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No F-16 Fighter Jets from the U.S. to be Delivered to Ukraine this Year; Wildfire Recovery Efforts Underway in Maui; 71 Dead in a Landslide across North India; U.S. President to Host a Trilateral Summit; ECOWAS Defense Heads Meet in Ghana; England to Challenge Spain in Women's World Cup Finals. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired August 17, 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]
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Paula Newton, in New York.
Just ahead on "CNN Newsroom," fighter jets delayed. Ukrainian officials plan to endure Russia's war without F-16s from the West for the foreseeable future. Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MERRILL KALOPODES, VOLUNTEER: Man, you can feel the heat. There's a smoldering pit over there. Oh. And all it needs is a good wind to get it going. By the time we got there, it was already flaming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: With more help on the ground, Maui sees wildfire recovery efforts kick in, but is it enough?
And later, prosecutors in Georgia push ahead for a trial date for Donald Trump. The timing could work against his 2024 campaign.
And we do begin this hour in Ukraine, where the country's military says it is not expecting American-made F-16 fighter jets to be delivered this year. Ukraine's air force says, quote, "it's already become clear that we will not be able to defend Ukraine with F-16s this fall and winter."
The announcement comes as Russia continues using missiles and drone strikes to hit Ukrainian infrastructure, and that includes power lines and grain facilities. Meantime, the E.U. says nearly $150 million that was initially earmarked for Russia and Belarus will now be sent to Ukraine and Moldova. The bloc cited Russia's war against Ukraine as the reason, and you'll recall Moscow used Belarus as a staging ground for its full-scale invasion.
Ukrainian officials say they are working with partners to take part in the upcoming G20 summit in India. The gathering is scheduled for September, and Kyiv has not so far been officially invited.
CNN's Nada Bashir joins us now live from London. Getting to those F- 16s first, Nada. Ukraine is lobbied so hard for these jets. Where does this stand now? And there was seem to be a lack of reaction in the statement. I know that there has been training that takes quite a long time already ongoing. What more are they saying?
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, training is really the key issue here, Paula. And this is a significant blow to Ukraine's air defense ambitions. The hope had, of course, been the supply of these U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets would provide a significant boost to Ukraine's counteroffensive and air defenses over the harsher winter months, but of course, according to Ukraine's air force spokesperson, that will not be the case.
Now, of course, we've heard from U.S. President Joe Biden in the past been clear in his endorsement of the training of Ukrainian pilots on these U.S.-made jets that training was set to take place in conjunction with E.U. partners. And we've heard earlier this month from sources familiar with the matter that for the last couple of weeks, the U.S. has been waiting, according to the sources, for a final plan for this training before actually authorizing this program to take place.
Now, while this is certainly a blow to Ukraine's air defense ambitions, there are some positive indications we've heard from the U.S. State Department saying that they intend to push forward with this program. And Ukraine's air defense spokesperson, or rather air force spokesperson, has said that they are moving forward. Progress is being made towards ensuring that Ukrainian pilots are fully trained on these jets and they can expect that training to commence in the near future.
NEWTON: Yeah, and a reminder, this was obviously a very heated and political issue in the beginning, which is why it has taken this long to even come to some kind of understanding about what will happen with those F-16s.
I want to turn now to the G-20 meeting. It will be in September in India. Putin, of course, Russia, part of the G-20 still, and yet Ukraine saying it would like an invitation. What more are we learning and what could possibly happen at this meeting?
BASHIR: Well that's right, no official invitation has been extended. That summit is set to take place next month, but Ukraine has been clear they would like to take part to have delegations sent to the G20 summit in India in some form. And we've seen extraordinary invitations being extended to Ukrainian officials, including President Zelenskyy for similar summits in the past, including NATO summits. This has provided President Zelenskyy with an important platform to not only solidify support for Ukraine, but to secure concrete commitments from international partners in the face often of Russia's own international allies.
And we've heard from Ukrainian officials, they say that a key focus for them, a key motivation for wanting to attend this summit will be to focus on Ukraine's own economic and security concerns. And one of those key priorities will be the revival of the Black Sea grain deal, which broke down last month following Russia's withdrawal.
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Now, of course, this is not only a huge concern for Ukraine, but it is something that will have far-reaching consequences. across Africa and Asia, hugely dependent on Ukraine's grain exports and of course the U.N. itself, its World Food Programme, definitely hugely reliant on those exports. So that will be a key focus for Ukraine if they are able to participate in this summit.
The hope of course once again will be to secure those concrete commitments from international allies and that has only been underscored over the last few days. As we've seen continued attacks, Russian attacks against Ukraine's port and agricultural infrastructure.
