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Thousands of U.S. Workers Affected by Two Significant Strikes; Writers Strikes Negotiations Move Into "Final Phase"; Glimmer of Hope Despite Growing Autoworkers' Strike; Deadline for Government Funding Approaches Amidst House Republican Chaos; During the CBC Awards Dinner, Biden Criticizes House Republicans; Federal Government Preparing for a Shutdown; Senator Menendez Urged to Resign by Fellow Democrat; As it Moves Up the Mid-Atlantic Coast, Ophelia Causes Flooding; Lavrov's U.N. Speech; Asteroid Samples Coming to Earth; Russia's War on Ukraine; Strike in Crimea Left Senior Russian Naval Officers Dead, According to Kyiv; Russia Reports Ukrainian Drone Strike in Kursk; Slowing Down Migrant Surge at U.S. Southern Border; Government of Venezuelans Regained Control of One of the Largest Prisons; Hangzhou, China Hosts Asian Games; Unaccounted Disappearance of Two Senior Chinese Officials; White House's New Climate Corps; Interview with Sunrise Movement Executive Director Aru Shiney-Ajay. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired September 24, 2023 - 04:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[04:00:00]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Ahead on "CNN Newsroom."

We could be in the final hours of the Writer's Strike as both sides will return to the negotiating table today. But the news out of Washington isn't as promising, where a government shutdown is looking more likely as lawmakers have yet to reach a deal.

And later, President Biden is reaching out to young people worried about the environment. We'll take a look at the newly created American Climate Corps.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is "CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber."

BRUNHUBER: And we begin with new developments in two major strikes affecting thousands of U.S. workers. The Hollywood Writer's Strike and the one by United Auto Workers, one could soon come to an end, while the other is expanding.

So, let's start with the Writer's Strike. A source tells CNN that the major film and television studios sent their best and final offer to the striking writers on Saturday. It comes after four straight days of intense negotiations, both sides will meet again in the coming hours, but some on the picket lines are already hopeful the end is in sight. Listen to this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm, you know, guardedly optimistic. Seems to be a good sign. Seems to be that they're both, like, finally, like, sitting down in good faith and speaking with each other.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With the CEOs there, you know, actually in negotiations, I feel like they realize, like, oh, I actually need to be present and actually hear what the writers and our workers are saying, because I don't think they've -- they really thought that we were serious. I don't think they thought -- are valued our voices at first. And they thought, like, oh, they'll get tired. Like, no, we won't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The Writers Guild of America which has over 11,000 members has been on strike for nearly five months over wages, worker protections, and the use of artificial intelligence.

CNN's Camila Bernal has been following developments and has more from Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is what writers have been waiting to hear for about five months now. WGA negotiators and Hollywood studios are in the final phase of negotiations. And according to my colleague, Oliver Darcy, this deal could come by the end of the weekend. The two parties spent Saturday negotiating for the fourth quarter consecutive day, and sources telling CNN that while the heads of the four major studios, including Warner Brothers Discovery, CNN's parent company, NBC Universal, Disney, and Netflix were no longer in the room on Saturday, they were engaged in this whole process.

Now, this strike that has paralyzed the entertainment industry and has had a major impact when it comes to the economy, some estimates indicate a $5 billion economic impact. And this has affected not just Hollywood, but many, many other industries. A lot of the writers that I have talked to have said that they were ready to return to work after a deal was reached between the two parties.

But WGA members still have to ratify the new contract. And furthermore, because the actors are also on strike, a deal doesn't necessarily mean that all productions will go back to normal. But some in the industry do believe that a deal with the writers could speed up the process for SAG-AFTRA negotiations. Overall, it's been a very difficult few months for those in the industry, but certainly hope is now in the horizon.

Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And joining me now is CNN Media Critic Brian Lowry. Thanks so much for being here. So, what do you make of the fact that there seems to have been a substantial progress made here? Enough hope that we're close to the end?

BRIAN LOWRY, CNN MEDIA CRITIC: Well, by all accounts, CNN's reporting and other outlets, they are very close. They've made progress on most of the key issues. There were reports of, basically, the lawyers were in the room today, finalizing some of the key language on some of these points, which can be a little thorny. But I think the expectation is that they're, you know, if you were putting it in football terms, they would be somewhere down inside the 20-yard line.

