Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
NATO Chief Makes an Unannounced Visit to Kyiv; More than 84,000 have left the Nagorno-Karabakh region as residents have no more chance to get back home; Philippine Defense Chief Speaks to CNN on the ongoing territorial issue between their country and China; Migrants Describing Their Long and Harsh Journey from Guatemala to Mexico; Cuban Scientists Now Working to Preserve Coral Reefs; ChatGPT Introduces New Updates and Features. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired September 29, 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]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."
Just ahead, gaining ground. NATO's chief says Ukraine's counteroffensive is advancing and promises more military aid, saying they're fighting for their families, their future and their freedom.
At least 84,000 people have fled to Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh, two-thirds of the region's population.
And a grueling journey on the road with migrants traveling from South America hoping their final stop will be the United States.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: We begin with reports of new attacks on infrastructure in both Ukraine and Russia. Russia says a wave of Ukrainian drones targeted the electric grid in its western Kursk region Friday morning, causing a fire at an electric substation. Ukraine says Russia launched a missile strike on an infrastructure facility in the southern city of Mykolaiv. There are no reports of deaths or injuries in either attack.
Now all this is happening a day after NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg met President Zelenskyy during an unannounced visit to Kyiv. The NATO leader says work is underway to provide Ukraine with $2.5 billion worth of new ammunition. He also praised Ukraine's advances on the ground despite their slow pace. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: Today your forces are moving forward. They face fierce fighting. But there are gradually gaining ground. Every meter that Ukraine forces against is a meter that Russia loses. (END VIDEO CLIP)
Salma Abdelaziz is keeping an eye on developments in Ukraine, and she joins us now from London. And Salma, let's start there with the NATO Secretary General visit to Kyiv. Take us through what came of that.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think what was key was the show of solidarity, the show of support, the approval, if you will, of the progress thus far in Ukraine. But I think the key word there in that little sound bite you played, Kim, is gradual. Because indeed what we're seeing from Ukrainian forces on the ground months into this counteroffensive is absolutely not some lightning bolt strategy, some upend on the ground. It is gradual. It is step by step in what is very much a ground war that is being one inch by inch, Ukraine says. The focus of course right now is the South, South of Zaporizhzhya, where a counteroffensive has been heating up.
The latest that Ukrainian commanders have claimed is taking the village of Verbov again to the South of Zaporizhzhya earlier this month. They claimed the village of Robotyne. All of these again, very small gains, very small wins on the way to that larger goal of cutting off the land bridge between Crimea and those Russian forces all along those occupied regions, but they're still very far from obtaining that goal, Kim.
The next iteration of this, according to Ukrainian commanders, is to try to claim the city, the town of Tukmak rather, that is a strategic hub for Russia. But I emphasize just how many lines of Russian defense Ukrainian forces have to cross. We're talking about land mines, ditches, anti-tank systems. And then of course, there is the air superiority from Russia and the days are numbered here.
We are looking at the weather, heading into winter soon. That's gonna make it much more difficult. But again, that vote of confidence from the NATO secretary general is so important for Ukraine's government, for President Zelenskyy, when he's facing some serious questions about his progress, particularly in D.C. from Republican lawmakers.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely right. And then Salma, sort of shifting gears here. We've heard of the staggering number of Ukrainian children who have been forcibly removed from their families and trafficked to Russia or the occupied territories. Now there's a new effort to bring them back. What more can you tell us?
ABDELAZIZ: This is a really interesting campaign that was launched this week by Ukrainian state television. It's called "If You Know, Tell." And the goal, the objective of this TV campaign is to bring back the 20,000 children that were forcibly removed, forcibly displaced, pushed into Russia according to Ukrainian officials. It's one of the promises President Zelenskyy has made to the families of Ukrainians, that he will bring these children home.
[03:05:08]
And this campaign, of course, is very much part of it. Now, the state television network, Freedom TV, intends to run stories, videos, information about each of these children. It also is running a Telegram channel, Kim. It says, Ukrainian officials say rather, that already on that Telegram channel, there is a large Russian audience.
Ukrainian officials saying that there are people in Russia who do want to help but just don't know how or are concerned about being punished. So they've promised anonymity as well if anyone comes forward to try to provide information on these children. It is very interesting to see all of the ways in which Ukraine is trying to bring these children home. You'll remember just how serious this issue is.
The ICC, because of the forcible deportation of children. The ICC has issued an arrest warrant against President Putin. So this is an extremely serious international matter and one that Ukraine has continued to try to bring solace to those families, bring answers to those families, bring those children home. We'll see how this campaign goes, Kim, but it's a very interesting move to just reach out to Russians directly.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely. Hopefully that campaign bears fruit. Salma Abdelaziz in London. Thank you so much. I Appreciate it.
