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South Sudan: Warring Factions Agree To Seven-Day Ceasefire; Texas Suspect Captured After Manhunt, Found Hiding In Closet; Zelenskyy Tells Washington Post White House Did Not Inform Him Of Secret Documents Leak; Uganda Lawmakers Pass Controversial Same Sex Bill; U.S. Braces for Surge of Migrants at Title 42 Ends; Late Night Shows Go Dark, Airing Repeats as Strike Begins; Growing Use of AI Raises Concerns Ahead of U.S. Election; FIFA Threatens Broadcast Blackout in Europe. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired May 03, 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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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up here on CNN Newsroom, a seven day ceasefire agreed to in Sudan. If history is prologue, it's set to be ignored by rival military factions from Thursday. Protests in the West Bank, rocket fire from Gaza after a leader of the military group Islamic Jihad dies on a hunger strike in an Israeli prison. And they've done it again. Uganda's parliament passes a slightly revised version of the world's most draconian anti-LGBTQ laws.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: Thanks for joining us again. We begin with an agreement in principle to a new ceasefire in Sudan between rival military factions battling for control of the country. Notably, the announcement came from South Sudan, which has been acting as a mediator between both sides. But far, no public comment from either Sudan's military or the rapid support forces. Under this agreement, a seven-day long truce will take effect Thursday.
Officials from South Sudan also say both sides have agreed to send representatives to peace talks. But where and when those talks will happen is yet to be decided. Six ceasefires so far, at best bringing a lull in the conflict but the sound of gunfire and explosions continues to be heard, especially in the capital, Khartoum. More than 500 people are confirmed dead in more than two weeks of fighting. But with bodies left piling up in the streets, the real death toll is certain to be much higher.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANNA SERWAA TETTEH, U.N. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR HORN OF AFRICA: The situation in Sudan remains a matter of deep concern as the parties continue their fight, civilians bear the brunt of this conflict. Critical infrastructure hospitals, roads, schools, airports have been destroyed. This war has aggravated are already dire humanitarian situation, and shortages of food, water, medicines and other basic goods are becoming extremely acute.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: More than 100,000 Sudanese refugees have now fled to neighboring countries, according to the U.N. 40,000 traveled north of Egypt, several thousand went to South Sudan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLGA SARRADO MUR, SPOKESPERSON, U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY: Over 100,000 refugees are estimated to be among those who have now crossed to neighboring countries, including Sudanese refugees, South Sudanese returning, and other nationalities who were themselves refugees in Sudan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Many others crossed into Chad before it closed its borders with Sudan. At least the WHO reports an increase in humanitarian aid heading to Sudan, but questions remain on how quickly it can reach those in most need.
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TARIK JASAREVIC, SPOKESPERSON, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: We have six containers of supplies for the treatment of injuries and the treatment of severe acute malnutrition that were dispatched by sea and are currently being moved to warehouses in Port Sudan. We have another 30 metric tons of emergency supplies to be flown from our logistic hub in Dubai as soon as this becomes possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Before escaping Sudan, thousands of Sudanese and foreign nationals must first make a dangerous and harrowing road trip north to Port Sudan on the Red Sea. Once there, for a fortunate few, comes rescue by ship. Saudi Arabia has played a central role in the evacuations, bearing more than 5600, mostly foreign nationals from Sudan since the start of the conflict, that includes dozens of Americans. CNN's Larry Madowo reports now from Jeddah.
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As the news of the latest ceasefire trickled here into Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The 15th Saudi-Iran (ph) ship just arrived here with 206 more people, 91 Americans according to the Saudi Foreign Ministry, the number of nationalities that have so far ferried across from Port Sudan to Jeddah is now 102. The only a tiny percentage of those are Saudis. Many of them are from nationalities from the U.S. and Canada and the U.K. and Sudan and Kenya, Burkina Faso, from really everywhere around the world.
So as does ceasefire really struggles to hold, you see the need for so many people still in Port Sudan trying to get across the Red Sea to as semblance of safety here in Saudi Arabia, as I figure out where they're going to go next. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KHOJELLI EL-NOOR, EVACUEE FROM SUDAN: You see here, I'm just -- my body here, but my heart and my blood and my mind is over there because this division is really scary. You cannot even describe it. And, you know, as example, you see dead people. We cannot bury them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MADOWO: The ceasefire itself still has a couple of options for the two warring generals in Sudan to back out of it. They say they've agreed in principle. That's a statement. According to President Salva Kiir of South Sudan, he was appointed by the regional body, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, to spearhead this negotiation process with the two generals. The others were President Ruto of Kenya and President Guelleh of Djibouti.
[01:05:18]
And so that, in principle, is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that statement. The other one is that he's urging General Burhan and General Hemedti to send negotiating teams and to agree on where that could be. One of the proposed venues for this negotiation could be here in Saudi Arabia. Could it be Addis Ababa in Ethiopia or Nairobi in Kenya or Juba, South Sudan? There's just a lot of questions still we don't know about this seven-day ceasefire that was announced.
Larry Madowo, CNN, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
VAUSE: Joining us now is Nicole Widdersheim, Deputy Washington Director for Human Rights Watch. Thanks for being with us again.