NEWTON: Absolutely, and yet India so far not extending that invitation to Ukraine, at least not yet, and Putin not deciding whether or not he'll attend the meeting. Nada Bashir for us in London. Thanks for your updates. I Appreciate it.
Now on the battlefield, Ukrainian forces have liberated another village in the eastern Donetsk region, the second in as many weeks. The gains may be incremental and slow-going, but it shows Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russia continues to at least move forward, and momentum is on Kyiv's side.
As CNN team traveled with Ukraine's military to the newly-liberated town to get an up-close look, a stark look, in fact, at those front lines. Nick Paton Walsh has our report.
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There may be ruin around them, but their direction is forwards. We're with the 35th Ukrainian Marines, the first reporters to get to the outskirts of Urozhaine. Yet another village announced liberated Wednesday. The victories may be small, but a constant.
(on-camera): So just down here, Urozhaine, yet another town taken as the counteroffensive does move forward. We were just seeing the neighboring village taken last week, but they keep moving.
With that much incoming we're getting out of here as quick as we can while they control Urozhaine, the Russians do everything they can to make it a nightmare for the Ukrainians to be there.
(voice-over): The unit showed us the intense fight captured by drone. This their tank advancing dropping a string of anti-mine explosives behind it they said which then once it turned detonated.
The unit released a video of them in the town Wednesday, of how they turned their firepower on what was once a Russian stronghold that shelled them. The company commander recalls many more Russians hidden there than he expected.
Very many died, he says, especially when they started to run and when they held houses. Lots of them died there. But they were caught as they fled.
The smoke around Russians, likely made by cluster munitions. Ukraine has said it is already using some rounds controversially supplied by the United States. We could not confirm if these fired here with the new American cluster bombs. But the losses suffered were clear. And they say their use is less of an ethical dilemma when you're in this brutal fight.
I don't understand it, he says. That side is using whatever they want. Our people are dying from all this and it's okay. When the other side die, it's not. I don't understand.
His footage shows how young some in the assault were. He has no time for Western analysts who say this should be moving faster.
I would say they can always come to me as a guest and fight with me, he says. If someone believes that you can fly over the minefield on a broom like in Harry Potter, it doesn't happen in a real fight. If you don't understand that, you can sit in your armchair and eat your popcorn.
Out here the last month of advances feel both empty and grueling. Littered now with Russian dead. They haven't moved perhaps as far as it is felt.
(on-camera): These just empty farm fields in which many have died to take each kilometer.
(voice-over): The Russians mined so hard here, they used this machine to do it. So much damage done, it's hard to imagine what plans Moscow had for here at all had they kept it.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, near Urozhaine, Ukraine.
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NEWTON: A U.S. citizen held prisoner in Russia has been told to keep hope alive. Sources tell us that message came from a phone call between Paul Whelan and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday. Whelan has been in prison for more than four years, and his family is becoming increasingly concerned that he may not be freed anytime soon.
CNN's Kylie Atwood has our report.
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KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Paul Whelan spoke by phone today with the Secretary of State Antony Blinken from a Russian prison. And according to a source familiar with the call, the Secretary's message to Paul Whelan was to keep the faith and that the U.S. government is doing everything in their power to try and bring Paul Whelan, who has been wrongfully detained in Russia for more than four years, home as quickly as possible.
Now we're told that this is the second time that they have had a conversation. The first time was late last year. But we don't know the logistics that when into standing up this call, you can imagine it would be quite complicated to get Paul Whelan on the phone with the Secretary of State, even though he's able to make phone calls from the prison where he is.
Getting him on the phone with America's top diplomat is hugely significant. Now, David Whelan, who's Paul Whelan's brother, described the conversation to CNN as a long conversation, a frank conversation. He also said it sent a signal to Russia that the U.S. is still working. Of course, secure Paul Whelan's release. And we should note that the U.S. has put an offer on the table to secure Whelan's release. That offer to Russia was sent earlier this year, more than eight months ago, according to a senior administration official.
That is still a live offer. But the Russians have not substantively engaged as the U.S. continues to try and get Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, who's another American wrongfully detained in Russia, back to the United States.
Kylie Atwood, CNN, the State Department.
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NEWTON: Now, Russia's ambassador to the U.S. later released a statement calling on everyone who was not involved in the issue to stay out of it. He wrote, quote, "we urge American politicians and the media to give the competent authorities of the two countries the opportunity to work calmly, stop playing with people's fates and leave the search for the necessary resolutions to professionals."
Turning now to a gruesome discovery in Sudan is the civil war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, rages on. Thirty mass graves with the remains of more than a thousand people have been discovered in West Darfur. That's according to local officials there.
