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Israel Approaches Ground Assault on Hamas Strongholds in Gaza; Texas Migrant Arrest Law Faces Legal Challenges; Oprah Endorses Weight Loss Drugs, Advocates Against Weight Shaming; Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar Resigns; Alleged Attempt to Access Princess Diana's Medical Records Investigated. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired March 21, 2024 - 00:00   ET

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

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: This hour on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator) : I want you to know that I have already approved the IDF's operational plan.

VAUSE: Israel's ground assault on the last of Hamas leadership and infrastructure in Gaza inches closer. But still no evacuation plans for more than a million displaced Palestinians stuck in Rafah.

UNKNOWN: All the time I'm like looking over my shoulder.

VAUSE: Fear and loathing in Texas. The so-called migrant arrest law on hold for now as legal arguments are heard before a court of appeal.

OPRAH WINFREY, TV HOST AND PRODUCER: Stop blaming yourself for something that's in your brain.

VAUSE: For years the queen of daytime TV told her massive audience there is no magic pill for weight loss. But there is a magic injection and Oprah is all in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: U.S. Secretary of State is back in the Middle East as tensions between Israel and the White House continue to rise over looming Israeli military offenses. On the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Secretary Blinken says a deal for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages is getting closer. Blinken was in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Wednesday for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the Gaza ceasefire as well as a long-term peace deal for Israel and the region.

On Friday, Blinken will be in Israel where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a major assault on Rafah in Gaza's south will go ahead. In a very public rebuff of the U.S. President, Netanyahu said victory over Hamas would not be possible if the military would not be able to do so. But the Israeli military offensive did not go ahead. A plan to evacuate more than a million displaced Palestinians to safety is still a work in progress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NETANYAHU (through translator): I want you to know that I have already approved the IDF's operational plan. And soon we will also approve the plan to evacuate the civilian population from the battle zones.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Meantime, many are now fleeing northern Gaza after the IDF raid on the El Shifa hospital. Eyewitnesses tell CNN. The Israeli military claimed that the Israeli military had detained Palestinian journalists, health workers, blindfolded them and stripped them down to their underwear. The Israeli military claimed that the Syrian Hamas terrorists were using the facility as a headquarters. CNN cannot independently verify that IDF claim.

CNN's Nada Bashir has more now on the El Shifa hospital raid and how Gaza residents are coping and warning. Images in her report you're about to see are disturbing.

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NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I only left to find flour, to find food. I only left to find flour, to find food. This woman screams. Where are they? Her husband, children and other relatives are nowhere to be found. Their home destroyed in an Israeli airstrike while she was gone. Moments later, her nephew is pulled from the rubble. But he is barely clinging on to life.

In central Gaza, as bombs continue to rain down, so do these foreboding leaflets. A warning from the Israeli military for civilians to flee southwards, directed at those living in the El Rimal neighborhood and the thousands currently sheltering in the nearby Al Shifa hospital complex. This was the scene at the beleaguered medical complex on Monday. The alarming sound of artillery fire echoing through the early hours of the morning.

Nobody has been able to reach those individuals, injured or killed at Al Shifa. This, eyewitness says, filming discreetly. Some 3,000 people are believed to have been sheltering in and around the hospital when the raid began, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Israeli military vehicles, seen here in video filmed by a doctor in the hospital, have surrounded the complex for days. On Tuesday, one civilian trapped inside sent CNN this audio recording.

The hospital is still under bombardment. There has been heavy shelling and live fire, Lamya says. One man was just looking out of the window on the second floor when he was hit by a sniper and killed. The Israeli military says it is conducting what it has described as a precise military operation targeting senior Hamas militants operating within the hospital complex. Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari, who is the head of the IDF, accused Hamas on Monday of using the hospital as a command center.

It is the very same claim made by the IDF ahead of its raid on Al Shifa back in November. On Monday, the IDF released this video showing a safe full of cash, an envelope with Hamas and Islamic Jihad insignia and a series of weapons, presented as evidence to justify its raid on the hospital. But much like the IDF raid in November, little other evidence was provided to prove the presence of a Hamas command centre at the al-Shifa hospital.

