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Ethnic Armenians Left the Nagorno-Karabakh Breakaway Region; Philippine Coast Guard says Chinese Barrier has Removed in the Disputed Waters; SoKor's Biggest Armed Forces Day Parade Takes Place for the First Time in Five Years. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired September 26, 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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BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You're watching "CNN Newsroom." I'm Bianca Nobilo.
Just ahead, thousands of ethnic Armenians flee the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh amid claims of ethnic cleansing.
Ukraine says it's killed the commander of Russia's Black Sea fleet, along with dozens of other officers.
And tensions in the South China Sea. The Philippines says it's removed a Chinese barrier in the contested waters.
New details are emerging about a powerful and deadly explosion at a gas station in the troubled region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenian authorities tell Reuters at least 20 people were killed and state media has reported more than 200 casualties.
Ethnic Armenians have been lining up to get fuel as they leave the disputed enclave in Azerbaijan, which has sovereignty. There's no word yet on what caused the blast, but of course it comes at a very volatile time.
Not long ago we learned the number of ethnic Armenians fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh has shot up to 13,500, according to the Armenian government, which they say has been forcibly displaced. Many of the refugees are women, children and the elderly. They're arriving in Goris, an Armenian town near the border with Azerbaijan.
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UNKNOWN (through translator): The gunfighting was everywhere, all the time, not even a five-minute break. It was going on all the time. We could not leave the basement because it was dangerous. We could die at any moment.
UNKNOWN (through translator): I'll never ever come back, never in this life. Azerbaijan wouldn't even let us take the dead ones away. And a lot of them are still there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: The misery on the many faces of evacuees is plain to see. They've been under food and fuel blockade for months now, and are leaving Nagorno-Karabakh out of fear that an ethnic cleansing of their community will come next.
CNN's Becky Anderson shows us what they are facing.
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR, CONNECT THE WORLD (voice-over): A mass exodus raising fears for Armenia of ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan, a charge Baku staunchly denies.
So far, thousands of ethnic Armenians have fled the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh into Armenia, a tragic journey they've become all too familiar with.
SVETLANA HARAPETYAN, NAGORNO-KARABAKH RESIDENT (through translator): We had three wars, three times we left and came back, and now we? I don't know.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Last week, Azerbaijan forced the surrender of ethnic Armenian fighters in the breakaway disputed region, closing a major chapter in a conflict that has simmered for decades.
But like every war, the horrors don't stop when the fighting abates. Although internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, Nagorno- Karabakh is home to about 120,000 ethnic Armenians, who make up the majority of the population.
Over the last three decades, the two countries have fought intense wars over the enclave, with the larger, more powerful Azerbaijani military seizing increased territory.
Russia, the traditional power broker, says it's been delivering aid to the region's capital, Stepanakert, and that its peacekeepers on the ground will help escort civilians fleeing to Armenia.
But despite Moscow's presence, Nagorno-Karabakh has been under a blockade for nine months. Azerbaijan-backed forces blockading the Lashin corridor, the only road connecting Armenia to the region, preventing the import of food and aid, and separating families and loved ones.
On Saturday, just days after the ceasefire was signed, the first convoy of humanitarian aid entered the region from the International Red Cross, its members also carrying out medical evacuations.
But there are still fears aid isn't reaching those who need it most with thousands here having been surviving with little to no food and fuel for close to a year. And that is why many of those fleeing seems to prefer an uncertain future in Armenia over a bloody and vicious past in their homeland. Becky Anderson, CNN.
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NOBILO: Ukraine special operations forces are claiming a major victory in the war against Russia. Kyiv says a Friday attack on Sevastopol and Crimea has killed the commander of Russia's Black Sea fleet and 33 other offices. It's one of the boldest attacks yet on the Russian- annexed peninsula. Now CNN cannot independently verify that Victor Sokolov was killed and Moscow would only say that one serviceman was missing as a result of the attack.
Russia responded by launching drones and missiles at the Ukrainian region of Odessa for a second day today. Ukraine says port infrastructure was seriously damaged and an abandoned hotel was hit.
More now from CNN's senior international correspondent Sam Kiley.
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SAM KILEY, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ukraine dismissed this as a pathetic attempt at retaliation. A Russian bombardment of the port city of Odessa with drones and long-range missiles.
Two warehouse workers were killed, an abandoned hotel smashed in what could have been an almost routine attack by Russia. But for this, Kyiv now claims to have killed the commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Victor Sokolov. Ukraine says it also killed another 33 Russian officers in the missile strike against the fleet headquarters in Sebastopol on Friday.
The Ukrainians have targeted senior Russian officers throughout this war, often using intelligence from NATO, and specialist units have been tasked by Kyiv with these killings. They're aimed at sapping morale and undermining command systems.
