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Hollywood Writers And Studios Reach Tentative Deal; Russian Foreign Minister Calls West "Empire Of Lies"; Huawei To Unveil 'New Products' Amid U.S. Sanctions; Surge in Crossings Puts Some Cities at Breaking Point; Pope Francis Urges European Leaders to Welcome Migrants; Interview with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi; Exploring Use of Debt-for-Climate Swaps; Megan Rapinoe Plays Final Game in Chicago; Florida Unveils High Speed Rail Between Orlando and Miami. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired September 25, 2023 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome everyone. I'm Michael Holmes appreciate your company. Coming up here on CNN Newsroom, an agreement in principle, Hollywood studios and writers reached a tentative deal to end the months long strike.
France will withdraw troops from Niger, formally ending military cooperation with the country following a coup in July.
And cosmic history, NASA delivers the largest asteroid sample ever received on earth. We'll tell you what scientists hope to learn from it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with Michael Holmes.
HOLMES: And we begin with breaking news from Hollywood where striking writers could be back on the job within days. The Writers Guild of America says it reached tentative agreement with major film and television studios following days of marathon negotiating sessions aimed at ending the nearly five months long strike. The WGA called the new deal exceptional with meaningful gains and protections for writers.
The Union could authorize members to return to work even before the agreement is officially voted on and ratified. The terms of the deal the details of it not immediately known. But the use of generative artificial intelligence in production was reportedly one of the final sticking points. This could pave the way for Hollywood to restart many productions that have been halted since May the 2nd.
CNN media critic Brian Lowry joins me now from Los Angeles. Thanks for doing so. And before we get to the details of what we know about this tentative agreement, the big question is that what everyone wants to know if it is ratified? When is Hollywood going to be able to get back to work? What productions will return? And what can't return because the actors of course, are still on strike.
BRIAN LOWRY, CNN MEDIA CRITIC: Right. This is going to happen in stages. So some of the talk shows which we're already talking about coming back without writers will be back up and running fairly quickly. Things like Drew Barrymore show, Variety is reporting that the late night shows Colbert, Kimmel, Fallon could be back up and running in early October.
And then it's going to be a matter of time, you're going to need the actors, the actors will likely follow the template that the writers negotiated, but they have some issues that are unique to them. So the writers will have -- the actors will have to get their deal done. I think before you get wholesale scripted production pack to work, it's going to be several weeks, and then you start to run into the holidays. So we really don't know exactly.
HOLMES: As we said it would have to be approved by members. Do you think that's likely? What will they have to be convinced of to vote yes?
LOWRY: I think the members are ready to go back to work. I mean, the members invariably follow the board on this and the board has kept the members informed all the way along. I think the really interesting thing was the unity that the writers maintained through the course of this. I think the studios thought that the pain that was inflicted on the talent guilds would shake their resolve and make them -- they knew that this was going to be a tough negotiation.
But, you know, writers are not all the same, feature writers are a little bit different from television writers and veteran show runners are different from people who are just breaking in and maybe only have one or two credits. So to their credit, the guild managed to keep all of those various constituencies together and came away, it looks like with a deal, which has, according to the guild at least something for all of them.
HOLMES: What does all might this agreement mean for the separate actors strike?
LOWRY: Well, I think you know, basically, a lot of the issues overlap. So things about residuals and greater transparency on streaming data, general just pay issues, those will likely follow the Writers Guild and those will fall into place very quickly. Some things though, are different. And when you're talking about AI, AI means something different for writers than it does for actors.
And some of the things that were sticking points with the writers like the number of writers employed in writers rooms on streaming shows, don't mean anything to the actors, so that won't be an issue at all. So, you know, realistically the studios and streamers are going to have to come up with some sweeteners for the actors on the issues that matter to them. But I think the basic template should likely end up being the same.
[01:05:13] HOLMES: Do you think the big studios hurt much in the long run financially, as opposed to industry workers who've been without pay all this time, 146 days?
LOWRY: Well, the studios are obviously much better able to absorb this than individual writers or individual actors are. But you know, ultimately, the studios, if they want to be in the business of releasing movies and television shows, they need to produce movies and television shows.
So the, you know, they saw that pipeline start to dry up a little bit, you saw studios start to rearrange their big movie releases to try to space them out a little better over the course of the year. You know, they put a lot of time into thinking of when's the best time to open a movie, when that movie is not going to be ready, and you have to move something else into that weekend, it starts sort of playing havoc with your schedule and it can start to hit your revenue streams.
