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CNN International: Sweden's Flag Raised At NATO Headquarters; "20 Days In Mariupol" Wins Oscar For Best Documentary; U.S. And European Embassies Evacuating Staff From Haiti. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired March 11, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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AMARA WALKER, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello everyone, and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Amara Walker. This is CNN Newsroom.
Just ahead, NATO officially welcome Sweden as its newest member. This as CNN exclusive report says Russia is ramping up its artillery production. We will have the latest. Then, Catherine, Princess of Wales, officially addresses rumors about that Mother's Day photo released by Kensington Palace. We'll have more. Plus, we'll have the best moment from this year's Academy Awards. In line with the predictions, Oppenheimer won the Oscar for best film, but there were also some surprises.
There is one more flag waving outside NATO headquarters in Brussels. Sweden is now the 32nd member of the alliance. The country's Prime Minister was on hand for a flag-raising ceremony earlier. This follows a long contentious process that was sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Russia will not dictate who joins the alliance.
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JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: That demonstrates also that NATO's door is open. It's for NATO allies and the applicant country to decide. It's not for Russia to decide which path different European countries wants to choose. And now, Sweden and Finland has chosen to be a member of NATO, and I very much welcome that.
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WALKER: Well, this comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected an appeal from Pope Francis, excuse me, to negotiate peace with Russia. In an interview published on Saturday, the Pope said the stronger side is the one with what he calls the courage of the white flag. Zelenskyy suggested the Pope's views differed from Ukraine's religious leaders.
Clare Sebastian joining us now from London with all the details. Clare, first off, talk to us about how significant this is that Sweden is now -- has formally joined the NATO alliance.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Really significant, Amara, and really the opposite of what President Putin had wanted to gain in part from his invasion of Ukraine, to stop the enlargement of NATO. This, of course, highly significant for Sweden, which ends 200 years of neutrality at this point. The Prime Minister saying that the security situation in our region, he said, has not been this serious since the Second World War, and he believes that Russia will stay a threat to Euro-Atlantic security for the foreseeable future. That is why they have now ended that 200 years of neutrality and joined the alliance.
In terms of what this brings to NATO, well, obviously we saw with Finland that it doubled the land border with Russia, very significant, but with Sweden, it really allows the alliance to project force. It increases their presence in two key regions. One, the Baltic region went out. It's basically almost a part of Russia and its enclave of Kaliningrad encircled by NATO country that's being dubbed NATO Lake, and also the Arctic region where Russia is now the only one of eight Arctic countries not in the NATO alliance.
So, we've had some pretty strident rhetoric from President Putin in the lead up to this. He said that Russia was going to beef up its Western grouping of forces in response to this. There were some very thinly veiled nuclear threats. So, clearly, this is a major problem for Russia. But, it does show this unity that Europe and NATO has been trying to project even if for Ukraine it's been made pretty clear to them that despite the Secretary General saying today that they are closer than ever to the alliance that they would not be able to join while still at war. Amara.
WALKER: Yeah. And regarding this war, I mean, this is happening as Ukraine is in desperate need of more manpower, weaponry, and of course, artillery, and what have you. How is Europe trying to step up its leadership role regarding the military aid that Ukraine needs?
SEBASTIAN: Yeah. Like I think, no one in Europe will tell you that there is a plan B as of now, but what happens if Congress doesn't manage to pass more aid and in a fairly timely fashion for Ukraine. But, we certainly do see more rhetoric in support of Ukraine, a marked contrast in Europe from what we had, the sort of shift we heard from President Biden in December to as long as we can support Ukraine from as long as it takes.
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In Europe, it's very much whatever it takes as long as it takes. And we see, for example, the Polish Foreign Minister over the weekend coalescing around those comments from President Macron recently suggesting that troops on the ground, Western troops on the ground, in Ukraine would not be out of the question. We see a Czech-led initiative in terms of action, really gaining traction. This is an initiative to buy artillery shells from outside of the EU to donate to Ukraine. The Czech Republic saying that it has now raised enough money for 300,000 artillery shells, which in a war like this doesn't last that long. But, it would still make a significant difference to Ukraine.
So, there is a lot of words, and there are significant efforts to translate that into action, as we do see Ukraine on the back foot mainly in this ground war, Russia gaining the advantage there. Amara. WALKER: Yeah. It seems like it's quite a pivotal moment right now there on the ground in Ukraine. Clare Sebastian, appreciate you. Thank you very much, from London.
Ukrainians are celebrating the first ever Oscar for a filmmaker from Ukraine. "20 Days in Mariupol", the documentary about journalists working on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine, won best documentary at the 96th Academy Awards.