NICOLE WIDDERSHEIM, DEPUTY WASHINGTON DIRECTOR, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: You bet. Now, it seems there's still a lot of uncertainty over these peace talks which are being, you know, hosted by South Sudan or proposed by South Sudan. There's not a lot of faith also in this seventh-day ceasefire that they're talking about. I want you to listen to the special envoy to Sudan from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. Here he is.
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ISMAIL WAIS, SPECIAL ENVOY, INTERGOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY ON DEVELOPMENT: The two generals, even though they accept ceasefire, but at the same time, they continue fighting and then shelling the city.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Twenty-two words, which sums up the problem here. So, assuming the two generals are still in control of their fighters until they give the order for their troops to stand down, does this crisis just go from bad to worse to disaster?
WIDDERSHEIM: Yes, I mean, we really haven't seen any true ceasefire, despite the fragile ceasefires that were 24 hours, 48 hours, they've all been broken. And then in the last couple of days, we've seen an actual uptick in airstrikes and more RSF militia on the streets. So it seems like the violence is actually increasing. That might be part of them preparing to go into some kind of dialogue.
We have no idea if this is truly a political dialogue. You know, this announcement is so fresh. But we're very cautious. And the true test will be if humanitarian assistance can get into the city, because that's really what we're interested in.
VAUSE: Yes. As for the talks, those talks which maybe they are political, maybe they are genuine, they are -- maybe they will address humanitarian crisis. But so far, there's no date when, no word on who will be going if they'll be speaking directly to one another. As this continues to go on, the number of internally displaced continues to grow. Listen to the U.N. representative.
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PAUL DILLON, SPOKESMAN, INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION: The number of displaced people through the last two weeks exceeds, as a result of conflict exceeds all conflict related displacements reported in Sudan in 2022. Just to give you a sense of the scale of movement since April 15th.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: There seems to be this disconnect between international diplomacy, where there's sort of plenty of time, no real urgency. They'll eventually get round to these peace talks when they do. And the reality, what's happening on the ground, that thousands are being forced from their homes in a crisis getting worse by the hour. How do you bring these two things together?
WIDDERSHEIM: Right. I think what we need to see is a complete and very aggressive humanitarian response. And that is just not happening. We're also not seeing the diplomacy putting any pressure points on these warring actors. So we've been calling for an arms embargo for the full country at the United Nations Security Council. We haven't even seen them come up with a resolution on Sudan. We're also calling for at the Human Rights Council that they develop a mechanism to document these violations in crimes and indiscriminate attacks.
We're still waiting for the Human Rights Council to meet on Sudan. So, you know, they may be having and the region might be able to pressure the parties to come up with this truce. But there should be a concerted effort, that concerted effort at the same time on the humanitarian crisis and the reality on the ground, as you say.
VAUSE: Well, around the world, there remains a high level of concern about Sudan. Here's a snapshot of what they were saying on Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAHAD NAZER, SPOKESPERSON FOR SAUDI EMBASSY IN U.S.: We have called for calm. We have called for a ceasefire. We have called for an escalation.
MELANIE JOLY, CANADIAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER: It is important that people in Sudan have access to food, to water, to medicine.
ALFRED MUTUA, KENYAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER: Kenya remains ready to host talks aimed at stabilizing Sudan.
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The SAF and also the RSF must follow safe access for humanitarian agencies and their workers to support the Sudanese people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Yes, when all is said and done, a lot more is going to be said than done, it seems. And right now it seems the time is over for talking. It's time for doing. And to your point, there's a lot of interest around the world. There's a lot of people saying the right things, but they're not actually doing anything.
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WIDDERSHEIM: Yes, that's right. I mean it's kind of reflective of the rhetoric that was going on over the last two years where they said they were moving towards a civilian led government. All the time these parties were planning for a war. So, you know, we're very cautious of believing and the well-meaning rhetoric and the combination and we want to see action on the ground. There are roughly 7 to 10 million people in Khartoum. Airstrikes are upticking and people do not have food and water. It's nice to hear diplomats and international people -- international spokespeople talk about the need. We need to see this pouring into the country.
VAUSE: Yes, they know what needs to be done. It just has to get done at this point. Nicole, thank you for being with us. We appreciate it.
WIDDERSHEIM: Thanks again.
VAUSE: Police in Texas have arrested the suspected gunman in a killing spree which left five people dead, including a mother and her nine- year-old son. Thirty-eight-year-old Francisco Oropesa was found hiding in a house just miles from where the killings took place. He's being held on five counts of murder with bonds set at $5 million. Will appear in court in the coming hours. CNN's Josh Campbell has details.
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: A major development in Southeast Texas, authorities announcing Tuesday the arrest of the man accused of brutally murdering five people. Authorities say that 38- year-old Francisco Oropesa was taken into custody without incident. He is charged with opening fire on the home of his neighbors after being asked to stop shooting late at night on Friday.
That of course sparking a massive manhunt involving hundreds of law enforcement officers in Texas as well as authorities in Mexico, sources told CNN that authorities along the U.S.-Mexico border had been on alert, concerned that the suspect may try to flee in the state. But ultimately authorities say that they arrested him just less than 25 kilometers from the original crime scene. The sheriff there in Texas spoke about the arrest.