CNN has no independent confirmation of Ukraine's claim to have killed Russia's admiral, but it would be its biggest success in this campaign and part of an ongoing effort to break through Russia's defense lines to ultimately strike at Crimea. They've included earlier attacks on Putin's navy and a bridge to Russia itself.
The first batch of U.S.-donated Abrams tanks have now also arrived in Ukraine. But they're not the strategic weapons the Ukrainians say they need.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Defense packages from the United States, including artillery, necessary shells, high-mars munitions, air defense missiles, additional air defense systems, tactical vehicles, and some other types of weapons that will prove themselves on the battlefield.
KILEY (voice-over): Kyiv wants these ATACMS, long-range missile systems, to attack deep behind Russian lines, to kill more officers and destroy logistics hubs.
The U.S. has yet to announce that Ukraine will get these missiles before the winter freezes over the front lines where they are.
Sam Kiley, CNN.
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NOBILO: Let's bring in CNN's Clare Sebastian now, who is with me in London. Clare, how significant was Admiral Victor Sokolov? And also, other than the symbolic and demonstrative value of Ukraine taking out somebody like that, if that is verified, what would be the operational significance?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So the Black Sea Fleet is incredibly significant, and he is the commander of that. Obviously, that has operational significance if he has in fact been killed. Look, you can tell how big of a blow something is to Russia in this war by how much information is put out? It's a reverse correlation, right? You remember with the sinking of the Moskva, the flagship of the Black Sea fleet. We didn't really find out about any deaths among Russian soldiers until the family started coming out and complaining that they didn't have any information.
We still don't really know how many were killed so you can see that the similar thing is happening here. We're not hearing much at all about this from Russia. Their line is still that one person is missing, but the Black Sea fleet, obviously, is symbolically important for Russia. It's been stationed in Sevastopol long before even the annexation of Crimea, a sort of symbol of what they see as their rightful claim on that peninsula, of course, a symbol for Ukraine, the exact opposite of that. And the Black Sea and Crimea have become an increasingly important theater in this war, as Ukraine has stepped up targeting Crimea.
So this, you know, he was already important, even more important at the moment. And we're seeing an increase, perhaps, in Russian retaliation. It's a bit hard always in this war to distinguish retaliation from the normal course of aggression, but a second night of attacks on the Odessa region.
This time, the Ismayil port area, this is, you know, almost as close to Bucharest as it is to the city of Odessa. That's the geography here. It's in the far southwest of the region of Odessa, and really important because it's on the Danube and on the border with Romania. They're saying that an international border crossing was damaged in this. Two truck drivers were injured.
This is also really an increasingly important grain port, so it fits that pattern we've seen of Russia also targeting grain infrastructure.
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NOBILO: Romania, of course, a NATO country just ramping up the potential for escalation there. Now the first U.S.-supplied Abrams tanks are arriving in Ukraine. What is President Zelenskyy's procurement focus next?
SEBASTIAN: Yeah, so the Abrams tanks, this is the first batch, we don't know exactly how many, 31 were pledged in total and I think. In many ways this is more symbolic than it is significant because it is a relatively small number if you compare to the dozens and dozens of leopard tanks that have been sent and it was almost a sort of cover for Germany to agree back in January to send those leopard tanks.
So it's significant but it is mainly symbolic. I think the focus now shifts to stepping up the training for F-16s and of course those long- range missiles. Have a listen to what Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.
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ZELENSKYY (through translator): We are also working to get all the other weapons capabilities we need. This includes F-16s. We are preparing pilots and infrastructure. This also includes long-range weapons. We are doing our utmost to enable Ukraine to do more to liberate its territory. The same goes for air defense. To cover the entire territory of our country, we need more systems than we currently have.
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SEBASTIAN: So air defense, long-range missiles, I think the big debate now is over those ATACMS, those U.S. long-range missiles. There was reports that they were said to be close to a decision. I think there may have been some hope on the Ukrainian side that might have been one of the results of President Zelenskyy's trip to the U.S.
Nothing concrete on that yet, but I think clearly these attacks on Crimea show that the use of long-range missiles are increasingly part of Ukraine's strategy.
NOBILO: Clare Sebastian, as always, thank you so much.
A U.S. border official says migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border are expected to remain high in the near term. It comes as federal authorities have been grappling with a new surge of migrants following the wave of newcomers last week.
According to a U.S. Homeland Security official, border patrol agents apprehended nearly 9,000 people on Sunday and more than 7,000 the day before. But the border official says new deterrence measures from Mexico are expected to eventually help drive down those numbers. The unprecedented migration surge is not only impacting the U.S. southern border, it's also overwhelming Mexico's border with Guatemala.
CNN's David Culver is there with a look at the migrant influx headed north.
