Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

CNN International: Odessa Region Hit in "Massive" Russian Attack; France to Withdraw Troops From Niger After Coup; U.S. Government Inches Closer to a Shutdown; Writers Reach Agreement with Studios to End Strike. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired September 25, 2023 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR NEWSROOM: Hello and welcome to CNN "Newsroom". I'm Max Foster in London. Just ahead, an overnight attack in Odessa resolves in depth injuries and heavy damage to port infrastructure. A big breakthrough in Hollywood, rioters reached a tentative deal with studios to end their strike.

We're live in Los Angeles and a new deal between the U.S. and Mexico, the aim easing the migrant crisis that's overwhelming American border towns. We'll have a special report.

Ukraine is reporting significant damage after Russia launched a major offensive on the port city of Odessa overnight. Officials in Southern Ukraine say the missile and drone attack targeted port infrastructure. Grain storage facilities were destroyed and this hotel was heavily damaged.

The two people were reported killed and one has been injured. Ukraine's grain facilities have been a constant target for Russia, since Moscow pulled out of the U.N. brokered deal allowing safe grain exports. Fred Pleitgen joins us from Eastern Ukraine with the very latest, Fred?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there Max, what seems to be, a pretty complex attack with the Russians conducted there and the overnight hours on the town of Odessa. And the Ukrainians are calling it pathetic retaliation, as they say for Ukrainian strike on the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol.

That, of course happened on Friday in which the Ukrainian say caused significant damage to that headquarters that they're on Friday. Now the Ukrainian says that in total, they had 19 drones that were involved in this from the Russian side then also 14 cruise missiles and a pretty complex configuration.

They say 12 of those cruise missiles were caliber cruise missiles. Those are cruise missiles that travel at subsonic speeds but they can certainly maneuver and they seem to have maneuvered in various directions before making course for Odessa. The Ukrainians say that of those 12 caliber cruise missiles that were fired.

They were able to take out 11 of those, but one of them obviously hit a target in Odessa. The other two cruise missiles that were used were very modern ones by the Russians. They're called Oniks cruise missiles. They're actually usually used to destroy warships. And Russians used to have those they travel at supersonic speeds.

And it appears as though those may have hit their targets. Now you're absolutely right. The Ukrainians are seeing that grain facilities were hits in Odessa. Of course, that's something that we have been seeing quite a lot over the past couple of weeks from the Russians and something that's been condemned not just by the Ukrainians, but by the international community as well.

But one of the big targets that seemed to have been hit is a hotel in Odessa that is also very close to the seafront there. The Ukrainians are saying that hotel has not been in use for years. However, there was some pretty dramatic footage that came out overnight of that hotel complex on fire.

With flames shooting through there in the early morning hours, you could see that there was substantial damage to that complex. The Russians had been hinting that they believed that there was possibly Ukrainian military in there so far. There's nothing to suggest that that could be correct.

Again, the Ukrainians are saying that facility has not been in use for years now. And certainly they say that there was no one inside that facility. Nevertheless, the damage very extensive on the ground in Odessa, the Ukrainians are saying that in total, two people were killed.

They also say that as a result of them taking down some of those cruise missiles that some of those missile parts then landed on private houses as well causing damage certainly very difficult night once again for the folks there in Odessa.

All of this been condemned by the Ukrainian government again calling this pathetic retaliation after the Ukrainian say they conducted a very successful strike on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters of the Russians in occupied Crimea in the town of Sevastopol, Max.

FOSTER: OK, Fred, thank you. Niger's ruling military junta is welcoming France's decision to pull its troops from the country by the end of the year some 1500 French troops are stationed in Niger to assist in counter terror missions. This comes months after Niger's military overthrew the democratically elected President and a coup.

French President Emmanuel Macron says he's also withdrawing the French Ambassador from Niger. The U.S. Defense Secretary is in Africa for the first time in that role to discuss regional security. Here you can see Lloyd Austin arriving in Nairobi, Kenya a short while ago.

There he'll talk about shared security interests in counterterrorism efforts. He began his trip with a stop in Djibouti, where he met with U.S. military troops and spoke with the Presidents of Djibouti and Somalia about their fight against extremist groups like al-Shabaab.

CNN's Larry Madowo joins us now live from Nairobi, Kenya, a huge amount for the defense secretary to take in considering the current dynamics in that region.

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, the fact that he's here traveling in Africa for the first time while the French are announcing that they will be withdrawing out of Niger. There are some parallels here the reason why they're French troops and American troops in Niger is because of the fight against extremism in the Sahel, which the U.S. and France and Niger are partners.

But that is a similar situation in Djibouti. Djibouti is a small nation in northeastern Africa, but it's an important part of the U.S. operation in the Horn of Africa, specifically against terrorism in Somalia, the U.S. train Somali forces. The U.S. runs counterterrorism operations, including drone attacks out of Djibouti into Somalia targeting al-Shabaab, which is the main branch of al-Qaeda here in Africa.