So the studios were, you know, obviously, they saved some money while things weren't in production. But they had some pain. And we'll have some pain in this too. And I think the whole industry is looking at potentially some pain going forward, depending on how some of the issues that led to the strike play out over the next few years.
HOLMES: Yes. I was going to ask you about that. I mean, this is reportedly a three year deal. Are we going to have this conversation again then, what do you think the major barriers have been broken?
LOWRY: Well, I think look, you know, the last these deals run in three year cycles, the last deal was being about to be negotiated right when COVID hit. So they basically just rubber stamped the deal. So this, one could argue that this deal has -- this negotiation has been long and coming. New technology generally drives labor disputes in Hollywood. In this case, streaming really came to be with the advent of the studio back streaming services in 2019. And that needed to be addressed and the strike is that.
I think the guild, one reason the guild held together so well during this was because the feeling came to be that, look, we're going to suffer in this negotiation, but we want to get a deal where we're not going to have to go on strike in three years or six years, where the broad outlines of it will be something that we can live with for a while.
HOLMES: Great to talk to you, great analysis. Brian Lowry. Really appreciate it. Thanks so much.
LOWRY: Thank you.
HOLMES: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has returned home after visiting the U.S. and Canada to shore up support for the war against Russia. The President called his trip productive saying he secured long term aid from Canada including much needed medical evacuation vehicles. He also touted a new agreement between Ukraine and the U.S. to produce new weapons together.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We have a historical decision by the U.S. to jointly produce weapons and defense systems including air defense. This is something that was an absolute fantasy until recently, but it will become a reality we will make it a reality.
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HOLMES: Some American conservatives have been leery about providing additional funds for Ukraine. But the British defense secretary says the U.K. will continue to back Kyiv in the event a new U.S. president decides to pull support. Ukraine says Russia has carried out overnight strokes -- strikes on the Odesa region, wounding at least one person.
According to the military Odesa's port infrastructure was hit, a house was damaged and what was described as a non-residential building caught fire. It happened a day after Ukraine accused Russia of launching deadly strikes in the southern region of Kherson. CNN's Fred Pleitgen with details.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A lot of shelling in various areas of Ukraine mostly in places that were either close to the front lines or that are even close to Russian territory. The Ukrainians are saying two people were killed and several people were wounded around Kherson. They are saying there was some pretty heavy shelling going on from the Russian side there. Also in the area around Zaporizhzhia, one person was killed. And of course that's something that's significant because the area rounds Zaporizhzhia is where the Ukrainians are conducting the main thrust of their counter offensive.
And the latest that we have from the Ukrainian side is they say that they've been able to break through a Russian defense line and are fortifying the gains that they've made there. There was also some shelling coming actually from Russia on the town of Kharkiv and several people were wounded there.
In the east where I am, the Ukrainians also saying that they have been able to make gains. Of course in the past couple of days, they have said that they were able to take back two key villages from the Russians which also allowed them to take a key route under fire control. The Ukrainians are saying they've been able to fortify those positions and want to move forward and gain further territory in this area.
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Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Eastern Ukraine.
HOLMES: Jill Dougherty is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. She's also a CNN contributor and former CNN Moscow bureau chief. Always good to see you Jill. I want to start with Sergey Lavrov's comments at the UNGA saying that the U.S., NATO, the E.U. have supported a racist regime and Kyiv and the West is an empire of life. What did you make of the content and tone of his words? JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR, RUSSIAN AFFAIRS: Well, you know, I didn't find it very surprising, Michael. I think the racist part is slightly different word. But it fits with the description that Russia always brings up of Ukraine, and then Ukraine as an instrument for the West to attack Russia. This is the narrative. I think it's very typical. But I think what was interesting about this is it and it's becoming a very important theme, another narrative, is this idea that Russia is on the side of the developing world, that the West is elite, the West looks down on the world, these are some quotes from that speech by Lavrov.
And essentially is trying to tell the world what to do and take advantage of it. And so Russia is going back to what I would call an old Soviet trope and old Soviet narrative, which is that Russia positioning itself as a supporter and the defender of former colonial countries under the thumb of the West. Now, I mean, you know, if you follow that through logically, you have to think sovereignty is very important for small countries.
And here we have Russia attacking a smaller country and violating its sovereignty. But I do think that those narratives do have some, as we say, legs, they're believed by some in the developing world.
HOLMES: I wanted to ask you, what do you make of the successes by Ukraine in Crimea, I mean, the Saky military airfield, Russian warships in Sevastopol damaged and now the Black Sea Fleet headquarters also damaged. What are those attacks suggest about the apparent real vulnerability of some pretty important critical infrastructure in Crimea?
