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Russia Claims Big Increase In Ukrainian Military Losses; Missing Americans Found, Two Of Them Dead; Six Palestinian Killed, Including Shooting Suspect. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired March 08, 2023 - 00:00   ET

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


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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, the long and bloody fight for Bakhmut, a meat grinder for Russian troops, a defined stand for Ukrainian defenders. But is this ruin city have any real strategic value?

The push by U.S. Republicans to designate drug cartels in Mexico terrorist organizations, paving the way for unilateral military action, what is also known as an act of war.

And five women suing the state of Texas alleging a near total ban on abortions meant they were denied potentially lifesaving care.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: We begin this hour in Ukraine where Russian forces continue to be sent in wave after wave to try and overwhelm Ukrainian defenders in the city of Bakhmut.

The World War I style Russian tactics is why this battle has been described as a meat grinder as more Russia advances have come with a staggering loss of life. And while many have questioned the strategic value of what is left to this city, both sides have doubled down on their commitment to control it.

This video posted on social media appears to show Ukrainian combat vehicle coming under fire from fighters with the Russian Wagner mercenary group.

Elsewhere, Ukrainian forces have been able to hold their defensive lines. This video appears to show Russian soldiers in retreat from the city's outskirts.

Russia claims to have captured settlements around Bakhmut and the Russian defense minister says the victory here will open the wake of further advances in eastern Ukraine.

There is no doubt this battle has become a symbolic one but one of a strategic value. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with CNN about the decision to continue defending this city.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): This is tactical for us. We understand that after Bakhmut, they could go further. They could go to Kramatorsk to Sloviansk. It will be an open road for the Russians after Bakhmut to other towns in Ukraine in the Donetsk direction in the east of Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Zelenskyy also reacted to disturbing video released on social media showing an unarmed Ukrainian soldier being executed. He says the video shows Russia's attitude towards prisoners of war, saying they do not have any laws, nor do they respect anything.

CNN's Melissa Bell has more details now but we have a warning, some viewers may find the images you are about to see disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Glory to Ukraine were his last words. Timofficia Jura (PH) was his name, his courage and his silhouette made iconic overnight by his brutal execution. An officer from his brigade telling CNN that his death will not go unpunished.

ANATOLII YAVORSKI, PRESS OFFICER, 30TH BRIGADE ARMED FORCES OF UKRAINE (through translator): Ukrainian society is very pained by the barbaric attitude of our enemies. And revenge is inevitable. The armed forces of Ukraine will avenge the death of our comrade.

BELL: The faith of Bakhmut still in the balance with dozens more attacks to the north of the besieged city and heavy losses to the Russian side say Ukrainian authorities.

But efforts to encircle Bakhmut praised by the Russian defense minister after an unusual trip to his soldiers in the occupied territories of Ukraine.

SERGEI SHOIGU, RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): This city is an important defense hub for Ukrainian troops in Donbas. Taking it under control will allow further offensive actions deep into the defense of the armed forces of Ukraine.

BELL: The town also at the heart of a tussle between the Russian army and Wagner, the mercenary group planting its flag closer to the center of Bakhmut.

Much of the fighting now street to street, soldier to soldier as civilians cower in their basements fewer than 4,000 now say Ukrainian authorities, including 38 children.

The ferocity of the artillery and mortar fire that continue to pound the city, making it hard even for soldiers to get out.

And as Moscow closes in, more claims of so-called Ukrainian terrorist activity with staunch Moscow ally Alexander Lukashenko announcing the capture of a Ukrainian Russian national accused of trying to sabotage a Russian surveillance plane at a Minsk airfield without presenting further evidence.

ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO, BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We identified and detained him. To date, more than 20 accomplices who are on the territory of Belarus have been detained.

[00:05:07]

BELL: Only last week, Moscow accused Ukrainian saboteurs of opening fire on civilians inside Russia.

But even as the war of words widens, all eyes are very much on Bakhmut and whether the symbol of Ukrainian resilience will finally fall, even as a new one is born.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Professor Matthew Schmidt is the Director of International Affairs at the University of New Haven. He is an expert on defense and intelligence, Russia, Ukraine and U.S. foreign policy. Welcome back from Kyiv, glad you're with us.

