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UNRWA Funding Concerns; Biden Campaigns in South Carolina; School Shooter's Mother on Trial. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired January 28, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

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[03:00:00]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Welcome to CNN Newsroom.

Coming up, concerns that the United Nations won't be able to carry out critical relief work as nations cut funding following stunning allegations about some workers in Gaza.

U.S. President Joe Biden hits the campaign trail in South Carolina, telling voters why he expects to defeat Republican frontrunner Donald Trump.

And the mother of convicted Michigan school shooter is on trial, raising questions about parents' responsibility for their children's actions.

The head of the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees in Gaza says the group might have to end operations there. These nine countries paused funding for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, known as UNRWA, after accusations by Israel that a handful of their workers were involved in the October 7th Hamas attack. UNRWA fired nine accused staffers and launched an investigation.

The U.N. says one accused staffer has died and the identities of two others are being verified. The U.N. secretary general is asking that countries continue to fund that agency, saying the abhorrent alleged acts of these staff members must have consequences. But the tens of thousands of men and women who work for UNRWA should not be penalized. The dire needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met.

2 million civilians in Gaza rely on that aid from UNRWA and those needs are growing. As Israel continues its military operation in Khan Younis, families are evacuating, struggling to find a safe haven, besides hunger, fierce rain and cold weather are making their escape even more miserable.

And further north in Gaza City, Palestinians rushed to grab sacks of flour that were delivered Saturday. The U.N. warned this week that parts of the territory are facing famine and residents say the aid isn't reaching everyone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today I came to get flour and I couldn't get any. Some people got three bags of flour and some got four and I didn't get any. I have three children and I don't know how to feed them. God help us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only the young men can take sacks of flour, but the elderly can't. The children, the orphans, and the mothers of orphans, only the strong young men can take a share. But the orphans don't have shares at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, Palestinian officials say hospitals in Khan Younis are under siege by Israeli troops. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, the Nasser Medical Complex is running out of all sorts of medication and blood for transfusions, a shortage that the ministry's spokesperson calls severe and dangerous. Doctors Without Border says the hospital's vital medical services have collapsed.

CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us live from Abu Dhabi with more on the UNRWA controversy. Good to have you with us, Paula.

So, eight countries have stopped funding this agency because of these accusations against the 12 workers. Israel, of course, has long accused that agency, including with Hamas. So, what does this mean for the people of Gaza who rely on that agency and for the 13,000 people employed by it in Gaza?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda, this is the biggest group that is giving out humanitarian aid in Gaza at this point without UNRWA, the situation would be even more dire. We're hearing from the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, saying that there's about 2 million people that rely on the aid that is brought in by UNRWA itself, also pointing out that the funding they have at this point won't last through February, so through next months.

Now, it's clear to see the need for humanitarian aid is desperate. Many leaders around the world have been calling for more aid to be brought in and to be given to those who need it most.

Of course, the technicalities and the logistics of trying to reach those who need aid are very challenging indeed.

[03:05:06]

Now, we don't know the exact accusations that Israel has made. They have not made them public. They have given those allegations to the U.S. and to UNRWA itself. And they were of the nature that UNRWA immediately did act and fired nine of its workers and said that there would be an investigation that would undergo immediately.

But the secretary general and also the Chief of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, have said that it is shocking that countries have decided to withhold aiding temporarily and funding to UNRWA as the situation is so desperate. So, Philippe Lazzarini in a statement saying, quote, it would be immensely irresponsible to sanction an agency and an entire community it serves because of allegations of criminal acts against some individuals, especially at a time of war, displacement and political crises in the region.

We have heard concerns by U.N. officials that Gaza is looming at a possible famine for many of the people that simply do not have enough to eat, enough to drink or any kind of shelter.

Now, we've heard from other countries as well, Ireland and Norway, for example, who said that they will not be withholding funding at this point because the need is so acute.

KINKADE: And, Paula, of course, the Israel prime minister has criticized protests by families of hostages held in Gaza, calling them useless, clearly feeling the pressure, and is now calling on Qatar to use its leverage with Hamas. Explain what he said.

HANCOCKS: Well, this really started with an alleged leaked audio from the Israeli prime minister last week, which was aired on Tuesday on Israeli television, where he was criticizing Qatar as not doing enough. And this weekend, he's really doubled down on that message saying that I'm not taking back one word that I said. Let's listen to the prime minister.

