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Hospitals In Sudan Struggle To Keep Up As Casualties Mount; President Joe Biden And President Yoon Suk-yeol Announce Agreement To Deter North Korea; RSF Denies Seizing National Laboratory In Khartoum; Xi Jinping And Volodymyr Zelenskyy Speak For The First Time Since Invasion; Vladimir Putin Critic Alexei Navalny Charged With Extremism And Terrorism; E. Jean Carroll Testifies in Civil Lawsuit Against Trump; Panda Caught Up in U.S.-China Tensions. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired April 27, 2023 - 00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:00:46]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: A head here on CNN NEWSROOM, fleeing Sudan. Thousands of civilians caught in the middle of a civil war rushed for the borders, searching for safety.

From diplomacy to deterrence, U.S. and South Korea warned North Korea nuclear attack would send devastating American response, a threat backed up by U.S. nuclear armed submarines.

And the leaders of China and Ukraine speak by phone for about an hour. Their first conversation since Xi Jinping's dear friend ordered the Russian invasion.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: Thanks for joining us at CNN NEWSROOM. And we begin this hour with the crisis in Sudan, where clashes in and around the capital continue, despite both sides in this conflict agreeing to a 72-hour ceasefire.

The head of Sudan's army has indicated he's willing to extend the truce by another three days, offering to begin talks with the leader of the so-called Rapid Support Forces in neighboring South Sudan.

So far, there's been no response from the paramilitary group.

The current ceasefire set to expire late Thursday at local time. Each side has repeatedly accused the other of violating the agreement. The fighting now in its second week has already claimed more than 500 lives, according to the health ministry.

Wounded nearly 4,200 people, many Sudanese civilians are now feeling a growing sense of despair.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I am afraid this war will continue, resulting in the deaths of more innocent people in the destruction of Sudan. I hope this war will end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The U.N. Refugee Agency says about 20,000 people in Sudan have now fled to Chad. Many more expected to cross over in the coming days.

Neighboring Egypt says it's also taken in more than 10,000 Sudanese.

Meantime, the first plane carrying British civilians, evacuated from Sudan, has landed back in the U.K. Some of those who escaped recounted their harrowing experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been a nightmare. I've never seen anything like this before. We saw it on television before. We never thought it was going to happen in the people in the country like Sudan.

I was literally in the middle of the bombing and shelling all over the other. You know, the building next door was shelved. And it was just like a Bond movie. I've never seen anything like it before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And in the capital Khartoum, a majority of hospitals are no longer running.

CNN's David McKenzie reports that hospitals that are still open are struggling to keep up with the number of casualties.

And a warning, the images you're about to see in David's report are disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A brave Sudanese doctor takes us inside a frontline hospital in Khartoum, filming over several days.

Doctor Howida AlHassan and her team are barely coping at Alban Gadid Hospital. They talk about ceasefire, but there is no ceasefire. The wounded keep coming in, she narrates. The same staff have been here for 11 days.

They're facing a deluge of civilian victims, many with multiple gunshot wounds, wiping away the blood because the casualties never stop.

My son was wounded, says this man. I had come because many hospitals aren't working.

DR. HOWIDA ALHASSAN, ALBAN GADID HOSPITAL (through translator): I'm astonished how we're able to continue. We don't sleep. I wouldn't call what we do sleeping. I would call it fainting. We faint then we wake up again. I'm surprised how we are managing.

MCKENZIE: Doctor Howida says everything is running out. They're giving smaller doses of medicine to ration their supply.

We use the equipment and the instruments more than once, she says. We can't sterilize properly. There are just too many wounded.

ALHASSAN (through translator): Soon we'll have no bandages, no medication, no anesthetic drugs and no oxygen. The situation is bad, with all the meaning of the word.

MCKENZIE: Bad and it will get worse, unless help comes soon or the fighting stops.

Sudan's doctors union says that more than two thirds of hospitals are shut in the capital. Eyewitnesses and doctors' groups say hospitals are being targeted with heavy weapons by both sides, which they deny.

[00:05:11]

As foreign governments speared their diplomats and nationals out of Sudan, Doctor Howida says her conscience compels her to stay.

