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Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Will Join NATO; Palestinian Leader Abbas Visits Jenin Camp After Israeli Raid; Russian Commander Killed While Jogging May Have Been Tracked On Strava App; Six Killed In Banned Kenya Protests; Thailand's Parliament Is About To Pick A New Prime Minister; Interview with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg; Wife of Huw Edwards Confirms He is Suspended Anchor; No Deal Between Actors Union and Studios as Strike Looms; Meet the Whale Guardians; Taylor Swift Takes Back Her Music with Re-Recorded Albums. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired July 13, 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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[01:00:26]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up here on CNN, no specific timeline for NATO membership. Instead, Ukraine get security commitments and promises of unwavering support, enough it seems for a grateful Ukrainian president.
Better late than never. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas makes a rare visit to the Jenin refugee camp more than a week after a deadly raid by the Israeli military. And why did Zayn Malik leave one of One Direction at the very height of the band success? Tell us later this hour.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: Thanks for joining us here for CNN Newsroom. We begin in the capital of Lithuania, when NATO leaders have ended a two day summit with offers of security guarantees and promises of unwavering support for Ukraine, but still no hard timeline for membership of the Alliance.
But it was enough it seems for the Ukrainian president who arrived angry and disappointed but leaves apparently satisfied, saying the summit was a meaningful success, removing any doubt about Ukraine's future in the NATO alliance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): For the first time during our independence, we have established a foundation of security on our path to NATO. These are specific security guarantees confirmed by the top seven democracies in the world. We have never had such security framework before at the level of the G7.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: U.S. President Joe Biden left to Summit for Finland, the final stop on his overseas trip. CNN's Alex Marquardt has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): President Joe Biden delivering a rallying cry for Ukraine now almost 17 months into its war with Russia.
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Our commitment to Ukraine will not weaken. We will stand for liberty and freedom today, tomorrow, and for as long as it takes.
MARQUARDT: The speech in Lithuania's capital Vilnius coming at the end of a dramatic and sometimes heated two days of discussions over Ukraine's future within the NATO alliance.
BIDEN: It's going to happen, we're moving in the right direction. And think it's just a matter of getting by the next few months here.
MARQUARDT: Presidents Biden and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, all praise and thanks closing out the NATO Summit despite Ukraine coming away without the biggest ticket item it had hoped for a concrete path to NATO membership.
Zelenskyy had come into the summit blasting the lack of a membership timeline as unprecedented and absurd. On Wednesday, he took a softer tone, arguing the summit was a success because of the firm promise of an eventual invitation and security guarantees in the meantime.
ZELENSKYY: The outcome of the NATO summit in Vilnius either were in much needed and meaningful success for Ukraine. And I'm grateful to all leaders in NATO, Congress for very practical and presented its support.
MARQUARDT: While the U.S. and others argue that NATO membership for Ukraine is impossible, while a war is raging, the White House advertised a major announcement of long term pledges from G7 countries, including more security aid, economic support, help with recovering from the Russian onslaught and with democratic reforms.
JAKE SULLIVAN, WHITE HOSUE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: It has made substantial progress along the reform path. And there are more steps to take. So what the Alliance said with one voice last night was we look forward to a future with Ukraine and NATO. We will work with Ukraine along the pathway to NATO. But we are not prepared to invite Ukraine today.
MARQUARDT: In the short term, a slew of countries promised hundreds more millions of dollars in weapons, long range missiles from France, more Patriot missile launchers from Germany and armored vehicles from Australia and Great Britain among many other items.
Ukraine also celebrated a so called F-16 coalition of 11 NATO countries with pilot training beginning as soon as August hoping to have us made F-16 fighter jets in the skies by early next year. There no country has yet pledged to the aircraft. JENS STOLTENGERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: We need to keep up and further expand our support to help Ukraine liberate its land and deter future Russian aggression.
MARQUARDT: The war taking no pause as the leaders met Ukrainian authorities 18 people including six children were injured Wednesday in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia by an unidentified hostile aerial object.
[01:05:09]
While earlier in the day, training and air defenses repelled Russian bombardment on the Capitol Kyiv for the second night in a row.
