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Former Trump Employee Appears In Federal Court Today For Alleged Trump Mishandling Of Classified Documents; Heat Wave Continues To Sweep The U.S.; U.S. State Department Working To Free Kidnapped American Nurse Alix Dawsonville And Child in Haiti; Death Toll In Pakistan at 44; Russia Reports Latest Ukrainian Attack Within Its Borders This Week; Biden Administration Launches Website For New Income-Driven Student Loan Repayment Plan; Bay Area Man Faces Felony Murder Charge. Four Dead, Two Injured in Two Separate Aircraft Crashes Before A Major Air Show In Wisconsin; Political Crisis Grows in Niger. U.K. Government Ramps Up Measures To Deter Migrants Crossing From France; Rapper Kanye West's Account Reactivated On Social Network X. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired July 31, 2023 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM and I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead, a legal case involving former President Donald Trump is once again heading into court in the coming hours. Details on the Mar-a-Lago employee caught up in it and how Trump appears to be paying his legal fees. Some relief inside from the blistering heat wave baking much of the U.S. Still, tens of millions of people are under heat alerts. And dozens were killed and many more wounded after a suspected suicide bombing in Pakistan. We'll go live to Islamabad for the latest.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNNS NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: And thanks for joining us. A little known employee of Donald Trump will appear in federal court today as part of the criminal case against the former president and Republican candidate for his alleged mishandling of classified documents. Carlos de Oliveira is a property manager at Mar-a-Lago. He is charged with making false statements in a January interview with the FBI when he was asked about the movement of boxes at the Florida resort. He's also accused alongside Trump and aide Walt Nauta of trying to delete security footage at the resort. CNN spoke with a former Trump attorney who thinks prosecutors will have a hard time with that particular claim.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM PARLATORE, FORMER TRUMP ATTORNEY: So, here it's interesting because they just have a conversation that apparently wasn't recorded where he's saying the boss wants this deleted. If they don't really have much more than that, they may be have enough to charge Carlos with it. But quite frankly, if you charge Donald Trump every single time, one of his employees says, you know, the boss wanted something. Yeah, I think that it could go on forever because so many of them, you
know, just use that phrase. And so, they would have to actually make the connection that he actually communicated that to Carlos. I don't think that they're going to be able to sustain their burden as to others. Even if they do have that employee come in and say, yes, you know, Carlos said this to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Trump says it's all a part of efforts to thwart his political campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: The radical lunatic Democrats, they impeach me, they indict me, they rig our elections. And the Republicans just don't fight the way they're good people, but they don't fight the way they're supposed to fight. The others are dirty, sick players, and the Republicans are very high class. They've got to be a little bit lower class, I suspect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: He also took to social media Sunday to deny that security footage from Mar-a-Lago was deleted. But that's not the claim. Trump's accused of an attempt to delete the footage. Meantime, sources tell CNN that Trump is creating a fund to help pay his enormous legal bills. This amid reports that his political action committee, which raises most of its money through small donations, has spent more than $40 million legal fees for Trump and his associates alone.
A brutal heat wave sweeping the U.S. is set to continue this week. More than 140 heat records could be broken or tied as temperatures continue to climb across the country. On Sunday, parts of California, Louisiana and Georgia recorded record highs. CNN spoke with some people out and about here in Atlanta, Georgia about how they're planning to beat the heat.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNKNOWN: It's warm, it's fine. I think you can adapt to it if you just keep working through it.
UNKNOWN: If you're not used to the heat and stuff like this, I would suggest you don't necessarily come out and experience it because it is a lot. This heat's not much for me. Clearly, I love wearing, you know, long sleeves in the summer like this, but I will say for like dogs and stuff we have her packed. She's got booties, she's got her water and everything like that, so you do have to make sure you have stuff for your dogs and stuff.
UNKNOWN: You know, stay in light clothes and just drink a lot of water, stay hydrated.