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Hamas's military wing, meanwhile, has acknowledged that its fighters have been engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli troops in the area surrounding the hospital, adding that Gaza's civil police chief, Fayek al-Mabhouh, who led the coordination of food and aid deliveries to the strip, was killed during the raid. In a statement, the IDF said Wednesday that approximately 90, quote, terrorists were killed, including al-Mabhouh.

The IDF also maintained that no harm had been inflicted on civilians or medical staff in the hospital. But testimonies from Palestinians inside Al Shifa tell a very different story. We were informed by the Israelis that anyone moving within the hospital or around the hospital complex would be targeted by snipers, this medical student says. We can't leave the building to treat those injured outside. Some families attempted to leave, but they were targeted and killed.

Those who have been able to leave central Gaza are now forced to make the uncertain journey south. With no guarantee of protection, or survival. Stripped to their underwear and barefoot, these young boys say they are thankful just to have escaped with their lives. Recounting their harrowing experience, they say they were met with Israeli tanks and forced into an open square where they were interrogated and ordered to undress. Other men around them, they say, were killed. Many evacuees have been badly wounded. Limp, bloodied bodies are carried by cart.

But there is little care available in the south anymore. And there is no telling whether these men, like so many others, will survive. Nada Bashir, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: CNN military analyst and retired US Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton is with us now this hour from Washington. Colonel, good to see you.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good to see you too, John.

VAUSE: I want you to listen to the Israeli Prime Minister, who's speaking Wednesday, and he's talking about the need for a major ground offensive on Rafah. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NETANYAHU (through translator): In the beginning, I told President Biden, Hamas cannot be defeated without the IDF entering the Gaza Strip. In our last conversation, I told him, it would be impossible to complete the victory without the IDF entering Rafah, and this in order to eliminate the rest of the Hamas battalions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And Netanyahu made those public remarks, as he just said, just days after speaking with the US President. And according to White House National Security Advisor, Biden was unambiguous about why that operation in Rafah should not go ahead. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADIVSER: The President has rejected, and did again today, the straw man that raising questions about Rafah is the same as raising questions about defeating Hamas. That's just nonsense. A major ground operation there would be a mistake. It would lead to more innocent civilian deaths, worsen the already dire humanitarian crisis, deepen the anarchy in Gaza, and further isolate Israel internationally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So, what we have here is that a major ground assault on Rafah is critical to defeating Hamas, or it's nonsense and a mistake. Who's right?

LEIGHTON: Yes, this is a very interesting question, and it really shows the difference between the Israeli perspectives and the American perspectives on this. One of the things that the Americans are looking at, John, is the fact that the civilians need to be placed somewhere. They can't just be sitting ducks based on not only the norms of war, but also the laws of warfare. They can't be sitting ducks in an invasion path, and this is exactly what would happen if there's no place for them to go. So, until the Israelis produce a credible plan that indicates where the civilian population that is currently housed in Rafah, where they're supposed to go, that becomes a very difficult point.

In that sense, the National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, is correct that they need to do something with those. Now, from a military perspective, the Israeli side has made it very clear that what they want to do is they want to destroy Hamas, and they believe that the only way to do that is to go after every last single vestige of the Hamas leadership, the Hamas command and control structure, and the Israeli intelligence certainly believes that those elements exist in Rafah, and that is probably correct based on everything we've seen.

VAUSE: But some U.S. officials have suggested that those military objectives of defeating Hamas, destroying Hamas, can be achieved in alternative ways, apart from some kind of major ground defense there on Rafah. What will those alternatives be?

[00:10:19] LEIGHTON: So, the one way that we could look at this is using what they call the time-sensitive targeting methodologies or high-value target methodologies that the U.S. used in both Afghanistan and Iraq. So, something similar to that where you only go after the leadership of the terrorist organization, in this case the leadership of Hamas, that would be one alternative. Another way to do this is to have, instead of special operations forces doing this, have very concentrated elements of the infantry going in with special operations assistance.

