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CNN International: Israel-Hamas Hostage Deal: Cabinet Approves Truce for Release of Hostages; Sam Altman Returns to OpenAI After Being Fired as Microsoft's Role Deepens; Putin to Address Leaders Amid Tensions Over Ukraine and Middle East; Ukraine Marks Maidan Revolution; Record Numbers, Delays, and Cancellations in the U.S.; Dhabi Scientists Use AI to Revolutionize Farming Methods. Aired 4:30- 5a ET

Aired November 22, 2023 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Israelis, broadly speaking, Max, are also worried that Hamas will simply use this opportunity to regroup, to resupply themselves. But the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says that, look, Israel is going to do the exact same. And while the Qatar is who negotiated this deal or mediated this deal, I should say, say that the international community should take this pause in fighting as an opportunity to try to push a more diplomatic path to end this war. Or, well, Netanyahu has made very clear in his speech to Israel yesterday that this war is not over. He says that it will only end when Hamas is completely destroyed, Max.

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: In terms of how this came together, there's lots of talk, lots of moving deadlines yesterday. And also, they spent hours, didn't they, in the cabinet discussing this. So, what were the stumbling points, as you understand it?

MCLEAN: Yeah, so it seems like the broad framework for an agreement has evolved. It's actually been in place for some time. But there have been some sticking points, some more major than others, that have gotten in the way. And so, if you go back 10 days, that's when there was somewhat of a breakthrough. Israel had been asking for names, ages, nationalities, you know, identifying features of the people who are actually being held and might potentially be part of this deal, the women and children.

And that's when Hamas finally turned over that information. And that led to Israel going. And that led to Israel going ahead and finalizing the deal, at least approving the deal with their own cabinet. The trouble, though, is that during that period of time in the last 10 days, that is when Israel also went into the Al-Shifa hospital complex. Obviously, the Palestinians, that has been a particularly sore spot for them. And Hamas, through the intermediary, Qatar, actually went dark. So, despite the fact that Israel had signed off on this deal, it wasn't entirely clear whether Hamas would actually accept it, given what was happening at that hospital. But it was Tuesday. Hamas actually came back to Qatar, approved the deal. And here we are, potentially, with some hostages being released in short order, Max.

MCLEAN: Okay. Scott in Istanbul, thank you. The IDF says its focus remains on fighting Hamas while the details of the hostage deal are worked out. Here's what IDF spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Konkrikas, told CNN earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT COL JONATHAN CONRICUS, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES SPOKESPERSON: We will be told to do so by the Israeli government. We will continue fighting Hamas. And when such a deal will come into effect, we will respect that. But we will be very vigilant on the ground because we have bad experiences with Hamas from 2014 when they violated and internationally brokered ceasefire. So, we know that we will have to be vigilant on the ground as we see this unfold. Hopefully, we will see the safe return of Israeli hostages from 2014. And we will see the next 46 days of captivity at the hands of Hamas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Another major story we're following this hour. OpenAI co- founder Sam Altman is returning to the tech company less than a week after he was fired by the board of directors. Anna Stewart. I mean, really. So, he was fired. We don't know exactly why. Then he went to Microsoft. Then everyone at OpenAI said they wanted him back. And now he's back.

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: That's a great timeline of the story. This is the fourth --

FOSTER: But why?

STEWART: This is the fourth CEO for OpenAI in 3 days.

FOSTER: Right

STEWART: But we've gone right back to where we started. Essentially, this was a huge mutiny at OpenAI. So, of all the developments we've had over the last few days, the fact that Sam Altman is back is probably the least surprising. Because at one stage yesterday, we had over 700 employees of a sort of 770 workforce saying they would up sticks and move to Microsoft, too, leaving not much of a company left.

So, a new board is being put in place. One of the original board members remains. Two new independent. One's including actually Larry Summers, former Treasury secretary. He'll be on that board. And Sam Altman is back. Lots more to work out. So, we don't have all the information yet.

FOSTER: It seems like a win, obviously, for Altman, but also for Microsoft. We should explain that Microsoft pretty much owns OpenAI.