MARQUARDT (on camera): As Russia continues to carry out attacks, or at least tries to all across Ukraine. The Kremlin responded angrily to what Ukraine got at the NATO summit, namely those long term security guarantees, saying that they could mean an encroachment on Russian security and lead to what they called extremely dangerous consequences. Alex Marquardt, CNN, Luvnik (ph), Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: CNN's Nic Robertson following developments joins us live again from London. Nic, thanks for coming back. I want you to listen to a little more from the U.S. president. He's talking about his Lewinsky's point of view has changed and why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: The one thing Zelenskyy understands now is that whether or not he's in NATO now is not irrelevant as long as he has the commitments that you remember my talking about saying retreat it like guarantees security, along with a number of other NATO countries that relate to how we deal with, for example, alternative, so he's not concerned about that now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: You know, so is that really sort of day title agreement here? Or is this just wallpaper over the cracks? In a relationship between Biden and Zelenskyy, which has been contentious at times? And are these security commitments essentially, based on trust me?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, I mean, there must be a sense of frustration, right with Zelenskyy towards President Biden, because the U.S. has been viewed as one of those that sort of been the slowest to move in terms of getting the heavy weaponry that Ukraine wants, and it wants the attackers it wants, the longer -- that's the longer range version of the multiple barrel rocket launcher, the HIMARS, that would be hugely useful. Instead, it's getting cruise missiles from the UK, from France. But cruise missiles are easier to intercept.
There are targets that the attackers would hit. The United States is not willing to give those. Ultimately the U.S. needs to sign off on the F-16 fighter jets, the training is going ahead. But has President Biden actually signed off on those aircraft ago, all of these would be sort of underlying frustrations.
And you know, Zelenskyy gets that. NATO is a very step by step process. And what we've as Zelenskyy steps ahead of NATO. Think of the tanks that was the U.K. that that decided to give tanks first a Challenger, two tanks, and then Germany came along but that by -- but Germany did that, because it managed to convince the United States by them to give Abrams tanks.
So, you know, the U.S. has a track record here that Zelenskyy will not be favorable of but recognizes and the tactics that he uses, seems to be -- it seems so far to be the ones that are working, which is be those steps ahead, be bellicose, but make up and talk a good game afterwards. And that kind of feels like where we're at.
VAUSE: I guess Zelenskyy has got this sort of I guess publicly he's on the same page as Biden. But for many Ukrainians who touched on this last hour, you know, they -- they're still angry his part of an open forum with the U.S. national security adviser. He's taking questions from the audience, listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DARLA KALENIUK, EXEC. DIRECTOR, ANTI-CORRUPTION ACTION CENTER IN UKRAIINE: What should I tell my son that President Biden and NATO didn't invite Ukraine to NATO because he's afraid of Russia, afraid of Russia losing afraid of Ukraine winning.
SULLIVAN: Some of what you said in your remarks about motives, I think, was entirely unfounded and unjustified. The president said quite simply, that he's not prepared to have Ukraine in NATO now, because it would mean that the United States and NATO would be at war with Russia now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: I guess that explains why NATO membership today is not on the table does not explain why a timeline to that membership has been left hanging. And that seems to be much harder argument for the US to make here. A lot harder argument for many Ukrainians to understand.
ROBERTSON: Sure. And then there will be that concern that a change in U.S. leadership, for example, at presidential next year could bring a different view on whether or not Ukraine should become a member of NATO. There's a concern that somehow Ukraine might get forced into a series of negotiations, peace negotiations with Russia, even though they haven't been able to push Russia entirely off their territory.
And part of the -- what would be dangled as a positive for Ukraine would be to agree to lesser terms and they want for admission or some type of path towards NATO. And I think the Zelenskyy is trying to sort of head that off, but there's a real bitter pill here for Ukraine, and that is, this summit was a NATO summit. It wasn't a Ukraine Summit. It wasn't a NATO-Ukraine Summit. It was a NATO summit.
[01:10:00]
Yes, there was a -- an inaugural NATO-Ukraine council that was upgraded from a committee. Yes, hugely important. And what that can do is very valuable for Ukraine. And the reason I say the bitter pill is this was a NATO summit because it was all about NATO unity. All of this is about NATO unity. And that's what President Biden, I think, is keen on keeping up the most not just NATO unity, but trying not to get too out of step with, let's say, China, let's say what's known as the global south.
So for Ukraine, that's a bitter pill to swallow. But NATO unity comes first. But guess what, that NATO unity that standing together and looking across the borders President Biden is and will be today in Helsinki, Russia right next door, again, is that Russia is cracking. Russia doesn't have the unity. Prigozhin had a mutiny. Another very senior Russian general appears to have been fired overnight by the defense minister in Moscow. So NATO unity, Moscow, Russia cracks.
VAUSE: Nic Robertson, great to have you with us. Great risk to your circadian rhythms at this time of day. Thank you. Good to see, mate. At least one person has been killed others injured in a third night of Russia drone attacks on Ukraine's capital Kyiv. Falling debris from intercepted drones was not only deadly, but also set an apartment complex on fire.
Meanwhile, in the East Ukraine's military is claiming progress the Bakhmut, advancing on the southern flank of the Russian occupied city. Ukraine's defense ministry also reports defense lines have held during Russian assaults along the front lines in the Donetsk region.
To the south, Ukrainian forces have stepped up missile and long range artillery attacks on Russian command hubs and ammunition depots pressing their offensive to reclaim Melitopol and Berdyans'k.