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SHERIFF GREG CAPERS, SAN JACINTO COUNTY, TEXAS: Bottom line is we now have this man in custody. He was caught hiding in a closet underneath some laundry. They effectively made the arrest. He is uninjured.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMPBELL: Now authorities had announced an $80,000 reward for information leading to Oropesa's capture. The FBI said Tuesday that an unidentified tipster called the FBI, providing them with the location where he was ultimately taken into custody by tactical officers without incident. He is currently being held on $5 million bond. The sheriff saying that he faces five counts of murder.
Josh Campbell, CNN, Los Angeles.
VAUSE: Rocket fire from Gaza and protests in the West Bank. An outpouring of anger from Palestinians after the leader with the militant group Islamic Jihad died while on a hunger strike in an Israeli jail. That brought a barrage of rocket fire from Gaza, soon followed by Israeli airstrikes. Latest now from CNN's Hadas Gold reporting in from Jerusalem.
HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: At least 22 rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel on Tuesday by Palestinian militants who said that they were doing this in response to the death of Khader Adnan, a prominent Palestinian prisoner who was found dead in his cell Tuesday morning after a more than 86-day hunger strike. Now, at least three people were injured by this rocket fire, including one 25-year- old man who was seriously injured by shrapnel, that's according to Israeli emergency medical authorities.
And the militant factions in Gaza, directly connecting these dozens of rockets to Khader Adnan's death, saying that these rockets were what they call just a preliminary response to what they said was a heinous crime. Now, Khader Adnan is a former spokesperson for the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad. He had been arrested at least 10 times by the Israeli authority since 2004. And this was not his first hunger strike. He had been on at least five other hunger strikes in 2004.
But this morning, the Israeli prison authorities saying that they found Adnan unconscious in his cell this morning, and they said that he had been refusing medical treatment as a result of his hunger strike. Now, the Islamic Jihad group saying that as a result of what they said was Adnan's martyrdom, they had promoted him to be a commander in Islamic Jihad. And aside from the reaction of the rockets that we saw from Gaza, there is also a general strike called across the entire West Bank and Gaza, meaning that everything from shops to schools are closed down as a result of Adnan's death.
And he had really just become a symbol, the face of Palestinian resistance, and especially for the thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prison. What's interesting is Adnan's wife actually, in a statement to the media, said that she did not want to see rockets fired as a result of her husband's death. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANDA MUSA, WIFE OF KHADER ADNAN (through translator): Not a drop of blood was spilled during the previous prisoners hunger strikes. And today we say with the rise of the martyr and his accomplishment of what he wished for, we do not want a drop of blood to be spilled. We do not want someone to respond to his martyrdom. We do not want rockets to be launched and then for Gaza to be struck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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GOLD: The Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, accusing Israel of what he said was a deliberate assassination as a result of Adnan's death, he said. He also claimed that the Israeli authorities neglected him medically. Adnan was being held under what called administrative detention, which means that he had not yet seen trial or charges yet. This is often something that Israeli authorities use, they say, for security reasons.
There are at least 1,000 prisoners who are in this administrative detention, Palestinian prisoners in this administrative detention in Israeli prisons. And the Palestinian prisoner society say that is at its highest number since 2003.
Hadas Gold, CNN, Jerusalem.
VAUSE: Still ahead here on CNN, the trenches say it all. U.K. intelligence has new details about Russian defenses and Moscow's fear of a major breakthrough. More on those trenches in a moment.
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VAUSE: Growing signs of an increase in Ukraine's operations deep inside Russia and Russian occupied territory. A Moscow backed official in the city of Melitopol was wounded by what appears to be an explosive device in his front yard. A police chief was killed last week in a similar incident which Russia called sabotage by a reconnaissance group. And another freight train has derailed in Russia's Bryansk region. The governor says both derailments just days apart were caused by explosive devices. No one was killed.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells "The Washington Post" neither the White House nor the Pentagon informed him about leaked documents containing sensitive details about the war in Ukraine. CNN's international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson has details.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well this wide ranging interview as "The Washington Post" calls it with President Zelenskyy does seem to indicate that some underlying tensions between the Ukrainian president and the White House because he is saying that the White House did not talk to him about these intelligence leaks.
He said it's bad. It reflects poorly on the United States and poorly on the White House. Now, we do know that Secretary of State Antony Blinken did speak in April with his opposite number, the Ukrainian foreign minister, about the leaks. But the leaks were potentially damaging. It's not entirely clear what was accurate in those leaks, what was doctored information. But potentially damaging for Ukraine given that Ukraine is trying to build up for a counter offensive were descriptions that seemed to indicate Ukraine was short of vital ammunition and it also potentially embarrassingly for Ukraine indicated that the U.S. had persuaded Ukraine not to attack targets inside Russia on the 24th February, the anniversary of the war.
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Now, I've spoken with Ukrainian military intelligence officials and they say that that's not accurate. So it's not clear what was accurate in those leaks or what wasn't. But what is emerging as clear here is that President Zelenskyy feels let down, that he did not hear from his closest ally, his biggest ally, his most important ally, United States and President Biden, and of course, so important for galvanizing this Western coalition to arm and equip and to train Ukrainian forces. So President Zelenskyy, at least on this issue of these intelligence leaks, does appear to feel let down.
