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U.S. Assessing Impact After Leak Of Classified Information; Doctors Committee Says, At Least 56 Dead Amid Fighting In Sudan; Justice Department Announces Charges Against 28 Individuals. Aired 3- 4a ET

Aired April 16, 2023 - 03:00   ET

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

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[03:00:00]

LAILA HARRAK, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from the United States and all around the world. I'm Laila Harrak.

The U.S. scrambles to contain the fallout from leaked Pentagon intelligence as we learn more about what was in the documents and the evidence against the National Guardsman charged in the case.

Dozens of people are dead in the power struggle between Sudan's army and a rival paramilitary group, the international community urging a return to peaceful dialogue.

And a major crackdown on a Mexican drug cartel by the United States, the link to America's fentanyl crisis.

The U.S. is grappling with fallout at home and abroad after a massive intelligence leak that includes blunt appraisals of some key allies. The Washington Post reports that assessments found in the classified information say Taiwan would probably be unable to defend itself against China's air power in a direct conflict.

A Massachusetts National Guardsmen is in custody in connection with the leak, as CNN's Alex Marquardt has more now on the suspect and the case against him.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Airman First Class Jack Teixeira is just 21 years old. He's been in the Air National Guard since enlisting back in 2019, and for the past two years, has held a top secret security clearance.

Now, according to the unsealed affidavit, he began violating the terms of that security clearance back in December starting to post classified information as just paragraphs of text. Then in January, he started posting photos of classified documents on the social media site, Discord, which is popular with video gamers.

So, these documents and we understand there were hundreds of them were online for months before they really came to light on April 6th. That is the day that the secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, got his first briefing. And that was just one week before Teixeira was arrested at his parents' house just south of Boston.

So, why did Teixeira have access with such a low rank in the military? Well, he worked for the 102nd Intelligence Operations Wing out of Massachusetts, and that produces intelligence for senior commanders around the world.

And Teixiera's job was called a cyber defense operations journeyman, essentially I.T. support for this highly classified network that he worked on. And you can't be a normal I.T. guy and service that network so you have to have a high level clearance.

Now, federal agents are certainly looking into what Teixeira accessed, how he accessed it, whether he printed the documents out himself and how he got them out. And there will be much bigger questions now about who can access what kind of intelligence going forward.

Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.

HARRAK: Well, the leaked classified material included information about both friends and foes. The U.S. is reaching out to allies in connection with the leak and Democratic Representative Zoe Lofgren discussed the situation with seen in earlier.

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REP. ZOE LOFGREN (D-CA): Obviously, the leak is very damaging to Ukraine and to the United States. And we do need to get to the bottom of it, that he was posting some of this material online and it was not promptly discovered is of concern. On the other hand, the World Wide Web is a big place, and this was an obscure part of the web. So, we do need to take a look at how we might better become alert to such items while maintaining a free society.

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HARRAK: And here is what we know about Jack Teixeira so far at this hour. The 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman remains in custody. He's charged under the Espionage Act with unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information and unauthorized removal of classified information and defense materials.

[03:05:01]

He will remain jailed at least until Wednesday when a detention hearing is set.

I want to turn our focus now to Sudan, where at least 56 people have been killed as fighting rages between the military and paramilitary group. That's according to the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors, which is also confirmed more than 500 injuries, while to prevent further loss of life, the U.N. Security Council is urging calm and local officials have declared a holiday in Khartoum to keep people off the streets.

The RSF paramilitary group claims to have captured most of the city's strategic sites but the military disputes those claims and has deployed warplanes to search for the fighters, accusing them of starting the conflict.

Let's get you more now. CNN's Larry Madowo joins is now live. Larry, is fighting still going on? What is the situation?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Laila, fighting is still going on in Sudan this morning. We've now crossed the 24-hour mark since these tensions began since this fighting began, and it seems to have intensified after Sunday morning's prayers. Eyewitnesses report hearing blasts overnight, but after this morning's prayers, there's loud explosions, there's smoke coming out of some buildings, and there still seems to be combat between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces.

This -- some people are describing that as an attempted coup, but CNN is not doing so right now. Because what it really is, is a power struggle between the two generals that run Sudan. The General Burhan, who is the leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces, and the defective leader of the Sovereign Council that runs the country, and his number two, General Mohamed Hamdan, or Hemetti, who is the leader of the Rapid Support Forces, who are, have been back to the past, armed and trained by Russia, and that's what we see here.

