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At Least 78 Killed in Yemen Crowd Surge; Dangerous Storms Kill Two in Oklahoma; Violent Clashes in Sudan Despite Second Cease-Fire; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Inspects Fortifications on Border with Belarus; U.S. Stocks Dip as Investors Parse Corporate Earnings; Senators React to Document Leak; U.N. Releases State of the World Population Report; 2023 Ivor Novello Awards. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired April 20, 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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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM and I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, a crowd surge in Yemen leaves dozens dead. We will have a live report on the very latest.
The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily extends access to a key abortion drug. What's behind the move and when we could see a ruling from the high court on the pill's fate.
Plus U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy escalates the high stakes standoff with President Biden over raising the country's debt limit. We will look beyond the political tit-for-tat with an economist this hour.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: And we begin this hour in Yemen where officials say at least 78 people are dead after a crowd surge during a Ramadan charity event. It happened at this school in the capital of Sanaa, where local merchants were handing out money to people in need. On Wednesday for more Salma Abdelaziz joins us now live from London.
So Salma, what more are you learning about this tragedy?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Truly horrifying news, Rosemary, from one of the most impoverished and hard struck corners of the world. This happening last night. I do have a still image to show you now. This is graphic material. This is a still image from a video that we're not playing out, again because it is so graphic.
But it begins to tell you just how desperate, how terrible this situation was last night. What you're looking at is a crowd, is basically pile of humans trapped, entangled together in the heart of that crowd. You could hear on that video that again I'm not playing.
People screaming, begging for help. Arms outstretched. There were some people on the edge of that crowd trying to pull those arms, pull those people out of, again, just that crush of humanity to no avail.
What you're looking at is a crowd that was just outside of a school where aid was being distributed, Rosemary, by two merchants. This is Ramadan. It's normal for aid to be handed out at sunset when fast is over. We're in the final days of Ramadan.
Eid is just coming up and these dozens of people were gathered in hopes of getting just about $10 -- Rosemary. Just about $10 is why some of those people lost their lives, a total of 78 people killed.
According to Houthi officials who blame those two merchants for not coordinating with the local authorities, saying that caused this crush, that caused this stampede and surge that led to that loss of life. Dozens more were injured.
Houthi officials saying that they're going to provide some $4,000 to each of those families, each of the victims or each of the families of those victims killed. They're also going to be covering hospital stays, in-hospital treatment for those who are injured.
But again, it is just tragedy on tragedy in a place that the U.N. says is home to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises at a very poignant time, just before Eid al Fitr -- Rosemary.
CHURCH: It is a heartbreaking situation, Salma Abdelaziz, joining us live from London, many thanks.
At least two people have been killed by dangerous storms rolling through the Plains states in Cole, Oklahoma. A large tornado was spotted Wednesday evening. Law enforcement officials say some people are still trapped and more deaths and injuries are possible.
Police in Shawnee, Oklahoma, are asking residents to check on their neighbors. Severe storms and tornadoes ripped off roofs, destroyed homes and downed power lines. Debris is making it hard for search teams to move around and help.
There have been 15 tornado reports so far from Oklahoma to Iowa. Eight of those were in Oklahoma. Severe thunderstorm watches are up right now for parts of Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa.
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CHURCH: The U.S. Supreme Court has extended access to a widely used abortion pill until midnight Friday local time while it considers the case against it. That's after a flurry of legal challenges.
And this all started when a Trump appointed federal judge in Texas suspended access to the drug, which has been safely used by millions of American women for decades. CNN's Paula Reid has the story. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: As of now, this commonly used abortion medication will remain widely available. The Supreme Court is expected to issue another update on Friday. expected to issue another update on Friday.
At the center of this case is mifepristone. It's one of two drugs used in a process called medication abortion, which accounts for over half of all abortions conducted in the United States.
Several weeks ago, a judge in Texas though revoked the FDA's approval of mifepristone. And now the Supreme Court is mulling what happens to that decision while this case makes its way through the courts.