UNKNOWN: Once you've been living in Atlanta for a long time, time you kind of just know how to handle it, you know how to embrace it a little bit like you're going to sweat, you're going to be a little bit uncomfortable and that's just part of living here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[03:05:00]
CHURCH: Over the next week nearly 60 million people could see temperatures soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The U.S. State Department says it's working to free kidnapped American nurse Alix Dawsonville and her child in Haiti. They were abducted on Thursday, according to the Christian Aid Organization, where she works. CNN's Athena Jones has the latest.
ATHENA JONES, CNN U.S. NATIONALCORRESPONDENT: Well, we know U.S. authorities are working closely with their Haitian counterparts and with U.S. government interagency partners to try to resolve this crisis, but there's also a lot of things we don't know. It's unclear right now who is responsible for this kidnapping or whether they've made any demands, whether for ransom or anything else.
El Roi Haiti, which is a humanitarian organization, the Christian humanitarian organization this nurse from New Hampshire was working for, put out a statement. Here's what they said in part. "Alix is a deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home, and the Haitian people, her friends and family. Alix has worked tirelessly as our school and community nurse to bring relief to those who are suffering, as she loves and serves the people of Haiti in the name of Jesus."
Now, El Roi has also said their highest priority is the safe return of this mother and her child, and they want to limit the amount of information they're sharing. We also heard from a State Department spokesperson saying that they have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas. But this kidnapping comes at a time of growing concerns about the worsening violence in Haiti. It was just two years ago this month that then President Jovenel Moise was assassinated by a gang, and there's been a power vacuum ever since, with some gangs taking control of various different swaths of the country.
The State Department has warned Americans not to travel to Haiti because of the frequency of kidnappings, crimes, civil unrest, and also the poor health infrastructure. And just last week, the State Department ordered all family members and non-emergency personnel of the embassy to leave the country immediately because it's so unsafe. This came after at least three days in a row of restrictions where embassy staffers and families were supposed to stay there on the embassy compound because things were so dangerous.
The U.N. Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, said during a recent visit to Haiti that Haitians are trapped in a living nightmare with humanitarian conditions that are beyond appalling. Guterres went on to say, we are calling for a robust security force deployed by member states to work hand in hand with the Haitian national police to defeat and dismantle the gangs and restore security across the country. But bottom line here, we're still awaiting more details of this scary and dangerous situation there in Haiti. Athena Jones, CNN, New York. CHURCH: And earlier, I spoke with Pierre Esperance, Executive Director of the National Human Rights Defense Network, about the situation in Haiti. He says the government needs to be doing more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PIERRE ESPERANCE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENSE NETWORK: What the government do to protect the population? Nothing. Nothing and the government abandoned the population. There are too many collisions, connections between the gangs and some authorities and also many police officers. That's why the gangs do whatever they want. They kidnap, kill people and then and then the police don't stop them. There is no way to fix the security situation in Haiti without to fix the political crisis because those who are in charge, in charge of the country who are in power, they support the gang, they are connected with the gang.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Our thanks to Pierre Esperance for his perspective there. Well, Pakistan is reeling from a deadly attack at a political rally. For more, we want to go to CNN Producer, Sophia Saifi, who joins us live from Islamabad in Pakistan. So, Sophia, what is the latest on this suicide bombing?
SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: Rosemary, we do know that the death toll is still at 44. Over 100 people have been injured, out of whom 17 people still remain in critical condition. Now, this is one of the deadliest attacks by militants in Pakistan this year. This happened in Bajaur, a region in Pakistan's northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bordering Afghanistan. And it targeted a political workers' rally of the party JUIF, the Jamaat-e-Islami Fuzzily (ph) group. This is a party that belongs to the coalition government, they're part of the PDM, that is currently in power. There's still been no claim of responsibility.
[03:10:00]
We do know by police officials that this was a suicide attack, that the attacker went close to the stage when political speeches and slogans were being called out and then detonated their explosives. Again, no claim of responsibility, but there is definitely a state of unease in the country at the moment. Rosemary.
