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Sudan's Paramilitary RSF Announces 72-Hour Ceasefire Ahead Of Muslim Holiday; Evidence Emerges Of Russia's Wagner Arming Militia Leader Battling Sudan's Army; Kyiv pushes for NATO Membership During Stoltenberg Visit; SpaceX Starship Rocket Launch Ends In Midair Explosion Minutes After Liftoff; Myanmar Return To Village For Clean- up Operation Days After Airstrike Massacre. New Video Suggests Police Inaction, Retreating on January 8; Uganda's Harsh Bill Close to Being Ratified by President; Magazine Publishes Fake Interview with F1 Legend; Inside the Colosseum Storerooms. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired April 21, 2023 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:30]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, with Sudan on the brink of all out Civil War, one side agrees yet another ceasefire to coincide with the end of Ramadan, live images right now from the capitol, so thick smoke still building over the city of Khartoum.
Ukraine, NATO and World War III, how Ukraine's membership in the military alliance could set the world on course for nuclear Armageddon, and using AI to write fake quotes from Michael Schumacher, promising redeeming answers to those burning questions about the former Formula and champion. Who does that?
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.
VAUSE: The holy month of Ramadan is coming to an end for Muslims everywhere it's time for celebration but not in Sudan, which appears to be spiraling towards an all-out civil wars two rival military factions have been battling for control.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces or RSF pronounce a 72-hour humanitarian pause to coincide with the Eid al-Fitr holiday, a chance for residents especially in the capital to get food, water or other vital supplies. Many have been trapped indoors without electricity since the fight erupted almost a week ago.
There is no word from the head of Sudan's army if his forces will agree to a temporary truce. Right now the time there in Khartoum is 7:01. And we can see that there is still smoke billowing over the capitol in the distance out. There have been reports from some residents on the outskirts of the capital the sound of gunfire, possibly the fighting continue there but that is yet to be confirmed.
Two other ceasefires earlier this week collapsed within hours. The World Health Organization confirms 330 people have been killed by the dead bodies left in the streets. The actual number of those who are deaths is certainly much higher.
The Pentagon is heading troops to a U.S. military base in the neighboring country of Djibouti on standby to evacuate Americans from the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KIRBY, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: No decision to evacuate anybody now has been made. It's just really about pre-positioning military forces. If and when there's a decision to move towards some sort of military evacuation, then we'll have more to say about that at the time in terms of size scale scope and what we're doing. But right now the best thing that can happen is for the fighting to stop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: But fleeing the capital is becoming increasingly difficult. The international airport has been badly damaged by airstrikes and has been out of operation for days. Bus tickets out of the capital Khartoum, five times more expensive than usual. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is actually a call by so many around the world right now for both sides to stop the fighting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: All parties to the conflicts are Muslim. We are living a very important moment in the Muslim calendar. I think this is the right moment for a ceasefire to hold. And this is fire is absolutely crucial at the present moment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: With us out from Khartoum is Muhameda Tulumovic, the Sudan Country Director for the humanitarian aid group EMERGENCY NGO. So Muhameda, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us.
There is now the ceasefire, which RSF has agreed to. Do we know if the other side has stopped the fighting? What can you report to us from there and the capital as fighting continual? Is there a pause right now?
MUHAMEDA TULUMOVIC, EMERGENCY NGO COUNRY DIRECTOR, SUDAN: Hello, we as emergency we are currently in our hospital that is in southeast of Khartoum, and time to time we can hear still partying since the beginning. We are not in the middle of the city. So we don't hear all the time. But yes, every day since the beginning, we can hear our shooting and partying.
VAUSE: And that situation continues what it continued overnight. It continues at this hour?
TULUMOVIC: To be honest, I don't know exactly if it's continuing all day and all time because we are a bit outside of the city. So we hear time to time, but not as our colleague, colleagues and our friends in the city of Khartoum. VAUSE: Thanks to Muhameda Tulumovic there are speaking to last hour from Khartoum. We are receiving word right now from the African Union. They're calling for a week long ceasefire. As of now there is no word of this 72-hour ceasefire will hold even if the Sudanese army has agreed to it.
[01:05:00]
Well, move on now to CNN exclusive. The Russian mercenaries accused of war crimes in Ukraine now appear to be involved in the conflict in Sudan. CNN senior international investigative correspondent Nima Elbagir reports on the Wagner group's efforts to help arm the paramilitary forces.
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NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The Sudanese and the Libyan army celebrated a successful joint operation Wednesday, April 19. Near the remote desert border between Libya and Sudan having captured the Chevrolet Garrison belonging to the rival Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the RSF, but why is this military base so important given how far it is from the existential fight in Sudan's capital Khartoum.
