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CNN International: King's State Visit to France Postponed; Massive Russian Shelling in Ukraine's Northern Sumy Region; Netanyahu Doubles Down on Plans to Overhaul Israeli's Judiciary; U.S., Canada Reach a Deal on Decades-Old Asylum Agreement; U.N.: Gang Violence has killed Hundreds in Haiti this Year. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired March 24, 2023 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to CNN "Newsroom", I'm Julia Chatterley in New York. Coming up, striking back the U.S. retaliate after a deadly drone attack on U.S. personnel in Syria. Postponed King Charles's state visit to France will be rescheduled as pension protests continue, and a then a phobic witch hunt. That's what China's calling the push by U.S. lawmakers after the CEO of TikTok's Capitol Hill grilling.

A warm welcome once again, let's begin U.S. Military Officials are calling retaliatory strikes in Syria, a "proportionate response to a drone attack" that killed a U.S. contractor. The Pentagon says 6 other Americans were injured in the strike by a drone of Iranian origin. This video posted on social media except to show the aftermath of the U.S. airstrikes.

There are unconfirmed reports of deaths of pro-Iranian fighters. The drone attack happened in Northeastern Syria where the U.S. maintains around 900 troops to assist in the ongoing fight against ISIS. Nic Robertson is following developments for us from London. Nic, what more do we know about the initial strike and that proportionate to "response from U.S. forces"?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, U.S. Officials are saying they're still trying to determine how many if any, Iranians or people with the Iranian back group in Syria were killed in that strike. And as you say, they described it as proportionate, so as not to escalate the situation or cause casualties, perhaps here they mean, collateral civilian casualties.

But we are learning new details about the type of drone. And it sounds like from the description. U.S. Officials are giving that it is a device similar to that the Iranians are giving Russian forces and using in Ukraine maybe not the same size and scale in terms of explosives. But this was a drone that was packed with explosives on a one-way mission.

This wasn't a drone that was flying over on firing a missile at the U.S. base below. This was a drone that was intended pack full of explosives, to crash into that base. So that we know and we also understand that the target the response was not fired at the origins of the drone, but fired at the base of a group known to be supporting or supported by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

So not the base that the drone was fired from per se, but a base where there are munitions and also intelligence assets belonging to that group. And obviously, one would expect those intelligence assets that have been involved and recognizing the target the U.S. base that would seem to be the implication. But so those new details emerging but not clear on the casualties in that retaliatory strike yet.

CHATTERLEY: --but certainly a swift response. Nic, great to have you with u, thank you, Nic Robertson there in London! Now Ukraine says Russia is pummeling the Northern Sumy region. Kyiv says Moscow launched more than 10 guided bombs against targets in the north overnight at least two people were killed.

And Ukraine is eyeing and offensive in Bakhmut Russia's momentum stalls. A top Ukrainian general sees Russian forces are depleted there. CNN's David McKenzie joins us now from the port City of Odesa. David, much to discuss but what can you tell us about those specific attacks in the north region of Sumy and civilian casualties I believe too?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Julia, this is certainly an unusually strong level of attacks. Kinetic attacks on Sumy in the Northern region, there is normally cross border attacks in that area close to the Russian border. But according to Ukrainian Officials, and you see the devastation here, the aftermath of the attacks.

These were guided bombs released from New Generation Russian fighter jets as well as rocket and artillery a very significant attack on that region. I'm clear why that is happening right now. And you mentioned the Eastern front where some of the heaviest attritional fighting is happening here in Ukraine.

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The viewpoint of that one Senior Commander is that the Russian forces are being depleted. But they say that in large part the Wagner mercenary group is being replaced by Russian forces regular forces in that fight. Now we've heard similar statements from the Ukrainian leadership in the past few weeks that they are holding on and also depleting Russian forces.

It's impossible to 100 percent excuse me verify those claims. But what we do know is that Russia and its private military contractors have tried to take that city for many, many months now without success. And we do know that Ukraine holds at least part of Kherson.

You also had this tour of President Zelenskyy through the frontline regions of this country ending up somewhere relatively close to where I'm standing. He addressed the European Commission saying that he believes this war could wrap up this year, if he gets the support and the speed of support that Ukraine needs. We've been hearing something like this for quite some time. But again, President Zelenskyy said that some of the support in his mind is inadequate, asking for longer range weapons, newer fighter jets and greater support. Otherwise, you said Russia could gain the advantage, Julia.