[08:05:00]

Al-Shabaab targets the region has -- many attacks here in Kenya over the years and that's one of the conversations that Secretary Austin will be talking about when he meets with the Kenyan leadership here including his counterparts from the Kenyan government.

I didn't do -- short while we are expecting a signing of some kind of co-operation agreement, expanding their existing work here. But the background, obviously, is that decision by the French to withdraw the troops out of Niger, there's a big anti-France sentiment there.

And this follows French troops withdrawn also from Mali and Burkina Faso after similar coups in those countries. And Niger joins this list of kind of the club of coup waters that includes Niger itself, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea and they have all allied themselves into a military co-operation pact of some kind and the Nigerian junta celebrating the withdrawal of French troops.

They're saying it speaks to the testament. It's a testament to the will and determination of the people of Niger. And they're saying that no new colonial or imperialist forces will remain in the country. So that's a warning to troops remain in the country, including more than 1000 U.S. troops that remain in Niger.

This is a conversation certainly that Secretary Austin has to keep abreast of there is some growing resistance to Western troops on the African continent, not just to Sahel, not just here in East Africa, but across the continent. So it's important that he's here, building this relationships and trying to make sure that he understands what African leaders want in terms of their security co-operation agreements, Max.

FOSTER: OK, we'll follow the visit. Larry, thank you. We've got new details about the assassination of a Sikh activist in Canada. You'll recall that the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau linked the death to the Indian government that goes around between the two countries.

Now, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, David Cohen tells CTV News, the information came through the so called Five Eyes, that's the Intel sharing packs between the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Cohen as the U.S. is deeply concerned about the allegations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID COHEN, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO CANADA: The United States takes very seriously these allegations. And you know, if they prove to be true, it is a potentially very serious breach of the rules based international order in which we like to function or this is something we're treating we take very seriously. And we think it's very important to get to the bottom of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Paula Newton joins us from Ottawa with the details. It's interesting this, isn't it, because the Five Eyes members share Intel? The Intel came from there from what we understand it but they're not back in Canada in the way that perhaps Canada had hoped. Is that right?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, certainly not with sanctions or anything else at this point in time, although the United States did point out in a briefing as well, last week, saying look, we take this very seriously. And of course, we encourage India to co-operate.

This is generally a spat between India and Canada quite a serious one. Now Max, that people it whether it's in the Five Eyes, in the G 7, or in the G 20 want to keep contained. I will note you heard Ambassador Cohen there I asked the State Department to repeat that comment to CNN and they refused, saying they refuse to comment on intelligence matters.

I will say that the Ambassador went out on a limb there because normally that kind of intelligence is not divulged whatsoever, even though sources in both Canada and the United States have indicated that some of that came from Five Eyes. What's so controversial here, Max is the implication.

That perhaps one of the countries whether it was the United States, Canada, or someone else was eavesdropping on Indian diplomats here in Canada, and that's something that would be frowned upon. Again, all of this caught up, as you say in the murder of a controversial Sikh leader.

What Canadian authorities tell us now, Max, is that they're leaning on the investigation, the criminal investigation that's going on in just outside of Vancouver. What they hope is that they have more information soon so that they can have some arrests in that case, that is actually what is at the heart of this.

Can you imagine having a person like that murdered in cold blood in Canadian streets and still no suspects arrested, Max?

FOSTER: Also separately, this apology from the Speaker of the House of Commons, tell us about that?

NEWTON: Yes, I mean, I want you to have a look at the standing ovation. This was when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Ottawa he made an address to parliament on Monday. Also in the audience and invited guests of the Speaker of the House of Commons in Canada was Yaroslav Hunka.

He is a 98 year old man that the Speaker indicated was in fact a resident of his constituency. The problem is Jewish groups point out that instead of being hailed as a Ukrainian war hero that in fact, they say he fought for a Nazi unit during World War Two. They deplore and condemn this kind of innovation.

The Speaker has since apologized. But, Max, you could imagine just how embarrassing this is for everyone involved, in fact that this man was not vetted.

[08:10:00]

We expect to hear more on this today, Max. So we expect the Speaker to get up and apologize in the House of Commons as well. Some are calling as well for the Speaker's resignation but a real black mark, actually, on that appearance of Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Canada's parliament.

FOSTER: Absolutely, Paula, thank you for bringing us the latest on both of those. Italian media reports a notorious mafia boss has died Matteo Messina Denaro eluded police for 30 years before being arrested in January while he was seeking treatment for colon cancer. Denaro was known for his particularly brutal tactics and is being called the last godfather of the Sicilian Mafia.

