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Kramatorsk Hit with Missile Strikes; Ukraine Crackdowns on Anti-Corruption; U.K.'s Largest Walkout in 12 Years; Cardinal Pell's Funeral Marred with Protesters; Speaker McCarthy and President Biden Meet to Discuss Debt Ceiling; Inflation is Easing. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired February 02, 2023 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead on "CNN Newsroom," Russia's assault Ukrainian crews digging through debris, looking for survivors this hour, as a missile attack devastates a residential building in Kramatorsk. Plus --
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CHURCH: Huge walkouts across the U.K. as the cost of living rises and the pay stays the same. We'll take a look at what workers are demanding.
And Popes Francis is drawing huge crowds on his visit to Africa. We're going to have a live report on his call for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It is 10:00 in the morning in eastern Ukraine where a rescue operation is ongoing in the city of Kramatorsk after a Russian missile slammed into a residential area, killing at least three people. Eight others were wounded in the attack. And one official says at least two people may still be trapped under the rubble.
At least eight apartment buildings were damaged and one of them completely destroyed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is condemning the strike, saying his country is bordering, quote, "absolute evil."
Meantime, in nearby Bakhmut, Ukraine reports heavy fighting while pro- Russian forces claim to be close to encircling the key Ukrainian city. This, as a top Ukrainian official warns Russia is now preparing for a maximum escalation of the war within 2 to 3 months.
Ukraine's defense intelligence is offering a similar assessment saying February and March will be very active. And CNN's Scott McLean is following developments for us. He joins us now live from London. Good morning to you. So, what is the latest on this deadly attack on Kramatorsk?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rosemary. If you look at the pictures, it is pretty sobering to see. It is also pretty difficult to imagine how anyone could have survived an attack like that, given the destruction there. But officials say that they believe that there could be at least two people still trapped underneath of that rubble. And time, really here, is of the essence because it has been now more than 12 hours since this missile strike actually took place.
And so, if you imagine that there are in fact two people, hopefully alive, still under the rubble. They are very likely to be injured. They're also dealing with the gas and the smoke from the actual missile strike. And on top of that, the temperatures right now in Kramatorsk are below freezing. So, it is unlikely that someone could survive for an extended period of time in those kinds of conditions.
President Zelenskyy says that strikes like this are part of daily life in Ukraine and it certainly is familiar. It seems like we see these all the time. Last month, there was a very similar strike in Dnipro, killing more than 40 people in a direct hit on an apartment building. Apparently, the target was some kind of military facility that was across the river. It's not clear in this case whether there was a military target or what that military target in the area might have actually been.
And all of this comes just as Ukrainian officials, Rosemary, say that things are about to get worse, that the spring offensive that they've been warning about now for some time is going to be coming in the next two or three months. One official saying yesterday that the defining months of the war will take place during that time.
CHURCH: And Scott, President Zelenskyy is also focusing on getting rid of corruption in the government. How is he doing that?
MCLEAN: Yeah. So there -- this is just the latest chapter in his efforts to crack down on corruption. Not the first time this war that we've seen this kind of a crackdown. Certainly, won't be the last. He said that he's willing to fire as many top officials as is necessary in order to actually stamp out corruption in what is one of the most corrupt countries in Europe and has been for some time.
So, this latest raid includes searches of the state tax service, the dismissal of the entire management of the customs agency, and also notices of suspicion given to senior officials in the defense ministry, a raid on the head of the Kyiv tax authority, and also notices of suspicion given to the former management of two of Ukraine's largest oil company, all over tax fraud accusations.
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And it comes a day ahead of the summit held in Kyiv between Ukraine and E.U. officials. The president of European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has now arrived in Kyiv. She tweeted not long ago saying that, "It's good to be back in Kyiv. We are here together to show that the E.U. stands by Ukraine as firmly as ever and to deepen further our support and cooperation.
So, on the agenda, according to E.U. officials who held a background briefing yesterday, is obviously the reconstruction of the country, prosecuting war crimes, and of course, corruption as well. Corruption is certainly a precondition to Ukraine having any chance of actually eventually joining the European Union. It is also -- stamping out corruption is also a precondition to European financial assistance to the country as well, Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right. Scott McLean joining us live from London. Many thanks.
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny is no longer allowed to have any human contact in prison. That is according to his daughter who spoke to CNN after his transfer to an even harsher solitary confinement. She says Navalny is now permitted to use a pen and paper for only 35 minutes a day. His daughter also told CNN's Anderson Cooper the clear goal is to hurt her father.