MATTHEW SCHMIDT, DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAVEN (on camera): My pleasure. Thank you.

VAUSE: OK, so on this question is Bakhmut worth the blood being spilled? We just heard from the president of Ukraine, he said that if the city falls, it could open the way for the Russians to go to Kramatorsk, to Sloviansk, and open the road, he said to other towns in the Donetsk direction in the east of Ukraine.

Yet, for the most part, the fall of any city would leave the way open to other cities, I guess. But the U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told reporters on Monday that the Ukrainians could reposition to the west of Bakhmut to terrain that was defensible and he added this.

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GEN. LLOYD AUSTIN, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I would not view that as a -- as an operational or strategic setback, I think it's more of a symbolic value than it is strategic and operational value.

So, the fall of Bakhmut won't necessarily mean that the Russians or have changed the tide -- the tide of this fight. I mean, I think it will continue to be contested.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So, why is this being talked about solely in terms of either stand your ground or do a full withdrawal or full retreat? This is not a binary choice, there are other options here.

SCHMIDT: Well, first of all, I think you have to give respect to the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. If our president would have said that a given point on the map is of strategic importance, we wouldn't be questioning it that much.

So, I think that Zelenskyy must have a point because he's Zelenskyy. The question is, where does he get that point from, right?

Is Bakhmut strategically important because of where it is on the map, right? Or is -- or is General Austin correct about that, which is that -- which is to say that if you lose Bakhmut, there are fallback positions where you can still defend from, right?

The reason it's symbolically important, I think, clearly, it is, or is it important for a third reason, which is that it's essentially become a trap to kill Russians in to get Russians to expend ammunition in and to lose, you know, vehicles and other material in.

So that whatever happens with the color of the map in a few days, the Russians will have lost far more than Ukrainians will and that is what makes it strategically important.

VAUSE: OK, so with that in mind, after recent visit to Bakhmut, Michael Kofman, a U.S. based defense analyst, he posted on Twitter, the defense of Bakhmut achieved a great deal expanding Russian manpower and ammunition. But strategies can reach points of diminishing returns.

And given Ukraine is trying to husband resources for an offensive, it could impede the success of a more important operation.

According to Kofman, Ukrainian forces as starting to see heavy losses in Bakhmut on par with the Russians. So, could both sides be putting their overall war goals, you know, in doubt here?

SCHMIDT: Well, it's always the possibility that both sides are wrong, that both sides are sort of being driven by, you know, emotions, right, and not by kind of rational reasons in this -- in this position.

But I think what you have to recognize is, is that Ukraine is gearing up, it's getting ready for this counter offensive, they're waiting for these battalion sized units to come back into the country after, you know, getting Western training.

And if they can hold on in Bakhmut and if they can continue to drain Russian resources there, these are great places to bring those new units into. They're great places to start that counter offensive from.

VAUSE: I want you to listen to the Russian defense minister on Ukrainian military losses, which according to the U.S. agency, he claims are up 40 percent just last month, here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHOIGU (through translator): Western countries are intensifying the supply of armory and military hardware to Ukraine. They are expanding training programs for Ukrainian army personnel.

However, NATO support of the Kyiv regime does not translate into success for Ukraine on the battlefield. On the contrary, we observe an increase in the losses of the Ukrainian armed forces.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So, a couple of things here. The last few months for the Ukrainians have been mostly, as you mentioned, about holding ground against this, you know, Russian spring offensive.

But apart from Bakhmut, where else are the Russian forces making any serious effort to try and move forward? Is there anywhere?

SCHMIDT: I mean, the short answer is they're not. They're continuing to sort of engage in localized movement in Kherson, and that's about it.

So, you know, that really raises the question of what's going on behind those lines. It brings up the question we've been looking at for months now, which is the capacity of Russian officers to plan offensive operations at all, and the morale of Russian soldiers to execute on those offensive operations. And it's not at all clear that they're able to do either.

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VAUSE: And just very quickly, so once those new weapons arrived and the new newly trained troops are back in country, is it shutting off to be a possible route of the -- of the Russians by the Ukrainians?

