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Biden to Push for More Aid to Ukraine; Biden Directs the U.S. military to Establish an Aid Port in Gaza. House Advances Measure for a Nationwide TikTok Ban Unless ByteDance May Divest the Popular App; MH370 Disappearance Marks a Grim First Decade; Italy Alarms on Increasing Violence Against Women. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired March 08, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber, this is CNN NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Ukraine can stop Putin if we stand with Ukraine and provide the weapons that needs to defend itself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: In a fiery State of the Union speech, U.S. President Joe Biden calls on lawmakers to give more funding to Ukraine to help win the war with Russia. Also in that speech, Biden announces a plan to get more aid to people in Gaza.

And it's been 10 years since the mysterious loss of flight MH370. Now the Malaysian government may renew the search for that aircraft.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: With the race for the White House in full swing, a fired up U.S. president delivered a highly political annual State of the Union address as the country braces for his rematch with Donald Trump.

Now Joe Biden didn't mention him by name, referring to him only as my predecessor. And while taking numerous swipes at that predecessor, President Biden managed to issue a fiery update address saying, it doesn't make headlines, but the American people are writing the greatest comeback story never told. He also accused Trump of deliberately torpedoing bipartisan border reform so he can campaign on the issue. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: That bipartisan bill would hire 1,500 more security agents and officers, 100 more immigration judges to help tackle the backload of two million cases, 4,300 more asylum officers and new policies so they can resolve cases in six months instead of six years now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Biden also called for federal abortion rights to be restored, saying, like most Americans, he believes the landmark Roe v. Wade decision got it right, and he hailed the political power of women. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: There are state laws banning the freedom to choose, criminalizing doctors, forcing survivors of rape and incest to leave their states to get the treatment they need.

Those bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade have no clue about the power of women. But they found out when reproductive freedom was on the ballot, we won in 2022 and 2020, and we'll win again in 2024.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Biden, who is already the oldest president in U.S. history, didn't shy away from addressing his age. He said, when you're 81, things become clearer than ever before, but he knows what endures honesty, decency, dignity and equality. Here's CNN's MJ Lee.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MJ LEE, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We knew, of course, heading into this evening what the major issues and the themes were that the president wanted to hit on. What we didn't know was whether he was going to actually land the delivery. You know, there was an interesting moment when he got into the House chamber and got to the podium and before he started delivering his speech, he said and joked, if I were smart, I'd go home now.

You could easily imagine that some of the aides that were watching the speech probably had that voice in the back of their heads.

But what I am told in the conversations I've had tonight with campaign officials and White House officials is that they were very, very pleased with the way that the president was able to deliver this very important speech.

I'm told that there was applause and cheers both here at the White House and at the Wilmington campaign headquarters where aides were gathered around televisions to watch the State of the Union remarks.

Aides are telling me that they felt like the delivery was high energy, that the president landed some of his major lines.

They appreciated the banter that he had with some of the Republican lawmakers when things got a little bit more raucous as the president was trying to call them out for congressional inaction in some of their policy positions.

They also felt like there were no major mistakes throughout the course of this lengthy speech. And one campaign official that I was speaking to said one thing they appreciated was what they felt like was sort of a split screen moment and split screen moments that they saw playing throughout the evening where the president would talk about some of the accomplishments of this White House and the administration, things like removing lead pipes, things like taking on big pharma.

And they liked that Republican lawmakers in some of those moments didn't stand up to cheer for some of those policies.

[03:04:58]

That sort of gets to the contrast that, of course, the president and this White House really wanted to use the speech to draw between Democrats and Republicans. And because this was a speech where the delivery was going to be so important and probably just as important as the actual words that the president said, that was one of the major reasons that I think both here at the White House and at the campaign headquarters, aides were feeling really, really good about the president's third State of the Union speech.

MJ Lee, CNN, at the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The youngest Republican woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate was chosen to issue the rebuttal. Alabama's Katie Britt, who's about half Joe Biden's age, called him a dithering and diminished leader in remarks delivered from her kitchen. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KATIE BRITT (R-AL), DELIVERED REPUBLICAN REBUTTAL: Right now, the American dream has turned into a nightmare for so many families. The true unvarnished state of our union begins and ends with this.

Our families are hurting. Our country can do better.

And you don't have to look any further than the crisis at our southern border to see it.

President Biden inherited the most secure border of all time.