The Kremlin is trying to dispel rumors that one of its major allies in the war is seriously ill. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov is facing a string of accusations of human rights abuses both inside and outside of Chechnya. His troops are fighting in Ukraine.
As Matthew Chance reports, Moscow released a new video on Thursday suggesting he's doing just fine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Behind the daily strikes, an information war is raging. Fueling speculations about key Russian figures forcing the Kremlin to dispel the rumors. Like those swirling around hardline Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, now shown on state TV meeting President Putin after rumors he's gravely ill.
Rumors spread by Ukrainian intelligence and that Kadyrov has denied on social media.
I strongly advise all those who can't tell the difference between truth and lies on the internet to go for a walk in the fresh air and put their thoughts in order, he wrote.
In recent weeks, Russia has been busy denying Ukrainian claims that a strike on its Black Sea fleet headquarters in Sevastopol killed dozens of Russian naval officers, including the overall commander.
But Admiral Viktor Sokolov soon appeared in an undated video call with Russian defense officials. His stiff appearance, though only fueled speculation about his condition. Finally, the admiral is shown handing out medals to the Russian Navy soccer team, answering questions, apparently, on the attack, although CNN can't verify when the event took place.
UNKNOWN (through translator): Could you please tell us in a few words what happened to reassure Sevastopol residents?
ADM. VIKTOR SOKOLOV, RUSSIAN NAVY (through translator): Nothing happened to us. Life goes on. The Black Sea fleet is carrying out the tasks assigned to it by the command.
CHANCE (voice-over): But prominent Russians do have a tendency to occasionally drop from view. General Sergei Surovikin, a senior Russian commander linked with Wagner, disappeared after recording a statement calling for the mercenary group to abandon its rebellion back in June.
Months later in September, this image was circulated purporting to show Surovikin and his wife out and about in Moscow in a bid to dispel rumors of his arrest.
And even Russia's defense minister, shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, vanished from view for over a week, eventually popping back up on a video conference call with Putin, a sign perhaps he was back in favor.
Matthew Chance, CNN. New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The Armenian government says more than 84,000 people have arrived from the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is now under control of neighboring Azerbaijan. The figure means approximately 70 percent of the enclave's ethnic Armenian population has fled since last week, choosing to leave behind their ancestral homeland out of fear of persecution.
Now, these are live images coming to us from Goris, Armenia, not far from the border. Many refugees have no hope of returning home. If they wanted to, the self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh will soon dissolve and cease to exist.
CNN's Scott McLean reports.
[03:09:57]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The satellite images show the scale of the exodus from Nagorno-Karabakh, a seemingly endless snaking line of vehicles interrupted only by the military checkpoints along the way.
This video, released by Azerbaijan, shows police handing out water to waiting cars, though some inside fear what, or who else, they might be looking for.
Aid is getting into Nagorno-Karabakh, but the U.S. State Department says it could be days before a mission of international observers is organized. That may be too little, too late.
NIKOL PASHINYAN, ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Analysis of the situation shows that in the coming days there will be no Armenians left in Nagorno-Karabakh. This is an act of ethnic cleansing.
MCLEAN (voice-over): There also won't be anything resembling an independent state either. The president of the breakaway Armenian majority region says the self-declared Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh ceases its existence, clearly not by choice but due to the current difficult military-political situation, and to ensure that ethnic Armenians, including the militants who laid down their weapons, can get out.
Well over half of the Nagorno-Karabakh population has reached Armenia, and officials say the pace has not slowed down. They come packed into cars, buses or in the backs of trucks, carrying whatever they can. Some, overwhelmed by their sudden new reality.
UNKNOWN (through translator): We had horrific days. I could have never imagined that we will come to this point. We are leaving our Karabakh and going away.
MCLEAN (voice-over): Jacqueline Avetisyan is a doctor in Armenia seeing patients soon after they arrive. Hungry, stressed, depressed. or worse.
JACQUELINE AVETISYAN, DOCTOR (through translator): The situation is very bad, especially for the children. They mostly have a cold. For example, one group came in an open-body car. They were under the rain for two days. Imagine how cold and soaked they were.
MCLEAN (voice-over): Prominent businessman, philanthropist and former state minister of the separatist government, Ruben Vardanyan, did not make it to Armenia. Video published by Azerbaijan Security Services showed him being forcefully led into a cell by masked soldiers. He's now been accused of financing terror and involvement with illegal armed groups, though Baku has not presented evidence, and the forces that Azerbaijan considers illegal Armenian separatists considered their legitimate army.