CHATTERLEY: Yes, committed certainly to that push for further support in terms of equipment, especially. David, great to have you with us, thank you! David McKenzie there in Odesa! King Charles is postponing his state visit to France next week because violent pension protests rocked the nation.

Earlier Buckingham Palace confirmed the change of plans and stated both the King and the Queen Consort will visit France as soon as dates can be found. Trade Unions are planning to stage more nationwide protests on Tuesday against the French government's controversial pension reform bill.

Let's get to Sam Kiley now who's live in Paris for a summit follows at night of violence once again but it seems that the Elysee Palace not wanting to further inflame tensions by seeing a visit from King Charles and Queen Camilla.

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know exactly Julia and of course, Tuesday would have been at the height right slap bang in the middle effectively, of the Royal state visit by King Charles the First. He's making outside of the United Kingdom symbolically very important to be seen visiting a neighbor but and particularly this close neighbor and in France.

But the problem of course, is that if millions of people or a million brought out onto the street burning rubbish, there were more than 100 incidents of burning here in Paris. 440 plus, - and Police injured in the latest violence that is not the sort of image of France that the French would want to have, whilst the British king is on his first state visit.

Very, very embarrassing, potentially, for Emmanuel Macron. And equally for King Charles, who doesn't want to get involved in domestic French politics. We understand from Buckingham Palace, though, that the visit to Germany will be going ahead if that does indeed happen.

That was that was part of the same tour. Then King Charles his first visit outside of the United Kingdom will be to Germany where of course, he would hope to have a much quieter reception and try to remain outside of the domestic politics of an important European power, Julia.

CHATTERLEY: Yes, uncomfortable for all sides. Thanks very much, Sam for that. And if - both at home and abroad, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing protests in London earlier today, ahead of a meeting with his British Counterpart Rishi Sunak. Back in Israel anger is growing is Mr. Netanyahu doubles down on his push for judicial reform, promising to get personally involved.

Demonstrators again took to the streets Thursday after Israel's right wing government passed a new law which makes it next to impossible to remove the Prime Minister from office. Salma Abdelaziz is at Downing Street with the latest for us. Salma, it seems the anger that's met his efforts that judicial reform back home followed him to London today.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Julia it seems anywhere from Prime Minister Netanyahu goes protest will follow. I'm actually just across 10 Downing Street, right at the site of a small demonstration here. I'm going to give you a look around again, this is just a small group of people, but they say they're here to express that outrage that we've seen on the ground in Israel against this judicial reform against this judicial overhaul.

These protesters here telling me that they feel that judicial overhaul is a threat to Israel's democracy. That it will erode the checks and balances of that country that it could mean that Prime Minister Netanyahu gets increasingly more autocratic rights and they want Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to express that condemnation to step up and speak out during Prime Minister Netanyahu three-day visit but there are not hopeful Julia.

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Just walk along with me because they're starting to move as well these protesters. They've heard Prime Minister Netanyahu staying at a nearby hotel and they want to continue following him because as I said, anywhere he goes, demonstrations will follow.

They say they're not hopeful that the British government is going to stand up here today because they feel that the U.K. is going to go on with business as usual. But just in the last few days, the U.K. and Israel signed a trade agreement, that trade agreement they say gives Prime Minister Netanyahu a sort of cover, if you will.

And that's what it's so concerning to these protesters who really feel that Prime Minister here, Netanyahu here has really stepped too far with these judicial reforms. And they want to make their voices known. They're really quite loud and vocal as Prime Minister Netanyahu entered 10 Downing Street earlier today.

I'm just going to turn you around here, because you're going to see the mix right behind us of those Israeli flag, you also see Palestinian flags as well. Now, Julia, if not unusual you would expect if the Israeli Prime Minister is visiting London to see people with Palestinian flag out in demonstrating but it is unusual.

It is rare to see people with Israeli flags demonstrating the visit of an Israeli Prime Minister, but that's just how concerned and worried they are. Now the United States has been very strong in condemning these recent actions and condemning this judicial overhaul.

People here want to see the U.K. follow suit. But as I said, not very hopeful that there's going to be a condemnation coming from 10 Downing Street today many of these protesters feel Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who just going to carry on with business as usual. CHATTERLEY: Salma, to emphasize the point that they're certainly not being quelled and there was a lady behind you just a moment ago saying Bibi dictator in the making a pointed viewpoint. Salma, great to have you with us, thank you so much. Salma Abdelaziz there at Downing Street!

