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Families Of Hostages Meet With Netanyahu; U.S., Israel And Hamas Close In On Hostage Deal; Beijing Hosts Delegation, Urges Immediate Ceasefire In Gaza; Sam Altman To Join Microsoft Following OpenAI Ouster; 6-Inch Pipe Installed To Deliver Food To Trapped Workers; Armed Rebel Groups Join Forces against Myanmar Military; Russia's War on Ukraine; President-Elect Milei Inheriting an Economy in Crisis; Nigerian Company Aims to Move Beyond Open Banking; Likelihood of Volcanic Eruption Remains High in Iceland. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired November 21, 2023 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:24]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome. I'm Paula Newton. Ahead right here on CNN Newsroom, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to crumble. Hospitals caught in the crossfire and overcrowding in shelters is raising concern for those living in now desperate conditions in Gaza.
Some family members of hostages held by Hamas are frustrated and angry that the government is more concerned with defeating Hamas and bringing their loved ones home.
Plus, as the war in Ukraine grinds on, Ukrainian forces say they've won a key foothold across Dnipro River.
The families of hostages held by Hamas are demanding answers as they continue to wait for news of their loved ones, emotions running high when many of them met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet for the very first time since Hamas is attack on October 7.
Some families also attended a committee meeting in the Israeli parliament. And they are all urging Israeli officials to do more to free the hostages taken more than 40 days ago. Now the meetings come as the Israeli military continues its fight against Hamas in Gaza.
An IDF spokesperson says forces reached the heart of Gaza City much earlier than Hamas had expected and are advancing according to plan.
Meantime, the World Health Organization says 28 of the 33 neonatal babies have been evacuated into Egypt from Gaza. We've learned that two of the babies died over the weekend and three others were reunited with their families.
The news comes as the WHA -- W.H.O. warns that nutrition for children in Gaza has been reduced to below a critical level. CNN's Nic Robertson is following developments and has more now from steroid Israel.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): A rare glimmer of hope in Gaza, neonatal babies from the embattled Al- Shifa Hospital delivered to Egypt for safe care. Hopes also on the rise again for a potential hostage release, as many of the kidnapped families gathered to press the Prime Minister to get a deal done.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It's very difficult and embarrassing that I need to stand in front of the camera and then I need to go meet them in order to receive answers.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Even so Qatari negotiators say their confidence levels are increasing.
SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN ABDULRAHMAN AL-THANI, QATARI PRIME MINISTER: The sticking points, honestly, at this stage are practical logistical.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): But the reality on the battlefield is different. No sign of a deal securing ceasefire yet. Another hospital under fire, this time that Indonesian hospital near the Jabalya refugee camp. The IDF say they weren't returning fire again shots fired from within the hospital. 12 people were killed according to the Ministry of Health in the area.
Indeed, Israel is continuing to press his offensive across much of northern Gaza, including showcasing tunnels it on Earth at the Al- Shifa Hospital, alleging they are part of a wider Hamas command and control system that they've yet to show that they say gives them legitimacy to take the hospital.
CNN does not have independent access to the Al-Shifa where a handful of doctors remain treating more than 100 patients, too badly injured to move.
Over the weekend, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared emboldened by U.S. President Joe Biden's backing that a ceasefire too soon could benefit Hamas, implying such a defense against global critics will buy future gains against her mass.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The third thing that has brought the achievement is a diplomatic Iron Dome that allows us to continue fighting until victory.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Despite Netanyahu's confidence, pushback is growing from Israel's Arab neighbors and the UN.
ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: We are witnessing a killing of civilians that is unparalleled and unprecedented in any conflict since I am secretary general.
[01:05:02] ROBERTSON (voice-over): On top of the dangers from shelling and missiles, another looming problem for Gazans, the weather is worsening. For many of them more than 1 million displaced, flimsy plastic sheeting, all they have between them and the coming winter. Nic Robertson, CNN, Sderot, Israel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now, U.S. officials say negotiators are closing in on a deal to release some of the hostages Hamas abducted on October 7 but they caution the details are still being worked out. Meantime, Hamas also says it is close to reaching a truce agreement with Israel.
CNN's Alex Marquardt has our update now from Washington.
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ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: There is a sense of optimism about the hostage negotiations that we haven't heard before. U.S. officials indicating that they are closer to a deal than ever before.
Now, officials do continue to caution that things are extremely fluid that they can change quickly. And of course, that the fighting in Gaza does continue. But the White House's John Kirby says that they believe the negotiations are quote, close to the end. Take a listen.
JOHN KIRBY, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SPOKESPERSON: We believe we're closer than we've ever been. So we're hopeful. But there's still work to be done. And nothing is done until it's all done.
We are laser focused on the American citizens that we know are being held hostage and we want them out all of them. Everybody should be out now. But here we are in a negotiation. And we're getting closer to the end. We believe that negotiation. So again, I'm going to be careful.
