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At Least 60 Dead, Thousands Displaced amid Violence in Manipur; U.S.: No Diplomatic Relations, No Sanctions Relief for Assad; Efforts to Rewrite Chile's Constitution; China Expels Canadian Diplomat as Tensions Rise; Biden Proposes Rules on Passenger Compensation for Delays; Stars Celebrate U.K.'s New Monarch with Castle Concert; Israeli Airstrikes Killed Three Senior Commanders from Islamic Jihad; Russia's War on Ukraine; Russia's Annual Commemorations of WWII Victory Day; Russia Launches Barrage of Missile and Drone Attacks; Aid Package Worth $1.2 Billion for Ukraine; 3,000 People Evacuated from Zaporizhzhia Region; Interview with UCLA Professor of Political Science and "The Return: Russia's Journey from Gorbachev to Medvedev" Author Daniel Treisman; Motive of Texas Shooter; Allen Mall Shooting; Social Media Posts Imply Texas Shooter Supported White Supremacy; Texas Driver Charged with Eight Counts of Manslaughter After Car Crash; As Title 42 Set to Expire this Week, Southern Border Prepares for Migrant Influx. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired May 09, 2023 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN. More people get their news from CNN than any other news source.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: In the hour ahead, Israel release (ph) for reprisals from Islamic Jihad after Israeli airstrikes killed three commanders with the Gaza based terrorist group.
Across Russia, celebrations for military victory. 78 years ago, more recent winter, hard to come by.
After four decades of deregulation of air travel in the U.S., it seems that major airlines shares nickel and dime too far. Welcome aboard to a trip to reregulation.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is "CNN Newsroom with John Vause."
VAUSE: Thanks for being with us, we begin this hour of "CNN Newsroom" in the Middle East where fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants is expected to surge in the coming days. That's after Israeli airstrikes, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, killed three senior commanders from Islamic Jihad. The IDF says it carried out Operation Shield and Arrow, targeting 10 Islamic Jihad site in Gaza, including factories, armories, and a military post. That's after the militant group fired more than 100 rockets and mortars into southern Israel last week. Jihad's Al Quds Brigade says, its commander in chief was among those killed. Gaza officials putting the death toll at 12. Joining us now on the line from Ashdod our -- is CNN's Jerusalem Correspondent Hadas Gold. What more do we know, Hadas, about the three dead commanders from Islamic Jihad and what, sort of, response is expected from the militant group?
HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so this (INAUDIBLE) surprise airstrikes (INAUDIBLE) transpire in the middle of the night. We've first gotten report of this happening around 2:00 a.m. in the middle of the night. And (INAUDIBLE) commanders for Islamic Jihad as well as 10 other sites (INAUDIBLE) for Islamic Jihad. Most notable is the commander in chief of the Al Quds Brigade, (INAUDIBLE).
Now, upon those (INAUDIBLE) that Israel (INAUDIBLE) coordinating the rocket strikes that had happened last week as we noted, more than a hundred --
VAUSE: Hadas, we might just leave it there because your phone keeps dropping in and out. And so, we're not getting a clear phone signal right not. We might try and get back to you a little bit later when we can get a clear line and we can find out what's actually happening. Sorry about that, but hopefully we can talk to you a little bit more later this hour. Hadas Gold there on the line from Ashdod.
Tuesday, May 9 is a national holiday in Russia, celebrating Victory Day when the soviets defeated Nazi invaders in World War II. In years past, Vladimir Putin would use the big parade to show off his military might, but much of that military might has been either destroyed or still fighting a costly war in Ukraine.
So, to many of the soldiers who would normally goosestep their way across Red Square, and then there are security concerns. The parades have been canceled and at least 20 cities. But President Putin is expected to deliver a public remark during the more modest parade.
Also, Tuesday, European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is set to visit Kyiv for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. And more aid is headed to Ukraine ahead of a major counteroffensive with a $1.2 billion package from the U.S. including drones, ammunition, and air defense missiles. The aid towards Ukraine's medium to long-term security needs and defending against Russian missile and drone attacks like the one on Kyiv early Monday.
The city's mayor says Russian drones targeted the capital en masse. Dozens were intercepted and shot down. And in the past hour, 15 Russian cruise missiles were destroyed by Ukrainian air defenses according to government officials.
Now, to the south in the occupied City of Mariupol, Ukrainian officials say Kremlin-backed authorities have now started the process of mobilizing residents who have a Russian passport. They say, Russia plans to conscript men until August. At the same time, state media reporting that Russian instilled authorities have now evacuated about 3,000 people from frontline towns in the occupied areas of Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine officials says, these evacuations have led to panic. There have been fuel shortages and some trying to leave in their own vehicles. There also have been problems at ATM's, there's no cash. And the internet is also believed to be down. CNN's Sam Kiley following developments has more now reporting in from Kyiv.
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SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): This is Bakhmut, the center of war in Ukraine after months of fighting Russia invaders. Now, in territory under the Kremlin's control, roads are jammed with evacuation convoys heading towards Crimea. Some residents and Russian held towns have been ordered from their homes.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Who is there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It's military commandant's office, open up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking in a foreign language).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): General evacuation has been announced, pack your things.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I'm not going anywhere from my house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Open your door and pack your things, you're leaving.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in a foreign language).