CHURCH: And Sophia, what is the significance of the timing of this attack?
SAIFI: Now, Rosemary, here's the thing. This is an election year. At the end of October, early November, Pakistanis are going to go to the polls and the general election is going to take place. What we have seen sadly in previous election cycles is that there is always an increase in militant attacks, militant activity on the democratic process, on political parties. Back five years ago, in lead July, we'd seen an attack which had killed over a hundred people. The Islamic State had claimed responsibility for that. Now, the Islamic State has previously been targeting the JUI in the district of Bajaur, yet, however, we do not have a claim of responsibility. There has been a wide number of people condemning the attack, the Prime Minister, the Interior Minister. There is an investigation underway. But as of right now, no claim of responsibility. A heightened sense of insecurity in the country. There has been an increase in militant attacks in this country.
Since the beginning of the year, in January, we saw over 80 people being killed after an attack on a mosque. The Pakistani Taliban, the other predominant militant group in this country has denied responsibility for this attack. So again, we're going to have to wait to see how this day unfolds and whether there will be more from the investigation on from whichever militant group comes forward to claim responsibility. Rosemary.
CHURCH: Thanks to Sophia Saifi joining us live from Islamabad. Ukraine warns Russia that the war is returning to its doorstep. When we come back, details on the latest drone attacks reported on Russian soil.
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[03:15:00]
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CHURCH: A Russian official says Ukraine has launched a drone attack in the Bryansk region hitting a building of the district's Department of Internal Affairs. It is the latest Ukrainian attack that Russia has reported within its borders this week. And it happened hours after Ukraine announced it would soon begin talks with the U.S. to try to obtain security guarantees as it awaits NATO membership. Ukraine is also expected to attend an international summit in Saudi Arabia which will focus on a peace proposal to settle the war. But Russia will not be there.
CNN's Clare Sebastian joins us now. Good morning to you, Clare. So, another attack inside Russia, this time in the Bryansk region. What more are you learning about this?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Rosemary, this news this morning coming from the Russian governor of the Bryansk region, which I think we can show you a map, is just across Ukraine's northern border. The area in that region that we're talking about is actually on the border itself. This, if true
If true, and we haven't had anything from the Ukrainian side or seen any verifiable images or video of this yet, but it would be the third time in four days that Russia is blaming Ukraine for an attack on its soil. There was a missile that hit the Rostov region on Friday that Russia claims it shot down, but still 14 people were injured. On Sunday morning, the early hours of Sunday morning, Moscow, again targeted by drones, they were, Russia claims, also shot down, but led to damage in the Moscow city area, a business district in the west of Moscow high-rise buildings there damaged. You can see from those images, and it comes after we heard comments
from President Zelenskyy on Sunday saying, gradually, he said, the war is returning to the territory of Russia, and this is an inevitable natural and fair process. So, I think, look, again, nothing from Ukraine on this latest strike this morning in Bryansk, but it does speak to a strategy, not only given that we've seen also attacks in the Crimean Peninsula, an effort to hit behind enemy lines, but also, I think, more significantly here, a real, concerted effort to bring the war to the Russian people to make it impossible for them to ignore it. Rosemary.
CHURCH: And Clare, what is the latest on Ukraine's planned negotiations to gain U.S. security guarantees? And of course, what are you learning about the upcoming peace talks in Saudi Arabia?
SEBASTIAN: Yes, so on the security guarantees, this comes from the head of Zelenskyy's office and the Yermak who said over the weekend that talks would begin this week with the U.S., Ukraine's biggest backer on security guarantees really picking up where they left off at the NATO summit, where of course we saw the declaration from the G7 that there would be bilateral security arrangements provided to Ukraine, really designed as a sort of stopgap to provide that kind of security they need without NATO membership.
So, we're talking sort of long-term development of the military, the resilience of the economy, reconstruction, things like that, and I think as well, a commitment potentially to keeping up the sanctions on Russia. And so, separately, we are also hearing that Ukraine is planning to hold what they're calling peace talks in Saudi Arabia. The Wall Street Journal says it'll be this coming weekend.
