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U.S. Sends More Aid to Ukraine; Rupert Murdoch Retires From His Role; Canada and India's Diplomatic Gap Worsen; No Freedom, No Peace Says Mahmoud Abbas; Three Powerful Countries Expands Their Nuclear Capabilities; Satellite Images Show Nuclear Test Site Expansions; Parliament Passes Dress Code Bill With Harsh Penalties; Azerbaijan Holds Talks On Future Of Armenian Enclave; Two Adults Killed, Multiple Students Injured After Bus Crashes In New York; King Charles Makes Historic Speech At French Senate; Pope Francis Hopes To Call Attention To Europe's Migration Crisis During Whirlwind Visit To Marseilles; Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad Makes Rare Visit To China. Aired 2- 2:45a ET
Aired September 22, 2023 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KRIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST: And welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
Ahead on CNN Newsroom, a plea for more aid. The Ukrainian president gets a warm welcome at the White House with a mixed reception in Congress.
And an unprecedented diplomatic row. We're live in New Delhi as tensions between Canada and India heat up.
And Rupert Murdoch, one of the world's most influential and controversial media moguls, steps down, turning over control of his companies to his eldest son.
UNKNOWN: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is now in Canada for a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and addressed to parliament in the coming hours. The Canadian leader says Ottawa is committed to helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia's brutal invasion.
Zelenskyy spent the day Thursday in Washington where he met with congressional leaders and President Joe Biden. The Ukrainian leader was effusive in his praise for American weapons and support, and he offered a battlefield assessment during a meeting with cabinet members at the White House.
President Biden promised to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. Here he is. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: That's what this is all about. The future. The future of freedom. America can never, will never walk away from that. That's why 575 days later we stand with Ukraine and will continue to stand with you, Mr. President. And that's why we're so proud of being able to be with you. Mr. President, we're, we're with you. And we're staying with you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The U.S. has announced another $325 million in military aid for Ukraine, including more ammunition for HIMARS rocket systems, plus anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.
We have more now from CNN's Kayla Tausche at the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrapping up a critical visit to Washington, including a stop at the White House.
UNKNOWN: Mr. President, how important is this visit?
BIDEN: Very important.
TAUSCHE: To sustain the marathon of war funding set to dry up in weeks. The Biden administration sending more weaponry, HIMARS systems, anti-armor capabilities, artillery, and cluster munitions from money already greenlit by Congress.
BIDEN: Mr. President, it's an honor to welcome back to the White House and the Oval Office.
TAUSCHE: Zelenskyy in his trademark fatigues, sharing his battlefield perspective with the White House cabinet.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: I thank United States of America and Mr. President for the new defense package for Ukraine, a very powerful package. Thank you so much. And it has exactly what our soldiers need.
TAUSCHE: And his plans to rebuild with the former commerce secretary. But first, he needs tens of billions of dollars to fight. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill still skeptical.
UNKNOWN: I wish Ukraine well, and I also wish our European allies to do their part.
TAUSCHE: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy refusing to commit to a vote on new funding.
KEVIN MCCARTHY, U.S. SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Look, we've got to get our first arm the fiscal house taken care of here in America.
TAUSCHE: The White House says the weapons are working.
JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We are providing or helping Ukraine not only make forward progress, but also critically defend the territory that they continue to hold against Russian efforts to overrun it and occupy it because Putin has not given up on his fundamental goal, which is to subjugate the country of Ukraine.
And we will not permit that to happen and the Ukrainian people will not permit that to happen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TAUSCHE: President Biden and President Zelenskyy were asked by reporters how confident they were that the U.S. Congress would support that additional aid for Ukraine. President Biden answering on behalf of both leaders, said that he was relying on the good judgment of Congress, and in his words said, there is no alternative.
Kayla Tausche, CNN, the White House.
BRUNHUBER: Now, just hours before those meetings in Washington, Russia struck Ukraine's energy facilities for the first time in months. The attacks came as the country gears up for cold weather when it will need more power for heating.
As Fred Pleitgen reports, Ukrainians believe this was just an opening salvo with more attacks likely to come.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Vladimir Putin unleashing massive aerial attacks across Ukraine, just as Ukraine's president visits Capitol Hill and the White House.
[02:05:00]
Firefighters rushing the wounded out of the burning ruins of this hotel in the town of Cherkasy.
"The sound I heard was boom and I saw all the windows were gone in the kitchen and in the bedroom," this woman says. And she adds, "at around six in the morning there was an explosion, a strong one. We came here, saw the windows that shattered in the shop."