SCHMIDT: I wouldn't call it a route. The Russians have too much mass, right, too many men, too much material to be routed.

But the turning point in this war into the next phase of this war is the ability of Ukrainian armed forces to engage in combined arms maneuver, that is to say, to fight like NATO fights, to fight like the West fights. The fight from a position of having superior tactics, and then superior operational planning at the operational and the strategic level in order to make the exploits with fewer men, and with fewer weapons, but better trained men, right? And better weapons to achieve those operational outcomes that they're trying for, right? They're going to fight Russia in a different way than they've been fighting the whole war.

So, if that training sticks, and if they're able to bring it to bear on the battlefield, the Russians will have seen nothing like it before.

VAUSE: We'll wait and see what happens. Matthew Schmidt, thanks so much. Good to see you.

SCHMIDT: All right, you too.

VAUSE: Be sure to see Wolf's exclusive interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It will air Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 10:00 a.m. Thursday in Hong Kong. You will see it only here on CNN.

Two of the four Americans kidnapped in Mexico are now back in Texas recovering in hospital. The other two were found dead on Tuesday.

Authorities say the victims were found in a wooden house in the city of Matamoros where the kidnappings took place Friday. They apparently been moved numerous times to try and confuse law enforcement.

One man is now in custody accused of doing surveillance on the victims. But officials have not said if he's tied to the criminal group. More now from CNN's Rosa Flores.

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ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Two of four missing Americans are back in the United States and receiving medical treatment in Texas after being kidnapped in Mexico after what a U.S. official tells CNN was a case of mistaken identity.

Two members of the party were found dead and one of the survivors is severely injured with a bullet wound to his leg according to U.S. and Mexican officials.

In the party of four, Latavia Washington McGee and Eric Williams survived, Zindell Brown and Shaeed Woodard were killed.

NED PRICE, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: We're providing all appropriate assistance to them and their families. We extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased.

FLORES: They crossed the border from Brownsville, Texas into Matamoros, Mexico on Friday for McKee to obtain a medical procedure according to a friend of McGee's.

They drove a wide minivan with North Carolina plates across the border and got lost while trying to locate the medical clinic where they were headed, the friend told CNN.

Before they were able to locate the clinic, disturbing video shows the aftermath of the kidnapping as heavily armed men loaded them into a white truck and transported them to various locations to evade capture according to Mexican officials.

The Mexican president says those responsible will be found and punished. A U.S. official familiar with the investigation told CNN they believe a Mexican cartel kidnapped the group after mistaking them for Haitian drug smugglers.

The State Department has issued its highest level four warning do not travel to Tamaulipas state where the group was abducted due to heavy crime and kidnapping in the region.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are many people who cross over that border for these medical appointments.

JOHN KIRBY, PRESS SECRETARY, PENTAGON: Attacks on U.S. citizens are unacceptable, no matter where or under what circumstances they occur.

FLORES: McGee and Williams are now under the care of the FBI and U.S. officials are making arrangements to bring home the bodies of Brown and Woodard.

PRICE: We want to see accountability for the violence that has been inflicted on these Americans.

FLORES (on camera): The building that you see behind me, that's where we believe that the Americans are receiving medical treatment. The hospital has not issued a statement with the patient's condition.

Now the FBI for its part, saying that this is an ongoing criminal investigation and that it is working with federal law enforcement partners, both here in the United States and in Mexico to get to the bottom of who did this.

Now, the FBI also say that they are working to recover the victims, the deceased victims from Mexico back to the United States so that they can reunite them with their families.

Rosa Flores, CNN, Brownsville, Texas.

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VAUSE: Well, for more on this, Vanda Felbab-Brown is a senior fellow at the Center for Security Strategy and Technology at the Brookings Institute. Welcome to the -- to the program.

VANDA FELBAB-BROWN, SENIOR FELLOW, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION (on camera): Thank you.

VAUSE: So here's how the White House has been dealing with drug cartels in Mexico and the growing threat they face to the U.S.

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KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: In the past few months, President Biden signed an executive order giving the Department of Treasury expanded authorities to penalize cartel organizations and those who control or enable them.

And we have imposed powerful new sanctions against cartel organizations in recent weeks. We remain committed to applying the full weight of our efforts and resources to counter them.

