Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

CNN International: Biden To Head To N. Ireland To Mark Accord Anniversary; Israeli Forces & Palestinians Clash In The West Bank; Protesters Block Tel Aviv Highway After Netanyahu Address; Mourners Gather For Funeral Of British-Israeli Mother Killed During West Bank Shooting On Friday; Israeli Settlers March To Illegal Outpost In West Bank; Pentagon Investigating Scope Of Document Leak; Employee Kills Five And Wounds Several Others At Bank; Bakhmut Evacuees Find Refuge In Nearby Town As Attacks Continue. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired April 11, 2023 - 08:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:00:35]

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to CNN Newsroom. I'm Bianca Nobilo in for Max Foster in London.

Just ahead, Northern Ireland prepares to welcome U.S. President Joe Biden, as tensions in some parts of the country boil over. Then Israeli forces and Palestinians clash in the occupied West Bank leaving hundreds injured. And the Biden administration admits it doesn't know how classified documents revealing U.S. intelligence secrets were leaked online.

In the coming hours, U.S. President Joe Biden will head to Northern Ireland mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Accords. But not everyone is ready to praise the peace agreement.

This was the scene in Derry Monday, masked men throwing petrol bombs at police and their vehicles. It happened during a march organized by a dissident pro-Irish Republican group.

Phil Mattingly joins us now live from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Phil, what can we expect from the President's visit? And how far do you think that his personal connections are informing his approach to the island of Ireland?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, I think the personal connections deeply inform how the President operates and like anybody who's dealt with covered or been aligned with the President over the course of his first two plus years in office have kind of circled Ireland and Northern Ireland as a trip that everybody really wanted to go on.

It's such a personal issue for the President seems to be referenced either through Irish poets or deep family connections just about every speech the President gives. However, the first stop on that trip arriving here later this evening is one that underscores there's some complexity here.

And when it comes to the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, while there certainly has been peace and stability that is followed in the decades since that agreement is reached, everything that you're talking about showed in the introduction, underscores the fact that there is still significant work to do.

And I think that will be the primary focus of the President when he arrives here later this evening. And tomorrow, when he gives a speech at Ulster University, a recognition that there is significant work still to be done, a recognition that a power sharing agreement that has only led to sporadic operation of the government here over the course of the last several decades is certainly something that needs work.

And the reality that with Brexit and the efforts to try and reach some type of trade agreement, the Windsor agreement that was reached in February, that there's still more work to be done there as well. You will see when the President arrives here, when he speaks tomorrow, a significant focus on economic development.

His special envoy, Joseph Kennedy, will be with the President, while he's here talking about the realities here that while there may be relative peace and stability, while the durability of the Good Friday Agreement certainly holds true to this moment, there's still so much more that can be done on the economic side, for an area of the world for a community that certainly hasn't seen the benefits that perhaps Ireland has seen over the course of the last couple of decades.

That will certainly be a focus as to whether threats or what we've seen over the course of the last couple of days, has raised some concern inside the White House. The President himself addressed this just a couple of days ago saying there's no way they can keep me out. This trip was happening no matter what.

And we'll certainly see those deep familial connections over the course of the President's travels through Ireland. But the focus here in Northern Ireland without any question, will be the elevation of the U.S. role in reaching that Good Friday agreement, but also the willingness of the U.S. to help on the economic side of things one, which officials acknowledged despite what they view as the clear success, at least in the near term.

From the peace perspective, the Good Friday Agreement is underscored by the fact so much work is needed in the years to come, Bianca.

NOBILO: Phil Mattingly in Belfast, thank you.

As you see in these images, Mr. Biden's trip comes as tensions in Northern Ireland are rising. However, the heightened threat level in the country is not keeping the President away, as Phil was just outlining for us.

Our International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson joins us now from Belfast too with a closer look at all this. Nic, how is this visit, impending visit being received by the population? Is it considered to be deeply significant and important or sort of removed and irrelevant from the day to day difficulties?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's interesting, I think it depends on which part of the community you come from here whether you're deeply pro-British, Unionists, or whether you are pro- United Ireland nationalists.

[08:05:02]

I think there's a sense on the nationalist side who really feel that the President is behind them, gives them wind in the sails for everything they want to achieve politically and economically here that they really hope that the President could make a bigger difference while he was here, perhaps spend a little longer here.

There's a recognition by people who stand in the middle of the divide and say, look, if the President comes here and tries to shovel too much pressure on the Unionists side to go back into that power sharing government that Phil was talking about there, then it can have the effect of shoving them away.

