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CNN International: Mexican Supreme Court Decriminalizes Abortion; U.K. Soldier Suspected of Terrorism Escapes London Prison; Fallout of Controversial Abaya Ban in France; Hermoso Files Complaint Over Rubiales' Unwanted Kiss. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired September 07, 2023 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:00]
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: A U.S. Federal judge has ordered the state of Texas to remove its floating barriers in the Rio Grande in a victory for the Biden administration.
FOSTER: The Justice Department sued Texas in July, claiming the state did not have the authority to install the buoys on the water border with Mexico. The state's Republican Governor, Greg Abbott, claimed he didn't need for the buoys, as they were meant to deter migrants from crossing the border.
NOBILO: The judge on Wednesday said quote, permission is exactly what federal law requires before installing obstructions in the nation's water waterways.
Abbott's office says that they are prepared to appeal the ruling all the way up to the Supreme Court.
FOSTER: Mexico Supreme Court has declared loudly and clearly that access to abortion care is a human right, and any effort to stop it is a violation of those rights.
NOBILO: The country's top court ruled the federal government's ban on abortion is unconstitutional, and reproductive rights activists are celebrating. CNN's Rafael Romo has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR (voice-over): The effort to decriminalize abortion in Mexico has been going on for years, especially in Mexico City, where abortion rights groups have taken to the streets to say my body, my decision. In fact, by the time the Mexican Supreme Court issued a ruling Wednesday decriminalizing abortion at the federal level, 12 out of 32 states had already invalidated laws banning abortion.
MARIA ANTONIETA ALCAIDE, IPAS/MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA: Our reaction was of pure joy and celebration. But also of being very proud of being part of this Green Wave, this movement that have been working to advance the abortion agenda.
ROMO (voice-over): In a statement, the court said that banning an abortion is unconstitutional because it violates the human rights of women and people with the capacity to gestate. Anti-abortion groups in Mexico blasted the ruling.
ALICIA GALVAN, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER, PATRIA UNIDA FOUNDATION: There are millions more Mexicans who are in favor of life from the moment of conception until natural death.
ROMO (voice-over): The Supreme Court first ruled that it was unconstitutional to criminalize abortion in 2021. On the same day the ground shook in Mexico, the earthquake was felt for about a minute, but the shockwaves sent across the nation by that court's ruling are still being felt.
GALVAN: It is a black day for Mexico. The country is in mourning. The Supreme Court of Justice, the highest legal institution in the country, the one and church of watching over justice and human rights, both to betray the first human rights without which no other human right can exist, life.
ROMO: Back in 2021, the court issued a decision on a law enacted in the northern state of Coahuila, which said that women who get an abortion may get punished with up to three years in prison and a fine.
ROMO (voice-over): Exactly a week before Wednesday's ruling, Aguascalientes had decriminalized abortion, becoming the 12th state to do so. Mexico City was the first jurisdiction to end the ban on abortion in the country back in 2007, starting a trend in the still mostly conservative country where more than 3/4 of the population identify as Catholic. Abortion rights groups say even before the ruling, Mexico had already become a destination for some American women seeking an abortion.
ALCAIDE: Before Mexican women used to go to the U.S. to look for abortion services. And now Mexico more and more American women are coming to Mexico for services.
ROMO (voice-over): And while no woman can be prosecuted any longer for having an abortion in Mexico, there are still 20 states where the procedure remains illegal. But the ruling paves the way for the federal healthcare system to start providing abortions.
Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: Next, a daring prison escape leads to an urgent manhunt for a British soldier awaiting trial on terror charges. We'll have the details for you.
FOSTER: Plus, the fallout of a controversial ban on abayas in French schools and why rights groups say it's an infringement on personal liberties.
[04:35:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) FOSTER: A manhunt is underway for a British ex-soldier who escaped from a prison here in London disguised in a chef's uniform.
Daniel Abed Khalife was awaiting trial on terror charges, which he denies. Geraint Vincent with ITV News has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GERAINT VINCENT, ITV NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Daniel Abed Khalife was awaiting trial on remand at His Majesty's Prison Wandsworth. He is reported to have escaped from the prison kitchen where he was working by clinging to a delivery van. He was last seen wearing a white T- shirt and red and white checkered trousers.
