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Ramadan Begins Under Israeli Siege, Attacks; U.S., E.U., Germany Evacuate Embassy Staff From Haiti Over Gang Violence; News Agencies Withdraw Photo Of UK's Princess Of Wales; "Oppenheimer" Dominates Academy Awards With 7 Wins; China's Congress Ending With Unity Behind Xi's Vision for National Greatness. Israel-Hamas War; "20 Days in Mariupol" Wins Best Documentary at Oscars; Illegal Child Labor Surging in the U.S.; Backlash over GOP Response to President Biden's State of the Union Address; Japanese Filmmakers Win Big at the Academy Awards: Liverpool Face Manchester City During Klopp's Farewell Tour. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired March 11, 2024 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company. Coming up here on CNN Newsroom, Gaza on edge as Ramadan begins and ceasefire talks stall as Israel says it will push ahead with a crown defensive in the southern city of Rafah.
The U.S. and European Union evacuate their embassy staff from Haiti as the country plunges further into chaos.
And Oppenheimer destroys the competition at the Oscars. We'll have the highlights from Hollywood's biggest night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with Michael Holmes.
HOLMES: And we begin this hour in Gaza where Palestinians are marking the start of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan under fire and with the threat of an expanded Israeli offensive looming.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he plans to push ahead with a military ground incursion into Rafah, the southern Gaza City where more than a million people are sheltering after being told by Israel to go there. This comes just days after talks on a temporary ceasefire and hostage release failed to reach a deal.
Israel had warned it would launch the next phase of its war against Hamas if a deal was not reached by Ramadan. But U.S. officials say the Biden administration isn't expecting Israeli forces to imminently expand operations to refer. Israel had also promised to give civilians there a safe way out before any major operation, and that clearly has not yet happened.
Meanwhile, Hamas says it is still open to talks with Israel but there are no dates yet for negotiators to return to Egypt. All of this happening as Israel's Prime Minister defends his policies
in Gaza, after the U.S. president said Netanyahu is, quote, hurting Israel more than helping. CNN's Scott McLean following all the developments for us from Istanbul.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In an interview this weekend, President Joe Biden said that an Israeli invasion of Rafah would be a red line for him but he also said that he would never cut Israel off of all weapons. That apparently didn't sound all that threatening to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who insisted that an Israeli invasion of Rafah will go ahead. He said the fighting could last two months. Perhaps even less than that this despite the fact that you have well over 1 million Palestinians taking refuge in the city of Rafah with frankly, no safe places to go within the territory.
Netanyahu in this interview with POLITICO and the German outlet Bild also responded to Biden's public criticism when he said that Netanyahu was hurting Israel more than he was helping. Here's the Israeli Prime Minister's response.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Well, I don't know exactly what the President meant. But if he meant by that, then I'm pursuing private policies against the majority the wishes of the majority of Israelis and that this is hurting the interests of Israel, and he's wrong on both counts.
MCLEAN: Israel had previously promised to move into Rafah on the ground if a hostage release deal wasn't made by Ramadan. Well, Ramadan is here now. And that deal has not been made. There are also no signs of any kind of negotiating breakthrough. Hamas left Cairo where the last rounds of talks were being held on Thursday. The Israelis were never there at all because they say that Hamas could not provide even a list of hostages who were alive and those who are now dead.
Hamas also continues to insist that no deal can be reached unless the IDF is willing to completely withdraw from Gaza. And any ceasefire that's agreed to is a permanent one, a pretty tough sell for the Israelis who again, as you heard from the Prime Minister continue to insist that they will only end this war when Hamas is completely eliminated and that means in Rafah as well.
We also heard from the Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, who gave a televised address on Sunday. He says that he is still open to talks but he says that no hostages will be released until the deal is made. Scott McLean CNN Istanbul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Local leaders in Gaza are pleading for food, clean water and other aid as Ramadan begins. They're also asking for help with repairing essential services like Waste Management and sanitation part of the infrastructure destroyed or damaged by Israel during this war.
[01:05:08] Some countries working to bypass the ground routes to deliver aid to Gaza. On Sunday, the U.S. and Jordan conducting an airdrop containing the equivalent of 11,500 meals into northern Gaza, although aid group say that is a band aid for the strip's 2.2 million hungry residents.
Meanwhile, Cyprus working with the U.S. the UAE and its European partners to create a maritime corridor to deliver a directly to Gaza that way. The president of Cyprus has said the first ship was due to leave Sunday. Again, aid group say it's something but not nearly enough, or as efficient as pressuring Israel to open more land crossings.