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DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: To get a better sense of the migrant crisis impacting the U.S., we wanted to come to the border. Not the border you might be thinking of. Rather, we're at Mexico's southern border with Guatemala. That's Guatemala over there.
And that, if you look here, are folks crossing. They're waving at us, migrants who have made the journey from various countries. We've met folks from Haiti, from Cuba, from Honduras. Ultimately, though, many of them tell us, if not all, they want to go north.
By the way, that's the official crossing, that bridge. not many people using that. Instead they come to this side, the Mexico side, and this is into a city that's called Ciudad Hidalgo. And they've set up little encampments. You can see here you've got folks with tents set up, they've got clothes hanging, they're cooking food. You see a lot of families, a lot of young children in particular.
And the plan for many of them is to be here in Ciudad Hidalgo until they can find a way, usually by bus or by car, to get to Tapachula which is the largest city in this area, in the state of Chiapas, in southern Mexico.
And many of them plan then to go meet with officials, and they hope to then claim asylum here in Mexico, or at the very least try to get transit documents. And that buys them time to stay in Mexico as they plan their way into the U.S.
Most of them will tell you, and they've told me this directly, they want to enter the U.S. legally. But what you've noticed here, and we've seen this in the past several months here in Mexico in particular is the influx and the surge is a real strain on the resources for Mexican cities.
And you notice it as you see a lot of these folks are really trying to, on their own, figure out how to find food, how to find clothes, and they're filling up cities like Tapachula. 15 to 17,000 right now. That's the number of migrants alone in Tapachula.
Huge numbers that plan to wait and stay. And so essentially if you look at the U.S. border as a river and you've cut it off in one part, at least that's the intention from U.S. border officials. Well, upstream it's still flowing and it's flowing rapidly. And this is the impact. It's coming on over the banks. You've got migrants here who ultimately, yes, want to go to the U.S. But frankly, most of them don't know how or where they'll end up. It really has become a humanitarian crisis and most everyone you speak with here acknowledges that.
David Culver, CNN, Ciudad de Agua, Mexico.
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NOBILO: Still ahead, we'll tell you why this member of the Philippine Coast Guard is using a knife to fend off Chinese claims in the South China Sea.
And then South Korea's president has a blunt warning for Pyongyang as the country stages its largest military parade in years. We'll take you live to Seoul.
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NOBILO: The Philippines says it has removed a floating barrier installed by China in a contested part of the South China Sea. The Philippine Coast Guard used knives to cut ropes holding the barrier in place. Its government says it posed a hazard to navigation.
Parts of the South China Sea have been disputed for years as nations in the region have conflicting claims to islands and reefs. Until recently a nervous detente has existed.
Steven Jiang is in Beijing for us. Steven, great to have you on this story because it is deeply complex. This is one of the world's most contested areas. Now China claims around 90 percent of the South China Sea, I believe. Six countries have claims. Do you think that this installation of the barrier was an isolated move by China? Or does it telegraph something wider in their strategy?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: No, this is consistent with their claim and policy, right, Bianca? Because as you just reminded our viewers, China actually claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, which is about 1.3 million square miles based on what they call quote unquote "historical proof," even though an international tribunal has rejected that.
Nonetheless, they have maintained this sovereign claim and they have been able to do what none of the other claimants have been able to do. That is, in the past few years, through land reclamation and massive construction, turning many of these previously uninhabited reefs and atolls and islets into man-made islands equipped with sophisticated radars, airstrips and other equipment.
That is really the basis of why they have been able to increasingly project a military power in this region, not only through their Navy and Coast Guard, but also through nominally civilian maritime militia. Now, we have been following the story for years, as you say, but in recent weeks and months, we have seen this flare up of publicized incidents between China and other claimants, especially the Philippines. We have seen the Chinese Coast Guard. For example, using water cannons and what Manila says are dangerous maneuvers to chase away, to drive away Philippine boats.
The Philippines, of course, also accusing China of destroying a marine ecosystem in waters near its borders, but based on very deliberate actions. But Beijing, of course, pushing back all these allegations and saying the only thing that's changed recently is the government in Manila. Now they have a new president, President Marcos, who is doing the U.S. bidding to instigate tensions and to create political farce.
[03:19:53]
And they're also very angry at the Philippines' decision to bring international media along to witness those encounters and saying this is increasingly a stage performance to create more favorable international opinion for the Philippines. But the underlying question of all this, Bianca, if nothing changes, if the Chinese military is not going to pull out, what's going to happen if people try to change the dynamic or the Chinese behavior short of a war? Bianca.
NOBILO: Gosh, we'll be watching. Steven Jiang, thank you so much for joining us.