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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Qatar hosts the leaders of Hamas. It also funds Hamas. It has leverage over Hamas. Qatar committed to make sure that the medication will reach the districts of Hamas to our hostages. And Qatar said that it can help bring them back.

So, therefore, to put pressure on them, they position themselves as mediators. So, please, go right ahead and prove it. Let them be so good as to bring back our hostages.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now, when it comes to a potential hostage deal, we know that the CIA director, Bill Burns, is going to be meeting in the coming days with his counterparts of Israel and Egypt, talking about a potential deal which is likely to include what it included back in November, which is a cessation of hostilities for a certain amount of time in order for hostages to be released. Lynda?

KINKADE: All right. Paula Hancocks staying across all those developments from Abu Dhabi, thanks very much.

With new rare footage of blindfolded Palestinian detainees being held by Israeli authorities has been filmed by our CNN team. Jeremy Diamond reports.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we were in Southern Israel on Saturday morning near the border with Gaza when we spotted more than two dozen men sitting or kneeling on the cold, wet ground, Israeli soldiers standing guard near them.

Now, we now know that those men were Palestinians who were arrested by the Israeli military inside of Gaza and brought to Israel for questioning.

Now, these men were blindfolded, they were barefoot. And if you look in this video you can see their hands are tied behind their backs and all they're wearing are these disposable white coveralls.

Now, it's important to keep in mind that it was about 50 degrees Fahrenheit, 10 degrees Celsius and quite rainy when we filmed this video, and the men in this video seemed to be physically exhausted. You can see them kind of swaying around, their heads bobbing as they seem to be falling asleep. One man was actually lying on the ground before an Israeli soldier came to rouse him and prop him up.

Now, the Israeli military, for its part, said, quote, the individuals shown on camera are suspected of terrorist activity and were arrested in Gaza and transferred to Israel for further interrogation. Relevant suspects are taken for further questioning within Israel. Individuals who are found not to be taking part in terrorist activities are released back into Gaza as soon as possible.

Now, the Israeli military also addressed the condition in which we found these Palestinian detainees. They said that they were wearing these white coveralls because they had been stripped and searched to ensure that neither they nor their clothing had any explosive devices or weapons on them and they said that they were about to be placed on a heated bus and taken to a detention facility where they would be provided with actual clothing.

Now, we weren't able to verify exactly how long were sitting outside in the cold because an Israeli soldier came to us and directed us once he saw we were filming to leave the premises.

[03:10:08]

Now, as it relates to this claim by Israel that these men are suspected of terrorist activity, it's important to note that while this is the first time that we have actually been able to directly document the detention of these Palestinian men from Gaza, there has been a lot of footage circulating from Gaza of Palestinian men being detained, and in many cases, those men actually turn out to be civilians. They are spotted by their relatives or their friends as civilians.

And in December, we actually spoke with ten Palestinian men and boys who had been detained by the Israeli military held for five days and ultimately released without charge.

Now, these men and boys all of them had swollen wrists, some of them bruises on their wrists from having their hands tied behind their backs for five days.

Now, the Israeli military, for its part, maintains that it treats all of these detainees in accordance with international law. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

KINKADE: Here in the U.S., President Joe Biden is taking shots at his main Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, as he campaigns in South Carolina. Mr. Biden is vowing to put tougher immigration measures in place, including the ability to shut down the U.S.-Mexico border as he tries to counter Trump's attacks.

He's also working to energize black voters in the state, a group that helped him win the White House in 2020.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: You're the reason I am president. You're the reason Kamala Harris is historic vice president. And you're the reason Donald Trump is a defeated former president. You're the reason Donald Trump is a loser. And you're the reason we're going to win and beat him again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is traveling with the president and has more.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Joe Biden drew a sharp contrast from former President Donald Trump here in South Carolina on Saturday in what was a preview of his general election arguments, casting the former president as, quote, defeated and a loser. President Biden also making the case that Trump is only thinking about himself and not the country saying, quote, what's good for America is bad for him politically.

But the president also spent time making connections with what his administration has done on a range of issues to what communities are seeing on a day-to-day basis, be it investments in HBCUs, driving down insulin costs and also student loan debt relief, which earned applause in the audience.

But, notably, the president also weighing in on border security and putting his support behind the border deal that Senate negotiators have been working on for weeks, saying that if given the authority, he would shut down the border and do it quickly.

