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Hollywood Writers' Strike Ends in a Tentative Deal; Federal Government Shutdown May Happen This Week if a Short-Term Deal May Not Push Through; French Troops to Leave Niger; Huawei Launches New Products Despite U.S. Sanctions; Iranian President Speaks to CNN on the Hijab Law and the Protests a Year Later; Usher Performs at the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired September 25, 2023 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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LAILA HARRAK, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of our viewers watching here in the United States and around the world. I'm Laila Harrak, ahead on "CNN Newsroom."

Striking a deal, writers and studios reach a tentative agreement to end the months-long labor dispute that ground Hollywood to a halt.

Chaos but little compromise. With time running out to prevent a government shutdown, U.S. lawmakers seem to be making little progress towards a deal.

And a dramatic end for the French mission in Niger. As France announces its troops will leave the country more than a month after a military junta seized control of the government.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Laila Harrak.

HARRAK: We start with a major breakthrough in Hollywood. The Writers Guild of America says it has reached a tentative agreement with television and film studios. And that means that after nearly five months, the writers' strike that brought the television and film industries to a standstill could be coming to an end. Well, the union could authorize members to return to work as early as Tuesday, even before the agreement is officially ratified.

The exact terms of the deal have not been made public, but the use of generative artificial intelligence in production was reportedly one of the final sticking points. Well, this could pave the way for Hollywood to restart many productions that have been halted since May 2nd.

Joining me now is Gavin Mueller, an assistant professor of new media and digital culture at the University of Amsterdam. A very good day, Gavin. What is the big takeaway for you?

GAVIN MUELLER, ASST. PROFESSOR OF NEW MEDIA AND DIGITAL CULTURE, UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM: Well, here the big takeaway for me is that the writers struck and while we don't know the details of the agreement yet, all indications are they got quite a lot of what they wanted. So to me, this is kind of a very interesting moment where you see not only the power of organized labor, but specifically the politicization of new technology such as artificial intelligence.

HARRAK: Let's talk about new technology and A.I. We understand that the use of generative artificial intelligence in production was one of the final sticking points. With this tentative agreement now on the table, does this mean that AI is no longer an issue?

MUELLER: Well, I think it will always be an issue. What will be really interesting to see is that the guild hasn't ruled out using A.I. They just don't want A.I. to be used in certain ways that erodes pay and working conditions. So we might see a future where we can, where writers can use A.I., where we can see some very interesting creative experiments, but not at the expense of the livelihood of writers.

HARRAK: I mean, given how fast technology is changing and obviously you know that better than anyone else, what safeguards are there realistically for writers and actors going forward?

MUELLER: Well, I think that technology changes quickly, but the nature of those changes have to be worked out among individuals and among groups. And that's exactly what we're seeing here. I think that if you can have a concerted push, to protect livelihoods coming from both memberships of labor organizations, policymakers, and indeed viewers like you and me who care about the quality of the entertainment that's in front of us. You can see a different path forward than the path that the studios initially wanted to take.

HARRAK: Now, as you know, new technology tends to disrupt and it definitely seems to be disrupting this industry. Where do they go from here? What's next?

MUELLER: Well, I think the next step will be to see what happens with the Screen Actors Guild. The Screen Actors Guild has a lot of similar concerns, both about the new economics of streaming, as well as the use of A.I. to replicate the work that actors do. And the Writers Guild and the Screen Actors Guild are pretty close-knit. They've been on strike for the same amount of time.

And of course, we won't be able to see a lot of production start up again until the actors are also working. So I think that we'll look at how industry-wide changes are dealt with, both among writers, among actors, and among other professionals working in the industry.

[03:05:09]

HARRAK: But this is still an industry that is undergoing a major transition.

MUELLER: It is, but I think that at a certain point, the power that Hollywood has does not necessarily always come through technology. It has to do with the quality of the entertainment and that has to do with the creativity that comes from people like writers, actors, directors, visual effects people who are also working on their labor conditions.

And if you can have, enshrine a world where people feel safe and secure, I think they make better quality work. And I think ultimately to me, that should be the kind of value that we want from Hollywood, that we want from our entertainment, high quality work that comes from people that are well compensated and feel like they are creatively fulfilled.

HARRAK: Gavin Mueller in Amsterdam, thank you so much.

MUELLER: Thank you.