BRUNHUBER: OK. So, near the goal line here. But this is dragged on and on. Why has it taken so long? You mentioned key issues. I mean, what have been the main sticking points here, do you think?

LOWRY: Well, I mean, there are several things. I think the writers and the actors were also out. Really felt like this was, sort of, an inflection point for the industry. And there's been a dramatic change in the business with a shift towards streaming. There's been a lot of concern about residuals tied to streaming.

[04:05:00]

Work for writers, specifically, in terms of the number of writers employed on these shorter order streaming shows. And also, the kind of -- the really hard-to-peg issue is artificial intelligence and what A.I. could mean and what it could mean to production going forward. And I think there's a lot of uncertainty and a lot of fear that it will be used to replace people, digitally replace actors, use digitally written pieces. So, there's a lot of issues that needed to be resolved. And I think the writers felt that they had to dig their heels in now or they'd be doing this again in three years or six years.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting. Yes, so, this is about more than just money. Some, you know -- an existential battle in a way when you're talking about A.I. I'm just curious, it's hard to know, but do you think that if they do get a settlement here on this, that it might affect other people in the entertainment industry or other industries even based on what happens here?

LOWRY: Well, I think that you've seen -- you know, one of the things that I think the studios may have misread is there's been the sort of rising labor tide which goes beyond the entertainment industry. But, you know, you're seeing it with the autoworkers now. But the media sector has been undergoing fairly significant radical changes for years.

You've seen it in newspapers, and now you've seen it reaching into movies and television. And just the way that programming is getting delivered, the way that movies are getting delivered has changed. And the real fear of the people who make them and work on them is that they are being left behind. That the technology is changing, and that they're not keeping up in terms of cashing in and sharing in it.

And of course, the studios are -- their business has taken a hit also. I mean, they're undergoing changes, too. So, it's not, you know, that -- everyone has reason to be a little bit nervous, a little bit antsy about what the future holds. And I think this deal will be welcomed by everyone in the industry in terms of getting back to work. But I don't know that it necessarily solves some of these bigger issues that are going to play out over the next several years.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. In the meantime, the effect of -- the effects of this, I mean, my friends in the industry, many of them are at the breaking point here. How are folks in the industry coping now that this has dragged on for so long?

LOWRY: Well, it's been very tough. I mean, because, again, this doesn't just affect writers and actors, this affects below-the-line people that works on crews. It affects restaurants and prop houses and all kinds of people that serve and service these industries and these productions. And we're talking billions of dollars in that.

I think what the writers have seen is that actually with the compensation shrinking and with shorter orders on shows, and a lot of them struggling to make the kind of living they used to make when they were working on network shows that would order, you know, 22 episodes of "Law & Order," and now they're doing a six or an eight-episode show for Netflix and they're not making enough to sustain them for the year, is that the strike actually -- they were sacrificing, but weren't sacrificing at the level that they might have been 10 or 15 years ago.

BRUNHUBER: Well, let's hope this is resolved sooner than later. I know a lot of folks struggling there. Brian Lowry, thanks so much for speaking with us. Appreciate it.

LOWRY: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: United Auto Workers are walking picket lines again this weekend against Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis facilities now in 20 states, but there's a hint of progress in this increasingly contentious labor dispute. The UAW expanded its strike, Friday, targeting 38 auto parts and distribution centers. The talks continued Saturday between the union and all three automakers. Now, the strike is having an impact. One estimate indicates that through today, the cost of the economy could reach $5.6 billion. The strikers say they'll stay off the job until they get what they deserve.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's been -- geez, how long as it been since we've had a raise in -- it's --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've gotten $3 in 12 years.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, and --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's been like -- basically 11 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And there's been records broken, as far as profits they've made $20 billion. And we just, you know, we want our fair share.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The new strike locations didn't include Ford facilities. The union president said, Ford appears serious about reaching a deal and there reportedly have been progress on some key issues.

