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CNN International: New Strikes on Ukraine's Kharkiv and Odessa Region; Trump Endorses Jim Jordan in House Speaker Race; Jailed Iranian Women's Rights Advocate Wins Nobel Prize; Officials Urge Calm Amid Reports of Infestations. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired October 06, 2023 - 08:00   ET

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

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MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR NEWSROOM: Hello and welcome to CNN "Newsroom". I'm Max Foster in London. Just ahead, Russia unleashes a new wave of airstrikes on Ukraine's Kharkiv and Odessa regions. This as the death toll from the attack on the village of Hroza keeps rising.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen is now on the ground here. Jailed Iranian activists Narges Mohammadi wins this year's Nobel Prize for Peace we'll bring you an exclusive interview. Plus, France's bedbug infestation is making headlines around the world with the frenzy justified. We'll have a look.

A day after one of the deadliest strikes on civilians since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Moscow is launching new attacks across the country. In the Northeastern city Kharkiv the regional official says a grandmother and her 10 year old grandson were killed in a missile strike.

In the south drones hit the port City of Odessa damaging infrastructure and a grain storage facility. This follows Thursday's attack on a small village in the East. And missiles slammed into a cafe and the grocery store as people gathered to mourn a fallen Ukrainian soldier.

At least 52 people were killed. The U.N. Human Rights Chief says a field team has been deployed to investigate. CNN's Fred Pleitgen joins us from Hroza, which is still reeling from this attack, Fred.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it certainly is, Max. And I can show you behind me right here. What's, actually left of that grocery store and that cafe that you were just talking about, which is pretty much nothing. As you can see, it very early on became clear to the crews that were working here.

That this was going to turn quickly from a search and rescue operation to a recovery operation and now obviously a clearing operation. In fact, if we pan over there, you can see just how much debris has already been cleared away. We can see on top of that pile of debris that there seems to be some sort of a box that would have had ice cream in it.

Just to show that this was indeed a supermarket and a cafe that was hit. Obviously this place you're absolutely reeling from what happened. We got here late last night when people were still clearing bodies. It was a scene of utter carnage. And we've been speaking to some of the folks who live here.

And they tell us pretty much everybody who lives in this place has lost somebody. Pretty much everybody who lives in this village has had somebody killed if you look at just the sheer numbers there are about they say about 160 people who were still left to in this village before the strike, and 52 people having now been killed.

A large proportion of this village has been wiped out because of this attack. The Ukrainians of course continue to be extremely angry about all this they are saying that this wasn't Iskander missile strike the same types of missile that they say struck hearken earlier today.

It's a medium range missile with a huge warhead that obviously does a lot of damage. One of the things that we saw earlier was there were forensic teams going around that seemed to have found some parts of that missile, it seemed to be shrapnel impossible engine parts again, unclear what exactly though.

But those forensic teams were sort of bagging them up and taking them away. The Ukrainians have also had a war crimes prosecutor on the ground here as well. We spoke yesterday to the Chief Investigator and they say that they have launched a probe into possible war crimes here as well.

Obviously they say with so many people who were killed. This is obviously a massive, traumatizing event for this entire region, Max.

FOSTER: OK Fred, thank you. Syria vowing to respond before so after Thursday's drone attack on a military college killed at least 89 people there, funerals of the victims are being held today. No one's claimed responsibility for the attack. But the Syrian Government is blaming terrorist organizations supported by what it called well known international parties.

CNN's Ben Wedeman joins us live from Rome. What did they mean by that, Ben?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what they mean is the various rebel groups who are based largely in the Province of Idlib, which is just North of Homs, which certainly in previous years were backed by the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and so forth.

And therefore, yes, that is the direction in which the Syrians are pointing blame for this fairly horrific attack, which happened just after the end of this graduation ceremony at the Homs Military Academy where family and friends were just leaving that area. Now, according to the official Syrian Arab News Agency, among the dead were 31 women and 5 children.

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And in fact, there was there's video of from the attack, which we cannot show on CNN. That shows people dead people lying around others who are on fire, desperate attempts to put the fire out. But this obviously has been a shock for the City of Homs, which certainly 10 years ago was suffering from some of the most intense battles of the Syrian revolution.

Now, following this, we've seen an intensification of regime bombardment on Idlib province, and particularly the City of Idlib, which is the only provincial capital that is currently under the rebel control at this point, the rebels of the western part of the country. And we've also seen intensification of Turkish attacks on Kurdish positions in the North East.