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DASHA NAVALNAYA, DAUGHTER OF ALEXEY NAVALNY: Vladimir Putin and the Federal Penalty Service continue to practice their lawlessness. And they are slowly torturing and killing my father. Last time you and I talked, we were asking for doctors to see him because he had -- there was a big flu problem in the prison and there still is.
Since then, they deliberately infected him with the flu through intentionally placing a sick person in his cell. They prescribe my father with antibiotics, which may seem fine, but it was such a huge amount, such a high dose that he lost seven kilos, or in pounds, I think 15 or 16.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Wow.
NAVALNAYA: You and I talked two weeks ago, and losing 15 pounds in that time is incredibly concerning. They are not actually treating his flu or his back problems. And on top of his health problems, the prison wards just moved him, as you said, to another colony today. They were supposed to release him from his penalty cell. And it was his 11th term. And instead of moving him to -- they instead, they moved him to a penalty cell type facility.
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CHURCH: His lawyers say Navalny will be kept in his new solitary confinement for up to six months.
Britain has endured its biggest strikes in more than a decade, after hundreds of thousands of teachers, railway staff, and other civil servants skipped work on Wednesday causing major disruptions.
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They are angry over salaries that have not kept pace with rampant inflation. The government is so far refusing to grab big pay hikes while pushing a bill that workers call an attack on the right to strike. CNN's Nada Bashir explains.
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NADA BASHIR (voice-over): It's the biggest day of industrial action that Britain has seen in over a decade. An estimated half a million public sector workers striking across the country including teachers, transport workers, and civil servants. With thousands of schools forced to close, most train lines at a standstill, and government services severely disrupted.
(On camera): Well, here in central London, thousands of public sector workers have marched on Whitehall, the center of government, to demand better pay and better working conditions. Trade unions say the public sector is in a crisis and this has only been exacerbated by record high inflation and a deepening cost of living crisis.
(Voice-over): The strikes come amid an ongoing standoff between the government and trade unions. Despite past walkouts and increasing pressure, the National Education Union says negotiations with the government have stalled and warns that schools are now facing a recruitment and retention crisis.
MARY BOUSTED, GENERAL SECRETARY, NATIONAL EDUCATION UNIOND: That's a toxic combination of overwork and underpay. So, teachers are saying, very reluctantly, none of the people behind me wants to be on strike today. But they are saying very reluctantly that enough is enough and that things have to change.
BASHIR (voice-over): The government maintains that the door for negotiations is always open. And when it comes to the education sector, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has criticized those taking strike action.
RISHI SUNAK, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I am clear that our children's education is precious and they deserve to be in school today being taught.
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And actually, the party opposite would do well to say that the strikes are wrong and we should be backing our schoolchildren.
BASHIR (voice-over): But here in London, some students have joined the march in solidarity with their teachers.
UNKNOWN: It's as simple as staff's working conditions are our learning conditions. So, you know, when our is overworked, underpaid, stressed out, have no time off, it ruins the quality of our education.
BASHIR (voice-over): The government is now also facing protest against its controversial plans for a new law which will mandate minimum service levels in the public sector during strikes. Unions have dubbed it the anti-strike bill. While Amnesty International has described the proposal as alarming, warning it could further erode human rights in the U.K.)
UNKNOWN: What do we want?
UNKNOWN: 10 percent.
UNKNOWN: When we want it?
UNKNOWN: Now.
BASHIR (voice-over): With further strikes planned, pressure on the government is only growing. And disruptions to everyday life are set to become a more frequent occurrence for a population already grappling with a deepening financial crisis. Nada Bashir, CNN, London.
CHURCH: And last hour, I spoke with the head of public services for the Trades Union Congress, which represents nearly 50 unions and organized dozens of rallies across the U.K. And I asked about the likely impact of the government's anti-strike bill.
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KEVIN ROWAN, HEAD OF PUBLKIC SERVICES, TRADES UNION CONGRESS: I think they -- the better response to the industrial action has taken place is to recognize why that industrial action has taken place like that. So many workers are enduring a really difficult cost of living and a crisis at the moment.
Many of our public service workers have had below inflation pay rises for 15 years, every year getting worse and worse. Also (inaudible) tried to bound and silence the voices of those workers (inaudible) on the table, recognize the pressures that they're under, and negotiate a fair solution.