But it would, in essence, be the same kind of thing where you don't bring as much firepower to the battle, but you bring what you need. You have very precise intelligence, and you do that. And you do the kinds of things you need to do to, in essence, cut off the leadership of Hamas and eliminate it. That would be the preferred American alternative. And that is certainly a way of conducting this war that the Israelis have tried in part, but they haven't done so completely because they also want to show that they are actually going after all the infrastructure of Hamas, and they're doing it in a meaningful way involving all of their military elements.

VAUSE: As you mentioned, a meaningful evacuation plan needs to be in place. After the civilians in Rafah, before this assault begins, well, the Israelis say that is still in the works. Again, here's Prime Minister Netanyahu.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NETANYAHU (through translator): As we are preparing to enter Rafah, and this will take a little time, we are continuing to operate with full force. We are continuing to operate in Khan Yunis, in the camps in the center, in eliminating and capturing senior Hamas officials, as we have done in Al Shifa Hospital, and in eliminating hundreds of terrorists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So, hurry up and wait just a little bit longer, it seems. For weeks now, the Israeli forces, they've been bearing down on Rafah, more than a million displaced Palestinians in their crosshairs. There's been this sort of talk that this Ramadan deadline, which came and went, it seems to be very fluid, to say the least. So, could all this talk about a Rafah offensive be just that, talk? Could Bibi be bluffing, as a way of increasing pressure on Hamas to release Israeli hostages?

LEIGHTON: It certainly could be that, and it could be a situation, where what Prime Minister Netanyahu is trying to do, is create the conditions for people to think that he's going to go into Rafah, and then have Hamas fold and crack in that way, at the negotiating table. But, I think what Netanyahu is doing is, he's going to prepare his forces at some point to actually move into Rafah, in the hope they actually don't have to do that. So, in some ways, it could be a bluff. In some ways, it may very well end up being that.

But, what you end up having is a lot of posturing that eventually could result in actual movement of troops. But, we have not seen that movement of troops yet. And, it's very clear that they are moving in, the Israelis are moving in areas like the North, as the Prime Minister mentioned.

VAUSE: Colonel Leighton, as always, thank you for being with us. We really appreciate your time and your insights. Thank you.

LEIGHTON: You bet, John. Anytime.

VAUSE: Now, one of the most aggressive state laws targeting illegal immigration in the U.S., remains on hold for now. But, a federal court is expected to decide soon if Texas state law, SB4, can be enforced. Under SB4, illegally entering Texas will become a state crime. Local law enforcement will then be empowered to detain and arrest those suspected of crossing the border illegally. CNN's Ed Lavandera has more now, reporting in from El Paso, Texas.

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ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On El Paso's downtown streets, newly arrived migrants blend in. Police on patrol. The future of the controversial Texas immigration law. Looms over these daily street scenes. Some residents, like Elizabeth Ponce Deleon, shrug off the concern about being asked to prove she's a U.S. citizen.

ELIZABETH PONCE DELEON, El PASO RESIDENT: If they stand me, if they ask me, where are you from, I don't care. It doesn't bother me, because I know I'm legal, and I'm not doing anything wrong.

DIEGO CARLOS (ph), EL PASO RESIDENT: I'm just on edge more.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Twenty-eight-year-old El Paso resident Diego Carlos fears the new law will mean he and his family will be open to constant questioning.

CARLOS: I'm like all the time I'm like looking over my shoulder but the DPS officers those are the ones like you know I might hit my hair stands up on the back of my neck whenever I see those black and white trucks.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): The fate of the Texas immigration law known as Senate bill 4 or SB 4 is being hashed out in federal court. During oral arguments in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Texas officials argued the law should go into effect while the legal challenge plays out in federal court.

GEN. AARON NIELSON, TEXAS SOLICITOR (voice-over): Texas has decided that we are at the epicenter of this crisis. We are on the front line and we are going to do something about it.

[00:15:09]

LAVANDERA (voice-over): This law would give local law enforcement officers the ability to arrest migrants suspected of entering Texas illegally and allow state judges to deport migrants to Mexico. But one of the judges voiced confusion over how the law would work, confusion partially echoed by the attorney representing Texas.

PRISCILLA RICHMAN, CIRCUIT JUDGE (voice-over): I was just trying to envision how this all plays out. But a couple other things, just because I'm not sure I understand the law totally. So, what if someone enters in, let's say, from Mexico into Arizona and lives there for five years, then moves to Texas? Are they covered?