KILEY (voiceover): Ukraine's expected to launch a widespread offensive any day. More violence is coming on a vast scale.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in a foreign language).
KILEY (voiceover): Russia lost ground in the last Ukrainian counterattacks. And here, Russia's defense minister inspects tanks that are being sent into the coming storm.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in a foreign language).
KILEY (voiceover): Zaporizhzhia's Russian-backed governor use social media to publicize evacuations from frontline towns. 1,600 people have left from 18 settlements. The evacuation roads following the routes of a possible Ukrainian military thrust. From Zaporizhzhia to Berdyansk, and ultimately Crimea.
And still Russian missiles and drones continue to pound Ukrainian civilians. This was a warehouse for the local Red Cross in Odessa. Five civilians were injured here in Kyiv by a Russian drone. Buses have been turned into ambulances, scaling up ahead of more widespread fighting and more of this. Sam Kiley, CNN, in Kyiv. (END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Joining me now from Los Angeles, Daniel Treisman, professor of political science at UCLA and author of "The Return: Russia's Journey from Gorbachev to Medvedev." Daniel, thanks for being with us. I want to start with the Victory Day celebrations because this is not only a chance for Putin to show off his brand-new shiny state of the art high-tech weaponry, projected with power without some patriotic settlement. That's going to be a little tricky this year.
And also, what do you expect the military hardware on display along with the number of troops marching, not just in Moscow, but in towns and cities across the country. Do you have some kind of real-world indicator of the toll the war is taking on the Russian military?
DANIEL TREISMAN, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, UCLA AND AUTHOR, "THE RETURN: RUSSIA'S JOURNEY FROM GORBACHEV TO MEDVEDEV": Right, it's going to be a somber celebration this year because the -- much of the equipment that would usually be paraded across Red Square is at the front, and the same goes with the military personnel. So, there may be conscripts orchards (ph) rather than career officers.
It's going to be very downbeat, I think, although of course Putin will give a dramatic speech claiming victory, and accusing his opponents of leaving this Nazi regime, we're ready for that. But it's going to look like a much smaller and less confident version of the usual Victory Day celebrations. Victory Day parades have been canceled in 20 cities or more because the local authorities can't guarantee security which is in itself a pretty ironic statement, right? So, you have a military parade to demonstrate your military power, and you can't even guarantee security for the people who are going to see it.
VAUSE: Yes, it does say a lot. You know, the Soviet Victory over the invading Nazis has long been a theme that Putin has used, kind of as, you know, origin story, if you like, of Russia resisting the west. This year, it seems much of the world sees Putin and his (INAUDIBLE) Nazis. I want you to listen to the Ukrainian president, here he is.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Today, on May 8th, when the world remembers the words, Never Again, we in Ukraine give meaning to these words. Not only to remember, but also to protect. Not only to value life, but also to do everything to ensure that everyone who threatens life, everyone who brings aggression, everyone who resorts to terror against other nations, every such evil, loses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: You know, denazification, even when there are no Nazis has been justification for Russia for aggression since World War II. Even though Russia and the Putin could be described as a fascist state. But do you expect this denazification, misinformation to continue by Moscow? They don't seem to have like the stand (ph) on at the moment. TREISMAN: I think they have no alternative. Putin is deeply committed to this narrative, to this style of rhetoric. And so, they will continue. This is -- if they would, tomorrow say, sorry we made the mistake, they weren't really Nazis, the whole thing would collapse. The whole justification and rationale and how else can you explain why Russia has lost tens of thousands of servicemen, killed in the war so far. Maybe many more than we realize.
VAUSE: If Putin calls it a war, does that change -- you know, the call off of troops anyway. What does actually change legally for him or to -- or nothing at all?
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TREISMAN: It makes it easier to call up the troops. It reduces -- it also makes it possible for him to invoke emergency powers and -- not that he's not already doing just about everything he would want to do in terms of commandeering industry, demanding cooperation from businesses and so on. So, it wouldn't make a huge difference that in terms of being able to conscript more troops whenever he wants to without seeking additional legal authority. I think it would help with that.
VAUSE: Well, you know, the war in Ukraine has taken this incredible toll. You mentioned thousands have died. You know, Russia has few victories to celebrate there, not even in Bakhmut, despite the sacrifices. The head of the Wagner Mercenary Group says his troops, though, are making slow progress. Here he is.
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YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN, HEAD OF WAGNER PRIVATE MILITARY COMPANY (through translator): As of today, Wagner PMC has advanced up to 280 meters in different directions. We've advanced up to 53,000 meters altogether. Some 2.37 square kilometers are left under the enemy's control. We are moving forward, waiting to receive ammunition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And that slow grinding pace is likely will be the story for Russia for the rest of the year, that's assuming they can dig in and hold their ground during the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Clearly the war is not going well. On days like this, the perception of life with Moscow that it all goes on as normal, that just doesn't seem to hold true. This seems to be slowly getting through to the population of Russia that things are not good.
