one small African nation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:30:25]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. President Joe Biden says the United States is all in on Africa's future, as he prepares to wrap up the three-day U.S. Africa Leader Summit on Thursday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
VAUSE (voice-over): On Wednesday night there was a gala reception at the White House, a dinner with entertainment by legendary singer Gladys Knight. News (ph) hasn't made this kind of wholesale outreach to Africa since the Obama administration. Since then, China's influence has grown around the world, especially in Africa. Without naming China, the president said the U.S. wants to be a different kind of partner.
Here's Joe Biden.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Partnerships not to create political obligation, not or foster defendants as dependence, but to spur shared success. I emphasis shared success and opportunity. Because when Africa succeeds the United States succeeds. Quite frankly, the whole world succeeds as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Meetings have focused on dozens of critical issues facing African nations, including trade, food security, health, climate change, whole lot more. U.S. opened the summit with a commitment to invest $55 billion over the next three years.
In recent years, Beijing has invested billions of dollars in Africa and China is building a lot more than infrastructure. One beneficiary has been the tiny country of Lesotho.
CNN's David McKenzie met with the new prime minister, who's welcomed the investment of bucks from Beijing despite the ties it comes with.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lesotho's brand-new prime minister knows how to make an entrance.
A millionaire diamond magnet, Sam Matekane entered politics just six months before the election. Now he's here to celebrate his win.
SAM MATEKANE, NEW PRIME MINISTER OF LESOTHO: (Speaking in Foreign Language).
MCKENZIE (voice-over): And meet us at his mountainside mansion.
MCKENZIE: Good afternoon. How are you, Prime Minister?
MATEKANE: Fine. How are you, David?
MCKENZIE: Very nice house.
MATEKANE: Thank you, very much. Thank you.
Our country was gone. This is reality. Lesotho was gone because it could not do anything for itself, you know, with the debt that we have. With many other things that would help, we were not helping because we can see this is now Lesotho.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): This tiny mountain kingdom, entirely surrounded by South Africa, has struggled for years with external debt, poverty and unemployment. Past leaders often turning to one country for help.
Lesotho's parliament, the state library, the convention center, are all built by the Chinese. Even their state house, a gift from the People's Republic.
MCKENZIE: Were those smart deals to make?
MATEKANE: Well, what has been in the past is the past. I'm focusing in the future now because the debt is there.
MARIA BREWER; U.S. AMBASSADOR TO LESOTHO: I will often caution my African partners that if something sounds too good to be true it probably is.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): In a new era of great power competition, the U.S. government has recently taken a far more assertive line on China and Africa.
BREWER: We want this trade and investment to be on an even playing field. And that's something that is, again, very important to us.
MCKENZIE: What do you mean by that specifically?
BREWER: That laws are fairly enacted. That development opportunities are open.
MCKENZIE: That would indicate that China's investment has been opaque in your mind.
BREWER: I think that we are always looking for more transparency. MCKENZIE (voice-over): Unlike China's no-strings-attached policy, the
U.S. explicitly ties trade deals like the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act to measures like democracy and freedom. AGOA allows companies like Precious Garments in Maseru to export these Greg Norman golf shirts quota and tariff-free. And employs thousands of mostly female workers, like Matopi Maskani (ph), who makes just $150 a month.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language).
MCKENZIE (voice-over): It's not enough to survive she says, but it still makes a difference and it's better than sitting at home.
In a country with so few opportunities, even these conditions and this work can provide a lifeline policy to (inaudible). But this month China announced it will allow tariff-free imports from Lesotho and a host of the world's poorest countries.
And China recently forgave some of Lesotho's debt. It's donating a brand-new hospital in Maseru, likely weary of its reputation for trapping countries in debt.
MCKENZIE: If you look at the overarching trade, the Chinese have outstoke (ph) the U.S. significantly in Africa. So, can you compete at this point?
[01:35:05]
BREWER: We are what people aspire to be. America's what people aspire to become more and more like. We're not a perfect country. We don't claim to be. But, our model of development, our sense of individual freedom, those are things that I think people here on the continent still very much value and want to emulate.