STEWART: Microsoft owns a huge chunk of OpenAI. Over the years, they've invested billions of dollars. It's a partnership as well. They give computational power to OpenAI, which is badly needed. And this has really strengthened that partnership to the point that Microsoft has been able to do a lot of things. And if Microsoft was so upset that they didn't hear anything about the firing of Sam Altman on Friday, they are almost certainly going to insist on having a seat at that board or some sort of governance role in this newly formed board at OpenAI. So, this will create a bigger partnership, frankly. And it shows the support that Sam Altman has through the whole company on this commercialization of artificial intelligence.

FOSTER: Yeah. So he wanted to be more aggressive with a strategy. Is that right? I mean, we don't know exactly what happened, but he's known for that, isn't he? So, it says. Is the company going to go in his direction?

STEWART: We know that Sam Altman, for instance, is speaking to Danny Ives about creating some sort of hardware product, you know, an old iPhone designer. We know that he is pushing very hard on this level. What we don't know is why he was fired.

[04:35:09]

The board said it was for less than candid communication with the board, i.e. he was lying, but no more detail than that. Speculation was that he was pushing too hard on the commercialization front and was running the risk of not focusing enough on safety.

STEWART: Anna, thank you. Still ahead on CNN Newsroom, Palestinian families waiting for word on the potential release of their loved ones held in Israeli jails. We'll meet one mother who's hoping to see her imprisoned daughter at last. Plus, a messy start to what is expected to be a record travel day in the US. A look at the weather forecast and flight delays ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

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FOSTER: More now on Israel's cabinet approving a deal for the release of hostages kidnapped by Hamas in exchange for pause in fighting in Gaza. As we've been reporting, the agreement would see the release of at least 50 hostages, women and children, in exchange for a 4-day truce. There's also the potential for the deal to be extended with an extra day added for an additional 10 hostages available for release. Hamas said in a statement, which they subsequently took down, that 150 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails would also be freed. Hamas has said those prisoners would be women and children.

Now, Israel is holding about 8,300 Palestinians in Israeli jails, including many who don't even know the charges against them. That's according to the non-governmental organization, the Palestinian Prisoners Club. CNN's Nima Elbagir spoke with 1 mother who is hoping she may soon see her long-imprisoned daughter once again.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the past 8 years, Sosan Bakir's (ph) daughter, Mara (ph), has been held in an Israeli prison. She was just 16 when she was arrested.

SOSAN BAKIR, DAUGHTER IMPRISIONED IN ISRAEL: Honestly, at the beginning, we thought it was a nightmare. Then it became necessary to stand strong on our feet because we have other children besides Mara.

[04:40:09]

We have Musa, Noor and Hala (ph). Of course, the most important 1 right now is Mara, because after all, she is a child and she's so innocent.

ELBAGIR: She says that since Hamas's deadly attack on October 7th, Mara has been moved into solitary confinement and communication cut off.

BAKIR: We are really worried about Mara. The situation of the women prisoners is really hard. They confiscated all the electrical devices and clothes.

ELBAGIR: According to the Palestinian Prisoners Society, 83 Palestinian women and 380 teenagers under the age of 18 are being held in Israeli prisons, more than half of whom have been detained since October 7th.

Night after night in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, Israeli forces have been arresting Palestinians in their homes. Some, the IDF say, are accused of being members of Hamas, but many others are detained without trial or stated cause.

MOHAMMAD SHTAYYEH, PALESTINIAN PRIME MINISTER: Israel today is in the mood of revenge. And this mood of revenge also is combined with a mood of humiliation. This is very simple. Israel is preparing for an exchange of prisoners. And they are arresting as many people as they can simply because they are preparing for such a deal.

ELBAGIR: The Palestinian Prisoners Society says that in the past six and a half weeks, several thousand Palestinians in total have been detained by the Israeli defense forces. If there is to be a hostage deal, it's not yet clear how many people might be freed or who would be included. Even so, for Sosan Bakir, it presents a small glimmer of hope that she may soon see her daughter again. Nima Elbagir, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to address the virtual G20 leaders summit in the hours ahead. We're monitoring for any comments about the war. In Ukraine, this comes a day after a grim milestone in that war. The U.N. now says at least 10,000 civilians have been killed since Russia invaded in February last year. However, the truce or the true toll really is likely to be much higher. The European Council president and Germany's defense minister visited Kiev on Tuesday. Germany announced an additional $1.4 billion in aid, a much-needed boost for Ukraine's military heading into winter. The support coming on the day that Ukraine marks a national holiday,