The big contention here is about to return to civilian rule in Sudan and who will be overly charged when these two forces are marred. We -- I want to show some video right now from the Sudanese military that claims to have taken over the state radio television broadcaster, which initially (INAUDIBLE) claimed to have taken over its dramatic because the military claims they're celebrating what was their takeover of this key installation in the country because whether who has control over the state broadcaster essentially can get on T.V. and say we have control of the country.

That is why this has been one of the battlegrounds there beyond the presidential palace and the basis of the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese military.

HARRAK: And, Larry, what have been the regional reactions to this turmoil?

MADOWO: Every single regional player here has called on General Burhan and General Hemetti to go back to the negotiating table and cease all these tensions, this fire and save Sudanese life and property. We've heard statements from Ethiopia, from Somalia, from Egypt and from others in the region, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, who are key players diplomatically in Sudan. The U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has spoken to the foreign ministers of both Saudi Arabia and the UAE and have all called on General Burhan and General Hemetti to go back to the negotiating table.

I also want to read for you a statement from Kenyan President William Ruto, who has spoken with the leadership of the Intergovernmental Authority and Development, that is a regional body here. And he says Kenya and the Gulf States (ph) are available and ready to contribute to the resolution of the crisis. I am consulting with the regional leadership and other relevant international partners to seek ways to support dialogue and mediation. But this is going to be difficult because General Burhan baron and General Hemetti have taken very hard line positions. They're using words like criminals, and these -- is a liar and all of that, so, essentially, fighting words in a way that will not make it easy for them to sit across each other and find a way out of this crisis, Laila.

HARRAK: Very anxious time for the people of Sudan. Larry Madowo reporting, thank you so much, Larry.

And I want to discuss this further now with Muhameda Tulumovic of the Humanitarian Organization Emergency NGO, where she serves as the country director in Sudan. Thank you so much for joining us. I hope you and your team are safe.

How would you describe the capital right now? What have you seen?

MUHAMEDA TULUMOVIC, DIRECTOR, EMERGENCY NGO COUNTRY IN SUDAN: Hello, everyone. In this moment time in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, and I'm actually in the hospital of Emergency Salam Cardiac Surgery Hospital that is southeast over Khartoum. From here, we don't see any shooting, anything about to hear heavy weapons and a lot of shootings, even if we are, let's say, 20, 25, kilometers from the center of the city.

HARRAK: So, fighting is still going on as we speak.

TULUMOVIC: Yes, yes.

[03:10:00]

This morning, very early, it started again.

HARRAK: It started again. I mean, are you still able to provide critical care?

TULUMOVIC: In this moment, we had to diminish our activities that we have poor (ph) health facilities around the country, two in Khartoum, one is a pediatric clinical in south of Khartoum, in Mayo, and it's closing at this moment because we don't have access and further staff is impossible to arrive.

The other one is the cardio surgical hospital where I'm in this moment and we diminished our activities. We are just operating the critical cases as a cardio surgical hospital because the staff cannot come. So, the majority of them, they are sleeping in this moment in our hospital when they are not working because going back home and it's very dangerous.

We have another pediatric clinic in Port Sudan where the situation is a bit more calm and the last one in Nyala, South Darfur, where the situation is very, very tense. In this moment, our staff in Nyala is struggling a lot and they cannot go back at home, neither the national -- the experts, they are all in the hospital.

HARRAK: What are your staffs telling you in terms of the security situations in these other medical facilities in different parts of Sudan?

TULUMOVIC: So, in this moment, as I said, for Sudan, the situation is relatively calm compared to the rest of the country. But in Nyala, they are shooting a lot and using so heavy weapons and our hospital is located not too far from one of the bases where they are fighting. So, we received already some patients hospital. It's a pediatric hospital but we received some -- all those that just came in the clinic searching for help. That's the situation.

And in terms of your medical staff, I mean, how are they keeping safe? How are they doing?

TULUMOVIC: In Nyala, in this moment, we had brought our stuff and the patients as well in the basement. That is the most safe place starting from this morning because the situation went -- get worse, and they are with their radios. They have some water, the essential things, to take care of the patients and of themselves. And also the international staff, the Sudanese doctors, with us, they don't leave the hospital. It's too dangerous.

