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CNN International: Zelenskyy, on Trip to Baltics, Pleads for More Military Aid; Russian Opposition Leader Appears Before Supreme Court; President's Son Makes Surprise Visit to House Committee; Montreal Residents on Edge After Antisemitic Incidents. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired January 11, 2024 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:00]
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Bianca Nobilo.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Max Foster. If you're just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories this hour.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Egypt, where he'll soon be meeting with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. This is the tenth and final stop of Blinken's week-long trip to the Middle East, aimed at easing tensions in the region.
South Africa presenting its genocide case against Israel to the International Criminal Court of Justice today. It accuses Israel of trying to destroy Palestinians in Gaza. Israel's president strongly denies the allegations, calling the case atrocious and preposterous.
NOBILO: Ukraine's president is hoping to stir his allies into action, warning that interruptions to financial aid and military support only embolden Russia. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in the Baltics, and he arrived in Estonia just after visiting Lithuania on Wednesday.
FOSTER: While in Vilnius, Mr. Zelenskyy acknowledged the front lines are frozen, but he says Ukraine's continued self-defense is critical, reminding his allies that Russia is continuing attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure.
NOBILO: And he says Ukraine is sorely lacking modern air defense systems to repel attacks like the one Russia launched over Christmas and New Year, and to create a safer world altogether.
FOSTER: At least 11 people in north-eastern Ukraine were wounded by a Russian attack on Wednesday.
NOBILO: Police say this hotel in Kharkiv was hit twice by Russian missiles. Local officials say the hotel is well-known for housing journalists who are covering the war, and they say that's what made it a target. One of the wounded is a Turkish journalist.
FOSTER: As Moscow intensifies its strikes on Ukrainian cities and civilians, NATO allies are promising to boost Ukraine's air defenses with more missiles, ammunition and up to 1,000 additional Patriot systems.
NOBILO: NATO says member states have outlined plans to provide Ukraine with, quote, billions of euros of further capabilities this year. And in an exclusive interview, NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg told CNN he's, quote, confident the U.S. will continue to help, just like other NATO members.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: Allies are stepping up because it's extremely important to help Ukraine defend themselves.
This is an ongoing effort. The thing I welcome is that allies have outlined plans for doing more throughout 2024. And we see the value, we see the urgency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[04:35:00]
FOSTER: In the U.S., aid for Ukraine is caught up in a funding fight with Republicans in Congress saying they won't provide Ukraine with more aid without strict new border and immigration policies in the U.S.
NOBILO: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says arms and ammunition for Ukraine is, quote, running out, much to Putin's delight. And if the U.S. doesn't provide more military aid, the war could, quote, dramatically shift in Russia's favor.
And in Russia, opposition leader Alexey Navalny is making a case before the country's Supreme Court.
FOSTER: Yes, he's been around for a while. He was arrested, or appearing, rather, by video link from a remote penal colony in Siberia where he was transferred last month. The case is about inmates' access to religious materials.
During his argument, Navalny also offered a glimpse into what he says are brutal conditions inside that facility.
NOBILO: Clare Sebastian is monitoring these developments. She's with us now. Clare, what did Navalny tell the Supreme Court?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, this was a significant platform for Navalny. This was the second time we've seen him in the space of a week.
But unlike yesterday, where we saw him protesting the conditions of his own detention, this was a case before the Supreme Court against the Russian Justice Ministry trying to overturn rules that affect all prisoners about the limits on religious text. So, he spoke for a significant amount of time.
He's protesting that they -- he's complaining, essentially, that they're not adhering to existing rules, that he's been limited to one book where he should be allowed two.
It actually turns out that he should potentially be allowed ten during the day. I think that's sort of relatively semantic. He's also saying that they discriminate against Muslims.
So, anyone who wants the Koran is, you know, cracked down on harder than others. This is something that the representative for the Justice Ministry has denied, calling it political statements. And he's also, as you say, using this platform to really shed light on the conditions.
Take a listen to one section where he talks about the reasons behind some of the choices of literature that the inmates face.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEXEY NAVALNY, RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER (through translator): The punishment cell is often a very cold place. Do you know why people choose a newspaper there? To cover themselves. Because with a newspaper, I can tell you judges, it is a much warmer place to sleep, for example, than without one. And so, you need a newspaper so as to not freeze. So, you take a newspaper. Now you can't have your Koran. You are all clever, intelligent people on the Supreme Court. You understand that these measures are absurd.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: Not mincing his words. They're obviously making the most of this platform. Look, I don't think this is going to lead to a change necessarily in the Russian law.
The point of this is to keep his cause in the headlines, to allow him to be seen and to show that even though he's now been transferred as of December to this very remote penal colony beyond the Arctic Circle, that is not going to dampen his protest. Even as his supporters expect the crackdown, the pressure on him to intensify as we approach the Russian elections.