MARQUARDT: So what would a deal look like? Well, in the latest draft of an agreement, sources tell CNN that Hamas would likely release 50 hostages, women and children. And that would happen over a four to five-day period during which time Israel would stop its military operations in Gaza.
We understand Hamas has also demanded hundreds of trucks of humanitarian aid per day to go into the Gaza Strip. So there are questions over how that can be implemented. And there are also questions of whether Israel would also release Palestinian prisoners at the same time and how many of them.
So the gaps are getting narrower, and this release could come very soon. But remember, even if 50 hostages are released by Hamas in Gaza, around 80 percent of them would still remain. Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: And our thanks to Alex there. Now earlier I spoke with Gershon Baskin, he is the Middle East director with the International Communities Organization. He was instrumental in securing the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit from Hamas in 2011. He says it's important to have a deal soon, but implementing it will be easy.
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GERSHON BASKIN, MIDDLE EAST DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITIES ORGANIZATION: Everything around us seems to tell us that yes, this is what we're hearing both out of Qatar, out of Jerusalem, out of Washington. So it seems that people who know must know something that the rest of us don't know for sure what we know of this has been a roller coaster, particularly for the families who keep hearing that they're close to a deal and then nothing happens.
We really have to hope that there is something genuine happening now. But still, as was said in the introduction, we're still talking about a small number of the hostages, and leaving about 80 percent of them behind.
NEWTON: Which you of course would say is predictable, given the fact that the hostages are valuable for Hamas, but you also point out something else, I mean, lesson on what the logistics of this will look like even if there is a deal and how difficult it will be to keep that deal together.
BASKIN: Now the International Red Cross is going to be very, very busy, because they will be the ones at the border receiving the hostages, checking their identity determining if they need immediate medical care. There'll be on standby with ambulances and of course in direct contact with the Egyptians and with the Israelis, to make sure that people are received and transferred first to Egypt and then to Israel.
If there's a prisoner release on the Israeli side, they will be checking the prisoners who will be boarding buses from Israeli prisons, it's not clear where they'll be sent either to the West Bank or to Gaza or abroad is even a possibility and the International Red Cross will be there handling that as well. They're probably the only third party who's trusted and has experience in doing this kind of work.
It'll be a slow process, particularly if Hamas is only willing to release about five or 10 of them a day, drawing it out as long as possible to extend the ceasefire. But it seems that Hamas is hopeful that the longer the ceasefire is prolonged the more international pressure there will be on Israel to stop the war entirely. That's very unlikely to happen. But it will be also very difficult to renew negotiations for more prisoner releases once the war continues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Gershon Baskin there, our thanks to him. Now, China's top diplomat is again calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. As Beijing looks to play a role in resolving the Israel-Hamas war.
[01:10:03] Leaders from Arab and Muslim majority countries arrived in Beijing on Monday to discuss the escalating the conflict. The U.S. says it welcomes China playing a constructive role in the Middle East despite being at odds with Beijing over its ceasefire call.
Hostilities along the Israel-Lebanon border meantime as the IDF and Hezbollah militants continue to exchange heavy fire and that includes the use of missiles. Early Monday, Hezbollah says it fired for powerful ballistic missiles striking in Israeli military camp near the border. The IDF says it later struck the sources of those Hezbollah launches.
Lebanon's national news agency reports at least 12 civilians have been killed and surround -- this latest round of fighting that began last month while Israel says at least two of its civilians have died.
Japan is condemning the hijacking of a ship in the Red Sea and is seeking help to secure the release of the vessel and its 25 crew members. Now this video shot by Houthi rebels from Yemen shows the moment they actually stormed the ship.
It's named the Galaxy Leader the cargo ship is leased by a Japanese company. But Israeli media outlets report that an Israeli businessman is part owner of the British company that owns a ship. Japanese officials say they're working with Israel and have requested help from Saudi Arabia, Amman and Iran to try and urge the rebels to release the ship and its crew.
And award winning Palestinian poet is missing after Israeli forces reportedly arrested him. Saba Mosab Abu Toha's brothers as he was heading to southern Gaza with his wife and children when the IDF arrested him at gunpoint.
Toha had written about Israeli airstrikes and a decimated Gaza since war broke out last month. The Writers Association Penn International says it's deeply concerned by the arrest, demanding to know where Toha is and why he was detained. CNN has reached out to the IDF for response and was told that they are checking on that report.
And we will keep you updated on that. Up next for us. He's one of the most powerful players in the field of artificial intelligence. And now the man behind ChatGPT has a new job. That's just days after being fired. Still to come, efforts are underway in India to provide food and medicine to dozens of construction workers trapped beneath a collapse tunnel for more than a week now.