DOUGHERTY: Yes, I think that's really a good point that I think it does, number one illustrate that the Ukrainians are going farther and farther into Russia, that they are hitting things that are not just symbolic, or even hitting Moscow. They're hitting the command and control and some, you know, ships controlled by Russia, that I think is very significant. And they are indicating the Ukrainians that they're going to do a lot more of this. I think Russia is very worried about it.
HOLMES: Yes. You have obviously, sort of our eyes and ears when it comes to a lot of what's going on in Russia. Is the war impacting ordinary Russians now, hitting the economy, there are statistics that suggest that is? What are you seeing and hearing in terms of the impact on the home front?
DOUGHERTY: You know, in a way, it's hard to judge this because especially in the bigger cities, where there is more coverage and more news, and people, you know, on social media, the government is trying to say nothing is happening, you know, it's not important, life goes on. But I think if you look at the growing militarization of Russia, and it's really significant right now, the economy, yes, is being hit.
But also you have school kids dressing up in military uniforms, running around with guns. You have a dance troupe, there's video, a dance troupe using rifles as they dance. And then denunciations of your neighbor for criticizing the war, not being able to even call the war a war. So I think even though there is an attempt to downplay the significance of this, it's creeping into every aspect of Russian life right now.
HOLMES: I got to -- just quickly going back to Sergey Lavrov. I mean, he was really defined, he rejected Ukraine's peace plan. Do you see any chance of a diplomatic end to this war given the intractable positions taken?
DOUGHERTY: Oh, Michael, I don't think so at this point. I just cannot see it because they are so far apart. I mean, the Ukrainians the peace plan by Zelenskyy envisions several things, but one of them is Russian troops have to pull out and land that was taken by Russia has to be given back to Ukraine. There Russians are adamant that is not going to happen. So at this point I think it's really the fight it's back to the war and Ukrainians trying to make as much of a dent into Russia and reclaim their land as they can.
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HOLMES: Yes, yes. Always great to get your analysis. Jill Dougherty, thank you so much.
DOUGHERTY: Sure.
HOLMES: Ethnic Armenians living in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region have started arriving in Armenia. The Armenian government says more than 1,000 refugees have entered the country so far. Tens of thousands more could follow after Azerbaijan reclaim the Nagorno- Karabakh region this week. The area is home to 120,000 ethnic Armenians who have rejected Azerbaijani rule.
Azerbaijan has said it will guarantee their rights but experts have repeatedly warned of the risk of ethnic cleansing. The conflict between the two sides has raged off and on for decades. In this latest bout, Azerbaijan short offensive ended with Armenian fighters agreeing to surrender. Russia an ally of both countries brokered the ceasefire. Armenia's Prime Minister now says his country's interests weren't protected.
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NIKOL PASHINYAN, ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Azerbaijan's attacks on Armenia in the last years clearly show that the external security structures Armenia as a part of are not affected from the perspective of Armenia's security in state interests.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Officials say at least 200 people were killed, 400 others wounded in Azerbaijan's military operation.
Months after Niger's military overthrew the democratically elected president in a coup, France is announcing that it will withdraw all of its military forces from the West African nation, some 1,500 French troops are stationed in Asia to help in counterterrorism missions in the region. French President Emmanuel Macron says he is taking immediate steps.
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EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): In the coming hours, our ambassador with several diplomats will return to France and we're ending our military cooperation with the de facto authorities of Niger.
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HOLMES: Niger's military, Junta, welcomes France's withdrawal saying quote, imperialist and neo-colonialist forces are no longer welcome on our national territory. It's not just French troops who are in Niger right now, some 1,000 U.S. troops are also in the country, and it is unclear whether they will stay there. Right now, the U.S. Defense Secretary is visiting Central and East Africa. Natasha Bertrand is traveling with him.
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Africa this week for his first trip to the continent since becoming Secretary of Defense. Now his meetings in Djibouti on Sunday focused on counterterrorism and he met with the president of Djibouti as well as the president of Somalia to discuss both country's ongoing fight against terrorism and in particular, the terrorist group Al-Shabaab.
On Monday, Austin will be traveling to Kenya where he will be meeting with Kenyan defense leaders to discuss counterterrorism as well and to visit U.S. troops. The U.S. has a military presence in both Kenya and Somalia. So it was top of mind for Lloyd Austin, as he had these meetings on Sunday and going into Monday. Now all of this comes as Niger -- in Niger French forces have announced that they are going to be pulling out of the country by the end of the year following a coup in the country earlier this year.