But minutes after taking office, he suspended all deportations. He halted construction of the border wall, and he announced a plan to give amnesty to millions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now, in his rebuttal (ph) to Biden's State of the Union address, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump focused on the southern U.S. border using his usual anti-immigration rhetoric. In a Truth Social post, Trump criticized his successor for undoing his immigration policies. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When I left office, we gave Joe Biden the most secure border in U.S. history. We gave him remain in Mexico. Very tough to get, but I got it. Safe third agreements, the asylum ban, Title 42, 571 miles of border wall, rapid deportations and much more. We had the safest border in the history of our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right. I want to bring in Natasha Lindstaedt, who's a professor of government at the University of Essex in England. Thank you so much for being here with us. So, Natasha, as we say, a fiery political speech, really different from previous State of the Union speeches. What's that to you?

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROF. OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: Well, you're right. It is different than State of the Union speeches, which are mostly about recommending legislation to Congress. This was the speech of Biden's life. He really had to prove to the American public that he's fit to lead for another four years. And he had to show a lot of energy and he had to be quick on his feet. He had to strike the right balance.

And I think he did a fantastic job last night. He was able to touch upon the key points that he needed to. And he was able to joke a little bit about his age. But I think you saw throughout, he didn't have any major gaps. He didn't have any hiccups. He stayed really focused and he surely delivered at least what the campaign wanted him to do.

As you mentioned, he didn't call out Trump by name, but he had some really key points of illustrating how dangerous a Trump second term could be by goading Russia, for example, to go after U.S. allies, U.S.-NATO allies if they didn't pay up.

And I actually think the best line of the speech was you can't love your country only when you win. That's really key to understanding the basics of democracy, that democracy isn't always about winning. It's about understanding to be tolerant of the other side. And he pointed out that the Republicans and Trump were rewriting history about what happened on January 6th, that this really was the biggest threat to U.S. democracy since the Civil War.

BRUNHUBER: You spoke about delivery a couple of times there. I mean, much was made on both sides about the style rather than the substance in this case with the age issues hanging over him. Some Democrats saying he had great energy, some Republicans saying both that they couldn't understand him because he was mumbling, others accusing him of shouting. What did you think about this battle that will be waged on this issue, not obviously just in reference to last night, but as a preview of what we'll see throughout the campaign?

LINDSTAEDT: I think this is going to be a major theme in the campaign where Republicans are just going to go after him for his age and make fun of him. But the evidence last night was pretty clear that he is still quick on his feet and that he actually, I think, relishes getting into these little back-and-forth with Republicans and going off script a little bit.

[03:10:06] And I think that for the Democrats, they'll have to focus on the major issues of the campaign and not get caught into defending his age. That's going to be dangerous for them if the age thing is the entire thing, what the next campaign is about in eight months to come.

They need to focus on the fact that Donald Trump is the biggest threat to U.S. democracy. He's an autocrat. We need to take him for his word. He has, through his Supreme Court justices that he's chose, personally picked, seen the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Women's reproductive rights in most countries are improving. In the U.S., it's one of few countries that it is not improving.

And also, I think he did a good job of calling out Republicans on the immigration issue, which is a major issue for Republicans, that there is a bipartisan bill that they could sign if they wanted to, but they're not basically because Trump doesn't want them to and is ordering them not to, because then that takes away the biggest issue of the campaign.

So I think it's important for the Democrats to stay focused on the issues and to get away with, to get away from focusing on Biden's age.

BRUNHUBER: You spoke about bipartisan there. I mean, it's hard for any speech these days to change minds with the extreme polarization in this country, but I'm thinking of the Nikki Haley voters, the never- Trump Republicans who now have a choice. Do you think Biden's speech, you know, could it move the needle with them at all?

LINDSTAEDT: It's possible. And that's a really good question, because we still have probably 15 percent of the electorate that isn't sure who they are going to vote for yet. So it would be impossible to win over the Trump base. They are transfixed by him. There's nothing that's going to change their mind.

But I think it did a couple of things. It definitely energized the Democratic base, energized Biden supporters, and it possibly could change the mind of those that are undecided. I mean, there were times during the speech you could see some Republicans nodding their heads, either in agreement or just couldn't really disagree with what Biden was saying about, in particular, the immigration bill and a few other issues. There are other times, as was mentioned in the report in the split screen, they weren't applauding.

And that, in some ways, does look unpatriotic. And for those that aren't members of the Trump base, like, why do you want the U.S. to lose right now? Why do you want things to not go well in the U.S.? Just in order to win election, that we really need to be more focused on trying to accomplish things than just being against one another as a result of all this polarization.