He had been one of the most wanted men in Europe since 1993, and was convicted in absentia, of numerous murders, Barbie Nadeau, tracking this story for us. I mean, he had been captured hasn't he had knee but he'd been many years on the run? I mean, what's this? You know, what sort of legacy does he have?

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Well, you know, within the Cosa Nostra, this is still in Cosa Nostra, this is really big, its, bigger than the arrest, in fact, because this is an organization built on a pyramid scheme. So the boss of bosses is now dead now. And only now will they be able to really anoint a new leader.

Even though he's been in prison, people have been watching very closely, he didn't cooperate. In fact, he, you know, dug his heels in saying he wasn't part of any organized crime syndicate, despite the obvious proof that he was, you know, this is a man who once bragged that he killed enough people to fill a cemetery.

And now of course, he's going to be joining them. But it won't be public. He will not be allowed to have a public funeral, which is in line with other mafia and organized crime bosses here they are prohibited from being celebrated in depth. You know, this is a man who we expected would die.

And in fact, a lot of people think that his arrest was orchestrated because he needed more health care. He was arrested in a private clinic in Palermo in January after 30 years on the run, you know, his legacy is one of blood and death and, you know, really, really at the heart of organized crime here in this country, which is still very, very much a problem, Max.

FOSTER: OK. Barbie Nadeau, thank you. In the U.S., the clock is ticking as the government inches dangerously close to a shutdown. In five days, it'll run out of money. Right now, there's no deal in sight. How Speaker Kevin McCarthy is trying to defuse the demands of hardline Republican lawmakers who are holding funding hostage by demanding steep spending cuts.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, meanwhile, is taking steps to advance a short term bill that will have bipartisan support. CNN's Lauren Fox joins me live with capital. Take us through the timeline and what needs to be achieved before that deadline?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we have about six days until the government shuts down, Max and it is a ticking time right now. You have a number of conservatives who are vowing that they will not support a short term Republican spending bill that would avert the shutdown.

But they are also warning that they could hold up individual spending bills expected to go to the floor this week. So this is ultimately going to be a decision by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy whether or not he is going to accept that bipartisan deal the Senate is working on which would be negotiated with Democrats and could face really a lot of frustration from those on his right flank if he puts it on the floor.

Or ultimately McCarthy may decide that he finds a shutdown to be more politically palatable to his future as Speaker. So that is the big question looming right now. But as I said, House Republicans expected to put a series of individual spending bills on the floor of the House of Representatives.

And none of the bills that they are working on would avert a government shutdown for a few reasons, in part because it would only fun part of the government, and it would be dead on arrival in the United States Senate. So again, the choice for McCarthy come Friday or Saturday is likely going to be accepting that Senate negotiated deal assuming it can get out of that chamber or shutting the government down, Max.

FOSTER: Lauren Fox, thank you. Serbia has denied any involvement in a deadly clash between police and ethnic Serb government in northern Kosovo. The violence started when police saw two trucks creating a blockade near a bridge. They tended to intervene and a gun battle broke out.

They move to a monastery where the attack is barricaded themselves in the end of a standoff, one police officer and three attackers were dead. A candlelight vigil was held on Sunday night in honor of the slain officer ethnic Albanians form. The vast majority in Kosovo and Serbs in the northern part of the country have never accepted Kosovo's declaration of independence back in 2008.

Now a showdown could be shaping up in the South China Sea. The Philippines has accused China of installing a floating barrier in disputed waters. It says all appropriate actions will be taken to remove it.

[08:15:00]

The Philippine Coast Guard says the barrier prevents Philippine boats from entering fishing areas. China says it has sovereignty in those waters. Still to come, after nearly five months on the picket lines, it looks like Hollywood's writers are about to get back to work again, how the writers and the studios finally resolved their differences, in just a moment?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: After five months of strikes and appears Hollywood is about to get ready to go back to work and negotiators from the Writers Guild have reached a deal with the big studios and their strike. Full details of the deal haven't been released. But it covers thorny issues like streaming revenues, and the impact of artificial intelligence on writing scripts.

It could be ratified by a vote of the entire guild within days though most movies and TV shows won't be able to return to production until the actors union, that's the Actors Union separate from the Writers Union also reaches a deal to end its strike. Camila Bernal is tracking this story from Los Angeles, for us.

So this is a breakthrough, wasn't it with the writers and they seem pretty happy from the ones that we've spoken to so far today with the deal, even though they don't have all the detail yet? But it doesn't mean we're back into production yet.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really doesn't, Max. And that's because the actors need to be on board too. And so it's going to take some time for them to negotiate a contract as well, this may speed up the process or motivate them to get back to that negotiating table.

But they we will have to wait for both of these unions to strike a deal. Now, we know this is a tentative deal with the writers. And what it means is that they still have to work through the legal language of the contract, what they're calling it is dotting the eyes. So there's still that process, and then we're going to have a leadership vote.