Nic Robertson, CNN, in eastern Ukraine.
VAUSE: Now to the latest report from U.K. intelligence on Russian preparations for Ukraine's counter offensive. Russians have dug in with what's said to be the most complex, extensive network of trenches in Europe since World War II in both southern Russia and occupied Ukraine. The Defense Ministry says the defenses highlight U.K. -- Moscow's deep concern that Ukraine could achieve a major breakthrough with its planned counteroffensive.
Joining me now from Washington, retired U.S. air Force Colonel and CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton. It's been a while, sir, it's good to see you.
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good to see you too, John.
VAUSE: OK, so if the trenches are a reflection of Russia's biggest fear, then it seems safe to assume that Russia fears losing Crimea the most, given the concentration of those defensive fortifications. Is that the line essentially for Vladimir Putin?
LEIGHTON: It does seem to be at least one of his lines recently. What he's been doing, John, is he is actually moving some forces into Crimea. He is also putting defensive positions up in places like Medvedivka, which is a small town that is a critical point of approach should Crimean -- should Ukrainian forces get close to Crimea. So this is one of those key areas where Putin is basically making a stand, and I think that would be a make or breakpoint for him at this juncture.
VAUSE: There's also this reported 45 mile long mega trench around Zaporizhzhia, the Zaporizhzhia area, far from the front lines. And according to the U.K. Defense Ministry, since summer 2022, Russia has constructed some of the most extensive systems of military defensive work seen anywhere in the world for many decades. These defenses are not just near the current front lines, but have also been dug deep inside areas Russia currently controls. You know as a general rule, if you're winning a war and victory is within reach, is it usual to stop and dig hundreds of miles of trenches behind your front lines?
LEIGHTON: Not at all. If you're winning a war, you're moving forward. You're basically taking the advantage to the enemy and trying to route the enemy with a mobile war. This has been anything but a mobile war in recent months. What this shows is a Russian proclivity not only for a war of attrition, but also to get ready for the defense in case the Ukrainians do mount their counter offensive.
VAUSE: Yes. All this is in, it's a anticipation of that counter offensive. Britain's independent newspaper reporting this, Ukraine's interior minister has said that eight storm brigades comprising of up to 40,000 troops are being reequipped as Ukraine prepares to launch a counter-offensive against Moscow's invasion.
Apparently, one of the big factors here remains the weather. But we're now into May. If this offensive could begin at any time, have the Ukrainians had enough time to prepare? Has there been enough time for training on the new weapons, on the new tanks, on the new armored vehicles? When it begins, would you expect to see the Ukrainian version of shock and awe?
LEIGHTON: Well the one piece that would be missing from a shock and awe-style campaign would be aircraft. The Ukrainians of course are asking for F-16s. Those F-16s will -- it's highly unlikely that they would be materializing anytime soon in Ukraine in time for this offensive. However, there are some weapons that are coming in the latest U.S. arms package to Ukraine which are air to ground munitions and those of course, are going to be employed by aircraft, probably the aircraft that Ukraine already has.
VAUSE: As far as the training, though, on the tanks, because that's going to be the key here for the Ukrainians. And those tanks are far superior to the Russian tanks. How's that going to play out in the early stages, especially?
LEIGHTON: Yes, I think that's going to work out pretty well. Because both in the U.K. with the Challenger tanks and with the Leopard tanks in Germany and, you know, from other European countries, the Ukrainians have had some time to prepare themselves for these tanks and to use them and deploy them in a way that will help them really fight a battle of maneuvers.
So we could see a major tank battle really take place here in the eastern part of Ukraine, possibly in the southern part of Ukraine. And that would be something that we haven't seen in this part of the world since the 1940s.
VAUSE: And finally, we have this assessment by U.S. intelligence of 100,000 Russian troops dead, I think, since December. That seems an incredibly high number. The Kremlin has dismissed this, it's just a made up number. How do you see it?
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LEIGHTON: I don't think it's completely made up. It's very hard, of course, to estimate the total casualties. But it does ring true to me that this number of total casualties would be pretty accurate, given the number that have died in places like Bakhmut that we're pretty certain of, and also in places like Avdiivka, which is also on the front line. So it seems to me that the Russians probably lost somewhere between 20 and 25,000 dead and 100,000 wounded or otherwise combat and effective.
VAUSE: Dead and wounded. They weren't all dead. Good point to finish on. Thank you for the correction there, sir. I appreciate it.
LEIGHTON: No problem. Absolutely, John.
VAUSE: All that's left now is the signature of Uganda's president.
Coming up, the world's most draconian anti-LGBTQ laws will come into effect, what is essentially state sponsored bigotry and discrimination writ large. Also, hundreds of U.S. troops deployed to the southern border with Mexico head of an expected surge in migrants are already camped out right now on both sides of the border.