CMDR. DOMINIC MURPHY, COUNTERTERRORISM COMMAND, METROPOLITAN POLICE: We have a focus of our effort in London at the moment. We have counterterrorism command officers now leading the investigation, supportive officers from across the Metropolitan Police and our partners. But we also have notifications out to every force in the country. We're working really closely with borders colleagues to try and understand any risks that might be posed by him leaving the country. And so at the moment you could describe this as a nationwide manhunt involving every force in the country.
VINCENT (voice-over): Mr. Khalife is a soldier who was based at these barracks in Stafford. He was arrested after allegedly leaving fake devices at the base. Magistrates in Westminster were told that he had done so with the intention of inducing the belief in others that the items were likely to explode. He is charged with terrorism offences and is accused of gathering information which could be useful to an enemy.
Wandsworth Prison was famously escaped from 60 years ago by one of the Great Train robbers. Ronnie Biggs put a ladder over one of the walls. More recently, problems at the category B jail persist. There was another escape four years ago, and the Chief Inspector of Prisons has described HMP Wandsworth as crumbling, overcrowded and vermin infested.
IAN ACHESON, FORMER HEAD OF SECURITY, WANDSWORTH PRISON: I find it rather odd that this is a prisoner who's been charged under terrorism legislation and the Official Secrets Act that he is in Wandsworth. But I find it completely inconceivable that somebody is -- who is, you know, a potential national security risk has been allowed, as we believe, to work in Wandsworth kitchen.
VINCENT (voice-over): The police think that Daniel Khalife is most likely still somewhere in London. They say the threat he poses to the public is low, but that he shouldn't be approached. They describe their search for him as urgent and extensive,
Geraint Vincent, ITV News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: A school in France banned a student from class on Wednesday for wearing a kimono. This comes amid Frances's ban on abayas, a long robe like garment often worn by Muslim women.
FOSTER: And the ban stems from a 2004 law that prohibits wearing outfits in schools that show religious affiliations.
[04:40:00]
And dozens of girls were sent home earlier this week for not complying with that rule. Our CNN's Anna, Stewart has more on the controversial ban and the fallout.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A daily ritual for some students in France. You can attach it to your bag. That's the rule inside. Put the headscarf in the bag. This teacher tells a student at the school gates. Removing any sign of their Muslim faith before entering the classroom. But as summer vacation ends, Frances's 2004 law banning conspicuous religious symbols in state-run schools will be applied to loose-fitting full-length dresses, known as abayas for the first time.
GABRIEL ATTAL, FRENCH EDUCATION MINISTER: The abaya has no place in our schools, and neither do religious symbols.
STEWART (voice-over): The free-flowing garments worn by some Muslim women and girls now prohibited in the name of French laicite, or secularism. This policy is a new interpretation of the controversial 2004 law from Frances' ambitious new education Minister. Nearly 300 students were in a abaya to school on Monday. 67 were sent home for refusing to take it off.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): They say that the abaya is a religious dress, but it's not at all. It's not a religious dress, it's a traditional dress.
STEWART (voice-over): A Muslim rights group has already brought an appeal against the ban to the country's highest court, with their lawyer saying the ban doesn't legally define what an abaya looks like.
VINCENT BRENGARTH, LAWYER (through translator): The ban is not based on any legal text. It's purely a political announcement.
STEWART (voice-over): Another lawsuit is being prepared after a student wearing a kimono and jeans was expelled from class. Disproportionate is how one teaching union described the abaya debate. When issues like funding and bullying also need to be addressed. At least one other major union has supported the government's ban. And that division gets to the heart of the secularism debate in France.
Laicite, a principle upheld by many across the political spectrum as Frances blind defense against religious discrimination. But critics condemn it as a veiled attack on Muslims in France. Hijabs, bikinis, now abayas falling under the glare of an unyielding French state. Exactly what Macron asked of his teachers, faced with resistant students this month. EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): We know that
there will be cases because we know that there will be some through negligence, perhaps, but many to try to defy the Republican system, we must be uncompromising.
STEWART (voice-over): France remains an outlier among Western nations, moving into wider acceptance of civil liberties around religious dress. With the hijab embraced elsewhere by Muslim politicians and major brands like Nike, for schools in France, though, a new year means new rules.
Anna Stewart, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: Shiite Muslims are marking the end of their forty-day mourning period known as Ashura. Shiite pilgrims have been performing religious rituals in the holy city of Karbala, Iraq. A pilgrimage attracted more than 22 million people this year, according to Iraq's government.