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VAUSE: How does that translate into the real world? What does that actually mean? How effective are those sanctions been?

FELBAB-BROWN: Well, drug trafficking organizations face a panoply of U.S. law enforcement actions, which entails very significant efforts to go after the finances. This is nothing new.

The difficulty has been that cooperation with the Government of Mexico has become really eviscerated during the administration of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. And we have really seen close to a halt in meaningful security cooperation.

VAUSE: Well, with that in mind, conservatives in the United States, they want to take a much harder approach to say the least. Headliner at FoxNews.com seems to sum it up, U.S. must declare war against Mexican drug cartels, says an ex-U.S. Marshal. And Senator Lindsey Graham, he's ready for battle. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I'm going to introduce legislation, Jesse to make certain Mexican drug cartels, foreign terrorist organizations under U.S. law and set the stage to use military force if necessary, to protect America from being poisoned by things coming out of Mexico.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Wouldn't that sort of unilateral military action effectively be kind of a declaration of war on Mexico, especially given the president of Mexico has already warned U.S. not to go down that road?

FELBAB-BROWN: Well, it would. And I really do not see that this would help accomplish the necessary objective to be protecting the American people from the fentanyl poisoning.

It is not that the cartels live in a forest or in the desert, in the camp. They are not terrorist groups like the Taliban or Al-Shabaab. They live among the people, they controlled territories, institutions, people and economy, but they live in urban spaces.

It is absolutely necessary that the United States demands far better cooperation from Mexico and insist on it. And I think there are tools that could be employed. But neither designating the drug trafficking groups as foreign terrorist organizations, or using military force will advance U.S. objectives.

VAUSE: Well, this idea for military action comes from Bill Barr, the Attorney General during the Trump administration, here's some what he had to say, listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL BARR, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I think we have to deal with this group like we dealt with ISIS, we have to use every tool. We have to use economic, we have to use intelligence assets, military assets and law enforcement. And we have to methodically dismantle these groups, and we have to tell the Mexicans, they're either coming along with us for the ride, or step aside, we're going to do it by ourselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Given that some of these organizations, these cartels sort of acting like Narco terrorists in similar ways to Islamic terrorists in the way they essentially terrorize a population, I guess, in Mexico. Does Bill Barr have a point? Up to the bit about starting a war with Mexico, that there should be sort of a much tougher approach here, a much -- a new way of looking at this. And maybe this is sort of something to think about at least to consider up until the war bid.

FELBAB-BROWN: Well, the Trump administration did consider designating the cartels as foreign terrorist groups and backed away from it, and so did the Obama administration, because both administration realized that this would deeply poison the diplomatic relationship, but also it would really not generate any significant new authorities beyond the use of military force, which implies getting into hostile military relationship with our vital neighbor, a country that is potentially closest to U.S. strategic interests than any other.

Again, I do believe that it is necessary to demand far better cooperation from the Mexican government. And one possibility is to really intensify inspection at the U.S. border giving -- given that we really no longer can trust the Mexican government of seriously taking actions against the drug trafficking groups inside Mexico.

And this is terrible for both the United States and U.S. citizens. But it's also really terrible for the people in Mexico that suffered the repression and increasing power of the cartels.

VAUSE: Vanda Felbab-Brown, thank you so much for being with us. We really appreciate your insights. Thank you.

Still out here on CNN NEWSROOM, protesting for a pension. The pushback continues across France on the Macron government's plans to raise the retirement age.

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Also, protests in Tbilisi, police fire water cannons, and tear gas at demonstrators opposed to a new law, which they say is eerily similar to one in Russia used to curtail basic freedoms.

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VAUSE: Disruptions to rail service in France expected to continue for the coming hours, a knock on effect from Tuesday's mass industrial action.

More than a million people took part in nationwide protests over the government's plans to raise the retirement age.

(INAUDIBLE) workers left thousands without electricity, schools were disrupted, so too airports, trains and fuel deliveries. Workers at some oil refineries will continue booking shipments until the end of the week.

The government says pension reform is necessary to rein in a funding deficit. But it comes at a time when living costs are rising. And critics say there are other options apart from increasing the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Violent protests have erupted in Georgia after parliament approved a draft bill requiring some groups to register as foreign agents.