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VAUSE: Welcome back. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN Newsroom. In Kenya, the leader of a doomsday cult linked to dozens of deaths by salvation could face terrorism charges. Paul Mackenzie appeared in court Tuesday, and his lawyer said he was released unconditionally and then rearrested. Mackenzie was initially arrested last month after police received a tip off that his vast land in eastern Kenya contained mass graves. More than 100 bodies have been recovered so far from the site, believed to be linked to a cult that allegedly encourages followers to starve themselves to death to gain salvation.
Uganda's parliament has passed a slightly amended version of its draconian and internationally condemned antigay bill. Under the changes to the bill, identifying as gay or lesbian will not be outlawed, but same sex relations are illegal in Uganda. The bill still calls for the death penalty for what it calls, quote, aggravated homosexuality, which includes sex with a minor having sex while HIV positive. Uganda's president expected to sign it into law.
Live now to Uganda's capital, Kampala and Clare Byarugaba, an activist and advocate for LGBTQ Rights. And thank you for being with us. We appreciate you speaking out and taking the time.
CLARE BYARUGABA, LGBTQ PLUS ACTIVIST & ADVOCATE: Thank you so much for having me.
VAUSE: OK, so this new revised version of the law removes the 20 years in jail for those who identify as gay. And as CNN reports, adds this condition, those who do not act on their deviant proclivity will not be punished by law. There are some other minor changes as well.
[01:29:47] President Museveni wanted some provision for rehabilitation, what's
known as gay conversion therapy. That doesn't appear to be there.
But for the most part, this is the same bill passed by parliament a few weeks ago. So will the president sign it into law. And if so, then what happens?
CLARE BYARUGABA, LGBTQ+ ACTIVIST AND ADVOCATE: Yes, we think that the president will sign it into law. But as activists and as human rights organization in Uganda we do hope that said, we will demand for the protection of LGBT individuals as well as the protection of human rights each inherent -- for the inherent rights of each Ugandan.
VAUSE: So, when this does become law, essentially, even though that provision of, you know, identifying as gay has been taken out as being an offense, there is fears that the police will just simply take people off the streets on suspicion of being gay and they'll be arrested and, you know, taken them to prison.
BYARUGABA: Yes. So some people think yesterday's law that was passed by parliament is a watered-down version of the bill, but it isn't, because it's still has a life in prison sentence for consensual same- sex adult relationships. So while they may have removed the clause penalizing the identifying of being LGBT, it still has a clause that would put me and other individuals in prison for life simply for having consensual, same-sex adult relationships.
It also has a death penalty clause, what they say is aggravated homosexuality. It also has a very draconian clause that will target human rights organizations, doctors that provide lifesaving care for LGBT individuals under the promotion of homosexuality clause that is still in the bill.
And as far as rehabilitation, it is true that they call rehabilitation will tantamount to therapy. It will tend to amount to acts like corrective rape, because what happens within the criminal justice system against LGBT individuals is unimaginable.
So we condemn the law in its entirety, and again, reiterate that the president must not sign this bill into law.
VAUSE: I want you to listen to one of the lawmakers in parliament. In fact, the speaker of the House in Uganda's parliament. She was actually urging other lawmakers to stand strong, and to stand up to any kind of international backlash, any it kind of international pressure. Here she is. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASUMAN BASALINWA, UGANDAN LAWMAKER AND SPONSOR OF BILL: What is the dominant view in Uganda? What is the popular view? The popular view is that homosexuality is unacceptable, period. That's the popular view.
Now, should the majority have decided to take that direction. Do you want to punish them for holding that popular view? 0
ANITA AMONG, UGANDAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER: The aid that we've been getting's unconditional. If there is a condition, that we should use our children to bomb. to release the money. They are the right targets to be used. We may disagree but we disagree respectfully.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So, that was the response to the bill, and also the speaker of the parliament who followed. Where did this conspiracy theory come from, that children were being recruited by the gay community in Uganda? And this law is all about protecting the children. Because it's absolutely rubbish.
BYARUGABA: It is, it is. So, the whole false allegation that LGBT individuals or human rights groups recruit children into homosexuality started way back in 2007 with the initial anti-homosexuality bill that was passed in 2014, and later and now by the constitutional court on technical grounds.
So, the false -- again, the false allegation that we recruit children into homosexuality has been running since 2007. And it's one of the only ways that parliamentarians and government officials who support this bill have been able to galvanize support for this bill within the public.
Because Ugandans, usually, are quite tolerant of the people that are different. But the minute that religious leaders, parliamentarians, started to spread this false allegation that we're recruiting children into homosexuality, that's when the rise of vigilantism and the support of this bill came into effect.
[01:34:50]
BYARUGABA: So essentially, the only way that MPs would get buy-in (ph) from the general community in Uganda who have far, far, far more important issues that they're dealing with is this false allegation.
And unfortunately, despite having no reports of this so-called recruitment, MPs and religious fundamentalists continue to run with this really, really dangerous anti-gay rhetoric.
VAUSE: And Clare, I need to ask you very, very quickly. Now that this bill is set to pass, or will likely pass, how concerned are you for your own safety, your own well-being?
BYARUGABA: Yes. So since February 2023, we've seen a rise of violations against the LGBTQ community or those people who seem to be LGBT. Human rights organizations have recorded over 150 cases of violations, that went from eviction, that went from mob violence, that range from arrests, illegal arrests and detention of those specific the LGBT.