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And the director of this film was in Los Angeles on Sunday to accept the Oscar award.
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MSTYSLAV CHERNOV, DIRECTOR, "20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL": This is the first Oscar in the Ukrainian history, and I am honored, I'm honored. But probably, I will be the first director on this stage who will say I wish I'd never made this film. I wish to be able to exchange this to Russia never attacking Ukraine, never occupying our cities.
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WALKER: Some very poignant words there. The documentary maker spoke recently with CNN's Anna Coren, and he talked about what he wants viewers to take away from the film.
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CHERNOV: When we started making a 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 people, and that's what we tried to show. But, two years later, Mariupol became -- the story of Mariupol is more than just about one city. It is about all those cities who have subsequently been obliterated by Russian bombs there, Bakhmut, Avdiivka recently, Marinka. So, 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.
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WALKER: Well, congratulations to him. And the head of Ukraine's presidential office said the film showed the truth about Russia's crimes, adding justice always wins. And of course, we will have much more from the Oscars later in the show. Two films dominated the awards. We will take a deep dive into why they were the big winners last night.
Well, the U.S. and EU have begun evacuating embassy staff from Haiti as gang violence spirals out of control across Port-au-Prince. A source tells CNN that both the German and EU ambassadors were evacuated on Sunday. The U.S. says it airlifted out all non-essential personnel from the U.S. Embassy. Gangs have increasingly targeted law enforcement and government institutions in the capital.
CNN's Patrick Oppmann is tracking all of this for us. Patrick, hi there. So, what are we hearing about this evacuation of Western embassies? Is this the U.S. and Europe, I guess, giving up on Haiti's government at this point?
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest we're hearing right now is that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel on Monday to Jamaica to meet with Caribbean leaders. We're not sure if Prime Minister -- or the Prime Minister of Haiti, Ariel Henry, will be there. No confirmation of that just yet, but certainly pushing a diplomatic solution of the transitional government that the United States and others in the Caribbean are calling on Haitian leaders to put into place. And this comes on the heels of that late night mission.
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A military helicopter was sent by the United States to evacuate non- essential personnel from the U.S. Embassy and as well to bring in additional security, Marines, we believe, to continue to guard the embassy because it will remain open. Other diplomatic missions, like you mentioned, in Haiti are closing down because there is just no sense of security anymore. These diplomatic missions were -- many of them based in the securest parts of Port-au-Prince, heavily guarded areas. But, those areas as well as government offices, the presidential palace, the interior ministry, places that were pretty well guarded up until now are coming under attack by the gangs.
It just shows that increasingly the gangs have more and more control. They are dictating what is taking place in Haiti, in Port-au-Prince. They have closed the airport now for more than a week. And they have the upper hand. So, the question remains is, what is the political solution to this ongoing crisis, and how will order be restored in Haiti without troops coming in from the outside? It is very clearly the Haitian National Police are completely overwhelmed and outgunned, and for the patient people, there is no helicopter airlift for them. They're caught in the crossfire. And for many people, time is running out. There is no food. They cannot get to hospitals. And they are at the mercy of these increasingly powerful and increasingly violent gangs.
WALKER: I was just looking at those pictures. They're striking. It's frightening. You touched on it a little bit, Patrick. But, tell us more about the gang violence there in the capital and what's happening.
OPPMANN: This has been building for years because these gangs, they are the part of politics and life in Haiti. Certain political parties have used the gangs. They have used them as reparative military organizations over the years. But, the gangs have just gone too strong with their businesses of illegal drug trade, gun trade, kidnapping, extortion. And so, essentially, they've created a monster here that is out of control.
And they feel strong enough now that they can try to depose the Prime Minister of Haiti, Ariel Henry, and actually prevent him from returning to his country. We believe at the moment, yeah, he remains in Puerto Rico, unable to return to Haiti. The airport is closed because it is one of those places that has come under attacks by gangs, actually damaged planes with gunfire.
And so, there really is a sense that there is no safe place, even for foreign diplomatic missions that are operating out of heavily guarded compounds. The people there are essentially sequestered right now, and talking to some of those diplomats, who are, of course, much more fortunate and better guarded than the Haitian people. But, they say that their supplies of food and water are beginning to run low after a week now where they are essentially on lockdown. So, for anyone trying to carry out the dangerous work of diplomacy of delivering aid to the Haitian people is becoming impossible to work in Haiti, and that, of course, has a major impact on the Haitian people who are suffering so much.