Now they have several options. One is the Supreme Court could decide that they're just going to take up this case, trying to decide it before the term ends in June. They could also allow the case to continue working its way through the appeals system, potentially eventually ending up at the Supreme Court. But eventually this issue does have to be decided on the merits. And
right now it is up to the justices what will happen to this medication in the interim. Will it remain on the market or will they uphold that Texas decision while this case moves forward.
We expect, at this point, the Supreme Court will have another update, though it's unclear if it will be a final answer, by midnight on Friday -- Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.
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CHURCH: A Texas cheerleader who was shot earlier this week is awake and alert, according to her cheer program leaders. She is expected to make a full recovery from the attack, which happened after she and a friend approached a vehicle they believed was their own.
It's yet another violent encounter just this week, where a seemingly simple mistake has been met with gunfire. CNN's Brian Todd reports.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eighty-four-year-old Kansas City home owner Andrew Lester arraigned after being charged in the shooting of 16-year-old Ralph Yarl.
Lester pleaded not guilty to two felony counts, first degree assault and armed criminal action. Yarl, shot in the head last Thursday after going to the wrong house to pick up his siblings. As Yarl recovers from his wounds, the man who shot him is out on bail.
The probable cause statement said Andrew Lester believed someone was trying to break into his house. But the mayor of Kansas City says there's another component at play.
MAYOR QUINTON LUCAS (D-MO), KANSAS CITY: I think that this has everything to do with race, the defendant's fear of Black people, Black men, Black boys.
TODD: But this was also part of a series of incidents over the past few days where young people were shot after making the simple mistake of going to the wrong place.
In Elgin Texas, about 30 minutes east of Austin, two teenage cheerleaders were shot and wounded in a parking lot on Monday night when one of them mistook the suspect's car for their own. An injured cheerleader described the exchange.
HEATHER ROTH, SHOOTING VICTIM: I was trying to apologize and then here. Just halfway my window is down, just threw his hands up and then he hold up a gun and just started shooting at all of us.
TODD: The suspect is now in custody, charged with deadly conduct.
And in Hebrew, New York, near the Vermont border, 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis was shot and killed on Saturday when a car her boyfriend was driving accidentally turned into the wrong driveway. The sheriff says 65-year-old Kevin Monahan fired two shots from his porch. He's charged with second degree murder.
Monahan's lawyer says he was frightened from seeing multiple vehicles speeding up his driveway. But the sheriff says witnesses and neighbors have another version.
SHERIFF JEFFREY MURPHY, WASHINGTON COUNTY, N.Y.: They weren't in the driveway for a very long time at all before they realized it was the wrong house. And they were in the process of leaving, which makes his case obviously a little different. And I don't know how you could medicine someone if you're leaving.
TODD: At least 28 states have stand your ground laws, which allow people to respond to threats of force if they're in a place where they have a right to be.
Could stand your ground be cited in any of these cases?
CHERYL DORSEY, RETIRED LAPD SERGEANT: I don't see how it should come into play because there was no imminent threat by the individuals that were shot. There was no furtive movement by these people. They weren't armed.
TODD: Retired LAPD Sergeant Cheryl Dorsey says the actions of some lawmakers here in Washington, some who carry firearms, some who wear pins on their lapels shaped like AR-15 rifles aren't helping in this environment, she says. It seems like they're almost daring people to shoot in these situations -- Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
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CHURCH: Now to Sudan, where a second ceasefire in as many days has fallen apart. Just hours after it started, witnesses reported more violent clashes today, leaving many people in the capital, Khartoum, afraid to leave their homes, worried about dwindling food supplies and a breakdown in medical services.
The World Health Organization says nearly 300 people have been killed since fighting broke out on Saturday. The army claims a rival paramilitary leader has no control over his forces, saying they're acting like gangs, as they attack and loot homes and businesses.
Thousands of people are fleeing the capital for safer parts of the country and foreign governments are desperate to evacuate their citizens. The U.N. says attacks on civilians and aid workers must stop.