In a CNN exclusive, CNN's Nima Elbagir and her team pieced together video from a massacre in West Darfur in June that was one of the bloodiest in the region's history. with bodies littering the streets and eventually being buried in those mass graves. We want to warn you now, some of the images you're about to see are graphic. This report includes distressing descriptions of the conflict.
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NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The streets of El Geneina in Sudan's Darfur region are eerily quiet, filmed at great risk by survivors. The video shows racist graffiti defacing walls and corpses littering the streets. Seen here in their own propaganda, Sudan's paramilitary rapid support
forces, RSF, occupied Geneina in June, after a heavy shelling campaign and fighting in their war for dominance over Sudan's army.
A CNN investigation has now uncovered some of the cost of the RSFs victory here in Geneva. Survivors, aid workers and body collectors described to CNN how, together with their allies, the RSF gunned down hundreds of civilians in and around Geneina on June 15th, in one of the most violent massacres to date in the recent history of this genocide-scarred Sudanese region.
Using satellite images, eyewitness testimony and geolocating what few videos have made it through, the telecommunications blackout cutting Darfur off from the world.
UNKNOWN (through translator): I lost eight members of my family that day during the escape from Al-Jinnina to Chad.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): This man says he buried hundreds of victims in Darfur since April. But on that day, he couldn't even reach his slain relatives.
The RSFs troops are drawn from Darfuri Arab tribes and, together with its leader Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, aka Hemeti, are implicated in the years-long genocide in the region against African tribal groupings.
It's unsurprising then that the war between the RSF and Sudan's military for control of the country took an even more sinister turn here in Darfur, mirroring the RSFs previous tactics, forcing civilians to flee, many arriving in Geneina.
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That is until June 14th, when the West Darfur governor seen here at his arrest by the RSF was executed. The RSF blamed for the killing denies responsibility.
As hundreds attempted to flee, they were harassed and threatened. Even children joined in. A lucky few made it to Chad.
SABRY MOHAMED, FORMER EL GENEINA RESIDENT AND EYEWITNESS (through translator): They were going into houses killing people. Snipers were everywhere.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): Bringing with them stories of ethnic targeting.
MOHAMED (through translator): On the road out of the city, we were stopped and searched. They took our phones. Men were separated from the women so they could kill us. We ran, but they shot some of us.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): Evidence shows much of the killing occurred here outside the main hospital in Geneina. Then fleeing civilians were ambushed again in Wadji Kaja. Satellite images show the river, which is usually shallow enough for cars to cross, had water running high that day. Scores struggled in the water. Some shot as they drowned. Survivors say they heard gunfire from all directions. JAMAL KHAMISS, HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER AND EYEWITNESS (through
translator): I saw 17 kids who were shot dead, then thrown into the water. This was one of the most surreal scenes I've witnessed.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): Even as they fled Geneina for Adre, across the border in Chad, our evidence shows men, women and children were shot as they fled.
At the MSF hospital in Chad, survivors arrived with gunshot wounds in the back, legs and buttocks. The lead doctor told CNN, all injuries consistent with being shot from the back. Over 850 people flooded the hospital in Adre, between June 15th to 17th, according to MSF, more than any other period since fighting began in April.
Body collectors say, according to their count, around 1,000 people were killed on the day of June 15th, buried in dozens of mass graves. Survivors say the RSF is replicating these same tactics across the region. Even as their supporters celebrate in the aftermath of mass killings and the sweep of escalating ethnically targeted attacks.
(on-camera): A spokesperson for the Rapid Support Forces told CNN that they categorically deny the assertions that we put forward in our reporting without, though, denying any of the specifics that we shared with them. It's also important to note that the RSF have previously denied the findings of an investigation where we uncovered evidence that RSF troops had engaged in rapes before subsequently the leader of the RSF stating that those who had been implicated in violations were to be prosecuted.
Nima Elbagir, CNN, London.
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NEWTON: Now for more information on how you can help Sudanese refugees go to cnn.com/impact.
Still to come for us, the Georgia District Attorney responsible for Trump's fourth indictment requests a start date for his trial. But how realistic is the short timeline?
Then the painful search through the ashes of what used to be homes as the death toll rises in Malibu.
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It's hard to take in. You know, just seeing all this devastation, I don't know what to think. We grew up here. This is home to a lot of us.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NEWTON: A District Attorney who's charged Donald Trump and others with attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia is moving quickly for a trial date. Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis has asked the judge overseeing the trial to begin March 4th of next year.
But as CNN's Paula Reid tells us, Trump's already crowded calendar and the complex nature of the case could make that quite difficult.
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PAULA REID, CNN SR. LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, District Attorney Fani Willis here, just making a request, a proposal to have her trial begin the first week of March 2024. It's highly unlikely that this request is going to be granted because 6 months is a very tight timeline for a RICO case. They are notoriously complicated, they tend to get drawn out.