WALKER: Scenes of just absolute chaos. Patrick Oppmann, thank you very much.
Well, Palestinians are marking the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan with no letup in the fighting in Gaza. Negotiators have so far failed to reach a deal for a temporary ceasefire and the release of hostages. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that regardless of a deal, he plans to push ahead with the military ground incursion into Rafah in southern Gaza. More than a million Palestinians, about a million and a half, are sheltering in that city. The Prime Minister is defending his approach after U.S. President Joe Biden said Mr. Netanyahu is hurting Israel more than helping it.
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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 wish of the majority of Israelis, and if this is hurting the interests of Israel, then he is wrong on both counts.
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WALKER: Scott McLean joining us now live from Istanbul, Turkey. And obviously, that rift is growing wider and wider publicly between Netanyahu and President Biden. But, let's first off talk about this ground offensive into Rafah. U.S. officials are saying that it is not imminent. Correct?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And now, we've also heard from multiple Israeli sources saying that this is something that would be at least two weeks away. A, they don't have the troops built up in that area. That would take two weeks to put them in place if they started today. And B, they also don't have the plans, both militarily and for the evacuation of civilians that the IDF has submitted to the war cabinet, signed off by those cabinet members just yet. So, there is still a lot to do. Of course, American officials have also made clear that they don't support an incursion into Rafah unless there was a credible plan to evacuate the more than one million Palestinian civilians who are currently sheltering in that area with frankly nowhere to go.
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And they've also cast doubt on whether this kind of an operation at this kind of scale, given the humanitarian challenges and the fact that people are already starving to death, is even possible in the first place. And President Biden said over the weekend, Amara, that, look, a red line, it would be a red line for him -- for the Israelis to go into Rafah on the ground. That doesn't seem to matter, though, for the Israeli Prime Minister, who insisted that they would launch a ground incursion into Rafah, and perhaps that's because President Biden didn't actually say what the potential consequences of crossing that red line might be. In fact, Biden went on to give comfort to the Israelis, saying that they -- he would never leave them alone, would never cut off all weapons without the Iron Dome, things like that.
And Netanyahu was even defiant in the face of Biden's criticism, saying that he is doing more to hurt Israel than to help it, saying that the majority of Israelis are behind him. Of course, the Americans and much of the international community was hoping that these negotiations to bring a ceasefire and hostage and prisoner exchange would bear fruit. They haven't thus far. There are no talks scheduled. And in that interview with POLITICO and the German outlet Bild, Netanyahu also made clear that the Palestinian position in his viewpoint is an untenable one. Amara.
WALKER: Scott McLean, appreciate it. Thank you very much, live for us there in Istanbul.
Now, Priscilla Alvarez is joining us from the White House with the perspective there. Priscilla, tell us more about President Biden's remarks. I mean, he is saying that this incursion, ground incursion, into Rafah would be a red line. And the Israeli Prime Minister, I mean, it seems like time and time again he has simply ignored the President's warnings.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. There is no doubt, Amara. It has been a tumultuous time for this relationship between President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a relationship that goes back decades, and all of this, of course, under that looming concern that Israel would move in and an invasion of Rafah, an area that, as you mentioned earlier, shelters about more than a million displaced Palestinians. And so, President Biden saying in an interview over the weekend that he still supports the defense of Israel, but that there are red lines, even if he didn't fully go into detail of what they were. Take a listen.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I'm never going to leave Israel. The defense of Israel is still critical. So, there is no red line I'm going to cut off all weapons so they don't have the Iron Dome to protect them. They don't have -- but there is red lines that if he crosses -- he cannot have 30,000 more Palestinians dead.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ALVAREZ: Now, the Israeli Prime Minister seemed to dismiss those red lines or any warning against moving in on an invasion of Rafah. But, this is really the concern and what they're having to navigate here at the White House as they push Israel to take care of with what is happening in Gaza, but as Israel dismisses that and moves forward. Now, this, of course, happening against the backdrop of the negotiations for a ceasefire deal. That negotiation would include, for example, a temporary ceasefire that would allow aid into Gaza and also allow for the release of some hostages, particularly those who are most vulnerable.
Now, negotiators have been working around the clock to try to reach a deal before the holy month of Ramadan began. It has started. The negotiators are still talking. But, the President recognizing Ramadan in a statement yesterday where he went in great lengths to discuss the suffering that is happening in Gaza, the deaths of Palestinians, and saying the following, "As Muslims gathered around the world over the coming days and weeks to break their fast, the suffering of the Palestinian people will be front of mind for many. It is front of mine for me." So, there you have it, the President saying that this is a priority for him. It is front of mind as this continues to unfold in his relationship with the Prime Minister of Israel.
