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Rescue Crews Search For Survivors After Russian Missile Attack On Kramatorsk Kills At Least Eight; Lukashenko Claimed He Convinced Putin Not To Destroy Wagner Group And Yevgeny Prigozhin; Lukashenko Says Prigozhin Is Now In Belarus; Former Wagner Commander Speaks About Rebellion; Trump Responds To 2021 Tape: "I Did Nothing Wrong"; Human Remains Identified As Julian Sands; Tom Cruise Returns In Mission: Impossible 7. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired June 28, 2023 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:32]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM. Restoring calm inside the Kremlin. President Putin thanks to security forces for stopping what he calls a civil war as he moves to reassert control just days after Wagner's march on Moscow.

Fleeing violence in Sudan. Over 100,000 children who have left the war-torn country now face new dangers and a desperate situation in Chad.

And Mission Impossible again for Tom Cruise. The actor hopes that new movie will be a major box office success this summer.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. Well, we begin in Ukraine where rescue teams are working tirelessly to find victims coordinate deadly missile strike and the eastern city of Kramatorsk. At least eight people were killed and dozens injured in the blast that hit a crowded downtown area. Some residents say the destruction is beyond comprehension.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I ran here after the explosion. I lease and run a cafe near here. Everything has been blown there. There is nothing, no windows, no doors. That's what I see. Destruction everywhere. It is fear, horror 21st century. I do not even know how to describe it. My son was killed in the war. And now this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: In his nightly address, President Zelenskyy noted the civilian attack comes one year after a similar strike in Kremenchuk which killed 22 people. It says Moscow needs to be held accountable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): Every such act of terror proves again and again to us and to the whole world that Russia deserves only one thing as a consequence of all that it has done, defeat into tribunal fair and lawful trials against old Russian murderers and terrorists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The president of Belarus is finally speaking out on his role in resolving the short-lived uprising in Russia. Alexander Lukashenko claims he stopped Russian President Vladimir Putin from destroying the Wagner Group and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. Lukashenko says Prigozhin is now in Belarus. For his part, Putin is praising Russian security forces for stopping a civil war. CNN's Chief International Security Correspondent Nick Paton Walsh reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): President Putin is used to conjuring his own reality on state T.V. But

it was not clear during an array of post-rebellion pomp on Tuesday who is left buying it. His top brass whose removal it was all about still remarkably there too. As Putin surreally thanked land forces who barely intervened as Wagner advanced on Moscow at the weekend for saving Russia.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA: You defended the constitution. You saved our people, our homeland, virtually, you stopped a civil war.

WALSH: And he bizarrely later told soldiers the Russian state him, in effect had paid a billion dollars to the rebellious Wagner Group as it fought in Ukraine over the past year.

PUTIN (through translator): I want everyone to know about this. The maintenance of the entire Wagner Group was fully provided for by the state. We fully funded this group from the Ministry of Defense and from the state budget.

WALSH (voiceover): It was a strange self-own, a bid to paint former confidant turned insurrectionist. Yevgeny Prigozhin last seen here in Rostov on Saturday as a corrupt profiteer.

But the new spin is too late as Prigozhin no longer the target of Russian prosecutors Tuesday appear to have fled to Belarus. According to its president, Alexander Lukashenko who relished in colorfully describing a starkly contrasting weekend to Putin, in which he persuaded Prigozhin in a phone call to stop his tanks moving on Putin. There was cursing.

[02:05:01] ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO, PRESIDENT OF BELARUS (through translator): Yevgeny was in complete euphoria. There were 10 times more expletives than normal words. I said Putin will not talk to us due to the situation. He was silent and then said, but we want justice and we'll go to Moscow. I said halfway you will be just crushed like a bug.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH (voiceover): Lukashenko said later Saturday, Prigozhin agreed to stop his advance in return for his offer of safety in Belarus, and added Wagner would be useful in Belarusian ranks. Putin's headache now slightly further away, but still pounding. A drama miles from the wars grind where Ukraine's president Zelenskyy has hailed advances in all directions, but where a breakthrough is lacking.