And turning now to the ever worsening situation in Haiti, where escalating violence prompted diplomatic evacuations from Port-au- Prince this weekend. Our Patrick Oppmann with the details including what the future might hold for the embattled prime minister Ariel Henry.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Under the cover of darkness, a U.S. military helicopter evacuated non-essential personnel from the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince, the embassy will remain operational and that same helicopter brought in extra security presumably U.S. Marines to help guard the embassy as the increased gang violence that has paralyzed Haiti continues.
Other embassies including the German and European Union embassy also evacuated diplomats by helicopter. And this is really foreign diplomats. Essentially, the only way to get out of the country at this point because the airport remains closed after fighting from the gangs. Attacking police came very close to the Port-au-Prince airport, one point was actually damaged by the gunfire.
I'm told by diplomats that tried to leave over the land border to the Dominican Republic is simply too dangerous at this point because of all the checkpoints that gangs have set up. So for the lucky few diplomats, who were able to go out by helicopter, that is really the only way out. Other diplomats who have remained behind in country, I have said that their stories of food and water are running low.
Of course, for the thousands of Haitians who have been displaced by the gang violence, it is a much, much more difficult and dangerous situation.
All eyes are on Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who does believe remains in Puerto Rico unable to return to his own country and under increased pressure from the U.S. and from political parties in Haiti have to come up with a diplomatic solution to announce the formation of a transitional government to say when elections could be held. Up until now, though, Henry has kept largely silent and has not stated what his intentions are. Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, several major news agencies have withdrawn an image of Catherine the Princess of Wales and her three children claiming the photo has been manipulated. It was released Sunday by Kensington Palace, the first official image of the princess since her abdominal surgery in January.
The picture also included a message from her thanking the public for its support, while also marking Mother's Day in the UK. CNN has conducted its own preliminary review of the image and identified at least two areas which appear to show some evidence of potential manipulation you see them circled there.
If you look very closely, this first area includes some potential altering our Princess Charlotte sleeve cuff, actually pretty easy to see. The second area under scrutiny is a zipper on the left hand side of the jacket, the princess is wearing.
There are a lot of other questions out there too. And it's prompted a lot of speculation, particularly on social media where a lot of people are pointing out other differences that they have seen. Earlier, we spoke with royal biographer and author Sally Bedell Smith, about the controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SALLY BEDELL SMITH, ROYAL BIOGRAPHER AND AUTHOR: I think there's a lot. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered. And I think right now, given this unintended consequence, you know how well intentioned it was, which it clearly was. And I think they have, you know, they have said that they do not doubt the validity of the, you know, this is an image of the Prince of Wales with their children. It's just certain aspects of it seem to have been manipulated.
But I think the agents need to be more clear on what they mean by doctor that manipulated. I mean, look, every formal portrait that is issued to the press has been tweaked electronically and digitally in some way.
[01:10:00]
So, I mean, it's sort of where do you draw the line? And if the, I mean, I think, you know, across social media people have noticed that Kate isn't wearing her wedding ring and they're there -- George has one of his, you know, his fingers crossed, and that may well have been, what the situation was in the moment when they when Prince William took the picture.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: CNN has reached out to Kensington Palace for comment.
Well, Hollywood wrapped up its biggest night a short time ago celebrating the best achievements in filmmaking and 2023 at the 96 Academy Awards. Awards darling Oppenheimer dominated the competition. They got seven Oscars out of 13 nominations, and that included awards for cinematography, original score, Best Director, Best Actor in both leading and supporting roles, and the top honor of the night Best Picture. Not far behind was the genre defying comedy Poor Things, earning Emma
Stone her second Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role. The night also featured performances by nominees for Best Original Song.
That's part of Ryan Gosling show stopping performance of I'm Just Ken from Barbie made by Warner Brothers, part of CNN's parent company. His performance earned a standing ovation but ultimately the movies other nominated song, what I was made for ended up taking the Oscar.
China's leaders laying out their plans for 2024 and beyond. When we come back, look at their vision and how the U.S. presidential election might come into play.
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HOLMES: China's National People's Congress is due to wrap up in a matter of hours the annual meeting of the country's legislature one of two major political sessions happening in China this month. The other held by its political advisory body ended on Sunday.
Our Beijing bureau chief Steven Jiang is in Tiananmen Square with more on the sessions and what they mean for China unusual to see you there in Tiananmen Square. Steven, tell us what you know.
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: That's right Michael. This is extremely rare access to this landmark in the center of Beijing. But it wasn't always the case. Because even though this place always carries a lot of political significance and sensitivity, the general public including us foreign reporters, used to be able to come here fairly easily.
And the people did come here not only for political rallies, sometimes protests but also just to hang out, you know, fly kites and there were street vendors and local residents even came here during hot summer nights to enjoy some breeze but those days long gone.