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STEPHANE DUJARRIC, U.N. SPOKESPERSON: The continued heavy fighting in Sudan is having a devastating consequences for Sudanese civilians as well as our staff and other members of the international community who are caught in the crossfire.
People in Sudan are running out of food. They are running out of fuel and they're running out of other vital supplies. Many, many urgently need medical care. We desperately need that humanitarian pause, so the wounded and sick civilians can reach hospitals.
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CHURCH: Medical facilities are a major concern. A doctors' group reports 70 percent of the hospitals in and around Khartoum are out of service. Doctors and nurses say it's not safe to go to work as the hospitals are being shelled or bombed. More now from CNN's Larry Madowo.
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LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Smoke billows and plummets Khartoum's sky as residents woke up to another day of heavy artillery bombardment.
In the wake of the escalating conflict, RSF leader Hemetti is, according to multiple sources, commanding his forces from one of Khartoum's busiest residential areas, prompting the Sudanese army to accuse the RSF of using civilians as human shields.
What were once bustling with cars and people, since Saturday, Khartoum streets have been left deserted, with some residents hiding their homes, fearing for their safety.
Just like Hadeel Mohamed who says since the fighting broke out, she's been housebound and thinks forces might break in to steal supplies.
HADEEL MOHAMED, SUDAN RESIDENT: Once they run out of food and equipment and what they have and what they need, they very easily will be able to walk into houses and say, give me what you have, because they've got a bigger agenda and a war to win.
MADOWO: Other residents took advantage of Tuesday's ceasefire announcement queuing outside shops, desperate not to be locked indoors with nothing to eat.
In the wake of a broken ceasefire, Kenya's President William Ruto warned that attacks against civilians are equal to crimes against humanity.
PRESIDENT WILLIAM RUTO, STATE HOUSE KENYA: Attacks on diplomatic installations and personnel as well as targeting of hospitals, hotels and other vital public and social spaces are deliberate, systematic and tantamount to atrocities against humanity.
MADOWO (voice-over): As the fighting rages on into a day's long struggle it leaves residents to question when will there be an end to this war or if they will even survive it -- Larry Madowo, CNN.
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CHURCH: New video in to CNN shows some of the intense close quarters fighting in the trenches near the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Ukrainians can be seen battling Russian troops just 10 meters or roughly 30 feet away with a hail of gunfire coming from both sides.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
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CHURCH: Ukrainian officials say their defensive lines are holding, despite the Russian attacks in Bakhmut and across the eastern front lines. In the northwest, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Ukraine's border with Belarus, where a fortification is being built to prevent a possible attack from Belarusian territory.
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CHURCH: There are concerns Russia would use Belarus to help launch a new offensive. But the Belarusian president says he has no plans to send troops into Ukraine.
Still to come, it's the U.S. President versus the Speaker of the House. Neither seems willing to compromise over the nation's debt ceiling.
But what does that mean for the country and indeed the world?
We will discuss.
Plus a tragedy in the world of K-pop. South Korean singer Moonbin dead at the age of 25. We will go to Seoul for a live report.
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CHURCH: Investors on Wall Street are poring over the latest corporate earnings and preparing for another possible interest rate hike from the U.S. Federal Reserve.
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CHURCH: Many expect the central bank to announce another quarter point increase next month. The uncertainty made for a volatile trading session. On Wednesday, the Dow finished down about a quarter of a percent, the Nasdaq and the S&P were basically flat.
And the new trading day gets underway in the U.S. in just a couple of hours. Here's where futures stand right now, all in negative territory. Similar story for European markets, you can see there. And markets across Asia are mixed.
Well as a critical deadline looms, Washington is no closer to negotiating on potentially raising the U.S. debt ceiling. President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have been at odds over this for months, which McCarthy has referred to as a ticking time bomb. CNN's Phil Mattingly has more now from Washington.