Now, to the looming deadline for funding the U.S. government and House Republicans' floundering efforts to work out a deal. Gop leaders tried to find an agreement among their fractious caucus in a Saturday conference call. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy admitted later, many hardliners were unmoved. The September 30th deadline is less than a week away, giving lawmakers just days to work out a deal. McCarthy plans to bring several individual spending bills to the floor next week, but they won't pass in the Senate or avert a shutdown.

[04:10:00]

Still, McCarthy says he hopes opposition will soften as zero hour approach. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA), U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: I think when it gets crunch time, people will finally that have been holding off all this time, blaming everybody else will finally, hopefully, move off because shutting down and having border agents not be paid, your Coast Guard not get paid, I don't see how that's a victory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: President Biden slammed House Republicans, Saturday, evening in a Congressional Black Caucus Awards Dinner. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Let's be clear, if the government shuts down that means members of Congress -- members of the U.S. military are going to have to continue to work and not get paid. A government shutdown could impact everything from food safety, to cancer research, to head start programs for children. Funding the government is one of the most basic responsibilities of Congress. And it's time for Republicans to start doing the job America elected them to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Well, the federal government is preparing for potential disruption. CNN White House Reporter Priscilla Alvarez has that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: The Biden administration is preparing for a potential government shutdown next week if a short- term funding bill is not passed in the coming days. Now, on Friday, the office of management and budget formally initiated the process, essentially telling federal agents they should dust off their plans in the event of a government shutdown. That includes, for example, how many employees would be furloughed. How many would be considered essential and would have to work without pay, as well as what activities and services may be disrupted.

Now, there are some services that will continue, be it federal law enforcement activities, border protection, or air traffic control. But the White House making clear over the course of the last week, that it is incumbent on Republicans to get these bills passed.

Now, we heard from Republicans on Saturday, who tried to lay out a path forward and also project some confidence, saying that the majority of their conference does not want to see a government shutdown happen, but the reality is that they just don't have enough votes. And for those bills that they do have enough votes, those are dead on arrival in the Senate. So, all of this raising the question that they're -- about whether there will be a government shutdown a week from now.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The battle of the U.S. Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey is now facing calls to resign from within the Senate itself. Fellow Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania became the first senator of either party to say Menendez should step down following his indictment on corruption charges. Other Democratic lawmakers and officials have also called for his resignation.

The Justice Department named Menendez, his wife, and three other people in Friday's indictment. All deny their wrongdoing. The senator faced similar charges in 2015, but that case was dropped after a mistrial. Police won New Jersey Democrat Congressman Andy Kim has already announced his intention to run for Menendez's Senate seat next year.

Ophelia is now a post-tropical cyclone but it's still bringing heavy rainfall to mid-Atlantic states. It made landfall in North Carolina early Saturday as a strong tropical storm, inundating waterways with up to four feet of storm surge. The Coast Guard rescued five people, including three kids from an anchored sailboat Friday evening after the conditions became too dangerous to stay aboard. Now, across mid- Atlantic coastal areas, thousands lost power as high winds downed power lines.

CNN's Polo Sandoval is in New Jersey where water was rising Saturday afternoon.

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ophelia will continue to impact millions of Americans, specifically throughout parts of the northeast into Sunday as the remnants of the storm will continue to affect states like New York, potentially up to Maine, according to meteorologists. And even here in the state of New Jersey, where on Saturday we saw businesses up and down the iconic boardwalk (ph) actually shutter and closed their doors because of the storm.

And in fact, officials that actually closed off access to the beach section are hoping to deter any individuals from actually accessing some of the coastline here. In fact, if you look off in the distance, you can see some of those windward waves and what it really looked like on Saturday here. As authorities do continue to expect these conditions, or at least similar conditions to continue into Sunday, but they certainly are hopeful that they won't be as bad as what we experienced earlier in the weekend. Back to you.

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BRUNHUBER: Russia's foreign minister rails against the U.S. and its allies in his speech at the U.N. He levels big accusations against the west, but offers nothing to back them up. We'll have that story ahead.

And later, a special delivery from space. A NASA spacecraft is just hours away from delivering samples of an asteroid that could tell scientists how life on Earth began. Stay with us.