Police used water cannons, tear gas and stun grenades to clear thousands of people in gather in opposition of the bill. It would force groups like charities and news organizations to register with the government if more than 20 percent of their funding comes from overseas.

Protesters compare the law to one in Russia which uses -- which is used rather to stifle the freedom of press and expression.

Georgia's president says she supports the protesters and would veto the measure.

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SALOME ZOURABICHVILI, GEORGIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I'm standing here in New York and behind me is the Statue of Liberty. This is a symbol for which Georgia has always fought and for which we have come to this day. I'm with you because today you represent free Georgia.

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VAUSE: The bill still has to clear some legislative hurdles but appears to have broad support among lawmakers and critics say the ruling party can override the presidential veto.

Israel has carried out a military raid in a crowded West Bank refugee camp targeting a suspect in the shooting death of two Israeli settlers. That man was killed along with five others and Israeli official says soldiers surrounded the suspect's house in Jenin came on to fire, responded with shoulder fired missiles.

The Palestinian authority calls the use of missiles an act of war. More now from Elliott Gotkine reporting in from Tel Aviv.

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ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST (on camera): Israeli security forces carried out daytime raids in both Nablus and Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday.

In Jenin, the IDF says it was after a 49-year-old man described as a Hamas terrorist operative and a man that they say was responsible for killing two Israeli settler brothers in the Palestinian village of Huwara on February the 26th.

The IDF says that the suspect barricaded himself inside his residence and that they fired shoulder fired missiles at the residence resulting in his death. A gun battle ensued they say in which five more Palestinians were killed according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. All of them men in their 20s. At the same time, three IDF soldiers suffered injuries, none of them life threatening.

[00:25:22]

In Nablus meanwhile, the IDF says that they made two arrests. Both of them are sons of the aforementioned Hamas operative, whom they accused of helping plan and to carry out the attack, the killing of those two Israeli brothers.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu subsequently putting out a statement saying that whoever harms us will pay the price. And Hamas also admitting that the 49-year-old man was indeed a member of its organization, and that he was indeed responsible for killing those two Israeli brothers.

Now, we often talk about daytime raids by the Israeli security forces being quite rare. But given that this is the third one, at least so far this year, they seem to be becoming increasingly common.

Elliott Gotkine, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: China's annual rubber stamp assembly is underway in Beijing. This is where journalists (INAUDIBLE) questions, do some independent reporting even though it's all under state control. We'll have a look inside when we come back.

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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

The White House is working to reduce tension with Beijing insisting the U.S. does not seek conflict.

On Tuesday, the Chinese foreign minister said conflict and confrontation were inevitable unless the U.S. hits the brakes and stops trying to contain China.

Similar remarks were made behind closed door on Monday by President Xi Jinping. The foreign minister went on to say that Taiwan represents a red line that must not be crossed. Chinese communist party claims to self-governing island is part of its territory just like never actually controlling it, refuses to rule out the use of force to reunify Taiwan with the mainland.

During an exclusive interview with CNN, the U.S. Ambassador to Japan and former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, addressed the increasing hostile dialogue, and as China turn it down.

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RAHM EMANUEL, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: China is going to have to realize if you want to be a respected which is what they want, leader of the world, you have to actually respect the people you're interlocking with.

You cannot constantly have one to -- one hammer. That is they have had a confrontation or near confrontation with multiple countries in the region consistently.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: China's bellicose remarks came on the sidelines of the National People's Congress.

CNN's Selina Wang reports now on what it's like to cover what is a huge political event. And ultimately, the ultimate messaging in -- in message control, I should say.

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SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thousands of government delegates across China are gathering for the biggest annual political meeting known as the Two Sessions. It's the first since China abandoned its zero-COVID policy.

But reporters covering the event are still stuck in a COVID bubble, required to stay overnight at a quarantine hotel and get an on-site PCR test.

WANG: We just left the quarantine hotel. We're now headed to the venue. Everything is highly controlled.

WANG (voice-over): The foreign media bus gets dropped off at Tiananmen Square.