And just in the last months, we recorded at least two fatalities of individuals that were -- that were killed as a result of a hate crime in Kenya and Tanzania. So the passion, for example in Kenya, the individual that was mobbed
was an asylum seeker. Essentially, he ran away from Uganda because of the -- of the ongoing persecution and was murdered in Kenya while as an asylum seeker.
So, we are deeply -- we are deeply, deeply worried about the continued violations, and we are -- we're concerned that the president is going to sign into law, that would essentially legalize hate against homophobia because that's what this bill is all about. It's a bill that is in the form of hate (INAUDIBLE) homophobia must be stopped.
VAUSE: Yes. It's state sponsored homophobia, absolutely.
Clare thank you for taking time to speak with us and all the best. I hope everything works out for you and your partner. So, thank you for being with us.
BYARUGABA: Thank you so much, John. Appreciate it.
VAUSE: Well, the Pentagon is sending 1,500 additional troops to the Mexican border to help officials handle a new surge of migrants. U.S. cities along the southern border are bracing for a huge influx. The U.S. government rule that allowed migrants' immediate expulsion is set to expire within days.
CNN's Natasha Bertrand explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Tuesday approved a request by the Department of Homeland Security to send an additional 1,500 active duty U.S. troops to the southern border in anticipation of the expiration of a pandemic era law that allowed the administration to expel migrants more quickly.
Now, the administration is expecting that when that law expires on May 11th, a surge of migrants are going to try to cross the border into the United States. So the Department of Homeland Security asked the Pentagon that they would be willing to send an additional 1,500 troops to support the Department of Homeland Security's efforts there to help manage that expected surge.
Now, importantly, these troops are not expected to perform a law enforcement function at the border, meaning they won't be out in the field, day to day, engaging with migrants.
But they are expected to help CBP, the Customs and Border Patrol officials, as well as DHS kind of free up resources, so that that department can then perform its law enforcement functions.
So what does that mean? That means that essentially these troops would be doing administrative tasks. They will be doing things like data entry, warehouse support, logistics, things that will essentially keep them behind a desk. But still, the fact that the Department of Homeland Security requested
this additional support really underscores just how concerned the administration is about a potential major migrant surge on May 11th, the day that that Title 42 pandemic law is set to expire. And we should also note that these troops are only expected to be there for 90 days. And the administration -- or the Pentagon, I should say, is trying to figure out a way to kind of rotate some of those troops out, and replace them with National Guard troops, so that those active duty service members don't have to be on the border for the full 90 days.
Natasha Bertrand, CNN -- at the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: When we come back here on CNN, late night television goes dark in the U.S. as thousands 0of film and TV writers go on strike.
We'll have the very latest on this impasse (ph) and what it means for your favorite TV show.
[01:39:33]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: In the coming hours, the U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates again for the second time this year. And once again, that announcement comes just days after a bank collapsed, this time First Republic Bank, the second biggest bank failure in U.S. history. Last time, it was Silicon Valley Bank which went under.
Analysts said the banks' collapse in both instances were caused by the central bank's aggressive and stubborn (ph) year-long rate hiking campaign.
JPMorgan Chase acquired the sale of First Republic Bank over the weekend under a federal deal of just over $10.5 billion, but that has not calmed nerves on Wall Street.
U.S. stocks fell steeply again on Tuesday. Investors fearful that turmoil in the banking sector despite what Jamie Dimon says, the CEO of Chase, has not been contained. The Dow, Nasdaq, S&P 500 were all down.
Popular late night television shows in the U.S. have gone dark and airing repeat episodes just hours after thousands of TV and film writers went on strike.
This comes after weeks' long negotiations collapsed with production companies over pay and other issues, which includes the use of artificial intelligence in script writing.
CNN's Stephanie Elam has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These members of the Writers Guild of America are out here in front of Netflix in Hollywood to voice their displeasure with contract negotiations and saying that they are on strike because they need to make a living wage.
A lot of these people live here in Los Angeles or in New York, where those are two of the most expensive cities in the country. And the same time, they need to make a living wage.
And at issue, they're also saying that they should make more money for the shows that they do for the streamers. They're saying that that business model hasn't adapted, and they're not getting their fair share.
Also, they're saying they want to make sure that the writer rooms are protected and the number of writers who are on the show have viable work. They're saying that the studios are really pushing for a gig economy, and they're saying they can't support their families that way.
In fact, take a listen to one of the writers talk about their frustrations.
CHRIS SCHLEICHER, TV WRITER: It's become a gig job rather than a stable job. And you are searching all year here for your next job, and your next job. And taking offers that are less and less and being told by the companies this is simply what we offer now.
REGINA HICKS, TV WRITER: I am not living in Beverly Hills. It is a struggle for everybody. It's hard. I mean, it's expensive to live in this town. And I think we're all -- you know, everybody struggles, everybody is trying to pay bills, everybody is going to just make a decent living and a decent wage. And I don't think what we're asking for is unfair at all.