And here she has 19 different defendants. Three of them expected or have already challenged the jurisdiction trying to move this case from the state to the federal level.
But we know she's also competing for increasingly scarce space on an increasingly crowded calendar where the president has not only likely a few trials that have been scheduled, but also he has election events, things that he would likely have to participate in as a candidate for the presidency.
So that is likely part of why she wants to get this discussion going and why she is proposing such an aggressive timeline.
Paula Reid, CNN, Washington
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NEWTON: U.S. President and First Lady are heading to Maui on Monday to survey the devastation from the deadly wildfires. At least 111 people were killed while trying to escape the flames, many in that tourist town of Lahaina.
The Hawaii governor warns more than a thousand others could still be missing. Search and recovery crews have combed through nearly 40 percent of the disaster zone. And we're learning more now about their heartbreaking operations.
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JEFF HICKMAN, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, HAWAII DEFENSE DEPARTMENT: I was able to talk to a search and rescue team member from the Hawaii National Guard and he let me know that the first thing they do is they walk through the area and the first thing they do is they listen for anybody who might be making a noise.
And that's just, that's heart wrenching. But on that team is searchers and fatality search and recovery personnel who when they do find a body, you know, with compassion and care and time, they take that body and get it back to where it can be identified. It is taking a long time for the search to discover and then recover the remains. So we just ask for patience during this time.
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NEWTON: So difficult. In the meantime, the Maui Fire Chief says winds have picked up and crews are on standby in case of flare-ups since not all of the wildfires are fully contained. CNN's Bill Weir shows us the situation in the upcountry area of Maui.
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BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With an upcountry fire not fully contained, Maui's fire department stretched painfully thin and winds kicking up once again, some residents around Kula are using sprinklers and hope to protect their homes.
Whoa, careful, careful.
And I met volunteer first responders trying to knock down hotspots with bottled water.
KALOPODES: Oh man, you can feel the heat. There's a smoldering pit over there and all it needs is a good wind to get it going by the time we got there it was already flaming
WEIR (on-camera): Really?
KALOPODES: Yeah, it was started off with just a little smoke and then we said okay let's get some water haul it over there and then by the time we got over there it started, it started flaming already so you know we're gonna go back and we'll put some more water on it.
WEIR (voice-over): In this sooty, smoky brush, one wrong step into smoldering ash means a burned foot.
UNKNOWN: I went to go check that one, and the soot's so deep you can't get through it.
WEIR (voice-over): But they stay at it until they're spotted by a helicopter dropping water scoop from swimming pools. And they finally get the help they need. And they wonder why more skilled firefighters aren't being brought over from Oahu.
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JACOB VANDERVELDE, VOLUNTEER: My mind is blown right now.
WEIR: Really?
VANDERVELDE: I don't even know what's going on. How is this even happening? This whole road should be blocked up. We should be blocked up right now, and the firemen should just be all here, hands on deck.
WEIR: Yeah.
VANDERVELDE: I mean, obviously, you keep people on Oahu, but they're having enough personnel. Can't spend more time. BRENDA KEAU, MAUI RESIDENT: I stayed up until two in the morning
watching because I knew the gas station was going off and the propane tanks and you know my favorite store that I used to go get for gardening supplies it's gone and the people that lost their homes I was watching that.
WEIR (voice-over): Brenda Keau's 83 year old mother-in-law was in her Lahaina home on the day of the firestorm and her husband was among the first to provide a DNA sample.
(on-camera): So now they are in grieving limbo. Has he accepted the idea that she's gone? Does he have to get confirmation before he can?
KEAU: I mean, the truth about it, we accepted it on the day that we saw that there's no house. But you never give up hope. So it's both.
When he needs to talk, I just check on him. We check in on each other. We say, how are you doing? Mentally. Spiritually, Physically, Emotionally, and we take time after each to check and answer. And I, you know, my husband was saying, oh, I'm okay, okay. And I told him, no, you're not. And if people ask you, are you okay? You know, you're not. The word is I'm concerned.
WEIR (on-camera): There are so many concerns on so many levels, the mental health, the physical health, the water supply, shelter. We are hearing that a number of displaced residents are finding hotel rooms. That is good news, but they're also of course identifying more bodies and that number is expected to go up with the governor saying more than a thousand still missing.
Bill Weir, CNN Maui.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now, if you would like information on how to help those impacted by the Hawaii wildfires, please go to cnn.com/impact.
In Canada, residents of one of the nation's largest northern cities are under evacuation orders, and wildfires close in there. 20,000 people in Yellowknife have been told to get out by noon Friday.