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NEWTON: So major changes are underway in the business of artificial intelligence Microsoft has hired Sam Altman to lead a new AI group just three days after he was fired from the company he co-founded OpenAI. Sources tell CNN the board disagreed with his aggressive approach to developing AI.
[01:15:00] Microsoft apparently though, was pretty happy about the new hire at least that's how investors put it. It stock hit an all-time high on Monday leading to a big rally on the NASDAQ. The Dow gained more than 200 points or half percent and the S&P 500 was up three quarters of a percent.
Now more than 500 employees of OpenAI are calling on the company's board of directors to resign they're threatening to quit and follow Sam Altman to Microsoft. CNN's Tom Foreman has our story.
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SAM ALTMAN, THEN-CEOER, OPENAI: OpenAI is the most advanced and the most widely used AI platform in the world now.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That Sam Altman, co- founder of OpenAI earlier this year, talking up the company's success and praising his checks and balances.
ALTMAN: No one person should be trusted here. I don't have super voting shares. Like I don't want them. The board can fire me I think that's important.
FOREMAN (voice-over): But this is him now after being fired, waving a company visitor badge and posting first and last time I ever wear one of these. OpenAI rolled out ChatGPT only a year ago, a dazzling artificial intelligence platform capable of human like writing calculations coding. Altman, who launched the project with Elon Musk was the quirky genius behind the curtain.
ALTMAN: Silicon Valley has got to be one of the most accepting places in the world for failure.
FOREMAN (voice-over): He learned to code at the age of eight dropped into and out of Stanford dove into the computer startup business, became fabulously wealthy and a little cagey. I prep for survival. He told The New Yorker in 2016. I have guns, gold, antibiotics, batteries, water, and a big patch of land in Big Sur I can fly to.
ALTMAN: We're here because people love this technology. We think it can be a printing press moment.
FOREMAN (voice-over): But even as he ballyhoo ChatGPT, he acknowledged concern about how it might twist information, take jobs, take charge.
ALTMAN: My worst fears are that we caused significant we the field the technology, the industry caused significant harm to the world.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Sources told a CNN contributor tensions erupted with the OpenAI board over how aggressively the technology should advance. A company officer says no, Altman was not consistently candid, and that interfered with the board's oversight. Whatever the reason, here comes Microsoft.
SATYA NADELLA, CEO MICRSOFT: We love you guys. You guys have built something magical. FOREMAN (voice-over): Two weeks ago, Microsoft CEO was raving about
his company's $13 billion investment at OpenAI. Now the tech giant says Altman and another co-founder will be joining Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And potentially taking with him hundreds of employees from OpenAI.
FOREMAN (voice-over): It's true. More than 500 OpenAI employees have signed a letter saying we are unable to work for or with people that lack competence, judgment and care. Microsoft has assured us that there are positions for all OpenAI employees.
FOREMAN: Of course, CNN is reaching out to all the major players for any further comment or explanation. But this really is remarkable story. Only a year ago, this company rattled the world. And now the company itself is being badly shaken. Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: I'm joined by Mike Isaac. He is a technology reporter for the New York Times. And Mike, you've been a busy guy along with everyone else who follows tech. And some of us who don't follow it that closely because you could see how alarming this is when they first tell us that AI generative, AI is actually perhaps even an existential threat. And then apparently you have a company that can't even run its own board or its own executive team.
So go ahead and spell it out for us. Where are we after a few days of this circus?
MIKE ISAAC, TECHNONOLGY REPORTER, THE NEW YORK TIMES: It's completely crazy. Definitely the craziest board drama that I've ever witnessed and tech, at least but it's kind of the biggest story in tech right now. Or at least in the past few decades.
A board fight essentially that pushed out the CEO Sam Altman. Ostensibly the most powerful AI startup in Silicon Valley, thought to be billion, thought to be valued at close to 80 to $90 billion at this point.
Sam has spent the weekend basically fighting to get his way back into the company. But the board has essentially waffled and then said we can't rehire you. You have been what they said is consistently dishonest with the board of directors.
So as a result Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft who has a very expensive investment in OpenAI, ended up hiring away, Sam Altman and his co-founder Greg Brockman, who also left to build a essentially a competing AI advanced research lab.
[01:20:17]
Now it's still in this limbo of will he go back? Will he stay with Microsoft? Why is Sam Altman so desired? It's very crazy. NEWTON: So -- and it's still in limbo. I keep hearing that word fluid,
which we also heard from Satya Nadella, the head of Microsoft, I want you to listen to him a little earlier in an interview with CNBC.
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NADELLA: I think it's very clear that something has to change around the governance or and if that's sort of, you know, you don't have a good dialogue with their board on that. Sam Altman once chose Microsoft, and he chose Microsoft again. Why do you think that is? It is because of the capability of our company to be able to innovate with OpenAI.