TREISMAN: I think so. In that regard, the drone attack on the Kremlin, if it wasn't a false flag operation organized by the Kremlin itself, must really have struck people as worrying and something new. We've also seen these assassination attempts, the first two successful against leading figures in the nationalist pro-war movement. So -- and we've seen attacks going across the borders of strikes -- missile strikes in Belgorod and other places near the Ukrainian border.
So, I think it is starting to become clearer to ordinary Russian citizens that they're not safe even if they live some distance from the border, that things are not going well, and the danger is only going to grow in the future. Now, of course, they're not ready to admit that to themselves or to anyone else at this point. But I think, as you suggested, the knowledge of this is sinking in.
VAUSE: Daniel, it's good to have you with us. We really appreciate your time tonight. Thank you.
TREISMAN: Thank you.
VAUSE: For Ukrainians living on the front lines, there's a constant gut-wrenching struggle to stay and risk death or flee and leave behind all that you know and all that you own. Just why some stay while others go is hard to explain. Nick Paton Walsh reports now from a frontline village (INAUDIBLE) town.
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Occupied Ukraine is a flame and evacuated its civilians. Russia's wholesale departure can't come soon enough for frontline town Orikhiv (ph). Ravaged by Moscow, where four missiles hit on Thursday alone. Rescuers left guesting what the constant bangs mean and have done.
WALSH (on camera): You see people just down the road here, carrying on life as per normal despite dust in the sky around us.
Is that Ukrainian?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): No, that might not be.
WALSH: It may not be, in fact, outcoming from Ukrainians.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): 1,300 meters away is the last Ukrainian position.
WALSH: He's saying, there doesn't a particular time of day when this sort of things starts. It could be anytime at all, frankly.
WALSH (voiceover): As dusk falls, the sky is lit and abjure. All they can do here to stay alive is read the horizon. Some of it perhaps further south into occupied areas than a week earlier. But so much of it also very close. Dawn is often jarring. We hear a jet overhead, the slowly building grating sound of damage moving towards you. A missile, a half million-dollar KH-31, Ukrainian officials later say, lands just several hundred yards away.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Be careful of double taps.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I got it. I was on the floor, buddy.
WALSH (voiceover): Another blast follows. Either jet end trails or anti-aircraft fire settle to shape a Z in the air, the symbol of Russia's invasion. It is soon gone. The damage it leaves though isn't.
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This is where it hit, or missed.
WALSH (on camera): Down here, you can get a feeling of just how massively brutal Russian firepower can be. And also, how indiscriminate -- I can still smell the explosive down here. And you're kind of left wondering where the obvious military target is.
WALSH (voiceover): At the end of this road is Polohy, one of the towns Russia has said it is evacuating. We are just one mile from Russian frontline positions here, a world torn apart as Moscow tries to hold Ukraine back.
WALSH (on camera): Well, I'm more than 10 miles in that direction at the first towns that Russian occupying forces say they're going to be evacuating because of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. But look here, the last town really held by Ukraine, absolutely battered. And so, few people left here as little need to evacuate.
WALSH (voiceover): Where, there was once 3,000, there are 200 people trying to stay says Raysa.
RAYSA, MALA TOKMACHKA RESIDENT (through translator): We can't leave. We don't' have a way out. We survive just on aid they bring to us.
WALSH (voiceover): Caught in these wide-open spaces where a distant bank can suddenly alter life in an instant. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Mala Tokmachka, Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: When we come back here on CNN, piecing together details about the Texas mall shooting, what the gunman's social media posts could tell us about his possible motives.
And hundreds of thousands of migrants, desperately hoping to enter the United States. We'll have a look at the dangers they face along the way, that's also next.
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VAUSE: The gunman who opened fire at a Texas mall, Saturday, appears to have posted is known to have posted on social media content which embraces white supremacy. Investigators still don't know what if the extremist ideology incited his shooting rampage which left eight people dead. CNN's Josh Campbell has details.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was just kind of full of adrenaline. I mean, it was the most terrifying moment of my life.
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Eight people are dead and at least seven others wounded after yet another mass shooting on American soil.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The report from the police is we have multiple, upon multiple fatalities.
CAMPBELL (voiceover): This time at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas Saturday, about 25 miles north of Dallas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The gunshots just -- it sounded like a war zone. It was horrifying.
CAMPBELL (voiceover): Investigators say the 33-year-old gunman who was killed at the scene by a police officer may have been driven by right-wing extremism. A senior law enforcement sources tells CNN there isn't a specific motive they've identified yet but that investigators have uncovered an extensive social media presence, including neo-Nazi and white supremacist related posts.
In one post from the gunman's account on a Russian social media website, he showed a photo of the mall, along with a screenshot from Google maps showing what times of day the outlet mall was busiest. Steve Spainhouer rushed to the scene to help the victims.
[01:20:00]
STEVE SPAINHOUER, HELPED VICTIMS IN ALLEN MALL SHOOTING: I then saw a little boy about four or five. He just kept saying, my mother is hurt, over and over and over. I told him everything was fine, that help was on the way. I checked in for no wounds. I've -- but he was caked with blood from head to toe.