More than 200 fires are burning right across Canada's northwest territories, and officials there have declared a state of emergency. And then there's this, a surreal image from Fort McMurray ravaged by another fire in 2016, where the flames this week turned the sky red. Look at that.
That must be terrifying for the people that already had gone through so much in 2016 and had only minutes to evacuate. Now, officials say they're trying to deploy more resources to the region. And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada's military has been called in to help on what is already Canada's worst wildfire season in recorded history.
Now, rescuers are still digging through the debris after deadly landslides in northern India. 71 people are dead and 13 are missing after torrential rain led to flash floods and landslides in the region.
At this point in time, CNN's Vedika Sud has been following developments for us from New Delhi. And I have to ask you, in terms of the rescue efforts there, are they continuing and how many resources have been put to that?
VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: Yes, as of now there are a lot of teams down there in Himachal Pradesh which is located in northern India, Paula. And we do know, like you mentioned, that there have been 71 deaths. Now these deaths have taken place in over 72 hours between the 13th and the 16th of August according to officials, and many people are still missing.
2,500 people have been displaced and millions in terms of property have been lost financially in this land. What we're hearing is from the Met Department that heavy downpour will continue for the next four days. This of course will continue to hamper rescue operations, but two very big landslides have impacted the state of Himachal Pradesh. It's taken with it homes and property of course. There are trees that have been destroyed, there are vehicles that have been impacted, but mainly those missing people who have not been accounted for till now.
The desperate pleas from relatives for those who are still missing, here's what one of them had to say.
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SUNITA SHARMA, FAMILY MEMBERS MISSING IN LANDSLIDE (through translator): Three members of my family are missing. I'm asking that everyone just find them, any way possible, and bring them back to us. Alive or dead, we will accept it. Just hand them over to us. We have been waiting for the last three days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SUD: Himachal is known for its tourist spots. Thousands of people throng this state through the summers and the beginning of monsoons during the holiday and vacation period with their children.
And there's a lot of construction and changes brought to these hills because of which there are these landslides as well. The soil gets vulnerable according to climate experts.
[03:30:00]
So climate change is perhaps the reason why we're seeing these very strong visuals on our television screens today.
And that remains a worry. With the rains continuing for the next 96 hours rescue operations may be hampered according to the Chief Minister of the state of Himachal Pradesh 300 people, at least 300 people have lost their lives since the beginning of the monsoon season which started in the third week of June this year. And according to the Chief Minister and I'm going to quote him here we have received wounds that will never be forgotten is something that he has said through his Twitter handle. So this remains vulnerable for perhaps there could be more landslides
that we see as well, Paula, in the coming days if the heavy downpour continues those missing well the rescues are trying to find them or their bodies for some closure for their families. Back to you.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, certainly from the images we were seeing painstaking work there. Vedika Sud for us from New Delhi thanks so much.
Still to come, the U.S. government's latest update on the American soldier who sprinted into North Korea.
Plus, a rare summit at Camp David. We'll explain what President Biden hopes to accomplish when he sits down with the leaders of South Korea and Japan.
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NEWTON: U.S. President Joe Biden will head to the presidential retreat at Camp David tomorrow, but it won't be for R and R. He's hosting an important trilateral summit there with the leaders of Japan and South Korea. The last time a foreign leader was invited to Camp David was 2015 under then-President Obama.
Both allies are vital to U.S. strategy and interests in the Indo- Pacific. Yet South Korea and Japan have had a long and difficult history with each other and all we see eye to eye. A senior White House official explain what the Camp David Summit aims to accomplish. Listen.
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KURT CAMPBELL, WHITE HOUSE INDO-PACIFIC COORDINATOR: I will just say that what you will see on Friday is a very ambitious set of initiatives that seek to lock in the trilateral engagement both now and into the future. And you will see it across many sectors, in the security realm, in technology, in education.
I think all three leaders will embrace the potential for what is possible among our three countries. And I will just simply say that although there have been challenges in the past, we are more comfortable and confident now that the ballast in our ship will take us through what will inevitably be moments of difficulty in the future.
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[03:35:03]
NEWTON: Joining me now is Andrew Yeo, a senior fellow and the South Korea-Korea Foundation chair at the Brookings Institution Center for East Asia Policy Studies. And good to have you on board here as we try and parse what's going to happen over the next few days. You know, there's nothing subtle about this summit.
It is in fact a blunt response to China's assertiveness, especially militarily. But you know, I'm sure you would agree provoking China doesn't necessarily serve these allies either. So what's the real answer here?