NIELSON (voice-over): I don't know the answer.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): That confusion and scepticism is a common theme expressed by law enforcement agencies across the state. The Laredo police chief says his officers will not focus on arresting undocumented migrants.

CHIEF MIGUEL RODRIGUEZ JR., LAREDO TEXAS POLICE: It can't be just by seeing somebody and thinking, the officer thinking that he's not from here and then asking for documents. It doesn't work like that.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): The sheriff in San Antonio says he would require deputies to file a report explaining the circumstances of an undocumented migrants arrest.

SHERIFF JAVIER SLAZAR, BEXAR COUNTY TEXAS: We don't want a deputy that thinks that they have authorities that actually don't exist crossing the line over interracial profiling and getting themselves and the agency in a whole lot of trouble for, again, a misdemeanor.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): In El Paso, sheriff's officials say they don't have the manpower, and don't want their deputies thrust into a fight between Texas Republican leaders and the Biden administration.

COMMADER RYAN URRUTIA, EL PASO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICER: This issue could quickly exhaust those resources for our community and cause extended response times, absences in patrol areas.

LAVANDERA: In the court hearing today, some of the judges expressed some openness to perhaps allowing parts of the Texas immigration law to go into effect, but we don't know for sure right now. Now we wait to figure out exactly what the federal appellate court is going to do and whether or not it will allow the Texas immigration law to go into effect. Ed Lavandera, CNN, El Paso, Texas.

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VAUSE: Still ahead, a shock resignation. Ireland's prime minister stepping down. His reasons why in a moment. Plus trouble keeps finding the British royal family. A new report alleges someone tried to access the Princess of Wales medical records. But all the details after a short break. You're watching CNN Newsroom.

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VAUSE: For almost seven years, Leo Varadkar led Ireland through some of the most tumultuous events of our time, from Brexit to the Covid pandemic. He ushered through the legalisation of same-sex marriage and ended a long-standing ban on abortion. But now the first openly gay and youngest prime minister ever elected in Ireland has resigned. Isa Soares has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEO VARADKAR, IRISH PRIME MINISTER: When I became party leader and Taoiseach back in June 2017, I knew that one part of leadership is knowing when the time has come to pass on the baton to somebody else and then having the courage to do it. That time is now.

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ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An emotional Leo Varadkar speaking in Dublin.

VARADKAR: I believe the re-election of this three-party government would be the right thing for the future of our country, continuing to take us forward, protecting all that's been achieved and building on it. But after careful consideration and some soul searching, I believe that a new Taoiseach and a new leader will be better placed than me to achieve that.

SOARES: He's resigning as party leader immediately, but will stay on as Prime Minister until a successor could be elected. He cited both personal and political reasons. Varadkar's resignation coming on the heels of an embarrassing defeat earlier this month when voters overwhelmingly rejected the government's proposed referendums.

Varadkar helped expand Ireland's footprint on the world stage. Just last week, during a meeting with President Biden at the White House, he called for a ceasefire in Gaza and previously criticised US weapons supplies to Israel. Under his watch, Ireland also increased its diplomatic presence around the world, most recently announcing five new overseas missions. Varadkar leaves behind a more modern and socially progressive island, but his legacy will also be marked with admitted defeats. Isa Soares, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Russian strike on Ukraine's second largest city has killed at least five people and wounded seven others. Ukrainian police say a fire erupted after a Russian missile hit an industrial building in Kharkiv on Wednesday. It's feared more victims are buried under the rubble. In the meantime, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues to plead for more military action. He's also said Ukraine's military assistance was hit with more than 1,300 missiles, drones and aerial bombs this month alone. On visit to Kyiv Wednesday, the US National Security Advisor said the optimistic US lawmakers will eventually approve more aid for Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: It has already taken too long. And I know that, you know that. I'm not going to make predictions about exactly when this will get done, but we are working to get it done as soon as possible. And President Biden is working this on a daily basis to try to deliver this package to the House. But I cannot make a specific prediction today. (END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Sixty billion dollars in US military assistance has been blocked by House Republicans now in Congress for months. Ukraine is facing severe ammunition shortages, which led to Russia taking the town of Avdiivka in recent weeks. Watchdog for Data Protection is looking into a report claiming hospital staff attempted to access medical records for the Princess of Wales. CNN's Max Foster has details Including the consequences if this report turns out to be true.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another day, another Princess headline. This one alleging medical staff tried to illegally access her records while she was there to undergo surgery at this private London clinic. The country's data watchdog now says it's assessing a breach of confidentiality reported in the Daily Mirror. The British tabloid reported that at least one hospital staffer allegedly tried to illegally access Kate's private medical records while she spent 13 nights at the London Clinic Hospital in January after planned abdominal surgery.