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PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: For several months here at the White House, down in the capital, there has been a simmering battle over raising the debt limit. There is no question it's kind of an anvil hanging over Washington's head but the full engagement, the full escalation hadn't really taken place yet.
Not anymore. That is no longer the case. President Biden ramping up the political pressure on House Republicans on Speaker Kevin McCarthy, specifically. The speaker, laying out in detail his proposal that he says should launch negotiations with President Biden.
Here's the issue really the central issue right now, President Biden has made very clear and his top advisers there will be no negotiations over raising the debt limit, that it should be done in a clean manner -- no spending cuts, nothing attached to it.
They can have negotiations over long term fiscal priorities but not attached to the debt ceiling itself.
McCarthy, House Republicans, they hold the majority, they say that's an absolute nonstarter and that leads to basically this split screen. Take a listen. JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Folks, here's this really
dangerous, MAGA Republicans in Congress are threatening to default on the national debt, the debt that took 230 years to accumulate overall, overall, unless we do what they say. They say they're going to default unless I agree to all these wacko notions they have.
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: President Biden has a choice, come to the table and stop playing partisan political games or cover his ears, refused to negotiate and risk bumbling his way into the first default in our nation's history.
MATTINGLY: Now McCarthy detailed his proposal on the House floor just a few moments before President Biden spoke at a labor union office in Maryland.
The back and forth really showing a very clear contrast between the two -- between the two proposals and underscoring the fact that there is no clear road map out of this problem.
These are two diametrically opposed positions. There is no effort underway, back channels or anything like that to try and find some pragmatic solution, to try and reconcile these differences and that means the political pressure, the rhetoric, the attacks back and forth are only going to escalate.
Both sides right now feeling like those are an absolute necessity to try and force the other, in the words of one White House official to crack.
In the meantime, McCarthy and House Republicans are trying to coalesce behind his proposal. Vote on it as soon as next week. They know it's dead on arrival in the U.S. Senate.
Obviously, the president would never sign it but they believe that could force Biden into negotiations, negotiations he and his team say simply are not on the table at this point.
How does this end?
Well, no one really knows at this point but one thing is clear, that battle we all knew was coming, it is certainly underway now -- Phil Mattingly, CNN, the White House.
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CHURCH: So let's discuss this further with Ryan Patel, a senior fellow at Claremont Graduate University's Drucker School of Management. He joins me live from Los Angeles.
Good to have you with us.
RYAN PATEL, GLOBAL BUSINESS EXECUTIVE: Good to be here, Rosemary.
CHURCH: So with the debt ceiling deadline looming, Republicans have a list of spending cuts demands and want to negotiate before agreeing to lift the debt limit. President Biden says that won't happen. So, of course, it's down to who blinks first.
How do you expect this will play out? And how close could this country come to defaulting on its debts?
PATEL: If you look at the last -- it's been 61 times that this has been -- occurred, either to raise the borrowing limit or just suspend it -- since 1978. Just tells you we're going to get closer, Rosemary.
This is not, I mean, this is you -- you would hope and believe that both sides will get to -- get to this point where we won't put ourselves in that default aspect but we've seen over the last couple of times it waits for the last minute.
We have these threats around government shutdown and it becomes politics not so much as, hey, what do we need to do as the economy, to kind of move forward, to be able to, you know, make sure that we are paying and being able to not have to be shut down?
And so I have a really bad feeling that we're -- it's going to come down to the end of this.
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PATEL: And we still don't know the exact date. So that's what the -- this is where -- we're just in the beginning stages, which I would be hoped that we'd be talking about this maybe a month ago versus trying to get into the June or maybe the September date that the CBO thinks that it could be the default date.
CHURCH: If Republicans refuse outright to raise the debt limit, what impact would it have on the United States and the rest of the world if this country goes into default?
What are we talking about here?
PATEL: You're really making me think about this?
I don't want to think about this because it's really, really bad. And when you think about all the parties involved, you think about all the citizens that would be disrupted, right?
