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Xi Jinping Vows to Make China's Army a 'Great Wall of Steel'; Ukraine: Russia Continues to Try to Capture Bakhmut; U.S. Government Moves to Restore Confidence in Banking System; Flagship Football Show Scaled Back Amid Lineker Suspension; Cyclone Freddy Hits Mozambique a Second Time; Michelle Yeoh Makes History with Best Actress Win; How U.K. Police Failed to Stop Serial Rapist Within Force; A.I. Remakes the 'Girl with a Pearl Earring'. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired March 13, 2023 - 00:00   ET

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

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome. Coming to you live from Studio 4 at the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company.

[00:00:33]

Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, "Everything Everywhere All at Once" won everything, all at once, at the Oscars, with actress Michelle Yeoh making history as the first woman of Asian descent to win the award for Best Actress.

China's new premier gives his first news conference as the National People's Congress concludes. We're live in Beijing for you.

And in the U.S., the government is stepping in following the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, assuring depositors won't lose a penny.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Michael Holmes.

HOLMES: And we begin this hour with new details from the annual session in China's top legislature. The National People's Congress wrapped up its session just a few hours ago with the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, consolidating his grip on power.

In the first speech of his unprecedented third presidential term, m. Xi vowed to build the country's army into a, quote, "great wall of steel" and, quote, "reunite Taiwan with the motherland."

At the end of the parliamentary session, China's new premier, Li Qiang, held his first news conference since taking the post.

CNN's Steven Jiang is live in Beijing following all of this. First of all, what were the takeaways from the news conference, Steven?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Michael, that was more choreographed event than the Oscars but probably with less dramatic or exciting results, although that is still a very interesting debut by the new premier, especially for us journalists and China watchers.

Now up until very recently, Li Qiang was a rather obscure figure, obviously, mostly known to be a close ally and protegee of President Xi Jinping, and also more recently known to be the party boss of Shanghai that oversaw that city's brutal two-month lockdown during the pandemic.

But, you know, as he pointed out several times during the press conference, that he actually ran some of China's most economically- diverse advanced regions, including Shanghai, but also some of its neighboring provinces.

And actually, before the pandemic, he was known to be one of the more pragmatic and business-friendly provincial leaders. So he really highlighted that, and reassuring reporters and, indeed, the nation and the world at a time when he's now in charge of the world's second largest economy, as it faces a lot of strong headwinds, both domestically, and internationally.

But the issue here, of course, is Michael, this in today's China political -- Chinese political environment, it is a very much a one- man show. Even the premiership, the power, the influence has been greatly diminished, because all the key decision-making has been -- been concentrated in the party amongst charging thing himself.

So whether or not, you know, Li Qiang's closeness to Xi would make any difference remains to be seen.

Now Li Qiang did refer to Xi Jinping's remarks in the past week, in terms of offering more encouraging supportive words to -- to the private sector, but obviously Xi's own policies in the past few years did not point to that direction.

And if there's one thing clear out of this session of the legislators, that is Xi's overarching theme or policy of reasserting the Communist Party's control of dominance in every aspect of Chinese society, including the economy. That very much remains the same.

HOLMES: All right. We'll leave it there. Steven, thank you. Steven Jiang in Beijing for us.

Now in the coming hours, U.S. President Joe Biden will host the British and Australian leaders for a meeting of the Aukus Group, an emerging defense partnership viewed as a bid to counter China in the Pacific.

Rishi Sunak departed for San Diego on Sunday. He and Australia's Anthony Albanese are visiting the U.S. for the first time since becoming prime ministers.

Sources tell CNN that the men will announce Australia's plan to buy at least for nuclear-powered submarines from the U.S., along with development of a new class of nuclear-powered subs.

Meanwhile, North Korea used a submarine to launch two strategic cruise missiles on Sunday. That's according to state media. KCNA said the missiles were fired from waters to the East of the Korean Peninsula and flew for more than an hour before, in the words of state media, "precisely hitting a target."

[00:05:05]

North Korea's military says the drill, quote, "confirmed the reliability of the weapons system." North Korea also says it will take, quote, "the toughest counter action" as South Korea and the U.S. kick off joint military exercises on Monday.

The head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner is admitting that Ukrainian forces are fiercely fighting to keep control of the Eastern city of Bakhmut. That comment from Yevgeny Prigozhin comes as Ukraine says Russian forces are also giving up their assault on the battered city.