Scott McLean, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Now earlier, I spoke with Gabriel Gavin, a reporter with "Politico" who's covering the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis and he described what he's seen and heard from some ethnic Armenians after fleeing their homeland.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GABRIEL GAVIN, REPORTER, POLITICO: Over the past week, I've been down on the border in the village of Cornidsor, which is the first stop on that road out of the breakaway region. And it's been scenes of desperation, I think, every single day. People have been piling into cars, into open-backed construction trucks. One truck turned up with basically 20 children inside, many of them unaccompanied, having slept underneath plastic sheeting to shelter from the rain.
I went down, I was given access to the hospital in the city of Goris just nearby. And some of the people I met, some of the stories I heard were just unbelievably harrowing. I mean you've got a man whose wife gave birth in the car after waiting 30 hours in the queue to cross the border and they feared they'd lose the baby because they had no food or water.
I met a woman who came in unconscious. She was 90 years old. She came in unconscious with no documents, no known relatives and nobody really knew what to do with her.
There was a man, a cancer patient who had a stroke as he evacuated his hometown, and everyone I speak to says they fear they will never return home.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, that's what we heard there from that other woman in that clip. I mean, they must have a lot of fear as well when they're all along these routes, especially families, children, as you say. Has there been any signs of violence at all?
GAVIN: Well, I think people have always been concerned about any interaction with Azerbaijan's armed forces because for 30 years these two countries have been engaged in this bitter standoff. Armenian forces forced hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis out of their homes in the 1990s. And I think there's always been a fear that the same would be done to them.
At the checkpoint where they do have to show documents, people tell me that it's obviously intimidating. It's obviously terrifying for these people. But so far, civilians have been allowed to pass unhindered. And I think that's really important to understand, that people have been allowed out. And I think one of the things that people were really concerned about was those men, almost all of whom have done conscription or served in the war in 2020 or in the wars of the 1990s, there was a fear that they'd be detained. And actually, that in most cases isn't happening. There are a small number of the political leadership of the region that has been detained or is being actively searched for.
[03:15:03]
So Russian-Armenian oligarch Ruben Vardanyan, who was once effectively the prime minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, while he was attempting to cross, he was detained and has since been into the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, and will be charged with terrorism financing charges as well as crossing the border illegally.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I was struck by what some of these people are bringing with them, things like farm animals, for instance. Any idea what happens next when they get to wherever they're going?
GAVIN: That's exactly the problem because for so many people, their land is not just their home, it's their livelihood as well. Their farmers, their pastoralists, they have construction machinery. That's how they earn a living. And now what you need here is not just short-term accommodation that's
going to enable people to have a roof over their head. You need longer-term homes. You need livelihoods. You need jobs for people. You need schools for their kids. And in many cases, you need quite a lot of psychosocial support, quite complex needs. Some of these people, you know, they'd say they've been through hell just to get here. And then now they have almost no idea what they're going to do next.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: All right, still ahead. Tensions are fraying between China and the Philippines. We'll hear exclusively from Manila's new defense chief about how his government is responding.
Plus, new worries for one of the biggest real estate developers in China. We're live in Beijing with details on the allegations against Evergrande's chairman. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: For no less than 48 hours away from a U.S. government shutdown with little sign of progress, the House-approved several spending bills late Thursday, none of which would have hurt a shutdown. Republican hardliners want drastic cuts to spending, but more money for border security. The government runs out funding at midnight on Saturday. Millions of federal employees and active-duty troops won't get paid until the shutdown is over, and massive disruptions to air travel is expected as tens of thousands of air traffic controllers will be forced to work without pay.
So with a potentially painful government shutdown just days away, U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday made one of his most direct condemnations yet of the hardline Republicans in Congress who've stalled the funding and the former president who's egging them on.
At an event in Arizona to honor his late friend, Republican Senator John McCain, Biden portrayed Trump and his followers as extremists bent on destroying American democracy. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Frankly, these extremists have no idea what the hell they're talking about. Now I'm serious. They're pushing a notion the defeated former president expressed when he was in office and believes it applies only to him. And this is a dangerous notion. This president is above the law, no limits on power. Trump says the Constitution gave him, quote, "the right to do whatever he wants as president," end of quote.
[03:20:08]
I've never heard a president say that in jest, not guided by the Constitution or by common service and decency toward our fellow Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: The White House said this is the fourth major speech the president's given in defense of American democracy. It was also Biden's strongest condemnation of Trump since the ex-president was formally charged with trying to subvert his 2020 election loss.
And a surprise court filing by Donald Trump's lawyers on Thursday revealed the former U.S. president won't seek to get his election subversion case in Georgia moved to federal court after all. Trump had been widely expected to seek such a change, although his former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, was already turned down in his attempt earlier this month. Meadows is appealing that ruling. The language of Thursday's filing was a notable departure from Trump's defiant rhetoric after his indictment. It read in part that Trump had, quote, "well-founded confidence the judge will ensure he gets a in Georgia."
