Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Abortion Medication Drug Access Extended While Supreme Court Considers Case; Republican Hopefuls Court Pro-Gun Voters; Japanese Prime Minister Evacuated After Explosion; U.S. Inflation Falls Nine Months Running; U.S. Credit Card Debt At Record Levels; Death Toll From Slovyansk Climbs To Nine; Detained Journalist's Parents Speak Out; Heavy Fighting Near Sudan Presidential Palace, Army HQ; Brazil- China Relationship; ESA's "Juice" Mission. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired April 15, 2023 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, President Biden back home after his trip abroad and addressing the new abortion pill ruling. What he had to say and what comes next in the Supreme Court.
Plus some positive news on the economic front this week, the fog seeming to lift on inflation in the U.S. But we'll talk with an economist who says be cautious of the new numbers.
And panic and chaos at a political event in Japan. We're live in Tokyo and why the prime minister had to be rushed to safety.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: U.S. President Biden is back from his four-day trip to Ireland. And weighing in on the abortion debate that still rages at home, he spoke with reporters after he arrived at Dover Air Base and took aim at restrictions placed on a key abortion drug. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it's outrageous what the court has done relative to concluding that they're going to overrule the FDA (INAUDIBLE). And I think it's out of there domain. And -- but we'll see what happens. We'll see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Late Friday a U.S. Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito temporarily extended access to mifepristone. The high court is considering an emergency appeal filed by the Biden administration and a drug manufacturer.
Significant restrictions on the medication had been set to go into effect early Saturday. Now that's been pushed back to midnight Wednesday, depending on what the justices decide. CNN justice correspondent Jessica Schneider explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Supreme Court now weighing into the fight over the abortion pill mifepristone.
Justice Samuel Alito putting a temporary pause on any changes to the way the drug is currently administered but only until Wednesday. The Court giving itself more time to decide if restrictions on the drug will go into effect.
If the full court doesn't choose to act after Wednesday, doctors will be instructed to only prescribe mifepristone up to seven weeks of a pregnancy instead of the 10s weeks now.
However, doctors typically have discretion to ignore those instructions and it will get harder to access the pill. Women will have to see a doctor in person and pick it up instead of talking to a doctor online and receiving it by mail.
According to a newly published study, nearly one in 10 abortions obtained last year after the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade used mifepristone subscribed during a telehealth visit with a doctor.
And overall, the drug is used in more than half of all abortions. The Justice Department urged the Supreme Court to put all the changes on hold, writing, the FDA is trying to discern their legal duties and urgently demanding guidance.
DR. JENNIFER CONTI, PROFESSOR OB-GYN. STANFORD UNIVERSITY: Patients and providers shouldn't be panicking day to day trying to figure out what the law is today and how it's going to change tomorrow. And that's exactly what it's doing, it's causing a lot of confusion and chaos.
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): The Justice Department points out that mifepristone has been approved for more than 20 years, a scientific judgment that has spanned five presidential administrations and mifepristone, DOJ argues, is a drug the World Health Organization has included on a list of essential medicines.
The Justice Department also pointing out that mifepristone isn't only used in abortions but also for women who have suffered miscarriages, writing that, if any changes are made to the way the drug is dispensed, harms would be felt throughout the nation because mifepristone has lawful uses in every state, even those with restrictive abortion laws.
The case was filed by antiabortion doctors who contend they are trying to protect the health and safety of women and girls. It's a case the mainstream medical community argues should be thrown out, in part, because the doctors who sued aren't directly involved with mifepristone and didn't have the legal right to sue.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: There is a way for them, at least for now, to get out of this and that is by simply saying the truth, which is the people that brought this case, a very small number of doctors, do not have what we call standing.
At this point, the Supreme Court is only stepping in to keep the status quo on mifepristone into Wednesday night. That's when the court would decide whether to step in again and keep these changes once again on hold.
[05:05:00]
SCHNEIDER: In the meantime, the underlying appeal on the merits of this case, including whether these anti abortion doctors even had standing to sue in the first place, that is moving rapidly in the 5th Circuit, with the first briefs in that appeal due at the end of this month -- Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The U.S. government is moving quickly with its prosecution of the suspected leaker of classified documents that included detailed intelligence assessments of allies and adversaries alike; 21 year old Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira has now been formally charged under the Espionage Act.