The Wagner chief acknowledges the battle there, now raging for months, remains difficult.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN, WAGNER GROUP LEADER (through translator): The situation in Bakhmut is tough, very tough. The enemy is still fighting for every meter, and the closer we are to the center of the city, the harder the fighting. The more the artillery is shelling at us, the more tanks appear. The Ukrainians throw in endless reserves, but we are advancing, and we will be advancing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now despite that claim, the Institute for the Study of War says there have been no confirmed advances by Russian forces in Bakhmut, though it is difficult to know exactly what is happening on the ground, of course.

One Ukrainian army commander says logistical routes in and out of the city are still functioning, meaning it's possible to transport ammunition and reinforcements.

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says his forces are inflicting heavy losses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): In less than a week, starting from March 6th, we managed to kill more than 1,100 enemy soldiers in the Bakhmut sector alone, which is Russia's irreversible loss, the loss right there, near Bakhmut.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: CNN's Melissa Bell has been following developments and has the latest for us from Kharkiv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The major Russian assault on Bakhmut continues, say Ukrainian military authorities who vow to continue fighting to try and hold the center of the besieged city.

BELL (voice-over): This as some new footage emerges from battles over the course of the weekend that really show combat that has cost both sides so very many men.

The Ukrainian authorities also speaking of fresh attacks on the city to the Northwest of Bakhmut --

BELL: -- the city of Sloviansk, which has seen both missile and rocket attacks on critical infrastructure.

This is something Ukrainian authorities had predicted might happen next. And that Sloviansk might be the next major urban target of Russian forces.

It comes even as we get fresh news from Ukrainian authorities about the fate of a young soldier who'd been seen in a chilling video that emerged last week, that showed him saying "Slava Ukraini" --

BELL (voice-over): -- "glory to Ukraine," even before he was gunned down by Russian soldiers.

Now initially, Ukrainian authorities had identified the soldier as Timofey Shadora. In fact, they now say it was a young sniper from the Chernihiv tank regiment, Olexander Matsievsky.

That's important, because we understand that Ukrainian authorities intend to make this young soldier's death something of a symbol, given the brutality with which he was executed, in complete contradiction to the normal treatment of prisoners of war.

BELL: Melissa Bell, CNN, Kharkiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Now in the U.S., the government is stepping in to restore confidence in the banking sector, following the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.

The Biden administration announced on Sunday it will extend a federal backstop to all of the failed bank's deposits, and customers will have access to their money starting Monday.

Authorities also shut down another regional bank, Signature Bank, fearing it was on the brink of collapse.

CNN's Arlette Saenz with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The Biden administration took extraordinary steps Sunday to ensure that all depositors working with Silicon Valley Bank would be made whole, guaranteed they would have access to their money starting on Monday.

SAENZ (voice-over): The announcement came in a joint statement between the Treasury Department, FDIC, and Federal Reserve, where they also revealed the closure of a second bank, Signature Bank, which is based in New York.

Officials said that the same protections being offered to depositors with Silicon Valley Bank would also be extended to that bank, as well.

It came at a time when there were many questions for depositors about whether they would have access to their money.

The FDIC only previously ensured up to $250,000 being held at the bank, and the majority of customers had more money than that in their accounts.

Ultimately, this move will ensure that all depositors will be able to access their money at a time when there were questions about how people would run their businesses, and also how they would meet payroll heading into this week.

[00:10:05]

Now federal officials worked around the clock over the weekend, trying to find some resolution to the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. One avenue that was also being pursued was trying to find a private buyer to purchase the assets of Silicon Valley Bank.

Treasury officials said that they were evaluating those bids, but ultimately decided to move quickly as they were watching the situation quickly unfold. And they wanted to offer some assurances to those customers who had been working with Silicon Valley Bank.

The treasury secretary, Janet Yellin, said earlier on Sunday that there would not be a wide-scale, large bail-out of the bank, similar to what was seen during the 2008 financial crisis.

SAENZ: Treasury officials pushed back on the idea that this was a bailout, saying that the burden will not be borne by the taxpayers and also noting that shareholders and senior management would not be protected by these new rules.

Now, ultimately, the White House and the Biden administration has tried to stress that they believe that the banking system in this country is resilient, in part due to those reforms put in place after the 2008 financial crisis.