HARRAK: And what type of services do you provide normally?

TULUMOVIC: We have two different kinds of services. One is cardio surgical hospital that is here in Khartoum and the other three facilities are pediatric. So, in Mayo and in Port Sudan, we have pediatric clinics. We do primary health care. And in Nyala is an inpatient hospital. We do not do surgery, but we have a war, so we have patients 24 hours, 7 days. At this moment, we have 11 patients still hospitalized and we provided care to our patients.

HARRAK: Well, Muhameda Tulumovic, we wish you and your team and your patients a lot of safety. Thank you so much for talking to us.

TULUMOVIC: Thank you to you. Bye.

HARRAK: Still to come, Russian strikes on the Ukrainian city of Sloviansk. The death toll climbs as rescuers search for survivors.

And the Japanese prime minister is speaking out about security for public officials after he narrowly escaped violent attack on the campaign trail.

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HARRAK: Russian state media say at least one person has died after Ukrainian shelling early Sunday on the city of Donetsk. Officials there reportedly said a church was struck during Orthodox Easter services. Meantime, Moscow says mercenary fighters of Russia's Wagner Group captured two more areas of Bakhmut on Saturday.

Well, the Institute for the Study of War, a think tank in Washington, appeared to back up the Russian claims based on geolocated video. Ukraine is yet to comment on the claim, while at least 11 people were killed, including a two-year-old boy in a Russian strike on Friday on residential buildings in the Ukrainian city of Sloviansk. Authorities say at least 22 people were injured and they're still searching for more, maybe trapped under the rubble, as CNN's Ben Wedeman reports.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Friday afternoon, a Russian S-300 missile slammed into this building here in Sloviansk in Eastern Ukraine. This was one of eight separate missile strikes that happened within minutes of one another here, the biggest strike on this city yet.

Here in this building, they have recovered the body of a two-year-old child. He actually was pulled from the rubble still alive, but he died shortly afterwards in the ambulance. His father, according to the rescue workers here, they believe, is still under the rubble.

Now, they were with a family that had left Sloviansk earlier in the war, but had returned because they thought it was safer.

Now, the mayor's office tells us that at least 30 apartment buildings were damaged in this strike and more than 30 houses were also damaged.

The rescue operation continues. They believe there is still more bodies underneath the rebel they continue to dig.

I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Sloviansk in Eastern Ukraine.

HARRAK: China's defense minister is expected in Moscow Sunday for talks with his Russian counterpart. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Li Shangfu will discuss global and regional security over the next few days, according to the defense ministry in Moscow, while Russia and China have been strengthening their economic, political and military ties since Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine last year.

[03:20:17]

CNN's Clare Sebastian joins us now live from London. Clare, these talks, what more can you tell us about them?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, I think this, Laila, will certainly underscore the level of engagement between Russia and China. It comes just three weeks after the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, was in Moscow. So, it really looks like sort of a follow up to that meeting.

Publicly, they're being pretty vague, pretty open ended in how they describe these talks, saying they'll discuss the state and outlook for bilateral cooperation in the defense sector as well as, as you say, current questions of global and regional security. But, certainly, cooperation in the defense sector will be closely scrutinized as we know that the U.S. has concerns that China is considering supplying military aid to Russia in its war on Ukraine.

Russia, just two days before this visit, announced snap military drills of its Pacific fleet, saying their routine just to test the readiness of the troops. And this morning, we have new video from the ministry of defense showing nuclear capable bombers carrying out patrols and air support as part of those drills. So, clearly, the defense cooperation between these two countries will be closely scrutinized.

This is also an interesting character, the Chinese defense minister, he's only been in that role for just over a month. He was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018 for buying Russian-made combat aircraft and equipment. So, certainly, a very closely watched visit, he will be set to arrive in Moscow this Sunday.

HARRAK: And, Clare, in a separate development, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and French President Emmanuel spoke on the phone?

SEBASTIAN: Yes, they spoke on Saturday, Laila. The context for this is that it comes off the back of Macron's much criticized visit to China, where he made comments in an interview afterwards talking about European strategic autonomy on Taiwan, saying that Europeans must not just become followers of the U.S. agenda, comments that raised serious concerns about undermining NATO unity at a time when it is needed the most.