CNN Pentagon correspondent Oren Liebermann has the latest on the charges and the continuing fallout from the leaks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a federal courtroom in Boston, 21-year-old Jack Teixeira faced his legal fate for the first time, charged through the Espionage Act with unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents and national security information.
The airman first class at the center of an investigation into a leak of top secret information.
In court, his father yelled out, "Love you, Jack."
The response, "Love you, too, Dad."
Outside the courthouse, Teixeira's family thrust into the spotlight with national security interests at stake, said nothing. Teixeira was an IT specialist with the Massachusetts Air National Guard. He enlisted before graduating high school. His senior year photo quote that now appears prophetic actions: Speak louder than words.
He's had a top secret clearance since 2021 and access to sensitive, compartmentalized information, in a job that requires a lifetime binding nondisclosure agreement. GARLAND: People who sign agreements to be able to receive classified documents acknowledge the importance to the national security of not disclosing those documents and we intend to send that message, how important it is to our national security.
LIEBERMANN: One day earlier and one hour south, Teixeira was spotted on his back porch, reading a book. Moments later, an FBI tactical team closed in on to Teixeira, taking him into custody outside his house. Those who knew him growing up, described him as a bit of a loner and into guns.
BROOKE CLEATHERO, FORMER CLASSMATE OF JACK TEIXEIRA: He doesn't have a lot of friends. But like some of the friends he did have or also kind of in the same boat as him in a way but people are just wary of them.
LIEBERMANN: But on Discord, an online platform frequently used by gamers, Teixeira built his own group of friends and followers. He's believed to be the head of a chat server named Thug Shaker Central.
Court documents allege that, late last year, he began sharing classified information. A user in the chat group telling the FBI at first, it was just a paragraph of texts and then photographs of documents that contained what appeared to be classification markings.
ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: The fact is, it's quite easy to do if you are a person who has decided to violate your oath, to violate the training and the rules that you operate under and to proactively make a decision to break the law.
LIEBERMANN: In the days before his arrest, court documents say Teixeira used his government computer to search classified intelligence reporting for the word "leak" on attempt to find out if investigators were on to him.
After Teixeira's first court appearance on Friday, he'll have a detention hearing on Wednesday. This whole legal process, it seems, moving forward very quickly, about a week from when President Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and others first learned about the leaks, to the arrest.
And the prosecution now moving forward for Jack Teixeira -- Oren Liebermann, CNN, at the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The most influential gun lobby group in the U.S. has kicked off its annual convention in Indianapolis, just days after a mass shooting at a Louisville bank that killed five people and nearly three weeks after a separate shooting at a Nashville school that left six people dead, including three children.
Former vice president Mike Pence was among several Republican presidential hopefuls, who tried to court voters at the NRA convention. In the speech, he offered this proposal for punishing mass shooters. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE PENCE (R), FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: While the assailants in the most recent attacks were taken out by law enforcement on the scene, too many mass shooters languish in prison for years, men and women. I don't have to tell you.
Justice delayed is justice denied?
I believe the time has come. Institute a federal death penalty statute with accelerated appeal to ensure that those who engage in mass shootings face execution in months, not years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Former president and current candidate Donald Trump also rallied supporters, pledging to expand gun rights if elected. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I will ask Congress to send the bill to my desk till early nationals concealed carry reciprocity. I want protection.
[05:10:00]
TRUMP: Just like your driver's license or your marriage license. Your Second Amendment must apply across state lines.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Earlier I spoke with Brendan Wolf, gun safety and LGBTQ civil rights advocate, who was in Orlando's Pulse night club in 2016 when a gunman opened fire on the crowd. I asked him if he thinks Democrats will mobilize on gun control the way they have on abortion, given that most polls show Americans broadly support that.
Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRANDON WOLF, PRESS SECRETARY, EQUALITY FLORIDA: Well, I think what you're seeing is that's already happening. And you know, I know that people are looking for that big headline.