Russia's Investigative Committee has released video purporting to show the moment just before a former submarine commander was shot and killed earlier this week in southern Russia. CNN cannot independently verify the video but has Geolocator the footage to a park where Ukraine says the shooting took place. His death is one of several mysteries surrounding senior figures linked to Russian. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voiceover): For Russian generals, a home once so distant from the front is no longer safe. Here, former Russian submarine commander Stanislav Rzhitsky runs his usual route at the usual time, but with a new, unnoticed companion on a bicycle.
Moments later, he was gunned down. Ukrainian Defense Intelligence said they had nothing to do with it. But they knew a lot about it, saying he had been shot seven times with a Makarov pistol and heavy rain meant no witnesses.
Rzhitsky commanded a Russian submarine accused of many attacks on civilians Ukraine also said although his family reportedly denied that. Ukraine added later perhaps sarcastically that he had been killed by his own men who refused to kill Ukrainian civilians.
Russia was quick to respond with their own propaganda, claiming to have captured the gunman within hours, video we can't verify but it was a crude bid to show they are in control of the fate of their top brass after now weeks of chaos.
Russian media said the killing hinged on a clumsy detail that Rzhitsky had made his daily run public on the running app Strava which has a long history of accidentally exposing the location of people who don't want to be found revealing U.S. military bases in Syria and Yemen five years ago.
There are the dead and also the missing. News Wednesday to about this key Putin Lieutenant Sergei Surovikin vanished since he appeared early in the armed Wagner rebellion to plead for it to stop.
A top Russian lawmaker claimed he was quote resting whatever that means.
Yet more mystery adding to the bigger one where is Russia's most prominent military figure? Wagner rebellion leader Yevgeny Prigozhin not seen since the weekend revolt despite Kremlin claims he met with Putin days later and pledged a sudden reversal and continued allegiance. Dead jogging or still missing, a turbulent time in the top brass. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas made a rare visit Wednesday to the West Bank city of Jenin, his first in more than a decade. The 87-year-old was mobbed by crowds as he made his way to the entrance of the Jenin refugee camp. But Israel recently conducted two deadly incursions.
Abbas laid flat I was at the graves of the Palestinians who were killed during that raid he did not go inside the camp but called its resistance to Israeli forces heroic.
[01:15:10]
MAHMOUD ABBAS, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT (through translator): The renovation of the camp must begin immediately returning it as it was before and better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Israel's two-day incursions into the jean camp last week left at least 12 Palestinians dead. Israel says it wanted to clear out terrorists and the terrorist infrastructure they claimed was there. Some residents criticized the buses visit questioning why he and the Palestinian Authority were not there to protect them during the Israeli raid.
Kenya CNN affiliate Citizen TV reports at least five people have died during protests against government plans to increase taxes, which comes at a time when many families are struggling with sky high prices for almost everything. CNN's Stephanie Busari has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN SENIOR EDITOR, AFRICA (on camera): More protests over an unpopular plant tax hike have rocked Kenya with clashes between security forces and citizens reported Wednesday.
These protests broke out across the country, including the capital Nairobi, where one opposition leader Opiyo Wandayi told CNN he was present when police forcibly dispersed protesters using water cannons and tear gas.
Wandayi also told CNN that some protesters were killed on Wednesday, while CNN affiliate Citizen TV also reported that at least five people died around the country. CNN has not confirmed these numbers and has contacted Kenyan police for comment on the allegations.
The nationwide protests have been in part driven by opposition leader Raila Odinga who lost the election in August last year. He believes that election was stolen and a citizen led civil disobedience protests against his political rival.
President Ruto says he understands the heights of painful however, he believes they will create jobs and reduce public borrowing. However, a Kenyan court temporarily halted the implementation. But Ruto's administration has gone ahead to increase tax on petrol driving up transport costs and the cost of daily staples.
Many Kenyans are angered and as the country is grappling with high inflation and a mounting cost of living. Many say they simply are struggling to make ends meet. Stephanie Busari, CNN, Lagos.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Coming up here on CNN, home to the flooded rivers burst their banks after days of heavy rain in northern India, many trying to escape with whatever they can whatever they can carry.
Also had mystery sold. The BBC presenter who was suddenly suspended this week has now been identified by his wife. Latest on what we know when we return.
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[01:20:10]
VAUSE: For the first time in nine years a new prime minister will take office in Thailand without a military coup. By now, parliament is deciding who that will be. The Leader of the Opposition Move Forward Party is seen as a front runner for the military back establishment was trounced at the ballot box at recent elections. But he is facing an uphill battle to win over enough lawmakers to get the votes.