But this is a process by which Ukraine is trying to sort of rally international support around President Zelenskyy's 10-point peace plan, bring in more backers for that plan. The talks are set to include developing countries such as India and Brazil. So, it doesn't include Moscow. These are not peace negotiations, but again, an attempt to rally global support to really get the international community behind Ukraine's agenda for peace. Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right, our thanks to Clare Sebastian joining us live from London. Appreciate it. Well, as Clare mentioned, President Zelenskyy says war is gradually returning to Russia and that strikes on its territory are quote, "inevitable".
[03:20:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Now, this after the Kremlin accused Ukraine of launching that drone attack in Moscow on Sunday. Russia says it intercepted three unmanned vehicles but as you see in the video at least one of them crashed into a business center. It happened days after Russia warned that it reserves the right to take tough measures in response to attacks in its territory including this one in the southwest.
And earlier I spoke with retired Australian Army Major General Mick Ryan, a former commander at the Australian Defense College and I asked him whether these recent attacks in Russia could be a winning strategy for Ukraine. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICK RYAN, RETIRED MAJOR GENERAL, AUSTRALIAN ARMY: It's part of Ukraine striking back at Russia and there's a political imperative for President Zelenskyy to strike back after these terrible Russian strikes at Odessa, at historical, cultural, and grain export sites. But also, there's an information imperative that Ukraine wants to bring the war home to the Russian people and say, this isn't a special military operation restricted to Ukraine. This is a war which you are a part of.
CHURCH: So, how do you expect Russia will respond militarily to these attacks on its soil?
RYAN: Well, I think we'll see Russia respond again with more drone and missile attacks, but that's pretty much par for the course for the Russians in this war. I'll continue doing that and I'll continue making accusations that this counteroffensive that the Ukrainians are undertaking to take back their territory is preventing peace overtures from Russia. CHURCH: And what impact might these Ukrainian attacks on Russia have
on some Western nations that are currently sending military assistance to Ukraine?
RYAN: Well, throughout the war, Ukrainians have gradually expanded their reach in this kind of strikes. We saw them on the Engels Air Force Base, we've seen strikes on Sevastopol and now three attacks on Moscow. At this point in time, I don't perceive that Western countries are nervous about this. These are very targeted strikes. They're not killing Russian civilians. But certainly, some may be looking at this as a reason potentially not to give Ukraine ATACMS. If that's the case, that would be a tragedy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And still to come, a new plan from the Biden administration for student loan relief after the Supreme Court struck down his earlier effort. We'll have the details next. Plus, a horrifying incident in California where a man stabs a woman to death and then posts her final moments on Facebook. We'll have details of the charges he's facing.
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[03:25:00]
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CHURCH: Biden administration officials tell CNN they have now launched a website for a new Income-Driven Student Loan Repayment Plan. It will allow borrowers to begin submitting applications for the program. Federal student loan payments are set to resume in October. CNN's Arlette Saenz has more details now from Delaware.
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The Biden administration is taking some new steps to offer relief to some student loan borrowers with some borrowers potentially seeing their payments go as little as zero dollars per month. Now, this was rolled out by the Department of Education in a beta website opening up applications during a test period for the latest version of the Income-Driven Student Loan Repayment Plan that the administration is calling the Safe Plan.
Now, this would apply to those who have federal student loans. Private student loans are not part of this and it applies to current loan holders, as well as future borrowers, as well. This plan would be based on your income and family size and the Department of Education is estimating that one million borrowers could potentially see their payments go to $0 per month. This will be based on discretionary income so that money that you have after paying your taxes and also other living expenses. And individuals who are making $32,805 or less in families of four making $67,500, they would see their monthly payments wiped down to zero.