[01:15:08]
Now displays Michael teeming with the surveillance cameras and security personnel and they've set up a very wide perimeter. And you have to go through a very strict ID and security checks just to come visit and by appointment only. And it's basically off limits for us for reporters, because as soon as see, they see that for -- journalist's visa and your passport at you are denied entry. So it's really thanks to this annual gathering of the NPC that we are able to come here and broadcasting live.
And of course, this is the first quote unquote normal NPC post the pandemic, no more COVID bubbles, but still, it is a shorter session only a week compared to a close to two weeks in the past. And some people have jokingly said, this event is more scripted than most Oscar nominees, there are no surprises in less than two hours. As you as you said that nearly 3,000 delegates, they're going to be voting on a number of government proposals and reports, but they're all going to be passing without any suspension and perhaps, increasingly likely, with unanimous votes. Again, not always the case during the more freewheeling 1990s or even
early 2000s. Even in this rubber stamp parliament, delegates used to be able to show their displeasure with government policies or directions with dissenting votes sometimes in the hundreds. But that's not the case anymore. Now they're just simply casting their yes votes to these decisions already made by the leadership weeks or even months ago.
And the only major plot twist this year, of course, is the cancellation of the premier's press conference, an annual tradition for the past three decades, used to be the only chance every year for the number two leader to address the nation and indeed the world directly.
But not anymore, because as many have pointed out, it's another sign of the growing opacity of the system, but also the diminishing role of the Premier who was used to be tasked with running the economy with a fairly free rein, but now he is a mere implementer of the top leader Xi Jinping's decisions and this is very much this recurring theme here, Michael, that is, in today's China only one man is calling all the shots and with the latest developments, all of the institutional guardrails set up by the successors of Chairman Mao, whose portrait you can see behind me, in terms of internal checks and balances, in terms of mechanisms to prevent a net arise of a code of personality or in that arise of one man rule very much eviscerated as Xi Jinping has successfully reasserted the party's absolute control over every aspect of society.
And that of course, Michael, carries major domestic as well as a global implications. Michael.
HOLMES: Yes, yes, Great wrap up this, Steven. And, as you say, increasingly opaque. unusual to see in there. Good to see Steven Jiang. Thanks.
Joining me now is Simone McCarthy. She is the China writer for cnn.com. It's great to see you, Simone. You attended this gathering an important time for China's leaders to lay out their vision for the year ahead. Briefly, before we get into the nuts and bolts summarize that vision for us.
SIMONE MCCARTHY, CHINA WRITER, CNN.COM: That's right, Michael. Thousands of delegates from across the country gathered in Beijing this week for what is really the Chinese government's most important opportunity to broadcast their overarching goals for the year ahead. That's on everything from the economy, to social issues to foreign policy.
Chinese leaders were keen to project confidence in the economy this year, they set an ambitious growth target of around 5 percent. But one of the things that we saw that was really an overarching goal was this transformation of China's economy into a high tech economy. There was a lot of focus on science and technology development, on innovation and on technological self-reliance.
HOLMES: Right, right. Now, let's talk about the U.S. and China. The economy's obviously deeply intertwined. They depend on each other in many ways, but the political and diplomatic relationship is fraught as we know. Trump and Biden they both talk tough on China on a range of issues. Did you get a sense who China would rather win the U.S. election, Trump or Biden?
MCCARTHY: Well, Michael, Chinese leaders did not specifically address the U.S. elections in this gathering, and they typically are reticent to make comments about other countries elections. That said, we know that they're concerned about an increase in pressure on China coming into the election campaign season, and moving into the next presidential term ahead.
The other thing that we can certainly be sure of is that they're weighing up the pros and cons of a Trump presidency versus a Biden presidency and focusing as I just mentioned, on self-reliance on a defensive posture, making sure that China is ready and secure for whoever comes into office because those tensions are likely to continue.
HOLMES: Yes, I guess if Biden is Trump on top on China, Trump despite his love of authoritarian leaders is nothing if not unpredictable some would say unreliable.
[01:20:05]
Is that unpredictably -- unpredictability what worries China most about Trump that he can switch policy and rhetoric on a whim?
MCCARTHY: That's absolutely something that Chinese leaders are concerned about. And I think world leaders across the globe are also thinking about that as they consider the return of Trump to a second term in office. That said, I do think that Trump's economic policy towards China is probably the thing that Chinese leaders are the most concerned about.
We've already seen the former president floating upwards of 60 percent tariffs on Chinese imports into the U.S., that would come at a very difficult time for China.
Michael, as you know, we've already seen a property sector crisis, a stock market route, there's high youth unemployment, not to mention weak consumer demand, a host of issues are affecting the Chinese economy. So putting a huge hole in their export market, that would be something that would be very challenging and that Chinese leaders are definitely thinking about and trying to prepare for.