OK, let's move on China's Foreign Ministry calls the push to ban TikTok a "Xenophobic witch hunt". This follows Thursday's testimony from the social media apps CEO Shou Chew. China says the U.S. hasn't presented any evidence that TikTok is a threat to National Security.

The U.S. has threatened to ban TikTok unless its Chinese owners sell their stake. Shou told lawmakers that the Chinese government has never asked for user information, and that his company is taking new measures to protect user data.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHOU CHEW, TIKTOK CEO: ByteDance is not owned or controlled by the Chinese government. There are more than 150 million Americans who love our platform. And we know we have a responsibility to protect them.

REP. CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS (R-WA): To the American people watching today. Hear this TikTok is a weapon by the Chinese Communist Party to spy on you manipulates what you see and exploit for future generations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHATTERLEY: And Marc Stewart is following the story from Tokyo. Marc, sort of has a sinking feeling that the CEO during that hearing when he actually managed to get a word in edgeways, quite frankly, that nothing that he could say, would convince a bipartisan group of lawmakers that this is a safe app for the American people.

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And what's happening now, Julia is a script that we are getting very used to yet another verbal back and forth between Washington and Beijing over yet another contentious issue, in this case, the questioning of TikTok CEO by U.S. lawmakers and now these allegations of xenophobia from China's central government. I want you to take a listen to a briefing some elements that we gathered earlier today from Beijing. Take a listen.

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MAO NING, SPOKESPERSON AT CHINESE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: So far the U.S. government has not provided any evidence that TikTok poses a threat to U.S. National Security. But it has repeatedly made the presumption of guilt against and unreasonably suppressed the relevant companies. We have also taken note that some members of the U.S. Congress called the attempt to ban TikTok constitute xenophobic political persecution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: So obviously, the entire world is watching this unfold. And we heard some additional comments from China's Foreign Ministry about this business environment that is in the U.S. that it finds troublesome.

It's calling on the U.S. to respect the market economy and fair competition and to create an environment where international companies can invest and do business in the United States. Yes, Julia, as we have discussed before, the U.S. has to balance all of this amid this big furor over National Security concerns.

CHATTERLEY: Absolutely, and I think U.S. lawmakers will be like, act as you ask, quite frankly, on that point. But he was also talking about the privacy of data as well and said, look, we didn't collect anything more than any other social media company. It's like it's not about that.

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This proves that this is all about China to your point. Marc, thank you for that! Alright still to come, U.S. President Joe Biden on his first official trip to Canada since taking office and he struck a deal with the Prime Minister on how they should handle asylum seekers all the details next.

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CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to CNN "Newsroom". In around three hours, U.S. President Biden will receive the red carpet treatment in Ottawa. He is meeting with the Canadian Prime Minister much to discuss on that point. It's his first Official visit to America's northern neighbors since he became President.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife greeted President Biden and the first lady at the Prime Minister's residence late Thursday. Meanwhile, we're now learning the U.S. and Canada have reached a major agreement on what to do about asylum seekers. Let's get straight to Paula Newton who's live in the Canadian capital of Ottawa.

Paula, great to have you with us not often in the United States that we talk about the Northern border rather than the Southern border, quite frankly but this is had been a concern for both nations. What do we know about the contours of a potential deal?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely, Julia, and you make a good point there. And that for weeks has been the posture of the U.S. government saying, look, we have our problems on the Southern border, the Northern border, not as much of a concern. And quite frankly, U.S. Officials are telling me just weeks ago that they did not think a deal is possible.

We do have the outlines that what may be a modest deal and this entails the fact that when any asylum seekers are entering from the United States and enter Canada at Official ports of entry. They're supposed to be returned right to the United States because they're supposed to claim asylum in the first safe country they enter.

They have not been doing that through a fairly well trafficked loophole in a border crossing between the United States and Canada. I want you to listen now to Prime Minister Trudeau when I asked him about this deal, and what it might change along the border, take a listen.

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NEWTON (on camera): Do you think you'll have a deal though? And when we drill down to the details, do you expect that perhaps some migrants will be able to go to regular border crossings in Canada and we received that way because as you know, right now, they will be turned back to the United States?

JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: There's a lot of work being done and we'll hopefully be able to make an announcement to reassure Canadians and Americans that we continue to handle migration serious.

NEWTON (on camera): And will that include taking migrants that sometimes even present themselves at the southern border or taking migrants directly from the United States?