WALKER: All right. We will continue to watch it with you. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you very much.
Portugal's center-right Democratic Alliance is claiming a narrow win in Sunday's general election. The Alliance captured 29.5 percent of the vote, just a fraction ahead of the central-left Socialist Party which has been in government. The Populist Party of the far right Chega more than doubled its vote share to 18 percent. The results are not yet final and will take up to two weeks to validate.
Never complain. Never explain. That has been the royal family's response to most crises. But today, it's different. Catherine, the Princess of Wales, is apologizing over the royal family photo that several news agencies pulled because it appeared to have been manipulated.
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Now, Catherine issued a statement on X that said, "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused."
Let's see what Royal Correspondent Max Foster has to say. Max, will the princess' explanation manage to calm down all those rumors we've been seeing on social media?
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR & ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I've been -- I'm speaking to some people, and they're saying this was opposed to social media. The implication is a lot of people manipulate or add filters, however you want to call it, to Instagram pictures, for example. So, they're going down that route. I think the issue that they've got (inaudible) piece this image as a media handout to big picture agencies, and they weren't transparent about the fact that it had been manipulated. And the palace is admitting it has been manipulated.
So, the issue here for the big photo agencies was, this isn't a true reflection of what happened in that moment. It's not a news photograph. So, they withdrew it. We're still running it because it's editorial important to point out the inconsistencies in the photo. But, this speaks to a much wider conspiracy debate going on right now that things are being hidden, that things have been covered up. I don't think the palace has done anything to quell that. And also, I think there is some frustration in the media that the palace hasn't been honest with them.
WALKER: What are the discrepancies in the photo, Max, and what are these rumors about? I mean, what are people concerned or wondering that the royals are hiding?
FOSTER: Well, just there has been so little information about the princess didn't pick out to what that condition is and how she is. And they're not giving us any more information about that. So, is this really keeping well on the bench with their three kids? There is lots around there. I don't really want to go into all the conspiracy theories and address them. But, in terms of the photo, as soon as it came out yesterday, a lot of fans were going through it in detail, pointing out Charlotte's arm, for example, isn't quite aligned, right, the zip on Kate's top (inaudible).
I'm in the same part of the world is true that there aren't lots of green trees, but perhaps they've got different ones. I can't really speak to exactly what's inconsistent there. But, there are certainly a series of inconsistencies. And the palace has admitted that Kate manipulated those pictures. Another question here is that they don't just operate on their own. They're just not an ordinary family. They do have lots of staff. Is Kate really just posting these things on her own and that's major (inaudible). That's not entirely true. There is something issue with a system here.
But, to be fair to Kate, she has apologized and said she (inaudible). So, it does sort of stuck with her, and she has admitted a mistake, and they are hoping people can move on and just accept that this was a happy family day.
WALKER: Well, something tells me that the -- most people will not just accept that and the questions will continue to swirl. So glad we did not delve into those conspiracy theories and go down that rabbit hole. Max Foster, good to see you, our royal correspondent there.
All right. Still to come, passengers are left traumatized and some with injuries after a flight from Australia to New Zealand runs into trouble. Then, it's not just manpower on the battlefield. Russia is also winning the production war away from the frontlines. We'll have details of the CNN exclusive coming up.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WALKER: People flew through the cabin. That is how one passenger described what happened when a flight from Sydney to Auckland, New Zealand, experienced a sudden massive jolt in mid-air. The Chilean airline, LATAM, is calling it a technical event, but hasn't given any more details. The passenger, speaking to CNN affiliate RNZ, said it felt like a mid-air drop. Medics on the ground say about 50 people were treated for injuries after landing, and one person is in serious condition.
I want to bring in Pete Muntean now. He is CNN's Aviation Correspondent. He little knows a little bit about how planes fly, as you are a pilot yourself. I mean, passengers saying that it was so violent that it broke the ceiling of the plane. What are you learning about what happened in mid-air?
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: This seems to be a severe turbulence incident, Amara. But, LATAM really needs to clarify here on what they mean by a technical event, and we'll get to that in a second. But, these severe turbulence incidents keep making headlines over and over again, and we'll likely see more with climate change if this was in fact one of the seven hurt on a flight last March on a Lufthansa flight, 11 hurt on a Delta flight in August, 36 on a Hawaiian Airlines flight December before last. This one is the most significant of those in recent memory. First responders say they've treated 50 people in total on board this flight, 12 taken to the hospital, one patient in serious condition.