10 years since the start of the Maidan revolution that foreshadowed the current conflict and nearly 20 years since the Orange Revolution. Clare Sebastian joins me now. We haven't got any insight yet, have we, into this speech that Putin will be making today? Obviously interested in Ukraine, also interested in how that might tie in with what we're seeing in the Middle East, potentially.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, we don't know a lot about what he's going to say. The Kremlin spokesperson said that he's going to address what they call the wholly unstable situation in the world. Less about the conflict in the Middle East. We heard from him yesterday in a virtual summit with the BRICS leaders, you know, calling for an immediate ceasefire, blaming the U.S. for its role, they say, in what's happening in Gaza, saying that they're trying to monopolize mediation.

I think, look, part of this, it's very significant that he's even taking part in the first place. It's been a very long time. We've been struggling to remember the last time Putin directly addressed Western leaders he's been addressing. Sort of African leaders, BRICS leaders, but to be directly addressing Western leaders is very significant. I think it's significant that he's decided to do this now. He didn't, for example, do it last year when there was a G20 summit in Bali, which happened really almost on the same day that Ukraine liberated the town of Kherson. I think this comes, obviously, as Russia, albeit hasn't advanced, but has managed to hold off a significant Ukrainian advance for the past 12 months in full.

So that is significant. Perhaps he's feeling more confident, perhaps emboldened by the fact. that Ukraine has fallen out of international headlines because of the conflict in the Middle East. But I think, look, we'll get the usual anti-Western rhetoric, but we will be very closely monitoring for any sort of shift in tone around Ukraine and any comments on that, Max.

FOSTER: The war started last year, but some people would argue it started 10 years ago. Take us through the commemorations today.

SEBASTIAN: Yeah, so the anniversary of the start of the Maidan protests was on Tuesday. A very significant, this is the 10th anniversary, a significant moment, for Ukraine because, obviously, it really crystallizes what they're fighting for here. Those protests started because the pro-Russian leader of Ukraine decided not to start an association agreement with the EU. And these huge protests broke out. Many people were killed.

[04:45:09]

I think for Ukraine, it's not just about what they're fighting for, but about what they've lost as well, right? Since then, in the last 10 years, we've seen 2 invasions. We've seen multiple people killed, now more than 10,000 civilians. According to the UN, Russia, meanwhile, still not devoid of allies, still taking its place in international institutions like the G20. And of course, particularly significant now, because this is leading up to an EU summit in December, where the EU may, you know, fire the starting gun on negotiations for Ukraine to join. This is not clear-cut, though, and it will not be easy. Take a listen to what the EU Council President had to say on this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES MICHEL, EUROPEAN COUNCIL PRESIDENT: Yes, this will be a difficult meeting. It's not the first time. It will have a difficult meeting on the EU side. It will be a difficult meeting, but I do not intend to give up, because I understand very well what's at stake. What's at stake is the security, the safety of our children and of our grandchildren. Not only within the EU, but also in Moldova, in Ukraine, and in the other European countries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: Look, the fact is that there is not consensus in the EU on whether Ukraine should join. Hungary has opposed moving too quickly with this. Slovakia's new prime minister is pro-Russian in many ways, and his government has just canceled military aid for Ukraine. But clearly, this is of enormous significance for Ukraine. They have been very clear all along that unless Ukraine is allowed to join institutions like the EU, like NATO, Russia may, you know, carry out this kind of invasion again, Max.

FOSTER: Okay, Claire, thank you. Still to come, using drone technology to revolutionize farming. How experts plan to use artificial intelligence to help feed the world.

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[04:50:09]

FOSTER: Today is said to be one of the busiest travel days of the year in the U.S., and it's off to a pretty wet and windy start, I'm afraid. A record number of people are expected to travel for Thanksgiving this year. CNN's Chad Myers has the holiday forecast.

CNN CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, a very messy morning here across parts of the northeastern part of the U.S., and also into New England with rain and snow. Many, many people trying to get away on holiday at this point, and by later on today, it gets better. But it will be a very slow start. Yesterday, 4,000 flights, according to FlightAware, were delayed across the U.S. Not too many canceled, but all of those delays really started piling up on each other. Things get a whole lot better throughout the afternoon. It'll still be a little bit windy and breezy, but the precip goes away, and the airport delays likely go away, too. There'll be some rain across parts of the Carolinas, but this is the story, the snow, in places where people would like it to snow, because there are ski resorts up here.