CAMPBELL (voiceover): Texas Governor Greg Abbott who attended a vigil for the victims, Sunday night, says authorities don't get know enough about the gunman to make any determinations.
GOV. GREG ABBOTT, (R-TX): What I could tell from talking to the investigators yesterday, and that is people should not jump to conclusions because there's a lot of conflicting information about him.
CAMPBELL (voiceover): A law enforcement source familiar with the investigation tells CNN that the suspect served for a brief period in the U.S. military, but was removed due to concerns about his mental health. In addition to an AR-15 style fire arm and another weapon found with the gunman, the source tells CNN, police found several more weapons in his car. And he was wearing tactical gear with RWDS insignia, which authorities believe stands for Right Wing Death Squad.
The source also says the suspect had been living in some type of temporary lodging in the Dallas area, and at one-time worked as a security guard and underwent firearms training according to public records.
CAMPBELL (on camera): Now, we're learning new information about the weapon that was used in this attack, that AR-15 style rifle. Law enforcement source familiar with the investigation tells me that that weapon, as well as others that the suspect had collected were purchased legally, most of them from a private seller.
The reason why that is so important as we continue to hear from gun safety advocates about this so-called private seller loophole, because here in the state of Texas and other states here in the United States, if you by a weapon from a private seller, it doesn't require a federal background check. Josh Campbell, CNN, Allen, Texas.
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VAUSE: And staying in Texas, the driver of a car which crashed into a group of people near a migrant shelter has been charged with eight counts of manslaughter and 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Police say, the driver, 34-year-old George Alvarez has prior charges of assault and driving while intoxicated. CNN obtained exclusive video which shows bystanders attempting to restrain the driver moments after the crash. The man who shot the video says, the driver appeared impaired, also tried to flee the scene.
U.S. authorities will launch an enforcement operation, Tuesday, in El Paso, Texas touting migrants who have crossed the border but have not been processed by immigration authorities. This comes as a policy known as Title 42 is set to expire. U.S. border agents have used it for more than three years to expel hundreds of thousands of migrants back to their home countries, claiming their entry could further spread COVID-19.
That policy will expire on Thursday and the U.S. is bracing for a massive influx of migrants. When Title 42 was lifted -- or lifted rather, migrants will once again be allowed to request asylum in the U.S. But they risk being returned home if they don't qualify for protection. CNN's David Culver found out that would be the worst possible outcome for thousands of people who are desperate.
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DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): At the U.S. southern border, the struggle is constant. Illegal crossings, like this one, really tough to watch. Having already clawed through the barbed wire, you could see this young woman frustrated, exhausted, trying to help the other. Trapped in a web of sharp metal at the Texas border. From above you might think they're the only two crossing this day, but the clothes dangling along the miles and miles of fencing say otherwise.
For many migrants fleeing countries like Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and others, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico is the final stop before trying to claim asylum in the U.S.
CULVER (on camera): Then they wait in places like this. You can see this sidewalk, it's full of an encampment, different tents.
CULVER (voiceover): We've seen thousands flooding the streets and shelters of this Mexican border town. 22-year-old, Daneysi Gamez (ph), her husband, and their four -year-old little girl have camped out here for three months already.
CULVER (on camera): She says, they're going to cross but she doesn't want to do it illegally. She wants to do with the right way.
You don't know when? DANEYSI GAMEZ (PH), IMMIGRANT CAMPING IN CIUDAD JUAREZ, MEXICO: (Speaking in a foreign language).
CULVER (voiceover): In recent weeks, the U.S. governments rolled out an updated CBP One app, allowing migrants north of Mexico City to register digitally for a limited number of interview spots with asylum officers. No one we've talked to has been able to secure an appointment yet. Daneysi (ph), not sure she'll ever get one. She'll lost her phone in a fire a few weeks back. But she and others tell me, they've come too far to turn around. Her young daughter carries the marks to prove it.
CULVER (on camera): (Speaking in a foreign language).
GAMEZ (PH): (Speaking in a foreign language).
CULVER: She says she has some burns still on her face from the sun from being on top of the train.
CULVER (voiceover): The journey to Juarez from southern Mexico is hundreds of miles. So, many ride the rails north, on top of freight trains. We caught up with one just as it was arriving into Juarez.
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CULVER (on camera): Migrants ride on top here, many of them have made the journey on this train alone for more than eight hours.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in a foreign language).
CULVER: He said, they were 12 hours on the train. He said it was so cold. Everything felt like ice. His whole family here, and he says now they're going to stay a night, get cleaned up. And prepare to cross into the U.S. (Speaking in a foreign language).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Si.
CULVER (voiceover): But Leonardo's mom is terrified to climb down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in a foreign language).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking in a foreign language).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in a foreign language).
CULVER (voiceover): Her loved ones, at first, encouraging, then telling her, let's go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking in a foreign language).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in a foreign language).
CULVER (voiceover): Part of the train journey north for some is on what's called La Bestia, the beast, or the train of death, arrived dangerous and deadly and often controlled by cartels. Hours making this treacherous trek is scarring. But imagine days on board.