CHURCH: Of course, their governor said it won't do that. So, if the government refuses to give pay increases and the workers in turn continue to strike, what's the solution to that deadlock? Who blinks first in this instance?
ROWAN: Well, the only solution is a negotiated settlement. I mean, the strength of feeling from the workers yesterday and is part of the public yesterday and in previous disputes show us how serious and frustrated those workers feel about the expenses that they're currently enduring. The cost-of-living crisis is real. And, you know, they are generally desperate to try and get a better pay deal at work.
And the government can make different choices. So, the ball is very much in the government's court. They can resolve this issue quickly if they choose to, instead of trying to be, you know, the tough guy in the negotiation and trying to be the kind of hard (ph) compliment and make life difficult for trade unions, more difficult for working people.
We all want the government to come to the table with -- in good faith, trying to find a good solution. And I think the general public want them to do that.
CHURCH: And Britain's prime minister, Rishi Sunak, is condemning the teachers' strike specifically, saying children deserve to be taught. And he says teachers have already seen significant wage increases. But the unions, the teachers, too, disagree. Who is right on this issue and what are some possible ways to get teachers back into the classrooms?
ROWAN: Well, certainly teachers have endured below inflation pay rises as same as all public sector workers. Your (inaudible) the table now is 5 percent when we've got inflation and over 10 percent, as you were (inaudible) earlier. So, teachers are certainly feeling the pinch. But it's not just about teachers paying.
Funding in schools has gone down year on year. It is a fact that everybody who is a parent, has children in school, is asked by their school on a regular basis to pay for books, to pay for stationary, to pay for school trips and everything else.
So, there is a real funding crisis in our schools, which is already damaging kids' education. And that's why the teachers are striking. So, you know, there is a lot of spin around this. The reality is that the public and parents are behind the teacher strike because they all want to see a better-quality education service in our country.
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CHURCH: Our thanks to the head of public services for the Trades Union Congress, Kevin Rowan.
Well, one of the most controversial figures in the Catholic church was laid to rest on Thursday.
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The funeral mass for Cardinal George Pell was held in Sydney, Australia, where he was once archbishop.
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Pell died three weeks ago in Rome at the age of 81. While the faithful filled St. Mary's Cathedral, many of Pell's detractors protested outside. Several people were detained.
Pell became notorious in 2018 as the highest-ranking Vatican official to be convicted of child sexual abuse. Pell always denied the accusations against him. He spent 13 months in prison before his conviction was overturned in 2020.
And CNN's Anna Coren is covering this for us. She joins us live from Hong Kong. Good to see you, Anna. So, some high-profile politicians chose not to attend Cardinal Pell's funeral. What's the latest on this, and of course, the protests held outside the cathedral?
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Rosemary. The Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was a noticeable absentee from this funeral. You can put it down to public opinion or his personal views. But, you know, Cardinal Pell is an incredibly polarizing figure. There are people who admire him, who respect him, and then there are others who revile and hate him.
The reason for that is they believed he covered up systemic child sex abuse within the Australian Catholic Church. There were many people packed inside St. Mary's cathedral, about 1,000 mourners outside watching the mass on a big screen. And then across the road, separated by the police, were hundreds of protesters. They marched past the cathedral carrying a rainbow LGBTQI and they were shouting slogans like, go to hell, George Pell. Let's have a listen to one of those protesters.
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UNKNOWN: I think there's nothing to celebrate about the life of a man like George Pell. He is known his whole life for his bigotry, his covering up of behind (ph) in the Catholic Church. I think it's important that we come here today to protest because we don't stand for that and we won't let people just celebrate him (inaudible).
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COREN: Now, Cardinal Pell, Rosemary, rose through the ranks of the Catholic Church very quickly. He was archbishop of Melbourne then Sydney. He became a cardinal, and then he went to Rome and was number three at the Vatican as the Vatican's treasurer.
That all came to an abrupt end in 2017 when he returned to Australia to face child sex abuse charges. He was accused of molesting two choirboys back in the 1990s. Now, a jury found him guilty in 2018. He spent 13 months in jail. The high court of Australia, they quashed that conviction.
But I should add that while his supporters think he was exonerated for his crimes, there was a royal commission in Australia into institutional responses to child sex abuse. And it found that Pell knew there were pedophile priests operating inside the Catholic Church back, you know, in the 1970s. And that he failed to act, Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Anna Coren joining us live from Hong Kong.