BRUNHUBER: We'll have to leave it there. Natasha Lindstaedt, thank you so much for your perspective. I really appreciate it.

LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.

BRUNHUBER: President Biden used his address to make a pitch for more military aid for Ukraine. Now, this is Kyiv, says Moscow is concentrating troops near three more towns in eastern Ukraine, including Lyman and Chasiv Yar. Ukrainians are under pressure after Russia recently captured the town of Avdiivka and ammunition is in short supply. Biden says it's imperative the U.S. continues to help Ukraine. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Ukraine can stop Putin if we stand with Ukraine and provide the weapons that needs to defend itself.

I say this to Congress, we have to stand up to Putin. Send me a bipartisan national security bill. History is literally watching. History is watching. The United States walks away. It will put Ukraine at risk. Europe is at risk. The free world will be at risk and bullying and others to do what they wish to do us harm.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: To drive another point home, Biden also recalled the famous day of infamy speech by former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1941. Biden used that reference to say that democracy is under attack both at home and abroad. Nick Paton Walsh has more from Odessa, Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: We didn't have some magical new policy wheeled out here to get over that Republican roadblock. And indeed, the Republicans and their rebuttal didn't even seem to address this heartily themselves either. So I think Ukrainians will hear some sense of backing for how prominently Ukraine was in his discussion there and how he sounded that alarm about what an imminent threat that is for U.S. security as well.

That 1941 comparison, you know, it's stark, frankly, to stand there and say we are on the brink of potentially another world war. Not exactly the words to use, but the timing you've got to bear in mind.

Three years after 1941 came 1944. And while Biden said he doesn't want American troops on the ground here in Ukraine, his plan is not for that. By 1944, they certainly were. So I think it's a deeply serious series of comments we heard about Ukraine.

[03:15:05]

But again, no way of getting around that roadblock. The $60 billion isn't suddenly here. There are other mechanisms potentially for frozen Russian assets that have been floated. That wasn't put out to nice. And so I think maybe some Ukrainians seeing him there essentially pointed the finger again at Republicans for not getting the aid through, despite reminding everybody how utterly dire it is right now. They need that aid. Not in a few months.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: And for more analysis, we're joined by Orysia Lutsevych, managing director of the Ukraine Forum at Chatham House. And she's speaking to us from London. Thank you so much for being here with us.

So President Biden spent more time on foreign affairs than he had in previous speeches. And Ukraine had a prominent place among his first remarks, sort of right off the top. What did you make of what he said?

ORYSIA LUTSEVYCH, MANAGING DIRECTOR, UKRAINE FORUM AT CHATHAM HOUSE: I think it's very important that President Biden so early in his speech immediately started talking about Russia's aggression against Ukraine and that the fact that this war is much bigger than just Ukraine, it's not some distant regional conflict. It's something that actually endangers Europe and endangers the free world.

I think also it was key that he said that Ukraine can't stop Putin, because right now there are many, you know, in the world capitals, common Americans, common Germans who probably do not believe that this is possible. And in this kind of battle of narratives, President Biden reaffirmed that with proper tools, Ukrainians have success on the battlefield.

And that is critical because not only history is watching, as he was repeatedly saying, Putin is marching forward.

BRUNHUBER: He slammed Donald Trump for bowing down to Putin and also asked Congress to pass more aid. But, you know, attacking Trump, as he did many times directly about Ukraine and repeatedly in the speech, I mean, will that help at all, given Trump and his allies in Congress are the major obstacle? I mean, he didn't do much to bring the two sides together here on this issue.

LUTSEVYCH: Well, I think you're right. And in this kind of electoral race and polarized United States, it's very difficult to do it.

Biden was trying to bring on board as much as he can Republicans to say that at times of threat, we have to defend national interest and it's in American national interest to make Putin, to make sure Putin is defeated in Ukraine. He didn't use exactly the word defeated.

But what I think he could have done more is to explain Americans and to explain Republicans how Putin's victory will be perceived in the world. And, you know, in the world, this is seen as the war between United States and America. And I'm talking about the world majority, the so-called global South. If Putin has an upper hand, this will have a detrimental impact on Americans, both hard and soft power.

BRUNHUBER: I mean, Biden challenged President Putin directly as well. Was he watching? Do you think in what message do you think Biden was sending there?