ALHASSAN (through translator): I believe the number of casualties and wounded will increase after the foreigners are evacuated. God knows if we will be alive or dead.

MCKENZIE: Sudanese blood is one blood, she told us. I beg you to silence the sound of the rifles.

David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Now to Washington where there was plenty of pomp and pageantry as U.S. President Joe Biden hosted South Korean President Yoon Suk- yeol for the second state visit of the Biden presidency. And they used the moment to announce a strengthening of their alliance to deter North Korea.

The president attended a state dinner just a short time ago with the decor and menu highlighting the ties between both countries.

Earlier, the U.S. agreed to deploy a nuclear armed submarine to South Korea for the first time in more than 40 years. President Biden delivered a stark warning to Pyongyang.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies will result in the end of whatever regime were to take such an action.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Live now to Hong Kong, CNN's Kristie Lu Stout. This was quite the announcement from both these leaders. What does this actually mean for the alliance and for North Korea?

And it's not just one nuclear submarine, it's going to be a whole lot of them docking in South Korea.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yes, this is called the Washington Declaration. And it is a key new agreement aimed at deterring North Korea. The U.S. has pledged to give South Korea more insight into its nuclear planning to be involved in tabletop exercises. And also it offered a commitment to deploy a nuclear armed submarine in South Korea for the first time since the early 80s, which is a very symbolic show of force.

Now, in return, South Korea has agreed not to pursue its own nuclear arsenal.

I want you to listen to what the South Korean president said about the deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YOON SUK YEOL, SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT (through translator): President Biden has reaffirmed his ironclad commitment to extended deterrence toward the Republic of Korea. Our two countries have agreed to immediate bilateral presidential consultations in the event of North Korea's nuclear attack and have promised to respond swiftly, overwhelmingly and decisively, using the full force of the alliance, including the United States' nuclear weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Now, on the back of this deal, there are two key questions. Number one, is it going to reassure South Koreans?

As we've been reporting, opinion polls show, a majority of South Koreans support their country having their own nuclear weapons. And analysts say it remains to be seen whether or not they're going to be satisfied with this agreement.

And, of course, the other very critical question, will it deter North Korea?

Last year, North Korea fired a record number of missiles. It's continued to fire even more this year, including that new solid-fuel ICBM.

Biden did repeat the U.S. offer to North Korea to hold talks about its weapons program, but he also offered that stark warning to North Korea, vowing the end of whatever regime that launches a nuclear attack on the U.S. or its allies. And we are awaiting comment from Pyongyang.

Now, the two leaders I should add, they also announced deals on cybersecurity, on E.V.s and batteries, as well as economic investment. And looking ahead, John, we know that President Yun will soon be addressing Congress to mark 70 years of the alliance. That address will take place 11 a.m. Eastern time, John. VAUSE: One thing that this deal seems to represent is that it's an end to diplomacy, if you like, and now a much heavier emphasis on deterrence.

STOUT: Yes, a much heavier emphasis on deterrence. And one other military analyst are pointing out that even though that there is this promise to deploy this nuclear-armed submarine, that is merely a show of force. That is merely symbolic, because in the event, heaven forbid, if any sort of action being taken by North Korea that would provoke a response, being able to move that nuclear-armed submarine in place and time, that point would be moved.

This is aimed at deterrence. It also underscores the fact that, you know, look, we've gotten to the point that talks haven't been working. Tough talk is being used. This alliance is getting stronger. President Yoon, also very happy to hear those very tough words that were issued by the U.S. president. That's what he went to Washington, D.C. for. That's what he wanted to hear.

But, are the South Korean -- the people of South Korea, will they be satisfied with what came out with this agreement? Because, again, public opinion has changed there. You have a public that wants to have its own nuclear weapons or have American nuclear weapons to be able to be positioned in the Korean Peninsula to defend South Korea.

[00:10:09]

President Biden said that that will not be happening, back to you.

VAUSE: Kristie, thank you for that. Yes, it certainly is an extending of that nuclear umbrella bolstering if you like over South Korea. We'll see how this plays out. Thank you.