A massive military parade is getting underway this hour in Seoul, South Korea, to mark Armed Forces Day. It's the largest military parade that South Korea has staged in years, and it's meant as both a statement of national pride and a warning to North Korea.
The country's president did not hide his message to Pyongyang, saying if the North uses nuclear weapons, its government would, quote, "be brought to an end."
CNN's Paula Hancocks is at the parade for us in Seoul. Paula, this is such a rare show of force to see from South Korea. It involves thousands of U.S. troops as well. Do you think this is going to be viewed as an escalatory provocation by North Korea?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bianca, this is the first time that South Korea has held a military parade in a decade, they used to hold them every five years but if you remember five years ago was 2018 and then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in was getting on well with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, so he downgraded the parade.
But this year, we know that the South Korean President, Yoon Suk-yeol, is far harsher when it comes to North Korea and its nuclear and missile ambitions. We have been seeing all of the latest military hardware and arsenal that South Korea can boast, rumbling through the heart of Seoul. So this is quite a sight to see, and they are very well aware. This will be seen by North Korea. This will be seen by the wider region.
And we heard, as you say, from the South Korean president as well, directly talking about the issue of North Korea, that if there were nuclear weapons used, then the regime would cease to exist. And that would be the U.S. and South Korean alliance that would make that happen.
Now, there are about 330 U.S. troops that will be involved in this parade. So it's not just about the 75th anniversary of Armed Forces Day. They also wants us to know that it's about the 70th anniversary of the alliance between the U.S. and South Korea which is obviously becoming even closer since President Moon took power.
So there are many messages really from the arsenal that you can see rolling through downtown Seoul behind me not just to North Korea not just to show the world what South Korea can offer, but also president Yoon said that he wanted South Korea to be the world's fourth biggest arms exporter. So in some ways, Bianca, this could also be seen as somewhat of a sales pitch.
NOBILO: That's interesting. And Paula, I can hear cheers behind you from the crowds. How do South Koreans feel about this bellicose display? Is it reassuring to them? Are they concerned that it might lead to a reaction from the North?
HANCOCKS: Not really. This is a day out for many people and as you can probably tell it is miserable weather. It is pouring with rain and yet behind us they are four or five deep trying to get a glimpse of some of the military hardware. The parade route itself is about 2 kilometers or 1.2 miles and all across this route the streets are lined with people trying to get a glimpse and cheering for their armed forces.
You have to remember this is a country that is very comfortable with its own military. There is mandatory military service. Here, so half the country goes off to this mandatory military service. The other half has brothers, partners, friends who go to military service. So it is a country that is proud of its military. And this kind of display would not be seen out of place for many people.
Now, of course, there is always the possibility that there will be some kind of response from North Korea. But there's often a response from North Korea with U.S.-South Korean military drills that have been increasing in number in the past year and a half or so. And North Korea at the moment has made its allegiances clear. It is moving towards Russia, towards China. It has no interest in talking to South Korea and the United States. So certainly there wouldn't be a concern about North Korea's reaction here.
In fact, everyone here has a South Korean flag. The defense ministry is giving out free flags just so that everybody can be more patriotic and more passionate as they're -- their troops are going by. So there is pride in the military here in South Korea.
NOBILO: Pride, patriotism and potentially sales pitch as well. Paula Hancocks, thank you so much for joining us from the parade there.
Still ahead, the United Nations is condemning Russia for what it calls war crimes in Ukraine, attacks on medical facilities, energy infrastructure and even allegations of rape and torture.
Plus, a Canadian lawmaker forced to apologize after some controversial comments during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when we come back.
[03:25:10]
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NOBILO: In Washington, pressure is building on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as the deadline of a possible government shutdown draws closer. McCarthy says that he thinks he has enough votes from Republicans to make some progress this week, but right now lacks enough votes to push through a short-term bill to fund the government.
CNN's Manu Raju has the details for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Congress is running out of time to avoid a government shutdown. 11:59 p.m. Eastern, Saturday night. That is the deadline to avoid a shutdown, and there is just no agreement yet about how to do just that, in large part because of divisions within the House GOP conference.
The Speaker of the House tried to convince his members to all fall in line behind a Republican-only bill to keep the government open for just a few weeks, but he doesn't have the votes because he is included in this planned spending cuts the Democrats won't accept border security measures that the Democrats won't accept, but the cuts don't go far enough for some members on his far-right, which means that he doesn't have the 218 votes to get this out of his chamber.
He can only afford to lose four Republicans on any party line vote. He at the moment is probably losing about seven, maybe even up to 10 members on a short-term spending bill. So what is the speaker's plan?
He is still trying to pressure those same members to come on his side. This as a Senate leadership is working on a completely different plan to keep the government open with hardly any time to reconcile differences. Now I asked the Speaker about what is looming over all this. Threats from his far-right that he could lose his job as Speaker if he were to cut a deal with Democrats to keep the government open. I asked him how much that is driving his decision making over his handling of the spending talks.