LUTSEVYCH: Oh, I'm sure they're watching because this is one of the most important speeches in the United States, and it kind of tries to shape American foreign and domestic policy. Honestly, I think Putin is emboldened. Putin is emboldened because of action or lack of action, especially on that national security bill, 60 billion that is being paralyzed. And then Ukrainian soldiers who have a huge starvation of munitions and Russia has an advantage of six to one at this stage. So honestly, until we see some action, Putin will feel he's on the winning trajectory.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, notable as well that the Republican rebuttal didn't mention Ukraine. So I want to talk about the fact that having the Swedish prime minister there in the audience as that nation now joins NATO, I mean, that sort of sends its own statement as well, right?

LUTSEVYCH: Well, absolutely. I think it actually shows how in a strategic way Russia is losing, because if you recall before the invasion of Ukraine, Putin said this ultimatum basically to Washington saying you leave Eastern Europe. This is what we want. We want America out of Eastern Europe.

And what we have is NATO more and more present and moving actually closer to the Russian border.

And that was a very moving moment when the prime minister of Sweden was there. And I'm sure millions of Ukrainians kind of projected themselves hoping one day whoever is the leader of Ukraine will receive a welcome to NATO and will become a member of NATO, because this is exactly what the country needs to have a future secure and prosperous and Russia that will be forever deterred from any future aggression.

[03:19:57]

BRUNHUBER: We shall see. More broadly, the world's watching. Many leaders are wary of a Trump presidency and have said so. I mean, do you think in Europe and elsewhere that this speech, the way he delivered it and so on, the contrast that President Biden drew with Donald Trump, will that reassure them at all, do you think?

LUTSEVYCH: I mean, clearly in those first two years of war, the leadership of President Biden was key to keeping alliance united, to marshaling those military resources to save Ukraine from Putin's roll over.

But today I think the trust has been partially broken because United States got bogged down in its domestic politics and cannot surmount that difficulty to stand with a free world.

So I think Europeans are getting themselves seriously organized and prepared for the possible Trump in the White House, increasing defense spending, coordinating better defense industrial production in the European continent. And I think it's the right thing to do because the world is too risky and volatile to just, you know, rely on one superpower like United States. It -- unfortunately, it will cost us more. But this is the right strategy.

BRUNHUBER: All right. I'll have to leave it there. Really appreciate your analysis on this. Orysia Lutsevych, thank you so much for speaking with us. I Appreciate it.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is preparing to host Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the Republican presidential candidate's Mar-a-Lago estate later today. Now, although Hungary is a member of NATO, Orban has a close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has pushed legislation targeting migrants and sexual minorities.

Hope is dimming for a ceasefire and hostage deal before Ramadan. Straight ahead, we'll look at where negotiations stand now after a flurry of talks this week.

And ongoing widespread violence by criminal gangs in Haiti pushes officials to extend a state of emergency in the capital. We'll have details on that just ahead. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: During his State of the Union speech, U.S. President Joe Biden announced a significant plan to get more aid into Gaza. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Tonight, I'm directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the coast of Gaza that can receive large shipments carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters. No U.S. boots will be on the ground. A temporary pier will enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: It's not clear when the temporary port would be up and running. Some reports suggest a month, maybe two, would be needed. And of course, it needs Israel's buy-in. Israel, for its part, has prepared a new land crossing directly into northern Gaza. And that's according to a senior U.S. official.

[03:24:07]

And it comes as the U.S. and Jordan carried out a third airdrop of food and supplies into Gaza on Thursday. The U.N. welcomed these new efforts, though one official called it a drop in the ocean of what's needed.

All right. I want to go live now to London journalist Elliott Gotkine. So, Elliot, I want to start with some news, with a new statement from the IDF about last week's stampede and shooting in Gaza. So take us through what they're saying.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Kim, this was put out about 90 minutes ago by the IDF relating to the events on the night of February the 29th, when, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, more than 100 Palestinians were killed and many hundreds more were injured in that stampede around those aid convoys. Now, Hamas and the health ministry there and also eyewitnesses said

that Israeli forces had opened fire on the Palestinians trying to get aid, which is so desperately needed, especially in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

The IDF has now put out its findings from its initial review of what happened. And it says that IDF troops did not fire at the humanitarian convoy, but did fire at a number of suspects who approached the nearby forces and posed a threat to them. And this is something they've more or less been saying since the beginning.

In terms of some of the more details, they say a crowd of about 12,000 Gazans gathered around these aid trucks in this convoy and says that they then started looting the equipment that was being transported and that during the course of the looting, there were a number of civilians that were harmed in the crush.

They say that later on that dozens of Gazans advanced towards nearby IDF troops up to several meters from them and say that they therefore posed a threat. And at that stage, the forces fired warning shots as the suspects continued to advance. The IDF says the troops fired, in their words, precisely towards a number of the suspects to remove the threat.