Kyiv says the Russians launched 43 cruise missiles in the early morning hours. And while Ukraine's air defenses were able to shoot down most of them, some did come through. Also hitting energy infrastructure. Kyiv saying the power grid here hasn't been attacked on the scale in half a year.
The Ukrainians certain more strikes will follow as temperatures begin to fall. "We can make certain assumptions that the fuel and energy sector facilities will be further targeted by the enemy," the air force spokesman says.
Zelenskyy urging the U.S. and its allies to provide more modern air defense systems, but Ukraine also fighting back. The satellite company Planet Labs releasing these images after the Ukrainians say they struck Russian targets in occupied Crimea, including a military airfield.
On the front lines, the Ukrainians say they're making gains. "Cover me, I'll get closer to them," the soldier says. This video released by a unit operating on the eastern front. While in the south, Kyiv says its counteroffensive there is also gaining steam, even though the going remains tough.
"Despite mining and engineering equipment, as well as strong resistance from the occupiers, our units had a partial success, advanced into the depths of the enemy's defense and along the front," he says.
But the Russians may already be gearing up for yet another large-scale aerial campaign against Ukraine's critical infrastructure.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: In about three hours, Poland's president will address an event dedicated to the reconstruction of Ukraine. They will speak as the two countries try to mend fences after a bitter spat over a Polish ban on Ukrainian grain imports.
On Wednesday, Warsaw also said it would stop the deliveries of new weapons to Ukraine, which would be a major U-turn in its policy. But Poland's president later tried to dial down the tensions. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDRZEJ DUDA, PRESIDENT OF POLAND (through translator): Let's please not raise the temperature because this is a dispute over grain ban that concerns a small part of our relations, a very small part of our relations. Let's not allow it to affect the whole because there's no justification for it and only others will benefit from it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Lithuania is also stepping into the dispute with its president offering to mediate. Ukraine's minister of agrarian policy says he reached out to his Polish counterpart on Thursday, and they agreed to negotiate a solution.
Global media tycoon Rupert Murdoch is stepping down from his business empire. The 92-year-old chairman of Fox Corp and News Corp is transitioning away from that leadership role and handing control to his eldest son, Lachlan. In a memo to employees, he wrote, quote, "for my entire professional life, I have been engaged daily with news and ideas, and that will not change. But the time is right for me to take on different roles, knowing that we have truly talented teams."
Murdoch either launched or bought up numerous influential outlets over the years, and that includes The Wall Street Journal, Britain's The Times, and Sky News in the U.K. and Australia where News Corp also owns many other newspapers. But maybe the biggest jewel in his crown is the right-wing Fox News here in the U.S., a ratings powerhouse which rakes in billions of dollars.
CNN's Anna Stewart reports on Rupert Murdoch's seven decades shaping the media landscape.
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ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Media legend and self-made billionaire. Rupert Murdoch's career began more than 60 years ago when his father died, leaving him control of a local Australian newspaper company. From that, he built a media empire and reshaped the TV business, especially with the launch of the Fox Broadcast Network and later, the Fox News Channel.
RUPERT MURDOCH, OWNER, NEWS CORP: How delighted I am that we've now reached this moment when we can firmly announce the starting of a Fox News Channel much greater effort on the buildup of Fox News in every area.
STEWART: In the U.K., his Sun tabloid urged support for Brexit. Years earlier, British politicians admitted to openly courting his support.
DAVID CAMERON, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: And I think on all sides of the House there's a bit of a need for a hand on heart. We all did too much cozying up to Rupert Murdoch.
STEWART: In the United States, properties like Fox News, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post made him a conservative kingmaker. Initially opposed to Donald Trump's campaign, Murdoch's relationship with a former president warmed up and eventually grew quite close.
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MURDOCH: The commander in chief and the President of the United States, my friend Donald J. Trump.
STEWART: The two men reportedly talked on the phone frequently, giving Murdoch a direct line to the Oval Office. But Murdoch's rise to the top wasn't without stumbles. In 2011, a phone hacking scandal led him to close the British tabloid News of the World. The powerful businessman was called before Parliament.
MURDOCH: This is the most humble day of my life.
UNKNOWN: Everything I've done in my life, I've done for my children.
STEWART: Much like the TV show's succession he inspired, he very publicly prepared his sons Lachlan and James to helm his multi- billion-dollar companies. In 2017, he made an industry-shaking deal, selling most of 21st Century Fox to Disney for $71 billion, a deal Trump praised.