And so that should speak volumes to why customers can have confidence that come what may, Microsoft will be there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: You know, Mike, that was almost more creepy, because it's as if OK, well, Microsoft is now big brother. And don't worry, we will take care of you. And I want to get your reaction to what he said, but also to the core issue that you highlighted, is that this is about deception, something someone's still hasn't clarified in terms of what Mr. Altman did, that would precipitate this kind of a move by a board.
ISAAC: Yes, that's -- and I think you're exactly right, that sort of nebulous idea of you have been not fully candid with the board in your dealings has been kind of initially the question for everyone. What is that thing?
I think the miscalculation by the board is not really putting it spelling out exactly what that is to essentially defend themselves. And, you know, over the weekend, we found a memo that essentially said, it was not any one thing, it was a series of, you know, hiding communications over the years, which I think put them on their back foot in a big way.
With Satya, his message is super interesting. You can see him kind of, first of all, he's worried about partnerships that already exists between OpenAI or Microsoft and other smaller AI startups or companies out there falling apart. And there's definitely a lot of people who are nervous that OpenAI is not going to be around in a few weeks, or even a few days. So they might be pulling out of those partnerships.
But I also think, you know, just to your point of Big Brother, he's saying we have a lot of money, we have a lot of room to hire all these new startup employees and Sam is going to be either with us or with you, but we need to make the situation work. And the subtext I think is he wants to clean house on their board of directors in place people who are friendly to Sam and to Microsoft there.
NEWTON: Yes. And the plot thickens as we continue to follow this situation. And Mike, I appreciate you helping us out as we try to decipher what's going on here. Really appreciate it.
ISAAC: Right there with you. Thanks so much. NEWTON: Too bad we can't ask the AI model to figure this out for us. Anyhow, more controversy. Meantime, for Elon Musk, the embattled owner of X formerly known as Twitter. He's already seen a mass exodus of advertisers on the social media site after they say he endorsed antisemitic posts.
And now a Tesla shareholder is calling on the company's board to suspend Musk over the controversy. Musk is the co-founder, CEO and largest shareholder of Tesla Motors, which makes the possibility of a suspension highly unlikely.
But it is part of a growing call from industry experts to hold Musk accountable for what some have called his terrible behavior.
To India now where efforts are underway to rescue 41 construction workers trapped under a collapse tunnel for more than a week. Officials say a second pipeline has now been installed to provide much needed food and medicine to the worker. CNN's Vedika Sud has more.
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VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Two days after the collapse of rescue officer contacts the man on the other side of the debris through radio. He says stay calm. We will pull all of you out very soon.
That promise was made last Tuesday. For over a week now Indian authorities have been on a frantic mission to extract 41 migrant laborers trapped deep inside this Himalayan mountain, where a tunnel which is part of the Indian government's ambitious highway project was under construction.
But falling debris and frequent breakdowns of heavy machinery have slowed down rescue efforts. Racing against time ended authorities have now expanded their options did include drilling down from the mountain top.
[01:25:02]
They have reached out for international help from Norway, and even contacting the PI team that rescued a boys soccer team stranded for over two weeks in a flooded cave in 2018. It could take days to reach these men.
ARNOLD DIX, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL TUNNELLING AND UNDEGROUND SPACE ASSOCIATION: The challenges, look, you can see the challenges. That's the challenges.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This terrain is absolutely everywhere --
DIX: We're in the Himalayas. Building a tunnel through this is extremely difficult. So, rescuing is also extremely difficult, but we're going to get the 41 men out.
SUD (voice-over): The project has received criticism from environmentalists will see heavy construction could further damage this ecologically fragile region. Despite assurances from the federal and state governments, there's growing anger and anxiety.
Family and friends camping near the site are desperate for a breakthrough. Food and oxygen are consistently being pumped to the men through pipe. A physician on site has told CNN that the men have started showing signs of distress.
MRITYUNJAY KUMAR, PROTESTING WORKER (through translator): The work has been sluggish. Time is passing constantly. The spirits of those who are stuck inside is breaking. How do we console them?
SUD (voice-over): Trapped over eight days. 41 men are hoping to see light and the love for one soon. While on the other side fervent prayers and rescue efforts continue on a war footing to bring them home. Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: The U.S. Defense Secretary is promising more aid for Ukraine during high stakes visit but will it be enough as fighting grinds on in that region. That still ahead.
Myanmar's military junta faces a growing threat from an alliance of rebel groups.
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NEWTON: Armed rebel groups in Myanmar have joined forces against the military junta in an unprecedented move but as fighting ramps up the U.N. says dozens of innocent people have been killed and hundreds of 1000s forced to leave their homes. CNN's Paula Hancocks has the latest.
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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is really the first time since the military coup of February 2021 that anti-military forces are making significant gains. It is even leading some to question whether or not what we may be seeing is the beginning of the end for the military junta.