HARRAK: Now, Canadian auto workers have narrowly approved a new contract with Ford, even as their U.S. counterparts continue to walk the picket lines. The striking United Auto Workers members carried signs as cars drove by honking their support outside a Ford plant in Michigan.

While the new Canadian deal includes a key concession, the U.S. auto workers are demanding the restoration of a pension plan. While UAW president Shawn Fein says his union has made progress in negotiations with Ford, he did not mention any progress on the pension issue.

Meanwhile, back here in the United States Congress, getting dangerously close to a government shutdown, there are just days left for lawmakers to come to an agreement to fund the federal budget before the money runs out on Saturday.

Now, if that happens, some government operations would completely stall with non-essential employees put on furlough. Essential employees would still have a job but wouldn't get paid. U.S. national parks could possibly close and other essential services like border protection, law enforcement, air traffic control could face problems.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy worked through the weekend pushing a short-term deal that would temporarily fund the government until the end of the year. But hardliners in his own party are still not willing to compromise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE TURNER (R-OH): The holdout kept saying to Kevin McCarthy: don't bring bipartisan bills to the floor. We don't want you to use Democrat votes to try to avert a shutdown, but they're using Democrat votes to try to cause a shutdown. And these individuals, these Republican holdouts, are voting with Nancy Pelosi.

REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL): We should have separate, single-subject spending bills. Kevin McCarthy promised that in January. He is in breach of that promise. So I'm not here to hold the government hostage. I'm here to hold Kevin McCarthy to his word.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: Well, U.S. President Joe Biden had a clear message for Republicans who are holding up the budget approval process. Start doing your job. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has more now from the White House.

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PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: The clock is ticking as a government shutdown deadline looms and President Biden is warning of the very real implications for Americans and saying it is the responsibility of Republicans to avoid a shutdown.

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Just a few months ago, after a long way out, I negotiated with myself and the new speaker. We agreed to spending levels the government will fund essential domestic and national security priorities, while still cutting the deficit by $1 trillion over the next decade.

Now, a small group of extreme Republicans don't want to live up to the deal. So now everyone in America could be forced to pay the price. Funding the government is one of those basic responsibilities of Congress. And it's time for the Republicans to start doing the job America elected them to do.

ALVAREZ: Now the Office of Management and Budget formally initiated the process on Friday of having agencies review their plans in the event of a government shutdown. That includes how many employees would be furloughed, who would be considered essential and have to work without pay, as well as what government activities and services would have to come to a halt.

Now for weeks, White House officials have been warning about the potential disruptions of a government shutdown on air travel, as well as the toll that this could take on the economy, but Republicans tried to project some confidence over the weekend that they could move forward and that they could lay out a plan to avoid a government shutdown. But the reality they face is they just don't have the votes yet among their own party members.

So the White House and the administration bracing for the very real possibility of a shutdown in a week.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, the White House.

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[03:10:01]

HARRAK: Two new national polls are reflecting the mood of American voters for the 2024 presidential election. A poll by NBC News shows a very tight race between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. It finds both are tied at 46 percent.

Meantime, a poll by "The Washington Post" and ABC News suggests Trump has an advantage over Biden. It shows Biden trailing Trump by 10 percentage points and may be an outlier.

Meantime, Trump is also leading in the Republican pack with a broad advantage over his rivals. NBC News poll finds he has the majority support with 59 percent. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is second with 16 percent. The other candidates are holding single digit support.

Well, the poll comes as the second Republican presidential primary debate is set to take place on Wednesday in California. Once again, Trump will not be there. Instead, he's expected to speak before auto workers and union members in Detroit.

Ukraine and Russia are accusing each other of launching aerial attacks overnight. Russian officials say they have destroyed several Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea and occupied Crimea, but a few of them damaged buildings in the Kursk region.

Meantime, Ukraine says Russia fired more than 30 drones and missiles on the Odessa region officials say most were shot down but Russia did hit Odessa's port infrastructure and caused a fire at a hotel that was not in operation. While the attacks happened after the Ukrainian president wrapped up a trip to the United States and Canada where he secured additional support including an agreement between Kyiv and Washington to produce weapons together.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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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HARRAK: CNN's Clare Sebastian is following all the developments from London. Good to see you again, Clare. It's been a terrifying night in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Laila. And there's been a new comment just now from the Defense Ministry of Ukraine who said that this was a, in their words, a pathetic attempt at retaliation for a successful hit on the Russian Navy H.Q. in Sevastopol. So they are painting this as a payback essentially for that hit on the Sevastopol Navy command post on Friday, which they say killed top high-ranking people in the Russian Navy that is not clear. We know that Odessa has been repeatedly targeted for several months now since Russia pulled out of that Black Sea Grain initiative.