And this, of course, is in a country which has been utterly destroyed by years of war and foreign intervention. More than half a million Syrians have been killed in the war there. In addition to more than 13 million people either internally displaced or have fled into exile, Max.

FOSTER: Ben Wedeman, thank you. A potential meeting between leaders of the World's top two economies maybe in the works. Sources say planning is underway for U.S. President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping to speak face to face at the APEC summit in San Francisco next month.

But last time they met in person was at the G 20 summit in Indonesia last November. Since then, tensions between Washington and Beijing have increased even further due to a number of reasons. CNN's Kevin Liptak got this story for us from Washington. What more details did you get Kevin?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, certainly they are working on putting this meeting together. But it isn't confirmed yet. And in fact, President Xi has not actually confirmed that he will come to the United States come to San Francisco for this APEC summit in November.

But all that being said, White House officials are confident that they are on the path to setting this meeting up. And it would be an important opportunity for the leaders of the two largest economies to sit down, talk about some of the issues they have and continue trying to stabilize this relationship, which is really, you know, spiraled over the last several months or so.

And you mentioned that last meeting about a year ago in Bali for the G 20. At that meeting, the two leaders agreed to what they called establish a floor for this relationship. Essentially ensure that it doesn't deteriorate any further. But in the months afterward, there was that situation you'll remember, with the Chinese spy balloon, there continued to be military and economic tensions.

What President Biden wants to do is really sort of stabilize this relationship. And you have seen him send a number of top administration officials to China over the last several months to meet with their counterparts to try and establish these points of communication with the Chinese government.

And now President Biden has said several times over the last weeks and months that he is looking forward to meeting with President Xi. So whether this meeting actually happens or not remains to be seen, but it is certainly something that officials here at the White House are eyeing as the summit comes together in November, Max.

FOSTER: OK, Kevin of the White House, appreciate that, thank you. Donald Trump has forced himself into the battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the social media posts last night. He endorsed Jim Jordan for the job of House Speaker. Jordan is a firebrand right winger.

And one of Trump's firmest allies in Congress, Republicans is aiming to pick a new Speaker by the middle of next week. Jordan is one of two Republicans so far, who've said they want that job. Let's bring in CNN's Kristen Holmes with more. I guess this does rule out Trump at least for the position which some people were talking about.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I mean Trump himself was talking about it, Max, and yesterday was an absolutely chaotic day in which the Former President inserted himself into an already tumultuous situation with the Republican caucus on Capitol Hill, creating an absolute circus.

First, he was floating to allies on the Hill behind his advisors backs. By the way, they did not know this. That he wanted to come to Capitol Hill and talk to Republicans. Then he did an interview that his advisors did not know about until after it was published in which he said that he would be willing to serve as Interim Speaker and no mention of the fact that he'd have to actually be voted in.

Now those same advisors had been telling me and my colleagues that Trump did not really want to be Speaker. There was no interest there that it wasn't really something that he was seriously considering. But it is something that he wanted the attention over.

Now, GOP lawmakers were expressing some concern that the more that Trump talked about this toyed with this idea publicly, the longer that went on, the harder it would actually be for Jim Jordan to get that traction. And Trump is a very fond of Jim Jordan. Jordan is a staunch ally.

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He has been leading the Biden investigations on Capitol Hill, and he has really stood by Trump time and time again, and he has endorsed Trump's run in 2024. Now Steve Scalise does have a relationship with the Former President that is the other person who has said that they would want to run.

But he has not endorsed Trump in 2024 something we know that it's very important to the Former President. Now, I've been speaking to sources on the Hill this morning about what this endorsement actually does. And many are skeptical that it moves the needle at all saying that the people who are going to support Jim Jordan after Trump endorsed him, already had supported Jordan in the first place.

So it's interesting to see how this plays out. Now, we do know that moderates are very wary of Jim Jordan because of his stance because he is so aligned with the Former President. But that doesn't mean that they won't line up behind him. So what we're watching carefully to see is how exactly this plays out.

And we're talking to those lawmakers on the Hill, our Correspondents up there trying to get a read on where they stand, particularly after this endorsement.

FOSTER: OK, Kristen Holmes, thank you so much. In an exclusive interview, CNN's Christiane Amanpour asks Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her take on the ongoing dysfunction within the Republican Party, and the possibility that Jim Jordan could be the next House Speaker. Here's some of that exchange.

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HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I mean he is one of the principal ringleaders of the circus that's been created in the Republican Party for the last several years. I have no inside knowledge about what the Republicans will do, who they will end up voting for?