NOBILO: I know you've got a question, but just to clarify, how widely would that have been seen within Russia?
SEBASTIAN: That's a good -- not widely within Russia. I mean, it's carried heavily by international agencies. Obviously, we're covering it. You don't see almost any mention of him at all in the Russian press. And actually, it seems to be a policy of the Kremlin and President Putin to not mention his name even.
FOSTER: I want to ask about the Baltic tour, because it's so -- you know, those nations are concerned about potential Russian invasion, frankly, aren't they? So, how's Zelenskyy been doing there?
SEBASTIAN: So that's the point, I think, that he's really trying to drive home in a speech in Lithuania on Wednesday. He said, look, if the day arises, the catastrophic day after Ukraine, then we're looking at the day after Moldova, the day after the Baltics, the day after Poland. And this is the point that he's been making, frankly, all along, but is really trying to step up now as we see that support has been wavering, fatigue setting in. That if Ukraine isn't able to defend itself, that he really believes that Putin won't stop there.
And of course, this comes, obviously, after the massive increase in aerial attacks that we've seen over the turn of the year. You saw with Kharkiv, they're continuing these missile attacks. Kharkiv has been hit multiple times this week that air defenses are crucial. And this is something where Zelenskyy has admitted that he knows that there are perhaps not even enough available, even if there's the political will to provide them.
So that's why you see him talking about things like co-production agreements, defense partnerships, all of that, trying to plan ahead to get these systems in place, because I think we can see that they are sorely needed.
FOSTER: Clare Sebastian, thank you so much.
U.S. President Joe Biden has met with the sister of Paul Whelan, an American detained in Russia for more than five years. Whelan is serving a sentence for alleged espionage, which he denies, and Washington considers him wrongfully detained. The White House says Mr. Biden spoke with Elizabeth Whelan on Wednesday about the ongoing efforts to bring her brother home.
Late last year, the U.S. said it made a new proposal to Russia, asking for the release of both Whelan and "Wall Street Journal" reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is also detained there. But Moscow rejected that plan.
NOBILO: Republicans in two U.S. House committees voted on Wednesday to recommend contempt of Congress charges against President Biden's son, Hunter, for failing to comply with the subpoena. The move came hours after the younger Biden caused quite a stir by making a surprise visit to one of the committees.
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CNN's Manu Raju has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): House Republicans moving to hold the president's son, Hunter Biden, in contempt of Congress.
But not before he appeared on Capitol Hill, unexpectedly infuriating the GOP and setting off a sideshow.
REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): You are the epitome of white privilege, coming into the oversight committee, spitting in our face, ignoring a congressional subpoena to be deposed. What are you afraid of? You have no balls.
REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): What a coward. MACE: I think that Hunter Biden should be arrested right here, right
now, and go straight to jail. Yes, I'm looking at you, Hunter Biden, as I'm speaking to you. You are not above the law.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Debacle. I just, you know, he shows up. It's just a show.
REP. TROY NEHIS (R-TX): He should have had his ass over to the judiciary hearing, because we're doing a contempt over there.
RAJU (voice-over): Two House committees moving to refer the matter to the full House next week, coming as Hunter Biden's legal team implements an aggressive new strategy to take on Republicans directly.
RAJU: What are they afraid of?
RAJU (voice-over): Republicans had subpoenaed Hunter Biden to appear before a private deposition in December. But he defied that subpoena, saying he would only testify publicly. That offer rejected by Republicans, who had demanded he first testify behind closed doors.
REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): We will not provide Hunter Biden with special treatment because of his last name. All Americans must be treated equally under the law.
RAJU (voice-over): Hunter Biden already facing a criminal indictment for tax violations and gun charges and set to appear in court for an arraignment on Thursday.
ABBE LOWELL, ATTORNEY FOR HUNTER BIDEN: Chairman Comer made an explicit offer that people like Hunter and had like him the option to attend a deposition or a public hearing, whichever they chose. Hunter chose a hearing where Republicans could not distort, manipulate, or misuse that testimony.
RAJU (voice-over): The chaotic scene on Capitol Hill comes as Republicans are moving ahead with an impeachment inquiry into Hunter Biden's father.
REP. SCOTT PERRY (R-PA): In my opinion, this committee is not interested in prosecuting Hunter Biden. The facts show that President Biden profited from his name and the person that arranged the deals was Hunter Biden.
RAJU (voice-over): But so far, they do not have the votes to bring articles of impeachment, as they continue digging for anything connecting Hunter Biden's business dealings to the president's actions, something they have yet to prove.
NEHIS: I think it should go to the House floor for a vote, but I don't know if we have the will to do it. I don't know if it would pass.
