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CNN International: Police: Three Dead in Shooting & Stabbing Attack in Japan; Twitter Glitches Overshadow DeSantis Campaign Launch; Rwandan Genocide Suspect Captured after Decades on the Run; Why Tina Turner's Legacy Goes Beyond Music; U.N. Moves Refugees Further into Chad after Rockets hit Border. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired May 25, 2023 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Hello, and welcome to CNN "Newsroom", I'm Max Foster in London. Just ahead, a rare and deadly shooting and stabbing attack in central Japan. Three people are dead and the suspect is barricaded in a building where we live in Tokyo in just a moment for you.

In Bakhmut Ukraine, the Russian mercenary group Wagner says it's leaving the embattled city then handing it over to the Russian Military details just ahead. And be disputed the undisputed Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, Tina Turner dying at the age of 83. And look back at her extraordinary life and career that touched so many, right across the globe.

First, we're going to get a rare instance of deadly gun violence in Japan. Police say three people have been killed. That happened in Nakano city in central Japan. The dead include two police officers and a woman. Police say the gunman shot at officers as they responded to a call about a man stabbing a woman. Let's get the very latest of Marc Stewart in Tokyo to get the details, Marc.

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Max, it is just after 9 o'clock in the evening here in Tokyo. This is a story that's been unfolding for a good four hours or so. Again, three people are confirmed dead two of whom are police officers again police are confirming that to CNN.

A number of questions are lingering tonight that we are trying to answer as we speak one exactly. Where did this happen? Was it a home? Was it a business? This has been described as both a shooting and stabbing but we don't know the exact timeline of how that all played out.

At one point, there were reports that a manhunt was underway for a suspect a man wearing camouflage, wearing sunglasses, wearing a hat. That narrative seems to have changed according to local officials. There is someone believed to be barricaded inside some type of building in this general vicinity where this took place.

In fact, we are also getting some reports, recent reports of the sound of a gunshot exactly what that means. And if this is related, that still needs to be seen. We should point out that as you mentioned that gun violence in Japan is very rare in 2018. Nine reported gunshot deaths compared to more than 39,000 in the United States. Just to give you some perspective, gun ownership also in Japan is relatively --

FOSTER: We've lost Marc, there but as he was saying very rare to see this kind of violence in Japan, which is why it's shot the nation there and why we're covering it today. Now after a very rocky start, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has jumped into the U.S. Presidential race.

His announcement on Wednesday night on Twitter was marred by technical glitches and delays. The Governor put a positive spin on it though saying Twitter's infrastructure couldn't handle the overwhelming response when it did get up and running DeSantis struck a confident tone.

(BEGUN VIDEO CLIP)

RON DESANTIS, GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA: To voters who are participating in this primary process, my pledge to you is this. If you nominate me, you can set your clock to January 20, 2025 at high noon, because on the west side of the U.S. Capitol I will be taking the oath of office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: CNN's Steve Contorno joins us from Miami with the very latest on this. You've been following it very closely. This was the worst kept secret wasn't in American politics but what did you make of the launch?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: You're right, Max. We've known for months that Governor DeSantis is going to run for President he has been making movements toward this launch, really since he won re- election last November, which is why the way that this rolled out was particularly troubling for those who are his supporters.

He said that you know you could set your clock to him getting sworn in if you nominate him but you couldn't set your clock to his announcement because it was delayed by about 20 minutes he decided to make this announcement on Twitter with Elon Musk, which was an unconventional choice that you know could have potentially been a big positive gamble for them.

[08:05:00]

Instead, it was marred by these Technical difficulties and when he actually got into the meet of what he was saying and making his case for why voters should choose him in 2020, for over President Trump, he didn't really offer that kind of vision that you expect from candidates in these kinds of announcements.

Instead, it was a very dark message and focus on both what this country has looked like under President Joe Biden, but also what the GOP has looked like under Donald Trump. You know, he continues to talk about how it has been a party that has had so many losses over recent years, and trying to turn the page to something that can be more forceful in forcing a conservative agenda onto the American people.

So now he has to transition from last night's difficult launch to the campaign trail, which is really where we're going to get a sense of whether he has what it takes to challenge Former President Donald Trump for supremacy in the Republican Party that will begin on Tuesday, when he makes his first appearance in Iowa and then he will Barnstorm through all the early States in the days after that, Max.