But when do they put the country first, they do not represent a majority of even the Republican Party. When you look at the extremists in the House, they certainly don't represent a majority of the country. And you know somebody has to stand up and say enough.

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FOSTER: -- Christiane Amanpour's full interview with Hillary Clinton airing Monday on Amanpour 1 pm in New York, 6 pm in London right here on CNN. Still to come, the woman who has stood up to the Iranian regime, for decades awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, her inspiring story when we come back.

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FOSTER: The Nobel Peace Prize is perhaps the most prestigious and coveted award on the planet. And just hours ago, it was awarded to a woman who spent most of the past two decades in an Iranian prison and is still there today. We don't even know if she's found out about it.

Narges Mohammadi is her name is synonymous with a struggle for women's rights in her country. In awarding her the Peace Prize, the Nobel committee's repeatedly cited the slogan of Mohammadi's human rights movement, which is woman life and freedom.

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I'm joined now by my colleague Jomana Karadsheh who is you know, you've been fascinated by this story for a long time, haven't you? And it's not just about women, is it? It's about human rights that are a story. JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And the world has been focusing on this, Max, for the past year. But this is actually as we know, has been going on for decades and decades. So this is seen as such a significant moment by so many Iranians and the family of Narges Mohammadi.

Not only is it recognizing her selfless work and sacrifice for decades, but it's also highlighting that battle for human rights and women's rights in the country. And also her husband saying this is an award for Iranian men and women for their uprising over the past year the woman life freedom movement.

And it's coming at a time when we're seeing the Iranian regime continuing its brutality and repression and really doubling down on all of that and we have the very rare opportunity to speak with Narges Mohammadi indirectly by sending her questions into Evin Prison through intermediaries.

FOSTER: Before the prize.

KARADSHEH: Before the prize or in recent weeks and we got responses from her. Take a look at our report.

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KARADSHEH (voice-over): Not even the darkest cells of the notorious Evin Prison have silenced this fearless fighter for freedom. Narges Mohammadi named this become synonymous with the battle for human rights in Iran. Her life has been a cycle of arrest and re arrest.

Now serving a 10 year prison term and sentenced to 154 lashes. Not only has the regime taken away her freedom, the last time she held her twins Ali and Kiana was eight years ago. They were only eight a sacrifice so painful, but like without liberty and equality she says is not worth living.

For her activism Mohammadi has been accused of actions against national security and propaganda against the state. And she's now facing more charges as she continues to defiantly speak out from behind bars. In an exclusive recording from inside Evin, Mohammadi reads excerpts of a letter she sent CNN.

NARGES MOHAMMADI, IRANIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST: This letter is not written by a free feminist in a developed, democratic society, benefiting from Civil Protest methods and human rights, but rather by an imprisoned woman who like millions of Iranian women has been living under the authority and oppression of a military system with ideological, patriarchal and tyrannical foundations since the age of 6, deprived of life, youth, femininity and motherhood.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): In her lengthy letter Mohammadi rails against the regime's compulsory hijab. Mohammadi calls out what she says are the hypocrisy of the religious authorities. Female protesters and prisoners sexually assaulted as Iranians rose up on the streets last year she lent her powerful voice to the uprising and for that she was recently sentenced to another year in prison. KARADSHEH: But that hasn't deterred Mohammadi who with the help of intermediaries responded to CNN questions in writing, detailing incidents of sexual assaults dating back to 1999. She also mentions her own experience, but since the protests she says they have increased significantly describing them now as systematic.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): She writes in prison, I have heard the narratives of three protesting women who were sexually assaulted. One of them was a well-known activist of the student movement, who upon entering the prison filed a complaint with the authorities and announced that after being arrested on the street, her one hand and one leg were cuffed and tied.

And in that position, she was sexually assaulted. I went with one of my cellmates under the pretext of taking food for a prisoner. We saw bruises on her stomach, thighs, arms and legs. The Iranian regime has denied allegations including a CNN investigation of using sexual violence and rape to suppress the protests, calling them baseless and false.

For years Mohammadi has been the voice of the voiceless, fighting for political prisoners against the death penalty and solitary confinement. Something she and her husband Taghi Rahmani have both endured. Rahmani a Former Political Prisoner who was jailed for 14 years now lives in exile with the children in Paris. He's have to be both father and mother to Kiana and Ali

TAGHI RAHMANI, FORMER POLITICAL PRISONER: Kiana used to always say when mom is here, daddy isn't and when daddy is here, mom isn't. It's not good. But when someone chooses a path, they must endure all the hardships.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): The last time they were allowed to call her was 18 months ago. Ali is still vividly remembers the day his mother was taken away from them.