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I know that the president spoke with Rupert Murdoch earlier today, congratulated him.
STEWART: That close relationship was not without costs though. Fox News paying more than $787 million to settle legal claims from Dominion voting systems over 2020 U.S. election lies.
JUSTIN NELSON, COUNSEL, DOMINION VOTING SYSTEMS: The truth matters. Lies have consequences.
STEWART: With his son Lachlan now running Fox, Murdoch leaves behind a leaner, more focused empire. And he's not fully stepping back. He's transitioning to a role of chairman emeritus. He remains in robust health and expects to be engaged daily with the news and ideas.
Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: All right, still ahead, accusations are flying between India and Canada, sending diplomatic relations into a tailspin. We'll have more on that coming up. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: In his speech before the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday, China's Vice President touched on several thorny issues, including world expansion and Taiwan. Han Zheng said China opposes expansion and dominance over other states. He added that Beijing is committed to an independent foreign policy and will uphold the common values of humanity that include peace, justice, democracy, and freedom.
Now on the topic of Taiwan, an independent and democratic country for decades, the vice president stressed that Beijing will continue to strive for peaceful reunification with Taipei. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAN ZHENG, CHINESE VICE PRESIDENT (through translator): China stays committed to safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity. There is but one China in the world. The government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. And Taiwan has been an inalienable part of China's territory since ancient times.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The Middle East is in focus at the U.N. General Assembly as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address world leaders in the day ahead.
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It follows a warning of sorts from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that peace cannot prevail unless his people enjoy their full legitimate national rights.
CNN's Hadas Gold reports. HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Palestinian Authority president
Mahmoud Abbas didn't mention the word Saudi Arabia in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly, but it was clear that a possible normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel was on his mind from the very first line of his speech. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHMOUD ABBAS, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT (through translator): Those who think that peace can prevail in the Middle East without the Palestinian people enjoying their full legitimate and national rights would be mistaken.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLD: It's interesting to know that line was actually not in the official transcript that was sent out to reporters, so it may have been added at some point. And it seemed to be a direct response to much of the news over the last day or so, which is the interview that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia had with Fox News, where he talked about the talks, negotiations towards normalization with Israel.
And a big question in this normalization would be, what will the Palestinians get or what will happen to the Palestinians? And what we hear from the Palestinian authority president is essentially, you cannot have this piece that you seek in the Middle East without a full recognition of a Palestinian state.
It was interesting to hear from the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, in that interview, not even mention the word necessarily a state for Palestinians, but instead talking about ways that they could ease the lives of Palestinians in this normalization deal.
We do know that the Palestinians have set out certain things that they would like to receive as a result of this normalization deal. This is according to media reports as well as statements we've heard from Palestinian officials. This is things like U.S. backing for recognition of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations, which is something that Mahmoud Abbas mentioned in his speech.
The U.S. reopening its consulate in Jerusalem that was closed by former President Donald Trump, and as well as Israeli transfer of certain parts of the West Bank territory into Palestinian control. Now it is going to be hard for much of these things to get through this current Israeli government. The most right-wing extremist in Israeli history, something that Mahmoud Abbas addressed, calling it a right- wing racist government.
Otherwise for the rest of a speech, much of it is things that we have heard before from the Palestinian leader, things like demanding an end -- an end to the occupation, asking for full recognition of the state of Palestine, talking about what he called a double standard, saying why is Israel recognized but the state of Palestine is not recognized.
He also is calling for Israel. He said to be held responsible for its actions, saying that there have been so many U.N. resolutions in that very body that he says have not been upheld. But, definitely, the biggest takeaway from his speech was that first line his sort of direct response to all the discussion about the normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
But, next up, will actually be Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is going to give his speech to the United Nations on Friday morning.
Hadas Gold, CNN, Jerusalem.
BRUNHUBER: Canada's prime minister is calling on India to cooperate and allow justice to take its course after the murder of a Sikh leader on Canadian soil. Justin Trudeau's message from the U.N. comes as diplomatic relations between India and Canada go from bad to worse.
Earlier this week, he accused the Indian government of possibly playing a role in the assassination. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA: I can assure you the decision to share these allegations on the floor of the House of Commons Monday morning was not done lightly. It was done with or Monday afternoon was done with the utmost seriousness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Now those remarks came just hours after India escalated the dispute by suspending visa services for Canadian citizens.