MATEKANE: Competition will always be there, whether we like it or not. It doesn't matter who is in competition with who, but it will always be there.
MCKENZIE: If you go the same offer from the U.S. or China which one would you take?
MATEKANE: I'll take both.
(LAUGHTER)
MCKENZIE: David McKenzie, CNN, Maseru, Lesotho.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Iran is being kicked off a U.N. women's rights group. The 29 member states voted Wednesday to remove Iran from the commission on fairness (ph) of women. The U.S. made the proposal last month in response to the ongoing crackdown and execution of anti-government protestors by Iran.
The protest was sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, who was in the custody of the so-called morality policy, for allegedly not wearing her hijab correctly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINCA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N: These women and activists have appealed to us, the United Nations, for support. They made their request to us loud and clear, remove Iran from the commission on the status of women. The reason why is straightforward. The commission is the premier U.N. body for promoting gender equality and empowering women. It cannot do its important work if it's being undermined from within.
Iran's membership at this moment is an ugly stain on the commission's credibility.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Iran called the vote illegal. Its ambassador charged it was built on baseless claims and fabricated arguments.
The British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expressing sorrow over the death of at least four migrants in the English Channel. Yesterday, earlier, the U.K. now plans to toughen laws to prevent migrants from illegally crossing the channel.
CNN's Nina Dos Santos reports now from London.
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was just after 3:00 in the morning that this small inflatable raft laden, reportedly, with more than 40 passengers onboard, got into difficulty, capsized and plunged those people into the icy waters of the English Channel, around about halfway between France and England, their destination.
While four people tragically lost their lives and dozens of others were sent to hospitals in Kenton, the southeast of England, upon their arrival of U.K. territory. There was also a fishing boat that had to be dispatched that was in the nearby vicinity that helped with the search and rescue operation.
While this issue, a tragic loss of life in the English Channel highlights an already red-hot political issue that the British government has been trying to tackle this very week, announcing just earlier on in the week a special command center to try and intercept and stop some of these small boats from setting off from France across this parolees and very heavily trafficked stretch of water towards the U.K. coastline, often as in this case, in the dead of night when it becomes very, very difficult to mount a search and rescue operation and prevent people from losing their lives under these difficult circumstances.
Indeed, just 11 or 12, 13 months ago, in November of 2021, 27 migrants lost their lives trying to undertake a similar journey and their boat sank in the middle of the English Channel too.
That was something that Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, was it pains to stress in the House of Commons on Wednesday, saying that this incident highlighted the need to try and urgently tackle people- smuggling gangs who were helping to push people towards the U.K. on unsuitable vessels.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUELLA BRAVERMAN, BRITISH HOME SECRETARY: As the Prime Minister told the House only yesterday, it is not cruel or unkind to want to break the stranglehold of the criminal gangs who trade in human misery and who exploit our system and our laws. He was right.
This morning's tragedy, like the loss of 27 people on one November day last year, is the most sobering reminder possible of why we have to end these crossings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DOS SANTOS: The Home Secretary, however, is under increasing pressure though on the issue of migration. She's been (inaudible) criticized for allowing detention centers when migrants who arrive in the U.K. await their asylum claims to be processed to overcrowd, causing the spread allegedly of infectious diseases that reportedly killed at least one person in the last few months.
Either way, an estimated 45,000 people are said to have made the treacherous journey across the English Channel in just the last 11 or 12 months alone, highlighting some politicians from both sides of the aisle say the urgent need to try and develop more viable and safe legal routes for migrants from all over the world to come and seek shelter in the United Kingdom.
Nina dos Santos, CNN, in London.
[01:40:10]
VAUSE: The father of an American college student missing in France is disputing claims his son may have left the country voluntarily because he was struggling to adjust to his study abroad program.
CNN spoke exclusively with the mother of the host family caring for Kenny DeLand, Jr. And Melissa Bell has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOPTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Social media posts give little away, just images of young American enjoying his exchange program in France. But, Kenny DeLand, Jr. vanished 15 days ago without a trace. After leaving the home of the host moth he was staying with -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Foreign language)
BELL (voice-over): She explains that she's only spoken once to Kenny's mother, never to his father, but agrees to speak exclusively to CNN without the camera.