RAJU: And therein lies a challenge for the new speaker, Mike Johnson, who supports an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden. But he has not yet said if he would support articles of impeachment, charging the president with high crimes or misdemeanors, and perhaps because he doesn't have the votes at this moment. A number of members in swing districts simply are not there.
But that could be different than for Alejandro Mayorkas, the Homeland Security secretary, who Republicans want to make the second cabinet secretary ever in the history of the United States to be impeached. They're charged that he has not done enough to secure the border with Mexico, violating the law, they say. But the Homeland Security Committee chairman, Mark Green, who held the first impeachment hearing over Mayorkas today, told me he believes he has the votes and that Mayorkas eventually will get impeached.
Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: Still to come, Canadian officials say hate-inspired incidents have spiked since the Hamas attack on Israel will take you to a Jewish school that's under constant police supervision because of the threats.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NOBILO: Welcome back. In Papua New Guinea, authorities are trying to ease tensions after a wage dispute set off violent protests that left multiple people dead. Police and other security personnel were among the demonstrators furious over an unexplained dock in their pay.
FOSTER: Papua New Guinea's prime minister said the smaller paychecks were due to an unintended computer glitch, and he promised the problem would be fixed.
Still, the unrest is already causing diplomatic fallout for the island nation, with Beijing demanding actions against protesters who damaged Chinese-owned businesses.
The Anti-Defamation League says anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. have skyrocketed since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas. The group tracked more than 3,200 incidents from October 7 to January 7. It's a 361 percent increase from the same time frame a year ago.
NOBILO: Nearly half of those involved were written or verbal harassment, with the League reporting a sharp increase in fake bomb threats at synagogues and other Jewish facilities. There were also more than 1,300 incidents the group describes as rallies promoting anti-Semitism and support for terrorism against Israel. The ADLS-CIO says the American Jewish community is facing a threat level that's unprecedented in modern history.
FOSTER: Now, Canada experiencing a surge in anti-Semitism. It's been going on for months.
NOBILO: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau even said Canadians are scared to be on their own streets after a rise in hate speech. CNN's Paula Newton has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A morning ritual, school drop-off at Yeshiva Gedola. Students hustle in, and as usual, Rabbi Menachem Karmel is meeting them at the door.
It's a typical morning in Montreal, right down to the snow-covered streets. Except for this. Police watching every move.
In November, Montreal police say the school was targeted not once, but twice, by gunfire. Students were not there at the time. There were no injuries, but also no arrests so far.
For Rabbi Karmel, an American and the grandson of Holocaust survivors, the fact that it could happen here --
RABBI MENACHEM KARMEL, YESHIVA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: It's scary. It's scary. It made it so shocking to have such an act in such a community. It's almost like we're in a bubble here. And the fact that as a religious school, very identifiably Jewish, that this becomes the go- to place to protest, to express your anger, is so misconstrued. It's hurtful.
NEWTON (voice-over): And police across Canada say it's far from an isolated incident. Last week, a Jewish-owned deli in Toronto was the target of an arson attack. No one was injured, no arrests have been made, but Toronto police call it a tipping point.
PAULINE GRAY, STAFF SUPERINTENDENT, TORONTO POLICE: This is a criminal act. It is violent, it is targeted, it is organized.
NEWTON (voice-over): Canada's Prime Minister has admitted there is newfound fear on Canadian streets.
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: We're seeing right now a rise in anti-Semitism that is terrifying.
NEWTON (voice-over): Canadian authorities say hate-inspired incidents have spiked since the Hamas attack in Israel, punctuated by tense protests across the country.
RABBI SAUL EMANUEL, PRESIDENT, JEWISH COMMUNITY CONGRESS: Before you go to that tipping point, try, and bring it back, try and pull it back.
NEWTON (voice-over): Rabbi Saul Emanuel voices concerns not just as a parent with children at the targeted school, but a community leader looking for security and less impunity.
EMANUEL: It's become accepted that you can go after any Jewish target.
NEWTON: That real fear of being targeted simply based on your religion is one shared by many Muslims here as well, who have also reported an increase in hate-inspired incidents.
SAMER MAJZOUB, PRESIDENT, CANADIAN MUSLIM FORUM: It is much worse than 9-11. NEWTON (voice-over): Samer Majzoub speaks to us in a Montreal Mosque
that was recently targeted with hateful graffiti. He says all the recent hate-inspired acts have frayed nerves in many communities.
MAJZOUB: I don't like to divide our city and our province and our country into, you know, we are from that community or this community.
[04:50:00]
When we refuse hate, when we refuse violence, when we refuse intimidation, we refuse it against each and every individual.
NEWTON (voice-over): That so cherished Canadian hallmark of tolerance has somehow fractured. In this Montreal synagogue, they pray for peace in Israel, astounded by how that faraway war is affecting their everyday lives.
NATAN SCHECHER, MONTREL RESIDENT: Our day schools, our synagogues have always been kind of, you know, sacrosanct.