CNN's Vedika Sud is live in New Delhi.
So Vedika, this fight shows no signs of slowing down. What's the latest?
VEDIKA SUD, CNN PRODUCER: Absolutely not, Kim. And going just by the developments through Thursday, the nays are out. There have been so many developments over the last week, but what really stood out was India mentioning and confirming that they will not be issuing visas to Canadian nationals, and that's been temporarily suspended.
You had the Canadian High Commission here in New Delhi also issue a statement saying that they are looking to downsize their diplomatic presence in India. Now during a press briefing that was chaired by the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs here in India, Arindam Bagchi is his name.
[02:19:56]
He did make a very, very straight statement taking on Canada once again, and he said, and I'm going to quote him here, if you're talking about reputational damage, if there's a country that needs to look at this, I think it's Canada and its growing reputation as a place, as a safe haven for terrorists, for extremists, and for organized crime. I think that's a country that needs to worry about its international reputation. For a country to call the other country a place, a safe haven for
international -- for terrorists is a huge, huge strong word. Its statement came, it just goes on to show how the ties between the two countries are deteriorating even further. The tensions are escalating.
Now on Thursday, the White House did respond to questions on the ties between the two countries. And Jake Sullivan, the National Security Adviser, said that he will not be commenting on whether Biden has already spoken to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about this controversy, or he will be speaking about it with Modi. Here's what Sullivan had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SULLIVAN: I'm not going to get into private diplomatic conversations that have either already happened or are going to happen on this topic, only to say that we have been and will be in contact with the Indians at high levels on this issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SUD: The White House has repeatedly called on India to cooperate with Canada. But according to the Indian government the Canadian government has not reached out to India with any proof, any evidence, or any further conversation on this controversy ever since Justin Trudeau took to the floor of Parliament on Monday.
Back to you, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, we're still waiting to see that. All right, Vedika Sud in New Delhi, thanks so much. I appreciate it.
Still ahead, new satellite images obtained by CNN point to an expansion of nuclear test sites by the three biggest nuclear powers from the world. We'll have details on that.
Plus, Iran is cracking down on what it considers indecency. A new dress code carries harsh penalties around wearing the hijab and revealing clothing. More details after the break. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: And welcome back to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.
[02:24:59]
According to new satellite images obtained by CNN, three of the world's biggest nuclear powers have recently constructed new facilities and dug new tunnels at their test sites.
CNN's Ivan Watson is in Hong Kong with more on what it could all mean.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's no secret that there's growing geopolitical tension between the U.S. and Russia and China. All three powers routinely conduct military exercises, clearly trying to demonstrate their strength to each other. And it stands to reason that eventually this competition would start to bleed into an area that I think many people haven't really thought about since the end of the Cold War, and that is their nuclear arsenals.
CNN has gotten an exclusive look at the serious investment that all three countries, China, Russia, and the U.S., have put into their nuclear weapons testing sites.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: The world's three most powerful militaries, the U.S., Russia, and China, have all been expanding their nuclear testing sites in recent years. The evidence revealed in these commercial satellite images obtained exclusively by CNN.
These are the Russian, Chinese and American nuclear testing sites. Novaya Zemlya, a Russian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. Lop Nur, a dried-up Salt Lake in China's Xinjiang region. And the Nevada National Security Site in a desert northwest of Las Vegas. Images from each location show new tunnels, roads, and storage facilities constructed within the last five years.
Nuclear nonproliferation expert Jeffrey Lewis first collected and analyzed these images. One big factor for both the United States, but also Russia and China, is a desire to make sure the nuclear weapons that they designed and tested in the 1980s and 1990s still work.
CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: All three countries, Russia, China, and the United States, have invested a great deal of time, effort, and money in not only modernizing their nuclear arsenals, but also in preparing the types of activities that would be required for a test.
WATSON: While there's no evidence of an imminent test, Russia's Novaya Zemlya site did see a burst of new construction over the last two years. On the one year anniversary of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared Russia's readiness to conduct nuclear tests.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Some figures in Washington, we know this for a fact, are already thinking about the possibility of a natural test on this nuclear weapons. If the U.S. conducts tests, we will do so too.
UNKNOWN: Welcome to U1a located --
WATSON: This time lapse reveals five years of above-ground expansion of the U1a complex, an underground facility at the testing site in Nevada. A spokesperson from the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration confirmed to CNN that it is quote, "recapitalizing infrastructure and scientific capabilities at the U1a complex," adding, "the United States has not conducted a nuclear explosive test since 1992 and has no plans to do so."