STOUT: You got it.

VAUSE: We'll take a short break. When we come back, look who's talking? In a moment, details on the first conversation by phone between Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy and China's Xi Jinping since Russia invaded.

Plus, not one, but potentially two major trials for Alexei Navalny. Russia now accusing the outspoken Putin critic of extremism and terrorism.

Back in a moment.

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VAUSE: There's growing concern over who is in control of the National Public Health Laboratory in Khartoum in Sudan's capital, which stores samples of deadly diseases like TB, polio and measles.

The Rapid Support Forces has now denied taking control of the facility. Whoever is in charge has forced technicians to leave and are at the most risk of being exposed to the pathogens inside. The WHO also stressed that those pathogens are considered normal and

the main risk continues to be the ongoing conflict as well as severe shortages.

Kate Nolan is the Deputy Director of Operations for Medecins Sans Frontieres and she is with us from Nairobi in Kenya. Thank you for getting up early and being with us. We appreciate it.

Communications has always been a major challenge across Sudan, especially right now.

Still, the WHO had an assessment of the current state of the healthcare system in the capital. Here it is. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: In the capital, Khartoum, 61 percent of health facilities are closed and only 16 percent are operating as normal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Losing access to more than half of Khartoum's health care facilities would be bad enough if there wasn't a civil war being fought in the capital. It's hard to imagine what conditions are like there in the few remaining hospitals right now.

So, what do you know about that? And is there an assessment of how many hospitals are actually still operating around the country?

KATE NOLAN, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES (on camera): So, good morning. We know that many people, including health care workers are currently trapped due to the ongoing violence in large parts of Sudan since the 15th of April.

Due to the ongoing violence and fear that they will be risking their safety, many people cannot reach the small number of health facilities that are still functional and open.

And so, we are speaking to Sudanese medical teams in Khartoum and other parts of the country where wounded patients are being received.

We know that the situation in hospitals in Khartoum and other cities and in other parts of the country is extremely difficult. Hospitals are overstretched. The few that remain open are running out of essential supplies. They also face challenges with basic services such as water and electricity that are essential for hospitals to be able to provide life-saving assistance to patients who who need it most.

[00:15:21]

We also know that health care workers who are working are absolutely exhausted. They've been working around the clock since the violence began over 12 days ago now. And we know that many health facilities themselves have been damaged by the fighting. So, they're damaged or in some cases have been destroyed and few hospitals are able to receive patients.

VAUSE: Kate, there's also this concern over who actually controls or is in charge of the National Public Health Laboratory and the status of those deadly pathogens like TB, cholera, measles, even COVID.

So, what is the risk here? Because right now it seems if there is an outbreak of some kind of, you know, disease like measles like COVID. That just seems like another way to die in Khartoum when there's already plenty of risks out there.

NOLAN: I mean, we know that Sudan's health system was already on the -- on the verge of collapse for decades, but the economic and political crisis has pushed it to breaking point.

And we know that the escalation of the current fighting is exacerbating the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country.

We know that humanitarian needs, what we have already observed are absolutely immense. And we're extremely concerned that the populations are not able to access hospitals and health facilities for life-saving assistance at a time when they need it most.

VAUSE: Kate, thank you. Kate Nolan there live from Nairobi with the very latest there with the health situation and the health crisis inside Sudan, we appreciate the update. Thank you.

The President of Ukraine and China has spoken for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Beijing is trying to portray itself as an objective and fair peacemaker despite extremely close ties to Moscow.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Xi Jinping spoke for an hour on the telephone Wednesday. President Zelenskyy said he made it clear Ukraine would not give up territory to Russia to try and fighting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Today, I had a long and mostly reasonable conversation with the leader of China.

Typically, these types of talks are seen as a chance to create new opportunities. Right now, there is an opportunity to give new energy to the relations between Ukraine and China.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, his dear friend, have spoken at least five times since the war began. China has refused to condemn the invasion or demand Russia withdraw its troops from Ukraine or even call it a war.

CNN's International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (on camera): This is a phone call the Ukrainians have been waiting for some time to happen. It was also longer than originally anticipated, an hour long in the end.