HOLMES: Right because Donald Trump apart from starting trade wars with China when he was in office, he's then -- he's also seen as friendly or sympathetic to Vladimir Putin. Someone Mr. Xi has a close relationship with his criticized NATO, his criticized American defense pacts with Japan and South Korea. He's signaled a willingness to implement trade measures against allies in Europe.
How does all that play into the hands of Xi's global strategy for China? MCCARTHY: Absolutely, that is something that the Chinese leadership will be thinking about in terms of opportunities. If Biden comes into, excuse me, if Trump comes into office, that's something that we've seen Beijing watching warily, especially as Biden has tightened U.S. alliances, we see that of course, with the war in Ukraine, where U.S. and European partners have created a united front against Russia's aggression in Europe.
We've also seen that in terms of in what China would consider its own neighborhood with Japan and South Korea, where Biden has tightened security coordination across -- with both of those partners, as well as with the security conferences of aqueous and the quad.
So, Beijing has been very concerned about this. And the other thing about that is that they see that some of those partners are then going along with what they see as U.S. policy to suppress China. And that's something that we see with European countries derisking their supply chains.
And so were Trump to come into office, and then to continue what is more seen as his America First policy? Well, that would certainly be something that Chinese leaders would look to benefit from.
And I will just add one more thing on that point, Michael, and that's the Chinese leader Xi Jinping has been very interested in pushing back against a world order that he sees dominated by the United States. And so we're America to step back from that leadership position. That's something that he would certainly see as serving his own personal goals.
HOLMES: Fascinating analysis. Simone McCarthy, the China writer for cnn.com got a piece up there right now. People should go and check it out. Thanks so much.
MCCARTHY: Thank you, Michael.
HOLMES: British cosmetics company, The Body Shop is shutting down all of its U.S. based operations and plans to close dozens of its Canadian stores as it filed for bankruptcy. 33 of those stores in Canada will begin liquidation sales immediately, but all locations will remain open for the time being. High inflation has hurt traditional retailers like The Body Shop, brands that operate out of shopping malls and serve the struggling middle class.
More and more workers are returning to the office and they're bringing their bad behavior with them. Maybe you've experienced it the loud chewers, the snacks dealers, co-workers, who won't use headphones and a few of those, and it's getting so bad that companies are turning to etiquette consultants. CNN's Clare Duffy spoke to one who critiqued the behavior of our team at Quest Means Business.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: The return to the office was tough for many people, it meant returning to long commutes less flexibility, and an unwelcome surprise, some people have forgotten how to behave. DUFFY (voice-over): A resume builder survey from July found that
nearly two-thirds of companies are planning to offer workplace etiquette classes in 2024. The issues are wide ranging from how to behave in front of clients to what conversations are appropriate for the office. And etiquette consultants like Anne Chertoff, say demand is booming.
ANNE CHERTOFF, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, BEAUMONT ETIQUETTE: So in the past few years, we've seen 100% increase in companies reaching out to us and ordering trainings in a variety of topic areas.
DUFFY (voice-over) We spoke with Chertoff about some of the most common workplace behavior faux pas and how managers should handle them. And with the help of some willing co-workers, she gave us some hands on pointers.
CHERTOFF: All right, so Anne, talk to us about proper workplace attire. We just saw workplace sweat suit? What do you think of that?
[01:25:00]
DUFFY: So the way we do dress attire today is dress for your day. And if you're at home, you can definitely wear athleisure. You could wear sweatpants, because you're not interacting with other people in a visual way. But if you're going into the office, you need to step it up a little bit.
DUFFY (voice-over): Now, some of these issues have been around for a long time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, come on. Do you see this?
DUFFY (voice-over): Habits from the work from home era are coming back with people's they returned to the office.
DUFFY: Leaving the dirty dish on the counter, not the right move.
CHERTOFF: No, because you're not being respectful or considerate to the other people that you work with.
DUFFY (voice-over): Adjusting to the hybrid work era brought challenges of its own,
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tony. Guys, tell them something this is public and recorded.
DUFFY (voice-over): What's appropriate for a Zoom call still causes debate, including whether you really need to get fully dressed.
CHERTOFF: The problem with wearing pajama pants or sweatpants or, you know, leggings from the gym or something like that is that if you do have to get up to get something, they could see that you're wearing athleisure.
DUFFY (voice-over): And it's not just Zoom calls. Taking old fashioned phone calls around coworkers can also lead to all sorts of problems. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yello. Yeas, sitting right behind me. Why?
DUFFY (voice-over): It's not just eavesdroppers who cause friction. It's also those who do this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Are we going to have happy hour later? Yes, where we going?