This happened on LATAM Flight 800 between Sydney, Australia, Auckland, New Zealand. The flight ultimately goes on to Santiago, Chile. This is a Boeing 787, not to be conflated, though, with the 737 MAX issues and the door plug blowout on the Alaska Airlines flight back on January 5. This flight apparently at 41,000 feet, a lot of risk there to passengers because that's when they're at the cruising altitude and the seat belt sign can typically be off. Passengers say that is one they think this plane hit turbulence. One telling Radio New Zealand, blood was on the ceiling and people flew and broke the ceiling of the plane.
WALKER: Yeah.
MUNTEAN: So, it sounds like a severe turbulence incident, although so far the airline calling it a technical event during which the flight caused a strong movement. So, the airline not calling this turbulence, even though that's typically what causes these type of in-flight injuries. Sometimes, turbulence can be caused by weather, such as up and down drafts from thunderstorms, sometimes wind shear where there are two rows or columns of air moving at different speeds.
Turbulence can also be associated with no weather phenomenon all, called clear air turbulence, meaning, it can be invisible to pilots. Airlines have gotten a lot better at forecasting turbulence, but the National Transportation Safety Board says turbulence is still the number one cause of injuries on commercial flights, technical event or turbulence or whatever.
The big bottom line here is that even when the seat belt sign is off, it is important to keep it on. You never know what can happen, and especially to not let your guard down as a passenger as we've seen, not only on this incident, but also on the Alaska Airlines incident back on January 6, if that happened, which happened only at 16,000 feet, at 41,000 feet like this incident, there could have been an entirely different outcome. Stay in your seat with the seat belt on unless you need to get up.
WALKER: Yeah, frightening. I mean, blood on the ceiling, it must have been a very violent technical event obviously, not exactly a satisfactory --
MUNTEAN: Yeah. They need to give some clarification.
WALKER: -- explanation, yeah --
MUNTEAN: Yeah.
WALKER: -- for a lot of people, especially you. Pete Muntean, thank you. Good to see you.
China's National People's Congress was a bit different this year. Beijing scrapped the Premier's news conference, which usually comes at the end of the annual meeting of China's legislature. For decades, foreign officials and investors have studied the press conference for pointers about how the world's second largest economy is faring. We'll have more on that later in the program. Still to come, a night to remember for Christopher Nolan. But, who else walked away with a shiny new award?
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WALKER: Turning now to a CNN exclusive and the somber assessment from a senior European intelligence official, Russia's war machine is in full gear. CNN has learned that Moscow is making nearly three times as many artillery rounds than the U.S. and Europe combined are producing for Ukraine, and that could give Russia a major advantage on the battlefields in the months ahead. A senior NATO official also says, what we are in now is a production war.
Let's take a closer look now with CNN's Katie Bo Lillis, who is joining me now live from Washington. This is frightening to know. What more are you learning, Katie Bo?
KATIE BO LILLIS, CNN REPORTER: Yeah. Amara, what I've learned is some pretty staggering figures that really illustrate how quickly Russia has been able to ramp up its defense production for use in Ukraine in ways that have really left the U.S. and the West behind. I've learned from a senior NATO official that Russia is producing somewhere in the order of 250,000 artillery rounds per month. That's a total of about three million a year. Compare that to just 1.2 million that the U.S. and Europe combined are on track to produce for use in Ukraine in a year. And this is showing up on the battlefield. Ukraine has had to ration its artillery fire across this 600-mile-long
front. We're told that Ukraine is firing something on the order of 2,000 rounds a day compared to 10,000 a day that Russia is firing. And in some places, we're told the ratio is even worse than that. This is important because artillery is the number one metric that U.S. and Western officials are watching as they track the progress of this war. This is really a war that is expected to be won or lost on just plain or artillery fire being traded back and forth across this frontline. So, the numbers, the math, really matters here.
And officials tell us that Russia has been able to quickly ramp up its production, much faster than the West, in large part because it's basically acting as managed economy. Putin can essentially just order factories to go to work producing this stuff. And in fact, we're told by the senior NATO official that I spoke to that Russia's factories are running 24/7. They're running in rotating 12-hour shifts, and defense is now the largest part of the Russian economy. Now, there are questions about how sustainable this is for Russia in the long run. But, in the short run, this is a fairly durable model for Russia.
And so, for Ukraine, the big question now is U.S. and Western production, U.S. and Western supply. Europe, of course, trying to produce as much as it can to send to Ukraine, but the United States still remains Ukraine's biggest supplier of ammunition and other arms. And here, the money for that has run out amid broad Republican resistance on Capitol Hill.