The Mirror says the hospital informed the palace and launched a probe into the allegations. And in a statement to CNN, the UK's information commissioner's office said, we can confirm that we've received a breach report and are assessing the information provided. On Wednesday, the UK's health minister, Maria Caulfield, warned that hospital staff could face prosecution.

MARIA CAULFIELD, BRITISH MINISTER FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND WOMEN'S HEALTH STRATEGY: You're only allowed to access the patient notes you're caring for and with their permission. And there's really strict rules. The information commissioner would take enforcement action against trusts or primary care practices. But also, as individual practitioners, your regulatory body, so for me, it would be the NMC, would take action as well. So it's pretty severe.

FOSTER: It's another blow for the Princess and the palace that's been protecting her privacy fiercely during her recovery. They've released minimal information which has sparked wild speculation about her true condition and whereabouts.

UKNOWN: Wherever she is, I hope she's fine and well. I think that there are a lot more pressing things that people should be putting their attention towards.

UNKNOWN: I think it's shocking and I think they should leave her alone and the royal family alone.

FOSTER: On Tuesday, another UK newspaper, The Sun, published a video taken by a member of the public showing a smiling Kate walking from a farm shop alongside her husband, Prince William. The Kensington Palace has referred all questions over the hospital breach to the London Clinic.

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In a statement, the CEO of the hospital, Al Russell, said, in the case of any breach, all appropriate investigatory, regulatory and disciplinary steps will be taken. There's no place at our hospital for those who intentionally breach the trust of any of our patients or colleagues. Max Foster, CNN London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Still to come here, Oprah Winfrey, talks to CNN about weight loss drugs and the culture of weight shaming.

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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN. For years on the Oprah Winfrey show, we were told over and over again, there's no magic pill for weight loss. It's all about willpower, portion control, diet and exercise. Well, Oprah may not have found a magic pill, but she found a magic injection. Now she's full of praise for drugs like Rigobi, Ozempic, Manjaro and others, which are helping many manage their obesity and is now classified as a disease.

Oprah made her return to primetime TV Monday on ABC with a show which featured guests who shared their personal experiences with obesity. Winfrey teared up when she shared the pain she felt at times in her weight loss battle. On Wednesday, she appeared on CNN's King Charles, talked about the reaction to the special and her choice to use drugs to lose weight. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WINFREY: Up until this Christmas, every Christmas of my life, I gained seven to eight pounds. And so, to be able to have people understand -- so, I had three goals. Number one, people understand obesity is a disease. And so, stop blaming yourself for something that's in your brain. Stop shaming yourself and other people for that. And also, to explain what the drugs actually do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Dr. Disha Narang is an endocrinologist, I've got to say that (ph), and director of obesity medicine at Endeavor Health System. Thank you for staying up and thank you for being with us.

DISHA NARANG, ENDOCRINOLOGIST AT ENDEAVOR HEALTH SYSTEM: Thank you for having me.

VAUSE: Okay, so Oprah's always been very public about her struggle to lose weight. She's now moved on from the traditional portion control weight watchers to injectable weight loss drugs. On CNN, she explained why she's doing this in a very public way. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WINFREY: The benefit of people finally recognizing that obesity is a disease far outweighed to me any criticism that I would receive for doing it. And also people no longer blaming themselves for something that you cannot control in your brain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: I thought we had this discussion about obesity being a disease about 10 years ago. And just explain the definition here. Does every person who's defined as obese, is it all about a genetic marker, and then they have a pre-condition, if you like, to being overweight. They can't resist food or they can't -- they just can't resist alcohol, for example, so very similar. Is that what we're talking about here?