Well, it remains to be seen just how that is going to affect the U.S. military presence in Niger. The U.S. still has just about 1,100 U.S. troops in the country. And it is a very key base for the U.S. to conduct counterterrorism operations. So expect the Secretary of Defense to be asked about that this week. However, the U.S. very reluctant to leave any share just given its importance to the U.S. counterterrorism mission in the region.
Natasha Bertrand, CNN in Djibouti.
HOLMES: A major product launch coming from the Chinese tech giant Huawei. We'll take a look at the company's plans amid U.S. chip sanctions.
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And then a picture perfect landing for a space capsule filled with asteroid dust. We'll explain why scientists think it could hold some of the secrets to life on Earth.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: The Chinese tech company, Huawei, is set to announce new products in the coming hour despite tough U.S. controls. It comes as the U.S. and China continue to battle over the export of key components in devices such as smartphones. CNN's Beijing bureau chief Steven Jiang joins me now to discuss. Any clue on what we're likely to see and speak to the importance of this event for Huawei.
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Michael, Huawei has not said what products they are actually going to be launching. But the expectation of course, is a series of new products, including new phones, but also wearables, tablets and earphones. And the focus, of course, will be on the phones because as you mentioned, Huawei used to be the world's second biggest smartphone maker. And then that part of their business got almost wiped out because of those severe U.S. sanctions imposed on a company starting in 2019.
Basically cutting the company off by cutting off their access to advanced chip making tools that use any U.S. technology because Washington has deemed the company to be a serious national security threat. That's something that company has long delayed. But last month, while the U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was in China, remember her department was the one that has been issuing all those export bans. Huawei suddenly launched this new phone model Mate 60 Pro that apparently with 5G capabilities, which means somehow they have found a way to work around all of those U.S. sanctions.
Now experts who took apart a phone found a domestically made advanced chip by leading Chinese chipmaker SMIC, but also to South Korean chips made by Hynix. Hynix has told CNN they have no idea how their chips got into the Huawei phone because they have long separate ties with the company. But all of that, of course has really alarmed people in Washington with many pointing to this as another evidence of loopholes in the current approach by the Biden administration.
Raimondo herself even said she was upset when she learned about the products launch. But for many Chinese, of course, this is such a watershed moment. They were so excited by this milestone moment as saying that has made a mockery of the U.S. policy. And then as you can imagine, there has been a lot of nationalistic fervor online about this phone and other Huawei products, the company is about to launch. Michael?
HOLMES: All right, Steven, appreciate that. Steven Jiang there in Beijing keeping an eye on it for us.
Now for the U.S. space agency, NASA, it has been an unprecedented achievement.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Touchdown. I repeat. DDO, the first D has touched down.
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HOLMES: A NASA spacecraft traveling 4 billion miles has for the first time brought to Earth samples from an asteroid and it was moving at the time they got the samples of course, they could reveal secrets about life on our planet, and about the origin of the solar system. The capsule containing rock and dust from the asteroid Bennu landed exactly as expected in the Utah desert on Sunday, a textbook operation by NASA.
NASA is taking extraordinary measures to keep the samples pristine, including keeping them in a clean room so they can be examined free from any earthly contamination. The capsule was dropped into the atmosphere from the spacecraft OSIRIS-REx which scooped up the debris and is now on its way to another asteroid. And NASA says this is just the beginning.
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LORI GLAZE, DIRECTOR, NASA PLANETARY SCIENCE DIVISION: OSIRIS-REx is kicking off a decade of sample return. Following OSIRIS-REx, NASA is partnering with the Japanese Space Agency on the Mars Moon explore mission, which is going to bring samples back from the Mars Moon Phobos. We're going to have new Artemis samples of the Moon. We're going to feed incredible new scientific analysis and new understanding of our closest neighbor, the Moon, and then capped off with the return of samples from Mars, samples that are currently being collected by the Perseverance rover on the surface of Mars. So this is just an amazing opportunity here to kick that off.
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HOLMES: Extraordinary development, CNN space and defense correspondent Kristin Fisher has been monitoring the capsules landing and recovery and has more details for us.
KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft left Earth back in 2016. Since then, it has traveled more than 4 billion miles to the asteroid Bennu. And back before finally releasing a capsule over the United States on Sunday morning. Inside that capsule is about half a pound worth of rocks, dust from the asteroid itself. And this is really the first time that NASA has ever done anything like this, this capsule re-enter the Earth's atmosphere traveling about 27,000 miles per hour, it hit temperatures of about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, before finally touching down at a very gentle 11 miles per hour in a remote stretch of the desert in Utah, with the help of some very big parachutes.