DUFFY: So if we were trying to get worked on here, we were trying to have a meeting, this would probably be a little distracting.
CHERTOFF: So sometimes people don't realize that the volume of their voice is as loud as it is. And I've been a victim of that. So I completely get that. They may not realize that they're talking so loud. They might not realize that you've overheard their entire medical history on the phone.
DUFFY (voice-over) Chertoff told me she works with all types of companies on workplace etiquette. And while all levels of workers participate, dealing with one group of employees has proven especially tricky.
CHERTOFF: Companies are hiring us to come in to teach new hires Gen Z right out of college first job right out of grad school, but also to kind of reinforce those skills to colleagues who were out of the office in remote settings for so many years. And now they're coming back.
DUFFY (voice-over): Now, while this era of return to work has brought its challenges. There's good news to, Chertoff says all of these things are like muscle memory. So as we get used to being back together, we should get better at remembering how to behave. Clare Duffy, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: John Vause does all of those things. I'm just saying that's all. All right, quick break when we come back, growing concerns over Rafah as Israel's Prime Minister says he still plans a ground offensive in the southern Gaza City. We'll have details for you.
Also, Kyiv not happy with Pope Francis's recent comments on Russia's war in Ukraine. We'll have more on what President Zelenskyy is saying after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:30:26]
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. President Joe Biden says the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is quote, "front of mind", in a statement marking the start of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
Mr. Biden acknowledged the terrible suffering, as he put it, of the Palestinian people as the war rages on in Gaza and pledged his administration is continuing to work nonstop again, as he put it, on a ceasefire.
Over the weekend, the U.S. president said the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is quote, "hurting Israel more than helping and must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost in Gaza".
Netanyahu responded defending his policies and saying he plans to move forward with a ground offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to, as he put it, eradicate Hamas there.
CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is in Washington with details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: U.S. officials tell CNN that the Biden administration does not currently anticipate that Israeli Forces will expand their military operations into Rafah. That's an area in Gaza where more than a million Palestinians have fled.
And that has been a looming concern as negotiators worked around the clock to try to reach a ceasefire deal. That deal would include a six- week temporary ceasefire, as well as the release of hostages, particularly the most vulnerable.
Now Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that regardless of a deal, he plans to expand his military operation into this area Rafah.
President Biden on the other hand, saying that that would be a red line. So it's unclear where this deal is headed, whether they can reach a ceasefire deal, but this potential operation into Rafah could set up a showdown between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Biden.
Priscilla Alvarez, CNN -- Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Pope Francis is being slammed by Ukraine after saying Kyiv should negotiate with Russia to end the fighting in an interview with a Swiss broadcaster. The Pontiff said Kyiv should have quote, "courage of the white flag to negotiate".
But Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the Pope's remarks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): When the Russian evil started this war on February 24, all Ukrainians stood up to defend -- all Christians, Muslims, Jews, everyone.
I think every Ukrainian chaplain who's with the army and the defense forces on the front line, defending life and humanity. They support us with prayer, with talk, and with (INAUDIBLE).
This is with the church where the people live. Not two-and-a-half thousand kilometers away, somewhere to mediate virtually between someone who wants to live and someone who wants to destroy you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Ukraine's foreign minister says he's is also critical of the Popes comments saying in a social media post for Kyiv, we'll quote, "never raise any other flags other than its own."
Meanwhile, Poland's foreign minister says the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine is not unthinkable, even though Ukraine is not a member of the alliance.
In a speech marking the 25th anniversary of Poland's accession to NATO the minister showed appreciation for the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron, who said last month that sending western troops to Ukraine could not be ruled out.
Those comments drew swift responses from European leaders, including Poland's prime minister, who said there were no such plans.
The documentary about journalists working on the frontlines of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It's called "20 Days in Mariupol" has won best documentary at the 96th Academy Awards.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So everything that happened in my (INAUDIBLE) give me at least some meaning to this horror. My brain will desperately want to forget all this but the camera will not let it happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Here's the film's director accepting the Oscar.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MSTYSLAV CHERNOV, DIRECTOR, "20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL: This is the first Oscar in the Ukrainian history.
And I'm honored. I'm honored. But probably I will be the first director on the stage who will say, I wish I would never have made this film.
[01:34:51]
CHERNOV: I wish to be able to exchange this to Russia never attacking Ukraine, never occupying our cities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The documentarian spoke recently with CNN's Anna Coren and talked about what he wants viewers to learn from the film.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHERNOV: When we started making the film, it was urgent. It was news and we wanted to show the world how while Russia was claiming that they're not bombing civilians, that they're only targeting military targets they were in fact hitting civilian population, killing -- killing people. And that's what we try to show, but two years two years later Mariupol became -- the story of Mariupol is more than just about one city. It's about all those cities who have subsequently been obliterated by Russian bombs, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, recent, Marinka (ph). So that's, that's what we are trying to say.