SAENZ (voice-over): President Biden told reporters, as he was traveling back from Delaware on Sunday, that he would talk about this issue on Monday morning.

SAENZ: As his White House is trying to ensure that there are not more stresses put on the U.S. banking system and the U.S. economy, writ large.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, the White House. (END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended the search for migrants missing from an overturned boat in Southern California. At least eight people died after two smuggling boats capsized near the shore of Black's Beach. That's in San Diego County.

It's unclear how many migrants might still be missing. Local officials said the migrants were part of a human-trafficking operation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. JAMES SPITLER, U.S. COAST GUARD: This is not necessarily people trying to find a better life. This is part of a transnational criminal organization effort to smuggle people into the United States. These people are often labor-trafficked and sex-trafficked when they arrive.

JAMES GARTLAND, CHIEF OF LIFEGUARD DIVISION, SAN DIEGO FIRE-RESCUE DEPARTMENT: This is one of the worst maritime smuggling tragedies that I can think of in California, certainly here in the city of San Diego.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: The nationalities of the recovered victims is not clear. Officials said they were not wearing life jackets.

The BBC continues to face criticism from all sides, including a growing boycott of its flagship football show, "Match of the Day," as long-time presenter Gary Lineker remains suspended for criticizing a new U.K. policy on asylum seekers.

The network is now airing a scaled-back version of the popular program, while it tries to defend its impartiality and figure out its next moves. More now from WORLD SPORT's Patrick Snell.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK SNELL, WORLD SPORT ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: Well, the "Match of the Day" highlights program is a national institution that's been around for decades, and it's watched by about 60 percent of the British population. That's around 40 million people, if you take into account watching it via mobile technology.

SNELL (voice-over): Gary Lineker is the revered and highly-talented former player, the leading scorer at the Mexico 1986 World Cup, and then turning his hand very successfully indeed to broadcasting after his playing career.

But here's what else is in play here: the battle between impartiality and free speech.

This past week, the British government announcing its controversial new asylum seeker policy, with the home secretary saying, quote, "They will not stop coming here until the world knows that, if you enter Britain illegally, you will be detained and swiftly removed back to your country, if it is safe, or a safe third country such as Rwanda." In response, Lineker on Twitter: "This is just an immeasurably cruel

policy directed at the most vulnerable people, in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the '30s."

The BBC, which is Britain's public broadcaster and bound by what it calls due impartiality, saying the 62-year-old presenter breached its social media guidelines by criticizing government policy.

Lineker, seen in London on Sunday, out walking his dog, and in Leicester on Saturday, where he attended one of his former team's Premier League fixtures.

So what happens next? Well, we've seen programming disrupted, with "Match of the Day's" replacement on Saturday night airing with no presenter, no pundits, and no match commentaries.

While on Sunday, the BBC telling CNN it will continue to show football match highlights, without announcers or pundits. This after so many former players who act as pundits on the show came out in support of Lineker.

And Sunday's "Match of the Day 2" show also following the same format as Saturday's programming.

SNELL: The BBC says Lineker, who's a freelance broadcaster for the corporation, has quote, "stepped back," as they put it, from presenting until there's what it calls an "agreed and clear position" on his use of social media.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[00:15:03]

HOLMES: Cyclone Freddy has made landfall for a second time in Mozambique. The storm battering the African island nation on Sunday.

Last month, at least 27 people in Mozambique and Madagascar were killed and more than 170,000 people impacted by the cyclone.

CNN's Derek Van Dam reports on the impact this time around.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The remnants of Tropical Cyclone Freddy continues its long-lived and very dangerous rampage. This time located across Southern Malawi and into central Mozambique, creating flash flooding conditions.

This video tweeted out within the past day or so by the Malawi Red Cross, and you can see just how dangerous it has been across the region.

Freddy actually originated early February just off the coast of Indonesia, traveled across the Indian Ocean, made three separate landfalls during its lifespan, and we're talking about over a 35-day period where this storm has been named. Incredible.

Only four storms have traversed the entire Indian Ocean, Freddy being one of them.

Now, one of its strongest landfalling points was when it reached the East coast of Madagascar. That was on February 21. Wow, this is coming off a very active 2022 tropical cyclone season for Madagascar.

As it moved throughout central Madagascar back into the Mozambique Channel, it danced its way and made another landfall in Southern Mozambique, edged its way closer to Madagascar once again, and then curved right back towards central and Northern Mozambique.