[00:30:17]

NARANG: Well, there's so many factors. Genetics is just one part of it. But socioeconomic status, your environment, the way that your hormones talk to your brain and your gut. So many things equal, you know, someone's propensity to gain or lose weight. And some people lose it faster than others, and some have a lot of difficulty.

And that's why this is a chronic disease that deserves attention like this and deserves long-term therapy.

VAUSE: It's interesting, because you know, I said earlier about this, no magic weight-loss pill. And we've heard that not just from Oprah, but from all these talk shows for years and years and years.

But clearly, you know, now she says there is one. Here she is. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OPRAH WINFREY, MEDIA MOGUL: In my lifetime, I never dreamed that we would be talking about medicines that are providing hope for people like me, who have struggled for years with being overweight or with obesity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: But drugs like Ozempic were not developed to lose weight. They were developed to treat diabetes. So their long-term side effects remain unknown. As Bill Maher put it on his show, "Real Time." Here we go. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL MAHER, HOST, HBO'S "REAL TIME": You all stop wondering if Ozempic is one of those drugs that turns out to kill you? Yes, 100 percent. It will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: It seems maybe, you know, the health risks associated with the latest wonder drug would be worth a discussion.

How concerned are you about what we don't know about using Ozempic and others for losing weight? NARANG: Well, we've used this category of GLP-1 agonists for almost 20 years now. So initially, they started out or used in diabetes care. And in the last six to eight years, they've been approved for weight management, as well.

And so they're called different names for diabetes management and weight management. But there are the same medication. So we have about two decades of experience with these medications, and patients have actually done very, very well.

So the weight loss actually helps to decrease the risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes. And so overall, for the majority of people, they've actually done quite well.

VAUSE: Do you think people are aware of the possible long-term consequences, though, the risks involved?

NARANG: Well, you know, every treatment, every medication carries its set of benefits and risks. So far, what we've seen is that often the benefits outweigh the risks.

And so a small percentage of people may definitely have, you know, stomach upset and G.I. side effects. And those are the most common side effects. However, long term after 20 years, we really haven't seen very significant, you know, long-term effects from this.

And so obviously, yes, 20 years in, we obviously still have more time to learn about these medications. There are several new agents in the pipeline, as well, which is exciting.

However, so far, people have actually done very well, and it's not a magic pill. And I want to make sure I point that out, as well.

People tend to be very successful when they combine long-term lifestyle modifications with the medication. And so when we marry those two, that's when we see long-term success.

The medication certainly is a wonderful resource, but it's certainly not everything.

VAUSE: Which is a very important point to make.

We'll just finish up here, because on her Monday night special, Oprah took aim at the whole shame-and-blame culture associated with weight loss. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WINFREY: In an effort to combat all the shame, I starved myself for nearly five months and then wheeled out that wagon of fat that the Internet will never let me forget.

And after losing 67 pounds on liquid diet, the next day, you'll, the very next day, I started to gain it back.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: And again, it's an important thing to talk about, the shame-

and-blame culture. But there's no mention in her special about the vanity culture, where perfectly healthy people who could lose ten pounds pay a ton of money for an injection to look like a supermodel. Should we talk about that, as well?

NARANG: Yes, you know, that -- unfortunately, that's not what the medication was really meant for. It was meant for long-term management of obesity. And so, you know, for vanity purposes, it sort of takes away the attention from the disease called obesity.

Every single patient who comes into my clinic has been blamed and shamed for decades on end. And if it was, you know, just eating salads that could fix obesity, we wouldn't be in this situation.

And so we need to think about this as a long-term medication. And I will challenge you, you know, to say that we don't necessarily bat an eye to taking medication long-term for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease. Well, this is sort of the same thing. And if we treat this, we actually treat those other illnesses, as well.

VAUSE: Dr. Disha Narang, thank you so much. We really appreciate you being with us.

[00:35:02]

NARANG: Thank you for having me.

VAUSE: We'll take a short break. When we get back -- when we come back, inflation near 70 percent. The currency is worthless. How Turkey is dealing with a devastating economic crisis.