That leadership vote will likely happen tomorrow then we'll get all of the details of this negotiation. And the writers will be able to ask questions, and eventually vote to ratify. But a lot of the writers that I've talked to have told me, look, we're confident in the WGA negotiators.

And sources told us that the last sticking point was artificial intelligence. Of course, a lot of these writers were asking for them to be the ones writing the scripts, not the machines. And so there were a lot of difficult issues that they had to work through. And the actors are going to have to work through a lot of these difficult issues as well.

If you ask anybody in the industry, they'll be able to tell you that it's been really difficult over the last five months people want to return back to work. The economic impact of these two strikes in the U.S. is estimated to be about $5 billion. You know, people were struggling to put food on the table to essentially figure out what to do in life.

They had to get a second job or it's just difficult and it was sort of a domino effect, not just Hollywood, but so many other industries that have been impacted. And so there is a sigh of relief here in Hollywood.

[08:20:00]

But there's still that question as to what happens to the actors. The first thing that you'll probably see after the writer's strike is all settled is that you'll see some television return meeting, late night shows, talk shows, that's going to be the first thing you see. But again, it's going to take some time.

Before really productions are back up and running, especially when it comes to the rest of TV this year, and movies next summer. There's still a huge question as to what's going to happen next?

FOSTER: Just explain the concern actors have with AI is more understandable, perhaps with writers but what specifically are actors worried about?

BERNAL: Oh, my gosh, there are so many worries, Max, because you can essentially put a person into a movie or user voice their image without them necessarily being there. So the question is what is AI going to be capable of doing? We don't know. And a lot of the writers don't know the actors don't know, because this technology is developing so fast.

There's so much concern over what can be used in movies or in a TV show and how much consent can the actor or the writer give? So the concerns are similar, because there are so many questions around AI and really what's going to be the future of probably this industry, but really, of the world and there are so many unknowns.

FOSTER: Maybe all wells as well. Camila will have to wait and see what we thank you so much for joining us. Still ahead, some cities in Texas are nearing a breaking point as thousands of migrants across the U.S.- Mexico border every day, details on a new deal that could provide some relief, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: U.S. cities along the Mexican border have been overwhelmed by a surge in migrants. There were more than 8600 migrant crossings over a 24 hour period this week alone. Now a new agreement between the Mexican and U.S. officials may ease some of that pressure, CNN's Rosa Flores Reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From Mexico to the riverbanks of Eagle Pass, thousands of migrants have crossed the border waiting across the Rio Grande crawling under the razor wire and overwhelming Eagle Pass and other southern Texas cities.

ROLANDO SALINAS JR., MAYOR OF EAGLE PASS AT TEXAS: We're here abandoned. We're on the border. We're asking for help. This is unacceptable. Police just enforce the laws that are on the books.

FLORES (voice-over): In an effort to "depressurize" northern Mexico border cities. The United States and Mexico have brokered a new agreement. Meeting it's you that Mexico on Friday, the countries agreed to a 15 action plan which includes Mexico deporting migrants to their home countries by land and air.

U.S. Border Patrol agents will be able to expel migrants to the bridge that connects El Paso to Ciudad Juarez. Mexico has also agreed to carry out negotiations with Venezuela, Brazil, Nicaragua, Colombia and Cuba to determine their willingness to accept citizens deported from the U.S.-Mexico border.

The agreement also includes Mexico submitting a daily report of the number of migrants on its train system, establishing checkpoints along the rail route and conducting interventions on railways and highways according to Mexican officials.

REP. HENRY CUELLAR (D-TX): Look you know what we need to do is to do this one we need to have repercussions at the border.

[08:25:00]

What does that mean? You got deport people and you got to show those images of people being deported. What was the last time we saw people going the other way instead of just seeing people flow in?

FLORES (voice-over): On the ground in Eagle Pass, CNN witnessed the reality for migrants. Just like -- in Venezuela, and his three year old child. According to a federal law enforcement source, Border Patrol Agents in the Rio Grande Valley are encountering about 1000 migrants per day.

This reality leaves Texas border towns like El Paso had their breaking point with thousands of migrants in custody.

OSCAR LEESER, MAYOR OF WL PASO AT TEXAS: 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 and we try, make sure people off the street make sure our community is safe make sure they're safe. But then the day the immigration system has not changed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Well, that was CNN's Rosa Flores reporting for us from the border. Grammy winning artists, Usher will headline the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show in Las Vegas next year. We think his mega hit year will make the cut.

Since his debut album in 1994, Usher sold over 80 million records and earned him eight Grammys. In a statement he said headlining a Super Bowl halftime show was on his bucket list and called it the honor of a lifetime. Usher was part of the show during the 2011 Super Bowl.

But this will be his first time being featured as the main performer. Thanks for joining me here on CNN "Newsroom", I'm Max Foster in London. "World Sport" with Amanda Davies is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:00]