A new U.S. report details China's efforts to spread disinformation and propaganda online and it contains a striking warning that Beijing is effectively promoting digital authoritarianism both at home and around the world. CNN's chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. State Department on Thursday issued a new sweeping warning about the Chinese government's efforts to control information, to disseminate propaganda and disinformation that promotes what they call digital authoritarianism, both in China and all around the world.
The report accuses President Xi Jinping of significantly expanding the PRC's efforts to shape the global information environment. It does allege that China spends billions of dollars every year on foreign information manipulation and says that President Xi has, quote, "pressed PRC state media to tailor precise communication methods to influence foreign audiences globally."
Now the head of that center that published the report, the GEC, the coordinator's name is Jamie Rubin, and he said on Thursday he issued a warning that this type of manipulation of information is what he called the dark side of globalization. Take a listen.
JAMIE RUBIN, SPECIAL ENVOY AND COORDINATOR, GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT CENTER: Steady, often imperceptible changes will occur that poison the information space that is crucial for our societies to function. We don't want to see an Orwellian mix of fact and fiction in our world. a secure world of rules and rights that the United States and much of the world relies upon.
MARQUARDT: The report also gives a number of dramatic examples of the PRC's efforts to disseminate Beijing's narrative and to crack down on conversations about issues like Taiwan, China's human rights record and the South China Sea. It alleges that China uses influencers to push its message and that the Chinese company, which owns the huge social media app TikTok, that company, quote, "maintained a regularly updated internal list which identifies people who are likely blocked for reasons such as advocating for the independence of Chinese Uyghurs."
Now, China's embassy here in Washington, D.C., responded to that State Department report telling CNN in part that the report serves to heighten ideological confrontation, to spread disinformation, and to smear China's domestic and foreign policies.
Alex Marquardt, CNN. Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The Philippines new defense secretary is speaking out against China, which he says is behaving like a schoolyard bully towards smaller countries in the region. He sat down for an exclusive interview with CNN's Ivan Watson, his first since taking the job in June.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Philippines has scrapped a previous policy of accommodation with China and is increasingly in a kind of David and Goliath confrontation with China in the South China Sea. We've seen much larger Chinese coast guard vessels confronting much smaller Philippines coast guard ships and fishing boats.
In my exclusive sit-down interview with the Philippines Secretary of National Defense, He conceded that other Southeast Asian nations have yet to throw their full support behind Manila in this ongoing territorial dispute.
GILBERTO TEODORO JR., PHILIPPINES SECRETARY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE: These countries see too, though they need China, they need Russia, they see that they too may become a victim of bullying of China again. Because if they close off the South China Sea, perhaps the next target will be the Straits of Malacca and then the Indian Ocean.
WATSON (on-camera): Is that how you feel as if China is bullying you?
TEODORO JR.: Oh, you bet. I would not, I cannot think of any clearer case of bullying than this.
[03:25:06]
It's not a question of stealing your lunch money, but it's really a question of stealing your lunch bag, your chair, and even enrollment in the school.
WATSON (on-camera): The 10-dash line is China's claim that it controls and owns virtually all of the South China Sea.
TEODORO JR.: Yes.
WATSON: Irrespective of competing claims from countries like the Philippines.
TEODORO JR.: That is the unilateral declaration by China that it owns the South China Sea basically.
WATSON (on-camera): Up until almost the coast of the Philippines.
TEODORO JR.: But here, that is a claim which the whole world perhaps rejects. Some don't say it out loud. But as soon as China begins to visibly assert their squeeze over the South China Sea, then the whole world will react. Why? Because it will choke one of the most vital supply chain waterways in the whole world.
WATSON (on-camera): What are the kind of measures that you have seen the Chinese authorities using to try to keep your vessels out of these contested areas?
TEODORO JR.: Well, shadowing, harassment, dangerous maneuvers, water cannoning, and military-grade lasers being used on the vessels. These are some of the tactics that they use. But also, we know that they're engaging in a very expansive -- in an expansive rather, propaganda war with us.
WATSON (on-camera): Is the Philippines acting upon the behest of its treaty ally, the U.S.?
TEODORO JR.: No. No. And it's --
WATSON (on-camera): That's what China says.
TEODORO JR.: Yeah. And that's what they don't understand. They are distancing them from the Filipino people when they say that. And we're going to stand up more because it's an insult to our integrity, an insult to our intellect, and an insult to our common sense.
WATSON (on-camera): You suggest that your American puppets.
TEODORO JR.: Yes.
