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Prince Harry Discusses Rift with Family Ahead of Book Release; Nurses Set to Strike at NYC's Mount Sinai and Montefiore Hospitals; Virginia Teacher Shot by 6-Year Old; Global Demonstrations Support Iranian Protesters; Ukraine Denies Russia's Claims It Killed Hundreds of Soldiers; Travel Resumes Between Hong Kong and China. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired January 09, 2023 - 04:30   ET

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

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KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL HISTORIAN: So, I think overall historians of the future are going to be looking back on this moment when Harry tears back the curtain on the Royal family and really says this is when the Royal family had to change and it's going to, I think create a big dip in their popularity.

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: I think most people would concur that as society modernizes, the Royal family probably needs to change, but historians will obviously also scrutinize the source and possible bias that they might possess -- and as everybody does when they're writing their own story. And Prince Harry has said that he wants this to form part of the historic record.

There are some contradictions here, even in the way Prince Harry refers to how Royal commentators and Royal experts work. I've worked alongside a lot of them. From my experience that's not broadly true of everybody. And also, his desire for telling his own story. But then he is telling a lot of other people's stories in this book as well. Even talking about what how Prince William felt when their mother died.

WILLIAMS: Yes, he talks about how Prince William felt that they -- he and Prince William felt that she hadn't really gone. William was convinced that she was going to come back, that she perhaps gone off for a little break. Which is so heartbreaking to think of these two little boys saying to themselves that, you know, she's just gone off for a little break and she's going to see us again. So, he is telling a lot of people's stories.

And I think also there is the contrast between -- he says how much he supports the monarchy, how much he loves the monarchy, and yet he is talking very clearly about all the many, many problems within it. And I think his principle, as he said, you know, honesty isn't burning bridges. I'm just being honest. And I think he feels the relationship is so damaged that he might -- he must speak out as well.

But certainly, there's been a huge amount of criticism of Prince Harry, and I think there will be more so when the book comes out for telling his truth. But I don't think that this is the last of it. I think there are other interviews obviously to come. And also, I think, we may see more material being said, more words being said as time goes on because Harry's spoken a lot. There's clearly a lot of material I think he hasn't talked about yet.

NOBILO: That remains unsaid. I wish we had more time. Kate Williams, thank you so much for joining us. I'm sure as we gear up toward the coronation as well, we'll be having more of these discussions.

WILLIAMS: Thanks.

NOBILO: A nursing strike seems imminent as some of New York's biggest hospitals will look at the state of negotiations.

Plus, the latest on the condition of a Virginia elementary school teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old child. That story and much more after the break.

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NOBILO: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Bianca Nobilo. And if you're just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories this hour.

In a few hours' time U.S. President Joe Biden will attend a North American Leader Summit where he is expected to discuss the growing migrant crisis at the U.S./Mexico border. The meeting comes a day after Mr. Biden visited El Paso, Texas, where he met with border agents and visited a shelter.

And officials in Brazil have arrested more than 400 supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro after they attacked the nation's Congress over election results. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is vowing to punish those involved in the violence.

And nurses with New York State Nurses Association looks set to strike in a little under 30 minutes after negotiations with Montefiore Hospital broke down. The Mount Sinai Health System tweeted hours ago that union leadership walked out of talks early this morning, setting off a potential strike at Mount Sinai Hospital as well. And according to Mount Sinai, the union refused to accept a more than 19 percent salary increase. The president of the nurses' union says money isn't their primary concern.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY HAGANS, New York State nurses Association president: Our number one issue is the crisis of staffing. Chronic understaffing that harms patient care. Safe staffing is about having enough nurses to deliver safe care. Quality care to every patient. It is the issue that our employers have ignored.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: If the nurses at both Mount Sinai and Montefiore go on strike, more than 7,000 nurses could be on the picket line. Police in Newport News, Virginia says that an elementary school

teacher who was shot by a child is now in stable condition. Authorities have not identified her but her alma mater, James Madison University, says that her name is Abby Zwerner. She was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after being shot by a 6-year-old on Friday, a crime that has shaken the community.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILIP JONES, NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA MAYOR: There's a lot of questions that we have to answer as a community. One, how a 6-year-old was able to have a gun, to know how to use it in such a deliberate manner. But I do know that right now because it remains an investigation, we're going to let itself sort of work out before we rush to judgment at this time. But I can tell you that the individuals responsible will be held accountable, I can promise that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: The school is closed today and Tuesday. Police took the child into custody and have released few details, but they do say that the shooting was not accidental.