And that's where we find it now. It made another landfall on March 11, with winds of 150 kilometers per hour.

And to put this into perspective, Mozambique only receives two to three storms of winds of 120 kilometers per hour or more per decade. And it did it at least once, with the first landfall actually being slightly weaker than that, but nonetheless, we still got that landfall and tropical cyclone with an excess of 120 kilometers per hour.

Rain has been impressive there. They're accumulated over 100 millimeters in some instances, and unfortunately, there is more wet weather in store. That means landslides and mudslides will be possible across the mountainous regions of Malawi.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Our thanks to Derek Van Dam.

The 95th annual Academy Awards are now in the books. Stay right here on CNN. We'll have live reports detailing all the big winners when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: "Everything Everywhere All at Once" dominated the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday night, winning in seven categories out of 11 total nominations.

The science-fiction adventure film won for Best Film. Its star, Michelle Yeoh, made history, becoming the first Asian woman to win Best Actress.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins me now from Hong Kong with more. It was the year's most nominated film, and it was, in fact, a banner year for Asian actors and filmmakers overall, wasn't it?

[00:20:11]

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT/ANCHOR: And Michael, it has also been confirmed that Michelle Yeoh is an unstoppable force.

HOLMES: Yes.

STOUT: She has become the first Asian woman, the first Malaysian-born performer, to win Best Actress at the Academy Awards. And this year at the Academy Awards, they had its highest number of Asian nominees ever.

And you had the sci-fi surreal epic movie starring Michelle Yeoh, "Everything Everywhere All at Once," leading the pack with 11 nominations. In the end, it took home seven Oscar statuettes, including awards for Best Picture of the Year.

There was that incredible acceptance speech that we heard from Michelle Yeoh, who has proven that she is a superpower, especially to women of a certain age. Let's bring up exactly what she said when she accepted her award, her historic award for Best Actress.

She said this, quote: "For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof dreams come true. And ladies, don't let anyone ever tell you that you are ever past your prime," unquote.

Michelle Yeoh has a career that spans four decades. She was born in Malaysia. She spent many years here in Hong Kong before heading to Hollywood.

Look, she starred opposite Jackie Chan in 1992 in "Supercop," proving that she is a very capable actress and martial artist. In 1997, she was arguably the strongest Bond woman out there when she starred opposite Pierce Brosnan in "Tomorrow Never Dies."

She became an international icon a few years later with "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" by Ang Lee, which also was an Oscar winner, and went on to star in many other huge movies.

You know, you had "Memoirs of a Geisha," "Crazy Rich Asians," "Shang- Chi," her entering the Marvel cinematic universe, and now, winning Best Actress at the Academy Awards for her role as Evelyn Wang in "Everything Everywhere All at Once."

But we also have to shine the spotlight on her costar, Ke Huy Quan, who won Best Supporting Actor. He was well-known as a beloved child actor. Of course, he starred in "The Goonies" and "Indiana Jones."

And then he played a more behind-the-roles scene [SIC], doing stunt choreography, assistant directing. But he has won the Best Supporting Actor Award.

His back story is absolutely riveting. He was born in Saigon. He had moved to Los Angeles in 1979. But after he fled Vietnam, he spent time here in Hong Kong as a refugee, and he cited that experience in his acceptance speech. Let's bring it up for you.

This is what he said. Ke Huy Quan, Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actor, he said this, quote: "My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp. They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I cannot believe this is happening to me. This is the American dream," unquote.

Michael, this is just an incredible moment, an incredible achievement for Quan, for Yeoh, for the cast and crew of "Everything Everywhere All at Once," and an incredible moment for Asian representation in Hollywood.

Back to you.

HOLMES: It really was. It was -- and it's a fantastic movie. We've got to leave it there. Just quickly, congratulations, India. First time --

STOUT: Yes.

HOLMES: -- ever nominated for Best Song, and they won.

So that was for "RRR," which is great. Go, Bollywood.

Good to see you, Kristie, thank you.

STOUT: Thank you.

HOLMES: Kristie Lu Stout there.

And, we've got to mention, too, the film "Navalny" from CNN Films and HBO Max, well, it won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Directed by Daniel Roher, it explores the plot to kill Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

It documents the methodical investigation by the journalist group Bellingcat and CNN's own chief international correspondent, Clarissa Ward, to unmask Navalny's would-be killers.