ANDREW YEO, SR. FELLOW AND SOUTH KOREA-KOREA FOUNDATION CHAIRPERSON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Yes, as you mentioned, these are South Korea and Japan are two strong allies to the United States. They're not also -- they're not military pions either. There's 80,000 U.S. troops here and lots of military bases. So it can provoke China, can poke them in the eye.
But the strategic environment has changed dramatically in the last few years. And I think these two allies are concerned about what they see in the region. It's really pushed them to collaborate and work together.
NEWTON: And that is a good point because perhaps even going back a decade, some would not have been able to envision this. South Korea and Japan have come a long way in their own detente. And I ask you though, what work remains to be done there in order to diffuse those points of tension?
YEO: Yeah, in terms of the points of tension between Korea and Japan, of course there are the historical issues are in place due to Japan's colonial past colonizing Korea. And those irritants are not going to go away overnight.
But I think where the two leaders, Prime Minister Kishida and President Yoon, want to move this relationship is in terms of they want to change the narrative. They want -- they want each other's countries to see the other as being on the same side that they share the same vision. They're both liberal democracies, and we're already seeing that shift, particularly on the South Korea side in the way they describe Japan.
So, I think it's a long, slow process. But in the meantime, there's a lot of areas for functional cooperation. There's a need to collaborate on securing supply chains, economic security resilience. These are all important for both countries. And also on the security front, they both have common threats coming from North Korea.
So, there are a lot of issues that are pushing them together. There is some work that needs to take place, but I do think that we are seeing the narrative begin to shift slightly. when it comes specifically to the Korea-Japan leg of this trilateral relationship.
NEWTON: Yeah, so that narrative changes, but what's going on is the United States is really trying to redesign the security architecture in the region, and that brings me to the symbolism of Camp David, both its success and its failure in Middle East diplomacy. That's something the Biden White House is leaning into. Why? What's the allure about Camp David?
YEO: Sure. So Camp David is symbolic. We often think about, you know, bringing together the Israelis and Palestinians. There's been ups and downs in that relationship. But the idea of Camp David is that you can bring partners together. It's a much more intimate setting. I'm sure they're going to have some long walks. But it's out of the
Washington, D.C. halls of government and taking this to a much more intimate level. And I think it's reflective of where this trilateral relationship has gone. Biden has -- President Biden has been very clear that he wants to strengthen partnerships and allies. There's no two stronger allies in this region than Japan and Korea.
But we have also seen the relationship develop between Prime Minister Kishida and President Yoon. And I think that's symbolic because when we think of Camp David we do think of rapprochement, we think of rivals coming together to work out and solve problems. And so I think this is a perfect setting to have this first standalone trilateral meeting.
NEWTON: And I want to go back to, you know, you had mentioned North Korea there. Clearly, arguably, it's inevitable North Korea will likely be nuclear armed within the next few years.
Given then the new, as I say, security architecture, how important is it so that the United States have that bond and have that understanding with South Korea, Japan and other allies in the region?
YEO: Yeah, well, North Korea has already declared itself a nuclear state. They do have those capabilities. They're just perfecting their missiles. They're perfecting the delivery system.
I mean, this should be a concern for not only the three countries, U.S., Japan, South Korea, but the entire region. And I mean, one of the things that the trilateral, that these three countries have been pushing the trilateral is sharing data on missiles, North Korean missiles in real time. So this allows each country to quickly respond and to let the other identify where the missile was launched from, what direction it's heading.
[03:40:05]
So that's one area where they've tried to make some headway. There's also no issues about what happens in terms of a contingency plan. If there is a North -- nuclear attack from North Korea, how well the Japanese respond, how might they support the U.S.-South Korea alliance and vice versa. So there's always been talk, but they're trying to develop very specific mechanisms of how information will be shared, how they should react, how they should mobilize their troops if there's any operations that are in place.
So I think the more frequently and the more regularly you can meet -- meet together to work out these mechanisms, these processes, I think the safer these countries can be in the event of a North Korea nuclear attack.
NEWTON: Yeah, given the tension historically between South Korea and Japan, it is a significant summit upcoming just to see these two allies sitting down doing what you said to try and put in place some mechanism that would involve even intelligence sharing when it comes to things like North Korea.
Andrew Yeo, we will leave it there for now. Thanks so much.
YEO: Right, thank you very much. Thanks for having me here.
NEWTON: Now, according to the U.S. State Department, North Korea has largely ignored U.S. efforts to communicate about the American soldier in its custody, and the U.S. has not offered any incentives to Pyongyang to entice them into discussions. Travis King ran into North Korean territory last month during a tour of the DMZ.