Listen, I want it, too. I'd love to see tomorrow "The New York Times" front page says assault weapons banned in America again. But the truth is that that progress is incremental in this country that is, in part by design. That's the way the system is constructed.
And people who are in grassroots movements like this one are fighting against some very powerful and moneyed interests. But if you look at where the country is today, a vast majority of people tell you that gun violence is among the top issues that's driving them to the polls. That's new for this country, for people that believe that we can do
something more around gun safety in this country, to tell you that that is one of the things that's mobilizing them to the polls. That's a shift in our society.
It's a shift when groups that are gun safety focused, like Moms Demand Action, are outspending the NRA during election cycles. That is a shift in this country. It's a shift in this country, when 40-plus NRA backed candidates lose their elections in a midterm cycle. That is a shift in this country.
And it's also a shift to have a president like Joe Biden, who ran as a candidate on perhaps the strongest gun safety platform we've seen in decades, gets into office, takes executive action and helps shepherd a bipartisan gun safety bill over the finish line.
So I do think that we're seeing progress in this country. I know that we want to see more progress. We want it to move quicker but we are seeing progress.
And that's why you see the NRA, essentially just, you know, a flailing arm of this right wing hysteria machine and not really the stalwart cornerstone of the gun proliferation movement that it once was.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida has returned to the campaign trail after he was evacuated from a venue when an explosion went off. The blast was heard as he was about to give a speech to supporters.
Police arrested a man suspected of throwing a device at the scene. Public broadcaster NHK reports that the prime minister wasn't harmed. CNN's Marc Stewart joins us from Tokyo with more.
So, Marc, what more can you tell us?
MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kim, since we last talked last hour, we are getting some new information from Japan's national broadcaster, NHK. NHK is now describing this device that was thrown as a pipe bomb, adding that a second device was also confiscated at the scene.
Let's go back to around noon Japan time. That is when the prime minister was at this political event at a port city in the southern part of Japan, when witnesses described some kind of cylinder-like object flying in the air.
And then there was this report of an explosion. Immediately, the prime minister's security team rushed him away. And then a group of men, described the officers, tackled a 24 year old man, who is now believed to be the suspect.
He was wearing glasses, he had on a mask. He had a backpack and then he was immediately taken away. Again, it is important to stress that no one, including the prime minister, was hurt. Now the prime minister did go on to make this political speech that he
was scheduled to give. He did refer to what happened. He said that an investigation was underway about this explosion. He knew people were concerned and apologized for that.
And then continued on with his political speech, talking about the importance of the democratic process and he was there for a particular candidate. But I can tell you that being in Japan, what happened today is eerily reminiscent.
It's bringing back a lot of memories of what happened less than a year ago in July of 2022, when former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated during a political rally.
And ever since then, a lot of questions have been raised about the safety and security of politicians. In many cases, politicians in Japan do get close with the public they serve, perhaps a bit different in other parts of the world, in the United States, where there are a lot of restrictions.
This took place at a public venue, a fisherman's area if you will and so it would not be uncommon for people to come in and out to attend an event like this. Without question, what happened today is going to elevate this discussion and call and prompt even more questions about security, especially between politicians and the public.
BRUNHUBER: You can imagine changes coming. Marc Stewart, thank you so much.
[05:15:00]
BRUNHUBER: Appreciate it.
All right, now to a developing story. Witnesses tell CNN there has been heavy fighting around Sudan's presidential palace and the army headquarters in Khartoum. Reuters reports witnesses have heard heavy gunfire near the Sudanese capital. The source of the gunfire wasn't immediately known.
A paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, said in a statement that they were surprised after a large force from Sudan's army entered the location where the forces were present on the base In Soba in Khartoum and laying siege on the force present there.
The RSF called it a brutal offensive. And we've also learned that flights have been suspended inbound and outbound from the airport in Khartoum. Now this comes after days of tension between the army and a paramilitary group. We will bring you the latest details as this develops.
U.S. inflation is starting to show signs of cooling but, as you'll see, Americans still shell at far more money for basic necessities than they used to.