And I think, you know, to be really frank, having talked to some very staunch Unionists here, they'd be known as loyalists. When you speak about the President's visit, it's a bit of -- they really just shrug it off. It's not for them, they perceive him as being biased towards the other side of the divide here.

But absolutely, the violence that we're seeing on the streets and President Biden's message, as Phil was saying about business, I was in Derry and saw those young, some of them schoolchildren throwing petrol bombs at the police yesterday, yet a couple of days ago, I was also in Derry, just 2 miles from there. There's a huge U.S. mining company there that's doing huge business, more than a billion dollars turnover in its eight different plants in Northern Ireland, and wants to recruit more people.

So there is this real opportunity in business in Northern Ireland that can begin to bridge some of that divide. But there are deeper fundamental issues and undoubtedly, the President will be able to shape some of his messages around overcoming those differences around identity and the future of the island of Ireland.

NOBILO: Nic Robertson, so great to have you on the ground in Belfast. Thanks.

More than 200 people were injured during clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, that's according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. On Monday, thousands of Israeli settlers marched through an evacuated Jewish outpost near the town of Beita. They were joined by Israel's Minister of National Security Itamar Ben- Gvir.

And in Tel Aviv, anti-government protesters blocked a highway after a televised address by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Some of them blamed him for the recent escalation of tensions.

CNN's Hadas Gold joins me now live from Jerusalem. Hadas, I believe the funeral of Lucy Dee still ongoing. She, of course, was the mother of the two children that were killed the other day, she never regained consciousness. What more can you tell us about that?

HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, as we speak, Lucy Dee, the British-Israeli woman, the mother of those two sisters, aged 15 and 20, who died on the day of that attack in the occupied West Bank last week, she is being laid to rest as we speak. We see there, the surviving members of her family, her husband and her surviving three children eulogizing her.

She was in a coma after this attack, and she succumbed to her wounds, and she will now be laid to rest along her two daughters. And it just goes to show you the many fronts that are going on here. She is being laid to rest the morning after the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a kind of last minute press conference to ostensibly talk about the ongoing security situation.

But honestly, he kind of started it off blaming the security situation on almost everybody else on the previous government, on, in part, some of the protesters who have come out against Benjamin Netanyahu's massive judicial overhaul plan, some of whom are military reservists who have threatened to not serve if this judicial overhaul plan passed.

And -- but he also did address the security situation talking about, of course, the incoming rocket fire from Lebanon, from Gaza and from Syria, as well as the recent terror attacks, saying, we will settle the score. Most notably, though, is the fact that he announced he was on firing his defense minister, who, of course, he fired after the defense minister came out against this judicial reform saying that he decided to leave the differences behind us.

Meanwhile, of course, there was the set -- excuse me. Meanwhile, of course, there was the settler march we saw some of the national security and -- I'm so sorry. Sorry. Meanwhile, Itamar Ben-Gvir, the National Security Minister joining thousands of Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.

They want to re-legalize an outpost that has already been deemed illegal by the Israeli government. Sorry. Palestinians protesting on the other side of the mountain where this took place. Israeli security forces clashing with them. The Red Crescent saying more than 200 Palestinians were injured as a result of this.

Just goes to show you many, many security fronts going on here at the same time. Tensions are also still high here as the last 10 days of Ramadan are approaching. There are questions, of course, whether non- Muslims will be allowed add up to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound which is also known as the Temple Mount.

[08:10:04]

There are questions whether they will be allowed up and there are a lot of concerns that if non-Muslims are allowed up to this compound during these last 10 days of Ramadan, that could just further inflame what's already a very, very sensitive time here, Bianca. And excuse me for the coughing.

NOBILO: No problem at all. Hadas Gold for us. I'm actually doing exactly the same every time my mic is off, so I do sympathize. And thank you so much for your reporting.

The White House says it's not clear who's behind the leak of classified documents, what their motive is, or even if the threat is contained. But the Pentagon says it has taken steps to tighten the flow of information as the Biden administration scrambles to minimize the fallout.

Meanwhile, some of America's allies are reacting. Australia says it's concerned, while South Korea claims a considerable amount of information in the documents is fabricated. And Ukraine may have the most direct response of all.

CNN's Natasha Bertrand joins me now live from the Pentagon. Natasha, tell us more about how the United States is managing the fallout from this leak, whether its allies or foes?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Well, Bianca, there are two major investigations that are underway right now. One is being led by the Pentagon and that is a government wide investigation of the impact of these classified documents leak on U.S. national security, specifically whether any sources and methods have been burned as a result of this massive leak.