That would mean the government won't have the ability to borrow more money to pay its bills and obligations, which means, what, Social Security payments, military salaries, interest on national debt not paid. And obviously the debt ceiling as a result would lead to the government shutdown.
Now the question becomes, how fast does that go to out and where the government has to use its all cash.
But, Rosemary, isn't why you have all this cash to create these not the savings but to be able to run operationally a big organization like the government?
Is you just can't start, stop and then pretend to be everything is OK. This has to be really planned. And so if we get to the last minute and we do get default, it would have -- the longer it goes, the more worse it would be for the U.S. economy. And you can kind of forget about GDP growth over time, all those
things for a faster recovery. You know, that would be the downside. So I don't want to think about that. But that's where -- that's the truth.
CHURCH: Yes, I mean, it could go right to the brink. And as you mentioned, this has happened before.
So who usually gets blamed for the harmful fallout?
And who would you expect to get blamed this time around if no agreement can be made and the country does go into default or at least to the brink?
PATEL: Well, they already seem like they're blaming each other already. You know, I actually think that this is going to be something where either side is going to look for some kind of leverage for the -- for the for the next round of voting.
I mean, to me, it's really clear on the rhetoric that's being used, right. You see the Republicans saying, hey, we are throwing, you know, we need spending to be cut. This is why we agreed to it, needs to be better.
And then you see the Democrats stating, well, it needs to be a clean bill. We just need to be raising the ceiling. So how that message is going to get blamed to the economy being very interesting,
I think the thing right now, if you think about the Biden administration, right, your approval rating, is it the best?
The economy still needs to be a lot of trust, need to be built back into it, right, and we're going to see interest rate hike back up there. Inflation's not under control yet.
So you would seem to see that the Democrats have the most to lose in this situation, should they get blamed for this, where the Republicans are coming in to stating the things that they're trying to make changes.
But at the end of the day we both -- both parties lose if there's a default.
CHURCH: Yes, we'll see who the voters blame, of course, in good time. Ryan Patel, many thanks. Appreciate it.
Well, FOX reached a settlement this week in its defamation trial but this isn't the end of the network's legal headaches. Ahead, the next big battle that's already brewing.
And then U.S. senators are stunned after they hear from top intelligence officials about the massive document leak. What they're saying they need to know and what they plan to do.
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CHURCH: FOX News is bracing for its next extremely expensive legal battle over the lies it aired about the 2020 election. The right wing network is already coughing up more than $787 million for Dominion Voting Systems. But the financial penalties could have been so much worse.
And they will be if Smartmatic gets its way. The voting company is suing FOX for $2.7 billion, more than a billion more than Dominion sought. Smartmatic issued a statement this week, vowing to expose more of what it calls FOX's disinformation campaign.
But a trial is still a way off. FOX calls the lawsuit meritless.
Stunned U.S. senators emerged from a private briefing on the massive online classified document leak with the same question.
How could this have happened?
Federal prosecutors say 21 year old Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira posted dozens of classified documents from multiple intelligence agencies online. No one yet knows how much.
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SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL): I think it's stunning. That the Department of Defense and the intelligence agencies found out about it primarily from the press is unacceptable. And I'm not sure, at least in the time I was in there, I certainly wasn't satisfied with any plans they have in place to prevent this from happening in the future.
SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): I think there are a whole host of questions here, from access to internal security controls, to making sure how we really make sure continuous vetting in an internet driven age actually can spot anomalies.
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CHURCH: Multiple senators say they believe the Biden administration is taking the leaks very seriously. But they also say Congress needs to investigate how sensitive information is handled --
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CHURCH: -- and who has access to it with an eye to creating more congressional oversight.
Meantime, the judge overseeing Teixeira's case postponed a detention hearing for him on Wednesday to give prosecutors and his lawyers more time to prepare. Teixeira appeared briefly in a Boston courtroom on Wednesday to waive his right to a preliminary hearing. He is facing charges under the Espionage Act but has not yet entered a
plea. Meantime, the Air Force intelligence unit where Teixeira was assigned has been told to stop its intelligence activities. The Air Force inspector general also plans to investigate how well the group was complying with policies, standards and procedures.