So, I think this call with Zelenskyy partly designed to reassure Ukraine -- France's commitment, and I think you can see from Zelenskyy's comments on it that he made it known pretty clearly that he was aware of what happened in China. It apparently lasted almost 1.5 hours.

The Ukrainian president said that he was -- they spoke about the China visit. He was thankful for, quote, the clear support of those principles that unite our entire anti-war coalition, and he wasted little time getting into the issue of NATO, saying they discussed preparations for the upcoming some summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July.

And effective security guarantees for Ukraine, he said, and, in fact, for the rules based international order were needed even before they joined the alliance. So, I think carefully chosen words there by the Ukrainian president, and certainly it doesn't seem that the stated purpose of that trip by Macron to try to get China help in some kind of solution to Ukraine, to put pressure on Russia. There's no evidence as of yet, that has had any effect at all. Laila?

HARRAK: Clare Sebastian reporting from London, thank you, as always.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has announced the attack that took place on Saturday as he was speaking at a campaign event. The prime minister told reporters on Sunday that violence during elections can never be tolerated. He also said Japan must strive to provide maximum security during the 7-G summit scheduled to take place in Hiroshima next month. He also apologized for the disruption caused by the attack and said it was important for the elections to continue as planned.

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FUMIO KISHIDA, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER: Before I came here, there was a loud explosion at the speech venue in Saikazaki. Police are currently investigating the details, but in any case, I want to apologize for causing many people to be concerned in the trouble caused. But we are in the middle of a very important election for our country and we need to carry this on together until the end.

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HARRAK: Well, at least seven people are dead after gunmen opened fire on people at a public pool in Central Mexico. Local officials say it happened Saturday afternoon. One of those killed is a young child. One injured survivor was taken to a hospital. So far, motive is unclear. No suspects have been apprehended.

The U.S. targets illegal fentanyl production with new charges against more than two dozen people in China and Mexico, including members of the Sinaloa Cartel. Do stay with us.

[03:25:00]

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HARRAK: The U.S. is taking aim at the production and distribution of illegal fentanyl. On Friday, the Justice Department announced new charges against more than two dozen people in China and Mexico. High ranking members of the Sinaloa Cartel are among those charged, including three sons of the infamous drug lord, Joaquin El Chapo Guzman.

CNN Correspondent Polo Sandoval has more.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Newly unsealed indictments filed in the state of Illinois Washington, D.C. and here in New York paint very dark and disturbing picture of what the U.S. Department of Justice considers to be the most prolific fentanyl trafficking organization that they've ever investigated. And right in the middle of it all are the so-called Chapitos or Little Chapos. They are the sons of notorious Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Joaquin El Chapo Guzman.

You see when he was sentenced to prison for the rest of his life in 2019, they basically inherited part of this massive drug empire only that they expanded it to include fentanyl and also made that business even more violent. And it's one that has very far reaches.

When you look at some of these images that have been shared by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and they show how it all worked, according to federal investigators. Cartel brokers would purchase precursor chemicals, which are basically the ingredients used to make that doll, and they would ship them to secret labs in Mexico. That is where, according to officials, they would turn these precursors into powder or pills, in some cases from the labs.

These substance was then smuggled either over or even in some cases under the border through tunnels and in the U.S. is where criminal organizations would mix the fentanyl into drugs, like cocaine, heroin, and some cases, according to officials, will even sell the fentanyl pills as counterfeit prescription pain medications leading to many overdose incidents.

[03:30:19]

All that money, all the profits would then end up going back into Mexico, continue into the cartel's pockets and continuing to fuel this massive operation.

Authorities over the course of several indictments charging well over two dozen individuals, some, according to the head of the D.A., are already in custody while the search is on for several others.

I want you to hear directly from the U.S. attorney general as he describes why this case that was officially unveiled a few days ago is so significant.

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MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: The thing that makes this case particularly important is that we're going after the entire network, from precursors to importation into Mexico, to the manufacturer, to the weapons, to the money launderers, to the distribution in the United States. But this is just one of the most important cases we've brought.