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[04:15:00]

BRUNHUBER: Russia's foreign minister unleashed a flurry of unfounded accusations in his speech at the United Nations on Saturday. The forum was the General Assembly, Sergey Lavrov spelling out Russia's take on the war in Ukraine. Now, he claimed that Ukraine is led by a racist regime propped up by the west. That the U.S. and Britain didn't want to war to end. And that Russia recognizes Ukraine's sovereignty, despite invading that country and trying to annex parts of it. Lavrov was later asked when he would consider the U.S. to be at war with Russia, which led to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): So, you can call this whatever you want to call this, but they are directly at war with us. We call this a hybrid war, but that doesn't change the reality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: But Lavrov didn't stop there. He also shot down Ukraine's peace proposal and railed against a U.N. brokered grain deal which Russia pulled out of in July.

Richard Roth was at the United Nations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: On a wind-swept rainy day in New York City, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov swept through the hallways of the U.N., speaking in the U.N. General Assembly, and then the media at a press conference.

[04:20:00]

He had strong words against Washington and NATO allies regarding how that side of the equation is handling the conflict in Ukraine. He called Ukrainian Peace Proposals, which have been out there for some time, completely unfeasible. He also commented on the Black Sea grain deal initiative, which Russia withdrew from months ago. He was asked, has Russia officially withdrawn from that deal?

LAVROV (through translator): We are working with those who respect themselves and who will never trade their national interests because someone from Washington has told them to. We know how American diplomats travel around the world and prohibit meetings with our diplomats and with representatives of Russia in general. I'll say the following, the U.S. is a superpower, that's clear to everyone, but to run around like this, threatening everyone, only then to show one's obsession with domineering, well, it's simply embarrassing for a great nation to act this way.

ROTH: Lavrov was asked why he didn't attend the security council meeting on Ukraine where he would have seen President Zelenskyy. He said he has seen him before, he knows what he's going to say, he had 33 other meetings. He described Zelenskyy as looking grim.

Richard Roth, CNN, United Nations.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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BRUNHUBER: Well, you see it there. That was the moment Ukraine hit the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea fleet in Crimea. Kyiv says Friday's attack left dozens of people killed or injured, including senior fleet commanders. CNN Military Analyst and Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton explains the significance of the strike and why that target matters. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST, FORMER MEMBER OF JOINT STAFF, PENTAGON, AND FORMER DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR TRAINING, NSA: When you look at the other things that happened on this street here in Sevastopol, there's a lot of collateral damage that's associated with this missile strike. So, what the Ukrainians did was really impressive from a tactical standpoint and also from a strategic standpoint, because this right here is the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea fleet, and that, of course, is one of the main areas where they're actually looking at all of the different command and control aspects that the Russians are running out of this building.

And so, this one of the -- one of the key things that you have here is, you know, when you're looking at Crimea, Sevastopol is right about here, and you've got them running all of this right -- all of the Black Sea operations right here. You also have them controlling what's going on in the southern front. And so, when they're doing this, they're looking at controlling what's going on in Odessa, and that is of course important, because this is where Ukraine is actually shipping its grain out of.

So, anything that the Ukrainians can do to attack this particular target, that is what is critical for the Ukrainians from their war effort.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And we're getting word of a Ukrainian drone strike in a major city in Western Russia. About half an hour ago, regional governor said a drone hit an administrative building in the City of Kursk causing damage. Meanwhile, Ukraine says its air defenses has struck 14 out of 15 Russian drones on Saturday.

Nada Bashir is monitoring developments in Ukraine and she joins us from London. So, Nada, first, what more are we learning about the latest attacks?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, look, these drone attacks against Ukrainian positions by the Russian armed forces are seemingly becoming a regular occurrence there as you mentioned there. The vast majority of this latest round of attacks on Saturday repelled by Ukraine's air defenses, 14 out of 15 of those drones shot down. But it's not just drone attacks that we are seeing over the course of this weekend.

We've seen dozens of aerial attacks as well by the Russian armed forces. Air strikes, rocket attacks launched against the Ukrainian positions, causing significant damage to civilian infrastructure, as well. And in fact, just in the last 24 hours, we have learned in the Zaporizhzhia region of at least one person being killed by Russian artillery fire. Meanwhile, in Kherson, another individual reportedly killed as a result of Russian shelling.