This film is not only about Mariupol, it's about all the cities and about what's happening right now as we speak.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: "20 Days in Mariupol" also won best documentary at the 2024 BAFTA Film Awards last month.
Illegal child labor in the U.S. has surged over the past five years. Next up, the CNN Freedom Project takes a look at what's happening and what's being done to fight it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: The CNN Freedom Project is shining a light on illegal child labor. It's often considered a problem mainly in developing countries, but it has surged 88 percent in the United States over the past five years.
CNN's David Culver shows us what's happening and what's being done to fight it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For many migrants coming to the United States is less about searching for a dream than it is escaping a nightmare.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I came fleeing the violence in Mexico. Coming here, my eyes were shut and I came blindly to try and build a new life for my family.
CULVER: Often they wind up walking in places like this, a now- shuttered chicken processing plant just outside Los Angeles, California. In September, the Department of Labor raided two poultry plants owned by Exclusive Poultry, finding the company had employed children as young as 14 years old to debone chickens, wield sharp knives, and operate power-driven forklifts.
[01:39:57] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The knives? Yes, one time I actually poked at myself, just my finger went through the metal glove.
CULVER: 18-year-old Elandra was one of them.
She started working the graveyard shift at Exclusive Poultry when she was just 16, sitting beside her mother. Elandra asked us to protect her identity. She fears retribution from their former boss, whom she called scary. RODELIA ROMERO, CO-FOUNDER, CIELO: There's this narrative that we come
for the American dream but we come here to survive. We risk our lives to have a possibility to live.
CULVER: Rodelia Romero is co-founder of Cielo, a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles that provides interpretation services and works with indigenous migrants who've been abused or exploited by their employers. She says increasingly that work involves children.
ROMERO: If you go to the agriculture area of California. There's hundreds of children work there or in the restaurant, in the garment industry.
We have to change that mindset that it only happens outside the U.S. No, there is labor exploitation on children here in the United States. And it happens every day, everywhere.
CULVER: The Department of Labor says it has seen an 88 percent spike in children being illegally employed across all industries since 2019. In 2023 alone, the Department of Labor discovered nearly 6,000 kids were working illegally across the U.S.
RUBEN ROSALEZ, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR: They're taking advantage of workers that adults probably don't want to do these jobs in some cases.
CULVER: Ruben Rosalez leads the western region's Wage and Hour Division inside the Department of Labor.
ROSALEZ: We confirmed that a minimum of about 13 minors. We're vetting (ph) more so there could be more that come out of the case but they were doing deboning of chicken, working with forklifts and lifts -- hoists, dead lift up, big pieces, putting them into machinery.
So a lot of different dangerous jobs that they were working on.
CULVER: CNN reached up to the owner of Exclusive Poultry, which agreed to pay nearly 3.8 million in fines and back wages. They did not respond to our request for comment.
For Elandra and her mother Carmen, what they experienced is something they'd like to put behind them. It's also showed them the causes for hope in their adopted country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I felt bad because it was dangerous work for a minor. But necessity make us do these things. I stayed silent for a long time. I didn't know there were opportunities in people who would help.
They opened our eyes to the idea there are people who will support us in this country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And do be sure to join us this coming Thursday for "My Freedom Day" -- a day long student-driven event to raise awareness of modern- day slavery.
Backlash growing over the Republican response to U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union address when Alabama Senator Katie Britt falsely linked the story of a woman being sex trafficked to the president's immigration policies.
The woman in question is now speaking out exclusively to CNN. CNN's Rafael Romo with the story.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I have known Carla Jacinto since 2014. CNN profiled her story as part of CNN's Freedom Project, which seeks to raise awareness about modern-day slavery.
Jacinto says she's very careful about who she gives her testimony to and how and when she does it. So she was very surprised, she told me when she found out on Saturday that she was involuntarily put in the middle of a social media storm. This storm was prompted by what appears to be the use of her story during the Republican response to the State of the Union address by Alabama Senator Katie Britt.
I reached out to Karla Jacinto in Mexico City for her reaction. And this is part of what she told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: At one point when I met you years and years ago, you told me that you felt like at the beginning Mexican politicians had taken advantage of you buy using your story for political purposes.
Do you feel like that happened once again here in the United States?
KARLA JACINTO, CHILD TRAFFICKING SURVIVOR (through translator): Yes, in fact, I hardly ever cooperate with politicians because it seems to me that they only want an image. They only want a photo. And that to me is not fair.