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And so, the big question for Ukraine now is, what does the Congress do, and what happens in the presidential election in November? Amara.
WALKER: Yeah. Will the U.S. Congress get its act together soon? Probably not. Katie Bo Lillis, thank you very much.
LILLIS: Thank you.
WALKER: Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" had an explosive night at the Oscars, pun intended. The film about the inventor of the atomic bomb scooped up seven awards out of 13 nominations.
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AL PACINO, AMERICAN ACTOR: Here it comes. Here it comes. And my eyes see Oppenheimer?
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WALKER: Apart from winning Best Picture and Best Director, Oppenheimer also carried off Best Actor for Cillian Murphy, and Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr., not far behind was a genre-defying comedy "Poor Things" earning Emma Stone her second Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role. And here is what the winners of the top acting categories had to say during their acceptance speeches.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CILLIAN MURPHY, WON BEST ACTOR FOR "OPPENHEIMER": We made a film about the man who created the atomic bomb. And for better or for worse, we're all living in Oppenheimer's world. So, I would really like to dedicate this to the peacemakers everywhere.
EMMA STONE, WON BEST ACTRESS FOR "POOR THINGS": And I am so deeply honored to share this with every cast member, with every crew member, with every single person who poured their love and their care and their brilliance into the making of this film. And Yorgos, thank you for the gift of a lifetime in Bella Baxter.
ROBERT DOWNEY JR., WON BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR FOR "OPPENHEIMER": I'd like to thank my terrible childhood and the Academy, in that order.
DA'VINE JOY RANDOLPH, WON BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS FOR "THE HOLDOVERS": For so long, I've always wanted to be different. And now I realize I just needed to be myself. And I thank you. I thank you for seeing me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: All right. Joining me now is Entertainment Reporter Lisa Respers France. Good to see you, Lisa. So, tell us more about last night, because compared to other Oscar nights, this was a more predictable evening, and "Oppenheimer", do we need to say it again, trounced everybody.
LISA FRANCE, CNN REPORTER: Yes. "Oppenheimer" absolutely swept the awards. And it was not a surprise at all. We've been watching all award season as "Oppenheimer" just comes in and wins award after award after award. And as I've pointed out before, when we get -- by the time we get to the Oscars, these are also some of the same members from the previous guilds who already voted. So, we already knew that "Oppenheimer" was going to get a lot of love, and last night's Academy Awards, it felt a little different. I'm not sure if it's because it was post-strike, and there has been so much of a thought process going into what entertainment means to us in terms of content.
But, the show just felt joyous in a way. It felt really well paced. It started an hour earlier. They actually ended early, which like, when does that happen with award shows? So, it was a really interesting night last night, Amara.
WALKER: OK. And there was also a lot of chatter about Barbie. Right? I mean, it was huge at the box office, but they didn't get very many big awards last night.
FRANCE: Not at all in. It won for Best Original Song, Billie Eilish won for her hit song, "What Was I Made Of?" -- I'm sorry -- "What Was I Made For?" And that was the only major award that it won. And so, people were like, OK, how can you have such a huge movie with Barbie, but it not get the love at the Academy Awards? But, that started even before the show. Of course, that started with the lack of Greta Gerwig, the director being nominated in the Best Directing category, or Margot Robbie, who was the star. She wasn't nominated for Best Actress. So, people felt like Barbie got slighted. But, we also do have to keep in mind, "Oppenheimer" did really well at the box office as well. So, it was one of those rare times when you have a film that's both critically acclaimed and successful at the box office actually win.
WALKER: So, a lot of the audiences, it seems like they prefer long movies like "Oppenheimer". I don't prefer long movies, and killers of the flower moon. I mean, it's just so much time to commit. Right?
FRANCE: Yeah.
WALKER: But, would you say this is a return to the golden age of script writing rather than all those glitzy and special effects?
FRANCE: Yeah. I don't think I'm ready to say that just yet. I know there has been a lot of conversation that about people getting maybe a little bit bored with some of the superhero films and things like that. I think that may be more because we've had so many of them. I mean, how many like "Fast and Furious" movies can you have? Apparently, infinite numbers. How many Marvel movies can you have back to back to back?
But, I think that in this case, it was just the right films at the right time. It came along after we were a little bit starved in a way, it felt like. Even though there is tons of content during the strike, there still was this sense of, are we going to get anything new? Like, how is this really going to affect Hollywood?
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And I think these films were just so incredibly well done and they came along at a time when people were ready for longer films.