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ALI, NARGES MOHAMMADI'S SON: It was around six or seven days when my mom made me eggs she said take care of yourself and study hard. I said goodbye I got into the car and went to school when I got back my mom wasn't there anymore.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): Ali says he's proud of his mom and his accepted this life. He says it's for freedom for Iran. Rahmani shows off all the awards his wife has won while in prison. She's an endless energy for freedom. He tells us an unstoppable force, her fight extending deep inside Evin where she leads women who continue to protest.

Their chance of woman life freedom captured in this recording shared with CNN. They sing the Farsi version of Bella Ciao, the Italian anti- Fascist resistance song, now an anthem for Iran's Freedom Movement.

(END VIDEOTAPE) KARADSHEH (on camera): She's an incredible woman, Max. And her family was also worried before she gave us this interview responded to our questions before the Nobel Peace Prize, that she will continue to be punished for refusing to be silenced and she will continue speaking.

And one of the questions I asked her was it's so hard to imagine that sacrifice of not seeing your children for so long. And she said it's something so painful that she has to live with this every day but she said, "I have chosen not to be with my children or hear their voices and be the voice of the oppressed people, women and children of my land box".

FOSTER: For everyone else.

KARADSHEH: Yes.

FOSTER: Jomana thank you. Still to come, fears about bedbugs still going strong in France. Officials meet to discuss the problem whilst transportation authorities say there's no need to panic.

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FOSTER: This has been going on all week. But France now saying there's no evidence of a bedbug invasion and the government is calling for calm would you believe. Still is urging operators to strengthen how they detect bedbugs and be more transparent with their data. CNN's Melissa Bell has more from Paris.

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MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what it takes to get rid of bedbugs. The fight is on in Paris to tackle the scourge of two reported sightings went viral. Making the creepy crawlies the talk of internet frenzy or real issue, officials are urging calm.

CLEMENT BEAUNE, FRENCH TRANSPORT MINISTER: No invasion. The fundamental does exists. But I say we should not hide or say that there is nothing to do. We are doing more transparent and better action. But we should have no panic as well because every case which is signaled to public transport operators is checked.

BELL (voice-over): Officials and transport operators say that recent reports of sightings and public transport are unconfirmed. And yet the French government is holding meetings and pest control services say they've seen a rise in the numbers in private homes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have friends who have had them at theirs, so I know it can be a real ordeal to get rid of them.

BELL (voice-over): According to Francis public health body 11 percent of French households had been infested in the past five years, but the overall rise is insignificant year to year part of the problem the ick factor involved.

[08:25:00] JOHANNA FITE, ANSES: There is an emerging phenomenon, but we've been seeing an increase in infestations for about 20 years now. It's happened gradually because there is no miracle product to combat bedbugs. But today in these last few weeks, there's clearly been immediate phenomenon of psychosis created around bedbugs.

BELL (voice-over): And the media interest says as much about Paris as it does about the bugs themselves, with fashion week on as well as the Rugby World Cup and soon the 2024 Summer Olympics. The issue is also one of image, bedbugs are after all about as universal as it gets. But France now knows that it needs answers urgently.

OLIVIER VERAN, FRENCH GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: We need to give the French people an answer. Is there or isn't there a clear upsurge in bedbugs since when and where?

BELL (voice-over): Bedbugs are hard enough to see let alone count making the spotlight now Shawn, all the more difficult to bear. Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

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FOSTER: Experts say Western Europe's highest mountain peak has shrunk again. They say Mont Blanc has lost more than two meters during the last two years survivors. Surveyors even who measure the mountain every couple of years say it's down to its lowest level since precise measurements began more than two decades ago.

Mapping specialists it's not up to them to come up with conclusions from their data, but they say glaciologists, climate change specialists and other scientists would provide theories to explain this phenomenon. Before we go those popular crocs shoes, which became a go to for many during the pandemic just took on a whole lot of Western flair.

Check out the cowboy style clogs the shoe giant crocs unveiled on Thursday. The special cloak will go on sale on October 23, and will sell for $120. The company credits the croc fan base for the idea for the new shoe pointing to fans buzzing about the crocs inspired cowboy boots on social media for years.

Well they are there for you now. Thanks joining me on CNN "Newsroom", I'm Max Foster in London. "World Sport" with Andy Scholes is up next.

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