How much is the fact that if you do cut a deal with Democrats, there could be a vote to push you out? You're driving your decision making right now.
KEVIN MCCARTHY, U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: Nothing drives my decision. If that was driving my decision, wouldn't that have driven my decision making 15 times before?
RAJU: Would you cut a deal with Democrats and that could be the end of it?
MCCARTHY: Did I cut a deal then?
RAJU: When? When?
MCCARTHY: When I went 15 rounds. Let me explain something to you. I'm no different than I was then or before. My whole focus, what's in my mind, what drives me, is the American people.
I'm not worried if someone makes a motion. I'm not worried if somebody votes no. I'm going to wake up each and every day with the same thing that drives my opinion of what needs to be done, solving these problems, and that's what I'm going to do.
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And I'm going to work with people who want to get that done.
RAJU: Even if the Senate were to reach a quick deal, it will still take some time for the chamber to process that measure. If it includes provisions dealing with aid to Ukraine, for instance, that could slow things down because of opponents such as Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who's warning he could drag things out. But there's talk of potentially foregoing the issue of Ukraine aid, putting that to later in the fall and just simply keeping the government open just for a few more weeks.
But there's still no guarantee that Speaker McCarthy will put a Senate passed bill on the floor of the House. If he were to do that, again, he could face that same threat to push him out of the speakership. So huge questions looming over Washington. Will the government shut down? How long could a shutdown last? And how will this play politically? There are a lot of Republicans, including the speaker himself, concerned that the GOP would get the blame for this as they try to move, try to get something done, avert a crisis here in Washington. But it's unclear at this moment whether they can.
Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.
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NOBILO: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is in Kenya, affirming the U.S. military presence in Africa and shoring up relations with leaders in the region. Austin met with Kenya's president and defense chief and is now visiting U.S. troops.
He'll head to Angola next. Austin's tour comes after France announced it is withdrawing its forces from Niger, months after the country's democratically elected leader was overthrown in a coup.
Larry Madowo joins me now from Nairobi. Larry, what is Lloyd Austin hoping to achieve next when he goes to Angola?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So Secretary Austin has to make sure that U.S. strategic interests here on the continent align with domestic priorities. It's important to keep these relationships warm, to look at your allies in the face and make sure you're still on the same page, because there are some strong anti-Western winds blowing on parts of the continent.
There's some resistance to U.S. troops, to Western troops in parts of the continent. There is, for instance, in the Sahel, where there's been a string of coups, there's a strong anti-French sentiment. We saw the French announcing that they would be withdrawing the troops from Niger because the military junta there does not want them.
The U.S. has a significant number of troops there, 1,100 so far, who are remaining in country even after the military takeover, which the U.S. has still not declared a coup. But Secretary Austin said they have not changed the force posture in the country, but they will be reviewing from time to time.
But he's also been talking about the bigger picture, about how the U.S. approaches its engagements from a defense perspective on the continent. Listen.
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LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Our approach across the continent has always been a combination of defense capability, development and also diplomacy. And I think that's the right combination to ensure that you create lasting effects. But again, we've seen a lot of progress. Progress is not always straight line. There will be challenges and setbacks from time to time, but a lot of progress in the last year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MADOWO: Secretary Austin was referring to Somalia in the back there, which has seen some recent terrorist attacks, though, he says, there's still progress that Somalia has made in the fight against Al Shabaab, the main branch of al-Qaeda here on the continent. He's here in Kenya now, next to Angola. He's been in Djibouti before, meeting with the president of Djibouti and the president of Somalia. He's met with President Ruto here in Kenya. He really has to make sure that these relationships are still aligned with what U.S. strategic interests are on the continent, and also countering this growing influence of the Russians, of the Chinese, of other influences here to make sure that, for instance, the troops, the U.S. troops on the ground, still have a right to operate here.
NOBILO: Larry, for us in Nairobi, thank you so much.
The Writers Guild of America has secured a tentative agreement with top Hollywood studios that will most likely end months of picketing. Details of the agreement are expected to be released on Tuesday today, but Hollywood won't be working at full steam just yet, with the Screen Actors Guild awaiting a deal of their own.
CNN's Natasha Chen reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Writers Guild of America told its members this deal is quote, "exceptional" with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership. And I'm talking to some writers after this announcement, I found that there's a general sense of relief, though some are holding out on fully celebrating before they see the actual terms of the deal that have not yet been released.
The Guild says it will share the details on Tuesday, and ultimately, more than 11,000 members would need to vote to ratify it before the strike officially ends. As a reminder, writers have been on strike for nearly five months as they called for better residual pay on streaming shows and movies, protections regarding the use of artificial intelligence potentially creating content based on writers' ideas.