Because CNN can reveal that the fight in Khartoum is being influenced by what was happening at that Garrison, a Russian resupply campaign, backed by a key regional player aimed at turning the tide in Sudan's war in favor of the RSF who have been a key recipient of Russian training and military aid.
In collaboration with all eyes on Wagner, a research group focusing on Russian proxy Wagner, CNN investigated the group's current presence in Libya. You can see here on April 16, one day after the fighting began in halftone, a Russian illusion 76 transport plane at the Al Jufra base in Libya, previously identified by American intelligence as a Wagner base.
Three days later, this same plane is spotted by flight tracker aviation expert Gurgaon, coming back from the Russian airbase in Latakia, Syria, before returning to the Libyan airbase in Khadim. Images of that same plane began circulating online April 17, heading in the direction of Sudan.
Sudanese and regional sources tell CNN that weaponry was adjunct to the RSF within that timeframe, April 15, to April 18, to the Chevrolet Garrison during a period of fierce fighting, boosting the RSF.
ELBAGIR (on camera): The Al Khadim and Al Jufra bases where the Wagner planes departed from in Libya are under the control of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who commands territory in the east of Libya. Hafter and the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Hohamed Hamdan Dagalo, aka Hemeti, having common strategic alliances, one with Wagner, who have that is hosting in his territory in Libya, and whom a previous CNN investigation exposed as working with Hemeti to extract Sudanese gold. A second with the United Arab Emirates who tapped Hemeti to send forces to the conflict in Yemen, and backed Haftar in the fighting in Libya.
ELBAGIR (voiceover): What does it all mean for the ongoing misery and conflict in Sudan? It means that both a regional Libyan General Haftar and a global player Russia are putting their thumbs on the scale which raises the stakes for the region for the global balance of power and for the people of Sudan caught in the crossfire. Nima Elbagir, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: CNN contacted both the Libyan General and the Wagner group about our investigation, we did not receive a response The RSF in a statement to CNN denied receiving aid from the Russia or from Libya.
Ukrainian President has used an unannounced visit to Kyiv by ahead of NATO to make a push again to join the Alliance. NATO Secretary General offered his full support but he offered no timeline.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: Ukraine's future is in the Euro-Atlantic family, Ukraine's future is in NATO.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Moscow responded to this visit by Jen Stoltenberg saying that keeping Ukraine out of NATO remains one of the main goals this so called military operation in Ukraine, the special military operation. More details now from CNN's Ben Wedeman.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): A blunt message to Moscow, the head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Kyiv. Demonstrating the military alliances firm support for Ukraine, even though it's not yet a member.
STOLTENBERG: NATO stance with you today, tomorrow, and for as long as it takes.
WEDEMAN: Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is the first NATO representative to officially visit Ukraine since the start of Russia's full scale invasion.
STOLTENBERG: Good to see you.
WEDEMAN: An act once thought of as too provocative given President Vladimir Putin's warnings against the block creeping ever closer to Russia.
STOLTENBERG: Once again, I express my strong support.
WEDEMAN: But Kyiv says it's looking for even more than this type of close cooperation with NATO.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We value support from NATO allies and support with weapons but we want to know when Ukraine will be a NATO.
WEDEMAN: Stoltenberg promised that the topic will be quote, high on the agenda July's NATO Summit in Lithuania and emphasis that more than $160 billion of support already delivered to Ukraine.
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Allies are sending more jets, tanks and armored vehicles. But Ukraine says it needs security guarantees.
ZELENSKYY (through translator): We need something more than the kind of relationship which we are having now.
WEDEMAN: Even still, that relationship and NATO's broader alliances are undoubtedly stronger since Russia's war began representing a major blow to Putin.
WEDEMAN (on camera): Stoltenberg visit comes just a few days after Putin visited Russian troops in occupied areas of southern and eastern Ukraine, his own attempt to display strength at a time when the conflict enters a critical stage. Ben Wedeman, CNN, Kyiv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Jill Dougherty is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. She's CNN's Russian affairs commentator as well as CNN is former Moscow bureau chief and it's good to see you again.
JILL DOUGHERTY, ADJUST PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Hey, John.
VAUSE: Hey. So the head of NATO in Kyiv for surprise visit perfect timing for Ukraine's president to raise NATO membership. So thanks for everything you've done so far. But when we actually get to, you know, get the ring, if you like. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENSKYY (through translator): We need more than the current format of our relationship. We highly appreciate military assistance from the NATO countries. But we want to understand when Ukraine will be a NATO member. We also want security guarantees on our path to NATO membership.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So Jens Stoltenberg was gushing with words of commitment like Ukraine's rightful places in NATO, and then adding this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STOLTENBERG: Mr. President, I'm here today with a simple message, NATO stance with Ukraine. (END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: He then said, you know, it will happen over time here in the fullness of time, if you like, which seems to be that position, which Stoltenberg has had since February, when he said NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will become a member of our alliance, but at the same time, that is a long term perspective.