WALKER: OK. So, I got to ask you, you and I were chatting in the makeup room. Any highlights of the evening for you, any favorite moments? John Cena?
FRANCE: Yeah. Yes, of course. Naked John Cena did not have that on my bingo card at all. It was a great bit. Even though we're told that he wasn't actually totally naked, but he certainly looked that way as he came out to present for Best Costume. So, I felt like there were so many great moments. That was another thing for me. People oftentimes say, why do we even still have these award shows? I think last night proved why we did. We had naked John Cena. We had Ryan Gosling doing his song from Barbie "Just Ken". And he nailed it. Even though he did not win an Academy Award, it still felt like he won the Oscars because that performance was so great. I mean, look at him.
WALKER: Yeah.
FRANCE: He is in his pink suit. He is performing with slash. How cool is that? It was an incredibly cool moment. And you also had Jimmy Kimmel hosting, and Jimmy Kimmel has just the right touch for these award shows, because he is funny and yet he is not mean. Like, it doesn't feel mean spirited. And we had a wonderful moment with him where he roasted Donald Trump for roasting him on Truth Social and saying that he was not a great host. So, that was a pretty fun moment for a lot of people. It was a really perfectly timed comedy. WALKER: I would take a clothed and covered Ryan Gosling over a naked John Cena any day. Can we show him again just before we go, guys? Just do that little jump in my step before we say goodbye. Lisa France, it's so good. There he is.
FRANCE: Yes.
WALKER: There he is.
FRANCE: Love it. Love it.
WALKER: Lisa France, good to have you, and good to see Ryan Gosling one last time. Thanks so much, guys.
FRANCE: Absolutely. Thank you.
WALKER: All right. Still to come, the CNN Freedom Project is shining a light on illegal child labor. A report on that and how it's surging in the U.S., when we come back.
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WALKER: The CNN Freedom Project is shining a light on illegal child labor. It is 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 is happening and what is being done to fight it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For many migrants, coming to the United States is less about searching for a dream than it is escaping a nightmare.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Interpreted): I came fleeing the violence in Mexico. Coming here and my eyes were shut and they came blindly to try and build a new life for my family.
CULVER (voice-over): Often, they wind up working in places like this, a now shuttered chicken processing plant just outside Los Angeles, California.
[08:45:00]
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.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (interpreted): The knives, yeah, one time I actually poked at myself, just my finger went through the metal glow.
CULVER (voice-over): 18-year-old Alandra (ph) was one of them. She started working the graveyard shift at Exclusive Poultry when she was just 16. Sitting beside her mother, Alandra asked us to protect her identity. She fears retribution from their former boss, whom she called scary.
ODILIA ROMERO, CO-FOUNDER, CIELO: There is 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 (voice-over): Well, Odilia Romero is co-founder of CIELO, a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles that provides interpretation services and works with indigenous migrants who have been abused or exploited by their employers. She says increasingly that work involves children.
ROMERO: If we go to the agricultural area of California, there is hundreds of children working there, or in the restaurant, in the garment industry. We have to change that mindset that it only happens outside the U.S. Now, there is labor exploitation on children here in the United States, and it happens every day everywhere.
CULVER (voice-over): The Department of Labor says it has seen an 88 percent spike in children being illegally employed across all industries since 2019, and 2023 alone, the Department of Labor discovered nearly 6,000 kids were working illegally across the U.S.
RUBEN ROSALEZ, REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR, 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 (voice-over): Ruben Rosalez leads the Western region's Wage and Hour Division inside the Department of Labor.
ROSALEZ: We've confirmed with a minimum about 13 minors were vetting 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 that lift up big pieces, putting them into machinery. So, a lot of different dangerous jobs that they were working on.
CULVER (voice-over): CNN reached out 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 requests for comment. For Alandra and her mother Caraman (ph), what the experience is something they'd like to put behind them, it's also showed them that causes for hope in their adopted country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Interpreted): I felt bad because it was dangerous work for a minor, but necessity make us do this things. I stayed silent for a long time. I didn't know there were opportunities in people who would help. They opened our eyes. So, indeed, there are people who will support us in this country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: And 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.
All right. Still to come, winds and fire are making this a dangerous week across the U.S. where people are hunkering down. That's after the break.
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WALKER: Well, it is going to be a dangerous week when it comes to the weather. Across the central United States, people from New Mexico to Minnesota are being warned of the threat of fires.