From there, the recovery team swooped in to make sure that the capsule was intact and safe and not leaking any toxic fumes, it was deemed to be intact and safe. And so from there, they moved it to a cleanroom. And from there, they're going to be transporting it to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, where they will open up the capsule for the public to see. And it's also where scientists are going to be spending the next few years studying what is inside. And this is important because scientists believe that ancient asteroids like Bennu contained the seeds of life that this asteroid in a way perhaps might have acted like a seed when it or an asteroid like it hit the Earth and had molecules like, you know, water, carbon, things like that, which then seeded the Earth, and then proved to be the genesis for life as we know it.
So there's a very important scientific component to this. But there's also a planetary defense component because Bennu was an asteroid that has a very small chance of actually hitting Planet Earth in the year 2182. But that is about more than 150 years from now. So scientists have time. But again, very small chance but it's enough to where NASA wanted to get an up close and personal look at the asteroid itself.
Kristen Fisher, CNN, Washington.
HOLMES: Still to come on the program, Pope Francis calling on Europe to welcome migrants as thousands arrive each day in Italy. Next, I speak to an official on what's being done to tackle the issue.
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Also, Iran's President claims last year's protests over the death of a young woman in police custody did not represent the way most Iranians felt. We'll have the exclusive interview with Ebrahim Raisi next.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM with me, Michael Holmes.
Now, Serbia has denied any involvement in a deadly clash between police and ethnic Serb gunmen in northern Kosovo.
The violence began when police saw two trucks creating a blockade near a bridge. They attempted to intervene and a gun battle broke out. That battle moved to a monastery, where the attackers barricaded themselves. At the end of the standoff, one police officer and three attackers were dead.
A candlelight vigil was held on Sunday night for the slain officer. Ethnic Albanians form the vast majority in Kosovo, and Sebs in the northern part of the country have never accepted Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008.
Italian media is reporting that a murderous Sicilian Mafia boss, who was on the run for three decades before he was caught, has died. Reports say that Matteo Messina Denaro was being treated for colon cancer when he died at a hospital in central Italy. He was arrested in Palermo in January after a 30-year manhunt.
Messina Denaro was serving multiple life sentences for the murder of two anti-Mafia prosecutors, for fatal bombings across Italy in the 1990s and for the torture and murder of the 11-year-old son of one of his enemies.
Now, the latest surge of migrants at the U.S. southern border is raising political pressure on the Biden administration to stem the tide. Border cities like El Paso, Texas say they are nearing a breaking point as about 2,000 migrants arrive every day.
CNN's Rafael Romo looks at how Mexico is trying to provide some relief with a new response to the border crossings.
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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are so many immigrants arriving at U.S. border cities that local officials are resort to desperate measures. For example, El Paso had to open an overflow shelter for 400 people but that may not be enough, considering that local officials there say about 2,000 migrants are arriving to the city of nearly 700,000 people.
Mayor Oscar Leeser says his city has only so many resources and right now, they are stretched to the limit, or in his words, a breaking point.
The mayor expressed his concerns only a day after Mexico made an agreement with the United States to deport migrants from its border cities to their home countries. Mexican officials also agreed to take a total of 15 actions to deter migrants from taking the perilous trek north, including negotiating with origin countries like Venezuela, Brazil, Nicaragua, Colombia, and Cuba allowing U.S. border control agents to expel migrants to Ciudad Juarez across the border from El Paso, Texas, submitting a daily report of the number of migrants on cargo trains in Mexico traveling north, and establishing checkpoints on railroads and highways.
But these actions can't come soon enough for border leaders like Leeser. This is how he described the situation his city is facing right now.
MAYOR OSCAR LEESER, EL PASO TEXAS: The city of El Paso only has so many resources and we have come to what we look at a breaking point right now. And so, we have to look at different resources.
One of the things that we are doing is, we are preparing for the unknown. We have a broken immigration system and this is a system that we have to work within.
And until it is fixed, you know, we seem to be doing the same thing over and over again. They keep sending us money, we keep trying to find shelter, we try to make sure people are off the street, make sure our community is safe, make sure they are safe, but at the end of the day the immigration system is not changed.
ROMO: And as this is happening at the border, it appears the Mexican president is willing to work with the White House. Alicia Barcena, Mexico's top diplomat said at the U.N. Friday that Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador wants to meet with President Biden in November in Washington to discuss migration, drugs, and firearms trafficking.
[01:34:58]
ROMO: Barcena also said that Mexico is currently dealing with its own migration challenges, including the daily arrival of about 6,000 migrants to its southern border.