CULVER (on camera): (Speaking in a foreign language).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking in a foreign language).
CULVER: She says, they were four days on this train. She says, horrible, really cold.
He says four kids, his wife, four and a half days on the train. (Speaking in a foreign language).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in a foreign language).
CULVER: (Speaking in a foreign language).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in a foreign language).
CULVER: He says, it's for the American dream and they're going to try to cross today.
CULVER (voiceover): Another 25 miles under the hot sun to the border from here. Precious cargo carried on shoulders and in hand.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in a foreign language).
CULVER (voiceover): Most end up where we started, at the barbed wire. The added barrier rolled out in recent months by the Texas National Guard. It does not stop the crossings. It does slow them a bit. The young woman uses her jacket to create a gap while the other tosses through it bottles of water and a backpack, their only belongings. A quick hug and they hurry along, likely to turn themselves in to U.S. officials. More will follow.
CULVER (on camera): Those two women ultimately making it into the U.S., technically. They ended where the group you see behind me, the hundreds of migrants are gathered. On the other side of the barbed wire, on U.S. territory, but before crossing that border wall you see. So, they're waiting to be processed by U.S. officials.
It's interesting, though, talking to many of the migrants who have made their way to this point, what is the final stage before trying to cross into the U.S. And if you ask if they plan their travels around Title 42 lifting, many of them say no. At this point, it has been too unpredictable to follow U.S. policy. We saw this back in November and in December when we were nearing the deadline, and then it was extended both times, up until this day.
So, at this point, many of the folks that we are speaking with tell us they're just planning based on their own schedule and their own hopes, desires, and really determination to make it into the U.S. David Culver, CNN, Ciudad Juarez. Mexico.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: When we come back here on CNN, the death toll in India from ethnic violence continues to rise even as the army says, calm is returning to areas where clashes erupted last week.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm John Vause.
Well, the U.N. is doing about all it can which is strongly condemned the weekend looting of a World Food Programme compound in Sudan. The WFP says it's the latest violation of humanitarian facilities in the country since fighting began last month.
The U.N. officials says an estimated $13 to $14 million worth of food products destined for people in need have been stolen.
In Iran state media reports two men were hanged Monday after being sentenced to death for blasphemy. They were arrested in 2020 and accused of being involved in a channel on the Telegram message app back which allegedly shared opinions insulting Islam.
The execution comes days after a dual Swedish-Iranian national was executed. The U.N. had previously called on Tehran to stop the prosecution of religious minorities.
The tensions between two ethnic groups have exploded into deadly violence in India's northeastern state of Manipur. Around 60 people have died, thousands forced to flee their homes.
CNN's Vedika Sud has the very latest now reporting in from New Delhi.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VEDIKA SUD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Inferno on the hillsides of northeastern Delhi. Churches under fire and angry, armed mobs on the streets. Thousands of residents forced to flee their homes as ethnic violence breaks out in India's Manipur state.
Located on the Indian-Myanmar border, it has for decades struggled with insurgencies and violence between Christian and Hindu ethnic groups. Tensions boiled over last week when thousands of people from the Christian hill tribes protested against the majority Hindu ethnic group potentially gaining official tribe status.
Dozens of people have been killed and several hundred hospitalized. The government has shut down Internet access and security forces have been deployed to end the violence. But sporadic fighting continues forcing more than 20,000 people to flee their homes with little more than clothes on their back and their children in tow.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Kuki (ph) militants attacked after surrounding our village in (INAUDIBLE). They began firing at us with their guns. We panicked and abandoned all our belongings and fled for our lives.
SUD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the campaign trail this weekend has so far remained silent on the issue. But on Monday his Home Minister Amil Shah told local media that the tribe decision will be discussed with all state leaders.
Displaced residents from the hill tribes say they have no home to return to.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every one of us here, we are nervous. We're afraid of death (ph).
SUD: Many of the displaced villagers belong to the Christian Kuki and Naga people who reside in the hills along the Burmese border.
There is history of conflict between them and the Gunda (ph) Meitei will make up more than half of the population and dominate state government. Their push to be recognized as an official tribe to get better access to health care, education and government jobs has caused concern among the Christian groups who believe they will be at a disadvantage.
While most of the fighting has now subsided the problems at the core of this conflict remain far from resolved.
Vedika Sud, CNN -- New Delhi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)\
VAUSE: After back to back mass shootings last week in Serbia thousands have gathered in the capital to protest gun violence and demand the resignation of public officials. There's also a ban on violent content in the media.
Serbia has a deeply entrenching gun culture but many have been calling for change after last week's tragedies which includes the country's first school shooting in recent memory. The president has promised tougher gun control measures to try and prevent further attacks.
The Arab world may be bringing President Bashar al Assad, the dictator, back into the diplomatic fold but the U.S. will not and says it has no plans to normalize relations with the Syrian government.
The Arab League restored Syria's membership on Sunday after a 12-year- long suspension. The U.S. says it supports efforts to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis but will not forgive nor will it forget Assad's wartime atrocities and there are many.