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout following all this live from Hong Kong with more. So, you know, none of this is actually a shoo in because there's a lot of variables at play here, right?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. Now, the outcome is still very much uncertain. We know that Parliamentary Debate is underway. The vote will begin a few hours from now, and the candidate must receive at least 376 votes to win. The process is ongoing is transparent. As you can see there in your screen has been broadcast live by a parliament TV in Thailand.
Earlier this week, we heard from the Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan- o-cha. He was the one who took power nine years ago in a coup. He is not seeking reelection, he will retire from politics. He was back in May when his party was defeated by the opposition in a general election. So that's why all eyes are on Pita, the leader of the progressive Move Forward Party. Pita Limjaroenrat
He is the 42-year-old graduate of Harvard, the former executive of the Super App Grab. But to become Premier, he needs to grab around 60 more votes from rival parties from conservative senators and that is going to be really tough given his party stance on the monarchy on less measures stay on military reform.
Now the party tells CNN that they are confident that Pita will be able to secure enough votes. But he faces another potential setback which could be the fact that he could be disqualified as a lawmaker over a media shareholding issue.
A Thai Constitutional Court will be reviewing that case next week. And if Pita fails than another party in the coalition, this is pure Thai will nominate, excuse me, its own candidate. After a prime minister is elected, a government can be formed likely in early August. If no candidate wins a majority, then more candidates can be nominated on and on and it keeps the lawmakers will keep holding votes until a majority is reached.
But since 1932, it's important to point out Thailand has seen a dozen successful coos take place including two in the past 17 years. So John, what's happening now today's election is a critical moment for the future of democracy in Thailand. Back to you.
VAUSE: Kristie, thank you. Again, Kristie Lu Stout keeping a close eye on what's happening there in Mekong, appreciate you. Thank you.
LU STOUT: Thank you.
VAUSE: In northern India, at least 67 people have died from flash floods and landslides in the past week. And one of Delhi's biggest rivers has now recorded its highest level in years, and many in desperate need of help so government services have been AWOL. CNN's Vedika Sud has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER (on camera): Heavy rains have brought deadly floods to Northern India triggering landslides and flash floods. Here in Delhi, the government is monitoring the Yamuna River that overflowed over the weekend. ARVIND KEJRIWAL, DELHI CHIEF MINISTER (through translator): If your homes are in low lying areas, please vacate them.
SUD: I'm standing on an overbridge here by the banks of the River Yamuna that has crossed the danger level mark on Monday and on Wednesday, it has surpassed the highest level it's ever been at in over four decades.
What I can show you from here is people being evacuated from the banks of the Yamuna. Out there you can see a cart with two people navigating to the high levels of water, bringing their belongings back to the banks of this river.
There's total panic and chaos here hundreds of being evacuated at this point. And the worry is that all their belongings cannot be brought with them here to safer ground.
Around me, you can see beds. You can see their belongings. You can see gas stoves. You can see people walking away from the low lying areas.
MOR KALI, DELHI RESIDENT (through translator): My fields are down by the river. The floods have destroyed all our vegetables. We've lost everything.
SUD: About 50 meters from the Yamuna River, hundreds have moved under this flight over. This is all for the next few days with very little to go back to.
SAT PAL, DELHI RESIDENT (through translator): There was no help from the Delhi government. We waited through waist deep water to save our lives. We've never seen the Yamuna River rise so high.
SUD: According to the Delhi government, it's just not the incessant rainfall over the weekend that has led to the rising levels of the Yamuna.
[01:25:00]
It's also the release of volumes of water from a garage in the neighboring state of Haryana. Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: The world's oceans are changing color. Scientists say climate change is likely responsible. Researchers say 20 years of satellite images. They now say more than half of the world's oceans have changed color to a degree which cannot be explained by natural causes. So the water is suddenly getting greener in tropical regions.
Greener means more photo plankton, which supports animal life or blue seas mean less life. Scientists say they still don't know exactly what the changes mean. But they say imbalances like this could have far reaching consequences.
Still to come, could private equity have a Taylor Swift problem? How the superstar and her hugely successful recordings could disrupt private investment companies buying up music catalogs.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN Newsroom. At the close of the two-day NATO Summit Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance is more united than ever. He insisted Ukraine's future is in NATO, but also says he understands the frustration of Ukraine's President Oh, not being admitted immediately. All of her having a timeline for admittance. The NATO chief spoke with CNN's Melissa Bell.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STOLTENBERG: I fully understand that President Zelenskyy is asking for as much as possible and therefore also glad that he actually at this summit also welcomed the decisions you made on sustaining and stepping out support.
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT One of the latest evolutions are the cluster munitions. Of course, the Washington has now pledged. We've just heard President Zelenskyy thanking President Biden for what Oleksii Reznikov described as potentially a game changer over the course of the next few months.
The fact of the use of the or the delivery rather of such controversial munitions that divide NATO members itself. Is that not the ultimate proof that this strategy of waiting rather than anticipating the needs going in harder Foster has ultimately failed?