Rafael Romo, CNN -- Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: As Europe battles a growing migrant crisis, Pope Francis urging leaders to take a more humane approach.
His appeal came during his trip to the French port city of Marseille where he called on governments to welcome migrants and integrate them into European countries.
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POPE FRANCIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): People who are at risk of drowning when abandoned on the way must be rescued. It is the duty of humanity. It is the duty of civilization.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The number of migrants arriving on European shores has skyrocketed this year with more than 10,000 arriving on Italian soil alone last week.
Earlier I spoke with Camille Le Coz, who is associate director of Migration Policy Institute Europe. I asked her about the conditions migrants face when they make it to Europe.
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CAMILLE LE COZ, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, MIGRATION POLICY INSTITUTE EUROPE: 2,500 people have died, at least in the beginning of the year. We had nearly 30,000 since 2014.
We also know that the number of deaths is even higher than the one reported by U.N. organization. And search and rescue operation in the Mediterranean are increasingly complicated, was conducted by an NGO whose work has been constrained by the new legislation in Italy that makes it mandatory to disembark after each risky operation.
That limits the possibilities of multiple rescue operation. And now when these people get to Europe, for those who apply for asylum, they are facing long waiting times. The backlog of the National Asylum System in each member state is the highest since 2017.
And for those who do not apply for asylum, the opportunity of getting legal status is pretty limited, so they are risk, you know, years working in the informal sector, being at risk of exploitation.
So when the Pope spoke about indifference, it is true that Europeans -- European audiences are getting used to this death, to these images, but what has been interesting is also, you know, migration is one of the most polarizing issues and Europe at the moment and we have seen it just last week with the campaign for the German local election with even parties at the center of the political spectrum calling to stop migration. HOLMES: Right, right. I want to ask you this. I mean rather than look
perhaps at the allure or the attraction of Europe or whatever the destination is. What are the major factors that are pushing the migrants to leave home? What are the driving forces? What is being done about that?
LE COZ: Each migration journey is so specific. It is shaped by individual, by structural factors. People are leaving their home to look for better economic opportunities, sometimes under social pressure from their family, and many of course are fleeing persecution, they're fleeing conflict.
One key thing to remember is that most people move internally or to a neighboring country. And only a minority makes it to Europe.
But when it comes to this new response, this European response, Europe has been focusing on Africa for many years. They have been funding -- they have been investing in this development system to support this country, addressing what they call this root causes of migration, but it has been a bit misleading to think that we could radically improve the economies of this country in just a few years while so much more is needed.
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HOLMES: That was Camille Le Coz, the associate director of Migration Policy Institute Europe.
Iran's president is defending the country's enrichment of uranium to near weapons grade levels, claiming European countries forced their hand.
Speaking with CNN, President Ebrahim Raisi says European countries fail to keep their commitment to a 2015 nuclear agreement, signed by Tehran, and world powers. The U.S. pulled out of that agreement under [overtalking]in 2018.
Iran maintains the country has no plans to acquire a nuclear bomb and only wants to develop its nuclear energy program.
CNN's Fareed Zakaria spoke exclusively with the Iranian president about the government's crackdown on protests after the death of Mahsa Amini last year while in the custody of Iran's morality police.
Just last week, Iran's parliament passed a new law which threatens anyone deemed to wear revealing clothing with up to ten years in prison. The new legislation especially targets women who don't wear the hijab.
[01:39:59]
HOLMES: Here is what the president had to say when asked about the unrest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST: It was around a year ago that there were those demonstrations across Iran that caused a great deal of internal strife. The Iranian government often likes to say this was a small protest, but if you're pardoning 22,000 and you're still imprisoning any more, it suggests these were large.
What I want to ask you is, at the heart of it, is this issue of the hijab, about whether women should have their heads covered. And I grew up as a Muslim in India. I have traveled all over the Muslim world. Hundreds of millions of Muslims do not believe that this is something women should be told to do.
There are dozens of Islamic countries where the governments are very pious and believe in Islam and they are devoted and they don't believe this. They believe women should have the choice and the right to wear whatever they want and not have a patriarchal system tell them what to do.
Are all these hundreds of millions, maybe over a billion Muslims, wrong? And only the Islamic Republic of Iran is right?
EBRAHIM RAISI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): What occurred during the days that you spoke of earlier, that was the presence of a few, not the presence of the people.
The people of Iran did not support it anyway, those that rioted in the streets of Iran. The people's lack of support defeated their plans. There were some who were fooled. There were others who committed murder, conducted serious crimes.