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BIDEN: That bill with the law today, I'd shut down the border right now and fix it quickly. A bipartisan bill would be good for America and help fix our broken immigration system.

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ALVAREZ: Now, as he has faced in other remarks in the last few days and weeks, there were also protesters in the audience calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. They were escorted out and President Biden did not engage with them. But it was yet another example of the fractures within the coalition that the president is having to navigate. But the bottom line here was that he needs South Carolina to state that he has credited for turning the tide in 2020. And it is one that's going to have its primary next week. It will be the first after the Democratic National Committee overhauled the schedule with President Biden's support, the president reflecting on that.

And while this is not a competitive primary, it will be a test of his standing with black voters, a key constituency, to clinch that win in November.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, South Carolina.

KINKADE: Also in South Carolina is Nikki Haley, who's mounting a month-long stand against Donald Trump before the Republican primary, February 24th. Haley's attacks on Trump have escalated recently after she largely avoided conflict with the former president for nearly a year.

Her campaign is getting a boost by Trump's legal battles and heavy investments from political networks linked to people like billionaire Charles Koch. She is facing an uphill battle, but the former South Carolina governor is refusing to step aside.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Only two states have voted. There are 48 more that have to vote. No matter what Donald Trump thinks, he can't bully his way to the White House. It's not going to work. And after he did that, we raised another $1.4 million.

[03:15:00]

So, Donald, keep them coming because it's great!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, Donald Trump is continuing to stoke fears over immigration while campaigning in Nevada. The presidential candidate says there is, quote, a 100 percent chance that the influx of migrants to the U.S.-Mexico border will lead to a terrorist attack.

At a Las Vegas rally on Saturday, Trump broadly called migrants criminals and rapists, and said he opposed bipartisan immigration negotiations in Congress. Instead, he says that when he's president, he'll send reinforcements to the southern border.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: We have no choice within moments of my inauguration, we will begin the largest domestic deportation operation in America.

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KINKADE: Well, Russia goes on a widespread attack in Ukraine, but heavy guns on the defenders' side often stay silent. And it's not by choice. We'll explain next.

Plus, French activists aren't willing to endure what the U.S. went through when America's highest court overturned Roe vs. Wade. How they're trying to make their rights permanent and unimpeachable, next.

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[03:20:00]

Ukrainian officials say Russian troops have gone on the offensive across much of the frontline. They gave a blunt assessment of the battleground situation in multiple new statements and social media posts. They say Russia is trying to extend its gains in the northeast, where it recently captured one village, about 100 kilometers east of Kharkiv.

Further south, the areas near Bakhmut that Ukraine recaptured last fall are also under pressure. While Russia is trying to win back the small pockets of territory, the Ukraine captured during its counteroffensive in the Zaporizhzhia region last year.

Ukraine is forced to play defense partly because the western military aid is drying up. Tens of billions of dollars in aid is stalled by internal political disputes in the U.S. and the E.U. As Fred Pleitgen reports, Ukrainians are running short of ammunition, just as Russia's military machine goes into overdrive.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Artillery is key as Ukrainian forces try to hold off massive Russian assaults on the eastern front. But Kyiv's ammo shortages are getting worse by the day. This U.S. provided M109 Paladin Howitzer near Bakhmut is often silent because they don't have enough shells to target the Russians, the commander tells me.

We cannot fulfill our tasks 100 percent, he says, although we really want to. My crew and other crews are just waiting for it and are ready to work around the clock.

But it gets even worse, finally, resupply does arrive, but it's only four rounds and this type of ammo won't hurt the Russians much.

This really illustrates the shortages that Ukrainians have to deal with, four rounds. That's all they're going to get right now. And, by the way, they're not even explosive rounds. They're smoke rounds.

These shells will barely explode on impact. It's almost like firing cannonballs in medieval times. But the commander says sometimes it's all they can do.

Every shell that is suitable for the Paladin we use, he says. It's better than no shells.

The Russians face no such shortages in this area. Ukrainian military intelligence believes Russia produced around 2 million rounds last year and acquired around one million from North Korea. Massive barrages have laid waste to Bakhmut and much of the surrounding area at the headquarters of the 93rd Mechanized Brigades Artillery Division, the frustration is palpable.

From their drones They can see the Russians gathered to continue their assaults on Ukrainian positions but they often can't take them out because they need to conserve ammunition, the commander tells me.