FOSTER: They came mainly from countries in the region, with many of them making their way on foot. Ashura commemorates the death of the grandson of Islamic prophet Muhammad, Imam Husayn, who is revered by Shiite Muslims.
Coco Gauff will be playing her U.S. Open semifinal match today as she eyes the finals and the championship trophy. A quick preview of what to expect next.
[04:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NOBILO: We're just hours away from the return of the National Football League. The reigning Super Bowl champs, the Kansas City Chiefs, will face off against the Detroit Lions in the first game of the season Thursday night. A victory for the Chiefs would make them the sixth NFL team to win 9 consecutive season openers. But they'll start tight end, Travis Kelce, has a knee injury and could miss the game.
FOSTER: And now to the U.S. Open Tennis Championships in the quarter final match between American Madison Keys and Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic, on Wednesday night, was delayed after a fan needed medical attention. After play resumed, Keys slammed the reigning Wimbledon champ in straight sets to reach the women's semifinals.
Meanwhile, Carlos Alcarez defeated Alexander Zverev, also in straight sets, to reach the men's semifinals and American Coco Gauff will try to oust the number 10 seed Karolina Muchova in the semifinals today as she looks to book her spot in the finals.
NOBILO: You did a very nice job with all the -- all the names there.
They're all from -- they sound like they from your part of the world. All of those names. NOBILO: Former world number one, Naomi Osaka, will return to
professional tennis next year. The four-time major champion confirmed her comeback plan in an interview with ESPN on Wednesday, less than two months after having a baby girl. Osaka has not played professionally for about a year, and she's been open about her struggles with mental health, including depression. Now she says that she's learned a lot from talking about her experiences and from becoming an advocate for mental health awareness.
FOSTER: She's going to have the crowds behind her, isn't she?
Spanish prosecutors can now move forward with a case against the country's Football Federation chief after a star player on the women's national team filed a formal complaint over an unwanted kiss after the Women's World Cup final last month. The fallout has led to a major shake up in Spanish football. CNN's Patrick Snell has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, on Wednesday we learned that the player that Luis Rubiales kissed after last month's World Cup Final in Australia, Jenny Hermoso, has now filed an official complaint with prosecutors against Rubiales himself. And this is highly significant because his legal complaint is the next step required for the Spanish justice system to proceed with the case against Rubiales.
[04:50:00]
Spanish prosecutors had opened an investigation into him late last month saying they would contact Hermoso within two weeks to inform her of her rights as a victim of an alleged crime of sexual aggression. And now they've issued a statement which reads in part:
Yesterday, Miss Jennifer Hermoso submitted a complaint for the events that you all know. The national court's prosecutor's office will file a complaint as soon as possible which will be sent to you as well as the press release. The statement took place at the State Attorney General's Office to protect the privacy of the victim.
That comes after a series of key developments earlier in the week which saw the appointment of a new Spanish women's team head coach following Jorge Vila's sacking with Montse Tome succeeding him. Though former Spain captain Veronica Boquete saying that replacing Vilda as head coach of the team wasn't enough, quote:
The change we're talking about isn't about changing one president for another. It isn't changing one coach for another. It's about making a much deeper change.
Tome on Tuesday becoming the first woman ever to be appointed head coach of the Spanish national team. The 41-year-old former player has been working for the Spanish Federation since 2018 and did work under Vilda whose team went on to win the World Cup last month in Sydney after beating England's Lionesses.
Meantime Vilda himself saying he feels his sacking was unfair. Vilda has long been considered a close ally of Rubiales and was seen applauding in his defiant speech where he refused to resign nearly two weeks ago.
Vilda was the man in charge of Spain winning their first ever Women's World Cup crown, but it does now bring to an end an eight-year tenure that's been steeped in controversy and complaints from some of the players about the structures and management in place.
JORGE VILDA, FORMER HEAD COACH, SPANISH WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM (through translation): I'm as good as one can be after being named world champion 16 days ago, then 10 days ago getting a 4-year contract extension, plus the year I had left. And then after today being fired, what I believe to be unfairly.
SNELL: Well for now, the scrutiny on Rubiales remaining as intense as ever. He's refusing to resign and says that kiss was mutual and consensual, though Hermoso herself says there was absolutely no consent on her part. And with that, it's right back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Thank you to Patrick.