Russian troops targeted here outside Bakhmut usually don't have phones, and may not have learned yet of Wagner's revolt. What morale will be left to shatter when they do.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: CNN's Clare Sebastian is following developments for us. She joins us live from London. Good morning to you, Clare. So, you have guinea pig ocean is now reportedly in exile in Belarus. But what happens to all his Wagner fighters? Where are they right now? And what could this mean for Russian forces on the frontlines in Ukraine?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Rosemary, I think this is the big question is what if any kind of change there will be to the status of Wagner going forward? It's clear, I think that if and when it reemerges, it will look somewhat different. But we're getting some sort of mixed signals around this. On the one hand, a report on Tuesday that Wagner was getting ready to transfer its heavy weaponry back to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

That seems a pretty strong signal, if not a dissolution of the group of a significant downgrade in its status, but on the other hand, Russia has dropped the charges against Wagner over the mutiny. Prigozhin according to Lukashenko is now in Belarus that we have not seen actual evidence of that. We did though get some satellite images showing several planes linked to Wagner on the tarmac of an airbase near Minsk.

You can see them there. But of course, that does not tell us whether or not Prigozhin was on board those planes but according to Lukashenko he is now in Belarus. I think, as you say, the next big question is how many Wagner fighters could follow him there and what the situation for them could be when they arrived. There have been reports that Belarus is already setting up camps for these fighters. Have a listen to what the Belarusian President Lukashenko had to say in response to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LUKASHENKO (through translator): We are not building any camps yet. But if they want, I understand that they are considering some territories, we will accommodate them, set up tents, please. But for now, they're in Luhansk in their camps.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: So, a clear indication there that they are -- at least some of them still in Ukraine that is also backed up by intelligence from the U.S. Pentagon. So, what next Wagner 2.0 perhaps maybe a new unit of the Russian or Belarusian military. I think it's clear from President Putin's comments on Tuesday on the financing of Wagner coming in large part from the Russian state that it is not really correct to refer to them as a private military company.

So, that of course raises more questions about their status going forward. And meanwhile, this is being seen, certainly by countries on NATO's eastern flank the potential presence of Wagner fighters in Belarus as a new security threat that the Iranian President warning that this would create new instability for Belarus' neighbors on Tuesday. The U.S. though, say that as of now, it's not changing its forced posture because of this.

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Clare Sebastian joining us live from London. Joining me now, Sam Greene is a professor of Russian politics at King's College London. He's also the director of the Democratic Resilience Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis. Appreciate you being with us.

SAM GREENE, PROFESSOR OF RUSSIAN POLITICS, KING'S COLLEGE LONDON: Thank you.

CHURCH: So, Vladimir Putin is desperately trying to reassert control and repair the damage done to his leadership after Yevgeny Prigozhin challenged his authority by stating that short-lived rebellion. But how weakened is Putin by this and can he survive any future challenges to his authority?

GREENE: Well, look, you know, we have (INAUDIBLE) the demise of Putin on numerous occasions over the last 23 years. He has survived all of them, but he's survived them by changing the way he rules by adapting the system and it is a challenge each time. In this occasion, I think that the challenge is a bit greater than anything certainly he's faced before because it really cuts to the confidence of people in the system where his job, really, at the top of what is a very complex state, right, is to prevent these sorts of conflicts like we saw over the last, you know, several days to prevent them from emerging.

[02:10:03]

To prevent them from getting to the stage of violence that they have taken on recently. He was not able to do that in this case. He had to rely on Lukashenko to come in from the outside. And that will have a lot of Russia's rich and powerful wondering whether or not he really is the right man for the job. CHURCH: Right. You mentioned Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko. He isn't helping Putin's causes. He by claiming credit for saving the Russian president by stopping the Wagner mutiny with that deal to end the revolt. What does that signal to you? He appears to be flexing his muscles.

GREENE: Well, I mean, I think Lukashenko has a reputation for speaking off the cuff, and calling it as he sees it. He has been in this political game, in fact, much longer than Putin hats. But it really does, as you say, undercuts a lot of the message that Putin is trying to get across. Puttin is putting across this idea to the Russian public. And I think that the Russian elites as well that there was a consensus in Russia, right?

That security forces and ordinary citizens came together to stop this uprising and to restore law and order in Russia that, in fact, is not what appears to have happened. But it is the story that he needs Russians to believe if he's going to maintain his grip on things. And you're right. Lukashenko is not doing any favors in that regard.

CHURCH: And Prigozhin is now reportedly in exile in Belarus after his aborted mutiny. But how will he survive this in the days ahead do you think? Given we know how Putin deals with his enemies and those who betray him.

