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Title 8 Enforcement Actions And Title 42 Expulsions; UK Delivers Long-Range "Storm Shadow" Cruise Missiles To Ukraine; Pakistan's Top Court Rules Imran Khan's Arrest Unlawful; Southern Border is Closed, Warning from Head of Homeland Security; US-China High-Level Meeting Since Balloon Incident; US Looking for Solutions to Persuade Russia to Free Americans; Pledge to Protect Sudanese Civilians Signed by Warring Parties in Sudan; Turkey Presidential Candidate Muharrem Ince Withdraws; Survivors of Turkey Quake Ambivalent on Presidential Election; Thailand Gears Up for Critical General Election; Holloway Suspect to Appeal U.S. Extradition. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired May 12, 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: Ahead here on CNN Newsroom. Goodbye, Title 42. Hello, Title 8. The pandemic era regulation which started many migrants the right to claim asylum in the U.S. has now expired replaced by new tougher and more complicated rules.
UK sent a Storm Shadow long range missiles to Ukraine, a hurricane of trouble for Russia and former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan set to appear in court again next hour a day after his arrest was ruled unlawful.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: Great to have you with us. An hour ago, the COVID era border rule known as Title 42 expired and as of now no surge in illegal border crossings that authorities had feared. For the tens of thousands of migrants camped out in border towns and cities, there seems to be a mix of confusion, desperation as these new rules take effect for those wanting to claim asylum.
Several U.S. cities and counties are asking the federal government for help to manage what was the expected influx of migrants but in the past few days, authorities have detained a record number at the southern border.
One official telling CNN it will get worse but hasn't yet. The Biden Administration estimates about 150,000 migrants are waiting in northern Mexico, including these regions and shelters are also capping out on streets.
They also estimate hundreds of thousands of migrants are in the pipeline in southern Mexico and Central American countries. The head of Homeland Security says the government has done everything you can to prepare and gave this warning to those who would like to enter the United States illegally.
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ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: If anyone arrives at our southern border after midnight tonight, they will be presumed ineligible for asylum and subject to steeper consequences for unlawful entry. I want to be very clear, our borders are not open.
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VAUSE: At all Paso Texas is CNN senior national correspondent Ed Lavandera. Here in the Atlanta also CNN correspondent Rafael Romo.
And Ed first to you. There has been this expectation the stroke of midnight would almost be kind of like a starter's gun. Even though the Department of Homeland Security tweeted out the U.S .border is not open to illegal or irregular migration. And U.S. immigration laws will be tougher as Title 42 Public Health order ends.
So, what is the latest right now? How is this all playing out at border crossings up and down the U.S. Mexico border?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, we should kind of set the expectations here that this idea that the clock would strike midnight here in the U.S. and that there would be this rush of migrants racing north to the U.S. southern border isn't something that's going to materialize.
In fact, as we sit here in El Paso has been speaking with colleagues on the other side of the border in Ciudad Juarez in Mexico, very quiet there. In fact, the number of people who had been waiting to be processed by border patrol agents on the -- just on the southern edge of the border wall that exists here has really dwindled and quite a bit, so we're not seeing any kind of rush like that.
So the question really becomes what is going to happen over the course of the next few days. And we've been getting kind of mixed messages and mixed signals from various officials, as you pointed out in the lead in, you know, some -- one official telling it from DHS telling CNN that it is going to get worse.
But the head of the Border Patrol, the Border Patrol chief Raul Ortiz said told reporters today that he believes that the number is not going to reach the 15 to 18,000 migrants being apprehended per day that the Biden administration had been expecting. That number has been around 10,000 a day, which is still an incredibly large number, but not as high as what it was going to be.
So the Border Patrol chief here says he believes that many people, the rush of people we started seeing over the last several days leading up to this moment. And that's why perhaps in the coming days, we not we might not see as many, but it is still something that I think what is happening, John, is that on the southern side of the border, I think you have a lot of migrants who are starting to get a little bit of that information from the DHS Secretary and the way U.S. immigration officials are talking about their chances of getting into the United States.
But all of that is mixed in with a great deal of misinformation spread by smugglers and just, you know, people sharing information. So, I think what we might see over the next couple of days is a slower process of people trying to figure out what they're going to do. What next steps they're going to take to try to reach the United States.
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So it's not going to be this clear, definitive moment in the timeline, and all these people running, running north to get into the US.
VAUSE: And Rafael, just to you, another tweet for you another warning from Homeland Security that was sent out last few hours, the Title 42 Public Health order is ending today. DHS will enforce America's tough immigration laws under Title 8, and has announced sweeping changes to reduce irregular migration.
So what exactly are the sweeping changes that Ed mentioned about this, you know, if you try to cross illegally, you can't come back. There's going to be a five year ban. But what else are we looking at here? What else is the Biden administration trying to do here?
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, there's been a lot of confusion about what's going to happen and what's not going to happen. And migrants are very confused. You hit it right there right in the nail when you said that it was going to be a five-year punishment not being able to return to the United States.
And so that's probably the most draconian aspect of the law that people are not going to be able to come back. Remember under Title 42 if they were expelled, that didn't count against a future proceeding and that's going to go away now.