But what occurred last year was a war conducted in the media by the enemy. I don't want to name TV networks or news networks, but networks who are headquartered in the three European countries and in the United States of America who broadcast news 24 hours a day. They openly teach tactics of terror. So they conduct instructional steps on how to build a cocktail Molotov.
This is one of the facets of animosity of the United States of America towards the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as that of certain European countries towards Iran.
It is not hijab that matters for them. It is not the head covering that matter for them. It is not women's rights that matter. It is not nuclear issues. It's not human rights because there are countries such as the Zionist regime.
Is the Zionist regime armed to the teeth with nuclear warheads, or no? Why doesn't a single voice come out of the United States in protest of that. Why doesn't a voice come out of any of the European countries in protest of that?
ZAKARIA: But the hijab matters to Iranian women. I have talked to them. I have been to Tehran. It does matter to them. They believe it is an infringement on their rights.
RAISI: But the fundamental issue is that today in the Islamic Republic, hijab is a law. And when an issue becomes part of the law then everyone must adhere to the law, so it is the same the world over.
And now with regard to adherence to the laws, in reality the Americans and certain European countries are only seeking to cause a bipolar situation in our society.
So they conduct their work in this fashion, always. They thought Iran is one of the societies in which they can create two different opposing polls, in which women's and the gender issues become against -- set against hijab.
But rest assured that through the use of these tools they will not succeed. The people of Iran are enlightened, are people of faith, are spiritual people, and they deeply understand that the United States of America and European countries don't care about their rights, their hijab.
But a life of respect for women has existed for hundreds and hundreds of years in Iran. It is not a development that we have observed in the past few decades.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The climate crisis was in focus last week at the United Nations General Assembly. When we come back after the break, we will tell you about one solution up for discussion at the meeting.
Stay with us. We'll be right back.
[01:44:51]
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HOLMES: Brazilians are packing neighborhood pools by the thousands. Let's have look at that crowd as soaring temperatures leave much of the country sweltering. This was the scene in Rio de Janeiro as thermometers reached 38 degrees Celsius.
Meteorologists have issued a red alert, warning residents of the need to protect themselves from excessive heat. They say high temperatures will likely continue for another day.
Colombia and other countries are endorsing the idea of swapping foreign debt for sustainable climate solutions. This coming as the United Nations General Assembly has been focused on finding solutions to the climate crisis.
Stefano Pozzebon explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When do we want it?
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN JOURNALIST: What do climate protesters in New York and British royalty have in common? PRINCE WILLIAM, PRINCE OF WALES: This is the decade of change.
POZZEBON: A series of unprecedented natural disasters this summer, from cyclones in Brazil to catastrophic floods in Libya, laid all too bare the need for a transition to more sustainable practices. And this week at the United Nations General Assembly, who will pay for that transition is a big topic.
Middle-income countries like Colombia are proposing to swap foreign debt to be able to spend more on climate mitigation.
The idea presented by Colombian Environment Minister Susana Muhamad, is for multilateral institutions to pay back discounted debt from certain debtor nations, which then redirect those funds for conservation projects and renewable energies.
SUSANA MUHAMAD, COLOMBIA ENVIRONMENT MINISTER: We will need to invest something like three points to four points of GDP annually in climate to fulfill those promises that we made to the Paris agreement. And we are only investing 0.16 percent.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Muhamad believes Colombia will soon have to plan for relocating communities from some of the areas most affected by climate change, while building infrastructure to prevent disasters like those seen elsewhere.
Rising off foreign debts to allow more resources to be spent on climate might sound too good to be true, but it's not impossible. The small country of Belize did just that in 2021.
SLAV GATCHEV, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABLE DEBT, THE NATURE CONSERVANCY: We refinanced 550 million, so the entirety of Belize's foreign commercial debt generating 180 million of savings towards marine conservation, allowing the country to credibly protect 30 percent of its ocean.
POZZEBON: Replicating the success of tiny Belize on a global scale will present new challenges, of course. Experts from the IMF and the private sector believe debt for climate swaps are not the only strategy, but can be a powerful instrument for mid-income countries looking to make their climate adaptation more efficient.
[01:49:80]
SEBASTIAN ESPINOSA, FOUNDING PARTNER, WHITE OAK ADVISORY: These debt for nature swaps are not supposed to be a panacea for those kind of underlying debt problems. Nobody should embark on debt swaps simply because they think they're going to be able to reduce their debt.
POZZEBON: This week, calls to address climate change took center stage at the U.N., and even its largest donor promised to create new partnerships to reach sustainable development.
Who will foot the bill, however, remains uncertain.
Stefano Pozzebon, CNN -- Bogota. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Coming up, how the fastest women marathon runner in the world obliterated the world record.