And they say their investigation is continuing. The United Nations, for its part, has called for an independent investigation into the events surrounding what is perhaps the biggest single loss of life since the war between Israel and Hamas began after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks of October the 7th. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: All right, Elliot, I want to go back to what we heard from President Biden last night on the hostage and ceasefire negotiations. So, take us through what he said and where things stand right now.

GOTKINE: So, look, we know that these hostage talks, the talks to try to get the 100 or so Israeli hostages who are still being held captive, freed in exchange for a six-week truce and the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, as well as a surge in humanitarian aid, those talks are pretty much at an impasse.

They haven't broken down completely, but they also haven't led to a breakthrough. Certainly, we know that President Biden was hoping for a deal to be done by last Monday, and then this unofficial deadline became the start of Ramadan, which now begins on Sunday. So, that isn't going to happen either. President Biden says that that is despite his best efforts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I've been working non-stop to establish an immediate ceasefire that would last for six weeks to get all the prisoners released, all the hostages released. To get the hostages home and ease the intolerable humanitarian crisis and build toward an enduring, something more enduring.

(END VIDEO CLIP) GOTKINE: Now, while these talks haven't completely broken down, there is still hope that a deal will be done at some point to that end. Bill Burns, the CIA director, has been in the region again this week. He was in Egypt and Qatar, the two key mediators who have the ear of Hamas to try to move things along.

Now, one of the sticking points appears to be Israel's demand for a list of those hostages that are still alive, something Hamas says it cannot provide until such time as there is a ceasefire. So, things are at a bit of an impasse there. President Biden, the Biden administration for its part, has said the onus is very firmly on Hamas.

Indeed, in the State of the Union address, President Biden saying that all Hamas has to do to end this war tomorrow is to release the hostages, to lay down its arms, and to hand over those responsible for the October the 7th terrorist attacks. That's clearly not something that is going to happen.

And so, for now, as I say, there is hope that a deal will be done at some point, but certainly no signs of a breakthrough for now, and certainly no chance whatsoever of a deal being done in time for the start of Ramadan on Sunday. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: All right, I appreciate that. Elliott Gotkine, live in London.

In Haiti, amid widespread gang violence and speculation over whether the prime minister will step down and call for elections, a state of emergency has now been extended until April 3rd. Sources tell CNN dozens of people broke into a warehouse at a major port terminal in Port-au-Prince Thursday. Now, that terminal is a major link in Haiti's imported food supply chain.

We have more on the story now from CNN's Patrick Oppmann.

[03:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Haiti's government on Thursday extended the state of emergency in that country for another month, but it's unclear what impact, if any, it will have on the out-of-control gang violence.

Haiti's Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, still continues to be missing in action as he appears to be unable to return to his own country. He has not issued any public pronouncements. It is believed that he remains in Puerto Rico.

The U.S. has called on Henry to form a transitional government and say when elections can be held in Haiti, that is a step that Henri has resisted up until now, saying the conditions are not right in Haiti to hold elections.

But clearly, he's facing more and more pressure from inside and from outside of Haiti to get out of office, to move out of office and show what this plan of succession for Haitians will be.

It is unclear, though, how Haiti could hold elections of any kind while the security crisis continues to worsen and worsen. All eyes are on a force of soldiers in Kenya, 1,000 troops, their government has agreed to send them to Haiti to take on the gangs, but no update as of yet when those troops will deploy.

And Haitians that I've spoken to in the capital, Port-au-Prince, say even those who manage to stockpile food and water are running low on supplies, and they say that Haitians simply cannot wait any longer for help that has to arrive now.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, much more to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, including more reactions to U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union address. We'll have a live report after the break. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

Returning now to our top story, the fiery State of the Union address delivered a few hours ago by U.S. President Joe Biden. He highlighted his stances on taxes, foreign policy, and reproductive rights, and called out Republicans for not supporting a bipartisan border security bill.

He called for more aid to Ukraine and acknowledged the, quote, "gut- wrenching conflict in Gaza". Biden also warned that freedom was under attack both here in the U.S. and also abroad. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under assault at home as they are today. What makes our moment rare is that freedom and democracy are under attack both at home and overseas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:35:02]

BRUNHUBER: CNN correspondent Kristie Lu Stout joins us now from Hong Kong. So, I want to pick up on that overseas part, Kristie. The president didn't mince words about China. So, take us through what he said.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, he said the U.S. is stronger than China. Joe Biden flexed American muscle over China in this address. And while he did say, what we've heard before, that the U.S. wants competition with China, not conflict, the U.S. president emphasized that the U.S. will, quote, "win the competition for the 21st century against China or anyone else".