STOLTENBERG: Well, what I've seen is that Ukraine, despite the prediction, so most experts actually have been able to push back the Russian forces in the beginning and most experts believe that Ukraine, we're going to use this word.
And of course, it's first and foremost the courage, the bravery of Ukrainian armed forces and the political leadership and presents themselves but of course, without the enormous support, not least from the United States and the U.S. the leadership and mobilizing support from NATO allies to Ukraine, they would not have been able to achieve what they have achieved.
[01:30:08]
BELL: On that question of American support, we have been hearing from Jake Sullivan speaking to reporters over the last couple of days suggesting that the American taxpayer has borne an enormous proportion of this effort so far, and wondering perhaps if it is not time the other NATO allies step up further?
STOLTENBERG: But European allies and Canada have also stepped up. They are providing support of tens of billions of U.S. dollars, big announcements just during this summit. So they provide a lot of military support, but also they have received millions of refugees and are providing a lot of economic and humanitarian support so actually the burden sharing within North America and Europe is not so bad, especially if you look at the big picture including also economic support on top of the military sport.
BELL: This is a war that is costing the alliance, its members huge amounts, not just depleted stocks of their own in terms of ammunition and weaponry, but also there are also the difficulties that you face which is holding that steadfast and expensive and politically costly unity together.
How much longer can NATO do it?
STOLTENBERG: The reality is that NATO is more united now than for many, many years because we face the threat of the consequences of Russia's brutal invasion on Ukraine. That has united the alliance, it has made us even more determined, and we see that in many ways.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Well, turning to the U.K. now, the wife of BBC anchor Huw Edwards has confirmed that Edwards is the BBC presenter who was suspended earlier this week following allegations of payments for sexually explicit images.
Her statement made on behalf of Edwards was released just moments after the London Metropolitan Police said Wednesday there was no information to indicate that any criminal offense had been committed.
These developments are the latest in a week of British media frenzy as CNN's Scott McLean reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The British Broadcasting Corporation has been covering the news for more than a century, but lately, it is the news. On Friday, "The Sun" newspaper printed anonymous allegations accusing an unnamed, but well-known male BBC presenter of paying a young person for explicit images.
The BBC reported that they had suspended the presenter, and the U.K. known for its sensational tabloid culture was thrown into a frenzy of speculation over his identity.
Several well-known BBC faces were quick to distance themselves online and even on air.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is his decision, but he needs to come forward now.
MCLEAN: Alongside questions of who came questions about what, with the young person at the center of the controversy themselves even disputing the allegations made by their mother to the son.
The BBC referred the complaint which it originally received back in May to the London Metropolitan Police.
TIM DAVIE, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, BBC It is a very difficult complex situation, and we are trying to calmly, and judiciously navigate our way through quite difficult circumstances, where as I said, you have to balance (INAUDIBLE) fair issues, previous privacy issues.
MCLEAN: On Wednesday, the Met declared there was no information to indicate that a criminal offense had been committed, the second police force to draw the same conclusion.
Shortly after the wife of Huw Edwards, one of Britain's most famous and one of the BBC's highest paid journalists made a statement on his behalf, confirming the accusations were made about him and asking for privacy, writing, "I am doing this primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children. Huw is suffering from serious mental health issues.
The event over the last few days have greatly worsened matters, he has suffered another serious episode and is now receiving inpatient hospital care where he'll stay for the 0foreseeable future. Once well enough to do so, he intends to respond to the stories that have been published."
Edwards has been open about mental health struggles in the past, saying at one point things got so bad he could not get out of bed.
In the meantime the BBC now says it will continue its internal investigation. Other less serious allegations have been made against Edwards. Police say they are aware, but haven't received specific information, and that there is no police action on them at this time.
Questions about the BBC's handling of the complaints will surely not fade from the front pages anytime soon, now neither will questions about the veracity of the original reporting in "The Sun" newspaper.
Scott McLean, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:34:58]
VAUSE: Hollywood is less than 90 minutes away from what would be a crippling double strike, the first in more than 60 years with the Screen Actors Guild expected to join the Writers Guild of America which walked off the job more than two months ago.
SAG-AFRA, the union representing 160,000 actors, performers and other artists has already voted to strike if a deal with the major studios and streaming services is not reached by midnight, Los Angels.
SAG demands are mostly the same as the writers -- better pay, residuals, benefits, also addressing concerns over artificial intelligence. But a strike by actors would bring many Hollywood A- lister's into the mix, giving it much more firepower, and among those A-list actors, Barbie and Ken.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARGOT ROBBIE, ACTOR: Yes, absolutely. No, I'm very much in support of all the unions, and I'm a part of SAG, so I would absolutely stand by that. RYAN GOSLING, ACTOR: I would support the actors union. Yes.