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SANDOVAL: That's U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland also going into some extremely disturbing details about the inner workings of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Chapitos, saying that some of the defendants named in these indictments would even test the potency of their fentanyl on individuals who were tied down and also that the cartel would often feed their rivals to tigers dead or alive.

It's a very disturbing detail that's certainly underscores just the violent nature of this organization, prosecutors say, an organization that they say is responsible for a majority of the fentanyl ending up in the United States, killing at least close to 200 people a day.

Paolo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

HARRAK: The flames are finally out at a plastic resin plant in Brunswick, Georgia. The fire triggered a shelter in place order in the south Georgia city, but it has since been lifted. Evacuations, while not mandatory, are still recommended for those within a half mile of the plant. It's unclear what caused the fire. There are no reports of injuries.

And meanwhile in Indiana, fire crews have contained nearly all of the fire at a plastics recycling plant. The fire chief says 99 percent of the blaze has now been extinguished, but his team is planning to remain on site through the weekend to assess the situation, since there are still a few hot spots that need to be put out. And he also says that additional meetings and data analysis must take place there before the evacuation order can be lifted around. 2,000 residents have been under mandatory evacuation orders since the fire broke out on Tuesday night. Police in New Mexico have released a new footage showing officers shooting a man dead after responding to the wrong address. The police chief, calling it unbelievably tragic.

CNN's Camila Bernal has the story.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This new video shows just how quickly everything happens. It all started on April 6th at around 11:30 at night when three officers respond to a domestic violence incident. It is dark. It is difficult to see in that video, but these three officers approach the front door and they are at the wrong house. They knock on the door. No one seems to be coming out. They then begin to back away from the house. And moments later is when you see Robert Dotson opening his front door. He does have a handgun.

And in one of these videos after this entire incident, one of the officers is heard saying that he specifically heard a gun that was racked. So, that seems to be that officer's explanation as to why these shots are fired. The chief of police essentially saying, you do have to slow down this video to see what happens. Here is how he is describing the incident.

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STEVE HEBBE, FARMINGTON, NEW MEXICO POLICE CHIEF: When you show the slowdown version you see him opening the door with his left hand and his right hand is the gun. And as he pushes the door open, then he comes together and both hands appeared to grip the weapon, and they're pointed at one of the officers.

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HARRAK: And Dotson's wife also opens fire at the officers. She is not injured. It was also difficult to hear the 911 call because it is their teenage daughter who calls dispatch and is talking to this dispatch operator saying that she doesn't know exactly what's going on with her father. It is her mom who tells her to call the police. She is with her younger brother. Of course, she is terrified, she is crying in this phone call. It is very difficult to listen to.

This is a family that is grieving and really trying to get answers from authorities. But as of now, it is all in the hands of the New Mexico State Police and the chief of police in Farmington, saying that this was an accident.

[03:35:01]

Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

HARRAK: And we want to introduce you to a new program that will make you see immigration issues in a whole new light. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh travels with a group of migrants trying to reach the U.S., as they make their arduous trek on foot through the Darien Gap From colombia. Panama. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voice over): At dawn, the first thing that strikes you is how few of them seem to grasp what's coming, gently packing crackers and tying sneakers like waving a Kleenex at a storm. The second thing that strikes you is how organized the cartel wanted to seem. They only walk when they're told to.

The stories here and many, but there is only one goal, America. And the dream is just that, a reverie of hope, of conviction that they will be the ones to make it over danger, disease, dehydration, deportation, about this number every day, every year, almost doubling.

The Darien Gap is the only land corridor from South America where entry is easier to its north, where it's not. There are no roads, only 66 miles of treacherous jungle from Colombia to Panama and onwards north, 3,000 miles to the U.S. border.

We walked the entire route of the Darien Gap over five days in February to document the suffering endured by people milked for cash by cartels unwanted by any country.

What's startling is the sheer number of children on this trek as it begins on a route, sometimes adult don't even survive.

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HARRAK: And tune in to see the full report from Nick Paton Walsh on The Trek, A Migrant Trail to America. It will be featured on the premiere episode of the whole story with Anderson Cooper airing first on Sunday night at 8:00 P.M. Eastern time. You can also see it on Monday at 4:00 in the afternoon Eastern Time and at 9:00 in the evening in London.

Still to come, forecasters predict more than a dozen named storms this hurricane season. How many will turn into major hurricanes? The details ahead.