Now, speaking before Congress, Biden said that America is standing up against China in terms of both trade and foreign affairs. I want you to listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: We're standing up against China's unfair economic practices. We're standing up for peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits. I've revitalized our partnership and alliance in the Pacific. I've made sure that the most advanced American technologies can't be used in China.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: And those comments come right on the heels of a statement we heard yesterday at the National People's Congress, when Wang Yi slammed U.S. trade and tech policies on the sidelines of the gathering in Beijing. The foreign minister, Wang Yi, slammed the U.S. for a bewildering level of trade curbs. And Wang Yi also said this.

Let's bring up the quote for you. He said, "if the U.S. is obsessed with suppressing China, it will eventually harm itself", unquote.

The U.S. under President Biden has been limiting China's ability to access sensitive, high-end technology like chips over fears that such technology could be used by the Chinese military and bolster the PLA.

The U.S. has also used sanctions against a number of Chinese entities over a host of issues, including allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang, the illicit fentanyl trade, as well as support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Now, Wang did concede that, yes, there has been, in his words, some improvements in the U.S.-China relationship, especially since that summit that took place in November in San Francisco between Biden and Xi Jinping. And we have seen evidence of improvement. High-level military communications have resumed between the U.S. and China. A working group has been set up to curb the flow of fentanyl to the United States.

But tension exists. Just last month, Wang Yi called on the U.S. to lift sanctions. So that, along with the tough language that we have heard this week, both in Beijing and Washington, all underscore the tension that is there. Back to you, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, I appreciate that. Thanks so much.

U.S. House committee has advanced a bill that could lead to a nationwide ban on TikTok. If enacted, the measure would give the social media platform about five months to divest from its parent company ByteDance, which is linked to China. Now, if it doesn't, TikTok would be banned from U.S. app stores, including Apple and Google. Lawmakers are concerned that Americans' personal data collected by

TikTok could end up in the hands of the Chinese government. But TikTok is pushing back, saying the government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their constitutional right to free expression. It also says the move will damage millions of businesses, deny artists an audience and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country.

But one of the bill's co-sponsors in Congress says that response proves his point. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE GALLAGHER (R-WI): The pressure campaign that TikTok put in place today, where they forced a pop-up on the app that called members of Congress and also told a lie that we were forcing an outright ban, which this bill is not, proves the danger. They sort of proved the entire point.

Imagine if those lies were allowed to spread on topics like our election or a foreign war. So that's what we're trying to guard against. And in our construct, users can continue to enjoy the app so long as we fix the ownership problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: It's been 10 years since Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared. Now, as family members of those on board the plane mark the sad milestone, they're hoping a new search may finally solve the mystery. We'll have a live report from Hong Kong after the break. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:40:00]

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BRUNHUBER: Today marks the 10th anniversary of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. And earlier this week, the Malaysian government said it may renew the search for the doomed flight.

In the early hours of March 8th, 2014, Flight MH370 was heading to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. But about an hour into the flight, it dropped off radar and vanished.

Aviation experts tell CNN improved detection technology could help them find out what happened.

Now let's bring in CNN's Anna Coren, live in Hong Kong. Anna, many families still searching for closure. Is there a greater chance now that they might actually get it?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're certainly hoping. You know, it's hard to believe, Kim, that it's been 10 years since MH370 disappeared with 239 people on board. This is one of the greatest aviation mysteries of the world yet to be solved. But for the families of those victims, you know, this has been an agonizing search for answers and the truth. There have been multiple searches spanning hundreds of thousands of kilometers in the Indian Ocean that -- that have turned up empty handed.

That's all that's been discovered is really just a few dozen pieces of debris mostly washed up on the east coast of Africa. But now there are talks of renewing search efforts for the wreckage thanks to pressure from the families.

The Malaysian government has said that it is committed to finding MH370 and the search will go on. We heard that from the transport minister last weekend.

It has said that it will engage in talks with Ocean Infinity. Now, this is a U.S. marine robotics firm that ended its last search back in 2018. But we have spoken to world renowned aviation expert Richard Godfrey, and he is certain that MH370 can be found but not where Ocean Infinity will be looking. He says he has four pieces of information, information from Boeing, information from Inmarsat, the satellite company that tracked MH370 every hour it was in the air.