ELAM: Now, on the other side, the studios are saying that the businesses change. They're saying they're feeling pressure from Wall Street to bring down how much they've been spending on all the shows that they are streaming, all the shows that they are making. And they're saying they don't want to pay to just have writers in the room if they're not working specifically on any show at that time.
Of course, this is a very far gap between where they are right now. The last time we saw a strike, it was 15 years ago, and it lasted for 100 days. And it had estimates of costing some $2 billion or so.
Right now, where they are, they are not even sure if they're even close to getting to a deal, I'm told by the chief negotiator for the WGA. But as far as the people who watch these shows, the people who consume these shows, it's impacting already, because we've seen the late night talk shows already go to black. They're saying they will be black as long as this strike is happening.
[01:44:55]
ELAM: So that means Seth Myers, that means Stephen Colbert, that means "The Daily Show" and "Saturday Night Live", all dark for now. As far as TV shows and movies, a lot of those are already pre-produced
and already in the can. But if this drags on for a long time, and some of the favorite shows that people like to watch could be impacted, you might see seasons delayed. All of that is down the line.
But for now, this is what the Writers Guild of America says they need to get their fair share of pay.
Stephanie Elam, CNN -- Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: The pay increase for ally (ph) workers in one of the world's most expensive cities, the minimum wage in Hong Kong is going from a pittance to slightly more than a pittance. The increase -- 32 cents, which means it now stands at $40 Hong Kong, which is just over five U.S. dollars. How about that? Live it up.
Activists blasted the Hong Kong government over the miniscule raise, saying it does not cover basic needs. Oxfam says the new wage is still lower than what a family of two would receive through the city's social security program, therefore demotivating workers.
But Hong Kong's labor secretary rejected that argument saying many people would rather work because it brings value to their lives. Even if it is for $5 an hour.
Artificial intelligence already appears to be is reshaping many aspects of political campaigning. But as AI continues to blur the lines between fact and fiction, raising concerns of potential misinformation ahead of next year's U.S. presidential election.
CNN's Donie O'Sullivan has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You might have seen this already, but I want you to watch this. It's a political ad.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We shall close (ph) the city of San Francisco this morning. I mean (ph) escalating crime and fentanyl crisis.
O'SULLIVAN: Did that even happen in San Francisco, even like get shut down?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ok, I was like, that didn't happen.
O'SULLIVAN: A recent ad from the Republican National Committee imagines a dystopian future if President Biden is reelected.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An emboldened China invades Taiwan.
O'SULLIVAN: But all isn't as it seems.
So all the images in that ad were actually created using AI, artificial intelligence. UNIDENTIFIED MALE:L Oh my goodness.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow.
TIM BOUCHER, AI ARTIST: Images are powerful, you know. And that this ability to create so many images, so rapidly, it's an incredibly powerful tool.
O'SULLIVAN: New artificial intelligence technology makes it easy to create fake images that can look very realistic.
Like these created by artist and online trust and safety expert, Tim Boucher.
BOUCHER: This kind of image making can be democratized at such a scale and that basically, anybody can use it to impact the global conversation on pretty much any topic.
O'SULLIVAN: In the comfort of his garage turned workshop in Canada, he has created all sorts of fake images. Imagining Vladimir Putin as a hippie, Governor Ron DeSantis at Disney, even President Reagan surrendering to the Soviets.
He says he is creating the images to make people more aware of the powers of AI.
O'SULLIVAN: Some people will just say you are creating misinformation. Stop doing that.
BOUCHER: We don't have that luxury of waiting anymore. These things are happening in real time. We've got to find ways to talk about it, and to be upfront about what are both the good things and the bad things that can come of it.
O'SULLIVAN: Political campaigns have long used advertising to imagine the disaster that awaits if their rivals get elected.
Like this 1964 ad from President Lyndon B. Johnson, that imagined a nuclear apocalypse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to be Russia.
O'SULLIVAN: Last year, a fake video purporting to show the Ukraine president surrendering to Russia emerged online. It was a deep fake video made using AI.
HANY FARID, PROFESSOR, UC BERKELEYSCHOOL OF INFORMATION: It's not just, I can create a fake audio of you, Joe Biden, whomever. It's that I can broadcast to that world, instantaneously through social media.
O'SULLIVAN: Hany Farid is a digital forensic expert and a professor at UC Berkeley.
FARID: 50 percent of the new happen in the first few minutes. So, even by the time I figure out something is fake -- hours, days have gone by. It doesn't matter. It's over. Millions of people have already seen it.
O'SULLIVAN: But not all uses of this technology need to be nefarious. In India, AI was used to make it look like this politician delivered an address in multiple languages.
This video is a deep fake.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, Delhi has a chance to attain the goal --
O'SULLIVAN: Imran Ahmed (ph)who runs an organization tracking misinformation and online hate, says the Republican Party's AI ad isn't in itself dangerous.
IMRAN AHMED, CEO, CENTER FOR COUNTERING DIGITAL HATE: It's a gateway, potentially to much more dangerous uses of AI, for example, trying to deep fake President Biden saying, I'm welcoming immigrants into the country or President Biden saying, I'm going to force everyone to take a vaccine.
O'SULLIVAN: Texas already has a law on its books against certain uses of the deep fakes in the weeks leading up to an election. But it's not clear how enforceable that law actually is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a tiny disclaimer at the top that said it's made with AI.