And we were talking about the numbers, John, Ed was also saying about the 15,000 estimate that the Biden administration had. But let's remember that only a week ago, we were talking about 7,000 people, and today we're talking about 10,000. So there's still a lot of people that are trying to make it across the border.
And this is because, like I said before, many migrants had this belief that they could just show up at the border and be able to come into the United States, and you have smugglers telling them because it's in their best interest to run to the border, because it'll be closed, even though it's a lie, because it was wasn't open to begin with.
And those numbers you just mentioned can also be explained by some of the things that the migrants themselves have told us in the last few weeks. Title 42 or not, they told us, we will try our best to get to the United States. A Venezuelan migrant told us that for him returning home to Venezuela was not an option. He said I don't want to live in a dictatorship and are reporting from different parts of the border and multiple countries. One thing remains clear immigration is not a single country's problem, but a regional challenge. And we're looking at what's happening at the border right now, John.
VAUSE: And I guess one of the reasons for a lot of this confusion is that among these changes, which are being put out there by the Biden administration, not just his five-year ban on applying for asylum, if you've tried multiple times, more than once. There's also part of the provisions have been struck down like that court ruling by challenge, too.
I think the part of the rules which apply to the release of those who are in custody. There's also a provision that the Biden administration wants to push through which if you didn't apply for asylum at a country before you got to Mexico, you'd be kicked out again, that's part of these tough new rules. But the Trump administration tried all of these things. And they were thrown up by court. So a lot of these things have been tried before and didn't stick.
LAVANDERA: Yes, no. And that's kind of highlights the issue with immigration policy here in the United States exist, it's extremely complex, very difficult to really fully grasp and understand. And you have many different options and many different scenarios under which people are either processed or not processed, expelled, or allowed to stay, you know, it can get rather daunting, but to kind of go through some of those that you're talking about there.
The late night court ruling that you're talking about is a federal judge in Florida, that has struck down this plan that the Biden administration had to create this as what is essentially a temporary -- a parole process that would allow some migrants to be released in the United States without the pipe and paperwork.
Many of the migrants we meet here have been processed. They've been given paperwork that as a future court date. The DHS Secretary said that this was going to be a plan that would release some of those under conditions. They would have to check in with immigration officials periodically but a federal judge has temporarily blocked that.
And the reason the Biden administration wanted to use that parole policy is because the Border Protection, the Border Patrol scenarios where they are able to house people and process people are is extremely strained at this point. They have 28,000 migrants in custody, that's way beyond capacity, and obviously the concern about what might be coming in the days ahead. So they were trying to figure out ways to alleviate that pressure.
But you know, the federal judge blocking that temporarily. So how that will affect what the Biden administration does in the coming days. We don't quite know yet. It really kind of depends on how many people are coming but, you know, this kind of just highlights the constant struggle that is taking place to continue to control this issue.
VAUSE: Ed Lavandera there with us in Atlanta out in El Paso, Texas, I should say. Rafael Romo there for us in Atlanta. Thanks to you both. We appreciate it.
In recent days, Ukrainian forces say they made significant progress in what seems like the never ending battle for Bakhmut with a spring Thor making a firmer ground Ukrainian supplied U.S. made M113 armored personnel carriers.
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CNN's Nic Robertson reports. The so called Vietnam War battle taxi made a decisive difference.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voiceover): At the vanguard of Ukraine's most successful offensive in months, elite soldiers stormed out of the U.S. made M113 Troop Carrier near Bakhmut.
Over the following three days, they would take back close to two miles at eastern Ukrainian territory from Russian troops. Their commander explains dry ground new U.S. attack vehicles helping reverse months of losses.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Everything was planned and calculated. And we had an advantage because we use armored vehicles. This time, the weather gave us a chance to use all RMIT (ph) and show what we're capable of.
ROBERTSON (on camera) Yevgeny Pregorgen is saying the reason you took territory is because the Russian forces ran away.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Pregorgen is a liar because the first to flee were Wagner. It is his units that fled. In our success is not due to the fact that they fled. But the fact that we conducted a planned assault by circumventing and cutting them off. Actually the unit he is bad mouthing fought to the end. His Wagner's were the first to flee.
ROBERTSON (voiceover): Cleaned up and back from the battle. Three young troop commanders recall the first moments.
You are nervous, you feel the shivers, Ola, says every sound scares you especially the whistle of a mortar shell. With their success, losses too.
It is always painful and hard to lose, Boss says. But it doesn't stop us. It makes us angrier, tougher and gives us motivation to go all the way and not stop. Each of them knows more battles to come.
After each fight, morale goes up, then down then up again, Judo says. You have to motivate them somehow.
And this last battle not done when the Russians were pushed back. They regrouped, rushing in reinforcements. Not for the first time in the days long fight U.S. made weapons making a decisive difference. This time HIMARS precision rockets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Their reserves are too far away. And this allowed us to destroy the enemy even as we approach them. We use unmanned aerial vehicles to see where they were concentrated, which enabled us to use a HIMARS for a precision strike.
ROBERTSON: His battalion estimate in their sector of the fight two to 300 Russian soldiers killed, but he is quick to acknowledge those soldiers strengths and says Pregorgen is wrong to discount the Russian army.