A pair of Iranian social media influencers have each been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison after posting a video online last year. The couple shared this video of them dancing at night, Tehran's freedom tower in the background. The woman is notably not wearing a head scarf.
Authorities charged them with, quote, "spreading corruption and vice," as well as attempting to disrupt national security, according to an activist human rights group. A news agency affiliated with Iran's court says they were given a five-year prison term.
Still to come, the FBI searches Joe Biden's Delaware beach south, looking for classified documents. We'll tell you what they found. Plus, the U.S. Federal Reserve announces another interest rate hike. The Central Bank says the war on inflation is not done yet. Also ahead, an outpouring of grief at the funeral for Tyre Nichols, whose violent death at the hands of Memphis police shocked the nation.
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CHURCH: And emotional farewell in Memphis, Tennessee on Wednesday for 29-year-old Tyre Nichols. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris was among the mourners attending the funeral.
Nichols died last month following a violent encounter with Memphis police. Five former officers now face murder charges. One of the city's main bridges was lit up as a tribute to Nichols.
We get the latest now from CNN 's Nick Valencia.
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NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The funeral for Tyre Nichols was as much a celebration of his life as it was a call for action and justice. Among the notable names in attendance included the vice president as well as other senior level officials in the Biden administration.
Reverend Al Sharpton reprised a painfully familiar role, giving the eulogy for Tyre Nichols. And there are others whose black family members have been killed at the hands of police. Those who did speak took the time to underscore the importance of the passage of the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act. They also said the legacy of Tyre Nichols will be used as a symbol for justice in America.
ROWVAUGHN WELLS, TYRE NICHOLS' MOTHER: Tyre was a beautiful person. And for this to happen to him, it's just unimaginable. I promise you the only thing that's keeping me going is the fact that I really truly believe my son was sent here on an assignment from God.
KEYANA DIXON, TYRE NICHOLS' SISTER: When those monsters murdered my baby brother, they left me completely heartbroken.
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: And as vice president of the United States, we demand that congress passed the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act. Joe Biden will sign it.
AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Why do we want to see the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act passed? Because then you have to think twice before you beat Tyre Nichols. You think twice before you shoot at someone unarmed. You think twice before you chokehold Eric Garner. You'd think twice before you put your knee on Eric Garner's -- on George Floyd's neck.
BEN CRUMP, ATTORNEY FOR TYRE NICHOLS' FAMILY: And every time you kill while it's on video, we're going to say the legacy of Tyre Nichols is that we have equal justice swiftly, swiftly, swiftly.
VELENCIA: At a press conference after the funeral, Reverend Sharpton took the time to echo the importance for police reform legislation, saying it was not the end of the funeral but the beginning of a movement around legislation reform.
Meanwhile, the district attorney's investigation into the Tyre Nichols stop is ongoing. They tell me that they are now looking into the potential of charges for filing a false police report, saying the initial police report released by the Memphis police department was at odds with what we all saw happen in the videos released last week.
Nick Valencia, CNN, Atlanta.
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CHURCH: There's no tangible progress in talks over raising the U.S. debt limit, but top House Republican Kevin McCarthy sounded hopeful he and President Joe Biden could reach an agreement long before the deadline that would trickle a default, possibly as soon as June.
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The two spoke at the White House Wednesday for the first time since McCarthy became House Speaker. Republicans have said they will only agree to lift the debt ceiling if there are spending cuts. But the White House has said it won't negotiate on the burrowing cap and that preventing a default is a shared duty.
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REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): I thought the meeting today was a good first start. That doesn't mean that it all comes to fruition. But walking out, I can see that it could come together. I was very hopeful from the meeting. It was better than I thought just like anything else.
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CHURCH: The consequences of the default would be dire, a recession, widespread layoffs, markets crashing, interest rates spiking, and a halt in retirement and healthcare benefits would all be possible.
Well, the FBI has wrapped up a surge of President Biden's Delaware beach house, but they did not find any documents with classified markings. That is according to Mr. Biden's attorney. He says the search was planned and carried out in cooperation with the president's lawyers. Mr. Biden has repeatedly insisted that he did nothing wrong in handling classified material, a claim echoed by the White House.
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UNKNOWN: Just to be very clear, has the FBI conducted any searches of any other locations associated with the president that you or the White House is aware of?
IAN SAMS, WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL'S OFFICE: Look, I think for providing information as this goes on and answering questions about the search activities as they've been happening. I don't want to speak to much the DOJ's practices in an ongoing investigation.