CNN's Paula Hancocks has been following this story for us, and she now joins us live from Seoul. Paula, what more are we hearing from the U.S. State Department now that we have heard more, at least from North Korea, about Mr. King?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, what we're hearing is that they still have no indication of his condition, clearly no indication of his whereabouts. And we are hearing from the State Department that they have been trying to contact and communicate with North Korea through various different channels available to them, but they have not been able to ascertain any of that information. North Korea really just issuing that article in state-run media and giving very little details.
Beyond what they say is the rationale behind Travis King deciding to run across the MDL, the military demarcation line. It's important to note though this is North Korea claiming what Travis King's thoughts were. We haven't heard from him himself, but this is what Pyongyang says.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS (voice-over): North Korea claims racism in the U.S. military was the reason U.S. private Travis King crossed into its territory, adding he was seeking refuge in North Korea or a third country.
One month ago, King ran across the military demarcation line during a civilian tour of the demilitarized zone. Nothing had been heard from him since.
Pyongyang finally breaking its silence on the incident claims King confessed that he quote, "harbored ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army."
A U.S. defense official said they could not verify King's alleged comments, and the focus remains on bringing him home safely.
King ran across the border at the Joint Security Area, a heavily guarded area. U.S. and South Korean soldiers were unable to stop him. Pyongyang claims King is, quote, "disillusioned at the unequal American society." There are no direct statements from King or details of his whereabouts or condition. King had faced assault charges in South Korea, serving around 50 days in a detention facility. The army says he would have faced further charges if he had returned to the U.S. as planned.
The day before he crossed into North Korea, King was taken to Incheon Airport by a military escort but did not board the plane, claiming lost passport to airport officials who escorted him back to departures.
CLAUDINE GATES, TRAVIS KING'S MOTHER: Get my son home.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): King's mother, through a family spokesperson, is asking Pyongyang to treat her son, quote, "humanely, asking for a phone call with him." Contact Pyongyang has not allied with previous U.S. detainees. King's family has told CNN they feel helpless.
GATES: Or let me go get him, because I'm his big sister at this point.
MYRON GATES, TRAVIS KING'S UNCLE: Or let me go get him, because I'm his uncle.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS (on-camera): You always have to look at the timing of announcements from North Korea. They're very rarely coincidental. And in this case, we know that in the coming hours, there's expected to be a U.N. Security Council meeting on human rights abuses in North Korea, which has been called for by the United States and others.
So certainly, it is potentially being used as a propaganda coup, the fact that the day before that, North Korea announces they have a U.S. soldier who was fleeing racism in the U.S. military. Pyongyang has consistently said when criticized about its human rights record that the U.S. should look inwardly rather than criticizing other countries' records. Paula.
[03:45:00]
NEWTON: Yeah, and Paula, you were talking about timing there. We just have some information in from the South Korean spy agency saying in fact that they expect that North Korea will be launching an ICBM in the lead-up to that summit that I was just speaking about. How significant is that even if it is predictable in a way?
HANCOCKS (on-camera): It is expected, we've heard from North Korea, Paula, that they are planning to carry out more launches. We've heard also they're planning to try and put a military satellite into space after a previous effort earlier this year failed.
This is a briefing that the intelligence agency gave to lawmakers and lawmakers briefed reporters. That's the process they have here. And they say they are seeing more indication of vehicle movements at one of these production facilities. So they say this increased activity leads them to believe that they may well be preparing for some kind of a launch whether an ICBM, an intercontinental ballistic missile or others.
They also had other assessments for example when there was a Russian delegation that visited Pyongyang last month including the Russian defense minister meeting with the North Korean leader. They believed that they were planning to increase cooperation between the two countries. So none of it unexpected but certainly something that's useful as background when looking at a potential next launch from North Korea, which we are expecting, and Pyongyang has said it will carry out. Paula?
NEWTON: Yes, so all eyes on that as that trilateral summit begins this weekend. Paula Hancocks for us from Seoul. Thanks so much. I Appreciate it.
Still to come, West African defense ministers are set to discuss the crisis in Niger when they meet in the hours ahead. We will have a live report, just ahead.
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NEWTON: Tensions flaring in Pakistan's Punjab province were a crowd vandalized and set fire to eight churches after accusations of blasphemy against Islam. Several homes were also targeted. That's according to a police report. Two Christian men were charged on the grounds of desecrating the Quran and abusing the prophet Mohammad.
Pakistan's minority Christian communities are regularly targeted with the country's strict blasphemy laws. The caretaker prime minister condemned the violence.
Defense chiefs from the West African bloc, ECOWAS, are set to gather in Ghana in the coming hours to discuss the coup in Niger. Now, the meeting will be similar to the extraordinary summit held in Nigeria's capital one week ago.