So, what's actually going on here? What does Zelenskyy want? Because there's a lot of doublespeak it seems going on and what is Stoltenberg promising here? Because it doesn't seem membership straightaway.
DOUGHERTY: Right. OK, so you have to go back to 2008 when they had the Bucharest meeting. And that is where they said, essentially, yes, you're going to become members of NATO, eventually. But they left it without a timetable, without details. And that was deliberate because there are members of NATO. Now we have 31 members of NATO.
There are some who absolutely wanted to day, especially with this war that's going on. They say, you know, Ukraine really has won its position. It deserves to be there, because they fought really hard. And that would be the Baltic countries Poland, think definitely that that's the case. And then you look at Germany and France. And they are saying, well, you know, it could be highly inflammatory and dangerous to do this, because Vladimir Putin would try to come in and attack and it could lead to World War III.
VAUSE: Well, the German defense minister seems to sort of basically called truth of what was going on with all of this, like, Thursday telling the public broadcaster ZDF, the door is open a crack, but this is not the time to decide now, on Ukraine membership to NATO, adding that Ukraine was aware of this. Ukraine is aware of this, he said, any decision on Ukraine join NATO should be done, he said, with a cool head and a hot heart, not the other way around.
You mentioned this, if Ukraine wants to join NATO, and become a fully pledged member, then there is Article Five and attack on one is considered an attack on all. So if Ukraine joins anytime soon. Does that mean we'll hear World War III?
DOUGHERTY: I guess theoretically, it would. And that's why you have this kind of, you know, yes, we want you but not quite now approach. I mean, essentially, if you look at what they're saying, let's say the United States and others who don't believe that now is the time that eventually there will be a time, what they're saying is we have to ensure that Ukraine is going to win this war that they will prevail. And then we can figure out a little bit more specifically what's happening but in the future.
But everybody knows, since we're going to the summit, another meeting of NATO in July in Vilnius. Everybody wants to try to incrementally at least give something that might be the security guarantees that Zelenskyy is striving for. But again, are they going to sit down and write something would this be a, you know, let's say a legal promise, obligating members to do something? I don't think so. So there is a dilemma. VAUSE: And when asked about all of this, so the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine joining NATO would pose a serious and significant danger to our country to the security of our country.
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You know, he said that gazillion times before but it just play devil's advocate here for us before the Russian invasion. You know, the talk about Ukraine during NATO was it was always a non-starter, you make sense because the fears that Putin ally would react, you know, that he might invade the country, that he goes ballistic, he go nuclear. Well, he's done all that now. So in hindsight, was it a mistake not allowing Ukraine to join soon, Ukraine, you know, in the past?
DOUGHERTY: Oh, that's such a debate. That is one of the biggest debates that let's say, theoretically, if NATO, if it, sorry, if Ukraine had nuclear weapons or were a member of NATO, this never would have happened. I think that, you know, you just cannot even go there at this point because it is so theoretical. But I do think there are people who really do believe that NATO -- that Ukraine has won the right to be part of NATO.
VAUSE: Ukraine certainly have spilled enough blood stopping the Russians from going any further than Ukraine. So, you know, I think it does seem to be a very strong argument that they've paid their price already. But Jill as always, it is so great to have you with us. So good to for you to explain all of this and give us some perspective there. Thank you.
DOUGHERTY: Awesome.
VAUSE: Still ahead, SpaceX call it a rapid unscheduled disassembly, when plain language has sudden explosion. Coming up, what went wrong with SpaceX's largest rocket just minutes into his maiden flight. Also, the key to running an ultra-marathon is usually the running bid, which may explain why one runner so called runner was disqualified for hitching a ride out of the way.
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VAUSE: The killer always returns to the scene of the crime and so it was in Myanmar in Thursday, troops sent to a small village for what's been described as a clean-up operation. That's according to Myanmar's ousted shadow government. They say the military carried out new airstrikes it sent troops into the area to kill anyone who stayed. CNN has been unable to verify that report at least independently.
State Security Forces though say they were acting as terrorists when that village was targeted last week by helicopter gunships and fighter ship -- fighter jets. Anna Coren has the story and a warning. Her report contains details and images many viewers will find disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): On this dusty mound near a grove of banana trees, villagers don't know where to walk. Everywhere they turn is another dismembered body, legs, arms, severed heads, human flesh littering the earth.