The second is the Justice Department criminal investigation, which is looking into the source of the leak, basically trying to figure out who did it and whether it was a criminal act because, of course, these are highly, highly classified documents that the U.S. never wanted in the public realm. So that is how the administration is dealing with this internally.

But with regards to how it's dealing with allies, we are told that the Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has been tapped to deal with the diplomatic fallout from the leak of these documents, because so many of them actually detail really sensitive U.S. intelligence about allies, including South Korea, Israel, and Ukraine, including conversations that senior allied officials have had with each other about matters that are important to U.S. national security.

And the South Korean Defense Minister actually spoke to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin just last night. And according to the South Koreans, they believe that a lot of the information in these documents have been fabricated. Now, we have not been able to confirm that. We are told that much of the documents are authentic.

But as we did report earlier, at least one of the documents does appear to have been altered. And that is a document that lists Russian and Ukrainian casualties as a result of the war in Ukraine, listing those Russian casualties as a lot lower than what the Pentagon has actually assessed. So at least one of those documents has been altered.

But by and large, according to the Pentagon, these do appear to be legitimate slides from a daily briefing that is given to senior Pentagon officials every day and is accessed and accessible by thousands of people across the government. So it's going to be a really tough task to figure out who leaked these and why, Bianca.

NOBILO: Natasha Bertrand, always great to hear from you. Thank you so much.

Now to another deadly mass shooting in the U.S., the 146 one this year. At least five people were killed at the Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky. A 25-year-old employee opened fire inside a conference room during a staff meeting on Monday and he live streamed the attack. The government had been informed that he was going to lose his job, according to a source. He was killed in a shootout with the police.

Adrienne Broaddus joins us now from Louisville with the latest on the investigation. Adrienne, what more can you tell us about the condition of the victims and also the timeline leading up to the attack?

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's start with the latest information we received from the interim chief of police who spoke about the officer she swore in less than two weeks ago. We're talking about Nickolas Wilt. He is still listed in critical but stable condition. Doctors say the next 24 hours will be key when it comes to his recovery.

We know one of the victims died overnight. At least eight people were injured and five deceased and I want to call the names of those who were killed in this shooting at downtown Louisville. They range between age 40 and 64. Joshua Barrick, who was the father of two, Juliana Farmer, Tommy Elliott, who was friends with the governor of this state, as well as the mayor of the city, James Tutt, whose friends called him Jim, and as well as the other woman who died overnight. Deana Eckert.

We also learned a short time ago from the interim chief of police that she and her team are hoping to learn more from the items that were recovered at the home where the 25-year-old shooter stay. A search warrant was executed on that home.

The big question people want to know why this happened. A source close to the investigation tells CNN the 25-year-old shooter had learned he would be terminated.

[08:15:09]

We've also learned the shooter left a note behind for his parents and a friend indicating that he planned to carry out this shooting. It's unclear when or where that note was found. But members of law enforcement responded to the shooting here yesterday within three minutes of that first 911 call, essentially saving lives.

The interim chief of police thanked her officers yesterday for showing up. As you know, their job is a dangerous one. And this city is no stranger to those dangers. And she also said to them, and I'm paraphrasing here when she addressed those officers, if we don't do it, who will? Bianca?

NOBILO: Adrienne Broaddus, thank you so much for your reporting.

Still to come, a federal judge in Texas has suspended the approval of a widely used abortion pill in the U.S. What that could mean for abortion rights coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: Could abortion pills be totally banned in the United States? The Biden administration has appealed the decision of a Texas district judge who suspended the approval of an abortion pill that's been in use in the United States for more than 20 years. The drug, mifepristone, is used in combination with a second drug in most abortions in the U.S.

If the Texas ruling takes effect, the drug could be unavailable nationwide by the end of the week. But a second drug, misoprostol, will not be impacted.

Meantime, California, Massachusetts and Washington State, all led by Democratic governors have announced they've secured emergency stockpiles of abortion pills. A decision on whether to pause the Texas ruling as expected as early as this week and this could all end up at the Supreme Court nearly one year after overturn Roe verses Wade.

CNN Supreme Court Reporter Ariane de Vogue joins me now from Washington, D.C. Ariane, thanks so much for being with us. Tell us what the next steps are and how quickly women could be impacted in the states and lose access to one of the most common abortion pills.