So, we are still seeing the real civilian impact of these Russian attacks. But despite these attacks, Ukrainian defense officials say they are making progress along the front lines. They are -- their units, rather, holding their positions, holding ground across several key frontline areas. Over the weekend, we have learned from Ukrainian officials that their units in both Leman and Marinka have repelled Russian attacks.

Meanwhile, in Bakhmut, Russian advances are said to have been thwarted by the Ukrainian armed forces there. Meanwhile, eight air strikes also to have been conducted by Ukraine's air force against assets deemed to be critical to Russia's armed forces in Ukraine. So, clearly, some signs of progress along the front lines in the east of Ukraine.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Appreciate the update, Nada Bashir in London.

[04:25:00]

Texas officials say one city is at its breaking point as it sees a dramatic increase in migrants crossing the U.S. border from Mexico. A look at what officials are doing to slow down the surge. That's coming up. Please stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is a "CNN Newsroom."

Mexico says it has a plan to depressurize the migrant surge at its border with the U.S. Mexican officials have agreed to implement 15 actions in the cities that border El Paso and Eagle Pass, Texas, as well as San Diego, California. The actions include a plan to deport migrants who are seeking entry into the U.S. and to prevent migrants from using its railway system to reach the border.

An international railway bridge that migrants use in Eagle Pass, Texas, has been using -- they've been using that to reach the border, it's reopened on Saturday. On the same day, the City of El Paso, Texas, opened an overflow shelter to deal with its surge of migrants. El Paso claims to be receiving more than 2,000 migrants every day. And the governor of Texas is pledging to send more buses to transport the migrants to other cities.

CNN's Rafael Romo reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Texas Governor Greg Abbott is railing against the Biden administration, saying border communities are overwhelmed and overrun by the large number of migrants arriving there and calling the situation a crisis. Governor Abbott announced he had erected the Texas Division of Emergency Management to deploy additional buses to the border cities of Eagle Pass and El Paso. The purpose is transporting immigrants to what Abbott calls, a self- declared sanctuary cities, which are municipalities mostly run by Democrats.

[04:30:00]

In a statement, Abbott said, Texas has bused nearly 12,000 migrants to our nation's capital, nearly 15,000 to New York, and an additional 8,700 to Chicago. In a statement, Abbott said that until President Biden upholds his constitutional duty to secure America's southern border, Texas will continue to deploy as many buses as needed to relieve the strain caused by the surge of illegal crossings.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration has announced several steps being taken to address the situation, including the deployment of 800 active-duty military personnel, adding capacity to border facilities, and continuing to conduct deportation flights. The problem goes beyond the migrants who have already made it to the U.S. southern border.

Take a look at how these migrants are traveling through Mexico on cargo trains, using bed sheets as tents to protect themselves from the sun during the long trip north. There may also be tens of thousands of others on their way north. On Tuesday, Ferromex, Texas's largest railway operator suspended service of several northbound trail lines after reporting half a dozen injuries and deaths of migrants. We reached out to the government of Panama, a Central American country that serves as a transit point for many immigrants coming from South America and other parts of the world. They told us that during the month of August, nearly 82,000 migrants cross through their territory. And so far this month, more than 55,000 have done the same. So far, this year, nearly 400,000 migrants have traveled through Panamanian territory.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

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BRUNHUBER: The government of Venezuelans has regained control of one of the largest prisons in the country which had been run by an international criminal gang for years. The government says, it took 11,000 troops and other personnel to take back the prison. The government says -- this video shows the operation in progress on Wednesday. Authorities say that while the gang ran the prison, they installed a type of amenities you'd expect at a resort.

Stefano Pozzebon has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On Saturday, the Venezuelan government invited members of the media to tour a prison just days after security forces regained control of the structure from the inmates who had been running it for years. The Tocoron Penitentiary Center in the central Venezuelan state of Aragua is one of the largest in the country. And according to the Venezuelan Information Ministry, it was run by criminal gangs.

But on last Wednesday, the government deployed over 11,000 security forces, including members of the national guard to take control of the prison. And when the cameras were allowed in on Saturday, the journalists, including a crew of CNN en Espanol, were able to see where the inmate had built a recreational structure, including a swimming pool, several restaurants, one of them a steakhouse, all inside the prison walls.