Navalny, of course, is serving a nine-year term at a maximum-security prison East of Moscow.

All right. Segun Oduolowu is an entertainment journalist and host of "The List." He joins me now, live from Los Angeles.

It's good to see you. Now listen, I look back on your past interviews. You wanted "Maverick" to win for Tom Cruise. I know you did, so sorry about that. But what a night for "Everything Everywhere All at Once." Seven Oscars.

SEGUN ODUOLOWU, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: Yes, you know, Michael, what -- what a night for this particular movie. It was a juggernaut. Almost every one of the 11 categories that it was in, it won seven of them.

But the entire night was bittersweet to me. And I thought what was really telling was Halle Berry onstage with Jessica Chastain, presenting the Oscar to Michelle Yeoh.

If we remember in 2002, Halle Berry was the only -- and still remains the only -- black woman to win a Best Actor -- Actress award, a Best Actress Oscar. Twenty-one years later, she's handing it to Michelle Yeoh as the only Malaysian-born Asian actress to win a Best Actress Oscar. [00:25:11]

I hope it will not be another 21 years, and Michelle Yeoh will be saying the same thing Halle Berry has been saying, which is no other actress before me, no other actress after me. I hope that's not Michelle Yeoh's tale to tell 21 years from now.

But the movie was unstoppable. I mean, once Ke Huy Quan won for Best Supporting Actor, you could have pretty much turned off the Oscars, because "Everything Everywhere All at Once" was on a roll that was not going to be stopped.

The only upset I thought, Brendan Fraser beating Austin Butler. I didn't see that coming. I thought "Elvis" was bigger than "The Whale," and it showed that the King of Rock 'n' Roll is not bigger than "The Whale."

HOLMES: Well, I was going to ask you about that. Yes, Elvis, they were expecting a few gongs (ph) for that, and a well-received movie. Got pretty much nothing, I think.

ODUOLOWU: Yes, you know, again, the Academy does a lot of head- scratching things. For example, "Avatar" is nominated for Best Picture, but it must have been directed by a ghost, because James Cameron wasn't even nominated. Right? Like, how can a movie be nominated for Best Picture, but then not have a director to do it?

The same thing with "Elvis." I mean, what you have to do when there's no criteria that we can think of, we just imagine he played a real- life character, he played this character to the point where the family of Elvis Presley was giving him kudos.

He sang. He embodied the role. He kind of brought to this role what Jamie Foxx brought to "Ray," and Jamie Foxx won. So on Austin Butler, you know, don't step on my blue suede shoes. You know what? I feel like a hound dog at this moment, if I can throw one more Elvis pun in there.

HOLMES: You can. Anytime you like. Brendan Fraser, that was an emotional time for him. When you think about Brendan Fraser, I mean, it was kind of -- it was a comeback role for him. He's been doing it tough.

ODUOLOWU: Yes, no, it has been a comeback of sorts for many of the Oscars. You know, Ke Huy Quan, who we loved him as a kid in "The Goonies." He was in "Encino Man" with Brendan Fraser. Like, we're watching these actors that were for the first time nominated. Even Jamie Lee Curtis --

HOLMES: Yes.

ODUOLOWU: -- who is by her own account a baby of nepotism, this was her first Oscar nomination. It was a night of firsts, but will it be a night of lasts? Will we see this again?

The only thing that I want to see never happen again, is if Angela Bassett is nominated, will you give her the trophy? I mean, this is ridiculous to me. Like I -- again, she was on -- she was on my score card, Angela Bassett winning. Jamie Lee Curtis was phenomenal in the role, but I have to go with the queen, Angela Bassett, got snubbed once again.

HOLMES: Yes. Yes, there's always going to be those controversies.

I want to ask you this, though, because viewership has been on the decline for the Oscars. It was up last year, I must say. But it was coming off a low base. And it meant that the Academy can't just rest on its laurels, as it's done in the past.

They are trying to draw in a younger audience. I mean, they're posting acceptance speeches on TikTok in almost real time. I think Disney+ streamed it in parts of Europe.

What do those changes tell us about the need for the Academy to change?

ODUOLOWU: Well, when the host's age is far higher -- look, I love Jimmy Kimmel, but Jimmy Kimmel is not really appealing to a younger demographic when he's doing jokes about prescription meds in the first, you know, 45 seconds of the awards show. You're not going to draw in a younger audience.