We can't recognize who they are says the man filming this video. There are so many. Hundreds of people had gathered for a community celebration last Tuesday in Pazigyi, part of a self-govern district in Sagaing state, northern Myanmar.
[01:20:03]
They'd come for breakfast on the eve of Thingyan (ph), a Buddhist New Year festival, families, the elderly and dozens and dozens of children.
(INAUDIBLE) this man, what did these kids do wrong? At 7:45 a.m. a military jet dropped a bomb on the building where they gathered according to witnesses. Minutes later, an MI-35 attack helicopter move down survivors and continue to circle for the next 15 minutes firing anyone who moved.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We heard a boom. I hit the ground and there was a huge cloud of smoke. I got up and realize my daughter was missing.
COREN: As the wounded screamed for help, this man searched among the dead and injured for his three-year-old daughter and his parents.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It was a killing field. There were people scattered everywhere. A woman with burst intestines died in front of me. I was shaking. Why would they kill their own civilians?
COREN: And then after several hours, he found them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): My father was cut in half from the waist. My mother's body unrecognizable. My daughter was headless.
COREN: He says he lost seven family members. Others lost their entire family. For those who miraculously survived the injured were taken to makeshift medical clinics and staff treated their catastrophic wounds. Others fled to the safety of the forest coming to terms with the horror they just witnessed.
I cannot comfort myself, cries this woman, everyone is suffering.
With fears of more aerial attacks, villagers quickly gathered the bodies and place the countless remains in piles for cremation. Burn, burn, burn the wood is not enough. Please add the tires, pleads this man. We are trying to burn the flesh of the dead.
Sure enough, a military helicopter did return just before sunset, firing more missiles at those who'd come to cremate the dead. The days final death toll according to the national unity government, 186 people killed. The deadliest attack since the junta's seized power in a coup more than two years ago.
The military confirmed the bombings saying they were targeting rebel forces who've been fighting Myanmar's military government. But CNN has interviewed over half a dozen eyewitnesses of last week's attack, who say the target was civilians. This man lost 30 relatives including young nieces and nephews.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I don't know why they targeted a place full of pregnant women, children and the elderly. The military are not human. They are more savage than animals.
COREN: During our interview, a jet flies over.
COREN (on camera): Jet fighter is coming.
COREN (voiceover): The threat ever present. The day before the (INAUDIBLE) attack, the military bombed a school and church in neighboring Chin state according to Myanmar's national unity government. Nine people were killed including the principal, his wife and their son.
And last month in Shan State, 22 people were executed outside of monetary including three monks. A resistance group said. CNN obtained this footage from the opposition defense forces and spoke to the coroner who carried out the post mortems. He confirmed all victims were tortured and had been shot in the head.
While the latest massacre sparked international condemnation of the junta and the countries that support them such as China and Russia, the families of the victims say it's just more empty words.
How many more children have to die before the world's leaders take action, pleads this man, grieving the loss of his baby nice. He says this is genocide. Anna Coren, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM. The first four minutes of the maiden flight were textbook perfect to complete success. But then, in the words of SpaceX came a rapid unscheduled disassembly of the biggest rocket they've ever built. CNN's Emily Schmidt reports now on a successful failure.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EMILY SCHMIDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): SpaceX's Starship is about big scale, big plans. And as of Thursday morning, big send off. At 8:33 Central Time, Starship lifted off from the orbital launch pad for the first time soaring higher than any starships so far.
Then SpaceX says multiple engines went out. Starship exploded big loss. Listen to the live SpaceX commentary. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted his congratulations to the team. Despite the explosion SpaceX called a rapid unscheduled disassemble. Space experts say it's the right call. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole job of test is to find out what goes wrong to let things failed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There definitely were some big successes here.
BILL NELSON, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: They'll overcome this and we'll be on the way and we'll be landing on the moon late 25 early 26th.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going inside.
SCHMIDT: The live stream group more than five miles from the launch ran inside when apparent debris started falling from the sky. Others said sand like particles covered their cars. The FAA says there were no injuries or public property damage reported. It will oversee the investigation to ensure Starship can return to flight.
YEMI AKINYEMI DELE, DEARMOON CREW MEMBER: I think it's the right thing that we are looking up and looking and dreaming big and trying to push our frontiers.
SCHMIDT: This Future Crew member says the explosion doesn't deter him accepting big risks in hopes of bigger discoveries. I'm Emily Schmidt reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: There was another vehicle damage in Thursday's SpaceX successful watch. Take a look.