Another interesting component of this plan is that as you are paying off the student debt, the interest would no longer accrue on those federal loans. Now others, when this plan goes into full effect next summer, they can see their payments cut in half and ultimately could have them all forgiven if they make their payments on time for 10 years. So, this is the latest effort from the Biden administration to try to offer relief to student loan borrowers after the Supreme Court had struck down President Biden's Student Loan Forgiveness Plan.
Now, there have been Income Driven Repayment Plans in the past going back decades, and officials that I spoke with believe that they do have the legal standing, the legal grounds for this type of program because Congress has given them authority to build these income-based repayment plans. So ultimately, they do not think that there will be a successful legal challenge since they hadn't seen those with this plan in the past. Arlette Saenz, CNN traveling with the President in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
CHURCH: In Arkansas, a judge has temporarily blocked a state law that would have held librarians and bookstores criminally liable for providing minors with materials deemed harmful. That move came just days before the law was to take effect and weeks after a group of libraries, librarians, bookstores and publishing groups filed a lawsuit arguing that a section of the law violated the First Amendment.
They also argued the law could lead to the removal of young adult and general collections with sexual content. Republican Governor Sarah Sanders signed the law in March. Her communications director says she continues to support the law despite the ruling, which is subject to appeal.
A Bay Area man is facing a murder charge after he allegedly stabbed a woman to death and then posted a video of the killing on Facebook. CNN's Camila Bernal has more. CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Thirty-nine-year old Mark
Mechikoff is now facing a felony murder charge after police say he filmed himself stabbing a woman and then posted that video on Facebook. Police saying he filmed her last moments. Now, this all started on Wednesday when the Nye County Sheriff's Department in Nevada actually called the San Mateo Police Department saying that they received a call from a woman saying she watched the stabbing on Facebook.
That woman was able to provide a name and a phone number, and that information led authorities to an apartment complex.
They say it was actually a large building, so it took them about three hours as they went door to door trying to find the suspect or the victim in this case. Unfortunately, they found that woman that had been killed, and authorities say that the two did have a connection, but so far they do not know what the exact motive was in this case.
Now, he was arraigned on Friday and assigned a public defender. We have not been able to locate that public defender, and it is also important to point out that we reached out to Meta to ask exactly why that video was on there, how long it took or how long it was posted on the website before they took it down. We have not received a response from the company, but of course, it is a horrific crime where we're still asking for those questions and still trying to figure out why he did this.
Authorities asking for surveillance video from the area if anyone saw anything because they are trying to piece together exactly what happened in this case. Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.
CHURCH: Two separate aircraft crashes before a major air show in Wisconsin have left four people dead and two injured. The first happened early Saturday when a vintage military training craft crashed into Lake Winnebago in the city of Oshkosh. Authorities say the plane went down quickly from around 3000 feet. The two people on board were found dead. Hours later, two others died in a mid-air collision between a helicopter and a gyrocopter. Two people injured in that incident are in stable condition.
And in New Hampshire, a beach full of people watched as a small plane towing an advertising banner crashed into the ocean. Video shows the aircraft hitting the water nose first and flipping upside down, not far from swimmers in Hampton Beach. Lifeguards rescued the pilot, who was not seriously injured. The plane had to be towed out of the water. Federal authorities say they will investigate the cause of the crash.
And coming up, the political crisis is growing in Niger. Thousands of protesters are turning out in support of the military coup, while regional leaders are issuing sanctions and threatening force. We'll have the latest in a live report.
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[03:35:00]
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CHURCH: Sanctions, threats, chaos, confrontation, and diplomacy all coming to bear Sunday in the political crisis in Niger. The President of Chad traveled to Niger's capital hoping to find a political solution. And this image of him sitting with the country's ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum, may be the first public picture of Bazoum since he was deposed in a military coup on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, thousands took to the streets to express support for the coup leaders. Niger is a former French colony and some of the most tense demonstrations were held outside the French embassy. Protesters damaged the building, chanted against colonialism and waved Russian flags.