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CHURCH: The FBI searched the Penn Biden Center in Washington in November after Biden attorneys found classified materials there. Agents found a small number of documents with classified documents at Mr. Biden's home in Wilmington, Delaware, last month.
Attorneys for Hunter Biden are calling for criminal investigation into a computer repair shop owner and several Republican political figures. They say private and personal information about the president's son has been exploited and weaponized.
Biden's lawyers are not saying how Rudy Giuliani, Steve Bannon, and others came into possession of the information, but is reported to have come from Biden's laptop. In a 2021 interview, Hunter Biden said he did not remember dropping off his computer for repair.
U.S. Financial markets are loving the latest move from the Federal Reserve.
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CHURCH: The fed raised interest rates by a quarter of a point on Wednesday, acknowledging that inflation in the U.S. is easing. The Dow gained ground, finishing the day basically flat. The Nasdaq surged 2%, and the S&P 500 closed more than 1 percent higher. The interest rate hike is the smallest from the fed in months. But policy makers are warning of more increases ahead.
More now from CNN's Matt Egan.
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MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: The fed's war on inflation is not over, but strategy is shifting. This 25-basis point interest rate increase from the fed is a smallest since last March, when the fight against inflation began. The fed is still trying to slow the economy down to cool off inflation.
But it's gone from slamming the brakes to just tapping the brakes. And that is an important shift, because it lowers the risk that the fed ends up causing an accident, either in financial markets or the real economy, or both. And the fed is changing its tune on inflation a bit.
The fed statement acknowledged that inflation has eased. And during the press conference, fed chair, Jerome Powell, he declared that the dis-inflationary process has begun. He also sort of shrug off the January boom in financial markets, even though soaring stock prices actually makes the job of the fed to get inflation down that much harder.
Now, markets seem to like what Powell had to say with stocks rallying during the press conference. But I would note that Powell did not mince words when it comes to inflation. He says that it's, quote, "very premature to declare victory or think that we've really got this." And listen to the clip from Powell. JEROME POWELL, U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIR: It's very difficult to manage the risk of doing too little and finding out in six or 12 months that we actually were close but then get the job done, and inflation springs back, and we have to go back in. And now, you really do worry about expectations getting on anchor and that kind of thing. This is a very difficult risk to manage.
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EGAN: Powell went on to say he's really not that worried about the fed going too far, because the fed has tools to deal with that.
At the end of the day, the Fed sounds more encouraged about the inflation situation and they are slowing the pace of rate hikes. The fed is not done here, but it does feel as though we are much closer to the end of this rate hiking campaign than the beginning.
I'm Matt Egan, CNN, at the Federal Reserve.
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CHURCH: Still to come, you are looking at live pictures where Pope Francis is visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo, and then he will hit to South Sudan. We will have a live report from the region, next.
Also ahead, Pakistan's economy is in free fall. Nationwide power outages and soaring inflation are taking a severe toll on daily life and business. We will have a live report from Islamabad. Back in just a moment.
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COATES: Pope Francis is on day three of his visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo where right now he is meeting with the youth of the country in Kinshasa. Looking at live pictures. This is just a moment ago, as a matter of fact.
The landmark trip is the first visit by a pope since 1985 and comes as the nation grapples with violence and refugee crisis. More than a million people attended mass with him in the country's capital Wednesday where the pope urged those involved in the fighting to lay down their arms.
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POPE FRANCIS, HEAD OF CATHOLIC CHURCH, BISHOP OF ROME AND SOVEREIN OF THE VATICAN CITY STATE (through translator): And may it be a good time for all of you in this country who call yourselves Christians but engaged in violence. The Lord is telling you, lay down your arms, embrace mercy.
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CHURCH: Later, the pontiff met with victims of violence and empathize with them, saying, your tears are my tears, your pain is my pain. And CNN's Larry Madowo is live in Nairobi, Kenya. He joins us now. So, Larry, how important is this visit for Pope Francis and what has he accomplished so far?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, I think this visit is critical for Pope Francis to make after having initially being canceled last July because of his knee problems, because only the pope can speak to the moral and economic scandal, that is Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the world's mineral-rich countries and yet one of the poorest, because of the cycle of poverty and corruption and violence that has (INAUDIBLE) for decades.
And that's why, for instance, he can't make the trip to the east, in (INAUDIBLE) and other parts of the region, because of this current ongoing fighting between government forces and the (INAUDIBLE) rebels.