And let's face it: the Oscars have never really been about a younger audience. Young people can't afford the tuxes and gowns that these stars wear on the gold -- formerly red carpet.

You know, most -- most of these younger people don't have the attention span, in all honesty, to sit through movies of two and a half hours on, let alone decipher everything that happened in "Everything Everywhere All at Once."

So the Oscar should do what it does best: appeal to the people that care about the fashion, that care about the glitz, and care about the glamour. And that really isn't young people. You're not -- you can have Jimmy Kimmel parachute in if you want.

Look, the only reason that the Oscars are even memorable from last year is because of the slap that Will Smith -- you know, Will Smith assaulting Chris Rock is the only reason many people even remember last year's Oscars.

Sitting at home watching it, I was so shocked that, when people came onto the stage, and they said last year's winner for best this, or best that, I had completely forgotten them. That's how totally hijacked last year's Oscars were.

So appealing to young people, unless an MMA fight is going to break out every award season, you know, do what you do best. You know, stay nostalgic, keep it simple.

HOLMES: Or TikTok-length movies. Segun, always good to see you, my friend. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

ODUOLOWU: My pleasure. Thank you.

HOLMES: All right. Still to come here on the program, a CNN investigation into how U.K. police failed to stop a serial sex offender among their own ranks for two decades. Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:32:59]

HOLMES: David Carrick, a serial sex offender, served in one of Britain's most elite armed police units for years. He's now behind bars, but his ability to evade justice has only fueled a growing distrust and anger towards police in the U.K.

CNN's Katie Polglase reports on how apparent failures may have prevented Carrick from being stopped sooner.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATIE POLGLASE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE PRODUCER (voice-over): A month ago, Police Officer David Carrick was sentenced for serially abusing multiple women for almost 20 years.

He'd been an armed officer, a rare thing in U.K. policing. And the failure of police to spot or stop him, despite multiple reports of his violence towards women, has caused outrage here in the U.K.

We've looked into some of the key moments when Carrick could have been stopped but wasn't.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police everywhere, safety nowhere.

POLGLASE (voice-over): In February, former Metropolitan Police Officer, David Carrick, was handed 36 life sentences.

For almost 20 years, Carrick abused his position on the force to coerce and attack women. Carrying a gun became a unique feature of his abuse, using it to threaten his victims.

He had been a member of a rare armed section of the U.K. police, tasked with defending high-profile government buildings and ministers.

NATHAN BUSH, FORMER OFFICER, METROPOLITAN POLICE DIPLOMATIC PROTECTION GROUP: It still baffles me how a monster was able to wear that uniform.

POLGLASE (voice-over): Nathan Bush served in the same unit while Carrick was there.

POLGLASE: Does it make you reflect differently on your time?

BUSH: It makes me question probably every single person that I work with.

POLGLASE (voice-over): After Carrick pleaded guilty to 71 section offenses, the Met Police admitted Carrick had previously come to theirs and other forces' attention nine times.

CRESSIDA DICK, FORMER COMMISSIONER, METROPOLITAN POLICE: We have missed opportunities over time to identify a pattern of abusive behavior.

POLGLASE (voice-over): CNN has spent more than a month looking into those missed opportunities and found that, on at least two occasions, police did not follow their own procedures for handling misconduct. And therefore, did not miss Carrick's violence, but failed to treat it with the severity it deserved, leaving him free to meet further victims. 4

[00:35:08]

We spoke via text to one of those victims, Darciane, who met Carrick in 2020. After months of abuse, she reported him to a police station outside of London in July 2021.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "It's not easy for you to arrive at police station and tell a policeman I was raped by policeman."

POLGLASE (voice-over): Carrick was placed on restricted duties and his gun removed while they investigated, but he was not suspended. Darciane ended up withdrawing her complaint.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "I did not feel protected, and whenever I went to the police station to make another statement, I asked and nobody told me anything. So I was very shaken and thinking that they didn't believe me."

POLGLASE (voice-over): Within two months, Carrick was preparing to return to full duties, armed once again. That should never have happened.

From our own research into the Met's protocol for handling misconduct cases, Darciane's allegations should have been investigated further, despite her withdrawing the complaint. And the officers assigned to the case would have had access to a searchable database that logged at least one previous incident in which was was violent towards a woman.

It happened just five months before Darciane met him.

POLGLASE: In September 2019, a neighbor reported they'd seen Carrick grabbing a woman by the neck, during a domestic incident in Hertfordshire.