WANG: It is very rare for journalists to get access to this. As you can see, though, there's heavy security. There are guards everywhere.

Normally, the Two Sessions is the rare chance for media to get up and close to China's top leadership.

Right here on the steps of the Great Hall of the People. This is normally where you will see media trying to doorstop the top leadership. But as you can see, this year, we, the media, were completely separate from the rest of the leaders.

WANG (voice-over): The Two Sessions is a carefully choreographed event. The new government shakeups that the rubberstamp parliament will vote on have one unifying goal: to strengthen Xi Jinping and the ruling Communist Party's power.

And the COVID restrictions are the perfect tool for Beijing to control the message.

WANG: So media has to apply to get access to specific events. We're not granted approval to all of them. And this is the media area inside the Great Hall of the People. As you can see, it's pretty empty, so it's clearly not an issue of capacity.

WANG (voice-over): Some of the events during the weeklong meeting allow select reporter questions, including Xinjiang's first press conference as China's new foreign minister.

He said that conflict with the U.S. is inevitable, if Washington does not change course. Qin jiang called Washington's approach a reckless gamble; accused the U.S. of creating a crisis over Taiwan; defended China's partnership with Russia as imperative; and said it has not supplied weapons to Russia or Ukraine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See you at the Two Sessions.

WANG (voice-over): Meanwhile, Chinese state media is portraying the legislative meeting as an open event where journalists can freely operate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sri Lanka.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm from Luke (ph) News. It's an amazing country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The assemblies also offer journalists opportunity to put questions to the Chinese premier and ministers.

WANG (voice-over): But under these controls, spontaneous run-ins with top leaders, like the premier and ministers, are out of reach.

But after today's meeting ended, we had a few minutes to approach some delegates, which are a curated group of local representatives. This delegate is part of its Zhuang ethnic minority from the southwestern Guangxi province. She says this is her first time attending the Congress, and she feels happy to see her motherland becoming stronger.

The rest of the delegates quickly rush out before we have a chance to approach them. The question is how much of these COVID controls will remain in post pandemic China. It limits access, even more, to China's already extremely opaque political machine.

This much is clear. The communist leadership only wants the world to see one narrative from China. That is the image of unity, strength, and victory.

Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: COVID testing restrictions on travelers from China to the U.S. are expected to be eased as soon as Friday. A source familiar with the decision says it will be rules in place since January requiring travelers from China to show a negative COVID test before entering he U.S. will be relaxed.

Those rules were in response to an uptick in cases in China. CNN has been told the U.S. since infection rates in China are down.

The U.S. state of Texas is facing a new lawsuit over its strict bans on abortion. Five women claim that the laws are putting their fertility and their lives at risk if there's a medical emergency.

CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has details.

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SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amanda and Josh Zurawski were thrilled last year to tell family and friends that, after years of trying, Amanda was finally pregnant.

Then, four months into her pregnancy, her water broke. AMANDA ZURAWSKI, TREATMENT DENIED DUE TO TEXAS LAW: You're 100

percent, for sure, going to lose your baby. We just kept asking isn't there anything we can do? Isn't there anything we can do? And the answer was no.

SERFATY (voice-over): But doctors in Texas said they couldn't do an abortion. Amanda became septic, needed a blood transfusion. Her family flew in, because they feared she would die.

Amanda lost her baby, but survived and is now the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit filed Monday in a Texas court against the state and a Texas medical board.

NANCY NORTHUP, PRESIDENT AND CEO, CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS: Because abortion is a crime in Texas, punishable by up to 99 years in prison. What the law is forcing physicians to do is away these very real threats of criminal prosecution against the health and well-being of their patients.

[00:35:08]

SERFATY (voice-over): Amanda and four other Texas women and two doctors are asking the court to clarify that abortions can be performed when a physician makes a good faith judgment and that the pregnant person has a physical emergent medical condition the poses a risk of death or a risk to their health, including their fertility.

JESSIE HILL, PROFESSOR OF LAW, CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY: It's particularly unusual for people to be willing to bring these lawsuits in their own names and not to use a pseudonym, and to really share these personal details about their lives.