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MADOWO: But he has not minced his words, speaking directly to the leadership of the Democratic Republic of Congo, to the diplomats there, to the regular people, talking about the poison of grief that fuels the cycle of violence. He has not been afraid to call out what needs to be called out while being compassionate.
When he met with those people, the victims of the violence in the east, he was their religious leader, their spiritual leader, talking about how he was at lost for words. I want to play a section for you of what he said after that meeting last evening.
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POPE FRANCIS (through translator): Yet it is, above all, a war unleashed by an insatiable greed for raw materials and money that fuels a weaponized economy and requires insatiability and corruption. What a scandal and what hypocrisy as people are being raped and killed while the commerce that causes this violence and death continues to flourish.
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MADOWO: The pope is walking this fine line but walking it beautifully between compassion and criticism, making sure that he can be kind and empathetic, but also calling out the people who are responsible for the cycle of violence that ordinary Congolese can't do.
I think that's why it's important, especially in a country like the DRD, where more than half the population is Catholic. His credibility, his moral standing here is unimpeachable, and he has not wasted it, Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right, Larry Madowo joining us live from Nairobi, many thanks.
Joining me now is Matthew Bunson, the executive editor of EWTN News, a global Catholic network. Appreciate you being with us.
MATTHEW BUNSON, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, EWTN NEWS: Good to be with you.
CHURCH: So, Pope Francis sent a blunt message to the world to stop choking Africa as he began his visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo where more than a million people attended his mass in Kinshasa on the second day of his trip. The pope also condemned what he called the poison of greed. So, what is he specifically referring to and is the world listening to that message?
BUNSON: This is his fifth trip to Africa. He has visited 10 countries in all. Certainly, this trip is included, the Congo and also South Sudan. One of the hearts of his message is, hands off Africa, as he put it. The idea of Africa being viewed, especially by the west, by what he calls ideological colonists, is nothing more than a mine to be stripped and a fertile territory to be plundered.
He is very concerned about the impact of strip mining, devastation of natural resources and impact that is having, on poverty in the country and the lack of development there.
So, he's trying to highlight, I think, those concerns in Africa and at the same time also calling for peace in Africa and what has been a bitterly and war-torn country in the Congo.
CHURCH: So, what does Pope Francis hope to achieve on his sixth day trip to the DRC and South Sudan, two nations where Catholics make up about half of the population and where there is an abundance of natural resources and yet a high level of poverty?
BUNSON: That's right. It is that very high level of poverty in the midst of the abundance of natural resources that Pope Francis is really trying to point the world, to understand the importance of dignity to human person in these countries.
But he's also calling for peace. We have seen the devastation of civil war in Congo. We've seen a similar strife in South Sudan. He spent some time, for example, listening to the harrowing stories of the victims of violence and bloodshed and rape and murder in whole parts of Congo, especially in the eastern regions. So, I think he's trying to push for peace in the country, unity in the country that has, I think, about 250 dialects, different languages.
But above all, I think he's very concerned about the interference in the development of Congo and its ultimate prosperity or lack of it as a result of direct interference by, certainly, western economic interest and those who seek to make trouble in the country from surrounding countries as well as those who seek religious strife in the country as well.
CHURCH: And Pope Francis has referred to countries across Africa as forgotten places. And that's exactly why he has returned there many times, to shine a light on the multitude of challenges there. So, what has he achieved on past visits that gives him hope that he can make some sort of progress this time around?
[03:39:54] BUNSON: Yeah, we saw his visit to the Central African Republic a few
years back where he very dramatically opened the doors of the cathedral there in its capital and bringing the attention of the world to the plight of poverty, the plight, again, of those stripped natural resources. He had a similar message in Madagascar and Mozambique where abundance of resources, again, are being plundered.
In terms of the results, we can see in different places such as Central African Republic and elsewhere in Africa some success in shining that light, but also really bringing a memory for the people there to have hope that, yes, it is possible to have a reconciliation, it is possible to have peace starting with what Pope Francis calls within those countries the importance of forgiveness. That peace and reconciliation, that certainly the people of Congo desperately want.
CHURCH: And, of course, that message of the poison of greed from the pope is also pointed to leaders there in Africa. Do you believe that that message was received loud and clear and that anything will be done as a consequence?
BUNSON: Yeah, I think that is one of the tougher aspects that Pope Francis always faces when he goes to different countries that are facing political strife, social strife, and economic strife. Is he being heard by the authorities there? I think his message to them is very similar to the one that he's giving to the rest the world, hands off Africa, work for the good of your people, work for the common good, which is an important aspect to Catholic social teaching, and respect the dignity of those who are called to serve.