GREENE: Well, I mean, I think on some level, exile in Belarus is not the worst option of all the ones that were available to him as this mutiny took shape, or he could have ended up in prison or indeed dead. But it will not feel like a very safe place. Belarus is very permeable to the Russian security forces. And I think that's part of the reason why he's there and not somewhere further afield.

If he does get too far out of line they can get to him. But the -- are -- there are a series of issues with the Kremlin as well, which is essentially what to do with all of this machinery that Prigozhin has built. Both the military machinery and the propaganda, disinformation machinery that has been very, very useful to the Kremlin over the years and which they might not entirely want to lose access to. So, there is a balancing act here as well that the Kremlin is going to have to figure out.

CHURCH: All right. Thanks to Samuel Greene joining us there and sharing your analysis. Appreciate it.

Still to come. Hundreds of thousands have fled the violence in Sudan and now some of those refugees face new threats in neighboring Chad.

Plus, despite concerns about the integrity of the election, Sierra Leone's president is announced winner and quickly sworn in for a second term. We'll have details for you on the other side of the break.

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[02:15:19] CHURCH: Another ceasefire agreement between the two warring sides in Sudan seems to have been shattered. Activists and human rights groups reported truce violations Tuesday, after the paramilitary rapid support forces announced a one-day unilateral ceasefire. A pro- democracy activist group says despite declaring a truce, the RSF fighters terrorized some local businesses even beating the staff and civilians.

Another rights group reported renewed fighting in the states of South Darfur. The group says more than 20,000 families were displaced because of the hostilities.

While hundreds of thousands of Sudanese have been forced to flee their homes due to the violence. The U.N. Refugee Agency says that number is likely to surpass one million. The rainy season is making it harder for officials to reach refugees and move them away from the border into safer camps.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAOUF MAZOU, UNHCR ASSISTANT, HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR OPERATIONS: I think we are tragically on track. Meaning that we've actually had, we're talking about a million but talking about Chad, we've had to revise our figure. We're talking about 100,000 people in six months in Chad. And now the colleagues in chat have revised their figures to 245,000. Because unfortunately, looking at the trends we (INAUDIBLE) likely to go beyond one million.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: UNICEF says more than 100,000 children have fled Sudan and now face new dangers in neighboring Chad. Access to water, shelter, health and education is extremely limited. And communities are having to share very scarce resources.

Well, joining me now is Jack Boyer. He is the UNICEF representative in Chad. Thank you so much for being with us.

JACK BOYER, UNICEF REPRESENTATIVE, CHAD: My pleasure.

CHURCH: So, as this UNICEF report points out. More than 100,000 children who fled the 1conflict in Sudan now face these new dangers in Chad. How desperate is the humanitarian crisis there were essential services are already scarce?

BOYER: Yes, exactly. The situation of the children, the Sudanese children as well as the children from the Chaldean returnees that were living in Sudan is very serious. As you can imagine, these children, while they were still in Sudan faced a very strong trauma, seeing the family members being killed in front of them, having to walk or run from their villages to the -- to the border. And also, some of them were injured and needed immediate treatment.

Also, as far as the psychology of trauma is concerned, we are -- we are meeting children that were separated -- that are still separated from the families. Either they came with people they knew, like neighbors, or they came unaccompanied at all. So this is an additional trauma that they are facing.

CHURCH: And what are many of these refugees telling you about the violence they experienced in Sudan?

BOYER: The -- I mean, most of the -- of them are sharing very tragic experiences where they faced death of their family members, and these kids that are the most affected of their own parents, biological parents being killed in front of them. So, for instance, my colleagues were telling me that they met a lady, a woman, a mother of seven children, that were -- that was only able to escape with one of children.

And on the way to Chad they made five siblings that were -- without the parents, without any adults. And she decided to look after these five kids in addition to her own child and then across the border together and until now they're still together on the size that the government and UNHCR have put in place for Sudanese refugees.

[02:20:08]

CHURCH: Yes. Both heroic and heartbreaking that story. And you have said that you're running out of resources to provide assistance to children and families arriving in Chad. What do you need right now to help limit the effects of this humanitarian disaster?

BOYER: OK. We have estimated our needs at about $25 million and out of which we're able to mobilize so far 10 percent. So, we need more than 22 point $5.00 to provide investments to the to the -- to these children. With what we have got so far, we were able to put in place what we call child-friendly spaces. These are places where children can receive psychological support for recreational activities in order to adjust exteriorized of how they went through.