It was a slow build but worth it. That's what happens when you park too close to a spaceship going up into spac. The force of the launch blowout the car's windows, debris and smoke swept in. The camera was about 1,100 feet that's turned 35 meters away from the launch site (ph). It's still did a pretty big rocket damage.
(INAUDIBLE) had been reported the Russian city of Belgorod near the Ukrainian border what appears to be a case of friendly fire.
But according to state media the explosion was caused by a Russian fighter jet, which dropped what are called aviation munitions during a mid-air emergency. The blast left a crater 20 meters wide knocking down electricity poles and damaging an apartment building. Russian officials say to women were hurt.
[01:30:04]
In Paris, protesters angry over pension reforms have targeted the offices of stock exchange operator Euronext.
They briefly occupied the lobby. They were singing, firing off flares and chanting the cost of keeping the pension system solvent should be borne by employers, not workers. Well, that's the translation. Last weekend, President Emmanuel Macron signed a bill into law raising the retirement age from 62 to 64.
New details this hour about the political protest in Brazil's capital back in January. Newly-released video appears to show security forces allowing rioters to enter the presidential palace and ransack the building.
CNN's Isa Soares has details.
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ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was the darkest of days in Brazilian democratic history. Supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro taking the capital, Brasilia by storm, breaking into the presidential palace and other government buildings.
Now new CCTV footage exclusively obtained by CNN affiliate CNN Brazil of what transpired inside the presidential palace appears to bolster the claims of people who have accused the police of failing to act, chief among them current President Lula Da Silva.
LULA DA SLIVA, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT: There were a lot of people colluding, it's important to say. There were a lot of conniving people from the military police and there are a lot of conniving people from the armed forces.
SOARES: The hours of CCTV footage show police forces seemingly retreating as protesters marched on the palace and leaving their posts as rioters entered the building.
Once inside, the ransacking begins. Priceless antiquities, tables, phones -- almost nothing is left untouched. At the time former policeman Cassio Thyone told me some of the criticism was unwarranted.
CASSIO THYONE, FORMER POLICE OFFICER: Some policemen ended up not acting because they didn't think there was a risk of invasion. I don't think it was incompetence.
SOARES: The institutional security office or GSI which handles security for the presidential palaces, has also defended its officers. Saying they evacuated some areas concentrated demonstrators on the second floor and waited for reinforcements to arrest them.
Despite those assertions, the bureau acknowledging its offices are being investigated and those proven to have collaborated with rioters will be held responsible.
But heads have started rolling. General Goncalves Diaz, Lula's government minister in charge of security, has resigned.
CCTV footage shows him walking with some of the rioters just feet away from the presidential office. He says he was trying to lead them away so they could be arrested. But critics say his demeanor was complacent and complicit.
Back in Brazil after three months in self-imposed exile in the United States Bolsonaro is enjoying some respite, the video leak seen as a momentary win, as he continues to dodge blame for the January riots.
Yet doubt remains. The new footage raising more questions than the answers it provides.
Isa Soares, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Apple's second retail store is now open for business in India. Long lines wrapped around the building in New Delhi proving Apple has not lost its marketing hype and people everywhere are willing to overpay huge amounts of money for a cell phone.
Earlier this week, Apple opened its first store, first retail store in Mumbai and their CEO Tim Cook welcomed customers. Apple's expansion into India comes as the company celebrates 25 years of operations in India.
Still ahead, it was billed as the first interview with a Formula 1 legend, but turns out none of it was real. The latest controversy surrounding the growing use of artificial intelligence. Who does this?
[01:34:07]
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VAUSE: It seems the homophobic lawmakers in Uganda will have to wait a little longer for their draconian anti LGBTQ plus legislation to be signed into law. Ugandan ruling party says the president congratulated lawmakers Thursday over the bill's passage, but then sent it back to parliament for a few amendments, but it's expected to be finalized next week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DENIS HAMSON OBUA, CHIEF WHIP, UGANDA'S RULING PARTY: The president in principle, congratulated the members of parliament on two fronts. One for the strong stand on the anti homosexuality bill. And two for rejecting pressure from the imperialists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Yes. The anti LGBTQ plus laws have triggered worldwide outrage, and the European Union voted Thursday to condemn them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALIN BJORK, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER, SWEDEN: The proposed Ugandan bill imposing death penalty for consensual same sex relations is simply horrific. Death for being who we are, death for loving another person that the majority doesn't think you should have the right to love.
KARSTEN LUCKE, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER, GERMANY: And this law doesn't take one step, doesn't take 10 steps but countless steps back into what feels really like Middle Ages. The proposed criminalization of human -- of homosexual people tramples human rights in such a way that it's really unbearable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Major corporations have also spoken out against this bill, which would impose the death penalty for those deemed guilty of so called aggravated homosexuality.