Since the end of above ground testing, governments have used deep tunnels for their nuclear tests. Satellite images reveal a new fifth tunnel carved out at China's Lop Nur testing site, along with a growing pile of excavated debris.
Washington accuses China of dramatically expanding its nuclear arsenal.
MICHAEL CHASE, U.S. DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR CHINA: We project out to 2035 when we expect that they'll want to have about 1,500 nuclear weapons.
WATSON: In a statement to CNN, China's foreign ministry also denied plans to test, saying, quote, "this kind of report only speaks on hearsay evidence and hypes up China's nuclear threat for no reason."
UNKNOWN: Fire.
WATSON: The specter of a new nuclear test would shatter restraint exhibited by the U.S., China, and Russia ever since the 1990s.
JEFFREY LEWIS, PROFESSOR, JAMES MARTIN CENTER FOR NONPROLIFERATION STUDIES: If you are a farmer in Ohio or a shopkeeper in Shanghai, the threat of nuclear testing isn't the test themselves. It's the fact that you are essentially agreeing to pay vast sums of money in an arms race that no one can win, but we can all lose.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: As far as we know, not one of the three countries has conducted a full-scale nuclear weapons test since the 1990s. Most recently, that would be China, with an underground test conducted in 1996.
The U.S. has been conducting for years tests that it calls subcritical tests. And they're meant to ensure the reliability of existing nuclear weapons, some of which have been around for some 30 years, longer than many people might keep a car in their garage.
[02:29:59]
But, you know, investing so heavily in these nuclear weapons testing facilities does not bode well in this environment of growing geopolitical tension, and mutual suspicion. Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN NEWSROOM ANCHOR: A new dress code bill passed by Iran's parliament has a harsh punishment to people who violate it. Under the new legislation, women who don't wear the hijab properly and men who wear revealing clothing would face fines and, in certain cases, up to ten years in prison.
The bill has a three-year trial period and still needs to be approved by Iran's Guardian Council, which oversees legislative matters. Iranians had mixed reactions to the new restrictions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There was no survey of people in the society to pass this law. And this law, which they say, is according to the community of people and according to the customs of the society. Let's hold an election and see if they agree or not. Then, it will be clear.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I think there should be a law. If the freedom of the hijab is to exist, it must be in accordance with the society we live in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I think the government will not step back, because it's part of the ideology of the Islamic Republic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Azadeh Pourzand is a human rights researcher and senior fellow at the Center for Middle East and Global Order and she joins us now from London. Thanks so much for being here with us. So this bill, I mean it's not new, really. But explain in a bit more detail what it does and how it's different from the existing laws and how they're enforced.
AZADEH POURZAND, HUMAN RIGHTS RESEARCHER: Yes, thank you for having me. So, as perhaps your audiences know by now, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, not adhering to, quote, unquote, "Complete compulsory veil" is, basically has punitive measures attached to it, already, for over four decades. This means that, you know, throughout the existence of the Islamic Republic many women, many of us have faced anything from fines, you know, lashes, imprisonment, humiliation on the street for not fully adhering to compulsory veil.
And in response to the Woman, Life, Freedom movement that happened last year after Jina Mahsa Amini's death in custody in the Morality Police's hands, the Islamic Republic's regime, sort of, began to expand the scope and the scale of the punitive measures that are already, sort of, many of them are legalized within its system against women. You know, we saw peculiar sentences, such as, you know, having to wash dead bodies, all the way to fines.
Over one million women, I believe, until July of this year, received a SMS messages about the fact that they hadn't adhered to compulsory veil, cars are being confiscated, humiliation on the street, and so on. And also, there are socioeconomic measures against women who are not adhering to these laws, such as, for example, not being able to open bank accounts, not being able to use services such as getting on a bus and so on.
BRUNHUBER: Right.
POURZAND: Their current bill is simply further facilitating what I just told you has happened, in terms of escalation in the past couple of months --
BRUNHUBER: So, sorry -- if I can just jump in to summarize here. Wider restrictions and harsher punishments, but, you know, I want to get a -- what's behind this now? Sort of, why now? What's behind the timing, a year after the death of Mahsa Amini as you spoke about?
POURZAND: It's, as I was saying, it's basically a revenge. It's a revenge against Iranian women who led and are leading the movement of Woman, Life, Freedom after Mahsa Amini's death, asking not only for an end to the compulsory veil, but for a fundamental change, basically a regime change alongside also men and other minority groups. So this is a way that an autocratic regime is responding to its citizens' grievances rather than meeting them, at the very least, halfway.