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Meanwhile, on the East Coast, 60 million people are under high wind advisories. Cities like New York, Washington, Boston, they could see travel disruption and power outages caused by wind gusts. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is here to break it all down for us. Hi there, Derek. What do people need to know?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, Amara. Yeah. It's already been a dangerous week. This is what happened yesterday in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. We have seen flooding once again. This is how we combine those strong winds, you mentioned, but with a new moon that exaggerates tidal levels and also manmade sea level rise, human- induced sea level rise. Yeah. This is just the resulting factor. And of course, Hampton Beach, no stranger to flooding. But, this is not what you want to see when water completely inundates homes and communities right along this coastal area, which by the way is located right about here.
We have a storm system that's departing the East Coast, and this created a lot of wind. Yesterday, it was more on shore. Now, it's off shore. So, helping push water away. But, nonetheless, it's going to be a very gusty day. So, double check your flight plans for any of the major East Coast cities, LaGuardia, all the way to Boston Logan, southward towards the nation's capital. This is where we could see some cumulative delays because of the winds. That is going to be a major factor, not only for the skies, but also on the ground if you're traveling in a truck or a high profile SUV, very difficult to navigate winds that strong. So, there is a storm system departing.
There was some snow squalls this weekend as well that reduced visibilities across northern New England. We still have winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings in place where some locations in Vermont, New Hampshire, and in two other states have already topped over a foot of snow. Yeah. A couple of additional inches possible with this departing storm system, but the sting is gone from the storm for the most part because it is exiting quickly, and then will melt that snow rather quickly as well because a big warming trend is coming.
Amara, I know you'll enjoy this. Look at that. Temperatures in the 70s. That's also the fire risk we're worried about today across the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle. Remember, we had wildfires that broke out across the Texas Panhandle a couple of weeks ago, and we don't want to see this critical fire danger, but there it is, in place again, the combination of strong winds, dry relative humidities, and above average temperatures, all adding to that. Here is a look at the extreme fire outlook as we head into Tuesday, some moderation but still elevated fire concerns for the Texas Panhandle. So, we will keep -- WALKER: Yeah. A lot to look out for. Yeah. But, you know what? It's
warmer here in Atlanta, Georgia, which means that things are starting to bloom, high pollen count.
DAM: Yeah. I love it.
WALKER: Not good for my allergies. You love it.
DAM: That's true. That's funny.
WALKER: I can't stand it. Yeah. Derek Van Dam, good to see you. Thank you so much.
Well, TikTok could be banned in the U.S. unless its Chinese owners divest themselves of the social media site. Some U.S. lawmakers say it could compromise American users' data and manipulate public sentiment. CNN's Manu Raju explains why some on Capitol Hill are convinced that TikTok poses a danger.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: TikTok may be one of the most popular apps in the country, but it's possible it could be banned in the United States. That's if a new bill that is steaming through the House ultimately becomes law. That piece of legislation would force the Chinese firm ByteDance to sell it. If it doesn't sell, TikTok then, the popular app, would no longer be allowed in the United States.
This has wide support in the House, in fact, passing overwhelmingly 50 to zero in the House Energy and Commerce Committee just last week. That is unusual. You rarely see that level of bipartisan support, and quickly after the House majority leader Steve Scalise announced it would be on the floor of the House this week. So, it could certainly pass. Then it would go to the United States Senate which would have to take up the bill, pass it, see if it passes the same version, ultimately see if it goes to the President's desk and whether are the President will sign the final version of that legislation into law, which the White House has indicated it does support this measure.
Now, that doesn't mean that TikTok isn't trying to stop this legislation. In fact, they are trying to kill it. That's what the top Republican who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee told me on Friday that her office is being flooded with phone calls.
REP. CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS (R-WA): Yes. We've been flooded with calls, record amounts of calls. Any member of the Energy and Commerce Committee that voted yesterday has been flooded. TikTok actually put up a notice where they blocked an individual to actually get on TikTok unless you called your member of Congress and told them not to vote for this legislation. But, that's just an example of how they can manipulate data and influence Americans for their agenda.
RAJU: Now, the lawmakers are trying to force ByteDance to sell TikTok because they are worried, they say, about the Chinese government interfering in the popular social media app taking data and the like and Americans' private information and they're trying to stop them from doing that.
[08:55:00]
TikTok has denied Chinese government interference in all of this, but that doesn't mean that it won't become law. We'll see how quickly the Senate would take it up after the House is expected to pass it later this week. The President did say though, if they pass the bill, that's before the House, he will sign it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: All right. Manu Raju, thank you very much.
And thank you for joining me here on CNN Newsroom. I'm Amara Walker. Connect the World with Becky Anderson is up next. See you tomorrow.
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