ROBERTSON (on camera): Their offensive was so successful another round of attacks was launched early Thursday morning. commanders are unwilling to say how successful the new offensive is, or even if it's connected to the much anticipated big counter offensive. Nic Robertson, CNN, Eastern Ukraine.
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VAUSE: And Britain is doing what the U.S. and other allies have so far refused to do supplying Ukraine with long range missiles. The Storm Shadow is a stealth cruise missile with a range of more than 250 kilometers inspired by warplanes in the air. Officials say Ukraine has promised not to use this with an outside its territory, even though it could strike deep inside Russia.
Joining us now is Matthew Schmidt and associate professor of national security and political science at the University of New Haven in Connecticut. It's good to see you.
MATTHEW SCHMIDT, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF NATIONAL SECURITY, UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAVEN: Good to see you, John.
VAUSE: OK, so here's the UK defense minister Ben Wallace announcing in parliament that Britain will do what the U.S. has so far been unwilling to do and that's provide long range missiles.
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BEN WALLACE, BRITISH DEFENCE MINISTER: Storm Shadow is a long range conventional only precision strike capability. It complements the Long Range Systems already gifted, including HIMARS and Harpoon missiles, as well as Ukraine's own net to increase muscle and longer range missions elsewhere gifted. The donation of these weapons systems gives Ukraine the best chance to defend themselves against Russia's continued brutality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So these are stealth missiles or stealthy missiles, which are fired from the air by a fighter jet. And the manufacturer says they have the ability to deliver precision effects from a safe standoff distance against high value targets, such as well protected control bunkers and centers, key infrastructures and military installations.
So how would you see these missiles being used during the counter offensive?
SCHMIDT: The first thing that they're going to do is attack Russian artillery. That's the number one way that the Russian military has been killing Ukrainian and they will try to denude that capability as much as they can.
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The second thing that they'll do is attack supply routes, particularly ammo and fuel. And then I wouldn't be surprised if they have enough. That's the key here, right is how many is Britain giving them and how fast to re-attack the courage bridge or something like that of high symbolic value.
VAUSE: And it seems the UK. .is sending what is the shorter range variant 155 miles, as opposed to 350 miles. But even at 155 miles, these missiles which have been used effectively in Syria, Iran and Libya, have a capability to strike deep into Russia. I mean, if you've got the borderline, you go 150 miles north of there, and you're deep inside Russian territory.
Now Western official told CNN that the U.K. has received assurances from the Ukrainian government that these missiles will be used only within Ukrainian sovereign territory, and not inside Russia. U.K. officials have made frequent public statements identifying Crimea as Ukrainian sovereign territory describing it as illegally annexed.
So what happens though, if the Ukrainians decide not to be held to that. There's some of it. There's some, you know, dramatic changing event and they decided they need to fire these missiles well deep into Russian territory, what happens then?
SCHMIDT: Well, I think if there's some dramatic event that changes the conditions on the battlefield and changes the political conditions, then all bets are off. But short of something like that, I think Ukrainians are going to very much stay within the parameters that the U.S. and that the U.K. have set for them. They know where the where the money is coming from, they know where the weapons are coming from, and they're not going to risk it.
VAUSE: And if you look what the U.S. has been unwilling to supply the talks, they only go short distance further than what the Britain missiles do. So, they don't have a lot of differences between these two. So does this mean that the United States may be more inclined to provide those long range missiles?
SCHMIDT: That's the pattern that we've seen throughout the war, where the Biden administration has said no, and then three, four, six weeks later, has said yes, and sort of inch deeper and deeper into the war. So I wouldn't be surprised if that's what happens here.
And that, in fact, may be part of the political calculation, which is that if the U.K. sort of, you know, breaks the barrier on this, then it's easier for the U.S. to come along and say, well, doesn't matter now does it? Because Britain did it, so we might as well.
VAUSE: And Britain was the first to supply Ukraine, what modern better things. Now, the first was the long range missiles, and from the very beginning has been pushing the U.S. and the other allies through a ball. Is that mostly driven by this long list of covert attacks on U.K. soil by the Russians that Novichok poisoning of Sergei Skripal in 2018, and Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned back in 2006.
SCHMIDT: No, I think it's part of the signaling to Russia that they need to back off on these attacks in the UK. I think a lot of it is just old school pride. And a lot of it's just revenge. And, you know, whatever is remaining of motivation, I think, is that the U.K. is trying to punch above its weight again, right, just trying to get back in there and say, we are one of the leading, you know, forces of foreign policy in the world. And this is the way that they can do it.
VAUSE: Yes, it's been effective so far, I guess, Matthew, thanks for being with us. We appreciate it.
SCHMIDT: My pleasure.
VAUSE: The U.S. ambassador in South Africa has publicly accused the government there are providing arms and ammunition to Russia. South Africa is claim neutrality in Russia's war in Ukraine. But according to the ambassador weapons and ammunition were loaded onto a sanction Russian cargo ship the Lady R docked at a naval base near Cape Town.
A statement from the office of the South African President claimed there is no evidence to support the allegation. But an inquiry is underway.