But also, it's a means for us to identify the separated and unaccompanied children. So far, we were able to identify a little less than 250 children that were either separated or unaccompanied. And for unaccompanied children in the most recent entry points for the refugees, which is a place of a town called Adre in Chad. We have put in place a space together with the support of the Red -- the Chilean Red Cross to where the -- these unaccompanied children are located.

And we are disseminating messages to the refugee community to the parents that are looking after the lost children to come to this place and see if the children are not -- in this place. And so far, we were able to reunite six children with their biological parents. So -- and we are -- we are hoping that in the coming days, we will be able to reunify or unite more kids with their own family.

So, that's for the -- for the -- that's for the protection part of. But of course, these children are in need of more support in terms of health, in terms of fight against severe acute malnutrition, and in terms of access to safe drinking water which is a huge problem, not only for the kids, but also for the adults that have crossed the border. And as you probably know, the school year will start in September and there will be huge needs in terms of education to bring these children back to school. CHURCH: Right. And hopefully, by shining a light on these needs that more support will come in. We thank you for your great work here. Jack Boyer, many thanks for joining us.

BOYER: Thank you.

CHURCH: Sierra Leone's President didn't waste any time. Maada Bio was sworn into a second term, just hours after the country's electoral authorities certified his victory at the polls. But his main opponent is rejecting the results. CNN's Stephanie Busari has more.

STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN SENIOR AFRICA EDITOR: Sierra Leone's President Maada Bio has been declared winner of the presidential elections. According to the Electoral Commission, he secured more than 56 percent of the vote, avoiding a runoff against his rival Samura Kamara. Just hours after the results were announced, Bio was already sworn in at the statehouse where he gave a speech, saying he was "extremely humbled and immensely thankful to the people of Sierra Leone."

However, Samura has rejected the results saying that they are not credible and that he would be challenging them. It was a fiercely contested election between the two men and international observers such as Carter Center reported that the tabulation process lacked "adequate levels of transparency." Carter Center observers also said they observed instances of broken seals and ballot boxes that were opened in some tiny centers.

The Electoral Commission described a weekend poll as relatively peaceful but acknowledged pockets of violence. And on Sunday, Kamara's APC party accused the country's security forces of laying siege to its head office in the capital Freetown and firing live rounds which Kamara described as an assassination attempt. Although the police denied firing live rounds. The votes on June 24 was a fifth since the end of Civil War in 2002 and was held amid high unemployment and inflation as well as growing divisions in the country.

[02:25:08]

President Bio made great inroads in his first term with a gender equality and education, but was marred by worsening hardship for its systems. Although he has promised to tackle these problems by feeding nation and creating a half a billion jobs for young people. Stephanie Busari, CNN, Lagos.

CHURCH: Still to come. A former Wagner commander is speaking out about the group's rebellion in Russia over the weekend. Why he says Yevgeny Prigozhin miscalculated. That's next.

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CHURCH: Back to our top story this hour. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday told Russian forces who faced Wagner's rebellion that they virtually stopped a civil war as he tried to reassert his authority after a weekend of chaos in the country.

Meanwhile, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko tried to claim credit for brokering an end to the rebellion, sharing the details with state media. Lukashenko says Prigozhin is now in Belarus as part of that deal, but he's denying the country is building camps for Wagner forces.

CNN's Melissa Bell spoke to a former Wagner commander who explains why he thinks the group's rebellion failed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Shadowy mercenaries and their enigmatic leader thrust into the sunlight with their charge towards Moscow. Ukraine will have been both Wagner's making and its undoing. Its men, inspiring a grudging respect even from their Ukrainian enemies. Its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin hailed a hero by Moscow until he became the enemy.

MARAT GABIDULLIN, FORMER WAGNER COMMANDER (through translator): He miscalculated. He made a mistake. Generally speaking, the system rejects rational thinking.

BELL (voiceover): A former Wagner commander himself, Marat Gabidullin says the Prigozhin's hubris was fueled by battlefield frustrations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry, bro.

BELL (voiceover): For months, the Wagner chief had railed against Russia's military leaders claiming they were starving the nurseries of much needed ammunition.

YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN, CHIEF, WAGNER GROUP (through translator): Do you think you can dispose of their lives. You think because you have warehouses full of ammunition that you have that right?

BELL (voiceover): Those powerless battlefield struggles a far cry from the bold insurrection that was to follow.

[02:30:05]

A fact not lost on the Wagner leader himself.

YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN, WAGNER CHIEF (through translator): If at the beginning of the Special Military Operation, the tasks were performed by a unit on the same skill level, level of morale and preparedness as the Wagner PMC. Perhaps, the Special Operation in Ukraine would have lasted a day.

BELL (voiceover): Unsurprisingly, the betrayal has been felt most killed by the man was directly threatened.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): The organizers of the rebellion, betraying their country. Their people also betrayed those who were drawn into the crime.

BELL (voiceover): Wagner is now infamous role in Ukraine, perhaps a thing of the past.

MARAT GABIDULLIN, FORMER WAGNER COMMANDER: Prigozhin completely fulfill his mission in Ukraine.

BELL (voiceover): The reasons for Putin's clemency not yet clear. But they may be linked to the philosophy at the heart of Wagner's operations, as Gabidullin told CNN last year.

GABIDULLIN: Russian peace was the American dollars.

BELL (voiceover): For years, Wagner has operated the Kremlin's shadow foreign policy, across the Middle East and Africa, and much closer to home.

GABIDULLIN (through translator): Putin sees Prigozhin as a really effective Commander. The more so that the successful functioning of the African project speaks in his favor.

BELL (voiceover): But it was in Prigozhin's strength that his danger lay as Vladimir Putin found over the weekend in the biggest challenge to his power in more than 20 years. Melissa Bell, CNN Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: The day after CNN obtained an audio recording of Donald Trump discussing classified documents. The former U.S. President insists he has done nothing wrong. That recording is a key piece of evidence in the U.S. Justice Department's indictment against Trump. In the past, he denied holding on to any secret documents after he left the office. He is not repeating those denials now, but he is calling the charges against him a hoax. Paula Reid has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): For the first time the public is hearing former President Trump in his own words, claiming to have secret documents months after leaving the White House.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: I have a big pile of papers, this thing just came up, look.

REID (voiceover): CNN exclusively obtained the bombshell recording of Trump seemingly rustling through paper. And showing off a secret military document, during an interview at his New Jersey Golf Club in the summer of 2021. His own staffers recording the conversation at his request. And still, he tells the room.

TRUMP: See, as President, I could have declassified it.

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Yes.

TRUMP: Now I can't, you know, but this is still a secret.

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Now, we have a problem.

TRUMP: Isn't that interesting?

REID (voiceover): And Trump giving Fox News this explanation Tuesday.

TRUMP: What did I say wrong of those recordings? I didn't even see the recording. All I know is I did nothing wrong. We had a lot of papers, a lot of papers stacked up.

REID (voiceover): In the recording, Trump refers to a classified proposed military attack plan against Iran.

TRUMP: These are the papers. This was done by the military given to me.

REID (voiceover): That line, "These are the papers." Coming to light for the first time.

JACK SMITH, SPECIAL COUNSEL OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE: We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone.

REID (voiceover): Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is prosecuting Trump in the classified documents and obstruction case, cited the tape in his indictment. But left out that key line and the section where Trump mocks former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server.

TRUMP: Look at this. You attack and --

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Hillary would print that out all the time, you know.

TRUMP: And She'd send it to Anthony Weiner.

REID (voiceover): The tone throughout is casual, even jovial when talking about National Defense secrets. Something that may not play well before a jury.

TRUMP: Isn't that amazing? This totally wins my case, you know.

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Mm-hmm.

TRUMP: Except it is like, highly confidential.

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Yes.

REID (voiceover): The tape ending with Trump ordering some sodas.

TRUMP: Now you believe me, right?

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: No, I believed you.

TRUMP: It's incredible, right?

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: No, they never met a war, they didn't want.

TRUMP: Hey, bring some -- bring some Cokes in please.

REID (voiceover): The Trump campaign says, the audio tape provides context proving once again, President Trump did nothing wrong at all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID (on camera): Trump's close aide and co-defendant in this case Walt Nauta was expected to be arraigned in Federal court in Miami Tuesday, but he didn't make it to the courthouse as a result of flight delays. The judge is going to have him back next week for his arraignment, but he still needs to find a Florida based attorney. Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.

CHURCH: Up next, Tom Cruise is back with another installment of Mission Impossible and the jaw dropping stunt that will shock moviegoers. The actor speaks with CNN, that's next.