GRETA GERWIG, DIRECTOR: I love the unions, they have always protected all of the artists I know, and I really want them to stand strong and win their fight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: CNN media critic Brian Lowry joins us now from Los Angeles, good to see you, thanks for being here.
BRIAN LOWRY, CNN MEDIA CRITIC: Thank you.
VAUSE: So speaking of A-listers, they don't get much more A-lister than Matt Damon. Here he is at the London premiere a few hours ago of "Oppenheimer".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT DAMON, ACTOR: Has to be a fair deal. We have to get what we are worth. And there is money being made and it needs to be allocated in a way that takes care of people who are on the margins.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: A fair deal for all, like the million dollars a line Damon was paid to make the last "Jason Bourne" movie, $16 million. To his credit, you know, he has voted to be part of the strike but here's the thing.
There is a lot of money being made at the very top of this industry by movie stars and studio executives and CEOs, and there seem to be less and less and everyone else. And that seems to be at a very heart of this issue for both the actors and to the writers.
LOWRY: Well, that is exactly right. I mean a lot of the people, you know, this is -- we tend to focus on the movie stars, because obviously they get the attention but, you know as you mentioned, there are thousands of people in these guilds and most of them live job to job and show to show.
And for them, the residuals in some of these issues at the heart of what they are negotiating for are very significant. And, you know, there is a sense in Hollywood that you are always basically renegotiating what happened before.
And the last time this contract came up in 2020, we had the pandemic, everything was disrupted. There's been some pent-up hostility that I think you are seeing come out in the guild negotiations where people really feel that the studios are not sharing information with them, are not being open with them about what they are making or not making on their streaming services and they want to make sure that they are not cut out of that supply chain.
VAUSE: As far as what (INAUDIBLE) sort of going back and forth over, here is actress Zoe Saldana, who sort of explains what is happening here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZOE SALDANA, ACTOR: As the business keeps evolving and technology keeps being created, and technology is used to -- in forms of creating IP and entertainment and content, I do believe that our policies need to evolve as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: But the policies have evolved in the past, this is not new. Before streaming, there were DVDs and home videos. Before that there was cable and pay television, which changed the business model somewhat. But you know, there was always these residuals in place, so that the work that the studios capital (ph) goes on, you know, the profits from that was shared with those who did the actual work in the first place.
Why is it so hard to strike a deal this time?
LOWRY: Well, I think one of the big issues, I mean first off that she knows whereof she speaks. She was a nine foot tall blue alien in the last movie she made, you know. So you are seeing what technology has done to the business. And technology has remade it in a number of different ways.
One of the things actors are concerned about is A.I., and other forms of digitization, you know, replacing them. But I think the real problem is the lack of transparency from studios about what their streaming numbers, how the model works, what the revenues are from that. And it has basically reshaped business in ways that are leaving the other participants in the business largely in the dark about how much the shows they are working on are worth. And therefore whether they are getting a fair share of that.
VAUSE: So this actors strike goes ahead, how long can the studios play hard ball? You know, one thing if -- we had the writers for a while well, the actors is a whole different kettle of fish. There's only so much reality TV that can replaced scripted programming at the end of the day.
[01:40:01]
LOWRY: Well I mean one thing about the streaming model is, you know, there is a lot on your streaming service. Like most people, you subscribe to a few streaming services and you have not watched yet.
So for a while maybe a short while, but nobody knows how long, people will say well maybe I'll go back and binge "Breaking Bad". I never got around to that.
But yes, I mean this business is driven by new heart shows, and you need actors out there as the face of those shows promoting them.
So the writers create one problem, and as you mentioned the actors create an entirely different problem because they not only bring production to a screeching halt, and things are produced far and ahead, so you won't see the effects of that right away, but what you would see right away is they won't be out there promoting their productions. And that is the real problem. That brings the whole ecosystem of marketing this industry to a halt.
VAUSE: Brian, thank you for being with us. Appreciate your time. Good to see you.
LOWRY: Thank you.
VAUSE: Coming up on CNN, how a former U.S. Tennis pro is helping to protect the world's great whale from their biggest threat.
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VAUSE: Welcome back.
Whales are crucial to a healthy ocean and a livable planet, and scientists have discovered they're actually ecosystem engineers, providing nutrients to photo plankton which can help sustain fish stocks.
That nutrient enriched photo plankton also absorbs large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere, produces at least half of the oxygen we breathe.
So today on "Call to Earth", we'll meet a team of whale guardians helping to protect many of these endangered species from one of their biggest threats.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It has been a quiet day on the Sea of Cortez and for conservation biologist Michael Fishbach (ph) and Delphi Waters (ph), that means frustration.