And later, France has a new pension reform law. But people who oppose the changes aren't giving up the fight. We'll have a live report from Paris after the break, please stay with us.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:20:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: Wall Street ended the week on a negative note as investors braced for more interest rate hikes. Some of the top U.S. banks reported strong first quarter earnings on Friday.
But the CEO of the nation's largest bank, JPMorgan Chase, warned that high interest rates could last longer than expected. At the closing, all top three indices were down for the day and they were in the red for the week.
The U.S. Federal Reserve has been increasing interest rates to fight inflation, which is showing signs of cooling down. The Consumer Price Index dropped for the ninth straight month in March, rising just 5 percent compared to last year. That's down from a 6 percent increase in February.
But inflation is still stubbornly high. Americans are paying 8.5 percent more for food than last year and over 8 percent more for shelter. Energy costs are over down 6.4 percent from 2022.
On the international level, the IMF managing director told CNN that keeping the global economy growing will be an uphill battle. Here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTALINA GEORGIEVA, MANAGING DIRECTOR, IMF: We have still, however, a problem of growth slowing down and inflation not slowing down enough. And when you look into the future, unfortunately, prospects for growth are quite weak.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: For more on this, I'm joined by Ryan Patel, a senior fellow at the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.
Thanks so much for being with us again. So a bit of a mixed bag. Let's start with the good news. Inflation dropped again, the ninth consecutive month of dropping inflation. Seems like we're heading in the right direction. But even with that, there are some things as we heard, at the grocery store, that have gone down. Others gone up.
So many people out there might not notice the impact.
RYAN PATEL, GLOBAL BUSINESS EXECUTIVE: Yes, and I don't think they will. And I think, when you think of inflation and the way we look at it, yes, we are heading into the right direction. And again, I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but you want to see absolutely more changed so you can feel it.
Because people's consumer changing behavior and patterns isn't going to change, Kim. It's still going to be in that same mode until they see a realistic we feel in their wallet and, so because of that, companies and businesses are also in that same mode.
And we're starting to see those mid sized lenders and small lenders tighten their credit standards, which in response to inflation and maybe potentially a crisis, could push businesses and others to cut back on hiring investments, which then, you and I both know, leads to cutting spending.
And so I think people want to see more of a bigger delta or a difference that, hey, it is going in a further direction. It is great to see that sign. But we've had this conversation before, where we think that we're going in the right way. And then we got to put a stop and we don't want to be in that situation again.
BRUNHUBER: Well, that's exactly it because it is part of it that, that core inflation, so if you take away food and energy prices, that's what seems like it isn't moving very much. So I mean, that suggests that that the consumer demand is still very high.
But then, on the other hand, retail spending, it fell in March, which was more than expected. So again. This yin and yang.
PATEL: Yes, and you're absolutely right. It is the core inflation. Let's take the energy and all those things out, right. If that didn't really move any needle, I want to see that move by a lot. Percentage point, that's just 0.2, 0.1, I think that'll be a signal and retail sales is interesting.
I mean, there's a lot of factors go in there. But you and I covered this months ago about, when you start to see layoffs, when you start to see even the banking crisis, you know, when you think about how people look at their money and save their money, it does have an impact to how they spend.
Can we see retail sales go up back in the summer or in a couple of months, when back to school happens, when we see a bump? Hopefully, we'll see that pattern back again. But that doesn't surprise me that retail sales dropped because it put everybody in a pause on what you should be doing or what you should be doing, having your money in that month.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, it's always the question and it's not as if the comments from those who are guiding the economy are filling us with confidence, either. I mean, we heard just a few moments ago from the IMF. And here's Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen talking to our Fareed Zakaria.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JANET YELLEN, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: What people call a soft landing is possible. So I do think there's a path to bring down inflation while maintaining what I think all of us would regard as a strong labor market. And the evidence that I'm seeing suggests we are on that path.
Now are there risks?
Of course. I don't want to downplay the possibility that there are risks here but I do think that's possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: All right.
[05:25:00]
BRUNHUBER: So there she was hoping for a soft landing, bringing down inflation without triggering a recession but acknowledging there are possible risks. So what do you make of it?
PATEL: I'm sorry, Kim. You know, I come on here and try to be hopeful. And you know, I know Janet Yellen is trying to be.