I work as a spokesperson for many victims who have no voice and I really would like them to be empathetic. All the governors, all the senators to be empathetic with the issue of human trafficking because there are millions of girls and boys who disappear all the time. People who are really trafficked and abused as Senator Britt mentioned.
And I think Senator Britt should first take into account what really happened before telling a story of that magnitude.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: Karla Jacinto also told me that Senator Britt got many of the facts of her story wrong.
[01:44:47]
ROMO: First of all, Jacinto says that one, she was not trafficked by Mexican drug cartels, but by a pimp that operated as part of a family that entraps vulnerable girls in order to force them into prostitution.
Two, she also said that she was never trafficked in the United States as Senator Britt appeared to suggest.
And three, she was kept in captivity from 2004 to 2008 when President George W. Bush, a Republican was in office as opposed to the current administration as the senator implied.
And finally, she met the senator at an event at the border with other government officials and anti-human trafficking activists, instead of a one-on-one.
CNN has confirmed much of Jacinto has said in prior reporting and her story hasn't changed since we first spoke. Jacinto told me no one reached out to her to ask for her permission to use her story as part of a political speech.
"Someone using my story and distorting it for political purposes," she told me, "is not fair at all."
As for Senator Britt, CNN reached out again to her office seeking comment, but so far we haven't heard back.
This is what Senator Britt had to say in an interview with Fox News on Sunday about the story of Karla Jacinto.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SENATOR KATIE BRITT (R-AL): Well, I very -- I very clearly said I spoke to a woman who told me about when she was trafficked, when she was 12. So I didn't say a teenager. I didn't say a young woman, a grown woman, a woman when she was trafficked, when she was 12.
And so listening to her story -- and she is a victims' rights advocate, who was telling this is what drug cartels are doing. This is how they're profiting off of women. And it is disgusting.
And so I am hopeful that it brings some light to it and we can actually do something about human trafficking. And that's what the media actually decides to cover.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: In a prior statement to CNN, a spokesperson for Britt's office neither confirmed nor denied Britt was sharing Jacinto's account, but said the story the senator told was quote, "100 percent correct".
Rafael Romo, CNN -- Atlanta.
HOLMES: Democrats slamming Republicans, including presidential candidate Donald Trump for using another young woman's tragic story to make a political point. At a campaign stop in Georgia this week, Trump spoke about Laken Riley, you see there on the left, the 22-year-old nursing student killed last month. The suspect in the case is an undocumented immigrant. Trump blamed Riley's death on President Joe Biden's border policies and immigrants themselves. Georgia's Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock spoke to Jake Tapper Jake Tapper about that earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RAFAEL WARNOCK (D-GA): And so it's unfortunate that in this moment of grief, there are those who are trying to score cheap political points.
The border must be secured, we know this. There's agreement about that on both sides which is why we had a bipartisan piece of legislation before us, just a matter of weeks ago. and the fact that there are those who walked away from this bipartisan legislation, or at least a chance to debate it. And now they're trying to score political points in the wake of a young woman's death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right.
still to come on the program, Godzilla spotted in Los Angeles, walking away with an Oscar. But the film wasn't the only big winner from Japan. We'll be live from Tokyo next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:49:48]
HOLMES: Well, it was a big night for Japanese filmmakers at the 96th Academy Awards with "The Boy and The Heron" winning the Oscar for the Best Animated Feature Film.
And the Kaiju action movie, "Godzilla Minus One" winning for best special or visual effects.
CNN's Hanako Montgomery joins me now with more from Tokyo. Tell us more. What are a Japanese people making of what was a big night for them at the Oscars?
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Michael. As you said, I mean, this was a huge, huge night for Japanese cinema. And let me tell you, fans across the country have been celebrating these Oscar wins as though they personally have won these awards, Michael.
And you can't really blame them. I mean, they grew up watching Studio Ghibli films, Godzilla films. These are hugely, culturally significant an integral parts of Japanese anime and film history.
So really these Oscar wins were more of a nod to the international acclaim that these films have been garnering in recent years.
Now, tonight, "Godzilla Minus One" made history by becoming the first film in the franchise's 70 years to win an Oscar in the special visual effects category. You saw the director there with his other crew members, accept the golden statuettes with their Godzilla figurines, very on brand.
And as for Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli who have, y k, previously won an Oscar back in 2003 for their beloved "Spirited Away" film. This is another jewel in the crown for them. You know, Miyazaki, he came out of retirement to make "The Boy and The Heron". He was age -- he's 83 years old and it took him seven years -- seven painstaking years to make this film.
But I think it's safe to say it was very, very worth it because this is the film in Japan and that's made the most in terms of box office tickets and made more than $5.46 million during the opening weekend alone.