We are hearing this morning from Ukraine that a granary was damaged as well as that empty hotel and a marine terminal, a passenger terminal as well. So port infrastructure, civilian infrastructure, it's not at all clear that there was any military infrastructure in that area and of course this all comes as Ukraine is trying to bring ships through its own unilaterally organized maritime corridors to get its grain out to world markets. It comes as Russia is producing record harvests of wheat, profiting essentially from the drop in Ukrainian volume.

So this, perhaps Ukraine wants to see it as retaliation for Sevastopol, but also looks like part of that pattern that we've seen since the end of that Black Sea Grain Initiative of Russia hitting at the very heart of Ukraine's economy. Laila? HARRAK: And Claire, just fresh off his trip to the United States and

Canada, President Zelenskyy has announced a joint weapons production deal between the United States and Ukraine. What exactly do we know about this deal?

SEBASTIAN: Yeah, so Zelenskyy says this will be weapons and weapons systems. He says in particular air defense, as you heard in that clip you played just a little earlier. We don't know exactly what format this will take. President Biden said on Thursday that there would be a conference that the U.S. would host in the fall involving representatives of the Ukrainian and U.S. defense industries, as well as representatives of government who would come together to look at this.

We've seen with so several European defense companies that they've been able to set up joint ventures, sort of new legal entities in Ukraine to work on things like repair and other things like that. We don't know exactly whether the joint production would happen in Ukraine or elsewhere. This is still, it seems in the early stages, but all part of an effort by Ukraine to bolster its defense industry in the long term, to create a deterrent and also reduce its reliance on its Western allies. Laila.

HARRAK: Clare Sebastian reporting. Thank you.

Now, all of this is coming just one day after Ukraine accused Russia of launching deadly strikes in the southern region of Kherson. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has details.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SR. 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 Zaporizhzhya, one person was killed. And of course, that's something that's significant because the area around Zaporizhzhya is where the Ukrainians are conducting the main thrust of their counteroffensive. 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. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Eastern Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRAK: Coming up, France continues to support Niger's democratically elected president, weeks after he was deposed in a coup. I'll tell you about Paris's next steps in the country. Ahead.

Plus, the climate crisis was in focus last week at the United Nations General Assembly. We'll tell you about one solution up for discussion at the meeting. Do stay with us.

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HARRAK: The U.S. defense secretary is in Africa for his first time in that role, discussing regional security with allied nations. Lloyd Austin beginning the trip in Djibouti, where he spoke with that country's president and the president of Somalia about their fight against terrorist groups like al-Shabaab.

Austin will also visit Kenya on Monday and will focus on building stronger relations with Angola later in the week.

While months after Niger's military overthrew the democratically elected president in a coup, France is announcing that it will withdraw all its military forces from the West African nation. Some 1,500 French troops are stationed in Niger to assist in counter- terrorism missions in the region. French President Emmanuel Macron says he is taking immediate steps.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: On Niger's military junta welcomes France's withdrawal saying imperialist and neocolonialist forces are no longer welcome on our national territory.

Larry Madowo joins me now from Nairobi. Larry, good day. Before I ask you about U.S. Defense Secretary Austin's visit to Djibouti, what has been the reaction to French President Emmanuel Macron announcing that France will end its military presence in Niger?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Laila, that decision has been welcomed in Niger by the military junta there, seeing the celebrating the sovereignty. And you heard them talking about this is a new stage in their sovereignty moving forward without these French troops. There are about 1,500 French troops that have been in the country training the Nigerien military and involved in counter-terrorism operations because Niger has been the centerpiece of the Sahel security strategy for so many Western nations, including the U.S. which is about 1,100 troops there, the French, the Italians and others.