But when I hear her and the IMF talk about how they're not including potential bank turmoil only led me to believe that there's something there. And I'm not saying that there is something there but that we are on pins and needles because it's the variables, Kim.
Because at the end of the day, the U.S. economy can control what it has.
But when you think about, like we said, inflation, IMF to come out, that inflation is going to be more in other countries, you don't think that's going to have an impact to the U.S.?
The question becomes, as Janet Yellen mentioned, is it?
How much is that?
And I just feel like we're a little bit in a fragile mode. As of right now, maybe in two months it's a different conversation. But imagine there's another bank turmoil somewhere else in a different country or to that degree.
I can see a scenario here in the U.S. where it has some impact and the Fed chooses to keep interest rates a little bit higher, like I can see them play with that because they don't want to go in the other way.
And that's what worries me, is that there is this rhetoric of, oh, we don't know but we kind of know what may happen. And if it occurs, they're going to be prepared to tighten the fiscal policy.
So I have to be honest that that this is a real possibility, should it go that way. BRUNHUBER: Well, I have to say I didn't expect a conversation about
the good news of dropping inflation to turn so depressing. But I guess that reflects the state of the uncertain economy these days. We'll have to leave it there. Thanks so much, Ryan Patel really appreciate it, again.
PATEL: Thank you, Kim.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: And a quick programming note. You can watch Fareed Zakaria's full interview with U.S. secretary -- Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen Sunday at 10:00 am in New York. That's 3:00 in the afternoon in London, only here on CNN.
The death toll keeps growing after a barrage of Russian missile strikes in Eastern Ukraine. Still ahead, survivors speak about the strikes in Slovyansk as the city comes to grips with the aftermath.
Plus the family of a detained journalist in Russia speaks out for the first time. What Evan Gershkovich's parents want people to know about their son. Stay with us.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:30:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber and this is CNN NEWSROOM.
President Emmanuel Macron's plan to change the pension system is now the law of the land in France.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): But the anger against Macron and his plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 is stronger than ever. Some protesters lit flares after the nation's highest constitutional court approved the reform on Friday.
There were reports of fires and arrests. And hours later, Macron signed the pension reform into law. The government says the changes are needed to keep the pension system financially sound in the coming years. But union leaders are vowing to continue the fight. At least one leader calling for historic protests on May 1st, a day usually marked by big labor protests.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: CNN's Nada Bashir is live for us in Paris.
Nada, after all those weeks of protests, it's a done deal. Take us through what happened and what might happen next.
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There has been weeks of deliberation by the constitutional council. That announcement yesterday, of course, sparking anger by the trade unions and the protesters. Essentially this legislation now being brought into force.
The central element, of course, the retirement age being raised from 62 to 64. Those six minor measures, included in that legislation were struck down but, nevertheless, this is a significant win for president Emmanuel Macron.
As you said, he wasted no time in signing this into law and he has already extended an invitation to union heads to meet with him at the Elysee next Tuesday for further talks on this matter, although we have seen efforts in the past by the government to bring the unions to the negotiating table.
They were not successful, the government refusing to move from its position. We've already heard from one of the heads of the largest unions here in France, saying that they won't take part in these talks unless there is the potential for this law to be repealed.
Of course, that ship has sailed. That is unlikely to happen. And as you mentioned, they have already been called for further protests. And we spoke to many of the demonstrators who have been taking to the streets over the last 12 rounds of protests, many of them telling us that they will continue to demonstrate against this new law, which has been signed into force by president Macron.
As you said that, there has been that call for historic protest to take place on the 1st of May again. This is typically a day where we would see demonstrations across France. This is Labor Day.
The unions are calling for more people to go to the streets in response to this new legislation and, of course, as well as anger and frustration being directed toward this pension reform, there is also a significant amount of anger being directed toward president Macron with regard to the way in which this legislation was forced through.
President Macron, essentially bypassing the lower house of parliament, where his party doesn't hold an outright majority, and bypassing a final vote. Many of the protesters that we were speaking to earlier this week telling us that they feel this undermines the democratic principles here in France.
And of course, you can imagine that this has sparked anger, not just amongst the trade unionists but other protesters as well.