CNN's Stephanie Busari looks at the anti gay legal action in Uganda as well as across the region.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In much of Africa, the LGBTQ community is living in fear. Following their heart could cost them their lives.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I cannot control myself. I cannot pretend what I'm not. I don't even know if I'm really safe.
BUSARI: In recent months, east Africa's LGBTQ laws have been a topic of global conversation. In March, Uganda passed a harsh anti LGBTQ bill. Within the text are severe punishments for those who engage in quote, "aggravated homosexuality". If found guilty, individuals would be sentenced to death.
While supporters in parliament celebrated, many around the world mourned the decision.
KARINE JEAN PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Human rights are universal. No one should be attacked, imprisoned or killed simply because of who they are or whom they love.
BUSARI: Western leaders condemned the bill, a coalition of businesses -- amongst them Microsoft and Google warned that the move could damage the regional economy.
Uganda isn't alone. A group of Tanzanian MPs are also calling for tougher laws on LGBTQ citizens.
At the same time, Kenya has made one step towards equality. The Supreme Court moved to allow the registration of groups that represent LGBTQ interest. Still, some lawmakers say they will work to overturn the decision.
GEORGE MURUGARA, KENYAN MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: This judgment, this ruling should actually be reexamined through a review and if the review is denied, rest assured as a house, we will move to outlaw everything they have done because we have power to do so.
[01:39:46]
ICHUNG'WAH, KENYAN PARLIAMENT MAJORITY LEADER: Our laws are quite clear. Our penal code still has outlawed issues to do with homosexuality. BUSARI: While the supreme court ruling is victory for the LGBTQ community, it hasn't been without consequences. The activist group at the center of the ruling says it has received a spike in calls related to assaults, threats and discrimination. According to the group numbers rose from 78 in January to 367 in March of this year.
But despite some acts of violence, Kenya is generally viewed as a safer space for members of the LGBTQ community. Same sex relations and marriages are illegal, but the law isn't regularly enforced, a rare reprieve for a community fighting for justice and equality.
Stephanie Busari, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: An ultra marathon runner who finished third in an elite race in England has been disqualified because she didn't actually run the entire course. For part of the 50 mile race earlier this month, Joasia Zakrzewski rode in a car. The 47-year-old says she told race marshals that she did and she was pulling out, and but they unexpectedly urged her to keep going.
Zakrzewski described it as a miscommunication somehow, as she says she continued the race in a non competitive way. But she does admit that when she accepted that third place trophy, it was probably a bit of a mistake. How about that?
The family of seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher planning legal action after a German magazine published fake quotes attributed to the F1 legend but which were actually created by artificial intelligence.
CNN's Anna Stewart picks up the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well looking at the front page of "Die Aktuelle" the headline translated to English is "Michael Schumacher, the first interview, followed by a more cryptic subheading, which reads, "It sounded deceptively real."
It's a hint, but not a clear one. But what appears to be an exclusive interview with Michael Schumacher, the first since his ski accident in December 2013 is anything but.
In fact, even if you get to the tease article on page eight, you find the headline, "My life has changed completely" followed by quotes attributed to the Formula 1 champion, talking about his medical condition and his family life since his brain injury.
It's only toward the end of the article that you discover that the interview is fake, responses were generated by artificial intelligence.
The Schumacher family say they are planning to take legal action against Funke Media Group, the German publisher of the magazine and a spokesperson for that company has declined to comment.
This fake interview has caused particular upset considering both Michael Schumacher's condition following his ski accident, but also his wife's very clear message in a Netflix documentary, which broadcast two years ago in which she said, it is very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible. Michael always protected us. So now we are protecting Michael.
Anna Stewart, CNN -- London.
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VAUSE: Lori Schwartz is CEO of StoryTech. She specializes in using the latest in high tech in marketing and product branding. She is with us live this hour from Los Angeles. Thank you for staying up and being with us.
LORI SCHWARTZ, CEO, STORYTECH: It's my pleasure. Good to see you.
VAUSE: Great to see you, too.
Now this German gossip magazine made a very bold promise from the top of this interview. It translates to "not half sentences from friends but the incredible interview with the F1 star, including redeeming answers to the most burning questions the world has been asking for so long." Only to disclose at the end that the answers are actually generated by AI. Who does this. What sort of person or organization -- is it what -- is the only motivating factor here clicks online or magazine sales?