And it's the end of an era for one of U.S. women's football's greatest star as Megan Rapinoe plays her last game with the national team. We'll have that story and more when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: An Ethiopian runner has smashed the women's marathon world record. Tigst Assefa finished the Berlin Marathon in two hours, 11 minutes, and 53 seconds. Now that result took off more than two minutes off the previous record. The time does still need to be officially ratified, of course.
By the marathon's halfway point, she was a minute inside the world record pace, finishing well ahead of all the other athletes. She says while she did think she could break the world record, she did not expect to break it by such a wide margin. Good for her.
And Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge has claimed a record-breaking fifth Berlin Marathon title in the men's race. The two-time Olympic gold medalist finished in two hours, two minutes, and 42 seconds.
He says he is disappointed he didn't beat the men's world record, but that is not stopping him from celebrating and thanking his fans. Kipchoge posted on social media that winning the Berlin Marathon for the fifth time is something he only dreamed of, saying he and the city have so much history together. Amazing results.
Well, as curtain comes down on one of the greatest women's football careers in history, Megan Rapinoe ends her last game with the women's national team as a winner.
The squad defeated South Africa two-nil in a friendly in Chicago on Sunday. Rapinoe got a standing ovation as she left the fields. The 38- year-old has won the Golden Boot, Bolden Ball, and Ballon d'Or during her illustrious career. Her last regular season lead game takes place in Seattle on October 6.
And Florida has unveiled a new high speed train service called Brightline Rail. It will travel between Orlando and Miami with a stop in West Palm Beach and reach speeds of over 200 kilometers an hour.
CNN's Pete Muntean takes us on board and tells us how the company plans to expand.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN TRANSPORTATION CORRESPONDENT: The trains are polished. The stations are ready. And for the first-time passengers are seeing this 125-mile per hour view. The latest extension of Florida's Brightline is now open linking Orlando International Airport to West Palm Beach in two hours, then onto existing service in Miami. Our cameras were the first on board for the final preps before the
grand opening.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to Brightline.
MIKE REININGER, CEO, BRIGHTLINE: It's super exciting.
MUNTEAN: Brightline CEO Mike Reininger tells me this 10-year long effort is only the start. These trains are fast, but Brightline's next project promises even faster speeds above 200 miles per hour.
[01:54:59]
MUNTEAN: Brightline West would run along Interstate 15 in California from Los Angeles to Las Vegas cutting drive time in half.
REININGER: We internally talk about this as version 1.0. Brightline West will be the first true high speed rail system built in America ever.
MUNTEAN: Plans put Brightline west on par with high-speed trains in Italy and close to the top speed of Shanghai's Maglev. In Japan, bullet trains are clocking speeds of more than 370 miles per hour.
RAY LAHOOD, FORMER TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: High speed rail is coming to America.
MUNTEAN: Ray LaHood served as Transportation Secretary during the Obama administration.
LAHOOD: This is not a pipe dream. This is reality.
MUNTEAN: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has devoted $66 billion to rail projects. Brightline once a $3.75 billion grant to break ground on its new project soon.
But as a different high speed rail project in California is stalling and costs are soaring, not everyone is on board.
REP. TROY NEHLS (R-TX): This gives high speed rail a bad look.
REP. JOHN DUARTE (R-CA): This Mr. Secretary is a useless project.
MUNTEAN: As it opens in Florida, Brightline is offering two classes of service, $79 one way in its main cars, $149 one way in its premium cars. There are power outlets in every seat, and the bathrooms way bigger than the airlines.
JIM MATHEWS, CEO, RAIL PASSENGERS ASSOCIATION: A lot of people are going to go to Florida. And maybe they ride that train and they start to say, this is what trains can be like.
MUNTEAN: The current American Standard Amtrak's Acela can reach 150 miles per hour, but only in a few small segments of the Northeast corridor. For travelers who have already embraced rail, higher speeds can't come soon enough. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We definitely need it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: High-speed rail would obviously be amazing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It'd be nice if, if I can get here in half the amount of time. That would be great.
MUNTEAN: Clearly the hope is this is not the end of the line for high- speed rail. Brightline West is planned to open by the L.A. Olympics in 2028. And I asked Brightline CEO, where else we could see projects like it. He said city pairs that are too short to fly and too long to drive. Think Houston to Dallas or Seattle to Vancouver. A lot of possibilities.
Pete Muntean CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes.
You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @HolmesCNN.
Stick around. My friend and colleague Laila Harrak picks up with more news in just a moment.
[01:57:29]
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