And then I was getting calls from my friends in Israel saying, you know, are you OK? I hear all these things happening. You're calling me from a war zone, asking me if I'm OK, it doesn't make any sense. But it's just a new reality.
NEWTON (voice-over): A new reality, testing the very fabric of Canadian communities in Montreal and beyond.
Paul Newton, CNN, Montreal.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: Now to a bright spot in the global markets. A short time ago, Tokyo's Nikkei index closed above 35,000 for the first time since February of 1990.
FOSTER: Yes, the index rose nearly 2 percent in Thursday trading. One senior economic strategist says the rally is fueled by hopes that Japan's economy will finally level off after years of deflation.
Rising U.S. tech shares also helped the Nikkei hit the milestone. That's according to analysts.
Now doctors are concerned about the growing number of teen girls and boys who use diet pills and other weight loss products. We'll have details on that just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NOBILO: Nearly one in ten teens around the world, especially girls, have used ineffective and likely harmful over-the-counter drugs and other weight loss products in their lifetime. That is according to a new analysis of dozens of studies conducted over the past four decades.
And it shows that about 6 percent of adolescents have used diet pills. About 4 percent use laxatives to lose weight. And 2 percent have used diuretics or water pills that help reduce fluid build-up in the body.
Researchers say these products are potentially harmful to teens' physical and mental health, naturally. And they've been linked to eating disorders, low self-esteem, depression, and substance abuse.
FOSTER: Well, they're growing, aren't they?
NOBILO: Exactly. And it's just such a destructive trend. Because not only does it say a lot about development and self-esteem of these adolescents, but also the fact that they're not learning the skills for life that will keep them healthy naturally without resorting to pills and medications.
FOSTER: Yes.
NOBILO: It's also the end of an era in college football. Legendary coach Nick Saban is retiring after 28 seasons.
FOSTER: The University of Alabama, where Saban served as head coach for 17 of those seasons, announced his retirement on Wednesday. Under his leadership, Alabama was a perennial force in college football. He won a record seven national titles over his career, including six with Alabama and one with LSU.
[04:55:00]
NOBILO: He is widely considered to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time. His teams went to bowl games in 25 of his 28 seasons, and he never had a year with a losing record.
FOSTER: I wonder what he'll do. He needs to go into business schools or something. How to run a team.
NOBILO: And stories in the spotlight this hour. I bit my tongue. That sounded very strange. Stories in the spotlight this hour for you.
That white tutu skirt -- did you recognize that outfit?
FOSTER: I recognized the show. I never watched it, though.
NOBILO: But did that outfit remind you of anything?
FOSTER: No.
NOBILO: Because it's quite an iconic piece of apparel. That was Sarah Jessica Parker wearing the famous tutu in HBO's Sex and the City, and that is going on the auction block now.
FOSTER: It's expected to sell for $8,000 to $12,000 at Julian's Auctions in California next Thursday, if you're interested. Bianca might be bidding.
NOBILO: I will not be bidding. I'm not a fan of Sex and the City.
FOSTER: It's part of a sale called Signature Styles of Iconic Women in Fashion, and it also features clothing worn by Princess Diana, Audrey Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor.
NOBILO: More likely to bid on that.
FOSTER: So, the second last two, yeah.
NOBILO: Yes, I think so.
Fans of the classic Fruit Stripe gum will have to start hunting for their final fix. Max, tell us more.
FOSTER: Well, after decades on store shelves, Ferrara Candy announced the product is being discontinued. The iconic gum with a zebra on the package featured fruit flavors and temporary tattoos of the candy's mascot. The company says the decision to discontinue the fruit gum was not an easy one, inviting fans to grab packs while they still can. Presumably, it was a commercial decision.
NOBILO: Yes. I like the fact that the zebras look very athletic on the front.
FOSTER: And they weren't black and white.
NOBILO: Finally -- yes, that's true. It's all aboard the Elvis Express. Fans of the king of rock and roll are on their way to the Elvis Festival in Outback, Australia, complete with shiny blazers and sideburns.
FOSTER: The theme for this year's festival is the movie Jailhouse Rock. It'll include five days of street markets, look-alike contests and parades.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're all there to have a good time. And I guess that's what makes it special, the people on the train make it special.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's absolutely fantastic. It's great to celebrate the king. Everybody gets into the spirit of everything. We all get dressed up and it's just become an annual tradition now. So, yeah, absolutely love it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: I hope they're explaining to other rail passengers why they are dressed like that, because it's pretty -- unless you're into Jailhouse Rock specifically.
NOBILO: Yes, you might be slightly confused. I think you've had too many the night before.
FOSTER: Thanks for joining us here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster.
NOBILO: And I'm Bianca Nobilo. "EARLY START" is next right here on CNN.
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