The clear skies here for this morning kind of move away by later on this afternoon. So, yes, we will have some airport and travel delays early in the day, but by midday, the map is blank. By tomorrow, there'll be some more delays across parts of the upper part of the Great Basin, where there'll be some snow in Montana and Idaho and Wyoming. But, really, 46 in Chicago for today feels pretty good, and by tomorrow, things look even better in some spots with quite a bit of sunshine. Now, back out to the west. Where the Rockies are, and, again, more ski resorts, there's going to be a lot more snow for those early-season skiers.

FOSTER: U.S. roads packed with heavy traffic as millions of Americans begin their holiday travel. Take a look at the 405 freeway in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Flood of cars, as you can see, as far as I can see, really. And it's a similar lockdown for those flying into their destinations. CNN's Pete Muntean has that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE MUTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: The cancellation have remained low, but the delays continue to climb, thousands of them at airports nationwide on Tuesday. It's coming at an inopportune time for the airlines on a day that's supposed to be one of the biggest pre- holiday travel days leading up to Thanksgiving. 48,000 flights scheduled in total nationwide on Tuesday. 2.6 million people expected at TSA checkpoints at airports across the country. And TSA Administrator David Pekoske tells me it is imperative, for travelers to get to the airport early and make sure they are on their game as they go through security checkpoints.

DAVID PEKOSKE, TSA ADMINISTRATOR: Bank in more time. So, arrive at the airport a little bit earlier. Think through the process steps you're going to go through -- through screening because you don't want to be that passenger that holds everybody else up.

MUTEAN: It has been a tough go for airport workers on the ground here at Reagan National Airport. They had to fight cold rain and wind as the storm system moved through airports up and down the East Coast. An interesting tidbit here from American Airlines, it says between Thursday and Sunday it's scheduled 23,000 flights. Only 2 of those flights were canceled. Now the big question is whether or not airlines can stick the landing as they go into Wednesday, one of the biggest days for air travel before Thanksgiving. Pete Muntean, CNN, Reagan National Airport.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: As the world's population grows, traditional farming methods alone aren't enough to meet our food demands. But a team of scientists at the Technology Innovation Institute in Abu Dhabi, are working to train tiny drones to help revolutionize the agriculture industry. CNN's Eleni Jokos has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At this indoor garden in Abu Dhabi, they are growing fruit trees from all over the world. It's also a laboratory for a group of scientists from the nearby Technology Innovation Institute who are conducting research into the use of nano drones in agriculture.

JENNIFER SIMONJAN, LAND RESEARCHER AT THE TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION INSTITUE: This is it. This is it. This is our nano drone. GIOKOS: You want me to be excited about this nano drone?

SIMONJAN: Yes, because I'm very excited about it, too. Yes. So, this is a nano drone, one of the type that we are working on in our lab. It has a processor on board, it has a camera, and we can build our software and make it fly autonomously and perform. GIOKOS: Using these tiny flying computers, these scientists are training it to perform several tasks. SIMONJAN: What we are trying to achieve here is to make the

environmental monitoring and plant monitoring autonomous and more smart.

[04:55:09]

What we do is we take these little tiny drones that are like in the size of a hand and we let them fly around the plants so they can measure at any point any height any angle any type of environmental sensor reading.

GIOKOS: The emergence of artificial intelligence has come at a pivotal moment in their research. Today they are teaching the nano drone to recognize different objects like identifying certain fruits. Using AI and computer vision it's able to recognize that this is a banana. What kind of information is it gathering?

SIMONJAN: So most of all it's gathering images so then you can feed it into an AI that can tell you oh it's ripe we can pick the plant and also it is checking for your plant diseases so you can see on the leaves right if the plant has any disease or if maybe it doesn't have enough water so that's image based and then also along with that we have some environmental sensors so it's also collecting information about the air quality the temperature the humidity in the place.

GIOKOS: How quickly can you get this deployed?

SIMONJAN: We are right now having our first prototype flying we have to train our AI and build it in a way that it can understand okay this strawberry is doing well. This is ready to harvest this has some problems but I think we target that we can have a first prototype proof of concept flying in spring next year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Thanks for joining me here on CNN Newsroom. I'm Max Foster in London. Early Start is next.

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