And Germany makes good on its decades' old promise on nuclear power. We will explain what it means and why it's controversial. Do stay with us.

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[03:40:00]

HARRAK: It's going to be a slightly below average hurricane season in the U.S. this year. That's according to a new forecast by Colorado State University released this week. It's predicting 13 named storms, six of which are expected to become hurricanes.

CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar has the details.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The first glimpse into the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season is in, and one of the big factors leading into this season is actually going to be El Nino. On Thursday, an El Nino watch was issued by the Climate Prediction Center, and that's likely to have some big implications on the upcoming tropical season. Here's why.

Traditionally speaking, when you have El Nino, with that jet stream begins to shift farther south. In doing so, it kind of increases the wind shear across this particular region, effectively inhibiting tropical storm development in that same region, but also at the same time, we tend to have fewer storms forming just off the Coast of Africa.

So, overall, you tend to have a slightly below normal season. And that is exactly what Colorado State University, the first entity to make their predictions for the tropical upcoming season, has decided to go with. They are forecasting 13 total named storms, six of which are expected to become hurricanes, two of them major hurricanes, which is essentially category three, four or five.

Now, for some perspective, an average season has 14 total names, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes. But to also put this in perspective, take a look at last year, for example. We were relatively average in terms of the overall season. With that said, we still ended up with two storms that ended up becoming retired, Hurricane Fiona and Hurricane Ian. So, at the end of the day, whether it's a below average season or not, it only takes one storm to be impactful.

Now, as well as El Nino, there is also another component going into the upcoming season, and that's warm ocean temperatures. Because already so far, we're seeing sea surface temperatures across the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea and even the Atlantic Ocean above average already even in April.

Now, the question becomes how does that correlate into the upcoming summer regardless of what happens this upcoming season. Here is the list of names that will likely be used, fingers crossed, we don't have any of these names they get retired at the end of the season.

HARRAK: Germany has made good on a decades' old promise to stop using nuclear energy on Saturday. The nation closed its last three nuclear power plants, and there has been opposition to the power source in Germany for decades.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERBERT WUERTH, ANTI-NUCLEAR ACTIVIST: Today is a big success for us, the shutting down of the last three nuclear reactors. I think the main reason was Fukushima in 2011, but also our decades' long fight against nuclear power has played a role, and that is why we are finally enjoying this huge success today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: But others say nuclear powered electricity is cleaner than the alternatives and shutting it down will harm rather than help the environment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHAN SOLLID, PRO-NUCLEAR PROTESTER: And we are against the German closure of their nuclear power plants because they will be replaced by fossil fuels, mainly coal, that pollutes the Earth with air pollution and CO2. So, we're here to demonstrate against it, the closure of the green nuclear power plants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: Joining me now, Dolores Augustine is a professor emerita in the Department of History at St. John's University. And she's also the author of Taking on Technocracy, Nuclear Power in Germany 1945 to the Present.

Professor, it's so good to have you with us. I mean, really, your book is on point. I mean, this decision has been a long time coming. Can you briefly walk us through how the country, Germany, arrived at this pivotal moment?

DOLORES AUGUSTINE, PROFESSOR EMERITA, ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY: Historical contingency really is the main explanation because it started out as a grassroots anti-nuclear power movement.

[03:45:05]

It was basically a NIMBY movement that was focused on keeping nuclear power plants out of a wine-growing region of Baden.

The protesters became experts of sort. They started really pushing alternative energy sources, notably wind power. And that push would not have come had it not been for this protest movement.

HARRAK: I want to talk about a little bit about that. Because in terms of public opinion, as you beautifully outlined there, the conversation around nuclear power, nuclear energy has long been very contentious in Germany, there has been kind of a push and pull there, if I'm not mistaken.

Has there been any pushback? You know, now that this decision has been made in its final, there is no nuclear power anymore, not a single nuclear reactor is operational in Germany now, considering the current situation that Germany finds itself in, in terms of trying to ensure energy security.

AUGUSTINE: I don't think that this is just a generational thing. I think some people of my generation, who were the protester generation, have come to regret the decision to completely abandon nuclear power because of, of course, the ward, Ukraine, the dependency on natural gas, Russian natural gas.