[02:35:00]

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CHURCH: More than 80 million people from the U.S. Midwest to the East Coast under air quality alerts, as smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires sweeps across the border. Canadian officials say nationwide more than 200 wildfires are burning out of control right now. The fires have led to the highest emissions on record for the country. Across the border Chicago and Detroit had the worst air quality in the world throughout the day Tuesday, according to IQAir.

Officials are asking all residents, especially those with heart or lung conditions, older adults, pregnant people and children to avoid going outside and protect themselves from exposure. Officials are warning of reduced visibility and closing some public spaces. British actor Julian Sands has been confirmed dead after going missing while hiking in the mountains in Southern California back in January.

He was 65 years old, weather conditions had hindered search efforts in the weeks following his disappearance. But officials announced a renewed push to locate sounds earlier this month. And just last week, human remains were found in the area. Its family released a statement saying, "We continue to hold Julian in our hearts with bright memories of him as a wonderful father, husband explorer, lover of the natural world and the arts, and as an original and collaborative performer."

The trial of American actor Kevin Spacey on sexual assault charges is set to begin Wednesday in London. The 63-year-old is facing a dozen charges, which includes several counts of sexual assault and indecent assault. Prosecutors say these incidents occurred between 2001 and 2013. Spacey was charged in May 2022, with five counts against three of the alleged victims. Another seven charges against a fourth man were added last November. The two-time Oscar winner has pleaded not guilty and has denied any wrongdoing. The trial is expected to last up to four weeks.

Well, Tom Cruise's Top Gun Maverick nearly single handedly saved Hollywood when it was released post pandemic. It grossed about one and a half billion dollars worldwide. Now, Cruise is hoping for another big hit with the latest installment of his Mission Impossible franchise. The action superstar spoke with our Becky Anderson, at its Middle East premiere.

[02:40:00]

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN MANAGING DIRECTOR (voiceover): It's been hailed as one of the most dangerous stunts in cinematic history. Tom Cruise risking life and limb as Ethan Hunt to go bigger and bolder for the latest Mission Impossible film. Cruise, stopped down in Abu Dhabi this week for the Middle East premiere of the seventh installment, Dead Reckoning, Part One.

ANDERSON (on camera): Tom Cruise, you've just spent like an hour with the fans, which is in typical Tom Cruise fashion. Absolutely wonderful and they are in for such a treat when this movie launches, not least seeing you in your biggest stunt ever.

TOM CRUISE, ARTIST, ETHAN HUNT IN MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: Yes.

ANDERSON: If not one of the biggest cinematic stunts ever. Look me in the eye and tell me you weren't frightened out of your wits.

CRUISE: I can't. The difference is I just -- I just don't mind it. You know, I don't mind that feeling, I kind of liked that feeling. I like to see, like, you know, you prepare for something and you're like, what's going to happen? That's, I don't mind that feeling.

ANDERSON: Is there anything you wouldn't do?

CRUISE: I don't know -- I don't know. You know, there's a lot of things that I still want to do.

ANDERSON: How do you challenge yourself? I was talking to somebody before this interview, and they said, listen, he's unrivalled at this stage. Who challenges him? Who challenges you, Tom Cruise?

CRUISE: Yes, I'm always -- I'm always my whole life. I just want -- I strive for excellence. I'm always as I said, there's always another story to tell, there's always another mountain to climb. And I always feel like I can do it better.

ANDERSON (voiceover): The stunt, sure to have the audience on the edge of their seats, even shook up Cruise's longtime friend and the film's highly acclaimed director, Christopher McQuarrie.

CHRISTOPHER MCQUARRIE, FILM DIRECTOR, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: I don't have clear memories of it. Somebody was there recording it, and that ended up on the internet. So, now I know what I look like when I went -- it feels a lot different in my head than it actually looks from the outside. Apparently, I was pretty nervous.

ANDERSON: Is it true that it was the first scene that you shot just in case he didn't make it? MCQUARRIE: Not in case he didn't make it. We just like to get the big stuff out of the way. And most importantly, we'd like to know the kind of movie we're making around that stunt. So, having it out of the way is just a -- it's just a huge relief to focus on the stories.

ANDERSON: Ethan Hunt is this his swan song, sir?

CRUISE: We'll talk to you next summer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And thanks to Becky Anderson for that "Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One", hits theatres on July 10th, can't wait. Thanks for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church, "WORLD SPORT" is up next. Then I'll be back in 15 minutes with more CNN NEWSROOM. Do stick around.

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[02:45:00]

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