In neighboring Nigeria, regional economic leaders hit Niger with a host of sanctions and threatened to use force if the coup leaders don't restore the elected president within a week. And CNN's Larry Madowo is monitoring this crisis from his vantage point in Nairobi. He joins us now. So, Larry, what is the latest on this political crisis in Niger?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, the African Union worrying that if nothing is done, this risks destabilizing the entire region. Niger has been a key standpoint and a key point for the security strategy in the Sahel for the African Union, for ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States, for the U.S., for France, for everybody that wants Mali and Burkina Faso and Chad and everyone in that neighborhood to be a bit more safe. And with this destabilization, it risks some contingents across the region.
There is a lot of support for the military, for the army that deposed President Mohamed Bazoum. Many people are tired of France, they're tired of Western influence, they're tired of international condemnation and they feel that they have their best bets with the military.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MADOWO (voice-over): Angry Nigerians smashing windows of the French embassy in the capital, Niamey. Thousands of people outraged at the country's former colonial power a day after its suspended aid and financial support for Niger, with the media defect. Down with France, some said, condemning French support for ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
Unable to get into the heavily protected compound, a window is set on fire and a French flag trashed, a common sight since Wednesday's military coup. Security forces eventually deployed tear gas to disperse the protesters. France warned it would retaliate immediately and in a strict manner in case of any attacks against its embassy, nationals, army or diplomats, the Lize Pell (ph) is saying on Sunday, adding that President Emmanuel Macron will not tolerate any attack against France and its interests.
The military junta that ousted the West African country's democratically elected president keen to show France and the world that it has the backing of the public.
UNKNOWN (through translator): We also came out to tell this little Macron from France that Niger belongs to us. It's up to us to do what we want with Niger. What we want. We deal with who we want and how we want. We reaffirm our support for the army.
MADOWO (voice-over): A sea of people outside Niger's parliament denouncing France and some raising Russian flags. As anti-French sentiment has grown in the country, many have warmed up to Russia. Long live Putin and long live Russia, the protesters say, demanding that foreign armies leave the country. France has about 1500 troops in Niger, a key ally in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel. The U.S. has about 1000 troops in the country involved in counterterrorism operations.
IBRAHIM, RETAILER: As citizens of Niger, we are against French bases, American bases, Canadian bases, Italian bases, all the bases that are in Niger.
[03:40:00]
We don't need them.
MADOWO (voice-over): The head of the presidential guard, General Abdourahamane Tiani, deposed his boss and declared himself Niger's new leader on Friday, saying he would suspend the constitution and rule with the so-called National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland.
ZEINABOU BOUKARI, PROTESTER (through translator): They're really brave, and I support them 100 percent. We've really suffered a lot. We've suffered a lot because they are our children. A lot of blood has been shed in Niger. We want peace. We want peace.
MADOWO (voice-over): In neighboring Nigeria, an emergency summit of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS. Regional leaders announced sanctions including closing borders, a travel ban, a no-fly zone, freezing assets and a deadline. ECOWAS has given the Niger junta one week to reinstate President Bazoum or threatened to take all measures to restore his government.
OMAR ALIEU TOURAY: In the event the authorities' demands are not met within one week, take all measures necessary to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger. Such measures may include the use of force. To this effect, the Chiefs of Defense, Staff of ECOWAS, are to meet immediately.
MADOWO (voice-over): But many protesters on the streets don't want any ECOWAS military intervention or involvement. And the military junta says it's ready.
AMADOU ABDRAMANE, COLONEL-MAJOR, NIGER MILITARY JUNTA CNSP (through translator): We once again remind ECOWAS and those who wish to adventure in this of our firm determination to defend our country.