O'SULLIVAN: Oh, I'm blind.
While some people we showed the ad to outside the White House knew it was fake -- all of the images in there are actually fake.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would believe you.
(CROSSTALK)
O'SULLIVAN: Others weren't so confident.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think I would've known that was made with AI, if you hadn't said anything.
[01:49:57]
O'SULLIVAN: And this new artificial intelligence technology expected not only to be used to create those fake images and video and audio but also to have other uses in this campaign cycle, as we go into the 2024 election.
We were speaking to a campaign election expert this week who was telling us how AI is being used to better target voters, you know, many campaigns of thousands of data points on individual voters. He told CNN that AI is now being used to kind of go through all of
that data to figure out what voters might be more likely to flip their vote, and to reach out directly to those voters. And he also said that some of the campaign messaging, the campaign
emails we all get into our inboxes, some of those may also be written by AI.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: The Australian government will ban recreational use of e- cigarettes to discourage vaping especially among teenagers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK BUTLER, AUSTRALIAN HEALTH MINISTER: This is a product deliberately targeted at our kids being sold alongside lollies and chocolate bars. Vaping has now become the number one behavioral issue in high schools, and it's becoming widespread in primary schools as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Biggest smoking reform of the country in more than a decade, and other new regulations, a ban will be placed on importing nonprescription vapes, and packaging for vape products will be required to look more like pharmaceutical goods, and sold only as an aide to quit smoking.
Single-use and disposable vapes will be banned. Colored, flavored packs that appeal to younger users will be restricted.
Still to come, FIFA's president threatens to pull TV coverage of the Women's World Cup in Europe, after receiving very disappointing bids from the media rights. It's all about the money.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: An American mountaineer has become the latest victim of the world's highest peak. Mount Everest expedition organizer says Jonathan Sugarman of Seattle died after falling ill at one of Everest's base camps.
This is the most popular time of year for Everest expeditions, temperatures are warm, and the winds die down. Nepal already has issued a record 463 permits this season, but that is again raising concerns that too many people will be dangerously crowding the summit.
Football star Lionel Messi has been suspended by Paris Saint-Germain for two weeks after taking an unauthorized trip away from the team for his own personal business.
A club source says Messi missed Monday's training session to attend a promotional event outside of France. According to multiple reports, Messi is in Saudi Arabia. How do we know that? Because on Monday, the minister of tourism tweeted, "Welcoming the World Cup winner and his family to Saudi Arabia."
Messi himself posted on Instagram a promotion of Saudi tourism just a few days ago. He is in Saudi.
The president of FIFA threatening to pull TV coverage of the Women's World Cup in Europe unless broadcasters increase their offers of media rights, in particular from the big five European countries -- Britain, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France.
Prize money for this year's Women's World Cup was increased by 300 percent. Women's soccer has been growing in popularity. More than 365 million people watched the European championships last year.
More details now from CNN's Don Riddell.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: The Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand later this year is going to be the biggest and best yet. In recent years, the game has made huge strides in popularity, and both club and international matches are now often played in front of absolutely massive crowds.
[01:54:59]
RIDDELL: But because the game is now so popular, FIFA's president Gianni Infantino says that fans in some European countries might not be able to watch it at all because he says broadcasters aren't offering to pay what he thinks the product is worth.
Infantino was speaking in a panel discussion at the World Trade Organization in Geneva, and he says the offers from some broadcasters have been very disappointing and not acceptable. In particular, he noted that the offers from the big 5 European countries are 20 to 100 times lower than what was paid for the recent Men's World Cup in Qatar.
GIANNI INFANTINO, FIFA PRESIDENT: Broadcasters, especially public broadcasters, funded by taxpayers money should put their action behind their words, because they rightfully criticize football organizations or other sports organizations for not paying equally women and men or not having the same prize money.
Well, we need to generate this revenue, and they should help us because otherwise we'll simply not sell these rights at these undervalued prices to them.
And well, the European public will not be able to watch the Women's World Cup, which after the success of the last tournament in France, after the success of the Euro, would be really, really a pity.
RIDDELL: The countries he's referring to are Britain, Spain, Italy, Germany and France. FIFA has already agreed to media rights deal for the 156 other territories but negotiations are ongoing in those key European markets.
It's worth noting that while FIFA themselves have increased the prize fund available at this Women's World Cup, it's still only about a third of the $440 million that was paid out to the men in Qatar last year.
FIFA say they will match the prize funds for the next World Cup.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thanks to Don Riddell for that.
Well, the fairy tale end to the season for Wrexham is -- well, it's coming to an end with owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney celebrating the team's win with an open top bus parade on Tuesday.
The men's team secured promotion from the National League, English Soccer's 5th tier (ph), after a victory against Boreham Wood last month. They'd also celebrating the women's team after they won promotion in their league as well. It never ends.
The Hollywood pair joined the players and the staff as they waved to thousands of fans who lined the city of Wrexham in Wales.
Something to cheer about in Wales. It doesn't happen that often.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
CNN NEWSROOM continues with my friend and colleague Rosemary Church in a moment.
See you back here tomorrow.
[01:57:30]
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