Of course, now, they're diversifying. Natural gas is also coming from Norway, for example, and also from the United States. They're able now to liquefy natural gas. But they are burning more coal than they should. And in the era of global warming, of course, that's worrisome. So, the debates continue.

HARRAK: The debates continue. My final question to you, any lessons that can be learned from the German approach? AUGUSTINE: Well, I'm a historian and I kind of am a little reluctant to draw hard and fast conclusions. But, ultimately, it's a decision of the people and sometimes the majority makes a mistake. But, yes, you just have to follow whatever the will of the people is, that this was a democratic process, and I think the process that the Germans can be proud of. And making these decisions about energy is wrenching, and we can never be sure that this has been the best decision possible.

But the economics in countries, like the United States and even Britain, tend to show that nuclear power, in the long run, is really, among other things, just not economical. So, it looks like the capitalist system also is pushing out nuclear power.

HARRAK: Dolores Augustine, thank you so much.

AUGUSTINE: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

HARRAK: One of the most famous horse races of the year got underway in England, but not before protesters delay the running of the Grand National. The details, ahead.

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[03:50:00]

HARRAK: It's a typical spring scene, birds are chirping, the sun is shining and you're sitting on your porch in your favorite lounge chair and then an unwanted guest arrives.

Yes, that was a black bear. Both David Oppenheimer and the bears were startled by the encounter in Asheville, North Carolina. Oppenheimer tells CNN this varies very peaceful. He's seen it before searching through trash cans for food. He says he grabbed a pillow and frozen and the bear just ran away.

There are skate parks and then there's this. British BMXer Kriss Kyle took his skills to the sky in a death-defying feat, riding in the world's first floating skate park. Kyle worked with Oracle, Red Bull Racing and their Red Bull advanced technologies division, along with Cameron Balloons, to create his lofty vision.

It took almost three years, but the final product was a carbon fiber BMX bowl suspended 2,000 ft in the air by one of the world's largest operating hot air balloons and Kyle had a heavy parachute, fought against a bouncing rocking balloon and was cheered on by his close friends in the basket.

Well, for the sixth time in nine years, Oklahoma Women's Gymnastics Team has won the national title at the NCAA championships. The team dominated from start to finish, with several gymnasts executing near flawless routines. Some of them even finished the meet with career tying performances, while the team, as a whole, also made history by posting its highest score ever at the championships. The victory is the second in a row for Oklahoma.

And it's one of the highest profile sporting events in Britain, but the start of the Annual Grand National Horse race was delayed on Saturday by animal rights activists. But the reason did go on. Patrick Snell has details for you.

[03:55:01]

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, the Grand National, the famed entry racecourse, just outside of Liverpool, is often referred to as the world's greatest steeplechase, a national sporting institution in the U.K., albeit one that always proves to be a grueling, daunting challenge for horses and jockeys alike, and a race not without incident and controversy either.

On Saturday, the start of the race that dates back to 1839 delayed after animal rights protesters forced their way onto the course, causing widespread disruption. Officers seen detaining some protesters and preventing others from scaling the perimeter fence, while some also managed to run onto the more than two-mile course to cling on to one of the fences. Police making over 100 arrests, the race eventually starting around 15 minutes late after the jockeys returned to the paddock.

While the Grand National's 175th running seeing a famous victory for the pre-race favorite, Corach Rambler, the horse soaring over the last of the 30 jumps and bounding clear down the home stretch for the winning jockey from Ireland, Derek Fox, who overcome injury to ride in this race. It was a second career victory at this iconic steeplechase.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEREK FOX, WINNING JOCKEY: I can't believe it, to be honest. He's just phenomenal horses. He's been so lucky for me. I was blessed today ever got the leg opening the first day. And I can't believe it.

PETER SCUDAMORE, CORACH RAMBLER ASSISTANT TRAINER: Obviously, people criticize us running horses and do this, but I've got to give him his great chance of greatness. You know, he will be looked after for the rest of his life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: While, the Grand National is watched by more than 500 million people from 140 different countries, but this weekend, we once again seen why it remains one of the most controversial horse races in the world.

With that, right back to you.

HARRAK: Thank you for spending this part of your day with us. I'm Laila Harrak.

Kim Brunhuhber picks up our coverage after a quick break and I'll see you tomorrow.

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