SCHWARTZ: Yes I think so. The whole concept right now around deepfakes and basically, that translates to mean video ,sound that is being forged to be, you know, actually having been recorded, but it's actually using machine learning and artificial intelligence, and algorithms to build it and make it real and its job -- the deep fakes is to fool people into thinking it's real.
But the truth is that there's so many things about those kinds of videos and those kinds of projects. Most of us can tell they're not real, and there are also a number of technologies that are being created right now that can basically sniff out these deepfakes. So it was bound to be discovered really quickly that it wasn't real.
VAUSE: Ok well, here's part of the non interview some of the quotes what he never said. "My life has completely changed since the accident. That was a horrible time for my wife, my children, the whole family. I was so badly injured that I lay for months in a kind of artificial coma. Otherwise my body couldn't have dealt with it all."
At the very least, it was this kind of tiny disclosure at the end, and you say these things can be found out fairly easily. But how are viewers or readers rather ever know that this was fake.
[01:44:55]
SCHWARTZ: I mean that's a great question. There's this thing called the uncanny valley, and it's this concept that when we look at something that isn't real, that's robotic or the voice is slightly off or there's something weird about it, we know we can sense it.
And so when you see deep fakes, you can kind of get that feeling that it isn't real. But I think what we're going to move to is almost a verification process where something gets verified so that you know that it's real, almost like Twitter was doing for a while without that blue checkmark, which has you know, since coming under its own controversy.
But there are applications out there right now, like one called Zero GPT, that can actually sense that you know, the text based AI that something hasn't been written by a human being.
And so every day, a new solution is coming out to detect whether these things are real or not, and every organization that you can imagine, science organizations, media and entertainment organizations are all looking at this and trying to figure out how are they going to manage it? And what are the ethics around it as well?
VAUSE: So what we're looking at AI taking on AI to find out what's real and what's not real and is there any kind of legal way you can sort of have guidelines out there or some kind of system in place to make sure that this is not used in a completely harmful kind of way.
SCHWARTZ: Yes, there are. So some states have already initiated some laws surrounding this but is mostly related to pornography and other things like that. It hasn't really moved over to other business categories. But I'm sure we're going to get there.
We can even look to China who's already done, you know, made some laws about this. There's a lot of controversy around those laws too because any time you, you know, suppress creativity or technology. You hear from the other side saying, well, you're holding us back.
And a lot of people feel that AI, coupled with humanity can be very powerful and solve a lot of problems and also create great art.
So there's the Ying and the Yang of this. I think the thing about all of this is that we can't throw the baby out with the bathwater. But we also have to be mindful and careful and be paying attention.
VAUSE: Baby out of the bottle in a way. To mix metaphors.
(CROSSTALK)
VAUSE: -- the baby back in the tube of toothpaste. But if we circle back to the Schumacher interview, it seems that this magazine kind of provoked this controversy and was ready for it. They've had legal action before with the Schumacher family. They're getting ready now for legal action again.
Did they want the attention of that sort of what's going on here?
SCHWARTZ: I mean to me, especially because they've already had some legal action. This to me is specifically about you know, bait. It's just bait and they're stirring up trouble. Look how quickly it was discovered.
So you're going to have moments like this, where it's so obvious that it's a deepfake. And that they're really just, you know, causing trouble and then there are going to be other moments where things are going to be questioned.
And again, this is where that ethics conversation comes into mind and legal issues and also, artists and media companies and technology companies, putting in some guardrails to help consumers who may not be as savvy.
You know, I think we're also in the same place with social media where you're going to see something, and if it fits into your beliefs, you're going to buy it. And if it doesn't, you're going to question it.
So all of this is really a jumble right now. But there are a lot of smart people and a lot of organizations looking at all this.
There's also the AI generated non-Drake song, which has been out for a few days. If you haven't seen it. You want a reminder here's a clip.
(MUSIC)
VAUSE: This is going to get curious and curious because there's a statement from the Universal Music Group, the (INAUDIBLE) magazine. "The Verge". It kind of is weird. Here's part of it."
"UMG's success has been in part due to embracing new technology, putting it to work for our artists. However the training of generative AI using our artists' music begs the question as to which side of history all stakeholders in the music ecosystem want to be on. The side of artists, fans and human creative expression, all on the side of deep fakes, fraud and denying artists their due compensation."
What's the current theory about what exactly is the deal here with this song? Is it is it Drake imitating Drake? You know what do we know about this right now?
SCHWARTZ: Well it's a unknown artist who basically used generative AI to, you know, take their voice -- clips of their voice and create new music and put it out there. It was a viral sensation until it was discovered what it was, and it was then quickly taken down.
And this is what's interesting about this is the music industry is sort of poised to be, you know, best set up to handle moments like this because they're already looking at copyright issues.