[01:34:51]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: While we are skeptical of Assad's willingness to take the steps necessary to resolve Syria's crisis, we are aligned with our Arab partners on the ultimate objectives.
We have been consulting with our partners about their plans and making clear that we will not normalize relations with the Assad regime. And that our sanctions remain in full effect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The Arab League says restoring Syria's membership will again allow direct communication with Damascus but some Middle Eastern nations and many Syrian war victims are leery of any reconciliation as CNN's Nada Bashir explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: An unthinkable prospect, now a reality. The Arab League has reinstated Syria more than a decade after Damascus was suspended over President Bashar al-Assad's deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.
Now talk of and Arab-led political process to end the bloody Syrian civil war that has haunted the region for years.
AYMAN SALADI, JORDANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: What we're talking now is a political process in which the Arabs will have a leading role in efforts to try and bring about a solution to the crisis. And in order for us to succeed we will all need to work together.
BASHIR: Syria says they it welcomed the announcement and that it will participate in strengthening joint Arab action.
The decision to welcome Syria back into the fold hasn't come as a total surprise following a series of diplomatic victories for Assad. Last week Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi met with Assad in Damascus, a first for a Iranian head of state in 13 years. And in April a similar visit to the Syrian capital by Saudi Arabia's foreign minister.
Among those most wary of Syria's ascent -- Israel. They already are suspected of hitting targets inside Syria to prevent Iran from gaining a foothold as part of their proxy war.
And for the millions of Syrian refugees brutalized by Assad's war, it may be hard to accept this decision as anything but a betrayal.
RASHAD AL-DEEK, DISPLACED SYRIAN: This means nothing to us because we are displaced and forced to leave our towns. They are just like him. This is why they took him back. They're all useless.
ABDUL SALAM YOUSEF, DISPLACED SYRIAN: Instead of Arab leaders helping us and getting us out of those camps where we suffer and live in pain, they whitewashed the criminals and killers hands from our blood.
BASHIR: President Assad could now participate in the upcoming Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia. But the league's secretary-general has been clear this does not mean an end to the Syrian crisis.
AHMED ABOUL GHEIT, ARAB LEAGUE SECRETARY-GENERAL (through translator): The return of Syria is the beginning of a movement, not an end. The direction of the resolution to this crisis in Syria will take time for procedures to be implemented and it will be gradual.
BASHIR: Shifting politics changing the landscape of the Middle East but caught in the middle, Syrian refugees and citizens still facing an uncertain future with no clear indication of how or when President Assad will be held to account.
Nada Bashir, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: It is important to note not all Arab countries are in favor of normalizing relations with Syria, Qatar among them. Prime minister spokesman says a political solution to the Syrian crisis must come first, one which meets the demands of the Syrian people.
An E.U.-Europe Day reception in Tel Aviv has been canceled because organizers did not want Israel's far right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to have a platform. Ben-Gvir has been convicted of inciting anti Arab racism and the E.U. says his views are in stark contrast with European values.
Ben-Gvir accuses the E.U. of undiplomatic gagging.
The latest effort now to re-write Chile's dictatorship era constitution will be led by the country's far-right. Conservative have secured most of the seats in the constitutional council after a nationwide election Sunday.
The right-wing coalition will be led by the Republican Party and will try to pass a new draft of the constitution after a failed attempt by the left.
In a speech, Republican Leader Jose Antonio Kast hailed Sunday's results their fresh start.
JOSE ANTONIO KAST, CHILE REPUBLICAN LEADER (through translator): It was Chile not us who defeated a failed government. We need to say it loud and clear. It is a government that has been unable to face the insecurity crisis, the migration crisis, the economic crisis, the social crisis regarding health, education, housing and more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The left-wing president Gabriel Boric says he would support the new effort to overhaul the constitution but he urged Republicans to put the public's needs above their own.
[01:39:45]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GABRIEL BORIC, CHILEAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I want to invite the Republican Party that's won an unquestionable majority to not make the same mistakes we made. This process can't be about vendettas but putting Chile and its people first before the personal or party interests.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: When we get back persona non grata -- Canada expelling a Chinese diplomat following allegations of election meddling. Live in Beijing with the very latest from there.
Also ahead a massive glacier has a hole so big two Statues of Liberty can fit inside. Yet another alarming sign of the world's climate crisis.
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VAUSE: A Canadian diplomat in Shanghai has been expelled. The announcement came a short time ago from China's foreign ministry. Just a day earlier Canadian officials kicked out a Chinese diplomat claiming he harassed a Canadian lawmaker and interfered in the country's election.
CNN's Beijing Bureau chief Steven Jiang is with us again. What did the Canadian diplomat do?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Well as far as we're concerned, this is just part of -- she's just a victim of this tit- for-tat that the Chinese promised after the Canadians decided to expel the Toronto-based Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei.
Remember he was at the center of this brewing -- growing controversy that he pressured the family members of Canadian member of parliament after he actually sponsored a resolution condemning China's treatment of the Muslim Uyghur minority in the Xinjiang region and that member of parliament actually has relatives in Hong Kong according to himself and that was what the diplomat as doing in terms of targeting his families and trying to pressure this Canadian member of parliament.