FOSTER: In Miami, thank you a busy time for you, coming up. Fans around the world meanwhile, mourning the death of Tina Turner. The legendary rock and soul singer died on Wednesday at the age of 83. She passed away at our home near Zurich, Switzerland.

Turner, who was one of the most popular female artists of all time, had suffered several health issues in recent years. And in just a few minutes, we'll take a deeper look at her life her legacy, which goes well beyond music as well.

The Wagner Chief says his fighters are starting to pull out of Bakhmut the scene of the longest and bloodiest battle in Russia's 15 month war on Ukraine. For its part Ukraine says the mercenaries are being replaced on the outskirts of the besieged eastern city with regular Russian troops.

But as Wagner fighters remain inside Bakhmut itself, it comes as Russia launched a new wave of air raids across Ukraine using 36 Iranian drones. But President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says none of them reached their targets. CNN'S Fred Pleitgen joins me now in Kyiv. Bring it all together for us, Fred.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Are there, Max, that announcement by Yevgeny Prigozhin that as of today, apparently, Wagner is pulling out of Bakhmut. That of course, could be an extremely big deal because the battle for Bakhmut really has been the bloodiest and the most intense in Ukraine over the past couple of months.

It was really something that this continent that Europe and basically the world has not seen over the past several decades, the intensity of the brutality with which these two sides were going at one another there of course, Wagner, known for tactics that were brutal not only against the Ukrainians that they were fighting but also on their own fighters as well, in part using people that they recruited from prison, that other times, using people that they made run towards machine gun nests, barely any sort of protection.

So this morning, Yevgeny Prigozhin was pictured in Bakhmut, going through that town, going to his fighters, and telling them to essentially pack up their stuff, and that they were leaving now. He told them on this video that they were going to arrest, regroup and replenish and then await further orders. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN, WAGNER CHIEF: We are withdrawing the units from Bakhmut. It's 5 pm on May 25. By June 1, the main part will be relocated to the rear camps. We are transferring positions to the military, the MO positions, everything including dry rations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: That's Yevgeny Prigozhin there. We also got in touch with the Ukrainian Military as well, Max, with the Eastern command of the Ukrainian Military. And they say at this point in time, they cannot confirm that the Wagner private military company really is leaving Bakhmut, but one of the things they did tell us is that they intensity of attacks from the Russian side has a significantly decreased over the past couple of years.

So that could possibly be an indication that something like that might be in the works but they say it's simply too early to tell the Ukrainians of course for their part are saying that for them the battle for Bakhmut is by no means over and they plan to counter attack and already say that they are making some advances on the flanks on the outskirts of Bakhmut, Max.

FOSTER: OK, Fred Pleitgen in Kyiv, thank you. Justice will be done no matter how long it takes those words from the Chief Prosecutor of the U.N. tribunal after the arrest of a key suspect in the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Fulgence Kayishema was captured on Wednesday in South Africa after decades on the run. He's accused of orchestrating the killing of 2000 Tutsi refugees in the Catholic Church.

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CNN's David McKenzie joins us now live from Johannesburg, South Africa, visited the church this was a profound scar on that conflict and wider Africa.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Max. And certainly this was one of the most egregious moments in an awful 90 days in Rwanda in 1994, almost 30 years ago, where they people, many thousands of them sheltered in a church in Rwanda. This Fulgence Kayishema is now in custody.

He is accused and faces indictments of war crimes and genocide. They purchased gasoline, they torched the church. And when that didn't kill the people inside allegedly, he got the heavy machinery to collapse the church with the people inside. This was one of the last major figures in the Rwanda genocide that was being tracked for many years by a team of investigators.

There have been complaints over the years by the special tribunal that the South African government in particular was not cooperating in finding this man. But that has certainly changed. According to the Chief Prosecutor, I spoke to him a short time ago he said the South African government was instrumental over the last year.

In finding this man he was tracked to near Cape Town apparently working on a farm according to the Chief Prosecutor, he said, well, all the cases in the Rwandan genocide are egregious. In this case, it was not just a mastermind, but a mastermind and someone who physically did the killing that they have now called. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGE BRAMMERTZ, CHIEF PROSECUTOR OF IRMCT: This case, definitely symbolized also the brutality of what happened during 100 days in the wonder where thousands of people 10,000 of people who were teachers, police officer, normal citizens from one day to the next became mass murderers.