[01:30:00]
Fighting against Myanmar's military, the Karenni National Defense Force claims junta troops surrendered en masse last week. The rebel group publishes propaganda video online of the strategically important town of Loikaw, central Myanmar, showing Karenni troops treating their junta prisoners of war humanely.
An alliance of three other ethnic armed groups were more coordinated fighting against the military at the end of October, the operation dubbed 10/27 and supported by the Karenni had made significant gains.
Heavy fighting in Loikaw followed battles in towns throughout Myanmar's border areas. Just along the border with China in Shan State, the Three Brotherhood Alliance claims it has taken control of a key trade route with China.
LIN LIN, BAMAR PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY (through translator): When we're fighting to liberate towns, it's not that the military junta does not have adequate weapons but they lack the will to fight. It's unlike before because they have no support from the people.
TOM ANDREWS, U.N. SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR FOR MYANMAR: This is quite significant as the military finds itself losing ground militarily. They're deeply unpopular.
And I think this is an important step militarily-speaking for the junta in terms of what it is losing.
HANCOCKS: For the first time since the military deposed the democratically elected government in in February 2021 and took the country by force, some experts are daring to protect the junta's demise.
CNN has contacted Myanmar's military administration for comment with no response.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is an existential moment for the military. They are losing. Unless there is a truly exceptional turn of events, they will lose outright.
HANCOCKS: Unprecedented cooperation between ethnic armed groups who for decades have been at odds with each other, the brutality of the junta has been unifying.
BO NAGAR, BURMA NATIONAL REVOLUTIONARY ARMY (through translator): With this kind of unity, I believe we can quickly defeat the bullying military. When it is over, this kind of unity will be a foundation to rebuilding our country.
HANCOCKS: Bo Nagar says the fight is still hard. They clashed daily with the junta and they do not have enough weapons.
Civilians continue to be caught up in the violence. The United Nations say around 70 civilians have been killed and more than 200,000 internally-displaced since the renewed anti-military push. The total displace across the country is now well over 2 million.
It is worth bearing in mind that this junta has been around for decades. And in the past, when it has felt threatened or backed into a corner, we have seen it use strategies that are even more brutal than before.
Paula Hancocks, CNN -- Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: And now to the war in Ukraine, Germany's defense minister Boris Pistorius has just arrived in Kyiv. Germany is the second largest provider of military aid to Ukraine after the United States.
Pistorius' visit comes a day after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin unveiled a new $100million military aid package for Ukraine in a surprise trip to Kyiv.
Austin met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on Monday, telling him that the U.S. will stand by Ukraine, quote "for the long haul". The White House had warned earlier this month that funding for Ukraine is dwindling and this is one of the smallest aid packages yet. Austin says he sees bipartisan support for Ukraine in both chambers of Congress.
Meantime, Ukrainian forces say they have won a key foothold in the Dnipro River.
CNN's Anna Coren shows us how they managed this win.
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ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Meandering through the marshlands of Kherson Region in southern Ukraine, it's the mighty Dnipro River, now the new frontline and Ukraine's war against Russia.
In recent weeks, marines have managed across this expensive water using inflatable boats, establishing a tenuous foothold on the left bank of the river.
"Hey, am I in Vietnam," asked this soldier sarcastically rushing past tall grasses. A reference to another bloody conflict that ended before most of these soldiers were even born.
According to Ukrainian armed forces, they've pushed back the Russians 3 to 8 kilometers -- two to five miles from the river front, making it difficult for the enemy to fire mortars at positions on the right bank.
However, Russian drones, artillery and aerial-guided bonds are still landing and constantly.
In exclusive access with drone pilot, Serhiy (ph), his night mission had just been aborted because the Russians had identified his unit's position on the right bank.
[01:34:48]
COREN: Hunkered down in his pick-up, hiding under trees from Russian birds above, the 32-year-old former journalist tells me they're under constant bombardment.
What are you hearing?
SERHIY OSTAPENKO, SOLDIER OF DRONE UNIT, SONS OF THUNDER (through translator): Explosions. Now, there is an attack on the place where I am. There are kamikaze drones. I think it's (INAUDIBLE) rockets, most likely gruts (ph), mortars and tanks.
It's always like that here. Today, they're using guided aerial bombs. Do you hear it, too?
That's another one. I think it was a rocket. COREN: The job of these aerial reconnaissance unit is to provide cover
for marines crossing the river and to watch the enemy on the other side.
Do you feel safe where you are?
OSTAPENKO: It's dangerous here where we live and where we work. Every time I enter the zone, I say goodbye to my wife. I realize my life can be ended at any moment. You get used to it. But it's unpleasant.
COREN: The reason this left bank operation is so important for Ukraine is to open the road to Russian occupied Crimea and to protect the nearby city of Kherson.