CHURCH: Matthew Bunson, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.
BUNSON: Good to be with you.
CHURCH: And still to come, the U.S. says its defense commitment to the Philippines is ironclad. The two countries are deepening their military cooperation concern over China's growing influence in the Pacific region. We'll have a live report on their defense pact.
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CHURCH: A delegation from the International Monetary Fund is in Pakistan right now as soaring inflation and the impact of climate change have left the country's economy in free fall.
CNN's Sophia Saifi is in Islamabad. She joins us now live. So, Sophia, how desperate is the economic situation in Pakistan and what will the IMF likely do in terms of a bailout?
SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: Rosemary, 3.75 billion USD left in Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves. That's only enough for about three weeks of imports. It's a very dire cost of living crisis here. We went down in the streets of Islamabad and spoke to a few people, tradesmen, greengrocers, just regular customers. This is what they had to say about the situation.
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IMRAN ULLAH YOUSAFZAI, BAKER (through translator): You look at everything, flower, gas cylinders, electricity, the rates of everything have shot up. Because of that, our earnings have come down. It has become very difficult to keep surviving like this.
SYED JAMSHED BUKHARI, DRIVER (through translator): Since onions became expensive, I stopped buying them. I've let them. But this is not just stopping at onions. Anything we buy to eat, if we buy one kilo, we buy a quarter of that now. This is the story of every home, not just mine. It is so hard to survive right now.
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SAIFI: I mean, this is a situation, these are people who aren't being affected just by the economic crisis. Pakistan is going through a chaotic political crisis. There is the threat of militancy. We have the IMF team coming in. And we've spoken to analysts and they said that, yes, you know, Pakistan's most recent finance minister, Ishaq Dar, has made certain policy decisions, for example, which have led to a lot of record breaking.
Pakistan's currency, the Pakistani rupee, has fallen dramatically against the U.S. dollar, the worst in about 25 years. Separately, fuel prices have risen dramatically.
Sure, an IMF situation can improve Pakistan's current scenario, but in the long term, we're being told that this is a situation which has been caused by different policy decisions by varying governments over decades. And it is not something that's going to change overnight, the structural changes that a strong government needs to make to ensure that Pakistan's future economically is secure. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Sophia Saifi, many thanks for that live report.
North Korea is lashing out again over the joint military drills by South Korea and the United States, saying the Americans are going to ignite an all-out showdown.
According to state media, the North Korean foreign ministry claims the United States reckless in confrontational maneuvers have created an extreme red line situation on the Korean Peninsula. The warning comes a day after the U.S. defense secretary and South Korean defense minister pledged to expand and bolster this year's combined military exercises.
The U.S. will get access to four more military bases in the Philippines, part of an effort to increase cooperation between the two nations. The announcement came as the U.S. defense chief visited Manila, where he met with the country's president and foreign secretary.
CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now live from Seoul. So, Paula, what more are you learning about this increased cooperation between the U.S. and the Philippines?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, the Philippines has effectively given the U.S. Military more access to some of its bases. Now, we heard in a press conference with the two secretaries of defense, Austin saying that it's part of the efforts to strengthen the alliance, pointing at China and naming China as continuing to push its illegitimate claims in the region.
Now, we have seen China's ambitions in the South China Sea. It certainly concerning many of those in the region who are close by the Philippines in particular.
So, what we're seeing today is part of a deal which is called the EDCA, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. It was signed back in 2014. What it does, it allows U.S. troops to rotate in and out of particular bases, there were five that had been agreed on, and they can build infrastructure for both countries to use.
So, they've added for extra to that this Thursday. Now, crucially, what we don't know at this point is where exactly those bases are. If they are, for example, along the northern part of the northern Philippine island of Luzon, for example, that's just about 200 miles or 320 kilometers south of Taiwan. That would be strategically important for the United States.
But what it also does is it does give the strategic footing for the U.S. Military on the southeast edge of the South China Sea. So certainly, it's being built within this press conference as strengthening the alliance as something that is significant. And Austin did point out that the U.S. isn't looking for any kind of permanent basing of troops within this. This will give them a chance to be able to boost when they need to.
Now, what they specifically said was it will also allow for more rapid support for humanitarian and also climate-related disasters in the Philippines, but it will allow them to respond to other shared challenges.