That obviously, once revealed by the Canadian intelligence agency, drew huge backlashes within Canada and putting Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau under tremendous pressure in terms of taking some actions against what many perceive as growing Chinese influence campaigns and interference of Canadians' internal affairs.
And this of course, is not really a new phenomenon. Remember even last November in Bali, Trudeau himself actually got into this back and forth with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Remember that candid moment, if you will, got caught on Canadian television's cameras when Xi was actually seen basically lecturing Trudeau about leaking these conversations to the press and saying that that would have consequences.
And so this latest development of the Chinese expulsion of this Canadian diplomat is really I think in a way signals this new downward spiral in bilateral ties which of course, for years were put in the deep freeze after the whole controversies over the arrest of Huawei's executive Meng Wanzhou as you remember well.
So you know, that incident, that episode was finally over after, you know, the Canadians and U.S. authorities released Meng Wenzhou after a plea deal. At the end, of course the Chinese released the two Canadians they arrested after her arrest.
[01:44:59]
JIANG: So things just seem to be on the mend and seemed to improve and now, of course, this latest allegation.
But John, this is probably not the last time we are going to hear things about Chinese influence campaigns and other alleged interference of other countries internal affairs.
Remember just a few weeks ago in the U.S. The FBI actually arrested two Chinese Americans and also charging other Chinese police officials in China for targeting Chinese dissidents basing in the U.S.
So these kinds of things, these kinds of tactics -- alleged tactics deployed by the Chinese government is now increasingly seen all over the world according to some non governmental organizations.
There were over 100 so-called overseas Chinese police stations doing exactly this. So this is really something I think worth noting because it seems like other governments are now starting to take actions against this kind of alleged Chinese interference in their internal affairs, John.
VAUSE: Beijing will always have, you know, Moscow as a friend. So there is that.
Steven Jiang in Beijing, thank you.
Well, they tried it the voluntary way, now it's set to become mandatory in the U.S. airlines required to compensate passengers for expenses caused by delays which are the airline's fault. Compensation for meals and hotels -- that kind of thing.
In some countries, these rules are already in place. And President Joe Biden acknowledges the U.S. is lagging behind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Airline passengers in Canada for example and the European Union, and other places already get these compensations. And guess what, it works.
One study found that the European Union required airlines to compensate passengers for flight delays, the number of flight delays went down.
I appreciate Secretary Buttigieg's leadership on this issue. And I hope and I expect the Department of Transportation to move as quickly as it can to put this new rule in place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Mary Schiavo is a CNN transportation analyst and former inspector general at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Good to see you again.
MARY SCHIAVO, CNN TRANSPORTATION ANALYST: Thank you. Good to be with you.
VAUSE: Thank you.
Now, the big news today is that there will be big news later in the year when this mandatory compensation paid by the airlines to delayed passengers actually goes into effect. Here's the president talking about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: My administration will proposed a historic new rule that will make it mandatory, not voluntary but mandatory, for all U.S. airlines to compensate you with meals, hotels taxis, rideshares and rebooking fees.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Major U.S. airlines are actually doing this to some extent when a flight is delayed or cancelled and it's their fault but it's voluntary. So apart from making the composition mandatory will this standardize that conversation across airlines so you know what you're getting?
SCHIAVO: Exactly. That's one of the important things about this new development if it goes through -- now remember, this is a proposed regulation and in the U.S. these regulations have to be published in something called the Federal Register and the airlines and others get to comment. So they're not final yet.
If they're adopted it would provide standardization. That of course lets consumers know what their rights are. In this day and age people are afraid to demand their rights for fear they'll get thrown off the plane or dragged off the plane or put on a no fly list.
So this will tell you exactly what your rights are and what you're entitled to ask for.
VAUSE: And the issue of who pays for avoidable delays this kicked off back in October. And back in October here's a headline from Reuters, airlines oppose U.S. push on flight delay compensation. Hardly a surprise for an industry that has made record profits by nickel-and- diming passengers for so many years but can they actually stop these rules from going into effect?
SCHIAVO: Well, they can stop the rules by lobbying and putting a lot of pressure on government and actually already today we've seen that somewhat in the U.S. media. They said oh my this will hit the industry and the U.S. is heading to a recession and it could be very bad.
But the fact of the matter is every economist knows and everyone who reads those reports that the airlines have made their record profits in the past few years. Now, this year's different because they have been nickel and diming
people. Fees for this, fees for that and one of the worst is the airlines often refuse to refund for things you didn't get. If the wi- fi was broken, if your bags got lost you don't have a chance -- you didn't get your check bag fees back.
Some airlines even kept extra fees even if you didn't fly. So the standardization is really important and I don't think people are feeling too sorry for airlines right now because travel on U.S. airlines has become a nightmare.
I mean it's a nationwide joke on, you know, with comedians and talk shows so I don't think they're going to have a lot of sympathy.
VAUSE: Yes. That's very true. And it's good politics for President Biden.