ARIANE DE VOGUE, CNN U.S. SUPREME COURT REPORTER: Right. Well, the Biden administration right now is in emergency mode. It has gone to that federal appeals court and is asked it to step in by Thursday. And that's because this lower court opinion, if it's left -- if it's allowed, is set to go into effect on Friday.

Keep in mind here that the lower court judge did not leave room for the FDA to look at this issue again or to act in a timely fashion to unwind the approval. The judge instead, himself, he revoked that approval, so that leaves a different state of play.

As you set though, clinics point to the fact that there is another medication abortion drug, it's called misoprostol and it could be used -- usually, it's used in concert with this drug but clinics say that it could be used alone or the clinics can do, of course, in the states that allow it, surgical abortions that can occur.

[08:20:16]

But basically, it's -- the reason this is such a big deal is because currently, medication abortion is used in the majority of cases when this procedure is performed. That's why everything is so heightened right now.

NOBILO: And speaking of heightened, this battle looks likely to head to the Supreme Court. That is the most conservative Supreme Court that we've seen in about a century, I think, 90 years. Obviously, last summer, they ruled that there's no nationwide right to terminate a pregnancy. This could set up the biggest abortion access case since Roe versus Wade and it's overturned.

DE VOGUE: And you're right. It was just less than a year ago that the Supreme Court, this conservative court reversed Roe v. Wade. And at the time, remember, they said this whole notion of abortion belongs to the states. But now, you have the circumstance where in many states where abortion actually is allowed, it might be much more difficult to have these medication abortion.

Now, so a lot of people think that this is going to end up at the Supreme Court because that federal appeals court I mentioned is one of the most conservative appeals courts in the country. It is stocked with a nominees that were put on that bench by President Trump. So there's reason to think that the Biden administration might have better luck if it goes -- once it goes to the Supreme Court than it will enact federal appeals court.

NOBILO: CNN's Ariane de Vogue, I wish that we had more time to discuss this further. But thank you so much for joining us from Washington.

Coming up, Ukraine accuses Russia of scorched earth tactics in Bakhmut. You'll hear directly from those who have escaped the decimated city.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: The Italian coast guard is escorting two boats carrying more than 1,200 migrants adrift in the Mediterranean Sea. One barge with 400 migrants departed from Libya and then ran out of fuel. There's also a second boat with around 800 people on board. Italy's Interior Ministry says more than 28,000 migrants have arrived in the country so far this year.

Ukraine says eastern cities along the front line are coming under heavy attack as Russian troops move forward with that offensive in the Donetsk region. One of the cities that has been consistently hit the hardest is, of course, Bakhmut.

CNN's Ben Wedeman met with a group of evacuees now taking shelter in the nearby town of shattered Chasiv Yar.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the safest way out of Bakhmut, but not really safe at all. Video obtained by CNN of the view from a Ukrainian armored vehicle shows the wasteland the city has become. And it was in a vehicle like this that Marina and Yevhenia escaped from Bakhmut.

They're building was hidden in bombardment last Thursday, killing three. Among them, Yevhenia's 33-year-old grandson.

I had to help him, she recalls. But I couldn't do anything. [08:25:05]

They waited in their ruined homes with the dead for three days before the army could rescue them. Marina's daughter was married to Yevhenia's grandson.

What will I tell my daughter, cries Marina. She and my grandchildren are in Poland.

This shelter in nearby Chasiv Yar provides them some comfort and warmth, but they're still not out of danger.

This town is well within range of Russian guns, and since the battle for Bakhmut began seven months ago, it has regularly come under shelling.

On this day, the Russians were firing incendiary munitions over the city designed to cause fires. One resident showed us has spent capsule from the rocket.

(on-camera): Officials say there are perhaps 1,000 civilians left in Chasiv Yar. Evacuations are possible, but they don't seem to be many takers.

(voice-over): Alexander drags firewood home. There's no electricity or running water here. He fled to Chasiv Yar from Siversk, an hour from here, where his home was destroyed.

Is he leaving? No, he replies. My wife died here. My parents are buried here.

Serhei Chaus (ph) heads the town's military administration.

Since last April, we've been trying to convince people to leave, talking with them, reasoning with them, he tells me, but we can't make them.

Yet again, the old and infirm refused to leave despite the danger.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Chasiv Yar, Eastern Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Thanks for joining me here on CNN Newsroom. I'm Bianca Nobilo in London.

World Sport with Amanda Davies is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:00]