President Zelenskyy and President Xi talking about how they can improve their relations, the economy between the two countries, the diplomatic relations between the two countries. Indeed, they've both agreed to exchange ambassadors.

China is sending a representative to Ukraine, an envoy to Ukraine. Will also talk to other regional countries about the current political situation. And Ukraine is sending a new ambassador to China, to Beijing.

The very fact that this was announced after the phone call really gives a strong indication that behind the scenes there had been discussions sort of setting up this phone call.

But despite that, both President Xi and President Zelenskyy are in very different positions about the role that China might be able to play at the moment, trying to bring peace in Ukraine.

Of course, President Xi has a very strong and close relationship with President Putin in Russia. He visited with President Putin in Moscow just barely a month ago. He put forward a peace proposal for peace in Ukraine that didn't even mention at that stage that Russia had illegally invaded Ukraine.

And Ukraine's position, its own peace proposal, says very clearly that Russia needs to withdraw out of Ukraine, withdraw its forces back to the pre-1991 borders. And that did come up in the conversation, in the phone conversation. President Zelenskyy is saying that there can be no peace with territorial compromises.

So, very clearly there, a difference between where the countries stand.

But I think from a Ukrainian perspective, they take this as positive. They feel that they're getting positive diplomatic indications behind the scenes from China and that China can play a role.

[00:20:06]

They say very clearly, and President Zelenskyy said following the call, that any country that supports Russia economically is really sort of enabling Russia to be able to continue with the offensive.

So, I think Ukraine's ambition here in its relationship and unequal relationship that it has with President Xi compared to the relationship President Putin has, its ambition here is to really weaken Russia's narrative about the validity of the war and push forward their narrative that any peace can only come when Russia pulls out.

And that's something that President Xi will really have to substantially change his position on. But he's also made it clear that he's not going to stand back, that he's willing to help, but he's not going to make the war in Ukraine worse, and he's not going to try and profit from the situation.

So, a step forward diplomatically, I think, in the views of both China and Ukraine here.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Chief Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Josh Rogin is a columnist for the Global Opinion section of The Washington Post. Good to see you again. It's been a while.

JOSH ROGIN, WASHINGTON POST COLUMNIST (on camera): Likewise. Thanks for having me.

VAUSE: OK. So, on the positive side, this call actually happened. Both leaders talked. China promised not to make the conflict worse. We'll send an envoy to Kyiv to help fight a political settlement. Kyiv will send an ambassador to Beijing. The E.U. Secretary for Foreign Affairs was all but gushing with optimistic excitement. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEP BORRELL, E.U. FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF: This was awaited. It's a very good name. It's a first step. And we want to say that any meaningful initiative for a just peace for Ukraine is very much welcome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: On the surface, it does seem to be a very productive hour-long phone call. So, how do you see it? Is there any catch here? Where's the drawback?

ROGIN: Right. Well, I think the fact that President Xi has finally reached out to President Zelenskyy more than a year into the war is necessarily a small step in the right direction.

At the same time, it's pretty clear to most observers, especially those in Washington, that the proposal that Xi is offering to Zelenskyy is a non-starter for Ukraine and that there's still huge gaps between how China sees the war in Ukraine and how the Ukrainian is in the West Sea.

And first of all, the most important thing is that China is still yet to acknowledge that Russia invaded Ukraine and that Ukraine has a right to its sovereignty.

And so, if you think about the actual prospects of China being an honest broker, much less a peace negotiator in this conflict, those prospects still seem very, very low.

VAUSE: Well, here's the follow-up from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing to that phone call. Listen to this. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

YU JUN, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY: President Xi Jinping's call with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shows China's objective and impartial position on international affairs and its sense of responsibility as a major country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: China's impartial position. Well, here's a little calendar of China's impartial position.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine back in September, Xi met face-to-face with Putin ahead of a regional summit in Uzbekistan. The next day, they were both at that summit.

Go to December 30th, a quick catch-up with a virtual meeting in which Xi described Russia as a global partner.

Last month, of course, Xi jets off to Moscow for a four-day state visit with his dear friend as he called him, Vladimir Putin.