While we have seen the figures in terms of the number of people taking to the streets dwindling over the last few weeks, we still saw a significant turnout on Thursday, 380,000 people across France, 42,000, according to the interior ministry, here in Paris.
And there were, of course, once again small pockets of violence, although these protests were, on the whole, quite peaceful, we did see some scuffles and clashes between protesters and the police. And again yesterday, some small protests did break out following the
announcement by the constitutional council. This is a deeply unpopular law and it has had a significant impact on president Macron's popularity. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right, thanks so much, Nada Bashir in Paris.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: The death toll from Russian missile strikes on the Ukrainian city of Slovyansk has risen to at least nine.
[05:35:00]
BRUNHUBER: Ukrainian officials announced that the new number this morning, a day after missiles rained down on the city, hit seven separate locations, including this residential building, leaving 21 other people wounded.
Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine has decimated Russia's clandestine special forces known as Spetsnaz. That's according to "The Washington Post," citing some of the U.S. intelligence documents recently leaked online.
They estimate that one Spetsnaz unit sent 900 troops to Ukraine but only about 125 are still active. Now CNN isn't able to independently verify that report.
More than two weeks after American journalist Evan Gershkovich was detained in Russia, his family is speaking out for the first time. In an interview with the reporter's employer, "The Wall Street Journal," Gershkovich's father and mother spoke about their son's work, his character and his arrest. He is being held at a notorious prison on allegations of espionage, a claim he denies.
His parents say they understand the tough situation he faces but they're still holding onto glimmers of hope. CNN's Alex Marquardt reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Feeling both pride and pain, the parents of Evan Gershkovich are speaking publicly about their son, languishing in a Russian jail and facing a possible sentence of 20 years in prison.
MIKHAIL GERSHKOVICH, EVAN GERSHKOVICH'S FATHER: I feel that I've failed in some way as a father.
ELLA MILMAN, EVAN GERSHKOVICH'S MOTHER: Totally crushing, that experience all came back from the Soviet Union.
MARQUARDT: The Gershkovich parents are Soviet Jewish immigrants who came to the U.S. in 1979. Evan and his sister grew up speaking Russian. When Gershkovich decided to move there as a journalist, his parents knew there was little they could do. M. GERSHKOVICH: I couldn't have stopped him when he was 15, let alone, let alone now.
MARQUARDT: Gershkovich bounced around different media outlets, landing at "The Wall Street Journal" just before Russia invaded Ukraine and started to crack down on journalists, many of whom left.
MILMAN: I know that he felt like it was his duty to report and he loved Russian people, you know?
M. GERSHKOVICH: He still does.
MILMAN: He still does, yes.
EVAN GERSHKOVICH, REPORTER, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": No longer is Russia fighting Ukraine --
MARQUARDT: Gershkovich's pieces were well-reported, often shining a light on the Putin regime, like this one in December on the Kremlin inner circle, which made his family nervous.
MILMAN: I think when that article came out about Putin in December, got me worried a lot. Like my mood was changing.
MARQUARDT: Late last month, Gershkovich was arrested on a reporting trip to the central city of Yekaterinburg. The internal security service, the FSB, quickly accused him of espionage. The U.S. government has declared it a wrongful detention, the attorney general said today and an attack on press freedom.
GARLAND: The United States will do everything in its power to get the reporter back.
MARQUARDT: Other Americans who are recently held by Russia and the family of Paul Whelan, who still is, have been vocal in their support.
TREVOR REED, FORMER RUSSIAN PRISONER: Taking a journalist that kind of puts it into perspective for you how desperate the Russians have become.
MARQUARDT: Next week, a Moscow court will hear an appeal by "The Wall Street Journal's" lawyers against Gershkovich's detention. His parents are hopeful. But know all too well the reality of Russia's judicial system.
MILMAN: It's what's one of the American qualities that we absorbed. Be optimistic. Believe in happy -- happy ending. That's where we stand right now.
But I am not stupid. I understand what's involved. But that's what I choose to believe.