The government has dubbed the operation a success, but relatives of some of the inmate who is spoke with CNN said that they had no idea of where their loved ones had been taken following the takeover.

SIBERIA CASTRO, MOTHER OF INMATE (through translator): What really worries me is that they've transferred my son just today, the last group, four days since the takeover. And right now, they haven't told us where they've taken him. We don't know what's happened to him.

POZZEBON: When the security forces took back control of the prison, they seized the heavy weaponry, including machine guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. On Saturday, the Venezuelan Minister of Interior, Remigio Ceballos, denied the allegations that the takeover was in some way negotiated with the criminal gangs. He said that the operation had been a total success and dismantled the leadership group of a powerful criminal gang who was known to operate from inside Tocoron.

For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The largest-ever Asian games are underway in Hangzhou, China. They opened Saturday with a massive light show and digital fireworks. More than 12,000 athletes from 4,500 countries and territories have participating in the games. Post-nation China has already claimed the first gold medals, winning the lightweight women's double skulls in rowing. The two-week event is showing how much the country has opened up since its draconian COVID-19 lockdowns.

Now, Chinese Leader Xi Jinping has been hosting other leaders and dignitaries from around the world, including Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. And as President Xi puts on a glamorous show for the world to see, there are questions about whether cracks are beginning to emerge among his hand-picked ruling elite. That comes after the sudden disappearance of two senior Chinese cabinet members in recent months.

CNN's Will Ripley reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Away from the great hall's glaring lights, in the shadows of Xi Jinping's China, a silent storm is brewing, trouble at the top of the communist party.

[04:35:00]

Two high-profile senior officials, once trusted members of Xi's inner circle, abruptly vanished from public view with little explanation. First, it was Foreign Minister Qin Gang, China's second most powerful diplomat. On CNN last year --

QIN GANG, CHINA'S FOREIGN MINISTER: We are fully justified to do what we must.

RIPLEY (voiceover): A close aide of the Chinese leader, winning favor with the help of his wife's homemade moon cakes, "The Washington Post" reports, just seven months into the job, a dramatic fall. In June, he disappeared. In July, he was dismissed. The foreign ministry in Beijing refusing to address reporting by "The Wall Street Journal." Saying they are not aware of claims Qin was ousted for an extramarital affair during his stint as China's U.S. ambassador in Washington. Citing sources familiar with a communist party investigation, the journal claims Qin's affair led to the birth of an American-born child, a potential problem for China's national security.

TERRIL JONES, LECTURER, CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE: So, there's a question as to, well, you know, are there such people in China still whom Xi Jinping can trust and rely upon to be his closest aids and associates?

RIPLEY (voiceover): Palace intrigued at a fever pitch. Speculations swirling over another apparent disappearance. China's Defense Minister Li Shangfu, last seen in late August, more than three weeks ago. Back in June, he briefly shook hands, but refused to meet with U.S. Defense Minister Lloyd Austin in Singapore. Now Li is under investigation, Reuters said last week. A government probe reportedly over the purchase of military equipment.

Last month, a surprise shake-up in the people's liberation army rocket force. Two leaders suddenly replaced without explanation. Beijing notoriously nebulous when it comes to bad-behaving senior leaders. This latest scandal involving the defense minister, setting China's heavily censored social media on fire. From the foreign ministry --

MAO NING, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): I'm not aware of the situation.

RIPLEY (voiceover): A familiar response. No answers, but plenty of questions about instability at the top and the potential danger it brings.

JONES: But I do think there's more to it. I mean, Xi Jinping, he would not take these measures against such high-level military and diplomatic figures unless he felt some kind of genuine risk.

RIPLEY (on camera): What these perches (ph) do is they raise a question about President Xi's judgment, because Qin and Li were both considered loyalists. They were hand-picked by the president himself. And their removal from such visible positions so abruptly, it raises questions in the International Community about the stability of the Chinese system. And you know, Chinese leaders have long said that their stability makes their system superior to democracies.

President Xi, however, might be sending a message to the world that no matter who he has put by his side, if they fall out of favor, no one is indispensable. No one is irreplaceable under his one-man rule.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Coming up, activists in the U.S. have been demanding the White House take decisive action against climate change. Well, now the Biden administration has a new initiative it hopes will energize and equip young Americans to do just that. Stay with us.