Florida has expanded the reach of its so-called "don't say gay" law. Now lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity can no longer be taught to students through high school. The ban had previously only affected younger grades.
But on Wednesday, the state board of education extended it through 12th grade. Classes that teach about health or reproductive systems are the only exception. Teachers who violate the new state policy could be suspended or have their teaching licenses revoked.
K-pop singer Moonbin of the boy band, Astro, has died at the age of 25. His record label confirmed the news early Thursday. South Korean police now tell CNN they believe the singer may have taken his own life and CNN's Paula Hancocks joins me now from Seoul.
So Paula, what more are you learning about this tragic loss of life?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, what we're hearing from police in the area where he was found is that his manager called him at about 10 past 8:00 last night.
So Wednesday evening, having found Moonbin unresponsive in his home when he had gone over. And police now tell us that they do believe at this point that he may have taken his own life. They say there was no foul play suspected but there will be a more determined decision on what happened at a later date.
Now there has been an outpouring of condolences from fans, from the record labels online and also through statements.
The music label, Fantagio, which manages the group, Astro, did say that, "Suddenly he left us and became a star in the sky," saying that they are heartbroken and deeply mourning his loss.
Moonbin was -- debuted with Astro, a well known K-pop group in Korea and in other countries as well back in 2016. Before that, he had also been doing some acting. And he had been part of a subgroup, if you like, with one of his bandmates and they had been on tour. They had been to a couple of cities throughout Asia in recent weeks.
They were expected to carry out more gigs in the coming weeks as well. And there is shock among those around him now. He also came from a K- pop family. His sister is also part of a K-pop group. She's part of the girl band Billie, Moon Sua. And unsurprisingly, their record label has said that all their schedule has been canceled.
Now at least for this week, so we've seen on social media an outpouring of grief and fans as well. In fact, there is #Moonbin, which is trending at this point, 2.6 million tweets and tributes and counting, photos and messages of grief and upset from those around the world that did support this particular singer.
So there is a sense of shock and of course it isn't the first time that this has happened in the world of K-pop -- Rosemary.
CHURCH: It is hard to grasp, isn't it?
CNN's Paula Hancocks, joining us live from Seoul. Many thanks.
And still to come. India is on track to have the world's largest population sometime this year. We're live in New Delhi with what that means for an already overcrowded nation with few job opportunities. That in just a minute.
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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone.
India's population will soon surpass China's, according to the United Nations, by the middle of this year. U.N. data indicates both nations will have more than 1.4 billion people, with India edging ahead by nearly 3 million.
And that could mean tough times ahead for India, already stretched to the limit, trying to generate enough jobs for the unemployed. And CNN's Vedika Sud joins me now from New Delhi.
Good to see you, Vedika.
So what might this mean for a country already struggling with overcrowding and of course, too few job opportunities?
VEDIKA SUD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, according to the United Nations, India and China together will soon account for more than a third of the global population. The estimated global population, those are staggering numbers indeed.
But what's also interesting to note here and what viewers should understand is, contrary to public perception, India and China both have a population that's on the decline from previous years. The population growth has been going down. But the stark contrast between China and India that now very soon do --
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SUD: -- interchange ranks when it comes to India being the most populous country in the world is this.
India has a massive labor force because you have more than 60 percent of India's population under the age of 30. Imagine the workforce community within India. But when it comes to China, their labor force is shrinking.
CNN spoke to some of these young people in India, in the state of Haryana, in the state of Uttar Pradesh and in Delhi. We spoke to them about their aspirations, their dreams, since they live in a country, like you said, of a population of 1.4 billion people.
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SUD (voice-over): In a village outside New Delhi, a doting mother attends to her little girl. Mahi (ph) is just two days old. Her cries mark a symbolic moment.