Still to come, more deadly violence in the Middle East. Hundreds of rockets fired from Gaza, killing one Israeli, while Israeli airstrikes killed dozens of Palestinians details in a moment.
Plus, even though there's Pakistan Supreme Court ruled that his arrest was unlawful, former Prime Minister Imran Khan not released. He's due in court in less than 40 minutes from now on the very latest in Islamabad.
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VAUSE: The past few days rockets now continue to fly between Israel and militants in Gaza.
The IDF says more than 800 rockets have been fired from Gaza since Israel launched deadly strikes on Islamic Jihad targets Tuesday. 179 of those rockets were intercepted more than 600 were landing inside Israel's borders, one of them hitting an apartment building in the city of Rehovot in Thursday that was wounding five people and killing one other. It's the first Israeli death since the violence started earlier this week.
Palestinian officials say at least 28 people have died in Gaza with Israel saying it hit nearly 200 targets since the start of Operation Shield and Arrow. Among that had four Islamic Jihad leaders killed on Thursday.
Steven Cook is a senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. It's good to see you again.
STEVEN COOK, SENIOR FELLOW FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES, COUNCIL FOR FOREIGN RELATIONS: Great to be with you.
VAUSE: OK, so now right now both sides, it seems that it's still in the killing stage. Listen to the leader of Islamic Jihad. Here he is.
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TAREK SELMI, ISLAMIC JIHAD LEADER (through translator) The Zionist enemy can start the battle but cannot end it as it pleases.
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VAUSE: (INAUDIBLE) says never really an agreement on who started what. But with that in mind, here is the Israeli prime minister.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Anyone who attacks us risked their lives and also anyone who replaces them. We are in the middle of the campaign, both offensive and defensive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And a bit of all Hamas, which governs Gaza seems to be sitting on the sidelines. It's called revenge. It's condemned the targeted killings of three senior Islamic Jihad commanders. And this is what escalated the fighting to begin with. But Islamic Jihad seems the only one firing rockets. So will Hamas sit this one out, as it's done before we really get involved?
COOK: Well, it really depends on how the battle goes. But certainly Hamas has an interest in staying on the sidelines. They have voiced their support for the resistance as they are expected to do but they certainly can't be too unhappy about the fact that three senior members of Islamic Jihad have been killed by the Israelis.
I think that Hamas also has a compelling interest in trying to keep things quiet, because there's been opposition growing to their rule in the Gaza Strip as a situation there has deteriorated over the years. So if the battle doesn't widen, Hamas will continue to sit on the sidelines and work through the Egyptians to try to find some sort of way to de-escalate this situation.
VAUSE: And sort of see behind all of this, in a way is Iran, Islamic Jihad as a proxy for Iran and Hamas make the point, we don't take our orders from Tehran. So what role is Iran now playing in all of this?
COOK: Well, as you point out, Islamic Jihad is a proxy of the Iranians and Hamas and Islamic Jihad have been rivals in the past. So I think that what makes this situation more complicated than perhaps the conflict in May 2021 is the fact that it's clearly part of the Israel- Iran shadow war that has been underway in Syria and from time to time in Iraq.
The Iranians have been very aggressive in recent weeks in kind of spinning up its proxies for a battle with the Israelis and the Israelis want to make sure that they answer decisively against these groups. And this is part -- that's part of this operation.
VAUSE: So for an idea of how long this could last, he's a spokesman for the IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces.
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BRIG. GEN. DANIEL HAGARI, ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES SPOKESPERSON: Islamic Jihad inside the Gaza Strip is not the only one that makes the decision. The problem is the ones that make the decisions live in hotels in Beirut and in Syria, and they give directions to the field, keep on fighting, keep on bleeding. We want Gaza bleeding.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: in a big way, and for the most part, he's right. It's easy to call for blood but you don't have any skin in the game.
COOK: I think that's right. And that's often been the case not only with Islamic Jihad, but also Hamas. I think what the calculation is, is that as this cost continues and potentially widens Israel comes in for ever greater amounts of international criticism and opprobrium including from the United States.
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So there's every interest in trying to continue the battle, no matter how many innocents are killed in the process.
VAUSE: Around the world, there are growing calls for a ceasefire, as well as for Israel to try and minimize civilian casualties. He's the German Foreign Minister.
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ANNALENA BAERBOCK, GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Israel like every other country in the world has the right to defend its population against attacks. And at the same time, and I would like to say this very clearly, like every other country in the world, it has the duty to protect the civilian population, to the best of its ability and to maintain the proportionality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: This is always such a difficult conversation, but who's to blame for dead children when they're being used as human shields?
COOK: Yes, you know, quite clearly, this is an impossible situation for the Israelis. They certainly say that they do everything possible to minimize civilian casualties. Yet in this densely populated the Gaza Strip where senior leaders of Islamic Jihad do surround themselves with civilians.
Israelis clearly have come to the conclusion that statements like those of the German Foreign Minister are just part of the process, and they're willing to pay the price of international criticism, if it means taking out high value targets like the leaders of Islamic Jihad. VAUSE: And that's why we see such high death tolls on children wherever these conflicts take place.
COOK: Exactly.