MARQUARDT: A major question since Evan Gershkovich was arrested is whether Russia was doing so in order to exchange him for someone who they wanted in exchange. It is something that is possible, something that would be considered, according to Russia's deputy foreign minister, he said, only after a trial and the verdict.
However, unfortunately, we likely know what way a verdict would go, given that the Kremlin says that Gershkovich was caught committing espionage red-handed -- Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The sister of the other American detained in Russia is pressing the White House to bring her brother home. Paul Whelan has been jailed in Russia for more than four years on espionage charges and, like Evan Gershkovich, the U.S. has designated Whelan as wrongfully detained.
Paul's sister, Elizabeth Whelan, expressed her frustration with the White House in a video posted to Facebook.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIZABETH WHELAN, PAUL WHELAN'S SISTER: We need the White House to take charge and get the upper hand with the likes of the Kremlin. We need some street smarts applied here.
Will the White House get played by the Russians again?
Or will they bring to bear the full force of American ability and put a stop to this hostage diplomacy for once and for all?
The job is to get Paul Whelan home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The U.S. secretary of state has said the White House has put forward a serious proposal --
[05:40:00]
BRUNHUBER: -- to secure Paul Whelan's release and that they're committed to bringing him home. But Elizabeth Whelan tells CNN the family's worried that the U.S. may leave Paul behind again if prisoners are swapped in the future.
Supporters of jailed Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny fear he's being poisoned again. Navalny was in court for two hearings on Friday. His team says prison officials were forced to call an ambulance last week to treat him for severe stomach pain and that he's been losing weight. Navalny was poisoned with the possible nerve agent back in 2020. His allies fear he's being poisoned again, gradually, in small doses.
We'll be right back.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING) BRUNHUBER: Returning to a story we're following out of Sudan.
Witnesses tell CNN there has been heavy fighting around the presidential palace and the army headquarters in Khartoum. Let's go now to Nairobi, where CNN's Larry Madowo is following the story.
So, Larry, you know, this is just still unfolding.
But what more are you learning?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kim, it's still too early to make sense of what all this means. But what we're seeing on the streets of Khartoum and other parts of Sudan appears to be a power struggle between these two parallel militaries that exist in Sudan.
Sudan is currently run by what is called the sovereign council. And the head of the council is General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, who is the de facto leader of Sudan. But the vice chair of the sovereign council is General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, "Hemetti."
He is the leader of the Rapid Support Forces or RSF. And this was always going to happen according to all Sudan observers. Many people in Sudan expected that this rivalry, this power struggle would spill into the open, into a confrontation, a military confrontation between the Rapid Support Forces and the official Sudanese military.
Because it's a sticking point in the negotiation to return to civilian rule in Sudan. And right now the Rapid Support Forces claim to have taken the main Khartoum airport.
[05:45:00]
MADOWO: There's also been reported fighting in Marwa airport. That airport is the largest military base, the largest military airport in Sudan, where a lot of the Russian supplied ammunition, right, Russian supplied equipment, the MiGs and Sukhois are at this particular location.
So one of the things we are trying to figure out is who began this latest escalation. But this builds up on days of confrontation between the RSF and official Sudanese military. And we have had statements now from both sides.
This morning we've had a statement from the RSF, claiming that that there was a brutal offensive and the leadership of the Rapid Support Forces conducted calls with officials and mediators. There's been a long running mediation to try and return to Sudan into civilian rule.
And there's also disagreement between -- the RSF would like to it to happen over 10 years but the military would like to do that in two years. And that seems to be a big problem.
At the heart of this is who becomes the de facto leadership of the military in Sudan, because the main military would like to see the RSF subsumed into the main military bad (ph) committee and the RSF would like to remain independent, as they were under the Omar al-Bashir years. And one more final thing here, Kim, that we're coming up to four years since Omar al-Bashir was deposed from Sudan and in October 2021, there was a military coup that led to this sovereign council situation.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, it's a confusing situation for those on the outside, because these groups have been allies and rivals at the same time. I just want to read a tweet that was sent out by the ambassador and you can see it there on the screen. But they're just warning people to take shelter and so on.
Do you have any sense as to what dangers civilians might be in this conflict that's unfolding right now?