SERFATY (voice-over): Another new front: a battle between Walgreens and California Governor Gavin Newsom. Last month attorneys general from 21 states that have passed anti-abortion wrote to Walgreens about sending abortion pills through the mail.

Walgreens says they won't distribute abortion medication in those states, saying in this letter to the Kansas attorney general that "Walgreens does not intend to ship mifepristone into your state."

Newsom countered with a tweet: "California won't be doing business with Walgreens or any companies that cowers to the extremists and puts women's lives at risk."

He didn't specify what business his state has with the drugstore chain.

Mifepristone is also used in miscarriages.

HILL: Not to stock this medication in particular states really is most likely to harm those patients who would benefit from being able to use the medication for miscarriage, where it's perfectly legal.

SERFATY (voice-over): Back in Texas, Zurawski mourns the loss of her daughter, her ashes in this necklace. ZURAWSKI: I needed an abortion to protect my life and protect the

lives of my future babies that I dream and hope I still have some day.

SERFATY (voice-over): Because of the scarring in her uterus from the infection, she may not be able to have more children. She's starting fertility treatments in the hope of one day having the baby she and her husband have dreamed of.

SERFATY: And CNN has reached out to all the defendants in this Texas case. A spokesperson for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he, quote, "is committed" to doing everything in his power to protect mothers, families, and unborn children, and he will continue to defend and enforce the laws duly enacted by the Texas legislature.

Now we have not heard back from the other defendants, the Texas medical board, and its executive director. In addition, CNN has also reached out to the Texas governor, Greg Abbott, and has not yet heard back.

Sunlen Serfaty, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Coming up on CNN, pushing through the glass ceiling -- punching through the glass ceiling in Cuba. For International Women's Day, the communist overlords in Havana allow women to put on the gloves, get in the ring, and fight it out.

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VAUSE: International Women's Day is here, a day to celebrate the achievements of women; at the same time addressing ongoing inequalities.

Around the world, many are participating in acts of solidarity.

In Morocco, dozens formed a circle, held hands at a World Women's Forum for Peace, supported by the United Nations. This year's theme is "DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality," and to highlight the growing digital gender gap.

Meantime, in Spain, the government has approved a draft bill of a gender equality law, aimed to boost the presence of women in politics, business, as well as other areas. It will impose a 40 percent minimum female representation on boards at large companies and professional associations.

And in Cuba, this International Women's Day is special for female boxers. They were recently allowed to compete in tournaments after decades of restrictions. Now many are making history by getting in the ring.

Our man in Havana is Patrick Oppmann.

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PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For years, this is how women in Cuba have boxed.

Sparring in rudimentary gyms, with whatever equipment they could scrounge.

While men's boxing is a sport the island has long dominated, women's boxing did not bear the government's stamp of approval, meaning women boxers had to train on their own and were unable to compete in tournaments at home or abroad.

It was a missed opportunity to show how formidable Cuban women can be in the ring, says trainer Namibia (ph).

"From the time we were in our mother's wombs, we are fighters," she says. "We are always fighting for something: to raise our kids, to help our families, to be independent."

Whether was sexism or simply the slow pace of progress they were up against, at long last, Cuba's female boxers are getting their title shot.

In December, Cuban boxing officials said a new league for women would be created and that they hoped female boxers could represent the island in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

"We took this step when we were sure, really convinced," he says, "that it was the moment, and we didn't have any concerns because our women would be protected."

Weeks later, 12 women made history as they competed for a spot on the team.

OPPMANN: Cuba has long produced some of the world's best male boxers, but women were prevented from taking part in the sport here. Now that that glass ceiling has finally been broken, at last the moment for Cuba's women boxers has arrived for them to shine.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Any doubts about the women's fighting abilities were quickly put to rest as they came out swinging.

These athletes know they will still need to change some minds about whether they belong in the ring, but say at long last, attitudes are shifting.

"In my case, all the comments I have received have been positive," she says, "that if I make an effort, I can achieve it, that Cuban women have the potential for this."

It took years for this moment to arrive, and while Cuba's woman boxers are only just beginning to fight, simply being in the ring means they've already won the first round.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

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VAUSE: Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause. Back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM, but first please stay with us. WORLD SPORT starts after the break. See you here in 17 minutes.

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