A year ago, the Russians withdrew from Kherson using the Dnipro River as a defendable natural barrier between the two sides. But in the last month, attacks on Kherson have intensified to the point where the region's military governor told me there were 700 incoming rounds in one day.
"This is revenge. And now it's felt (ph) more," he says. "Because our soldiers are already on the left bank and our civilians are feeling this revenge."
300,000 residents used to live in Kherson. Now, less than a quarter remain including 56-year-old Inna. She cares for her invalid mother and for her four-year-old grandson.
"24 hours a day, it is scary. When it is quiet, it's even scarier than when there is shelling."
She says she lived through eight months of Russian occupation and will endure this as well.
"Our main task is to survive," she explains. "That was the priority during the occupation. And it's the same thing now. We have to survive."
The daily struggle for a population that's been constantly terrorized.
Anna Coren, CNN -- Kyiv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Still to come for us Argentina's new president elect has plans to shake up the status quo. We'll have some analysis about whether those plans can actually work.
Plus residents of a fishing town in Iceland race to grab whatever they can from their homes with the likelihood of a massive volcanic eruption, very high. We'll have the latest on that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:39:45] NEWTON: Argentine President-Elect Javier Milei faces a monumental task of overhauling the country's economy after his victory in Sunday's election. Now that he's secured the presidency, he will have the chance to make several controversial changes with drew both fans and critics to his platform.
But is it enough to turn the struggling country around?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: It was an audacious campaign prop -- the chainsaw, a cutting reminder Javier Milei said of all that was wrong with Argentina's political system and economy and how he would fix it.
As president-elect, he says that model of decadence will end. Now comes the hard part. How to make it happen?
It is clear Argentines want some shock therapy for their government and economy. Decades of debt, anemic growth, poor job prospects, it has sapped generations. But the crippling inflation, now well over 140 percent, is what most unnerves many Argentines and so compromised their lives.
Part of Milei solution? Dump the country's peso, use U.S. dollars instead. It has been done and other countries none with an economy as large as Argentina's or as vulnerable.
CHRISTOPHER SABATINI, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Implementing that is going to mean seriously undercutting peoples social safety nets, undercutting subsidies for public transport and energy as well as employment. He's going to run smack dab into really a popular backlash if he tries to implement that.
NEWTON: But Milei says there is no turning back. He says he will implement steep cuts to government budgets and, in his words, blow up the central bank of Argentina.
The President-elect is a trained economist. He has worked for banks and large Argentine companies and his populist platform that Argentina is counting on now includes adopting U.S. dollars.
KEN ROGOFF, FORMER CHIEF ECONOMIST, IMF: That seems to be his signature policy, a little bit like Donald Trump and building the wall.
NEWTON: Ken Rogoff is a former chief economist of the IMF. He has dealt firsthand with Argentina's debt crisis.
ROGOFF: When you inherit an economy that is in this big of a mess, it is not easy to put it on its feet.
NEWTON: Milei says he will radically transform the Argentine economy in what may become one of the most daring economic experiments in Latin America.
(END VIDEOTAPE) NEWTON: Joining me now is Benjamin Gedan. He's the director of the Latin America Program at the Wilson Center.
Good for you to be with us as we try really and parse what happened in Argentina. This was quite a departure from what many had expected. Argentina's look (ph) has been through a lot now for decades.
But why this man? Why is it his time? Why do they want such a radical departure from what they have had before?
BENJAMIN GEDAN, DIRECTOR, LATIN AMERICA PROGRAM, WILSON CENTER: Yes. Argentina has been on a real rollercoaster economically for a decade or more right now. But it's politics were surprisingly stable. Even as populist outsiders from the left and the right were winning elections throughout Latin America. But obviously, Argentina's time has come.
NEWTON: What is the differentiator with him as president-elect? I mean he has promised many things. But if you had to pick a distinguishing feature, what would it be?
GEDAN: He's radically different than everyone who's come before him in Argentina. You basically have a center right coalition, a center left coalition trading places in Argentina. Kind of arguing on the margins of what Argentina should be providing as a government.
Now, you have someone who brings a chainsaw to his rallies. And it symbolizes his desire to radically reshape the Argentine government, radically reduce its role in public life.
NEWTON: He definitely has the belief he can do it. Do you think is a worry here though? Especially among the younger generation that I believe show that they supported him, that there are very high expectations right now and Argentina's economy remains incredibly vulnerable? There is no quick fix here.
GEDAN: It will almost certainly fail. I'm sorry to say given all of the suffering Argentines have endured in recent years. First of all, many of his plans are not all that feasible. He's a brand-new party that is two years old. It will have very few seats in the Argentine congress.
He doesn't have an experienced team around him. And as you point out, he inherits an utter catastrophe in the economy that will be delivered to him when he takes office.
NEWTON: And what about the fact that he seems, obviously, he's a big fan of Donald Trump? Donald Trump, in fact, returns a lot of that admiration.