He has data from oceanographers and finally, whisper data. Now this is new technology using radio amateur signals and he has said all four different data align.

And that's why he believes that there is now an accurate crash location. He said, however, that the black box that it must be recovered to establish exactly what happened so that the world can obviously learn the lessons for the future and safety of the aviation industry, remembering 10 million people around the world get on a plane each day.

But most importantly, for those families so that they can learn the truth and finally, you know, get the closure that they so desperately want and deserve, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right, I appreciate that. Anna Coren in Hong Kong. Thank you so much.

I want to bring into the conversation Florence de Changy, author of "The Disappearing Act: The Impossible Case of MH730". She's also the Asia correspondent for "Le Monde" and Radio France International. Thank you so much for joining us. So, you know, you've been following this since the beginning. What do you make of this development that the government might again investigate and search for this plane?

[03:44:55]

FLORENCE DE CHANGY, ASIA CORRESPONDENT, LE MONDE AND RFI: Well, it's interesting because you may remember that in 2014, when Anwar Ibrahim, the current prime minister, was about to go back to jail, he actually told me that he did not believe for a minute that we could have lost this plane. And I remember him telling me that he signed himself the order for the very good radar that Malaysia was equipped with. So now, 10 years later, the roles have changed. Najib Razak, who 10

years ago was the spokesperson of what I call the official narrative, which is indeed that the plane, you know, did a U-turn, went up the Malacca Strait and then went down in a ghost flight and crashed in the Southern Indian Ocean.

So, Najib Razak is now in jail. And we have the person as a prime minister who 10 years ago was questioning this official narrative. But so it's very good that he's for relaunching the search. As far as I'm concerned, I think I have demonstrated, actually demonstrated that the plane never ended in the Southern Indian Ocean. So I'm not against them doing one more search, as long as, and I have two caveats, as long as they do this search in good faith, and as long as what they find at the end is not just one or two trophy pieces, but the actual field of debris.

Because you may remember AF447, which is a very interesting case to compare. It was the flight between Rio and Paris, and it crashed in June 2009. And it took two years to find the field of debris, same kind of depth, you know, 5,000 to 6,000 meters. Eventually, 90 percent of the plane was recovered within a square kilometer. So just finding a few trophy pieces won't do.

And everyone, public opinion included, must be aware that the only credible evidence they could give us that the plane actually crashed there is the whole field of debris. And I don't believe they will find it.

BRUNHUBER: Okay, so I mean, there seems to be a divergence of opinion as to where the plane might be and where they will be searching. We heard that one fellow saying, you know, he's located basically where he thinks it is, but they'll be searching in the wrong place. What do you think?

DE CHANGY: I mean, are they searching in the wrong place? They're definitely searching in the wrong place. I am now more certain than ever, as shocking as this may sound, that the plane never crashed in the Southern Indian Ocean. I am almost more certain than ever that against everything that has been said against the captain, Captain Zaharie Shah, he was actually a very good, very decent person, and also an excellent pilot, one of the best of Malaysia Airlines. He was at the top of his game. And if anything nefarious happened to this plane, as it obviously did, it's got nothing to do with him.

BRUNHUBER: So on one hand here, we have the advantage of new technology. On the other hand, I mean, it's hard enough to find a plane in such a wide ocean at these depths. But 10 years later, I mean, what extra challenges will they face here?

DE CHANGY: Well, if you're talking about Ocean Infinity, it's a fantastic company. They are really state of the art. And when they joined the party, if I may say, you know, two years after the Australian tried to find a plane without success, they suddenly had means which were 10 times more powerful and they could search in a matter of weeks. Altogether, they first gave themselves a few weeks and then they

extended it. And they searched way more square kilometers than the Australian search had done previously. So it's not a problem of means and of, yes, resources. Keep in mind as well that Ocean Infinity is not a good Samaritan who's going to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars every day for this endeavor. Their job is to look for wrecks. They are salvagers. They look for wrecks that maybe have gold or silver.

And they got access to the mapping of the ocean to do the initial campaign. So they also have their own interest in doing this. And I'm not confident, I'm not sure that all they want to do is just find MH370.

BRUNHUBER: It's already been the most expensive plane search in history. I want to turn now to the relatives, the loved ones. I mean, what does this search mean to them? Is it, you know, new hope?

DE CHANGY: I think on the one hand, some of them think, well, I mean, they don't mind because a new search means that the attention on this case remains there. And they need that. They need public opinion to continue to care. I was in Malaysia just a few days ago, and I met quite a few of them.