And so, then on the Ukrainian side of the ledger, well, we had now one long phone call on, you know, Wednesday.

So, that's a place where let's put an objective and impartial position. It seems like Xi obviously is a little more partial towards Putin than Zelenskyy.

So, you know, you touch on this. If you look at the actual runs on the board, you know, Beijing has a pretty hard road here to convince anyone it's impartial.

ROGIN: Right, I would add a few more -- few more points to that excellent list. One is that China is undermining international sanctions against Russia by purchasing Russian gas and by helping the Russian war machine in every way except for military aid. And they're helping Russia evade financial sanctions. They're supporting Russia diplomatically.

They're also, the Chinese state media is pushing Russian propaganda on Ukraine 24/7 and all over the world.

So, the claims by the Chinese foreign ministry that it could be an impartial actor in the Ukraine Russia simply not matched by China's actions.

VAUSE: Here's a little more from the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing. Here we go.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUN: China always stood on the side of peace on the Ukraine issue. China advocates a political settlement of the crisis and promotes talks for peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Just don't call it a war. Don't even mention Russia, which is exactly what happened with the readout of this call from Beijing.

So, again, you said they can't even acknowledge that Russia actually evaded Ukraine. So, if we can get to the point where China actually calls it a war, acknowledge the invasion that Russia actually did invade a sovereign nation, that would be a good place to start, wouldn't it?

[00:25:05]

ROGIN: Right. Or you could just start with the fact that Ukraine is a sovereign country and a member of the United Nations and China refuses to even say that much.

In fact, the Chinese Ambassador of France stepped in it this week when he said that none of the former Soviet republics have a claim in international law. And that's kind of a thing that quiet a part out loud is that you know, China's claims to be defenders of the principles of sovereignty only go as so far as their interests.

And you know, we can't have a country that refuses to acknowledge that Ukraine is a country, be the arbiter of Ukraine.

Of course, Zelenskyy knows all this. He knows that China is on Russia side, but he has to take the call. He has to play along and sort of pretend that China could be a good actor because it's worth it to keep China in the discussion. It's worth it to prevent China from going full on and support military support of Russia.

But no, it's pretty clear to -- I don't think there's anyone in Kyiv or in Washington who lends any credibility to the idea that China's peace plan is at any sort of starting point for a negotiated settlement in Ukraine because no negotiated settlement in Ukraine can be possible unless you acknowledge that Ukraine is a country that has sovereign borders and sovereign rights.

VAUSE: Thanks for interpreting the Kabuki Theatre of International Diplomacy. Josh, it's good to have you with us. Thank you.

ROGIN: Anytime.

VAUSE: Jailed Putin critic Alexei Navalny may soon be facing life behind bars. He says he's now being investigated on terrorism charges. And when he is almost certainly found guilty, his prison sentence will be extended by decades.

Navalny was in court Wednesday for another extremism case and CNN's Fred Pleitgen has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Moscow court was literally silencing a Kremlin critic as Alexei Navalny speaks via video link, his sound is abruptly cut off. It looks like they will limit the time for me to go through the court documents he was able to say, then the audio is muted.

While some were chuckling, the situation for Alexey Navalny has become even more serious.

The court ruled Navalny only has ten days to review hundreds of documents from an extremism case against him. And his supporters say Navalny has now learned he will also be charged with terrorism.

Now, Alexey will have two large trials, his spokeswoman tweeted. First, on extremism, in total for all episodes up to 30 years, most likely it would begin before the end of May. Then, on terrorism, up to 35 years.

Navalny's health is also deteriorating in part because he is limited in the amount of food he can get in prison, his daughter told CNN.

DASHA NAVALNAYA, ALEXEY NAVALNY'S DAUGHTER: The situation has gotten so ridiculous that he buys the food, which, is, you know, oats. It's nothing -- it's nothing luxurious. And he buys the oats, the oats are brought to him, shown to him, and then are just destroyed.