He is saying he will do business with communists and that includes not just China but also Brazil, because of Brazil's leader.
Where do you think that leaves him? Not just in hemispheric affairs, but really with trade?
[01:44:44] GEDAN: It's really unprecedented. This is the second biggest economy in South America. A member of the G20. And you have a president elect who says he really wants to distance Argentina from China amongst other major countries, governing on the left.
I don't actually think he will carry that out. It would be devastating to Argentina's economy, which depends upon China for virtually all of its agricultural exports.
That said, he's been very consistent. He says he wants support from the West, from the United States. And he doesn't want to do business with communists.
NEWTON: He is a trained economist, we should point out. I mean do you think that even if his economic ideas can't be, you know, put forward in their entirety, do you still think that perhaps maybe this kind of shake-up is good?
I mean look, I quote Ken Rogoff, right, former IMF chief economist who said giving money to Argentina was like giving ten feet of rope to a person who was drowning in 20 feet of water, right? Enough said.
DEGAN: Yes. Look, I think for all of the quirkiness that we have all observed during this campaign, this is a candidate who cloned his dog and the twins that he now has as pets, he considers his senior advisers. He's actually a trained economist and a pretty savvy individual.
And his diagnosis of Argentina's problems is right on -- overspending, and then excessive printing of pesos by the central bank, resulting in high inflation. This year as much as 200 percent.
He's right. Argentina needs to radically reduce spending and it needs either independent monetary policy or his solution which is dollarization. The ideas are difficult to implement but they are reasonable. And again, his diagnosis is absolutely correct.
NEWTON: I don't have a lot of time left. But how do you think, certainly his neighbors will feel about this radical change in Argentina right now?
GEDAN: We will see. I mean as of now, a lot of his neighbors are governed by progressives -- that's Brazil, one of the biggest trading partners for Argentina but also neighboring Chile as well, governed by a young 30-something leftist (ph) in Gabriel Boric.
In both cases, it might be awkward given that this is an individual very much driven by his ideology and not known for a pragmatic view of foreign policy.
We will see how he's able to maneuver that. Most importantly and consequentially however will be the relationship with China. This is a place where Argentina sells almost all of its soy, almost all of its beef, all of the exports that provide hard currency to a country desperately in need of it bit. NEWTON: Yes. And yet, he's actually talking about trying to make his
first visit to the United States. So interesting priorities there as we continue to follow his inauguration, which will happen in just a few weeks.
Benjamin Gedan, thanks so much. Really appreciate it.
GEDAN: My pleasure, thank you.
NEWTON: So Nigeria has the highest number of fintech start-ups in Africa receiving more than 40 percent of the sector's funding on the continent in recent years.
This month, "AFRICA INSIDER" meets Okra, the company designs and develop software that lets users connect bank accounts and financial data directly to third-party applications. The goal is to go beyond open banking though to open finance.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: FinTech is really important to the African landscape because not only are you able to build for the underbanked or unbanked and the banked population. But Africa, as a whole, 60 percent of the population is under the age of 25.
Meaning that FinTech is ushering in the next generation of products to the next generation of consumers.
I'm Fara Ashiru and I'm the founder and CEO of the Nigerian start-up of Okra.
Okra is an open finance API that enables businesses to build personalized financial services for their customers we're B to B to C meaning that we serve businesses so they can effectively serve their consumers.
We are, essentially, building for the next generation of financial services in Africa.
Some of the challenges that we face starting Okra is we're building in a fragmented ecosystem. By nature, building anything on a continent where the rails don't exist before is intrinsically hard.
We also started Okra in a pandemic year which also brought in its own set of interesting nuances. But it also brought a lot of opportunities along the way as well because what we found is that the number one conversation in every boardroom was around digital transformation.
From starting in 2020, we have grown from 1 person to 50 amazing people working together in this Okra pod. And we have raised over $60 million from amazing investors all over the world. We have over 400 businesses building with Okra today.
A few of the partners that we worked with today are companies like Bamboo which is an investment app. We also work with a lot of payment companies like Paga (ph), Interswitch (ph), and we also work with Kippa (ph), which allows micro businesses to bank easily.
KENNEDY EKEZIE, FOUNDER/CEO, KIPPA: When we met Okra's team, we were incredibly blown away by how sophisticated and advance their transaction and balanced products was. And we integrated that and had since used that to serve our customers.
[01:49:55]
ASHIRU: Some of the cool things coming out of Okra, for instance, are our payments platform. We have open finance payment platforms to enable businesses and consumers go beyond cards and easily pay through their bank accounts.
We also are expanding across the continent and we planned to be live in countries like South Africa, Kenya and across the continent.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: And we will be right back in a moment.