VAUSE: Every single app is the same. Yes. Steven, thanks for being with us.
COOK: Pleasure.
VAUSE: After a big legal win for Imran Khan, the former Pakistan Prime Minister now scheduled to appear in court next hour. Even though Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled Thursday that his arrest was unlawful, Khan was not allowed to go home instead he spent the night in the courts custody before just coming up hearing.
Now, though, there's been no return to the angry demonstrations, which rocked the country this week, leaving at least eight people dead and hundreds detained. CNN producer Sophia Saifi has more now reporting in from Islamabad.
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SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER (on camera): There's a sense of uneasy anticipation here in the capitol as people wait for Imran Khan to make his appearance before the Islamabad high court. Yesterday, Pakistan Supreme Court had issued an order saying that Khan's arrest on Tuesday afternoon at Islamabad High Court by paramilitary troops was illegal. So he's going to make that appearance at 11:00 am. We're going to wait to see what happens after whether you'd be released or not.
We do know that Imran Khan's party has called for supporters to come out as part of a peaceful gathering however, Pakistan's police, Islamabad police has issued an order banning any public gatherings in the cabinet. So the stage is almost set for potential clashes.
The Army has been called in to provide security by the federal government. So potentially there could be clashes not just with the police, but with the military as well. There's a sense of unease.
Supporters of Imran Khan, senior party members of Imran Khan have been rounded up over the past few days and are in police custody. We've been told by the police that more arrests could be expected. Yesterday just before the Supreme Court made the announcement that Imran Khan's, you know, detention was illegal.
Marriyum say that the information minister had come out and said that the judges are showing favoritism towards Imran Khan and any release of Imran Khan would lead to the nation burning. So we just have to wait to see how this plays out. It's been a tumultuous couple of days. Let's see what lies ahead. Sophia Saifi, CNN, Islamabad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Still ahead, look who's talking, Beijing and Washington moving on after the U.S. shutdown China spy balloon. But why now? Live in Hong Kong. Back in a moment.
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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: Welcome back. I'm John Vause, you're watching "CNN Newsroom".
U.S. COVID era immigration policy known as Title 42 expired about an hour ago -- an hour and a half ago, but before the midnight deadline came yet another warning from the head of Homeland Security, the southern border is not open. Tens of thousands of migrants are in Northern Mexico hoping to crossover into the United States, but now they face harsh consequences if they enter the country illegally, at least reportedly -- repeatedly. CNN's Gloria Pazmino has more now reporting in from El Paso.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We prepared for this moment for almost two years, and our plan will deliver results.
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NEWSOURCE NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): As Title 42 ends, the Department of Homeland Security is sounding confident about the policy shift. As thousands of migrants desperate to across to the U.S. gather at the border before a new policy kicks in.
Diocelina Querales, a migrant from Venezuela made it across to Texas, but her daughter and grandson were detained and sent to Mexico. She says, she's praying so they could be reunited to seek asylum in the U.S.
DIOCELINA QUERALES, MIGRANT FROM VENEZUELA (through translator): It's tough, it's very tough. And that's why we came here because we can survive here.
PAZMINO (voiceover): Title 42 had allowed authorities to turn away migrants like her at the U.S. Mexico border and deny them a chance to claim asylum. With Title 42 expiring, the U.S. reverts back to using the decades old Title 8, meaning detained migrants face a more severe deportation process, a ban on re-entry for at least five years, and they can face criminal prosecution if they attempt across again.
Migrants say, conditions in their home countries gave them no option but to risk everything to make it across the U.S. Ahead of this policy change, resources at the border communities have been strained.
MAYORKAS: We are clear eyed about the challenges we are likely to face in the days and weeks ahead, and we are ready to meet them.
PAZMINO (voiceover): In El Paso, Texas, I'm Gloria Pazmino reporting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It's been months since the U.S. shutdown China's balloon. Now, it seems both sides like to move past that diplomatic crisis that have held high-level talks. For the first time since the balloon was shot out of the sky of South Carolina, after spending days floating across the country, big story at the time. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout, following all -- I don't know, I think all the way from Hong Kong. They are talking, which is great. Talking is good.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Talking is good, especially when we are talking about a very pivotal relationship between and U.S. and China, relationship that needs to be stabilized. And as for this meeting that took place, it was a surprise, this was a previously undisclosed surprised meeting that U.S. officials, in fact, told CNN came together fairly quickly. And it showcases how China and the U.S. are trying to move beyond the balloon, beyond that incident, and to stabilize the relationship.
Now, China's top diplomat is pictured here, Wang Yi and the U.S. National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan. They met for two days of talks in Vienna, these are talks that spent some eight hours. And once again, the surprise meeting is the highest-level engagement between the two countries since the balloon incident which, of course, led to the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to delay a planned visit to Beijing in February.
Now, China's embassy in Washington said this in regards to the meeting, let's bring up the statement for you, saying that the two had, "Candid, in-depth, substantive, and constructive discussions on removing obstacles on China U.S. relations and stabilizing the relationship from deterioration." And the results are the White House readout which used very similar language.