The ratio is about ten to one he says. Ammunition is very important to us. Russia is a country that produces ammo. They have strategic reserves. Yes, they use old Soviet systems But Soviet systems can still kill.

Even without enough ammo, the Ukrainians say they are stopping most Russian assaults here and the M109 crew did manage to fire at Russian positions. But they know they'll need a lot more firepower to stop Russian advances.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, near Bakhmut, Ukraine.

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KINKADE: Well, Iran is strongly condemning a shooting attack in its southeast border region that killed nine Pakistani workers. In a Telegram message, Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed sympathy with the families of the victims and the Pakistani government.

It also said that investigations into the attack are underway. Unidentified government killed nine people on Saturday in the border city of Saravan. According to Iranian state media, no group or individual has claimed responsibility.

French farmers angry over government regulations and falling prices are taking to the streets and threatening to converge on Paris on Monday. They blocked a major highway out of the capital Friday. The prime minister says a planned phase out of subsidies for diesel fuel will be scrapped. The farmers say their protests will continue.

Their grievances include environmental policies and competition from Ukrainian farmers. France is Europe's largest food producer, but other E.U. nations have seen similar protests.

And it's not just farmers. French reproductive rights activists are also making their voices heard. They're hoping to permanently secure the right to abortion care. Next week, French lawmakers are expected to vote on a bill that would change the Constitution to do just that.

But the fight isn't over just yet. Melissa Bell explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A heartfelt cry on the streets of France. Just days before the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe versus Wade in the summer of 2022, a ruling that was to impact women in the United States but reverberate around the globe. [03:25:00]

SARA DUROCHER, PLANNING FAMILIAL: With what happened in the U.S., there was a strong reaction in France by politicians. Several laws were proposed and the prime minister came to see us here at Family Planning to tell us how worried she was about the right to abortion.

BELL: A right as hard won in France, as it was elsewhere. The procedure, only legalized in 1975, after a battle, led by the lawmaker and then Health Minister Simone Veil, a woman speaking to a parliament of men.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is an injustice that must be stopped.

BELL: Now, France is looking to go further, making abortion a constitutional law right.

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: This will enshrine the freedom of women to choose abortion and to be a solemn guarantee that nothing will ever limit or abolish this right because it will have become irreversible.

BELL: Among those supporting the move, the singer, Barbara Pravi, her own experience of abortion at 17 so traumatic that she wrote a song about it.

BARBARA PRAVI, SINGER/SONGWRITER: I felt very alone because the woman who took me wasn't very good actually. She was very judgeful. She was like, how old are you? Why are you here? You're not ashamed?

BELL: What difference do you think it'll make to have it inscribed in the Constitution?

PRAVI: Having the right to do abortion cannot be like a condition of politics, you know? It has to be something we have and no discussion.

BELL: Recent polls suggest that over 80 percent of the French population supports safeguarding abortion rights. But France too has its anti-abortion movement with both sides taking to the streets over the weekend.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm really against it. And for the doctors practicing it, for the ladies leaving it, for the babies dying, and even for the fathers.

BELL: But for those in favor of the change, it's about putting an end to the argument once and for all.

PRAVI: If you put something in the Constitution, it automatically changes people's minds. It could take maybe years, like five, six, seven, maybe ten years. But I know that my children will never think about the question about abortion.

BELL: Barbara says she was able to put her loneliness and shame into song, but believes that France's constitutional change might help women in the future to feel neither. Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well the mother of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley is now on trial for manslaughter. After the break, we'll take a closer look at the case which is testing the limits of who could be responsible for a mass shooting.

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[03:30:00]

KINKADE: Welcome back. 17-year-old Ethan Crumbley is already serving life in prison for a 2021 school shooting that killed four students. But his parents could end up serving prison time too. The trial of Crumbley's mother, Jennifer, is now underway in Michigan. Prosecutors saying she's also partly responsible for his son's actions and the student's death.

Jenn Sullivan explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENN SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Emotional testimony from victims and witnesses retelling the terrifying moments shooter Ethan Crumbley opened fire at Oxford High School in November of 2021.

MOLLY DARNELL, WITNESS, SHOOTING VICTIM: I looked down and I realized he's raising a gun to me.

SULLIVAN: four students were killed. Molly Darnell was one of the seven people wounded when Crumbley opened fire.