About 3,000 people marched through London on Sunday to show support for protesters in Iran. This as international outrage gross over Tehran's bloody crackdown on dissent. The Iranian government reportedly executed two protesters on Saturday who were alleged to have killed a member of the security forces. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh joins me now live from Istanbul. Jomana, what more do we know about these executions? And also, other than solidarity, what is the impact that the global outrage and protests of support are having?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Bianco, for weeks now we have been hearing from activists saying and warning that we will be seeing a wave of executions of people who have been arrested, protesters, and those linked to the protests as the Iranian regime appears to be using the death penalty to try to spread fear and try and crush descent and try and suppress these ongoing protests. And this appears to be happening.

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The world woke up to the news of the execution of these two young men on Saturday morning, the third and fourth protesters who have been executed over the past month. Now the Iranian regime accused 21-year- old Mohammad Mehdi Karami, a Kurdish/Iranian karate champion and Mohammad Hosseini, a young man who volunteered and coached children for free, of killing a member of the Basij paramilitary force, during a protest near Tehran back in November.

But human rights organizations including Amnesty International say they did not get a fair trial. Amnesty describing their trial as an unfair sham group trial which bore no resemblance to judicial proceedings. The United Nations saying it was forced confessions that were used to convict them. Their families and lawyers saying they were tortured while in custody. And a lot of concern for many others who are behind bars who are

facing the risk of execution right now who have gone through what activists are describing as these sham trials. And, Bianca, there is a lot of outrage around the world, and we are seeing this as you mentioned.

But activists are saying that is not enough. These statements of condemnation, the symbolic sanctions issued by Western countries, they say that is not enough, that they must act urgently in a unified way to put pressure on the Iranian regime to try and stop these executions, to try and save those who are now on death row -- Bianca.

NOBILO: Jomana Karadsheh live in Istanbul. Thank you.

Dozens of captured Russian and Ukrainian soldiers are now headed home after a prisoner exchange on Sunday. That story and the latest from the front line ahead in a live report.

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NOBILO: Welcome back. Adam Rich, a former child actor who rose to fame in the 1970s has died. He was best known for playing Nicholas Bradford in the TV drama "Eight is Enough."

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Rich later appeared in other shows and movies until his final TV credit in 1993. In 2021 he was also featured in the CNN documentary series, "The History of Sitcom." Adam Rich passed away Saturday at his home in Los Angeles and he was 54 years old.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is praising the resistance of two eastern cities despite their near total destruction. In his nightly address Sunday Mr. Zelenskyy said that Bakhmut and Soledar were holding out against Russian attacks despite being among, quote, the bloodiest places on the front line.

Also, on Sunday Ukraine and Russia exchanged 100 prisoners of war, 50 from each side. This is the 36th such swap.

Meantime Ukraine is dismissed Moscow's claims that a Russian strike killed hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers in Kramatorsk. A CNN team saw no indication of massive casualties in the area. And now CNN correspondent Nina dos Santos joins me with more. Nina, this seems like it could be obvious rhetorical if not actual retaliation for the Ukrainian strike on Makiivka, which claimed many Russian soldiers lives. But there are reasons to be suspicious about the Russian account.

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, not the least because the number's very large. So, they originally claimed that 600 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed after two buildings that they said that they were using as barracks had been hit. But actually, if you go to the site, which a number of independent journalists have done as well as Reuters news agency, la Repubblica, an Italian very well respected daily newspaper and indeed CNN also is in Kramatorsk. It doesn't appear as though there's any evidence of a few things. One,

large numbers of Ukrainians soldiers actually having used these buildings as barracks. Two, there appears to be no civilian casualties or military casualties from the Ukrainian side from this hit. And the craters of where these rockets have landed aren't actually hitting buildings. They're outside of buildings. So, they appear to have missed these targets, and indeed it's very unclear as to whether or not these targets had large numbers of Ukrainian soldiers inhabiting them at the time.

Now so the question is obviously, why would Russia do this? Well, it could be a propaganda play. Largely because the incident that you're referring to, Bianca, in Makiivka which happened on New Year's Day, Russia has now admitted that 89 of its conscripts, not soldiers -- professional soldiers -- conscripts here, which in itself is a very sensitive issue for Russians in general because originally this was is supposed to be a special military operation that would not have needed conscripts, 89 of them at least we now know, Russia admits have lost their lives.