MADOWO: The Sudanese people have already been through so much conflict that they would just wish for this to end, whichever party wins this conflict, because, the longer this conflict goes on, the more destabilizing it is for the nation.
And there's been a lot of pressure from the U.S., from other Western nations, from the European Union, from the troika to have these two parties agree on a return to civilian rule.
They have both committed to a return to civilian rule but they disagree on the timelines and they have also both committed to deescalating these tensions. But that doesn't seem to be what's playing out here, which appears to be spilling over into combat on the streets of Sudan.
I want to read a statement for you, now from the official spokesperson for the Sudanese armed forces, who said, "Our honorable people, in continuation of its course of treachery and betrayal, the Rapid Support Forces attempted to attack our forces in the support (ph) city and other locations and our armed forces confronted them."
So you see these battling statements as well between the RSF and the military, leading to further conflict and escalation that people just don't understand why there's so much of this bad blood between these two units.
And yet the Sudanese people wish to return to civilian rule and have what is the RSF subsumed into the military or some kind of deal that would see their aspirations for peace come to fruition -- Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, it's really a disturbing development. We will keep following this story throughout the day, Larry Madowo, thank you so much for (INAUDIBLE). Appreciate it.
Well, fresh off a three day state visit to China, Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will next tour the United Arab Emirates. While in Beijing, Lula met with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, and vowed to strengthen ties and as Stefano Pozzebon reports, Brazil's leader also took a few swipes at the dominance of the U.S. dollar.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wrapped up a three-day visit to China on Friday by holding a bilateral meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping in Beijing.
Following the meeting, the two leaders assigned two joint statements, circling for deeper integration in economics as well as a strong concerted action to address climate change.
China is Brazil's main trading partner and Lula said that he intends to favor strategic partnerships with tech and infrastructure companies from China.
During the trip, which took place roughly two months after Lula attended another bilateral meeting with the U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in February, the Latin American leader took aim at the U.S. dollar's dominance over international trade.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LULA DA SILVA, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Every night I ax (sic) myself, why should every country have to be tied by the dollar for trade?
Why can't we trade in our own currency?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POZZEBON: On the environment, both leaders vowed to cooperate strongly against the global warming. But China steps short of contributing to an international fund to protect the Amazon rainforest.
[05:50:00]
POZZEBON: Brazil says it's key to reach emission targets all around the world. Xi and Lula also discussed the Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying that they hope for a peaceful solution to be found for the conflict in Europe. And Brazil reiterated that it supports China's sovereignty claim over the island of Taiwan.
And Lula will conduct another official visit to the United Arab Emirates on Saturday before going back to Brazil over the weekend -- for CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: We'll be right back.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language). BRUNHUBER (voice-over): A European spacecraft is on its way for a historic mission to explore Jupiter and three of its most intriguing moons. On Friday, the European Space Agency launched its Juice mission, short for the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer mission.
Its spacecraft will spend about 3.5 years studying the gas giant and three of its largest moons. One goal, to see if they could harbor life. Juice is expected to become the first spacecraft to ever orbit the moon in the outer solar system.
[05:55:00]
BRUNHUBER: But it will take years for the exploration to begin. Juice isn't expected to arrive at Jupiter until July 2031.
U.S. regulators have given SpaceX the green light to launch what the company calls the most powerful rocket ever built.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): The uncrewed test flight of Starship could blast off from Texas as soon as Monday. It's supposed to complete almost one full orbit of the Earth before splashing down near Hawaii.
The inaugural flight is considered crucial to the company's goals. SpaceX says the craft could help humanity return to the moon and potentially travel to Mars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: And finally this hour, NASA is revealing a new habitat, where volunteers will help prepare for missions to Mars. It's a 3D printed home, nicknamed Mars Dune Alpha. Four volunteers will live in the 1,700 square foot building for a year at a time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): It has two bathrooms, a vertical farm, a medical room and a lounge. Scientists will watch as volunteers perform simulated space walks, take care of personal hygiene, exercise and grow crops. It's all a way to better understand the impacts of long isolation on human health.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: All right, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM I'm Kim Brunhuber. Follow me on Twitter @ Kim Brunhuber. "CNN THIS MORNING" is next.