BELL: What the host mother told us was that all of the exchange students she'd had at her home, Kenny DeLand was the one that seemed to be having the most trouble fitting in and settling down to life here in Grenoble. She also said that, of course, since he's disappeared, she'd been
inundating him with messages to which he hadn't responded. And she added that she had been reassured by that sighting of him about an hour south of here in that sports shop, because she said it confirmed the possibility and her hope that, in fact, he'd gone and cut off communications voluntarily.
BELL (voice-over): It was taken on December 3, Kenny DeLand spent just over $8 before vanishing altogether, according to his family, leaving behind only Facebook pictures of his life in France, from Paris to the University of Grenoble Alpes.
BELL: The last time Kenny DeLand turned up for lessons here at the University he was studying at was November 28. By the 29th, when he failed to turn up, a missing persons report was filed and it emerged that he had left his host family that morning, taking a packed lunch, a change of clothes, his wallet, and his phone. Kenny DeLand hasn't been heard from since.
BELL (voice-over): We show Kenny's picture around the campus in hope that someone might recognize him. When we find Kenny's friends, they prefer not to speak on camera, but tell us that Kenny had friends that were exchange students and some that were local. We care about him, and we want him to come back safely. Statements that contradict what French authorities have said, that Kenny struggled to make friends.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEN DELAND, MISSING STUDENT'S FATHER: What I'm telling you, is he makes friends and he's easy to talk to like me. If you don't know my son, then it's tough for you to make some statements, some bold statements.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BELL: One of the things Kenny's friends told us is that he may have been stressed about the upcoming exams. Is that something that you recognize?
DELAND: He's in a foreign country, he's a pretty upbeat kid, you know what I mean? So, it's possible, sure.
He was anxious. He was - he wanted to do good, he wanted to prove that he could get good grades, even on the trip of a lifetime.
BELL (voice-over): Kenny DeLand, Jr. chronicled his journey to France in August. His father still hopes he'll be able to pick him up, as planned, on Saturday.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Grenoble.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Coming up here on CNN Newsroom, a trail of destruction across parts of the U.S. We'll have the very latest on a brutal winter storm, in a moment. [01:43:20]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:45:25]
VAUSE: Extreme weather is leaving a path of destruction and misery across parts of the U.S. the south has been hit hard with nearly 50 tornadoes reported over the past two days. Authorities in Louisiana say at least three people died there.
Officials all along the Gulf Coast say severe weather has collapsed homes, flipped over cars and downed powerlines. Thousands of homes and businesses are in the dark right now. It's a different picture, though, in the north a blizzard conditions blanket the Plain States and begin heading towards the Northeast.
North Dakota's capital and other state facilities were closed Wednesday, due to the ongoing winter storm and white-out conditions. More, we're not joined by CNN Meteorologist Britley Rix. This is a - sort of a mixed bag of everything.
BRITLEY RIX, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. And it's far from over. We are still dealing with a threat of tornadoes throughout the overnight and into the early morning hours. Now, the threat's much lower than what it was on Wednesday, but we still have the capability of doing exactly that. Most of the tornado reports fell yesterday across the lower Mississippi Valley, again, holding onto that threat as we progress over the next few days. And notice, 49 reports and counting as of now, 26 reports of wind and 6 reports of hail all across the Southeast and the lower Mississippi Valley.
That tornado threat, again, much lower, but still holding onto the threat of strong storms here in the upcoming hours, specifically along the Florida panhandle, as we get these special marine warnings. That's what you're seeing, the orange box, just indicating that we have a stronger storm moving onto shore.
The strong storm threat then pushes eastward from Florida on up into the Carolinas here, within the next 24 hours, which gives you that threat of isolated tornadoes, damaging winds and isolated areas of hail as well.
On top of it we then, of course, deal with the flooding threat from Knoxville to Mobile you'll see areas highlighted in Yellow. That's where you're most vulnerable for that flooding threat, where we are already saturated. We are expected to pick another one to two, possibly three inches of rain just within the next 24 hours.