[01:35:00]
And we have it for you, it said this, the White House saying, "The two sides had candid, substantive, and constructive discussions on key issues, the U.S.-China bilateral relationship, global and regency issues, Russia's war against Ukraine, and cross-Strait issue, among other topics."
Now, Sullivan, he also raised concerns to Wang Yi about U.S. citizens detained in China. And he added that this was a personal priority for the U.S. President, Joe Biden. He also raised concerns about the potential for Chinese military aid to Russia. You know, we know that the rift between China and the U.S. has been deepening over a host of issues from Ukraine, to Taiwan, to tech, and of course the balloon incident. And although you had these talks in Vienna taking place, still no clear answer as to when America's top diplomat will visit China. Back to you, John.
VAUSE: Kristie, thank you very much. We appreciate it.
STOUT: Thank you.
VAUSE: Well --
STOUT: Take care.
VAUSE: Thank you.
Here's a problem, how to strike a prisoner exchange deal when you have no high-profile visitors to exchange? Well, for the Biden administration still working to free two Americans held by Russia, it means turning to allies for help. Kylie Atwood has the exclusive story.
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KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: As U.S. officials are trying to gin up an offer to Russia that could potentially secure the release of Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, two Americans wrongfully detained in Russia. We know that U.S. officials outreach extends to countries including Germany, Norway, Brazil, and a form Soviet bloc country, as they go to those countries and have recently arrested Russian spies.
And the key here is countries that have Russian spies because the United States does not currently have a high-level Russian spy in its custody. And when you talk to U.S. officials in their engagements with Russia over efforts to try and secure the release of Paul Whelan, Russia made it very clear that they expect to get someone in return who is part of Russia's intelligence gathering apparatus. They want a Russian spy in return for the release of Paul Whelan because they are considering him as a spy. The same is true for Evan Gershkovich.
The U.S. officials expect that they are going to have to offer up someone on the table who Russians view in a similar bucket. And when it comes to these efforts, they are also extending to countries that are U.S. allies that don't necessarily have Russian spies, but could potentially offer something up to the U.S. to be used as leverage at the negotiating table.
Again, to gin up interests on Russia's side to engage in some sort of deal to try to get out these two Americans who remain wrongfully detained in Russia. Kylie Atwood, CNN, the State Department.
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VAUSE: And then there were three, just days before voting day in Turkey's presidential election, one of four presidential candidates drop out, and we will explain why.
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VAUSE: Since the conflict in Sudan began three weeks ago, not one ceasefire has actually worked. So now, they're not even trying one. The warring sides instead has signed a declaration of commitment to protect the civilians of Sudan.
[01:40:00] The U.S. officials says, the purpose of the agreement is to allow humanitarian aid into the country, restore power and water, and chance to bury the dead. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have been mediating talks between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary faction. Saying, ceasefire negotiations could resume in the coming days.
The U.N. Human Rights commissioner says both sides have, "Trampled international humanitarian law." The U.N. Human Rights Council adopted a resolution, Thursday, requesting a comprehensive report on abuses, it's only been three weeks.
Turkey's presidential election is this Sunday, but one of the four candidates has just withdrawn. Muharrem Ince had low poll numbers and decided to withdraw. Some critics feared he would split the opposition vote against the current president, Tayyip Erdogan. In a press conference, he said he did not want to be blamed when they opposition loses. However, his centrist Homeland Party will remain in the parliamentary race.
The presidential election may only be a few days away, but for many in Turkey they're still trying to recover and move forward after February's devastating earthquake. For more details now, here's CNN's Jomana Karadsheh.
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JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Few are the tombstones that identify the dead. They call it the cemetery of the unknown where more than 4,000 victims of Turkey's catastrophic quake are buried. Some of the youngest lie here, with poignant clues left for those still searching for their missing loved ones.
Time has yet to heal the wounds of the broken City of Antakya and its people. Life amid the ruins a mere existence in this deserted town, where elections and campaign promises are overshadowed by despair. Grief and pain still so raw for those who survived, left only to mourn. Meltam (ph) lost her mother, father, sister, brother, little nieces, and the hardest loss of all, her only child.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This is the last photo.
KARADSHEH (voiceover): Little Allan (ph) had just turned six, he was with his cousins for a sleep over when the earthquake hit. Meltam (ph) and her husband, Ayhan, dug through the rubble with their bare hands. The three longest days of their lives ended when an Italian search and rescue team recovered the lifeless bodies of their boy and the rest of the family.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): They killed them all.
KARADSHEH (voiceover): The couple, like thousands of others, blame their tragedy on the state's initial chaotic slow response and on shoddy construction and government amnesties for contractor who violated building codes. On Sunday, they'll take their anger to the ballot box. Over the years, they stole our future from us. Now, our loved ones were taken away from us, Ayhan says. Elections is our only way to hold officials to account. We hope to slam the doors of hell shut.
Anger may not translate into any major surprises at the polls in the city historically split between the opposition and ruling party, but the stakes are much higher in strongholds of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party across the massive earthquake zone. There was no time wasted to win back the hearts and minds of their people in places like Kahramanmaras, the epicenter of the devastating quake.
This hilltop project with a dozen newly constructed homes was inaugurated by the Turkish president. A kind of photo-op Erdogan needed in the wake of the disaster.