BRUNHUBER: So, how are Iranian women reacting to this? Are they changing their behavior? Or are they just sort of ignoring all of this?
POURZAND: Iranian women are not unfamiliar to repression, to discrimination, to humiliation, to imprisonment. None of this thing is new. Whether you are an activist woman or a non-activist woman, on a daily basis you have had to deal with the morality police.
[02:35:05]
This, from what I hear on the ground, this, everyone is seeing it has, as like I said, as a statement against the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, and against women who led this movement. And the ones that I have spoken with have decided to continue their life as it was.
However, this, basically, has many, many more risks for women than it even had before. So, we just basically have to wait and see how, sort of, you know, the war that the government has further escalated against the nation's women will unfold at this point.
BRUNHUBER: We only have a minute left, but I did want to ask you this because it is a bit unusual. The bill also targets, quote, "Socially influential people", who will face increased fines and it will also punish those who mock the rules online. So, do you think this will have a chilling effect or do you think all of this will encourage more resistance?
POURZAND: Well, yeah, I think exactly what you said, it sort of describes that it is in the context and against the movement. I think that it will encourage further resistance. That does not, again, mean that those who will go against it won't face serious consequences. And it only, again, will highlight the bravery of the Iranian people and the Iranian women in particular. As I said, it's an ongoing war that the state has declared against women of the country.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah. An ongoing war indeed. I really appreciate your analysis on this. Azadeh Pourzand, thank you so much.
POURZAND: Thank you very much.
BRUNHUBER: Two days after Azerbaijani forces seized control of the ethnic Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, representatives from both sides sat down to discuss how to integrate the enclave's 120 thousand ethnic Armenians who are mostly Christian, into Azerbaijan's Muslim society. The enclave has been disputed territory beyond Azerbaijan's control
for decades, but Azerbaijan put a decisive end to it on Tuesday, with an overwhelming military strike against Armenian separatists, killing at least two hundred people. Six Russian peacekeepers were also reportedly killed. Armenia's prime minister explained in a video address why Armenia didn't interfere.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKOL PASHINYAN, ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Many believe that in this tense regional environment, in the face of occasional military conflicts, it is not adequate to talk about peace. This path is not easy. But we must go through it for the sake of independence, for the sake of statehood, for the sake of the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh has been deteriorating for months after Azerbaijan blocked shipments of humanitarian aid into the enclave. King Charles of the United Kingdom makes history, speaking in the French Senate. We'll tell you about his pledge to France ahead, here on CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:40:13]
BRUNHUBER: A bus carrying dozens of high school students and four adults crashed and tumbled into a steep ravine in New York state on Thursday. Two of the adults were killed and at least five people were critically injured. The bus had been on its way to Pennsylvania for a band camp event. Officials investigating the crash say that a faulty front tire could have contributed to the accident.
The UK's King Charles made history on Thursday, becoming the first British monarch to make a speech from the French Senate Chamber. Parliamentarians gave the 74-year-old sovereign a warm welcome, 231 years to the day since France abolished its own monarchy and established a republic. King Charles alternated between French and English during the speech, and praised the bonds between the UK and its neighbor. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING CHARLES, UNITED KINGDOM (through translator): I pledge to do everything in my power to strengthen the vital relationship between the United Kingdom and France, and today I invite you to join me in that effort. Together, our potential is limitless.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, will wrap up their three-day-stay trip to France in the coming hours. And as the British royals are getting ready to leave France, Pope Francis is heading to the port city of Marseille for a short visit that he hopes will draw attention to Europe's migration crisis. The 27-hour trip was planned months ago to allow the Pontiff to make
closing remarks at a gathering of young Catholic people and bishops, but is now happening as thousands of migrants are arriving on the Italian island of Lampedusa. One of the Pope's first events in Marseille will be to visit a monument honoring the heroes and victims of the sea. And Syria's president, who's blamed for the country's civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people, is making a rare trip overseas.
Bashar Al-Assad and his wife, Asma, arrived in the Chinese city of Hangzhou on Thursday, where he received a red carpet welcome. This is his first visit to China in nearly two decades. Assad is expected to meet with China's leader and attend the opening ceremony of the Asian Games, along with dozens of other dignitaries. The games get underway this weekend. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in 15 minutes. WORLD SPORT is next.
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