And he is definitely one among them and definitely one of the worst cases. So we are, of course, extremely satisfied that after this intensive work by our team, we got him arrested.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: He also gave a strong message, of course, he said, you know, those in law school are told that justice delayed is justice denied, but in the case of the worst crimes against humanity and genocide, without any statute of limitations, it is worth you said, tracking down these individuals, catching them and bringing them to justice, Max.

FOSTER: David McKenzie, thank you. Still to come, the Queen of rock 'n' roll, Tina Turner left an incredible musical legacy. After the break, we'll celebrate it and look at her impact which work goes well beyond music.

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FOSTER: For Tina Turner the path to global stardom was long and often painful and her legacy goes well beyond music.

[08:15:00]

When she was 17, she was recruited by musician Ike Turner to join his band as lead singer. Turner stated in her autobiography that she suffered physical abuse from him since the very beginning of their relationship until 1976, when she found the strength to leave him.

She then tried to establish herself as a solo artist. In 1994, at the age of 44, 1984, at the age of 44, her single, What's Love Got to Do with it broke all records. It became Turner's biggest selling single, and made her the oldest solo female artists to score a number one hit on Billboard's Hot 100.

Resilience in courage to speak out made her a heroine for people all around the world. In 1997, she spoke to CNN's Larry King.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: Going public with that story, was that difficult?

TINA TURNER, SWISS SINGER: Yes, because I had a lot of violence, houses burned cars shot into the lowest that you can think of in terms of violence. And I didn't know what would happen at that point because it had kind of died down and the divorce was final. And my life was a kind of getting back on the road. And I didn't know what would happen. I didn't know what kind of mess it would stir. So I had to really take a deep breath and make a decision. I felt somehow let getting it out. I guess it was instinct that I felt that getting it out would be not suppressing it anymore, letting the world really know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: When asked about her favorite song, she had the best answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TURNER: I think simply the best.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Joining me now Dhivya Kate Chetty, Director and Producer of the Documentary When Tina Turner Came to Britain, she joins me live from Liverpool. Thanks so much for joining me. I mean, the music and the performance skills, obviously speak for themselves. But she was much bigger than that, wasn't she because of this comeback in her 40s after what she went through?

DHIVYA KATE CHETTY, DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER OF "WHEN TINA TURNER CAME TO BRITAIN": Yes, absolutely. I mean, putting her enormous talent aside, I think it was absolutely the obstacles and the challenges that she faced as an older woman in the industry at the time. You know, she was perceived by the music industry, in the States, has been she was told in no uncertain terms that a black, older woman that she has been.

And there was no way back to a career for her. And she faced with ageism, sexism and racism, she overcame all those obstacles and made, such a comeback and thank goodness.

FOSTER: Are she driven by the trauma of her marriage, do you think?

CHETTY: I think I mean, I wouldn't, that's hard for me to see, I think that she absolutely hit rock bottom. I mean, she was absolutely penniless when she escaped, with only the clothes on her back. So she had hit absolute rock bottom, and I think that there was nowhere else to go.

And she was a determined, talented and very, very hard working woman. And so I suppose that must have shaped her and shaped to drive to work to perform to do her best.

FOSTER: We've got some live pictures of people lying flat flowers at our home. This was obviously in Switzerland. She was a truly global icon, wasn't she? What makes her the Queen of rock 'n' roll? Is it the sort of the songs that she chose to sing or her onstage skills?

CHETTY: I think it's all us that really, I think her star quality and as the Queen of rock it was about her versatility. She, kind of tore up genre, she straddled rock and soul R&B gospel. I think she took all of those different genres and was the most astounding storyteller within her voice. And I think when you combine the story of her survival, her great comeback, her immense talent as a singer, dancer, and performer.

[08:20:00]

I think all of that you know work together to make her the Queen of rock.

FOSTER: Do you think other survivors were inspired by her in the way that she did make a success of everything out of the marriage? But you know, against all odds, as you say in the music industry, which wasn't welcoming to people like her at the time?