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[04:40:00]

BRUNHUBER: The White House has launched a brand-new initiative called the American Climate Corps. As the world endures more severe weather than ever before, fueled by rapid climate change, the Biden administration is taking inspiration from decades ago. Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: See, I want to create a Civilian Climate Corps. I've been pushing that for a long time, similar to the conservation corps that President Roosevelt created during the great depression, putting a new generation of Americans to work. Helping us connect and conserve our public lands and becoming resilient in the process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The American Climate Corps is a job training and service program meant to prepare young Americans to work in clean energy and climate resilience fields. According to the White House, participants will plant trees, install solar panels, and perform conservation work. Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez explains why the initiative is so significant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO- CORTEZ (D-NY): 20,000 AmeriCorps positions for young people to specifically engage in work combatting the climate crisis. It's going to be across the country. It's going to be focused in front line communities, which means it's going to be focused in low-income communities, communities where land is especially at risk during the climate crisis. It's going to be urban, rural, diverse. This is a major, major step.

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BRUNHUBER: Joining me now is Aru Shiney-Ajay, the executive director of the Sunrise Movement. Thanks so much for being here with us. So, it seems like, you know, what's old is new. Repurposing an FDR new deal approach and turning it into a plank of the green new deal. Why a climate corps? I know your organization was, sort of, a driving force behind this. What led to this?

ARU SHINEY-AJAY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SUNRISE MOVEMENT: The climate corps for us was an idea inspired, as you mentioned, by FDR's civilian conservation corps, and it's really a reimagining of the way that government should work. Saying that government should take a leading role in addressing the climate crisis, not just leave it to market- based mechanisms, and creating a government wide program that puts thousands of young people to work. Stopping the climate crisis is actually one of the most important things you can do, not only to carry out the incredible amount of work that it's going to be to build renewable energy and restore ecosystems and protect our lands and our homes. But also, to build a new type of society that can actually be invested in the greatest crisis that humanity has ever seen.

BRUNHUBER: So, this has really brought all -- involved lots of moving pieces, plenty of folks of course. But if we were to isolate, maybe, just one or who priorities and how it will concretely make a difference, what would you sort of pick out?

SHINEY-AJAY: To me, the biggest way that it makes a difference is it actually signals a new approach for our government to say that fighting climate change should be one of the most major priorities of the federal government in this moment. And that we will use an FDR- style, World War II style, all out of mobilization of all of our resources, and it's an important first step in that overall project. I see it not as a one and done but as one of a series of actions that President Biden could take in order to tackle the climate crisis.

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Including declaring a climate emergency and stopping leasing of public lands and stopping oil and gas. So, that's really what I see as its most important (ph) achievement. I's shifting the conversation around what can be done.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So, you know, just like -- you mentioned FDR a couple of times. Just like during his time, conservatives are dead set against this. We don't know the exact cost of this. Democrats have proposed some, you know, $10 billion in initial bill. Republicans argue it's a waste of money, it could even actually take jobs away from other workers who might be displaced by the -- who've been displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic. So, how would you respond? Why is this the way to prioritize those taxpayer dollars?

SHINEY-AJAY: I think one thing that feels really clear right now is young people and everyone is looking for a meaningful way to contribute in the society. And the idea of jobs that can actually give us an opportunity to give back to repair communities, to repair environmental damage is actually profoundly moving and is really popular. It turns out that over half of young people would take a job with something like the American Climate Corps. I think it's actually a really popular proposal that voters want across the political spectrum and it is also facing one of the costliest crises that we have ever seen in our history.

BRUNHUBER: Listen, you mentioned voters and that's key here. I mean, getting young people helping to fight climate change, obviously, a laudable goal in its own right, but there are political considerations here, too, especially heading into an election. President Biden's biggest vulnerability is that he's, you know, considered too old by many and that might alienate a very important voter-base young Americans. So, will this help activate them politically? Make them feel more connected to, you know, Democrats and the president, possibly?

SHINEY-AJAY: This is an important first step for President Biden to be taking. And if he continues to act on policies like these that are widely popular and are responsive to issues that young voters care about like the climate crisis, that he could very well see rewards pay off in 2024.