PLEITGEN: Navalny supporters say it's all part of a massive crackdown against the opposition figure and his Anti-Corruption Foundation, which has been banned and declared an extremist organization in Russia, they believe, at the behest of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Navalny has called on Russians to protest Putin's invasion of Ukraine, we are Moscow's forces are making virtually no progress and Ukraine says it is preparing for a major counteroffensive.

Yevgeny Prigozhin of Russia's Wagner private military company is saying his forces feel abandoned by the Russian army.

The Ukrainian army is fully ready to move and cut our flanks, he says. Nobody has ever cut our flanks. Although stories about preventing the Ukrainian reserves from entering Bakhmut are total crap. Not a single shot was fired by the Russian army.

While Russia's forces struggle on the battlefield in Ukraine, the attrition against the Russian opposition continues. After Alexei Navalny's hearing, he was sent straight back into solitary confinement, his supporters say.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Still to come here on CNN. One of the women who accused Donald Trump of rape takes a stand and testifies in detail about the alleged account.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Welcome back. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.

[00:31:54] Man versus mouse took a major escalation Wednesday, with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts filing a lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a potential Republican presidential candidate for 2024.

The legal action is centered on an oversight board, made up of members handpicked by the governor and which recently ended Disney's control of a special tax district which Disney had controlled for decades.

The House of Mouse accuses DeSantis of weaponizing his political power to punish Disney after the corporation spoke out against DeSantis's so-called "never say gay" law in Florida. The law restricts teaching about gender and sexuality in Florida schools.

The woman who accuses Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her decades ago in a department store dressing room is expected back on the witness stand in the hours ahead.

E. Jean Carroll is suing the former president for battery and defamation in a civil case. On Wednesday, she began her dramatic testimony, describing in chilling detail the alleged rape.

CNN's Paula Reid is following developments from New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Writer E. Jean Carroll taking the stand in the second day of her civil battery and defamation case against former President Donald Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you looking forward to testifying today?

REID (voice-over): The first question her attorney asked, why she finally took her case to court.

"I'm here because Donald Trump raped me. And when I wrote about it, he said it didn't happen. He lied and shattered my reputation, and I'm here to try to get my life back.

Carroll alleges Trump raped her in a New York City department store in the '90s.

E. JEAN CARROLL, TRUMP ACCUSER: It was a fight. It was -- I want women to know that I did not stand there, I did not freeze, I was not paralyzed. It was over very quickly. It was against my will, 100 percent. And I ran away.

REID (voice-over): She spent hours Wednesday, testifying about the alleged assault Trump denies.

She told the jury she ran into Trump and was helping him find a gift for a friend and didn't picture anything about what was about to happen when the pair were shopping in the New York Bergdorf Goodman.

Through tears, she recounted how he suggested she try on a bodysuit in the lingerie department and coaxed are into the dressing room, which "plagued me for years, because I just walked into it, walked in!"

She told the jury Trump shoved her against the wall, and then the assault began.

"I always think of why I walked in there to get myself in that situation. But I'm proud to say I did get out. I got my knee up and pushed him back."

She's now suing Trump for unspecified monetary damages, and to get him to retract this October 2022 social media post, reading in part, "I don't know this woman. This woman is not my type."

But, in 2019, Trump acknowledged this photo from the 1980s, showing the two chatting.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have absolutely no idea who she is. There's some picture where we're shaking hands, it looks like, at some kind of event.

REID (voice-over): Trump, who isn't expected to appear at the trial unless called to testify, posted Wednesday, calling the case a, quote," made-up scam."

[00:35:00]

The judge in this case reacting strongly to Trump's public statement, telling his lawyer that it opens up the client to a, quote, "potential liability."

REID: On Thursday, Carroll will continue to face questions from her attorneys, and then she will face cross-examination by Trump's lawyers, who have alleged that she has completely fabricated this story for political reasons.

Now, even the most experienced attorneys will tell you that cross- examining someone who has alleged a sexual assault is a delicate task.

Paula Reid, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: A jury has found rapper Pras Michel guilty of taking part in an international conspiracy to influence the U.S. government.

The Grammy winning artist and former member of the Fugees is accused of accepting more than $100 million to help Malaysian businessman Jho Low and the Chinese government gain access to American officials.