TRUDEAU: Canada is always willing to do more. We're a country that has been built like the United States on welcoming people from around the world. We just need to make sure we're doing it in responsible proper ways to continue to have our citizens positive towards immigration as Canadians always are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: You listen there to the Prime Minister saying that he wanted to do it in positive ways. The problem is here some advocates, Julia, say that look, any deal between the United States and Canada might in fact, embolden human smugglers and lead to more exploitation of asylum seekers.

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Look, Julia, I don't have to remind you how around the globe these migration issues are incredibly complicated. We'll wait in the coming hours to see the outlines of this. But this is part of approach throughout the hemisphere to try and in fact, ease some of the burden on that Southern border for both the United States, Canada and of course, Mexico, Julia.

CHATTERLEY: Yes, we'll watch what more they have to say on that. Paula, great to have time to sit down with Trudeau and talk to him about all these things! We've obviously been fixated on the TikTok CEO hearings in any U.S. Congress, yesterday.

You also talked to him about this, too. It's sort of a teaser, because I'm going to play this conversation later on "First Move", but what did he have to say about tackling China and TikTok on this too?

NEWTON: Yes, fascinating discussion. I will get to the TikTok; a Canada banned it on government devices. And we learned that his children, two of his children two teenagers had government devices. Julia he got as a father to be able to say you're off TikTok and that's because the government says so.

And that is because we then had a very serious discussion about the fact that Justin Trudeau has come to learn from his intelligence briefings over the last few years that he believes China does pose a threat in many different areas of surveillance, and that includes TikTok and I'm glad you're going to run the conversation later, Julia. I'll tell you right now in this town and throughout Canada, Chinese interference is top of mind.

CHATTERLEY: Yes, and he's got to take up free hope. It seems wonder what to do with all the time. Paula, great to have you with us thank you. Paula Newton there! Alright, we'll take a quick break here but coming up, fleeing for their lives, the people of Haiti trying to protect their loved ones in the midst of escalating gang violence up next, U.N.'s urgent request for help.

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CHATTERLEY: Welcome back, the United Nations is appealing to the international community to step in and help the people of Haiti. It says more than 500 people in the Caribbean state who have lost their lives just this year to surging gang violence. CNN's Patrick Oppmann has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Patients flee from worsening gang violence. Life for many here has gone from difficult to unbearable. Heavily armed gangs are battling for control fighting over the remnants of a country. The government and Police are unable to protect patients like the people living in these tents, who have been displaced in their own land.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had to leave my house because of the gangs. My house was burned down. I couldn't save anything. I had to leave with my children, and I couldn't even save the children's identity documents.

OPPMANN (voice over): According to a U.N. report already this year, more than 530 people have been killed. Hundreds were wounded in the fighting. Others have become the victims of sexual violence that's on top of hundreds of kidnappings. Many are targeted randomly by gang snipers.

According to U.N. report, intent on terrorizing the population here charred bodies surround vehicles that were torched. Haiti's National Police are outgunned and need more assistance from abroad. The U.N. report concludes.

MARTA HURTADO, SPOKESPERSON OF U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE: The National Police must be strengthened in order to be able to respond to the enormous challenges they face in compliance with our human rights obligations.

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People must be able to return home in safe and dignified conditions, we call on the international community to support this effort.

OPPMANN (voice over): The U.N. is calling for a specialized support for us to help Haiti take on the gangs. But while the U.S. and Canada have promised assistance, neither country so far is offering boots on the ground. Any foreign troops, U.N. report says would likely need to be there for years in order to stabilize the country.

Already reeling from the devastation caused by earthquakes and the still unsolved assassination of Haiti's President in 2021 gang violence has now pushed Haiti to the brink. More than 160,000 Haitians have had to flee the spreading violence, the U.N. says.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I can't go back home. I lost everything. I find myself in misery with five children hunger, misery, and I can't get out because the children are small. I have to watch after them.

OPPMANN (voice over): The Haitian government admits the gangs have the upper hand controlling much if not most of the country, for many caught in the crossfire, whatever help that arrives will be too late Patrick Oppmann CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHATTERLEY: And finally, actress Gwyneth Paltrow could take the stand Friday in a trial over a skiing accident back in 2016. Terry Sanderson accuses her of crashing into him while skiing at a Utah resort. He said the collision left him with serious injuries including brain damage and four broken ribs. He's seeking $300,000 in damages.

Paltrow countersued claiming Sanderson's skied into her. She's seeking $1 in damages plus attorney's fees, certainly say something. I'm Julia Chatterley in New York and I'll be back in around 30-minutes time with "First Move". Up next "World Sport" with Andy Scholes we'll see you soon.

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