Originally Russia's military blamed them for having exposed their position by supposedly using their cell or mobile phones. Ukraine has dismissed that as fanciful. But we have to point out there's been disinformation perhaps or confusion on either side. Originally Ukraine said that that attack in Makiivka has killed 400 Russian soldiers. Russia only admits to 89 there. so, we're talking about large numbers on either side, and again, a very confused picture with some of these claims now having been debunked by independent media, as I just mentioned, make its way to these dangerous sites.

NOBILO: Nina dos Santos, thank you so much.

The U.S. Coast Guard says it's repatriated 270 migrants to Cuba after stopping them at sea last week. According to officials, the migrants were rescued from overloaded boats off the Florida coast as they attempted to enter the United States. They were given food, water, and shelter before being sent back to Cuba on Sunday. The Coast Guard says it has now intercepted nearly 4,800 Cubans since October 1st.

And Taiwan says more than a dozen Chinese aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and into its air defensive identification zone on Sunday. That marks the highest daily number since the start of the year, and this comes as China announced it was conducting new military drills around Taiwan that same day.

Just ahead, with COVID restrictions falling. People are on the move in China. We'll show you how crossings between Hong Kong and the mainland are now ramping up when we get back.

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NOBILO: In central China, protests have erupted after workers were laid off from a factory that produces test kits for COVID antigens. Workers say they were told to go on holiday early amid a decrease for the demand in kits because China is ending its zero-COVID policy. According to social media posts, about 10,000 people were either unpaid or not paid in full. Some demonstrators clashed with police as they took to the streets to vent their frustrations.

But for travelers in China, the dismantling of zero-COVID has created opportunities that they haven't enjoyed for years. Kristie Lu Stout shows how people again are on the move.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bianca, I'm at Lok Ma Chau station located Hong Kong's new territories right across the border from Shenzhen, a mainland Chinese tech megacity and this train station just reopened after three years. In fact, it reopened on Sunday, previously was closed since February of 2020.

And all day today we've been witnessing just a stream of passengers and travelers come through. A quarantine is no longer required, but a number of pandemic measures are in place including the mask mandate, including proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test that's required of all travelers coming from mainland China into Hong Kong and vice versa.

Now this is a gradual reopening. Only up to 60,000 travelers are allowed to travel from Hong Kong to mainland China, from mainland China to Hong Kong from seven check points including this one. But the demand has been absolutely massive. In fact, as of Sunday evening, over 440,000 people here in Hong Kong registered online for a chance to make the journey. And earlier today, we've been speaking to some of them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I'm really very happening about the reopening.

[04:55:00]

I'm going to Shenzhen first and then we'll fly to Chongqing for a few days. I feel like we are going back to pre-COVID times three years ago. I will be much happier and life will turn out for the better.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We are going home. We'll see grandpa and grandma. Very happy.

STOUT: And with the resumption across border travel between Hong Kong and the mainland, hopes are high for a reboot for the Hong Kong economy, which has been battered so hard after three years of isolation. But according to the chairman of the Hong Kong tourism board, it may take one or two years before tourism goes back to pre- pandemic levels. Bianca, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Kristie Lu Stout for us there.

The NFL's regular season has come to an end, and the playoff picture is now set. But the Green Bay Packers won't be a part of it. Facing the Detroit Lions in Green Bay, the Packers control their own fate. If they win, they're in. But the Lions hung around all game getting two rushing touchdowns from Jamaal Williams. And Detroit eliminates Packer's 20-16. Green Bay's losses mean that the Seattle Seahawks get the find wild-card spot in the NFC.

As for the top seed in the NFC, that goes to the Philadelphia Eagles who bilked the visiting New York Giants, 22-16 on Sunday. Philly welcomed the return of quarterback Jalen Hurts who missed the last two games due to an injury. But the star for the Eagles was kicker Jake Elliott who made five field goals.

And the end of the regular season was also the end of the line for Lovie Smith who was fired Sunday as head coach of the Houston Texans. It came just hours after his team defeated the Colts in Indianapolis, 32-31. Tight game. Houston won a dismal three games in Smith's only season on the job.

And that does it here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Bianca Nobilo in London. "EARLY START" is up next.

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