WATSON (on-camera): The Philippines government recently signed an enhanced defense cooperation agreement with the U.S., giving U.S. forces enhanced access to a number of different military bases here in the Philippines.
Washington is a mutual defense treaty ally of Manila. So an attack on one of the Philippines' ships or aircraft would be perceived as an attack on the U.S. So that means the stakes are all the higher as we're seeing these ongoing confrontations in the South China Sea between the Philippines and China.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Manila.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Taiwan has unveiled its first domestically-built submarine. President Tsai Ing-wen was on hand for the ceremony, calling it a significant milestone in boosting the island's military defense. Taiwan's military leaders hope the sub will help deter a potential invasion by China, which claims the island as its territory. China's defense ministry dismissed the submarine and the notion of keeping its ships out of the Pacific Ocean as idiotic nonsense.
More trouble for the embattled Chinese real estate developer Evergrande. The company says its chairman is suspected of crimes. CNN's Marc Stewart is live this hour in Beijing with details. So Marc, this is the latest twist in an ongoing saga involving the company. So walk us through this. How did all this come about?
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Kim. At one point, Evergrande was this big economic giant in the Chinese business world. But as China's economy started to slow down, so did Evergrande, and it ran into problems.
People basically were dealing with homes that were uncompleted, and it's caused quite a bad situation here in China. So there have also been calls for accountability. And as we have seen in recent months, Evergrande at one point was under a criminal investigation, a criminal probe. And now we see that one of its highest-ranking executives, Xu Jinyin, is under investigation.
Now Evergrande right now is trying to get its books balanced, but the future of its business as well as the whole real estate and property sector here in China is very much up in the air. There are similar problems perhaps at other companies as well. We talked to one expert to give us an idea perhaps what the future may bring. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREW COLLER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ORIENT CAPITAL RESEARCH: The economy is going to have to reset itself at a lower level. That's the key issue. And what we don't know is how low a level that's going to be and how much of a political mess in terms of anger towards the central government that's going to cause.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: Right, the political, the economic impact, still very much to be determined. It's not clear how this will all end.
[03:30:00]
In the meantime, Evergrande, for example, is trying to deal with debt. It's trying to make good with some of its debtors around the world, some of its creditors.
It recently filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States. This again, as homeowners here in China, have invested in homes, but right now in some cases have nothing to see for it, Kim.
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Alright, thanks so much Marc Stewart in Beijing. I Appreciate that.
The Netherlands rocked by deadly shootings. Three people were killed. The suspect is in custody. We'll have the latest on that investigation, ahead. And still to come, we're on the ground as migrants from South America
make a grueling trip in search of a better life. Just ahead are a close look at one group's journey to Mexico. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: Three people were killed in a shooting rampage in the Netherlands on Thursday. Authorities arrested a 32-year-old student for what they said was a targeted attack. They say he shot and killed a woman and her 14-year-old daughter at a house and set fire to the house.
Police say the suspect later went to the nearby teaching hospital where he studied and fatally shot a doctor. He also set a fire there before being arrested. Police found him with a gun in his pocket and wearing a bulletproof vest. They believe he acted alone.
Germany says it would support a revision of the E.U.'s policy on irregular migration, as the bloc weighs what to do about the number of migrants arriving by sea. European Migration Ministers met in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the so-called crisis mechanism. The proposal sets out a framework for sharing out asylum seekers who arrive outside of official border crossings. Intention is to avoid overwhelming countries of entry, such as Italy and others along the Mediterranean or in Eastern Europe. Ministers haven't reached an agreement yet, but officials say they're close to a final decision.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YLVA JOHANSSON, EUROPEAN HOME AFFAIRS COMMISSIONER: We have found the right balance that the Member States will support, and I'm sure that in a few days we will also have the formal decision on the general proposal, on the crisis proposal, and that is very much welcome.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Migration looks to be a key issue for voters ahead of regional elections in Germany next month and E.U.-wide parliamentary elections next year.
Thousands of people have been fleeing their homes in South America in search of a better life. The migrants tell us the journey north in crammed vehicles, on foot or by boat, can be costly and grueling.
CNN's David Culver caught up with about two dozen of them on their trip from Guatemala to Mexico.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN SR. U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They stick together throughout. No one left behind. From falls to steep climbs.
[03:35:03]
(on-camera): There's a lot of young children, so some of them are just basically being carried up.
(voice-over): To dead ends.
(on-camera): They started to go the wrong way for the moment, and now they're backtracking a little bit.
(voice-over): Setback after setback.
(on-camera): He's saying that they paid. We're promised another pickup on the other side, but it seems like that driver just took off with their money.
(voice-over): This, just part of a day's journey for these migrants. A day that started not here in southern Mexico, but across the Suchiate River in Guatemala.
With passports stamped, we take the official land crossing.