And this has been well received not just in the country, but within the wider continent where people see the continued existence of French troops in the country as a new colonial attitude that they think needs to end. And here's a bit more about French President Emmanuel Macron explaining why they needed to do this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MACRON (through translator): It will be organized over time in the weeks to come, but it is the end of this cooperation because we are not here to participate in political life, to be hostages in some way to the Putschists. But I will be very clear, we already see it today in Mali.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: So French troops also pulled out of Marlin, Burkina Faso, after similar coups there. These countries have now allied together. And this exercise of pulling out troops out of Niger is expected to be complete by the end of the year.

HARRAK: Now, Larry, in light of these developments, does U.S. Defense Secretary Austin's visit to Djibouti, for instance, take on an added significance?

MADOWO: It does to a certain extent, even though it's a slightly different environment and context here. Djibouti hosts the U.S.'s only permanent military base in Africa, at Camp Lemony in Djibouti city, where they have about 4,000 U.S. troops and civilian personnel. They've got another thousand or so third country nationals working there.

And it's the centerpiece of their operations, drone and surveillance operations, across not just the Horn of Africa region, but also the wider continent. Part of the main operation here is supporting the Somali military in the fight against Al-Shabaab. That is the main branch of Al-Qaeda on the continent.

And that's why the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, met with the Djibouti president and defense secretary, as well as the Somali president, and is expected here in Nairobi meeting again with the Kenyan government leaders to talk about specifically that terrorist problem in Somalia that infects the wider region.

And the U.S. is deeply involved in trying to counter that spread of extremist activity on the continent, it's unlikely that they will see a withdrawal of U.S. troops in Djibouti. It doesn't have the same stability problems like the Sahel. But yes, there's some significance, given the news out of Niger.

HARRAK: Larry Madowo, reporting. Thank you very much. Well as the diplomatic standoff continues between India and Canada, dozens of protesters in New Delhi demonstrated against Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau chanting slogans.

[03:24:58]

Meantime, the U.S. ambassador to Canada says intelligence gained by the Five Eyes network led to Canada's public accusation that the Indian government may have played a role in the assassination of a Sikh separatist activist on Canadian soil.

And India has denied all allegations, calling them absurd and motivated. The Five Eyes is an intelligence-sharing pact between the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Still to come, more on a potential U.S. government shutdown, why feuding in Congress could cost the country billions a week.

Plus, Chinese tech giant Huawei unveils new products as it looks to make a comeback amid U.S. sanctions.

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HARRAK: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and Canada. I'm Laila Harrak and you're watching "CNN Newsroom."

More now on our top story, the looming government shutdown in Washington. Lawmakers have until Saturday to avoid what could be a very costly mistake. Either a group of bipartisan representatives or hardline conservative Republicans will have to make concessions.

The chief economist at Ernst & Young estimates a shutdown could cost the U.S. economy $6 billion every week. It would be the latest economic strain as the country struggles with inflation, labor strikes, high gas prices and more.

Joining me now from Los Angeles, Ryan Patel is a senior fellow at the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.

Ryan, always great to have you with us. The U.S. economy is now facing a confluence of disruptions.

[03:30:00]

You've got the looming shutdown, the auto workers strike, the Hollywood strike, although parties there seem to have reached a tentative agreement. Add to that the resumption of student loan payments after three years. What are the potential consequences of all these challenges?

RYAN PATEL, SR. FELLOW, DRUCKER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, CLAREMONT GRADUATE UNIVERSITY: Well, if we hit all of them, you and I are going to be having a different kind of conversation because that's a lot for an economy to overcome. I think part of the first challenge, I think that just starting, but I would really pay attention to is the auto strike, because that could have an implication for the U.S. and talk about multi-billion dollar effect on the GDP.

And right now, that strike isn't close to being resolved and the government has inserted itself really early, which doesn't typically happen in these negotiations or to help bring both sides. So to me, that has an implication. I think when you think of inflation and the student debt, you think about the student debt being the second consumer, largest debt to be able to be out there.

That in itself is how people repay that interest when it comes back and obviously the interest rate environment isn't going anywhere. It's going to be, this is what we're going to be here in this kind of higher interest rate for the next couple of years. So that has everybody having to buckle up.

HARRAK: Everybody has to buckle up. Who will most feel the impact of the pileup of these challenges?

PATEL: It's a great question. I think the challenge is why we see the summer of strikes. It's the lower middle income worker in there is why this is coming into fruition right now. It's because of stagnant wages. You think of the strikes with Hollywood and being able to, you know, think about the future now, because a lot of these deals that were done, they were done pre-COVID.