Lake Charles, on Wednesday, actually broke a daily record, picking up almost 2.5 inches, 2.48 to be exact. And on the winter side of things, it's now pushing into the mid-Atlantic and on up into New England.
Ice storm warnings now in effect for parts of the Appalachians and you'll see that area highlighted in what's the fuchsia color and these areas that can pick up nearly a half an inch of ice in just the next two days, that's crippling, widespread power outages, travel, just impossible and as for snowfall totals, we can expect that on up into New England, areas highlighted in pink, picking up over 24 inches.
John?
VAUSE: Britley, thank you. It's a kind of a horrible situation there for so many people, we (inaudible).
RIX: Very much so.
VAUSE: Well, it's been 10 years now since the lone gunman armed with a military-style rifle opened fire on young school children in the first grade, 20 were murdered. Their wounds so grave their coffins were closed at their funerals. Their parents were unable to identify their bodies by site. Six adults were also gunned down that day. Now a decade on, survivors and parents continue to push for gun control without much success.
CNN's Brian Todd our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Barack Obama called it a, quote, "Visceral blow, the darkest day of his presidency." The former president, in a statement, relaying what he calls the sorrow and anger he felt 10 years ago on Wednesday when 20 children between the ages of 6 and 7 and six adults were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School. On that day Mr. Obama couldn't contain his anguish.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They had their entire lives ahead of them, birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own.
(END VIDE CLIP)
TODD (voice-over): Obama now says the closest he came to being cynical about America.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Was the utter failure of Congress to respond in the immediate aftermath of the Sandy Hook shootings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD (voice-over): In the days immediately following the shooting, many believed Sandy Hook would surely be the catalyst for tighter gun laws, but Congress failed to pass a proposed assault weapons ban or a bipartisan measure for expanded background checks. A decade later, the shooting in Uvalde, Texas, this past spring, 19 students and two teachers killed in their classrooms.
A survivor of Sandy Hook, who's now only 17 and has been fighting for gun control in recent years, tells CNN Uvalde felt personal. CYRENA AROKIUM, SANDY HOOK SHOOTING SURVIVOR: It really affected me, because I felt like I failed. And just to know that like something so similar happened again is very tiring.
TODD (voice-over): Uvalde, another instance when a shaken president pleaded for an end to inaction.
[01:50:02]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: When in God's name we do what we all know, in our gut, needs to be done?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD (voice-over): In the wake of Uvalde, Congress did pass some of the most significant gun control legislation in decades, providing incentives for states to enact red flag laws, which allow for guns to be denied to people perceived to be threats to themselves or others.
Imposing enhanced background checks for gun buyers between the ages of 18 and 21.
Barring people convicted of domestic violence against partners from buying guns and providing new mental health resources.
But many, including President Biden, see that as just a tiny step. Why has so little been done in the decade since Sandy Hook?
SEUNG MIN KIM, ASSOCIATED PRESS WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: You have Republicans and Democrats very divided over what kind of gun restrictions are acceptable. And for a broad swath of Republicans, no restrictions are acceptable. They see it as an infringement on their Second Amendment rights.
TODD (voice-over): For the parent of one Sandy Hook victim, a decade of frustration on top of oppressive grief.
NICOLE HOCKLEY; MOTHER OF SANDY HOOK VICTIM DYLAN HOCKLEY: I don't know how much more our country can take and why we keep going through that same cycle over and over again of thoughts and prayers and lack of action.
TODD: What does the future of gun control look like in the United States? Analysts say with control of the House about to switch from Democrat to Republican, any significant legislation on the national level is unlikely. They say President Biden could take some executive actions of his own, but at this point, his options in that regard are extremely limited.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:51:40] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:53:12]
VAUSE: When Elon Musk took over Twitter he promised general amnesty for thousands of banned users, allowing far right extremists, white supremacists, spreaders of misinformation back onto the platform.
But an account which tracks his private jet, forget that that's going too far.
CNN's Doni O'Sullivan reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JACK SWEENEY; STUDENT AT UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA: I'm Jack Sweeney and I'm a student at the University of Central Florida and I'm 20.
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And now he's the radar of the world's richest man.