[03:50:04]

But interestingly enough, a majority of them, I would say, based on just the relation I have with some of them, including the Chinese families, which were two-thirds of the passengers on the plane, they actually do not believe that the plane crashed in the Southern Indian Ocean.

When Australia wanted to build a memorial on the West Coast to kind of, you know, close the case, they refused. They said, no way.

We're not going to put a memorial in Australia when we have no tangible evidence whatsoever that our loved ones have perished here. Remember that there was not a single piece of debris. There is not a body. There was nothing for 500 days. And then, eventually, a rather problematic piece of debris, 5,000 kilometers from there.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Listen, we'll have to leave it there. Certainly hoping the mystery is solved. Really appreciate getting your insights on this, Florence de Changy. Thank you so much.

DE CHANGY: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: We'll be right back.

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BRUNHUBER: As protests and observances take place across the globe in the coming hours on International Women's Day, there are troubling signs that violence is growing against women in Italy, especially at the hands of their own loved ones. As CNN's Barbie Nadeau reports from Rome, efforts are underway to fight it. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): The weight of violence against women hangs heavy over Italy.

Last year alone, more than 100 women were victims of femicide when a murder is committed by a family member, a former or current lover, or husband. That's roughly one woman killed every three days.

Italy does not have the highest rate of violence against women in Europe, but scores very low in terms of gender equality, ranking 79th of 146 countries in the World Economic Forum's 2023 gender parity ranking, falling 16 places from the previous year because of the rise in victims of deadly violence.

One of those victims was Julia Ceketin, a college student allegedly killed by her ex-boyfriend who, according to what her friends told investigators, was stalking her.

Julia's story sparked protests, pushing Italians to confront violence against women. But more than a dozen women have been murdered since her body was found.

Maria Grazia is a survivor. She was able to leave a situation of violence before it was too late, but she says it wasn't easy for her.

MARIA GRAZIA, ABUSE SURVIVOR (through translator): In a situation of violence, you close yourself off and in the darkest solitude because in the end there is a prejudice that if a woman is the victim of a situation of violence, it is partly her fault.

NADEAU (voice-over): After her own personal struggles, Maria Grazia co-founded Messone Antigone, an organization that has helped support hundreds of women in need of support.

GRAZIA (through translator): After having experienced a situation of personal violence, a very strong experience of violence and having gone through courts and so on, I personally realized that there is no help, no real help for a woman experiencing these things.

NADEAU (voice-over): Hundreds of women in Italy navigate a complicated bureaucratic system when it comes to reporting threats like stalking and abuse.

[03:55:01]

Another organization tackling violence against women is CADME, a shelter for abused women in Milan. It is helping to ensure their narrative from victim to survivor. The group says it rescued over 600 women from their abusers last year and that it's helped more than 36,000 since its founding in 1986.

The organization not only removes women from dangerous situations and houses them in shelters, they rehabilitate women and prepare them to enter back into society and the workforce, providing legal and psychological support. CADME head coordinator Cristina Carelli tells us it's very important

for women to be autonomous and economically independent in order to have true freedom. She says their success has not only been through helping women directly, but also through prevention, education and media campaigns.

She says they're observing the influx of many young women to the anti- violence center. When she met women 25 years ago, they were generally women around 40 years old who had told very long stories of violence, she says.

Italian women are calling for change.

LORELLA ZANARDO, AUTHOR, FILMMAKER, ACTIVIST: We have another history, so I think that we have to work a lot. I believe that we have to start in schools in how the elementary books are written, how the role of women is represented. But in the last years, we have moved forward. There are signs of changes. Of course, we cannot relax.

NADEAU (voice-over): For these young women, change needs to happen faster.

UNKNOWN (through translator): In the end, after those years, there have been important changes that can be seen, but I think today the playing field is still not totally complete between the two genders.

UNKNOWN: And my generation, in educating the generation to come, because we are failing.

NADEAU (voice-over): Women may be on the front lines, but all Italians need to wage the battle against inequality for lasting change.

Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.

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BRUNHUBER: Well starting Monday, CNN International will feature a new lineup in the Europe prime time hours. "Amanpour" and "Isa Soares Tonight" remain at their current times, but at 3 p.m. Eastern, that's 8 p.m. in Central Europe. CNN NEWSROOM with Jim Sciutto will debut, followed by "Quest Means Business" at a new time of 4 p.m. Eastern, 9 p.m. in Europe.

Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Kim Brunhuber, in Atlanta. The news continues with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo, after the break.

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