NOBILO: Patrick Snell, such a lovely man.
FOSTER: Yes.
NOBILO: And the stories in the spotlight this hour for you. NASA says it's on track to launch a spacecraft to study a metallic asteroid next month.
FOSTER: And known as the "Psyche" mission. The launch window opens on October the 5th. The spacecraft will launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard SpaceX Falcon heavy rocket. It'll travel more than 2 billion miles and reach the asteroid site by 2029, then spend approximately 26 months orbiting the asteroid. NASA officials explained the goal of the mission in a press conference on Wednesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LORI GLAZE, DIRECTOR OF NASA'S PLANETARY SCIENCE DIVISION: The Psyche asteroid is representative of one type of asteroid, but in fact there are several types of asteroids. Some with different chemical or physical properties. Some that are found in distinct locations within the solar system. And each of those asteroids is a remnant of the earliest building blocks that made-up all of the planets and moons. So by studying these small bodies, we can learn about the origin and evolution of our solar system as well as the active processes that are still at work today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: Psyche is a metallic asteroid and the metal there is estimated to be worth 10 quintillion dollars. Does that make you more engaged with space? And of course, that's because it contains metals in much higher concentrations than we have on Earth, and very rare metals. FOSTER: Yes, and potentially some that we don't yet.
NOBILO: And the scientist who came up with that value points out that that number is somewhat meaningless.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDY ELKINS-TANTON, PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR OF PSYCHE: We have zero technology as a species to bring Psyche back to Earth. And if we did, it would likely be a catastrophic mistake, could we say. But say we were able to actually bring Psyche back, then it would flood the metals market and it would literally be worth nothing.
And so calculating the value of it is -- it's a fun intellectual exercise with no truth to it. We are not going there to mine an asteroid. NASA does not mine asteroids. There are other metal objects in the solar system for humans to think about in the future, but that's not our mission.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Just a few hours ago, the successful lift off of the H2A rocket carrying Japan so-called "Moon Sniper," lunar landing and a new X-ray satellite.
NOBILO: Oh, that is a cool name. The satellite, a telescope called Chrism, is already in Earth orbit and will study galaxy clusters, black holes and the chemical makeup of the universe. Japan's Smart Lander for Investigating of the Moon or SLIM will arrive in lunar orbit in a few months and then attempt a soft landing on the moon using high precision, vision-based navigation landing technology, hence the nickname, moon.
FOSTER: Oh, now we get.
[04:55:00]
NOBILO: And forget the energy drinks and snacks. Millions of video gamers across Asia will soon have a new go to, to keep up their strength during those long late night gaming sessions. That you probably can't relate to, Max, but --
FOSTER: But I do have family members who can very much relate to that.
That aptly named Gaming Cup Noodles, the new product aims to provide a quick mess free meal, along with a jolt of caffeine -- could you believe? The company says it's the first gamer friendly product in its history. It'll be available in Japan later this month. This is going to be the new prime, isn't it?
NOBILO: Possibly. I'm not a fan of caffeine when I'm on a gaming marathon though. Because I feel like it makes me jittery and it impairs my decision making. It's when match is quite good, cause it's got calming L-theanine, but then also caffeine.
FOSTER: Yes, there's always a healthy alternative for gamers. NOBILO: This is why my name is whispered in fear in gaming community
all over the Internet.
FOSTER: Now a woman in California has Beyonce to thank for sending her into labor during her concert, CNN affiliate KABC reports that Sarah Jones was with her husband at the singer's concert. Fittingly on Labor Day, when she felt contractions during the song "Virgos Groove," she thought there were false contractions at first, but danced and sang through the entire concert.
NOBILO: The couple didn't think it was real labor since Jones wasn't scheduled to have a C-section until next week, but they went to the hospital on the way home anyway. And that is where the newest member of the Beehive was born, and they named her Nola after Dad's hometown of New Orleans.
FOSTER: Ah, good hearts. That's a good one for Beyonce to remember the concert by.
NOBILO: I think so. It was Beyonce's birthday the other day? So I wonder if she's born on the same day.
FOSTER: Thank you for joining us here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster.
NOBILO: And I'm Bianca Nobilo. "EARLY START" is up next right here on CNN.
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