J. SWEENEY: The data I receive is the identifier, the altitude, the latitude and longitude.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Jack Sweeney used his computer programming skills to set up Elon Jet, a Twitter bot that tracked the location of Elon Musk's private plane all using publicly available information.
O'SULLIVAN: Why did you decide to set up this account?
J. SWEENEY: I was a fan Elon, you know, he does some pretty cool stuff with SpaceX and Twitter. And it gives you just another view that a lot of people don't know about, about where that person's going and might give you clues of to what new business is going on.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): The account racked up more than half a million followers, but Musk wasn't too happy. And Jack says last year the billionaire asked him to shut Elon Jet down.
J. SWEENEY: I was about to go to sleep, and I was in a normal college dorm last (inaudible). And I remember telling my roommate, "Hey, Elon Musk just direct messaged me."
O'SULLIVAN: And what did the message say?
J. SWEENEY: It said, "Can you take this down? It's a security risk."
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): A screenshot of the messages, Jack says, are from Musk, showed the billionaire was curious, even impressed with Jack's coding skills, asking him, "How are you able to track using a bot?"
J. SWEENEY: I didn't really feel like taking it down because it meant a lot to me and still does.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): According to the messages, Elon said, "I don't love the idea of being shot by a nutcase." And then offered Jack $5,000 to shut the account down.
J. SWEENEY: Then I basically asked for $50,000 or a Tesla and he said, "Thinking about it."
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Musk didn't take him up on the offer. Fast- forward to this November.
[01:55:04]
O'SULLIVAN: Soon after Elon bought Twitter, he tweeted, "My commitment to free speech extends even to not banning the account following my plane, even though that is a direct personal safety risk."
Now, he tweeted that about a month ago. Clearly, he doesn't feel that way anymore.
J. SWEENEY: Yes, it's the complete opposite of what he said.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): On Wednesday morning Jack woke up to news that his Elon Jet account had been suspended from Twitter and in the afternoon, Twitter shut down his personal account.
J. SWEENEY: I literally had just talked about how the account was like the canary in the coal mine. It just shows that he can continue to do what the last people did at Twitter, and they can bend the rules in however which way they want for whoever they want.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Elon might have his billions, but Jack has at least one powerful ally in his corner.
PHYLLIS SWEENEY, JACK SWEENEY'S GRANDMOTHER: Hello, again.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): His grandmother, Phyllis.
O'SULLIVAN: What do you think of your grandson going up against the world's richest man?
P. SWEENEY: Well, I don't know. It's, to me, because I'm a grandma, kind of scary.
O'SULLIVAN: You got a genius on your hands there?
P. SWEENEY: Oh my gosh, even when he was two, he was a genius. He was always interested in going in the garage and if anything was broke he was there to fix it, put it together and he could figure it out.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Despite shutting down his accounts, Jack says he still admires Musk.
O'SULLIVAN: If Elon said, hey, come work for me at Tesla or Twitter, would you take the job?
J. SWEENEY: Oh, yes, for sure.
O'SULLIVAN: If Elon Musk is watching this, what's your message to him?
P. SWEENEY: Oh, he better not forget that I'm his grandma. That's what I got to say.
O'SULLIVAN: Donie O'Sullivan, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Five grand, huh?
Well, the final three episodes of "Harry & Meghan" docuseries will begin streaming on Netflix in just a few hours. The first three episodes were the most-watched documentary to debut ever on the streaming service and they focused on how the couple met and how their relationship developed. But the new episodes seem to reveal what they endured once married, including their relationship with the U.K. press.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEGHAN, DUTCHESS OF SUSSEX: You would just see it play out like a story about someone in the family would pop up for a minute and they go, I got to make that go away. But there's real estate on a website homepage, there is real estate on a newspaper front cover, and something has to be filled in there about someone royal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: In one trailer for the series, Meghan said she felt like she was fed to the wolves, not left to the wolves but fed to them. Members of the Royal family have not commented on the series so far, but we are eagerly awaiting something.
I'm John Vause. Please stay with us, 100 percent more me in the next hour after the break. See you soon.
[01:57:35]
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