And so there's been a flat range there, and also for the future of technology, of A.I., and how you use that, especially in Hollywood, is a different perspective. So you think the low lower, you know, middle income, middle income lower wages in that manufacturing is an impact, but let's. I want to also tell you the impact also isn't just about those workers, right? If those workers don't go to work, you know, small businesses, restaurants, local economies can get affected too. So I want people to understand if it's a full strike or full impact, it does affect others that's attached to the industry.

HARRAK: Now you know, that's a lot of uncertainty that you outlined there that people have to brace for. Now if the government on top of that were to shut down because lawmakers failed to pass a federal funding bill this week. What would that mean for the U.S. economy and American spending power?

PATEL: Well, I mean, first off, it would be chaotic and not really signaling to the world of uncertainty. But let me just take a step back. We cannot go into government shutdown. I know this is a political thing. However, that's just not?t cannot be an option, because it does put the economy in a place where checks don't get sent out you know businesses start closing down with because of the funding veterans it is the list goes long over and over again so the ability that's the threat to me from a perspective of the government needs to come together both parties I don't care what it is really to make sure that the government doesn't shut down because we're already trying to recover the economy is tied to the spending power in any, even in this three week of shut down, that -- to kind of catch that up in earnings for a global trillion-dollar GDP for the U.S., you can't catch that back up. It puts the U.S. economy back into a catch-up again.

I just don't, you know, I believe that they will get together. I'm hopeful they'll get together and that they understand, but maybe I'm a little bit too hopeful when it comes to this.

HARRAK: Final question for you, Ryan. So far, the US economy seems to have defied expectations. What will you be looking for in the days ahead?

PATEL: Yeah, it has defied. I think consumer confidence, you know, the consumer price index, things like this that I wanna pay attention to. I know the job reports are coming, but I'm really interested going into the fourth quarter.

You know, how are people going to spend? Is it the same from last year to this year? We did see some jobs in tech industry come out. So this whole week, I'd like to see what gets resolved, the rhetoric out of all these kind of strikes that are going on and all. Obviously, the government shutdown to me, obviously, is the most important part. Can we strike a deal? Can there be some normalcy? Which possibly if we do get that, we could see maybe other things be a lot more calmer. But stability is the word that I would use to be able to look at all these situations. And that is what I'm trying to pay attention to.

HARRAK: Ryan Patel, thank you so much.

The Chinese tech company Huawei is holding a new products launch and it comes as the U.S. and China battle over the export of key components in devices such as smartphones. Huawei has remained tight- lipped on its new devices as it faces sanctions from the U.S.

CNN's Beijing bureau chief Steven Jiang joins us now. Steven, have they lifted the veil on some of their new products?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Leila, unfortunately not yet. The event is still ongoing. They seem to be dodging this rather controversial new phone.

[03:35:05]

Everybody's been expecting that as the Mate 60 Pro. That phone, they somehow started putting on the market last month while the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo was visiting China. Remember, her agency, of course, is the one that's been imposing all those sanctions on Huawei because of national security concerns. And basically, starting in 2019, the U.S. government has cut off Huawei's access to the most advanced chip-making tools that use any technology, use any U.S. technology.

So that's why the company, once the second biggest smartphone producer in the world, has seen that part of their business almost wiped out. But that rather controversial, but also somewhat say unexpected sale of the new model has got a lot of people buzzing here, especially from the Chinese perspective, a lot of people have said that shows Huawei has been able to somehow find a workaround to dodge the U.S. sanctions. But so far we have not heard anything definitive at this launch event, but of course that is the focus of not only analysts, but also a lot of consumers around the world, because this is a key piece of the U.S. technology export control, as you mentioned, advocated by the Biden administration, what they call small yard hence high fences, meaning the number of technologies restricted is small, but they have very restrictive measures to keep U.S. technology safe.

But it seems like if Huawei is able to actually make that 5G-capable phone, despite these technology controls that these high fences may not be as effective as the Biden administration has been saying. And that's why you have heard a lot more voices in D.C., especially members of Congress calling for even more restrictions, strengthening of the X-WAR controls to close those loopholes. Laila.

HARRAK: Steven Jiang, reporting. Thank you.