DELPHI WATERS, CO-FOUNDER, WHALE GUARDIANS: It has been a bit challenging to be honest.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They have spent hours on this little research boat hoping to get up close and personal with the largest animal ever to exist -- the blue whale.
Also on board are well-renowned nature photographers Christina Mitzmeier (ph) and Paul Nickland (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just hear a blow hole here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard a blow.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fishbach, a former U.S. tennis pro has been coming here for 29 years and is unwilling to accept defeat.
MICHAEL FISHBACH, CO-FOUNDER, WHALE GUARDIANS: Sometimes, you're in a situation like we're in right now and something unbelievable happens because you hung in there. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's something coming.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is he coming to us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. It's coming.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh look.
[01:44:59]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right here. Right here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow. The size of this animal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But this is no sight seeing trip. Each winter Michael and Delphi spend at least two months here, capturing photo IDs of whales' dorsal fins, which they used to mount critical feeding and breathing habitats.
And as cofounders of the program Whale Guardians, the father-daughter ultimately aim to protect great whales from their biggest threats.
WATERS: Preventing ships (INAUDIBLE) on whales especially for the larger whales, is critical to their conservation, because it is the leading cause of death for many of these species.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whale Guardians work directly with the maritime industry to mitigate unintended collisions.
WATERS: So really, the only way that we have found with the technology and everything we have at our disposable in this day and age, is to separate the shipping routes from the whale habitat.
FISHBACH: It turns out that the shipping industry actually had never been really very well educated about the ship strike issue. So I started going around, and giving them three hour presentations on what the heck was actually going on. And what did I discover? To my great surprise, they cared.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fleets that have volunteered to take part are giving maps and rerouting documents to help them steer around migrating and breeding pods.
WATERS: Which means that every one of those vessels has the opportunity when deemed safe to avoid this whale habitat, where otherwise they would have no idea that they are going through critical whale habitat. And, we have seen an amazingly heartwarming response from the industry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So far, Whale Guardians has successfully partnered with industry organizations in Chile, Brazil, Mexico, Greece, and Belgium.
WATERS: We are already saving whale lives every single day, and that is our main goal. That is our number one.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But they say there is still plenty of work to be done.
FISHBACH: We have a minimum of 400 to 500 locations in the world that need fixing.
WATHERS: We are building a global community. That is geared towards the maritime industry. But, we want to offer solutions for everyone to be able to get involved, and save whale lives, and feel like they're making an actual difference.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Let us know what you are doing to answer the call with hashtag Call to Earth.
You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'll be right back.
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VAUSE: Singer Zayn Malik is opening up about his life in his first interview in more than five years. The former One Direction member now lives in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania, where he co-parents his daughter with former partner and model Gigi Hadid.
[01:49:56]
VAUSE: Malik rose to boy band fame after placing third in the U.K. version of the X-Factor. He famously left the group in 2015, now saying it was a rare moment of confidence.
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ZAYN MALIK, FORMER MEMBER OF ONE DIRECTION: I completely, selfishly wanted to be the first person to go and make my own record and (INAUDIBLE) see what it feels like. I'm going to jump the gun here for the first time, I'm passing through but when it comes to my music and my business I'm serious about it. And I'm competitive. So I wanted to be the first to go and do my own thing. That was the reason.
And then there was obviously underlying issues like within our friendships too we've been together every day for five years, and we got sick of each other, if I'm being completely honest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The group went on hiatus just a month after Malik's departure. He says it has been a very different experience on stage all by himself.
(MUSIC)
VAUSE: That is Taylor Swift in her first big hit "Love Story" the 2008 original, and the 2021 re-recorded version. Swift has re-recorded and released three of her first six albums, the most recent "Speak Now" came out less than a week ago.
The first two re-recorded albums have been huge hits, far more popular than the originals. The motivation for Swift has been widely reported, a private equity firm ended up with the recording rights to the first six albums after a contentious $300 million deal, which led to an acrimonious falling out with her manager at the time.
Lesser known artists have tried this as well, recently (INAUDIBLE) and Phantom Planet re-recorded their earlier hits without the Taylor Swift-like success.
But with private equity funds buying up entire catalogs, especially when the artist is still relatively young and well-known like 28-year- old Justin Bieber, paid $200 million in February this year for all of his work before 2021, it raises questions about the long term value of that investment if for example Bieber was legally allowed to pull a Swifty, and record his earlier work.
Well, for more we are joined now by Dan Primack business editor at Axios and author of the Daily Pro Rata newsletter. Dan, thanks for being with us. We appreciate your time.
DAN PRIMACK, BUSINESS EDITOR, AXIOS: Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: Ok, so with regard to the Bieber deal which I just mentioned, is it known if there is a clause in that deal preventing the re- recording of his earlier work, and in the bigger picture here, have those legal provisions ever actually really been tested in court? How rock-solid are they?