KARADSHEH (on camera): The era of Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been defined by construction boom. And he's promised to rebuild the earthquake zone within a year. And this is what the opposition is up against, convincing people that they too can deliver.
KARADSHEH (voiceover): Thousands of subsidized housing units are under construction here, more rebuilding in the city center that's rumbled back to life. But beneath the facade of normalcy, a reality of life in limbo. Mealtime brings hundred into the food cues, those who have lost everything now rely on their state to feed them. Most still live in tents. But not even the worst earthquake in generation seems to have shaken the loyalty of Erdogan supporters and they're keen to show us as they waved his party's flag.
As long as Tayyip Erdogan is in power, our houses will be built, this man tells us.
Down the road, the city's old bazaar is bustling once again, quake survivors struggling to get back on their feet now also facing their country's crushing economic crisis. This 69-year-old once Erdogan supporter says, he's boycotting the vote.
They see him as a saint. It's too much, he says. I cannot afford to buy anything. I survive on earthquake aid.
A cafe nearby is the only escape from it all for students like 18- year-old Zia (ph). He's a first-time voter but hasn't decided if he'll cast his vote.
Should we worry about elections, or about the collapsed buildings, or the lives lost, he says? About what surrounds us or my dreams.
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Confusion, apathy, loyalty, anger, it's just all too much for those still trapped in a life from hell. They can only hope when the dust settles from this most consequential of elections, they won't be forgotten. Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Kahramanmaras, Turkey.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: CNN's special live coverage of the 2023 Turkey elections will be hosted by Becky Anderson. As voters head to the polls to choose a new president in power (ph), find out what is at stake and what the election means for Turkey's future. That's this Sunday, 7:00 p.m. in London, 9:00 p.m. in Istanbul right here on CNN.
General elections are scheduled this weekend in Thailand, many fear the future of Thai democracy might just be on the ballot.
CNN's Paula Hancocks live with us now with more on the situation. You know, Thailand has long -- had struggle with democracy, and coups, and military leaders not wanting to leave power. What is happening this time?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, this has been described by some as the most consequential vote in a generation. And it's really up to the young generation now. We can see they are more vocal, they are more empowered, and this time around they may well tip the scales.
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HANCOCKS (voiceover): A surprise drop in at Thailand's famous water festival, Songkran, last month. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, former coup leader and army chief tried to show his softer side ahead of elections. But polls show his party running a distant third.
PRAYUT CHAN-O-CHA, THAI PRIME MINSTER (through translator): What do we have to adhere to? Nation, religion, and the monarchy, isn't that right? These pillars hold the hearts of the Thai people.
HANCOCKS (voiceover): Recent polls suggest what many people want is change. Two progressive parties in the lead, both pledging to remove the military from politics. For the Thai, the party of the well-known Shinawatra political dynasty, first Thaksin, then his brother-in-law, his sister, now his daughter. Speaking to the press last week, just two days after having her second baby.
PAETONGTARN SHINAWATRA, THAKSIN SHINAWATRA'S DAUGHTER AND PHEU THAI PARTY PRIME MINISTER CANDIDATE: I think that Thailand needs change ready. We cannot wait anymore.
HANCOCKS (voiceover): Another pro-Thai candidate for prime minister, real estate developer, Srettha Thavisin, a political novice who's tapped into Thai's concerns about the economy.
SRETTHA THAVISIN, PHUE THIA PARTY PRIME MINISTER CANDIDATE: Thailand has been in a bad economic situation for the last five to eight years, OK. We are, kind of, a -- in a coma.
HANCOCKS: Pro-democracy protests in 2020, highlighted frustrations particularly among the youth calling for fundamental changes in the way the country is run. A cause the Move Forward Party is based on, calling for changes to the military, the economy, and even the once untouchable monarchy. Chonticha Jangrew faces charges from her involvement in protests and to so-called lese-majeste charges, a strict law that forbids any criticism of the monarchy.
CHONTICHA JANGREW, MOVE FORWARD PARTY PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATE: So, I think in the past, the topics about reform of the monarchy is always be in the house or only in secret place. But now, I think it turns out that we are talking about reform of the monarchy or the article 112 or the royal defamation in the public.
HANCOCKS (voiceover): From a taboo to public debate, a change that some experts call game changing in Thailand, politically earth shattering. One wildcard, however, the Thai military has staged a dozen coup since 1932, two in the past 20 years when the parties at favored were not in power.
THAVISIN: Am I afraid of, you know, the way of them, you know, doing in the -- done the military coup, my simple answer to that is that I can't be afraid of the ghost.
HANCOCKS (voiceover): As for the man who led the last military coup?
CHAN-O-CHA (through translator): It's up to the people what they want.
HANCOCKS (voiceover): Some experts consider a military coup at this time to be very costly as domestically and internationally, with calls for change louder than they have ever been in Thailand's recent history.
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HANCOCKS (on camera): So, what we should see, John, is an unofficial result of which party gained the most votes Sunday evening local time. It could take several days before we have an official result. And of course, then is all the bartering, the coalition building before we find out who might be the prime minister. All of that, of course, if democracy is allowed to run its course. John.