DARNELL: I texted my husband, I love you, active shooter. And then I started feeling blood dripping down my arm.

SULLIVAN: Thursday was opening statements in the trial, not against Ethan, but against his mother, Jennifer Crumbley, who prosecutors argue ignored all red flags before her son went on a deadly rampage. She's facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter.

MARC KEAST, OAKLAND COUNTY ASSISTANT PROSECUTOR: Jennifer Crumbley didn't pull the trigger that day, but she is responsible for those deaths.

SULLIVAN: The prosecution showed the jury a drawing Ethan made before the shooting of a person bleeding, a gun, and a message that says, my life is useless. Concerned school administrators met with both Ethan's parents to discuss the drawing.

Prosecutors say Jennifer Crumbley failed to notify the school that her son had access to a gun, a gun they bought him four days earlier.

KEAST: Despite her knowledge of his growing social isolation, despite the fact that it is illegal for a 15-year-old to walk into a gun store and walk out with a handgun by himself.

SULLIVAN: The defense arguing she was not responsible for what her son did.

SHANNON SMITH, DEFENSE LAWYER: The evidence at trial is going to show you that Jennifer Crumbley did the best she could as a mother to a child who grew up into a teenager and had no way to know what was going to happen.

SULLIVAN: I'm Jenn Sullivan reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Joining us now is Areva Martin, an attorney in Los Angeles. Good to have you with us.

AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY AND LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Thank you, Lynda.

KINKADE: So, here we have the parents of the Michigan school shooter who killed four students on trial. How unusual is it to see parents on trial potentially being held accountable for the actions of their child?

MARTIN: Yes, this is a very unusual case because, typically, parents are not held responsible for the intentional acts of their children. But this case is an exception to that rule. And the prosecutors believe that the actions of Jennifer Crumbley were so egregious that they warranted prosecution.

And there is a plethora of evidence that establishes that there was reasonable foreseeability that her son, Ethan, would engage in some kind of violent conduct and that Jennifer Crumbley simply ignored not just flashing red lights but really big, gigantic red flags when she didn't respond to his repeated request to be taken to a doctor or a hospital or to get medical attention.

KINKADE: And so if you could take us, Areva, through some of the prosecution's argument, some of that evidence they have and how they're going to present this case.

[03:35:07]

MARTIN: Yes. There was a witness that testified -- one of the first witnesses in the case was a forensic evidence that forensic expert that went through the text messages and the emails. And what that witness testified to was, again, a myriad of text messages where Ethan is reaching out to his mother.

And there were oftentimes very long delays, Jennifer Crumbley wouldn't respond to her son sometimes until the next day. And also evidence that he was asking to go to a hospital, asking to go to a doctor. And according to him, she laughed at him. He was talking about hearing voices, believing that people were in the house flushing the toilet and doing other things that suggested that he was paranoid, that he had some kind of mental health condition, mental health crisis, and that his mother didn't respond to.

There's also some really damaging evidence that while Jennifer Crumbley was ignoring her son's repeated request for medical attention, she was spending time at the stables with her horses, suggesting that she had more regard and more interest in horses and what was going on with these animals than she had for her child.

So, a lot of very damaging evidence that this mother, again, ignored very serious red flags.

KINKADE: Yes. And, of course, her son Ethan Crumbley was 15 at the time of this shooting. He was sentenced last month to life by and by's without parole. Jennifer, his mother, is facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter for enabling.

But his father is also going to be on trial, right? He bought the gun days before this mass shooting, and he'll face trial in March, right?

MARTIN: Absolutely. And the fact that these two trials are happening separately suggests that these defendants are going to point the fingers at each other. When this case was first prosecuted, the husband and wife, the mother and father, were aligned with respect to their defenses. But then they both have separate lawyers, requested separate trials. And we know that Jennifer is going to say that, in fact, the husband, not her, bought the gun.

But, again, there's going to be some very difficult testimony that Jennifer may be held accountable for. And that testimony is going to be that she, along with the husband, gifted Ethan with this gun for a Christmas gift, and that she went to a shooting range with him to shoot the gun, and that she posted on social media about being at that shooting range.

And then the really disturbing evidence, it just gets worse and worse, is that on the day that they're at the school and the school has called them in, they didn't tell the school officials that he had access to a gun, that the gun was in an unlocked case. They didn't ask that his backpack be searched, or that he leave with them to go to get medical care, again, despite all of his efforts to get some kind of medical attention.