BRUNHUBER: Aru Shiney-Ajay, we'll have to leave it there. Thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it.

SHINEY-AJAY: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: The annual Farm Aid Music and Food Festival still going strong since its first benefit concert in 1985, Saturday's sold-out event in Noblesville, Indiana was the first time it's been held in the state since 2001. More than a dozen acts were on the bill, including Farm Aid founders Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp. Young explained the philosophy behind the Farm Aid Movement.

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NEIL YOUNG, MUSICIAN: People need to support the farmers, that's not just a phrase. You need to think about the world and what we're doing in a natural way. Where is this food coming from? What can I do to get to it? How can I get there without hurting the planet?

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BRUNHUBER: Just about six hours now until landing. Coming up, a NASA spacecraft is about to deliver to Earth samples from an asteroid. We'll explain why they could help scientists understand why there is life on our planet. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: A 4-billion-mile journey is poised for a dramatic highlight in the coming hours as a NASA space capsule brings home samples from an asteroid. The capsule, it will separate from a spacecraft named OSIRIS-Rex is due to touchdown in the Utah desert Sunday just before 11:00 a.m. eastern time. And its voyage, well, it's been nothing short of extraordinary.

Michael Holmes takes us aboard. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one. And liftoff of OSIRIS-Rex.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL NEWS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): More than seven years ago, NASA set out on a mission to visit an asteroid, collect samples, and return them to Earth. It took more than two years for OSIRIS-Rex to reach the asteroid named Bennu, which is nearly 500 meters in diameter, roughly the height of the empire state building.

It circled Bennu for more than two years, mapping and studying its rough terrain. Then in a brief touchdown in 2020, when the spacecraft attempted to extract rock samples from Bennu, something unexpected happened. As the spacecraft swooped in to gather some samples, it landed with such force that it set off an explosion of loose materials. The asteroid's surface was softer and looser than expected.

Then after collecting rock materials from the asteroid, OSIRIS-Rex departed Bennu in 2021 and has since been on its way back to Earth. Scientists believe that carbon-rich asteroids like Bennu could hold the answers to the mysteries of the origin and formation of the Earth and the solar system.

DANTE LAURETTA, OSIRIS-REX PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: We're looking for clues as to why Earth is a habitable world. This rare jewel in outer space that has oceans, it has a protective atmosphere. We think all of those materials were brought by these carbon-rich asteroids very early in our planetary system formation.

HOLMES (voiceover): NASA says the asteroid holds the leftover materials from 4.5 billion years ago, back when the solar system was first forming. The spacecraft already found traces of water embedded within Bennu's rocky surface in 2018. So, NASA scientists say the samples could take us back to the dawn of the solar system.

LAURETTA: We believe that we're bringing back that kind of material. Literally, maybe representatives of the seeds of life that these asteroids delivered at the beginning of our planet that led to this amazing biosphere, biological evolution. And to us being here today, to look back on that amazing history.

HOLMES (voiceover): On Sunday, the spacecraft is expected to send a capsule containing the pieces of Bennu to a desert in Utah, slowed for a soft landing by a parachute.

[04:55:00]

The next morning, the samples will be transported to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. But the journey isn't over yet for the mother ship, OSIRIS-Rex, renamed as OSIRIS-Apex, the spacecraft will embark on its next mission, to chase down and investigate an asteroid named Apophis.

Michael Holmes, CNN.

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BRUNHUBER: And there's no jackpot winner in the Powerball drawing on Saturday, so that means the prize rolls over and the next drawing will be on Monday. So, right now, that jackpot stands at $785 million dollars. Check your numbers there, you don't have to have all the numbers to win big, there is $2 million winner in Michigan, and $1 million winner in California, Florida, and New York.

Well, festivalgoers in Plains, Georgia received an unexpected surprise on Saturday. Have a look. The sight of a black SUV carrying former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter at the Annual Peanut Festival. Carter, of course, was a well-known peanut farmer in Plains before entering politics. The Carter Center noted that the former president who has been in hospice care since February turns 99 next Sunday.

I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more "CNN Newsroom" in just a moment. Please do stay with us.

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