[03:35:00]
Having minimum staffing levels and duration of employment as studios have increasingly used smaller groups of writers for shorter periods, resulting in wages which writers say make it very difficult to sustain a living.
But ending the strike still doesn't mean T.V. and movie productions immediately start back up. There are still 160,000 actors on strike since July and their union SAG-AFTRA will still be picketing this week. There is some optimism that writers having an agreement with studios may spur a deal for actors as well, and SAG-AFTRA said they look forward to reviewing the writers' agreement while continuing to urge studios to return to the table to make a fair deal.
Meanwhile, the Milken Institute told me these double strikes have caused more than $5 billion in economic loss across the U.S., affecting not just actors and writers, but so many small businesses that have had to lay people off since the productions they support through custodial services, catering, props, makeup and more have been at a standstill.
Some of these small business owners tell me they're now wondering whether actors will also form a deal with studios in time for productions to start before the holiday season, or if there may not be true income rolling in until the new year.
Natasha Chen, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: In the coming hours, U.S. President Joe Biden will be in Michigan to walk the picket line with striking members of the United Auto Workers Union. A source says, the union's president will also be there. The White House says that while Biden is standing with the workers, he won't be involved in negotiations. But just ahead of his visit, the president repeated his position that the workers should get their fair share of the industry's profits.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Now that (inaudible) back, they should participate in the benefit of that. And if you take a look at the significant increase in salaries for the executives and growth in the industry, they should benefit from it. So, yes, I support -- I will support here at the government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: The UAW has been on strike against Detroit's big three automakers for nearly two weeks. The union's demands includes a 40 percent wage hike over four years, a four-day work week and increased benefits.
Stay with CNN. We'll be right back.
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NOBILO: Ukraine claims it has killed the commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet and 33 other officers. It happened in a Friday attack on Sevastopol in Russian-annexed Crimea. Ukraine's military says Russia is using the peninsula as a logistics hub. Viktor Sokolov reportedly took command of the Black Sea Fleet in August of last year.
Moscow has not confirmed his death, and CNN can't independently verify Ukraine's claim. The report comes as a Russian attack has seriously damaged infrastructure and an abandoned hotel in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa.
[03:40:00]
The U.N. Human Rights Council is taking a hard line against Russian activity in Ukraine, as you might expect. The group says there is continuous evidence of Russian war crimes, including attacks harming civilians and attacks on medical facilities and energy infrastructure.
In the Kherson region, the council reports that Russian soldiers raped and committed acts of sexual violence against women from 19 to 83 years old. and they heard accounts of torture.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIK MOSE, CHAIRMAN, U.N. COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ON UKRAINE: A victim who suffered torture through electric shock stated, every time I answered that I didn't know or didn't remember something, they gave me electric shocks. I don't know how long it lasted. It felt like an eternity. In some cases, torture was inflicted with such brutality that it caused the death of the victims.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: The commission says it's also looking into the alleged transfer of unaccompanied minors by Russian authorities to the Russian Federation.
Joining me now from Geneva, Switzerland, is Yousuf Syed Khan, a senior lawyer with Global Rights Compliance, which specializes in humanitarian law. And he joins me now on the phone. Great to have you with us, sir, just testing the line. Can you hear me?
YOUSUF SYED KHAN, SR. LAWYER, GLOBAL RIGHTS COMPLIANCE (on the phone): Yes, I can hear you.
NOBILO: Fantastic. What is your reaction to this latest update in the findings from the U.N. commission?
KHAN (on the phone): The findings really underscore and bolster what the Global Rights Compliance has been looking into since the full- scale invasion by Russia of Ukraine in February last year.
Since the 24th of February last year, we've been documenting not only incidents of torture, but also several atrocity crimes, including what amount to more crimes, crimes of insanity and the potential genocide. My specific role is to look at how these crimes intersect with starvation as a method of warfare, and in terms of how starvation is being used, not only in torture, but also how it overlaps with the pillage of grain infrastructure, as well as the destroying, removing and rendering useless objects indispensable to the survival of the Ukrainian population. NOBILO: The reports as well, the tragic and ancient notion that rape
has long been a weapon of war, but of the rape of women between the ages of 19 and 83. is deeply harrowing and just unconscionable. What more can you tell us about the accusations of sexual violence that the Russians have perpetrated?
KHAN (on the phone): I think in the context of sexual violence, in the broader scope of my experience, dealing with, again, what amounts to war crimes and potential crimes against humanity, is that putting young men, in particular, on the front lines without perhaps proper training or incentivizing them, or dehumanizing the other, is really what leads or tends to lead to these acts.