So, jurors are going to have to weigh all of this evidence against Jennifer's defense, which is that she didn't know that her son was going through these, this mental health crisis and that she shouldn't be held accountable for what may look like bad parenting.

KINKADE: And so, Areva, should his parents be found guilty, could this set a precedent where parents can be held criminally liable for violent crimes committed by children in the future?

MARTIN: You know, that's a really good question. And an appellate court looked at this question as the Crumbleys tried to get the indictment against them dismissed. And the appellate court said, we're not too concerned that this will set a precedent for the future that says all parents in all situations will be held accountable for the intentional actions of their children. They said that this case, though, was so egregious and that the evidence was so overwhelming that they could find that this case could proceed to trial without setting a precedent for every subsequent case where a child may engage in some kind of criminal behavior.

So, I think in the eyes of the appellate court, this is a very narrow case based on these very specific set of facts.

KINKADE: Interesting. Areva Martin, always great to have you on the program. We appreciate you staying up there like for us in Los Angeles. Thank you.

MARTIN: Thank you.

KINKADE: Well, still to come on CNN Newsroom, the British plan to share precious artifacts with the land where they came from amid calls for western museums to return looted treasure.

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[03:40:00]

KINKADE: Welcome back. Museums across the U.S. are closing or changing their exhibits featuring cultural artifacts from Native American tribes. The move is in response to new federal regulations aimed at obtaining consent from or returning the items to the tribes that consider them sacred.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino reports from the world's largest natural history museum about how they're adapting to the changes.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So this is an iconic location, not just here in New York City, but really in much of the world. The American Museum of Natural History is one of the most visited museums in the entire world that draws about 4.5 half million people every year. So, the fact that they're making this change really sends a major signal to the rest of the field. And here's what's happening.

The museum is closing two major galleries this weekend, including the Eastern Woodlands and the Great Plains Gallery. And what they contain is several Native American cultural items, some pretty sizable big objects as well, many of them recognizable to anyone who's visited this museum. And they are going to be covering up those display cases.

Now, we actually asked to go inside the museum today to try and get some video of these displays that will no longer be viewed by the public, but we were not allowed because part of the whole point here is to no longer show off or display any of these pieces in any way.

Now, why is this happening? Well, they're trying to be in compliance with these new federal guidelines, which are now going to require museums and federal agencies to consult and obtain informed consent from descendants, tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations before displaying or researching human remains or cultural items.

Now, this is actually an update to the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. And this law has been on the books for a while now, but there has been criticism from indigenous people that the experience of the nations and indigenous voices was not centered enough in the process.

[03:45:05]

So, this is an attempt to rectify that.

Take a listen to the museum president who we spoke with early this morning describing what is actually behind this effort.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN DECATUR, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: The intent of the regulations, and I think the intent of this process is to make sure that the voices of indigenous peoples have a say both in how their stories are told in museums and participate actively in the presentation of their narratives in museums.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: It's not just this museum here in New York City, but also other major organizations around the country, including the Field Museum in Chicago, the museum in Denver, and the Cleveland Museum as well. They have all taken measures to either remove or cover up their exhibits as they begin this process.

Now, the question is whether or not some of these exhibits will ever return. And the museum president issued a letter to his staff here yesterday saying that while some items might return, others might not return after they are returned to their rightful owners.

Gloria Pazmino in New York, CNN.

KINKADE: Well, there are also international calls right now for major museums to give back items that were taken from other cultures years ago. The U.K. says it will send back gold and silver artifacts that were looted from Ghana nearly 150 years ago.

Two British museums announced the move as part of a new loan agreement to put the objects on display in the West African country.

Museum officials say the artifacts were taken from Ghana during the 19th century. They add that many of the objects, including more than a dozen pieces from the Ansante royal court were looted during war. Some of the relics were believed to hold the spirit of past royal figures.

Well, earlier, I spoke to Human Rights Attorney Jeffrey Robertson who is in Melbourne, Australia. He's the author of Who Owns History. I asked him if these objects should be returned permanently, not just loaned back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY ROBERTSON, HUMAN RIGHTS ATTORNEY: It would be more honest to give them back permanently. But the British Parliament and government is infected by this colonial, post-colonial -- I mean, once Britain had an empire and this is the last vestige of it that they can cling to. So, they have this absurd law that museums cannot de-access or give back any property that they've received, however much it was stolen or obtained by criminal activity.