Stepping into a vibrant Tecunaman. In the shade of the town square, we meet two families from Venezuela traveling as one.
(on-camera): They're saying they're ready to cross.
(voice-over): They welcome us to join.
(on-camera): Seven years old.
(voice-over): A 15-minute stroll to the river. After 18 grueling days on the road, Jemilla Rodriguez tells me it's been costly.
(on-camera): She says, going through the jungle is like dealing with the mafia. She says, you have to pay in order to leave. And they had to pay $250 a person.
(voice-over): As they arrive at the river, another expense, the crossing. Meanwhile, we go back to the Mexico side using the official entry and hop onto a raft.
(on-camera): We're waiting for the two families that we met to make their way across. And they're about to board a raft and meet us in the middle as they cross illegally to Mexico.
(voice-over): Their raft drifts over the border, and we meet again in Mexico.
(on-camera): He's saying they're headed to the land of opportunity.
(voice-over): Migrant children scramble to help tug them to shore. They step off and into Ciudad Hidalgo, a small border town. It allows for just a moment of joy, if only for the kids.
Their goal tonight? Tapachula. To get Mexican transit documents. They learn it's not as close as they'd hoped. 20 miles. Normally, an hour's drive. But there's a catch.
(on-camera): Ah, okay. They're getting on right now. (voice-over): Because they never entered Mexico legally, they need to
avoid the multiple migration checkpoints. Otherwise, the Mexican drivers could be accused of smuggling.
Every crevice of the van filled. Then they're off, on the road for only about 10 minutes. We watch as they pull over just before the first checkpoint, everyone out. They walk the direction they think they're supposed to head.
(on-camera): You can tell they're basically just trying to figure out their way as they go. They have no real guide. They were told some general instructions and now they're just trying to figure it out.
(voice-over): Weaving through brush and high grass, up and down hills, they skirt around the first migration checkpoint. But on the other side, the same driver who they paid to wait for them has taken off.
(on-camera): So they're trying to figure out if they can get another van or they keep walking. Looks like for now they're just going to keep walking.
(voice-over): A few minutes pass, another van pulls up. 15 minutes later, another stop, another checkpoint walk around. 30 minutes after that, yet another. This one takes them on a bridge directly over the migration checkpoint. Back on the van they go.
Before sunset, they make it to Tapachula. Relieved? Sure. Also overwhelmed, thinking about the unknowns ahead, but determined to keep moving north, smiling and waving.
We'll see you later, they tell us.
David Culver, CNN, Tapachula, Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The governor of Texas has repeatedly sent buses of migrants to other states trying to score political points on the migrant crisis. Many of those buses have been sent to New York with more than 110,000 people seeking asylum in New York since last spring. Well now the Texas governor himself has come to New York.
CNN's Polo Sandoval has that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New cell phone video captures one of the latest buses to arrive in New York City carrying asylum seekers.
On this night, it's mostly women and children. They step off the coach and into a bitter partisan war of words, one that is yet to let up.
GOV. GREG ABBOT (R-TX): Quite literally, we have a national crisis.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): Texas Governor Greg Abbott brought his hardline immigration message to New York as the city struggles to house nearly 60,000 asylum seekers. During the rare visit, the Republican took jabs at Democratic leaders from the White House to New York City Hall.
ABBOT: We've sent about 10 percent of the migrants that you have here.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): As the governor spoke, migrants waited anxiously just a block away at the city's packed intake center wondering what comes next in their exhausting journey.
[03:40:03]
ABBOT: This is something that's unsustainable. I think those are the words of your mayor. Those are the words of the mayor of Chicago and L.A. Those are the words of the governor of Texas. What's going on is unsustainable.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): Governor Abbott has been the target of criticism from the administration of Mayor Eric Adams.
ANNE WILLIAMS-ISOM, NEW YORK DEPUTY MAYOR: I hope that when he's here, he can get a glimpse of what it really looks like to deal with the humanitarian crisis in a humane way.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): And Abbott's New York counterpart. Governor Kathy Hochul for chartering buses and offering willing asylum seekers rides to interior cities. Parabit over 15,000 migrants have been shuttled to New York City alone from Texas.
GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D-NY): We had Republican Governor Greg Abbott here in New York trying to tell us how to manage the crisis. I said go back to Texas, talk to your 25 Republican members of Congress and tell them to get back to work and help us out here.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): Future waves of migrants are sure to follow the governor's trip, citing a so-called breaking point situation with border shelters overwhelmed, the city of El Paso accepting charter bus help from Texas to offer migrants rides to locations of their choice, Denver, Chicago and New York remain top of the list.