So, this is widely as a nod to what is happening within the South China Sea and also with Taiwan, with tensions with China, and this is likely to anger Beijing because much of this disputed waterway is what China claims as its own. Rosemary?
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CHURCH: All right, Paula Hancocks joining us live from Seoul, many thanks.
Israeli warplanes bomb central Gaza early Thursday morning. Palestinian news agency warfare (ph) reports F-16 warplanes launched at least five missiles, causing a fire and damage to nearby homes.
The Israel defense forces said in a tweet, the strike is in response to a rocket launch from Gaza. The IDF claims its fighter jets struck a chemical and weapons manufacturing site belonging to Hamas. This comes as the U.S. is calling for a de-escalation of violence in the region. And still the come, thousands of polka dots spotted at Louis Vuitton shops and other stores around the world. But don't adjust your television. It's all part of the brand's latest ad campaign. The details, next.
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CHURCH: Larger than life mannequins, robots, and a smattering of polka dots. It's all part of a new collaboration between luxury brand Louis Vuitton and a world-famous Japanese artist.
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout has more on the campaign that has shoppers seeing spots.
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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a world where people are bombarded by ads on TV, social media, and billboards, a building decorated in polka dots by a world-renowned artist is hard to ignore.
PRIYANKA BAGOLA, TOURIST: I stopped by and it did -- it did catch my eye, you know. And -- and I usually, like, you know, I was just admiring the buildings and stuff, but when I looked at that, I was, like, that's very interesting.
LU STOUT (voice-over): The flagship store of luxury brand Louis Vuitton in Paris giving a fresh coat of whimsy as part of its collaboration with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. It's part of a promotion for a new collection from the French label featuring Kusama's signature polka dots on its bags, shoes, clothing, and other accessories.
Kusama is considered to be one of the world's most famous contemporary artists, sometimes called the "princess of polka dots." And at 93, she has been creating art for decades, from sculpture, the painting, and even infinity rooms.
This is her second collaboration with Louis Vuitton. The first, more than a decade ago when she explained a constant theme in her work, eternity.
YAYOI KUSAMA, JAPANESE ARTIST (through translator): I believe the moon is a polka dot, the sun is a polka dot, and the universe is polka dots.
LU STOUT (voice-over): What's also universal is the eye-catching marketing campaign. Harrods in London has caught the bug, along with Tokyo, which is one of many stores featuring a lifelike robot of the artist. New Nork's Fifth Avenue, a photo stop for visitors captivated by the colorful splotches.
HOLLY PHELEN, TOURIST: I think it's great marketing, and I think -- I think it just changes the brand for Louis. You know, it brings it to a different level.
LU STOUT (voice-over): The collection is a hit with some celebrities, but polka dots aren't for everyone. One loyal Louis fan says she is sticking with the tried and true.
THAIS FERRAZ, TOURIST: I admire and I love this collab, but, actually, I love so much the classic model of the brand.
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LU STOUT (voice-over): New look or old, it's a cheery way to brighten up a city block and perhaps channel some of Kusama's vibe to try to keep a classic brand timeless.
Kristie Lu Stout, CNN.
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CHURCH: A rare Kobe Bryant jersey from the late NBA star's Seoul (ph) MVP season is going up for auction. Sotheby says the jersey is valued between $5 and $7 million. It's the only one Bryant wore during the 2008 playoffs when he led the Los Angeles Lakers to the finals for the first time since Shaquille O'Neal was traded. Along with the jersey, the winning bidder will also receive a collection of photos, artwork, books, and more.
And take a look at this. Here are some of this year's nominees to the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." Among them, Kate Bush, whose songs lit up the airwaves in the 1980s.
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CHURCH: Remember that? And this is the fourth time the British singer has been nominated.
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CHURCH: First time nominees include Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Cindy Lauper, Missy Elliott, and the late George Michael. In all, 14 artists and bands have been nominated for induction this year. Fans can vote for their favorites until April 28th, and the finalist will be announced in May.
And sticking with rock and roll icons, the "Crazy Train" has finally stopped after five decades.
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CHURCH: Heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne announced he is retiring from touring. According to the 74-year-old, a series of health setbacks, including a spinal injury, COVID, and Parkinson's disease is the reason for his retirement. However, Osbourne says his singing voice is fine. So, he's looking for ways to perform without traveling. And thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourself a wonderful day. "CNN Newsroom" continue with Bianca Nobilo, next.
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