So, that's the problem. To get around it, the museums who want to do the right thing do not include the British Museum, but other museums will, in fact, loan it back, and perhaps they won't seek in three years' time to collect on the loan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, just to have, the F.A. Cup always produces that magic. We'll hear from the manager who put off what football fans are calling the Maidstone Miracle.

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KINKADE: Well, if there's one thing English football fans will tell you, it's to expect the unexpected, especially when it comes to the F.A. Cup. And that's precisely what happened when sixth-tier Maidstone United defeated Ipswich Challenge to advance to the final 16.

Our Patrick Snell caught up with the manager of the match on his club's thrilling victory.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Now when we say the magic of the cup, we really do mean it, especially on this Saturday. Maidstone United in the sixth tier of English football pulling off a historically huge F.A. Cup upset after beating second tier Ipswich Town.

Maidstone sit almost 100 places below their opponents in the English pyramid and they take the lead here just before the break when Lamar Reynolds produces the sublime dink over the key base, first ever goal for the club. What a moment for the Jamaican player.

Ipswich who are battling to return to the Premier League leveling but then Maidstone getting their winner with Sam Corne finishing off a wonderful team move on the road there at Ipswich, scenes of pure elation for each and every one of those Maidstone players.

Remember, they are a semi-professional, non-league team. Their home stadium holds just over 4,000. But now they're dreaming big as they reach the F.A. Cup's fifth round. Their ecstatic head coach from Cameroon, George Elokobi, now, get this, the former Wolves, and just 18 months ago, still a Maidstone player, someone who's also appeared in the hit Ted Lasso series as an opposing player to AFC Richmond on multiple occasions.

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GEORGE ELOKOBI, MAIDSTONE UNITED MANAGER: I doff my heart out to our community. This is for our community, Maidstone. Again, the magic of the F.A. Cup, we have to believe. This is an inspirational moment for us all, for Cameroon, for Africa, for every young man that has gone through what I've been through in life. Always believe there is hope, always believe there is faith, believe in yourself, always stay humble and respectful. And if you got that, you can create a group like I've done. You can create a club like our football club.

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SNELL: What a special story. He is, as well -- as I mentioned he's even played a role on the hit series Ted Lasso. He certainly brings that joy that spirit in real life, too.

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ELOKOBI: Firstly, Ted Lasso is a brilliant show. When I got the call, I was in the manager then, so I was using some of my spare time to explore what was around, explore some of my strengths. I'm a man of many talents.

And when the opportunity came to appear in that series, I jumped onto it. It was a fantastic experience to be casted as one of Man City's players at the time, also got a chance to obviously meet Pep. We did some shootings down at the Etihad. I know I've played there before as a Premier League player. But this time, I came in as a little bit of an actor, if you were to put it that way.

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It was a fantastic experience but also learned a lot from it, from the actors. And I met some incredible people in that process, made some connections. And you never know when they may find myself in Hollywood, right?

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SNELL: And our very special thanks indeed to George there. What a wonderful story and our congrats to all in Maidstone United. And who knows, he may just meet up with Pep Guardiola and Man City when the draw is made later on Sunday.

But for now, it's right back to you.

KINKADE: Our thanks so much to Patrick Snow there.

With the Australian Open, Men's Singles final is just getting underway in Melbourne, Australia. Italy's Jannik Sinner, who defeated defending champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, is hoping to nab his first Grand Slam title. He's facing world number three, Daniil Medvedev.

And in the women's final, defending Australian Open Champ Aryna Sabalenka kept her crown after besting China's Zeng Qinwen in two straight sets. Sabalenka is the first woman since Serena Williams in 2007 to win the Open final without dropping a single set.

A once lonely giraffe who was the focus of a relocation campaign is settling into his new home. Benito has been introduced to his new herd at a wildlife reserve in Puebla, Mexico. The park's director says he has integrated safely and quickly with a group of seven other giraffes.

Benito arrived in his new home on Tuesday after a 50-hour journey from Ciudad Juarez's Central Park, which activists had argued was not an adequate home for such a large animal. Hopefully, he enjoys his new home now.

I'm Lynda Kinkade. Thanks for spending part of your day with me.

CNN's Newsroom continues with Anna Coren after a short break.

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