(on-camera): And during his visit to New York City, Governor Abbott also resurfaced his criticism directed at President Biden and Vice President Harris saying that they are yet to see this migrant crisis upfront as he put it, with their own eyes.
However, we should point out that Governor Abbott's schedule did not include a stop at Manhattan's Roosevelt Hotel that serves as a migrant intake center, even if it was directly across the street from one of the locations where he spoke.
Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The coral reefs that protect coastlines from extreme weather are being damaged by climate change, but scientists in Cuba are pushing for a major change they hope will help save them. We'll have a report from Cuba after the break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: Heavy rainstorms continue to pummel Greece where officials say some parts of the country got several months worth of rain in less than 24 hours. This is the second severe storm to hit the region this month.
The mayor of one port city says 80 percent of the city lost power Wednesday night because of the storm. The heavy rainfall flooded homes, businesses and roads and left cars stranded. One resident criticized how officials are responding to the flood.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YANNIS GAVANOUDIS, RESIDENT OF VOLOS, GREECE (through translator): We saw the river was overflowing. We have been battling the situation with the water for 20 days. They do not come to help us. They open one small drain and then leave the rest. And the bridges have been built really low. It doesn't make sense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: And more rain is in the forecast for the next few days. Fortunately, they're not expected to be as severe.
[03:44:55]
More than 16,000 children are now displaced in Libya after this month's catastrophic flooding. UNICEF says the children lack basic essentials like safe water, clothes and schools. So far, the aid organizations delivered medical supplies, hygiene kits and water purification tablets to help.
Earlier this month, torrential rain and the collapse of two dams flooded the city of Derna. The World Health Organization says about 4,000 people died. Thousands more remain missing and are presumed dead.
Switzerland's glaciers are shrinking at an alarming rate. The glaciers suffered their worst melting rate on record, losing 10 percent of their ice volume in just two years, according to the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network. Swiss glaciers have lost as much ice over the last two years as was lost in the 30 years between 1960 and 1990. New records show that a combination of low snowfall and extreme warm temperatures caused the melting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHIAS HUSS, SWISS GLACIER MONITORING NETWORK: This year was very problematic for glaciers because there was really little snow in winter, almost record low snow depth and the summer was very warm. The combination of these two factors is the worst that can happen to glaciers. And then of course there is climate change that makes such extreme events as we have seen them in the last two years much more likely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: And the problem isn't restricted to Switzerland. Recent research has found that even if ambitious global climate targets are met, up to half of the world's glaciers could disappear by the end of the century.
Human-created climate change has also damaged the coral reefs off the coast of Cuba. Now scientists believe they've found a way to not only preserve the vulnerable environment, but also improve the island's economy,
CNN's Patrick Oppmann explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Porpoises swim off the coast of Cuba. The waters here may seem pristine, but like seemingly everywhere else, this Caribbean island nation is grappling with the threats from a rapidly changing climate.
Now in the first research expedition of its kind, 24 Cuban scientists and crew circumnavigated the entire island to carry out what they say is the most comprehensive study ever done on climate change and the impact it's had on Cuba.
Researchers dive from coral reef to coral reef and say what they have found is even more dire than they expected.
We've seen a bleaching of corals, which is something that is worrying and that is massive. She says, the majority of coral is bleached and this is because of the high temperatures.
The scientists say it's not too late to reverse the damage, but that we have to dramatically reduce human-caused pollution that is heating oceans to record levels, killing off coral reefs and filling the seas with microplastics. With this study, these scientists say they will be able to measure much more accurately how much harm is being inflicted on Cuba's unique natural environments.
We are going to have a baseline, she says. We hope to identify the spots along the coast where the pollution is and how concentrated it is.
For two months, the scientists carried out dozens of dives, taking hundreds of samples from the bottom of the ocean.
Scientists are barely out of their wetsuits before running tests in their makeshift laboratory. They hope what they learn can change how resources on this island are used.
(on-camera): Scientists say they're making the case to government officials here that the country needs to transition from commercial fishing to have a greater focus on marine tourism. As they say, a shark can only be caught and eaten one time. Whereas that same shark can be enjoyed by tourists on a dive excursion again and again. Something that's not only better for this country's environment, but also its economy.
(voice-over): The change will not come easy, but for Cubans who depend on mangroves to protect them from hurricanes and beaches to attract tourists, experts say there is no other choice.
It's not a luxury, it's a necessity, he says. Even with so many difficulties, we can't stop learning about coral reefs. They protect the beaches, they protect us from extreme weather, they give us sand and fish and the things we eat.
The scientists traveled more than 1,800 nautical miles to better understand an incredible natural world off Cuba's shores that is increasingly at risk.
Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Cien Pueblos, Cuba.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: An unprecedented lawsuit over climate change got underway in a European court Wednesday. Six young people from Portugal ranging in age from 11 to 24 who live in areas devastated by wildfires and heat waves are suing 32 European countries for violating their human rights by failing to enforce competent climate change laws that would adequately combat the crisis.
Earlier I spoke with a senior lawyer for the Global Legal Action Network which supports the young claimants and I asked him what the claimants are hoping to accomplish with the lawsuit. Here he is.
[03:49:55]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GERRY LISTON, SR. LAWYER, GLOBAL LEGAL ACTION NETWORK: People are living in one of the most vulnerable places in Europe to the climate crisis, Portugal. They've already been experiencing significant interferences on their well-being. For example, just being able to do basic things like spending time outdoors during the summer.
But it's the future really where things get much worse. They're facing heat waves, bringing temperatures of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit that last for a month or more. And they're saying that is a haircut violation of their rights and the European governments are not doing enough to protect them.
BRUNHUBER: Now this is the largest of its kind. So explain how significant this could be and concretely what would happen if they won.
LISTON: So judgments of the European Court of Human Rights are legally binding. So the judgment that we're seeking would compel European countries to rapidly accelerate their efforts to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. And we've seen climate cases taken at the national level in Europe.
And so this judgment that we're seeking from the European Court of Human Rights would act as a roadmap for national courts to compel governments to do much more in line with the judgment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: It is expected to rule on the case early next year.
Alright, still ahead. OpenAI is rolling out some changes to its popular chatbot. You can have a conversation with ChatGPT. That's coming up, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(VIDEO PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: That was Irish actor Michael Gambon there in his signature role as Dumbledore, headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and most of the Harry Potter films. According to a statement on behalf of his family, the actor died peacefully in 82 after a bout of pneumonia with his wife and son by his side.
Gambon worked in television, film, the stage and radio. He also starred in the hit TV series "The Singing Detective." Some described him as a trickster with fellow actor Helen Mirren, who calling his naughty sense of humor. And Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling posted, Michael was a wonderful man in addition to being an outstanding actor and I loved working with him.
A sycamore tree that stood for more than 200 years in northern England has been destroyed. Well this is what's left of the landmark which was located on the ancient Roman-built Hadrian's Wall. The tree was cut down in what authorities are calling an act of vandalism. They say a 16-year-old is under arrest. National park officials say it's a blow because so many memories are linked to the tree.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY GATES, CHAIRMAN OF NORTHUMBERLAND NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY: Yeah, well, from a personal point of view, I feel a real sense of loss. I feel that because -- because of what this meant to me and I know what it meant to the staff within Northumberland National Park, our volunteers, this will have meant a lot to people. People will have been proposed to here, they will have held significant family occasions here, some people may have scattered the ashes of loved ones here. And for someone to feel that they can do this to such a site, I just find it really hard to comprehend and I feel a real sense of loss today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Called the Sycamore Gap, it was one of the most photographed trees in England and even played a role in the Kevin Costner film, Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, in 1991.
[03:55:00]
The background you use on your video call may have an impact on how trustworthy and capable you seem to others. That's what a small study in the U.K. found. Researchers took database photos and superimposed them on various backgrounds to simulate a video call and then they asked a cohort of 167 participants to answer questions about the images.
Now results showed that people with a plant or a bookcase in the background were seen as more trustworthy and competent. Novelty backgrounds (inaudible) of living area produce the opposite effect.
The race to control the future of artificial intelligence is heating up and ChatGPT is unveiling some big changes to try and stay ahead of competition. CNN's Anna Stewart has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: It has been a big week for ChatGPT announcements.
First, it grew eyes and ears with new voice features announced, so soon you will be able to chat to ChatGPT, much like Apple's Siri or Amazon's Alexa, plus an ability for the GPT bot to respond to images.
Now on Thursday, the company announced that ChatGPT will also be more up to date. Until now, the A.I. bot has used information that it's gleaned from the internet, but only up to September 2021. It has been blissfully unaware of anything that's happened since, but now OpenAI say subscribers of the ChatGPT plus and enterprise models will have an option to browse the internet using Microsoft's Bing search engine, and eventually this will be expanded to all users.
In the announcement on X, OpenAI said they'd learned some lessons from a previous effort, saying since the original launch of browsing in May, we received useful feedback.
Updates include following robots.txt and identifying user agents so sites can control how ChatGPT interacts with them. It's an attempt to appease concerns about copyright.
ChatGPT can only create from the vast troves of information it consumes. And of course, it is going to be consuming a lot more now.
Some websites already use code to prevent A.I. bots from scraping their information, including news outlets like the "New York Times," ESPN, and CNN.
Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Alright, thanks so much for watching. I'm Kim Brunhuber. "CNN Newsroom" continues with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