This is what they do in Europe. They have compensation of 600 euros. We still have no dollar amount from the White House what it will end up being. But these expenses they should be covered by the airlines. It matters to middle class families.
[01:49:56]
VAUSE: And I want you to listen to the Transportation Secretary and all the changes they've made over the last two years. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE BUTTIGIEG, U.S. TRANSPORTAITON SECRETARY: This administration has delivered some of the most significant gains in airline passenger protections in decades.
We have stepped up enforcement rules and transparency. We have provided passengers with better information. We've helped get a billion dollars in refund and counting back to passengers. And we have secured enforceable commitments around customer service that didn't exist just a year ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Yes he's been busy I guess. There's also been a lot of investment to improve airports. So given all of that and all that work that we've heard from the Transportation Secretary why is it that flying in the United States still totally sucks?
SCHIAVO: Because it's a piecemeal system. When U.S. airlines were regulated back in the late 70s the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation took a position that it's hands off for everything except safety which turned the U.S. airline system into a piecemeal mismatched conglomeration of airlines grabbing all that they could get.
And where all this piecemeal re-regulation is headed is what we really need in the United States is re-regulation of the airlines. The fact that passengers -- remember the taxpayers of the United States own the airways. We own the runways. We own the airports. The airlines do not own those and so for them to nickel-and-dime United States citizens and not provide services in that way then I think this piecemeal regulation says we need to re-regulate in a grand scale with a coherent and intelligent United States transportation policy.
VAUSE: Good place to end on. Mary, great to see you. Thank you very much.
SCHIAVO: Ok. Thank you.
VAUSE: New Zealand's biggest city Auckland has declared a local state of emergency due to torrential rain and flooding. The city has received about half an average month of rainfall in just a day.
CNN affiliate News Hub reports residents have been warned to prepare for evacuations and avoid unnecessary travel.
Another case of a massive glacier melting faster than originally thought discovered in Greenland. Scientists fear that could increase the pace of sea level rise. They found the Petermann Glacier is melting away with warmer ocean tides. And in recent a huge hole has formed big enough to fit two Statues of Liberty stacked on top of one another whatever that means.
CNN's has already reported how sea surface temperatures are at the highest on record. Scientists fear, it's yet another alarming trend in the climate crisis.
Ahead, from acts of service to star=studded performances. We will show you how Britain celebrated the coronation of a new king.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Football player Lionel Messi is having an eventful month. He is celebrating in Paris on Monday after being named the Laureus Sportsman of the year. And he also accepted the Team of the Year award on behalf of Argentina after leading them to an epic World Cup championship in Qatar last year.
Messi is the only soccer player to ever take home the award and this is the second time he's won it. However the 35 year old was suspended by his club Paris Saint-Germain last week for taking an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia and missing training.
On Monday PSG tweeted that he is back and running.
[01:54:50]
VAUSE: King Charles says the nation's support has been the greatest possible coronation gift over the event-filled weekend. The palace released his message alongside these official portraits as celebrations drew to a close. The monarch shared his thanks to all those involved in marking the historic occasion.
CNN's Christina Macfarlane reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sunday night fever descended on Windsor Castle. King Charles III's coronation concert was the climax of a nationwide celebration.
Gone was the solemnity of Saturday, instead A-list celebrities sang chart topping hits (INAUDIBLE).
Their majesties in attendance only robes and crowns dispensed altogether a more relaxed look in the royal box.
The Prince of Wales cut a relaxed figure on stage two. Joking with the crowd between speaking about his pride and his dear Pa.
WILLIAM, PRINCE OF WALES: I want to say a few words about my father and why I believe this weekend is so important. But don't worry, unlike Lionel I won't go on all night long.
MACFARLANE: And just for confirmation the King asked Lionel Richie the same question in a surprise appearance on "American Idol".
KING CHARLES III, BRITISH MONARCH: Because I just wanted to check how long you will be using this room for.
LIONEL RICHIE, SINGER: We have to give the room up.
KING CHARLES III: I just wanted to check.
RICHIE: Thank you so much for coming.
KING CHARLES III: No but thank you so much for your brilliant performance.
MACFARLANE: And come Monday a Wales' family day out and the first ever royal engagement for Prince Louis. Painting, drilling, shoveling, even a ride in the digger with Dad. There's a first for everything.
As if juxtaposed against the pomp and ceremony of the weekend, a day mucking (ph) in marks the end of the beginning of the Carolean era. A statement of thanks from the King was released Monday evening that ended with a clear message. "We now re-dedicate our lives to serving the people."
In other words the party is over. Back to work.
Christina Macfarlane, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well now finally to a remarkable story of survival. This is the moment police rescued a woman who had been missing for five days in the Australian outback.
She didn't have any water but the good news is she had wine. The 48- year-old who said she doesn't drink alcohol told the police that the only liquid she had was a bottle of wine which should bought as a gift. It did see her through the ordeal and she was found safe well and maybe a little tipsy.
And thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. CNN NEWSROOM continues with my friend and colleague Rosemary Church after a short break.
See you right back here tomorrow.
[01:57:32]
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