And they're something that we have a dedicated team of Global Rights Compliance on sexual and gender-based violence and conflict-related sexual violence, who is dealing with this and supporting the Office of the Prosecutor as well as the Regional Prosecutor's Office to achieve justice for those victims.
NOBILO: What is the current status of the investigation or the probe into child transfers to Russia?
KHAN (on the phone): So as you may know, that is a portfolio in front of the International Criminal Court at the moment, including all the way up to President Vladimir Putin. What I can say about that and what I would emphasize to your audience is that is part of a broader context known as filtration.
And what Russia is doing is after it takes territories, by force, Ukrainian territory and occupies those territories, it filters out in a sort of assertive logic the population whom they need is sufficiently supportive of the new Russian state. They change the names of the street signs. They change other emblems of the Ukrainian identity. And those individuals who do not meet that criteria, that perverse criteria, are separated from their children and those children are then transferred into Russian territory.
NOBILO: So far, the findings of the commission, surely, they repudiate these claims of equivalence by both sides in terms of violations that sometimes we hear from Russia.
KHAN (on the phone): Oh certainly, there's no need to equivocate there. It's a war of aggression and it is being waged in an entirely asymmetric way in terms of, when you look at the sculptural field of what we could call violation.
The laying of the siege to Mariupol is a perfect example of that, where the civilians were made the object of attack, not only through attacks against distribution points, but attacks against medical facilities, a major attack against their drama theater where the children present was laid out against broader infrastructure, including dams, most notably the Khohok Dam in June this year, which is the largest attacks we've seen in a decade in terms of its long- term widespread severe consequences.
[03:45:14] So I don't think that there is any comparison to be made.
NOBILO: Finally, to your response to the fact that Russia is seeking to rejoin the U.N. Human Rights Council in the context of what we've just been discussing?
KHAN (on the phone): Right. I mean, the Human Rights Council as the principal intergovernmental body does have member states who don't have, let's say, the cleanest human rights record. So it's not there are anything. And there are always going to be member states on the Human Rights Council that don't meet the same requisite human rights record as their neighbors looked at. So I don't have any comment on that.
NOBILO: I understand. Obviously, it will be a test of international allegiances in standing as far as Russia is perceived. Thank you so much for joining us, Sir Yousuf Sayed Khan. We really appreciate your insights into what is a horrifying set of revelations that we've heard from the latest Commission update. Thank you.
KHAN (on the phone): I Appreciate it. Bye.
NOBILO: A diplomatic dispute is brewing in Canada after some controversial comments from the Speaker of the House of Commons. During a visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week, the speaker praised a Ukrainian and Canadian veteran who, it turns out, fought for a Nazi unit during World War II.
CNN's Paula Newton has the details.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The prime minister himself, Justin Trudeau, came out to say that, look, this incident was not just deeply embarrassing to Canadian parliamentarians, but to all Canadians. For his part, the speaker of the parliament did apologize, but then also said this. Listen.
ANTHONY ROTA, CANADIAN HOUSE SPEAKER: I would also like to add that this initiative was entirely my own, the individual in question being from my writing and having been brought to my attention. No one, including you, my fellow parliamentarians or the Ukraine delegation, was privy to my remarks prior to their delivery.
NEWTON: You heard the speaker there try and take responsibility on his own, but given the fact that Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in parliament. It raises a lot of questions about vetting and it is also embarrassing for Ukraine itself. To that end, the Kremlin spokesperson called this, in his words, outrageous, in that it shows a certain sloppiness of memory on the part of a lot of Canadian history students. And he definitely called out what he said was Western propaganda. Again, this remains a deeply embarrassing incident for Canada and many wondering now if the speaker will resign.
Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.
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NOBILO: An investigation is underway after Molotov cocktails were thrown at the Cuban embassy in Washington Sunday night. Cuba's foreign affairs minister is calling it a terrorist attack. He says the attacker threw two makeshift bombs at the building, but thankfully no one was hurt. And the Secret Service says no one has been arrested thus far. It's the second time the embassy has been attacked. The first time was in 2020 when a man opened fire on the building with an AK-47.
As tensions continue between India and Canada, dozens of Canadians Sikhs stage protests outside India's diplomatic missions on Monday. Some protesters burned an Indian flag and called for the expulsion of the Indian ambassador to Canada. The protests happened a week after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said intelligence agencies were investigating credible allegations that India was potentially behind the killing of a Sikh separatist activist on Canadian soil. India has denied the allegation, calling it absurd.
Coming up on "CNN Newsroom," the former Cosa Nostra mob boss has spent his final days in prison. And it also seems that Italy is starting to say goodbye to an era of rampant mob violence. That's coming up for you.
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NOBILO: A man responsible for horrifying murders across Italy has died of cancer in prison. Italian mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro has spent decades on the run before being captured in January.