Primack: We don't know the exact specifics of the Bieber deal in terms of whether there is a non re-record in there. Bieber's deal is kind of unusual because some of the rights of some of the masters actually remain with a recording contract. This is different for example than the Taylor Swift one. And it is also worth noting, often when artist record music for their record levels in the first place, regardless of private equity buying them later, there is kind of a grace period usually 10 to 12 years that the artist can't re-record any way, which is arguably the reason why we have seen Swift even record these albums gradually instead of, you know, putting all six out on day one. She's kind of waiting until she's able to.
In terms of the legality, the non re-record should be legal, they haven't been challenged in court. But when those are inserted as a clause there's no reason right now to think they wouldn't be upheld.
VAUSE: Ok. So there are two very broad categories when it comes to music rights. So explain what they are and how they end up being owned in certain instances by separate entities?
PRIMACK: Well, in short, there's publishing -- what they call publishing right and recording rights. So for publishing rights, think of that as the actual songs themselves, the lyrics, the instrumentation, the titles -- things like that. The recording is the stuff you hear. It is the original recording, the first time, the actual song was released by the artist, by the label.
And usually those are owned probably both by the label at the beginning, but sometimes they get split up. And for example one of the things with Taylor Swift, is Taylor Swift has owned her publishing rights kind forever. It's been the recording rights she has not though.
VAUSE: So, Jennifer Jenkins who is a professor at Duke, who specializes in intellectual property rights, she tells CNN, the scale of this issue is minimized by how few artists are actually in Swift's position where there's both private equity firm that has purchased the original masters, and an artist who has the wherewithal to make re- recordings that outperform those originals.
So while Taylor Swift may be a force unto herself at the moment, is that changing especially when you see, you know, increasing number of investment funds buying up entire music catalogs? Are we still heading in that uncharted territory here in a way?
PRIMACK: I mean look, Swift is -- unicorn, right. In terms of her marking ability, kind of in terms of her animosity towards the way that deal went down, and kind of her impetus for wanting to do this.
[01:54:51]
PRIMACK: Also it is worth noting Taylor Swift kind of came of age in the digital era. So for her it is a little bit easier. It's still hard to re-record music and make it sound like the original, but it is a little easier for her than it would say be for an artist in the 70s or the 80s or even the early 90s.
One of the kind of the bigger differences here is that most of those other artists, you talked about Justin Bieber but Springsteen, Bob Dylan and others, they're usually the one actually doing the sale. So they are in the room, they're in the board room, they're signing the agreement. Swift was different, she did not.
VAUSE: So I guess the question here now is will there be an impact from what Taylor Swift has been doing on future deals being struck (ph) by private equity firms? Do they change the way they do business, do some of these catalogs not become maybe as valuable if there is this possibility that the artist could actually re-record their original work?
PRIMACK: I mean the main thing we are seeing is not (INAUDIBLE) conditions on re-recording being established and put into these deals particularly if it's again usually it is the artist signing these over, and they are putting non re-records into those deals.
But in general if they are not there yet, it certainly impacts the value. I will say in the case of Swift, so swift's portfolio or catalog has been sold twice. One to somebody named Scooter Braun kind of backed by private equity, and then Scooter sold it to another private equity firm called Shamrock Capital (INAUDIBLE). You know, Shamrock does not like to talk about the Taylor Swift stuff but even though her new stuff is outperforming the old stuff right now, I think Shamrock is still pretty happy with its investment.
VAUSE: Yes, she is certainly the biggest act in the world right now and carries a lot of weight when she does. She is a hard act to follow in many ways.
Dan, thank you for being with us. Appreciate your time.
PRIMACK: Thank you.
VAUSE: Fire has destroyed one of the most famous works by 90-year-old Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto (ph). Early Wednesday in Naples a giant oversized version of the Venus of the rags (ph) went up in flames, and was a total loss.
But, the mayor of Naples says a fund-raiser is underway to try and rebuild the piece. And 32-year-old man has been arrested and charged on suspicion of arson and destruction of cultural property. Pistoletto first made the Venus of the Rags in 1967. He recreated on a monumental scale for this exhibit in Naples. Several versions though remain on display in museums and galleries around the world.
Well, the incredible James Webb space telescope has been wowing astronomers ever since NASA released the first images one year ago. And to mark that anniversary the U.S. space agency unveiled this spectacular new image of the cosmos. The dark areas are where new stars are being born -- a star is born. While the lighter areas are the early stages of evolving solar systems. It is about 390 light years away making it as the closest star-forming region throughout planet earth.
One NASA researcher said the image brings new clarity in their quest to understand how stars and planets are born.
Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause.
CNN NEWSROOM continues with my friend and colleague Rosemary Church in just a moment.
I'll see you right back here tomorrow.
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