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NEWTON: So thousands of people in Iceland remain on high alert because of a volcano that could be on the brink of a massive eruption. Scientists have warned the likelihood of that happening is still very high.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen is near an evacuated town close to a mountain that everyone is keeping an eye on.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a race against time. Residents only have a few minutes to gather some items, then they have to get out of Grindavik fast. The town in southwestern Iceland is right in the path of a possible volcanic eruption.
You had to leave quickly?
PAUL PETERSSON, GRINDAVIK RESIDENT: Yes, Friday night.
PLEITGEN: What was that like?
PETERSSON: I don't know. It was horrible?
PLEITGEN: The brute force of steam from a massive underground magma stream already bursting through the streets and homes here, causing massive damage.
Those rushing out understand their homes, their town, their community might soon be gone for good.
Are you hopeful about the situation that maybe the town will be spared if a big eruption happened?
ELIZABETH OLAFSDOTTIR, GRINDAVIK RESIDENT: Regarding our house? No, not really. Because the lava tunnel is seriously (ph) laying very close to our house. So we are expecting to lose everything if it will erupt.
INGIBJORN GRETARSDOTTIR, GRINDAVIK RESIDENT: I'm not sure about the town. It looks awful when we have to go there and see everything.
PLEITGEN: Iceland is in what is called a hot spot, where magma often breaks through the earth's crust and can result in massive eruption. And what happens here can affect large parts of the globe.
In 2010, ash spewed into the atmosphere by a volcano in Iceland brought transatlantic air travel to a virtual standstill for weeks.
Iceland's government says this time around, the effects could also be devastating with the geothermal power plant that supplies energy to the main airport in harm's way.
The authorities here are highly concerned about the town of Grindavik. It of course, has been evacuated a few days ago. But also about the geothermal power plant here in this area. And they are working 24/7 to try and dig a trench to redirect the lava if it comes to the surface.
Government experts acknowledge they are not certain the barrier would prevent lava from damaging the power plant. A geophysics team from the University of Iceland is flying research missions with drones inside the danger zone.
This eruption won't necessarily be the biggest, but one of the most dangerous, Professor Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson tells me.
MAGNUS TUMI GUDMUNDSSON, GEOPHYSICIST, UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND: The real danger is that the eruption might break out somewhat to the north. And the lava may then reach the town in 2, 3, 4 days. And this is a scenario that we have to take seriously.
PLEITGEN: Fred Pleitgen, CNN -- Reykjavik, Iceland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:54:49]
NEWTON: One of the largest mafia trials in Italian history has now come to an end with dramatic results. The court has sentenced 207 mobsters to a total of 2,200 years in prison. They were all affiliated with the notorious 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate.
A three-judge panel also acquitted more than 100 people. Trial began in January 2021 and featured testimony from at 900 witnesses.
And in Spain, the popstar Shakira will avoid a highly publicized tax evasion trial after striking a last-minute deal with authorities on Monday. That was right as proceedings were set to begin.
Journalist Al Goodman reports now from Madrid.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) AL GOODMAN, CNN JOURNALIST: The compliance agreement was read out loud in a Barcelona courtroom by the presiding judge. And all the parties there including the prosecutor and Shakira said out loud that they accepted it.
The agreement says she paid $15 million and interest in back taxes that were due for the years 2012, 2013, and 2014. In addition, she will pay another $7.9 million as a fine that was listed as half of the amount that was defrauded. That's the war that was used in the agreement -- defrauded.
Prosecutors had asked for eight years in prison for Shakira if she had been convicted on all of the counts at the trial. Instead the agreement says it is a three-year sentence and she can avoid jail if she pays an additional fine of $470,000.
All of that was over in just ten minutes in Barcelona. Instead of a four-week trial, that would've had more than 100 witnesses.
Shakira issued a statement after the agreement was reached saying that she had been ready for the trial to defend her innocence. But she said she had to make a choice between the impact that it would have on her children, on her songs and her albums and her tours, her career, or whether she said this would be the time to close this chapter and move ahead.
It was just a few nights ago that Shakira was on stage performing and also winning some awards at the Latin Grammys, which were held in Spain's southern city of Seville.
But in the Barcelona courtroom on Monday, it was a very different kind of audience that she faced.
Al Goodman, CNN -- Madrid.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: And it is that time of year again in Paris where the famed Champs Elysees is decked out with holiday lights. Crowds cheered as the 400 trees on the thoroughfare lit up for the first night of the season with the illuminated decorations on display until January 7th.
The dazzling spectacle -- it is dazzling, isn't it, is a yearly tradition with music, performances, and cheers that attracts tourists from all over the world.
The city says the lights are not only festive, but environmentally friendly consuming the same amount of energy, they say, as a small family flat.
All right. I want to thank you for watching. I'm Paula Newton.
CNN NEWSROOM continues with my friend and colleague, Rosemary Church. That's right after a quick break.
[01:57:51] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