VAUSE: Yes. Paula, thank you. Paula Hancocks live for us in Seoul.
Well, the only suspect in the disappearance of an American teen, Natalee Holloway, set to be extradited back to the United States. But now, his lawyers say, he won't go quietly. They are planning an appeal. More on that after the break.
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VAUSE: Lawyers for Joran van der Sloot, the only suspect in the disappearance of American teenager, Natalee Holloway, plan to appeal his extradition to the U.S. Peru's Supreme Court approved the extradition. Van der Sloot was one of the only ones, the last ones to see Holloway alive before her disappearance in Aruba nearly two decades ago. Details now from CNN's Jean Casarez. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): 18 years after Alabama teenager, Natalee Holloway vanished on a school trip in Aruba. The prime suspect in her disappearance is being extradited to the United States, Joran van der Sloot who was one of the last people to see Holloway alive, and twice detained in connection with her disappearance will finally face federal charges in the U.S. for extortion and wire fraud.
BETH HOLLOWAY, MOTHER OF NATALEE HOLLOWAY: He knows exactly what happened. He knows what, where, when, who, why, and how. He knows the answers.
CASAREZ (voiceover): He is accused of extorting thousands from Holloway's mother, Beth, in exchange for details on the location of her daughter's remains. According to legal documents in March 2010, van der Sloot, "Offered to take the cooperating witness to the location of Natalee Holloway's body, advises to the circumstances of her death, and identify those in her death and disappearance in return for a payment of $250,000."
Papers were signed, a total of $25,000 was given to van der Sloot, and Holloway's attorney flew to Aruba. Van der Sloot took the attorney to a house, saying her body was buried within the foundation. Soon after fleeing to Peru with the $25,000, he e-mailed the Holloway saying, "He had lied about the location of Natalee's remains." Extortion charges were filed a short time later.
In May 2005, the 18-year-old Holloway was last seen leaving a nightclub in Aruba with van der Sloot and two other men. All three were charged by Aruban prosecutors in 2007 for involvement in manslaughter. But a judge ordered their release, citing a lack of direct evidence. Her body was never found. Beth Holloway said in a statement, she would be 36 years old now. It has been a very long and painful journey, but the persistence of many is going to pay off. Together, we are finally getting justice for Natalee.
After the U.S. legal proceedings conclude, van der Sloot will be sent back to Peru according to a statement from Peru's judiciary, to a Peruvian prison where he is serving time for the murder of 21-year-old Stephanie Flores. She was murdered five years after Holloway's disappearance. CNN was allowed exclusive access to van der Sloot's cell shortly after his arrest. And in 2012, he was sentenced to 28 years in prison for that murder.
CASAREZ (on camera): The attorney for Joran van der Sloot, Maximo Altez, is telling CNN that he is going to fight this extradition request that was ordered by Peru's Supreme Court. He believes the charges are just too old to have it be valid. Of course, there is an extradition treaty between the United States and Peru signed in 2001. Jean Casarez, CNN, New York.
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VAUSE: In Germany, a 57-year-old man suspected of setting off the explosion in an apartment in a high-rise building in the western German town of Ratingen has been arrested.
[01:55:00]
A local official tells CNN affiliate, NTV, the German special forces found the dead body of a woman after storming an apartment to arrest the man on Thursday. 12 police officers and firefighters were injured in the blast.
The mayor of Milan, Italy says, an explosion and fire are not a terror attack. It happened, Thursday, damaged 10 cars, five scooters, forced the evacuation of 50 people from the area. It's believed that a truck driver carrying oxygen cylinders might have actually caused the explosion. The fire then spread to some cars and nearby buildings. The driver suffered burns but authorities say his injuries are not life- threatening.
The price of many goods have gone up over the past year and pasta is no exception. In Italy, the governor held talks to say to look into why there's a surge in prices for pasta. Prices were up 17 and a half percent in March over the same time last year. This is more than double Italy's consumer inflation rate of just over eight percent. One restaurant owner explains the difficulty in running a business and serving customers.
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MATTIA MOLITERNI, CO-OWNER AND GENERAL MANAGER, ROSCIOLI: Struggling, even if -- actually everything has increased in Italy. Let's say, after immediately after COVID, we were greatly affected by the increase of the -- in logistic expenses, then progressively in raw materials, and lastly with the war in Ukraine. There was an impressive increase in the cost of energy and consequently in raw materials. So, pasta increased again.
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VAUSE: While a spokesperson for Italy's minister of enterprise says, the high prices should only be temporary. Now, here's some important fact, the average Italian eats about 23 kilograms, or 51 pounds of pasta each year.
Well, the lineup is in. And we now know which 26 acts will be representing their nations in the Eurovision song contests grand final this weekend. English city, Liverpool, is hosting this time around on behalf of last year's winner, Ukraine. Enthusiastic pop music fans have already gathered for the semifinals are now waiting for the big event on Saturday, which can be viewed around the world. The quirky competition has a star-studded legacy. At the same time, pops (ph) biggest names to the stage, including Swedish quartet, ABBA.
Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause. "CNN Newsroom" continues after the break with Kim Brunhuber. Have a great weekend. See you right back here next week. Bye.
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