And they did this with a very different and unique marketing strategy -- a strategy -- practically none. There were no trailers. There were no announcements about the soundtrack, no idea about who was going to voice these characters.
You actually had to be in the audience to even know what the film was about. But it worked because it drew in those crowds. It drew in people like myself, very eager to know what "Boy and the Heron" was about.
And you know, because Studio Ghibli is known for its fantastic entertainment, Michael, it did not disappoint.
HOLMES: Yes, amazing success.
I wanted to ask you to because somebody -- my son follows the Dragon Ball. The creator of that, he died this past week. So anime fans at least I guess, have something to celebrate because that was pretty shocking news to a lot of fans.
MONTGOMERY: Yes, Michael very, very shocking news. I mean Akira Toriyama, he may Dragon Ball Z, which is, you know, one of the biggest, biggest franchises in Japan when it comes to anime.
And fans all week, right, have been mourning the death, the sudden death of Toriyama. Fans both in Japan and also globally. He was an integral part of many of these fans' lives.
So really this was a very sorrowful and sad moment for many people, but celebrating Miyazaki's win, celebrating also the Godzilla win it's sort of a highlight. It's a rainbow in the sky, so to speak for many of these anime fans, Michael.
HOLMES: Yes. Yes. Indeed. You know, that saddened my son. He's a big fan, got the T-shirts and all.
Hanako Montgomery. I appreciate it. Good to see you there in Tokyo covering this for us.
Well, a beached whale is running out of time off the coast of Florida. Wildlife crews are working to free a sperm whale that's been stuck on a sandbar near the city of Venice since Saturday morning. They've tried to sedate the whale, but the rough waters have made it too difficult. Authorities now say it may turn to a recovery effort rather than a rescue.
Sperm whales can be found in all major oceans, but their numbers have been in decline due to overfishing. They're now protected as an endangered species.
The biggest game of the English premier league season so far took place as Liverpool faced Manchester City on Sunday.
And this one was special because it was Jurgen Klopp's final match against Man City as Liverpool's manager.
Our Patrick Snell with the highlights.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: it was billed as the English premier leagues match of the season so far, and it did not disappoint.
Sunday's blockbuster between powerhouse rivals Liverpool and defending champs Manchester City. Both teams going into the game playing catch- up with new leaders arsenal (ph) who'd beaten Brentford on Saturday.
Just remember Jurgen Klopp's farewell season at Liverpool. Huge respect between Klopp and counterpart Pep Guardiola (ph) as the pair locked horns for the last time in the Premier League.
This was an absolutely superb contest between two great sides and it will be the champions ahead after just 23 minutes. A well-drilled corner routine as defender John Stones (ph) who opens the scoring.
[01:54:46]
SNELL: The injury hit red snow (ph) was transformed in the second half, Darwin Nunez (ph) is fouled by City keeper Edison after a poor back pass and (INAUDIBLE) Alexis McAllister making no mistake from the penalty spot for one - all.
It would be all Liverpool at this point, just past the hour mark. It's the sub, Mo Salah (ph) with a wonderful through ball. And Luis Diaz certain to score, you think well the chance is squandered.
And then more drama to come a minute from time as City's Jeremy (INAUDIBLE) has a good chance himself but his effort hits the inside of a post, right in front of a cop there, and then the young Belgian player at the center of a highly controversial moment deep into stoppage time to contact the high boot into the chest and McAllister? No penalty given though.
And absorbing match ends on his evening and just look at the emotional hugs there. We're seeing Klopp and Guardiola, the mutual respect between these two rival head coaches, once again, on full display.
What a game this was. JURGEN KLOPP, LIVERPOOL MANAGER: Probably nobody should opening the champagne bottles because there's long way to go for all of us but this is performance which really showed, ok, if you can play football like this against Man City, that's a statement and I love that.
SNELL: Arsenal now level on 64 points with Liverpool. But the Gunners lead the way on goal difference only City just a point back. All three teams have played 28 matches.
And a huge fixer to come on March 31st when city and arsenal go head- to-head.
And with that its right back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And our thanks to Patrick Snell.
We've got some jaw-dropping footage from a GoPro camera.
How would you feel? A New Zealand man skiing through mountainous terrain in Japan last week and then came across that, tumbling nearly 20 feet down into what turned out to be a natural hot spring. That's why the snow wasn't there.
Fortunately, he wasn't hurt. He was able to climb his own way out with the help of his skis.
Pretty lucky the water was probably warm there.
Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. You can follow me on Threads and Instagram, given up on X @HolmesCNN.
Stay with us. My colleague Rosemary Church continues our coverage after the break. I'll see you next week.
[01:57:15]
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