[01:49:59]
SCHWARTZ: They can detect things because music is already you know, a digital asset that has already been marked to be checked for copyright issues.
It's the same thing with video on YouTube. Things get taken down pretty quickly so if any industry can pay attention to this, the music industry can.
I think again, it's going to be one of those things where we're going to be having to look at the music industry, the artist and fans to all sort of model around each other, but we're also going to have to be open I think to new modalities about what music and art is, as you start to look at combining these things.
You know, some musicians may be put out of work who create, you know, little ditties or things like that that now can easily be created by an AI engine.
So you know this is tricky, tricky times for all of this, but I think what we have to remember is again artists want to create and be artists, fans love artists, and I think there will be -- they'll be self regulating each other.
VAUSE: Very quickly. This wasn't a publicity stunt. This whole, you know, Drake song.
SCHWARTZ: No I don't think so. I think people there's a lot of -- if you follow any of this stuff on Twitter, there is a lot of people posting examples of this kind of thing.
I think a lot of younger folks want to play with these tools, and they want to use what they might consider new channel for art and for their work. A lot of people -- diehards believe that AI shouldn't be suppressed and it should be allowed to grow and coupled again with human ingenuity.
It will create great things. So I'm sure they're trying to push the button a little bit, push, you know, push around the music industry, but I think there's also a lot of artists out there who are playing with this and mean to create great work.
VAUSE: Lori it's been great to speak with you. Thank you so much. Your insights and your (INAUDIBLE) invaluable. Thank you.
Take care.
Well storage facilities, or warehouse might not look like much on the outside. But in Rome, they held ancient treasures, which can be seen by the public. We'll show you ahead.
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VAUSE: You see a cargo container. They're packed with gold. Well Canada's busiest airport would like it back. Police say it was unloaded from a plane, taken to a holding facility at the Toronto Airport Monday. Then it disappeared.
The haul is estimated to be worth more than $15 million.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN DUIVESTEYN, PEEL REGIONAL POLICE INSPECTOR: We feel this to be an isolated incident, therefore for the traveling public that are concerned about coming and flying out that they should have no concern. We do not consider this a public safety matter and that everybody can feel the shirt that operations are running smoothly and there should be no concern and this is isolated incident and no concerns for travel safety.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: No word on who owns the Gold, no word on which airline transported it or whether security cameras actually recorded the heist.
Well, charges are being dropped against actor Alec Baldwin over the deadly shooting on the set of the movie "Rust". Prosecutors in New Mexico say they're dismissing the involuntary manslaughter action -- accusation rather, after new facts emerged. A source says the gun used in the shooting had been modified.
During a rehearsal in 2021, the cinematographer Halyna Hutchinson was killed by a live round fired from a prop gun Baldwin was holding. He maintained he never pulled the trigger and pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors say Baldwin is not absolved, charges could be refiled depending on the results of a follow up investigation.
[01:54:58]
VAUSE: Meantime, the armorer on the set Hannah Gutierrez-Reed still faces involuntary manslaughter charges. A court hearing is set for Friday.
Well, millions of people every year visit Rome's colosseum. But now a select few can have an immersive experience tucked inside the colosseum's storage facilities.
CNN's Barbie Nadeau reports on the payoff in ancient treasures. It's worth it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Under the shadow of the Roman Colosseum millions of people immerse themselves in ancient Roman history each year. Here in Rome, museum curators are spoiled for choice. What do you do with 500 Roman era coins?
With limited space in the site's new museum the colosseum is trying a new hands on approach. Warehouses and storage facilities brimming with artifacts are currently open to visitors.
These former shops and market stalls have been converted into temporary museum space to hold the leftover artifacts that didn't quite fit into a new museum that opened in 2021. Until the end of July eight visitors at a time can reserve a special tour guided by an archaeologist who will let them hold these important historical finds, many of which have not been on display in 30 years.
In this way, the people have direct contact with the ancient culture and materials, archaeologist Roberto L. Terry (ph) said. After that, their fate is unknown.
The popular pieces will upgrade to the museum and the rest will go back to collecting dust in the warehouse. Alfonsina Russo, the director of the Colosseum Archaeological Park,
says she hopes the project gives people a better understanding of daily life in ancient Rome.
These artifacts tell the story of daily life, how they carried out activities and above all, to bring these objects that would otherwise have remained hidden in our warehouses.
She also hopes other historical sites open up their warehouses to let people see all history has to offer and to bring the past into focus.
Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN -- Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause.
Please stay with us. CNN NEWSROOM continues after a very short break with Kim Brunhuber.
I'll see you right back here next week.
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