(END VIDEOTAPE) MADOWO (on-camera): The transitional president of Niger's neighbor, Chad, Mohammed Idriss Debi, went to Niamey and met with the leader of the Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, that is General Abdourahamane Tiani, who deposed his boss. And then he also met with the President Mohamed Bazoum. This is the first time we've seen President Mohamed Bazoum in public. At the meeting with the General Tiani, who is now claiming to be the leader of Niger, is the one that was covered by state television. We want to show you some video from that. President Deby says that they had in-depth discussions about the best way to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict, but no concrete outcome out of that. He was sent there by President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, who is the current Chairperson of ECOWAS, the Economic Committee of West African States. So, there is still no white smoke out of that mediation effort led by President Deby. Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right. Thanks to Larry Madowo bringing that story from his vantage point there in Nairobi. Appreciate it. Palestinian authority President Mahmoud Abbas says a meeting of 14 Palestinian factions was a first step to end division and to achieve national unity. His comments came Sunday during talks between rival factions in Egypt at a time when violence between Israel and Palestinians has surged. The talks followed a meeting between Abbas and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh last week where the two leaders agreed to find ways to end internal division.
And still to come, a live report on new surveillance technology used by the U.K. to monitor migrants crossing the English Channel. We'll have that on the other side of the break. Stay with us.
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[03:45:00]
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CHURCH: In the U.K., the government is ramping up measures to deter migrants crossing the channel from France. A controversial new law has been passed that will include criminalizing anyone who seeks asylum this way. To aid this, the country has invested millions in high-tech surveillance to spot small boats. But despite this, a CNN investigation found no evidence it was used during the deadliest incident in the Channel last year. And CNN's Katie Polglase joins us now live from London with more. So, Katie, what all did you find in your investigation?
KATIE POLGLASE, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Rosemary, we found that border control, in this case the U.K Maritime Border with France, is yet another area that AI technology has entered into and with some troubling consequences. Now, it's part of a global trend of digitizing border security. The U.S. government is also investing in it on the U.S.-Mexico border. The European Union is also investing with things like automated lie detectors and facial recognition technologies.
But the question is really what is this technology and the information it provides going to be used for? Because the A.I. companies are advertising that this tech has life-saving capabilities, that it can help save lives by improving the times of rescue operations, alerting authorities to people in distress faster. But what we found with this investigation is we looked into the deadliest incident in the English Channel last year where four people died and we found no evidence this technology was used and we found it was part of a campaign of deterrence. Have a watch of what we found.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POLGLASE (voice-over): It's three in the morning on the 14th of December 2022 in the middle of the English Channel. A fisherman has spotted multiple people in the water and is trying to haul them out.
RAYMOND STRACHAN, FISHERMAN: It was pitch dark. It was a very cold night, minus one, minus two, and there was a lot of screaming.
POLGLASE (voice-over): In total, they rescue 31 people from the sinking vessel, including two Afghan boys just 12 and 13 years old.
STRACHAN: And if we wasn't there, everyone would have probably drowned.
POLGLASE (voice-over): U.K. authorities arrive later and rescue eight more. Four die in what becomes the worst migrant tragedy in the Channel that year.
[03:50:00]
But officials had been informed of the incident nearly an hour earlier.
UNKNOWN: Please help. We have children and family in a boat. Please, we are in the water.
POLGLASE (voice-over): And just before 2 AM, the boat had made a distress call here to Utopia 56, a French migrant charity that passed it on to the French and U.K. authorities. The French coast guards say the boat is undetectable on shipping radar, but estimate it will shortly cross into British waters. Now, CNN has found that, at the time of the incident, the U.K. government had expensive A.I. technology designed to spot these boats, and knowing that the vessel was soon entering their territory, and that there were people freezing in the water, including children, they could have sent this.
A Takeva AR-5 drone designed to detect small boats and capable of deploying a life raft. It's licensed by the U.K. government. Even the British prime minister proud to show it off. CNN has established it flew over the same area where the distress call was made on multiple previous journeys. It even flew the day before and after the incident, but not in the hours the vessel was sinking. Instead, it took more than an hour for the first U.K. lifeboat to arrive. In which time, a fishing crew rescued the majority on board.