Ben Wedeman takes a look at his crimes and explains why the mafia days of old are dying.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He reportedly quipped he had killed enough people to fill a cemetery.
A macabre boast made to a fellow mafioso turned state's witness.
Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro died of cancer over the weekend in a prison outside Rome, almost nine months after police finally captured him in a private health clinic in Palermo.
Until then, for 30 years he had evaded capture, living under a false identity in his hometown of Castelvetrano in Western Sicily.
Unmolested during all those years, thanks to Omerta, the mafia code of silence.
Messina Denaro was tried in absentia and found guilty for involvement in a series of murders, including the car bombings of two anti-mafia judges in the early 1990s.
Among the most grisly of those murders, when he and his fellow mobsters dissolved in acid a 12-year-old boy, the son of a mafia turncoat, in front of his own grandfather.
He was the last of the old-style crime bosses, the godfathers he so admired, who bumped off those who'd gotten their way.
That mafia isn't there anymore, investigative journalist Roberto Saviano told CNN earlier this year, the organization understood well that they have to kill less.
The law, albeit after 30 years, eventually caught up with Messina Denaro, and now death has as well.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Rome.
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NOBILO: London's Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation into a number of allegations of non-recent sexual offenses committed in the city and elsewhere in the country. The police force says those allegations came after British media outlets published a joint investigation against Russell Brand. That report cited four women who accused the actor of sexual assault and at least one case of rape. Brand has denied the allegations. London police are urging anyone who's been a victim of sexual abuse, no matter how long ago, to contact them.
Australian activists are challenging an offshore gas project that's not only threatening to pump deadly fossil fuel emissions into the air, but may deafen the whales that live off Australia's west coast.
CNN's Anna Coren explains.
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ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is seismic blasting.
It's a method fossil fuel companies use to find gas and oil under the sea. Air guns launch sound waves towards the ocean floor. How long it takes them to bounce back gives an indication of the fossil fuels trapped under the sea bed. The bubbles and bangs may look harmless, but Greenpeace warns they can be deadly to marine life.
RICHARD GEORGE, GREENPEACE SR. CAMPAIGNER: And they're louder than an atomic bomb. Now that's really problematic if you're a whale, because whales depend on their hearing for everything, to navigate, to find their mates, and to look for food. So a death whale is a dead whale.
COREN (voice-over): The Western coast of Australia is a whale superhighway. It's also where energy giant Woodside Energy wants to blast this southern spring, searching for gas for a huge new fossil fuel project known as Scarborough.
GEORGE: If it goes ahead, we're looking at emissions equivalent to 12 years of Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions. So it's a disaster for our climate and it's a disaster for our oceans as well.
COREN (voice-over): Woodside provided CNN with its marine environment plan for the Scarborough Gas Project dated this June. There will be no lasting effect on whales, however there could be short-term hearing impacts, the report reads.
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Woodside will have dedicated marine fauna observers and systems which can listen for whale song on some vessels, the company says. Adding, the presence of whales can postpone activities.
Another powerful concept is acknowledged in Woodside's report, the importance of the marine environment to the traditional customs and culture of Indigenous Australians.
RAILING COOPER, ACTIVIST: Those animals represent a song, a dance that we as Indigenous people all over this continent hold.
COREN (voice-over): Railing Cooper is taking Woodside to Federal Court, arguing she has not been properly consulted on seismic blasting.
COOPER: And it's our safe and significant areas that continually get hammered. Our people are being attacked, our ancient history, our wildlife, our ecosystems, our water.
COREN (voice-over): Earlier this month, Cooper won a temporary injunction against the blasting while her case is heard. Woodside could begin blasting on Friday.
In a statement to CNN, Woodside said, we also welcome the Federal Court's proposal to hold a further hearing regarding Ms. Cooper's challenge and went on to say it had consulted extensively on its environmental plans and met regulatory requirements and standards.
The Australian government continues to back the project saying it will be good for jobs and energy security.
That is despite also pledging to be carbon neutral by 2050. Scarborough is set to run two decades past that date.
Anna Coren, CNN.
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NOBILO: The developers behind ChatGPT have announced a new feature. You will soon be able to talk to it and it will answer you. You could ask ChatGPT to tell your kids a bedtime story or settle a dinner table bet.
The new talking feature will be available to paying customers. For its part, Amazon says Alexa is getting smarter. It's adding generative A.I. to the home assistant. No word on what will happen if the two systems start talking to each other while you're asleep. Crikey. I think the singularity could well be upon us. Well thank you so much for watching. I'm Bianca Nobilo and this is
"CNN Newsroom," and in about 3.5 minutes, three minutes, Max Foster will be joining me and we'll be with you on set for the next hour. Thanks so much.
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