India is expected to surpass China as the world's most populous country. Mahi's (ph) father, Reed Paul Singh (ph), and mother, Lakshmi (ph), are school dropouts. The families had little income and many children to feed.
Single farmer started working with his father in their fields at a young age. He says he'll do whatever it takes to help Mahi (ph) achieve her dreams.
"Even if I have to sell my fields to educate her, I will."
One of the biggest challenges she'll have to face is the country's growing population. There's stiff competition, Singh (ph) tells me.
India's birth rate has slowed but the country is still quickly adding to its 1.4 billion strong population.
SUD: According to UNICEF, more than 67,300 babies are born in India every day. That's one-sixth of the world's birth counts daily.
SUD (voice-over): Already more than half of all Indians are under the age of 30. That means a huge potential to grow the national economy. But education and investment need to keep up if there are going to be jobs for a new generation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really feel it's a 10 year opportunity. Do it right and this is a dividend. Do it wrong and this is going to be extremely worrying for the Indian economy and India's youngsters.
SUD (voice-over): Twenty-eight year old Sunil Kumar (ph) has a postgraduate degree but doesn't hold a steady job. For years now, he has been sweeping the floors of the school in his village in Haryana state and doubling up as a tutor for young students.
Despite his education, Kumar (ph) barely makes enough to support his ailing father and the rest of his family.
Sunil (ph) says it angers him that he doesn't have a steady job despite his educational qualifications.
Across India, the most highly sought-after jobs are more competitive than ever before. Pursuing their dreams, tens of thousands of students from small towns move to big cities to be coached for the coveted civil services exam. Some like Sara Agraval (ph) have been trying to crack the exam for
four years now. Agraval (ph) says his younger brother is sponsoring his education.
"They could have bought 3-4 cars with the money they've spent on me," he says.
Over 1 million people sit for the entrance test each year. Less than 1 percent make the cut.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The population is growing and the working age population is growing. If that category of people do not find enough employment, then what was meant to be an opportunity, the bulge in that demographic dividend, so called, could become a huge challenge and problem for India.
SUD (voice-over): India's new global title will mean little if it doesn't come with fresh opportunity -- Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.
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SUD: These numbers, Rosemary, could be a liability for India, according to experts and policymakers do not create enough jobs. And if they do, Rosemary, this could be the golden opportunity for India that could perhaps have the largest workforce in the world. Rosemary.
CHURCH: Thanks to Vedika Sud, joining us live from New Delhi.
And we'll be right back.
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CHURCH (voice-over): Jack Black has leveled up. The actor, comedian and musician has scored his first solo hit with the ballad, "Peaches." The ode to Princess Peach from "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" debuted at number 83 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.
The song got a boost from this viral music video, with Black reprising his movie role as the villainous Bowser. The film has been a smash hit with audiences. "The Super Mario Bros." scored the highest opening ever for an animated film with $375 million in global ticket sales.
And singer Kate Bush is in the running for a top honor at this year's Ivors music awards for this decades-old hit, take a listen.
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CHURCH: We all remember that. Her song, "Running Up That Hill," is among those nominated for the most performed work category. The 1985 hit has seen a surge in popularity after being featured in the most recent season of the Netflix series, "Stranger Things."
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CHURCH: It's up against tracks including "As It Was," performed by Harry Styles and two separate songs by Ed Sheeran.
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CHURCH (voice-over): And certain parts of the world were treated to a sky show earlier today. Here are pictures from Exmouth in Australia. This small town in Western Australia was the best spot to view a rare hybrid eclipse.
It means, in some locations, the eclipse appeared as a ring shaped annular eclipse. In other places, it looked like a total eclipse, while in others, a partial eclipse, according to NASA. The next hybrid eclipse will take place in 2031.
We'll look out for that. Thanks for your company. I'm Rosemary Church and you can follow me on Twitter @RosemaryCNN and @rosemarychurch on Instagram. We'd love to hear from you. CNN NEWSROOM continues with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo next. Take care.
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