Police there told us they sent a crime report to the Met Police, specifically to the department handling complaints against officers, known as the Directorate of Professional Standards, or the DPS.

Now according to the DPS' own guidelines, an allegation as serious as this should have been escalated.

NUSRIT MEHTAB, FORMER SCOTLAND YARD SUPERINTENDENT, NORTH AREA: It's domestic abuse, third-party reporting, so clearly, it was done in view of other people. And the fact that, in 2019, Carrick was carrying a gun, so it should have been escalated, because there's a red flag there.

POLGLASE (voice-over): But no further action was taken. The victim did not want to pursue charges at the time, but Hertfordshire Police tell CNN, since Carrick's sentencing, they have now come forward with allegations against him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Understand you're under arrest.

POLGLASE (voice-over): In October 2020, Carrick was finally arrested again, when another woman came forward with a rape allegation, three months after Darciane's complaint.

DAVID CARRICK, FORMER METROPOLITAN POLICE OFFICER: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) sake, I've only been a police officer for 20 years.

POLGLASE (voice-over): He was charged, and Darciane's case was reopened.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "And I told God and myself, thank you Lord for showing up another victim, so now they believe me."

POLGLASE (voice-over): She's not alone in this experience. Out of 573 Met Police officers accused of sexual offenses by the public over 11 years, just two were charged.

To add to the horror, the Met has confirmed that two of Carrick's colleagues have been placed on restricted duties after contacting one of his victims. Sky News reported they'd been sending sexually- suggestive messages to her.

As yet, no police officer has faced any consequences for failing to stop Carrick for so many years. The U.K.'s police watchdog has now reopened a review into the handling of Carrick's case, despite previously saying they had no calls to investigate.

And the force continues to struggle to prove it can keep women safe and hold its officers to account.

POLGLASE: CNN reached out to the Met Police for this investigation, and they referred us to their existing statements on Carrick. They said they would not be commenting further, while there were ongoing government reviews into the handling of his case.

And since Carrick's sentencing, more potential victims have come forward to police.

Meanwhile, the Center for Women's Justice tells CNN that some of Carrick's victims are now considering a class action lawsuit against the Met Police. As yet, no police officer has faced any consequences for failing to stop Carrick.

Katie Polglase, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And we'll be right back with more news after a short break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:40:52]

HOLMES: A classic masterpieces gotten a make-over, courtesy of modern technology, and has sparked a debate about artificial intelligence changing the face of art.

Laila Harrak with the details.

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LAILA HARRAK, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): This is the real thing, Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring," drawing admirers at a special exhibition of the artist's work in Amsterdam.

But while the famous painting is on loan until April, the Mauritshuis Museum in the Hague, where the work normally hangs, decided to fill the empty space by asking people to recreate the masterpiece in their own style. They got close to 3,500 submissions, and maybe more than they bargained for.

BORIS DE MUNNICK, MAURITSHUIS MUSEUM: The youngest applicant was 3, and the eldest was 94. And we had an enormous variety of materials. It was crayon, paint, textiles, salad (ph), flowers, anything you can imagine. It was an explosion of creativity.

HARRAK: One work in particular is getting a lot of buzz: a definitively modern take on the classic, featuring glowing earrings on an eye-popping interpretation of the original, made with A.I. technology.

DE MUNNICK: We're not here to discuss. We're not the museum to discuss if it's -- if A.I. is -- belongs in a museum or not. I mean, for this project, this specific project, we liked it.

HARRAK: The digital creator who submitted the image says he used an A.I. tool which generates pictures based on a prompt, using samples of millions of images collected from the Internet, and Photoshop.

Its inclusion in the exhibit is dividing museum goers, with some critics saying it's an insult and arguing A.I. technology breaches the copyright of real-life artists.

The museum says it's not making any statements on A.I.

DE MUNNICK: I go to a modern art museum, or a contemporary art museum, and I see the weirdest things which are considered art. So it's such a difficult question. What is art? What is not art?

HARRAK: It's an age-old question, one that even the great masters faced. But the beauty, or truth, of art may be best answered in the eyes of the beholder.

Laila Harrak, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Thanks for watching, spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. WORLD SPORT is coming up next, and then speaking of Laila Harrak, she'll be here with more CNN NEWSROOM in about 15 minutes.

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(WORLD SPORT)

[00:57:00]

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