CHETTY: I think that she greatly inspired people across the board, but survivors as well, I mean, I think I've seen she has documented her sales, the number in her autobiographies, the number of times that women had come to her and said, you know, you gave me the courage, you were an inspiration to me sorts of so definitely.

FOSTER: OK, Dhivya Kate Chetty, thank you very much for joining us, remembering that incredible life.

CHETTY: Thank you.

FOSTER: Still ahead, they are weary of war thousands of refugees flee Sudan. The innocent victims of a deadly power struggle between two generals their stories when we return.

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FOSTER: Fresh fighting erupted between two warring factions in Sudan as another ceasefire line is shattered. The U.N. says the fighting has displaced more than a million people internally, while more than 300,000 have fled the country mostly to Egypt and to Chad. CNN's Larry Madowo visited refugees in Chad.

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LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The kids cry constantly. The adults look weary of war. The paint faces here a reminder of the horrors that drove them out of Sudan. At this refugee camp across the border in Chad sadness, stocks, almost everyone as fighting intensified in Sudan's Western Darfur region they had to run or risk getting killed. Koubra Abdullah left so suddenly that her son got lost in the chaos.

KOUBRA ABDULLAH, SUDANESE REFUGEE IN CHAD (ph): My brother is still back there. I heard he was injured. I was forced to come to Chad to seek safety.

MADOWO (on camera): Would you go back to Sudan?

ABDULLAH: No, no. The only reason I will go back is to bring my child and my brother here. There has been too much insecurity for too long.

MADOWO (voice over): Because of decades of conflict in Sudan, many of these refugees had already been internally displaced several times. Mastiura Ishakh is 22 but hasn't known a permanent home for most of her life.

MASTIURA ISHAKH, SUDANESE REFUGEE IN CHAD (ph): I'm worried about all the people we left behind, especially my mother who could not cross the border. I keep asking myself how I can get to Chad.

MADOWO (on camera): I noticed that mostly women and children here where are the men from Sudan.

ISHAKH: The men told us to take the children and cross the border, so they can stay behind to defend themselves and our property if necessary.

MADOWO (voice over): The U.N.'s refugee agency says close to 90 percent of new arrivals in Chad from Sudan are women and children. Men are so traumatized that they will need a lot of support to heal.

MADOWO (on camera): We had expected to meet refugees as they arrived in the border town of Khartoum right across from Sudan. But just before we arrived, it was hit by rocket. That is where refugees are being moved away from border towns to places like this in Gaga.

MADOWO (voice over): CNN traveled with USAID Administrator Samantha Power to Eastern Chad.

[08:25:00]

The U.S. is giving more than $100 million to support the over 1 million people displaced by the war across Sudan and in neighboring countries.

SAMANTHA POWER, USAID ADMINISTRATOR: We met one woman whose I had been gouged basically with somebody just attacking her and she's seeking medical care here in Chad, horrific violence, which triggers for so many of these people also memories of previous horrific violence.

MADOWO (voice over): It's a full circle moment for her. She was in Chad in 2004 writing in The New Yorker about Sudanese civilians fleeing the Janjaweed militia in Darfur war.

POWER: You talk to them, you feel like you're in a time warp, because they're describing Janjaweed coming in with their knives and their machetes, killing people, raping women.

MADOWO (on camera): Is it surreal for you, being here, hearing these stories, when you heard them 20 years ago as a Reporter?

POWER: Well, I feel lucky this time at least to be working at USAID a big development humanitarian agency, at least there's something I can do. But fundamentally, there is no substitute for the root causes getting addressed for these two warring generals to put their own power grabs aside and put the interests of these people who are fleeing sometimes for the fifth time in their lives.

MADOWO (voice over): Chad, one of the world's poorest countries, had about 400,000 Sudanese refugees before this latest surge. PATRICE AHOUANSOU, DEPUTY REPRESENTATIVE OF UNHCR CHAD: We need to collectively you know, work with all the actors in support to the government of charge to ensure that, you know, resources are mobilized to address the urgent needs of the refugees.

MADOWO (voice over): These are the innocent victims of a deadly power struggle in Sudan, the poor and most vulnerable, have no way to go, just another chapter in a life of hardship. Larry Madowo, CNN, Gaga Chad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Thanks for joining me here on CNN "Newsroom", I'm Max Foster in London. "World Sport" with Patrick Snell is up next.

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