ECOWAS placed sanctions on Niger in the wake of that military takeover late last month and has threatened military action to restore democracy. Ahead of Thursday's meeting, the bloc issued a statement condemning an ambush attack in the western region of Niger by suspected jihadists. At least 17 soldiers were killed in that tri- border area.
[03:49:58]
CNN's Stephanie Busari joins us now from Lagos where she is following the latest on all of this. And we have heard a lot from ECOWAS and yet not a lot of deliberate action at this point. Can we expect more fallout from this meeting, especially since not much has changed in Niger?
STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN SR. EDITOR, AFRICA: Well, Paula, ECOWAS will have to act at some point since issuing this threat in the wake of the military takeover in Niger. They made that threat -- that military action will happen. Defense chiefs met last week. They said that they have a plan in place for deployment, and they have a plan to see what that military action could look like. And so today, later this morning, they are meeting in Ghana to make plans for that deployment, they say.
So it looks certain, it looks set that there could be some military action happening in Niger. Otherwise, the ECOWAS block looks like it's just carrying out its empty threats, and they can't really afford that, Paula, because this is the third coup just in a very short space of time in this region.
And they're worried about a contagion effect. Some of these countries are facing protests and disaffected citizens. So they have to be seen to act in order not to be seen as a toothless body. Now, what the standby force that they have promised and what the troops will look like, details are still unclear.
But the ECOWAS are also saying that they don't want to take military action. It's a last resort but they will be forced to perhaps make some sort of announcement to say right we have to get to grips with this situation and deploy our military forces.
Now the junta has said in several meetings that it's ready to dialogue but at the same time they've been sending some mixed signals. They said they weren't ready to talk but then charged President Bazoum for high treason. So that doesn't seem very kind of a conciliatory move from their part but we're watching and you know what the real threats here, Paula, is the threat of jihadism. As you said, there have been attacks on soldiers by jihadists in Niger just this week, Paula.
NEWTON: Yeah, and a lot at stake as those U.S. soldiers remain on the ground in Niger at this hour. Stephanie Busari for us in Lagos, thanks so much.
Now to elation in England and heartbreak down under as Australia's fairytale run at the World Cup comes to a close. We'll have the latest direct from Sydney.
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(VIDEO PLAYING)
NEWTON: Hearing that again, are we English fans confidently predicting their Lionesses will bring home the World Cup after a solid 3-1 semifinal victory over the co-hosts Australia, and that's despite the Aussies having home-field advantage.
For the Matildas and their growing fan base, it was a frustrating night, as you can imagine, that saw them fall short of their first ever World Cup final. CNN World Sport's Amanda Davies was in Sydney and saw it all slip away.
[03:55:01]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: The dream run comes to an end for this Matilda side that has inspired a generation. It may feel like a painful defeat tonight, but in so many ways a victory for a group of players who have done more for galvanizing support around women's football and this team than any who have gone before.
In many ways, summed up by a little girl in the crowd with a banner which said simply, I'm going to be the next Sam Kerr.
UNKNOWN: I want to see the turnout has been unreal, to see so many people get behind women's sport is actually amazing. It's actually, honestly, it's actually unreal. If you were in that stadium and you heard the roar and the people jumping up and down, it was actually amazing.
UNKNOWN: I think the whole, like, the whole nation is sort of, encapsulated by the Matildas and I hope that it doesn't stop. I hope that we continue to support them. They're such good women, you know, I hope that we follow them from here, even though we lost, still love them.
DAVIES: For all Sam Kerr's efforts this evening, after two straight Women's World Cup semi-final defeats, England finally take that step further into the final. The phrase maybe third time lucky but that does Serena Vigman side, a disservice. They were disciplined, they were hardworking, they were skillful and they produced those moments as the Australia boss Tony Gustafson put it that decided game. First Ella Toon then the Lauren hemp and finally Alessia Russo once again.
So just 12 months after European championship success they are now closer than ever before to claiming the Women's World Cup.
Amanda Davies CNN, Sydney, Australia.
UNKNOWN: England may gonna win the World Cup! The ball's coming home! It's coming home! It's coming home!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: It's now ringing in my ears. Okay, remember, there's no free lunch and there's no free money. That warning from the Bank of Ireland could come back to haunt people who took advantage of a technical glitch.
For several hours on Tuesday, customers of one of Ireland's largest banks were able, get this, to withdraw money they didn't actually have in their accounts. In some cases, more than $1,000. You see it there. There were videos shown on social media about those queues at some of the ATMs. Now the bank has apologized for the error, kind of a big error, but says anyone who withdrew money over normal limits will be debited, unfortunately, the full amount from their account.
I could have told you that. Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Paula Newton, in New York. "CNN Newsroom" continues now, with my friend and colleague, Bianca Nobilo.
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