This tech forms part of a campaign of deterrence and hostility by the government towards those attempting to reach British shores. Millions of pounds have been spent on A.I. cameras trained to find rubber dinghies, some able to see beyond U.K. waters, drones with automatic identification abilities. Companies tout their life-saving capabilities. Footage from these drones is also being used to identify those driving the boats and prosecute them for human trafficking. A new bill will take it even further, criminalizing anyone who seeks asylum in the U.K. this way.
PETRA MOLNAR, HUMAN RIGHTS AND MIGRATION LAWYER: Yes, technology could very easily be used for search and rescue, for finding boats faster, for preventing these horrific disasters. But unfortunately, the reality on the ground is the opposite. It's assisting powerful actors to be able to sharpen their borders, make it more difficult for people to come, and again, using surveillance for this kind of ends.
POLGLASE (voice-over): And it follows a global trend in digitizing border security. The same sentry towers made by the American tech startup Anduril that line the U.S.-Mexico border have recently been installed along the British coastline to identify and track boats. Another company, Sirius Insight AI, whose technology is also available to the U.K. authorities, insisted their tech is used for saving lives, but stopped short of talking about how the government uses it.
MALCOLM GLAISTER, CEO, SIRIUS INSIGHT AI: Our equipment shows any vessel that's in the U.K. territorial waters where it is and where it's going. And if that vessel is in distress, it allows the lifeboat to get to that precise location because we're tracking it.
POLGLASE: And so, we've been following some of the incidents that have unfortunately led to fatalities in the Channel. If we have this technology, why are people dying?
GLAISTER: I don't think I can comment on those instances because of the commercial nature of our relationship with the Home Office, I'm afraid.
POLGLASE: The Home Office declined to comment on the incident on the 14th of December. In response to a Freedom of Information request submitted by CNN, U.K. Border Force said revealing the tech's capability might aid the criminals facilitating the crossings and increase risk to life at sea. The Coast Guard declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation into the incident and a court case underway to prosecute the alleged driver of the boat. A new record was set for June with nearly 4,000 people detected arriving to the U.K. But for those that do make it, they face an increasingly hostile welcome.
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POLGLASE (on-camera): Now, as we were finishing this investigation, that illegal migration bill became law. It now means that anyone travelling to the U.K. to seek asylum in these small boats, not just the driver but any of the passengers, will be detained upon arrival and removed from the country, either back to their home country or to another country deemed safe.
Now, this law has been extremely controversial. There's been a lot of pushback here in the U.K. The upper house of parliament here, the House of Lords, tried to make several amendments to protect victims of human trafficking, victims of modern slavery and unaccompanied children making this journey.
These amendments were not included in the bill that ended up passing. And so, when this law became law, there was a lot of pushback internationally, with even the United Nations making a statement regarding the law, saying the U.K. is now at variance with the country's obligations under the international human rights and refugee law. The statement says they go on to say it will have profound consequences for people in need of international protection. Rosemary.
[03:55:00]
CHURCH: Katie Polglase in London, appreciate that incredible report. Well, a familiar and controversial face is back on Twitter. Rapper Kanye West, who legally changed his name to Ye, had his account reactivated on the social network X, formerly known as Twitter, of course. "The Wall Street Journal" reports his account won't be able to monetize and no ads will appear next to his posts. It was suspended in December after West made anti-Semitic comments violating Twitter's rule to an inciting violence. The move cost him not only his account but multiple brand deals and partnerships. CNN has reached out to both X and representatives for West for comment but have not received a response.
In the hours ahead, Australia will try to qualify for the round of 16 at the Women's World Cup after their co-host New Zealand fell short. It's one of four matches scheduled on day 12 of the tournament. Two of them are already underway right now. Japan is battling Spain for the top spot in Group C and Japan lead 3-0 at the half. Also at halftime Zambia are leading Costa Rica 2-0 with both teams searching for their first victory of the tournament.
And finally, Dutch Cyclist Demi Vollering has won the 2023 Tour de France Femmes. She finished second in the eighth and final stage to take the over-all title. This was the Tour de France Femmes second year and Dutch riders have won them both.
And thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. CNN NEWSROOM continues next with Max Foster.
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