Now salt water from the Gulf of Mexico is creeping into the Mississippi River, threatening the drinking water in and around New Orleans. Louisiana authorities say intense heat and low rainfall have caused river levels to drop, making it hard to keep salty ocean water out. While to slow down this so-called salt water intrusion, the Army Corps of Engineers plans to add 25 feet to an underwater levee in the Mississippi. Officials were also ship in 15 million gallons of fresh water as soon as next week, but warned that the region needs around 36 million gallons a day.

Climate change has been a major focus for delegates at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, and one idea up for discussion, swapping foreign debt for sustainable climate solutions. Stefano Pozzebon explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST (voice-over): What do climate protesters in New York and British royalty have in common?

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 debt 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 (voice-over): Replicating the success of tiny Belize on a global scale will present new challenges, of course.

[03:39:58]

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.

SEBASTIAN ESPINOSA, FOUNDING PARTNER, WHITE OAK ADVISORY: These debt- financed 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 or--

POZZEBON (voice-over): 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)

HARRAK: Still to come, Iran's president claims last year's protests over the death of a young woman in police custody didn't represent the way most Iranians felt. We'll have the exclusive interview with Ebrahim Raisi next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRAK: 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 failed to keep their commitment to a 2015 nuclear agreement signed by Tehran and world powers like the U.S. and the European Union. The U.S. pulled out in 2018. Iran maintains the country has no plans to acquire a nuclear bomb and only wants to develop its nuclear energy program.

Well, 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. Well, just last week, Iran's parliament passed a new law which threatens up to 10 years in prison for anyone deemed to have worn revealing clothing. The new legislation especially targets women who don't wear the hijab. Here's what the president have to say when he was asked about the

unrest.

[03:45:07]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FAREED ZAKARIA, HOST, FAREED ZAKARIA GPS: So 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 small protest, but if you're pardoning 22,000 and you're still imprisoning many, many 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 be, should have their heads covered.

And I grew up as a Muslim in India. I've 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 these 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 that 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 in any way 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 the 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's not hijab that matters for them. It's not the head coverings that matter for them. It's not women's rights. It's 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 to that? Why doesn't a voice come out of any of the European countries in protest to that?

ZAKARIA: But the hijab matters to Iranian women. I've talked to them. I've been to Tehran. It does matter to them. They believe it is an infringement on their rights.

RAISI (through translator): 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's the same the world over. And now that 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 those societies in which they can create two different opposing pose in which women's and the gender issues become 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 three 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's not a development that we have observed in the past few decades.

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HARRAK: Ethnic Armenians living in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region have started arriving in Armenia. The Armenian government says more than 2,000 refugees have entered the country so far. Tens of thousands more could follow after Azerbaijan reclaimed the Nagorno- Karabakh region this week.

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The area is home to 120,000 ethnic Armenians who have rejected Azerbaijani rule. Well, 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.

Well in this latest bout, Azerbaijan's 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 were not 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 is a part of are not effective from the perspective of Armenia's security and state interests.

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HARRAK: Well, officials say at least 200 people were killed and 400 others were wounded in Azerbaijan's military operation.

Serbia has denied any involvement in a deadly clash between police and ethnic Serb gunmen in northern Kosovo. The violence started when police saw two trucks creating a blockade near a bridge. They attempted to intervene and a gun battle broke out. Well, it 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 nights in honor of the slain officer. Ethnic Albanians formed the vast majority in Kosovo and Serbs in the northern part of the country have never accepted Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008.

We'll be right back.

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HARRAK: Grammy-winning artist Usher will headline the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show in Las Vegas next year, and we think his mega hit, Yeah, will make the cut.

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Well, since his debut album in 1994, Usher has sold over 80 million records and earned eight Grammys. Well, in a statement he said, headlining a Super Bowl halftime show was on his bucket list and called it the honor of a lifetime. Well, Usher was part of the show during the 2011 Super Bowl, but this will be his first time being featured as the main performer.

Well, also in the NFL, Kansas City tight end Travis Kelsey. He had a very special guest in his family's suite for Sunday's game. Rumors have been swirling that the two are dating. He apparently sealed the deal when he told her he watched her rock Arrowhead Stadium and she needed to watch him rock the stage, too. The Chiefs demolished the Bears 41-10 in any event. The two have not publicly confirmed any romantic link. And I'm obviously, were talking about Taylor Swift, for everyone who does that.

All right, thanks so much for your company. I'm Laila Harrak. "CNN Newsroom" continues now with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo, next. I'll see you tomorrow.

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