Low, who has been charged, along with Michel, is believed to be in China.

When we come back, new tensions between the U.S. and China, this time with giant panda Ya Ya heading back to China but not so giant anymore. In fact, kind of looking thin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) VAUSE: After two decades at a zoo in Memphis, Tennessee, Ya Ya, the giant panda, now heading home, in the air right now, as we speak.

On Wednesday the loan agreement expired, which means Ya Ya will live out her golden years somewhere in China. Probably Wuhan [SIC] in Sichuan.

But, as Selina Wang reports, Ya Ya is now caught up in growing anti- U.S. sentiment across China.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Once a symbol of Beijing's goodwill, now the center of angry debate in China. This panda in Memphis, Tennessee, has become the latest victim in worsening U.S.-China tensions.

Ya Ya arrived in America with her play mate Lola two decades ago as an emblem of growing bilateral friendship. But recent videos, showing the once fluffy panda now looking skinny, with scraggly fur, has sparked outrage in China.

Many Chinese people and some animals advocates accusing the zoo of mistreatment.

Videos on China social media, claiming the pandas are being abused, quickly went viral against the backdrop of growing anti-American sentiment. The rumors often fanned by state propaganda.

And meanwhile, Chinese social media users are praising these viral videos of this panda in Russia, Wu Yi (ph), claiming videos of the active and playful panda prove Russia is taking excellent care of the Chinese bear.

State TV saying the pandas are helping the Russia-China relationship.

Chinese and American scientists launched a joint investigation, concluding that Ya Ya has a genetic fur and skin condition that does not impact her quality of life and has received excellent care. But that message is not getting through.

[00:40:03]

Outside the panda exhibit at the Beijing Zoo, I asked people if they've heard of Ya Ya, the panda. This man says, "Yes, she's abused in America."

An 11-year-old boy tells me, "I heard the U.S. is treating the panda poorly."

This man says, "Isn't Russia taking good care of pandas? Pandas are happy over there. Not like in the U.S."

And this man, with his granddaughter, tells me, "Pandas in Russia are very happy. Why? Russians and Chinese are friends. At least Russia is not sanctioning China." WANG: Ya Ya will soon settle in this Beijing Zoo.

Now, China has long used its pandas as a diplomatic tool. Currently, its pandas are on loan to about 20 countries. The United States has not received one since Ya Ya and Lola, 20 years ago.

Now these pandas are normally loaned on these ten-year leases, and they cost 1 million dollars annually.

WANG (voice-over): The Memphis Zoo had already planned to send Ya Ya and Lola back to Beijing this spring, because their lease is expiring. But Lola died of heart disease two months ago at the age of 24. The average lifespan for pandas is usually under 30 years, yet that didn't stop rampant speculation and led to an explosion of accusations about Ya Ya's treatment, too, accelerating calls to bringing Ya Ya back to China.

The message, even featured on billboards from New York City to major cities across China.

In 1972 during U.S. President Richard Nixon's historic trip to China, his wife visited pandas in Beijing.

PAT NIXON, FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE U.S.: On behalf of the people of the United States, I'm pleased to be here and accept the precious gift.

WANG (voice-over): Months later, China sent a pair of pandas to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

Now, decades later, this panda's return from the U.S. to China symbolic, not of growing friendship but growing animosity between two global superpowers.

Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: I meant the Wolong National Reserve, not the Wuhan city where the COVID epidemic began.

But anyway, China's foreign ministry issued a statement over this controversy on Wednesday, saying Ya Ya, she was treated just fine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAO NING, SPOKESPERSON, CHINESE FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTRY (through translator): The Memphis Zoo has a relatively sound management system and operation procedures, and Ya Ya has been under good care throughout her stay at the Memphis Zoo. She is deeply loved by the American people.

The cooperative research on Giant Pandas has facilitated the protection of the animal, public education and people-to-people exchanges. China willing to continue working with other partners, the U.S. side included, to make contributions to the conservation of endangered species.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: I'm John Vause, back at the top of the hour for more CNN NEWSROOM. But in the meantime, stay with us. After a short break, it's WORLD SPORT. See you in 17 minutes.

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