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[00:37:25]

VAUSE: Wall Street is cheering the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision to keep interest rates on hold. All three major indices closed at new record highs on Wednesday. The Dow up 1 percent. The NASDAQ gained one and a quarter percent. The S&P 500 closed above 5,200 for the first time ever.

Interest rates in the U.S. are at a 23-year high. But the central bank is predicting three rate cuts later this year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEROME POWELL, U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIR: The economy has made considerable progress toward our dual mandate objectives. Inflation has eased substantially while the labor market has remained strong, and that is very good news.

But inflation is still too high. Ongoing progress in bringing it down is not assured, and the path forward is uncertain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Policymakers say they see the Fed's key interest rate between 4.4 and four point -- and 5.4 percent for the year ahead.

But in Turkey, the annual inflation rate climbed almost 70 percent in February. The lira has weakened by almost 10 percent this year, leading to higher prices for food and other essentials.

CNN's Scott McLean looks at how many are coping with this economic crunch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The ottoman arches and domes of Istanbul's Grand Bazaar are a good reminder that empires rise and fall.

When it comes to the value of the Turkish lira, lately, it only falls. In a dimly lit ally of the market, exchange traders buy and sell foreign currency and gold for their shops, responding to the slightest of price movements.

MCLEAN: Hard to figure out what's going on right now. Everybody's shouting.

MCLEAN (voice-over): Today, gold and U.S. dollars are in high demand. The Turkish lira is not.

"Right now, our money is almost worthless," he says. "Because people haven't seen inflation fall, they don't trust the Turkish lira anymore."

But this ancient city never lost faith in a currency that's endured through the ages. Gold, coins, bars, even tiny one-gram chips.

"People used to buy real estate or lands," says this dealer. "But right now, because the interest rates are so high, they either put money in the bank or buy gold."

Just outside the gates of the bazaar, it's all about the Benjamins. There is so much demand that exchange offices are paying even more than the market rate.

"Because so many people are buying the dollar, we have to buy them at a higher price, and we sell them at a higher price," he tells me.

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MCLEAN: It sounds like you think that the lira is only going in one direction.

MCLEAN (voice-over): "Right now, that's how it is."

MCLEAN: The Turkish central bank has hiked the interest rate now to 45 percent in an effort to tame inflation. But so far, it hasn't. The official inflation rate is now 67 percent. And unofficial estimates suggest it is much higher.

MCLEAN (voice-over): In January, to help the poorest Turks cope, the government doubled the minimum wage from a year ago, just ahead of the coming local elections.

But some economists believe that has only made inflation worse.

KERIM ROTA, ECONOMIST: In order to break that cycle, you have to do something. So we will see, after the elections, if the government is serious about fighting inflation or not.

The central bank increased the credit card rates last week. It is monthly 5 percent. Monthly 5 percent means 80 percent on an annualized rate. And if you add up the taxes, it's around 113 percent. Who can afford that? Nobody can afford that.

MCLEAN (voice-over): Across the Bosphorus on Istanbul's Asian side, people are stocking up on Iftar essentials this Ramadan. Freshly baked pide, fish and meat.

"Prices are crazy. This year, it's too much," this woman says.

"You can say you're young; you can work. But I do work, and I still can't make a living. And I have two jobs," this man tells me.

MCLEAN: Do you keep your money in Turkish lira, or do you keep it in American?

MELIK ALKEZ (PH), PRESCHOOL TEACHER: I can't keep anything. I can't save.

MCLEAN (voice-over): Preschool teacher Melik Alkez (ph) also has credit card debt at sky-high interest rates.

MCLEAN: How do you dig yourself out of that hole?

ALKEZ (ph): You see? She's asking for the money for bread.

MCLEAN (voice-over): Scott McLean, CNN, Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Major League scandal is brewing on baseball's opening day. The interpreter for L.A. Dodgers star player Shohei Ohtani has been fired, according to ESPN and "The L.A. Times." He's accused of massive theft. Ohtani's legal team says the translator stole millions of dollars and placed bets with a bookmaker.

The Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres in Wednesday's MLB season opener in Seoul, South Korea. The interpreter was there with Ohtani at the time.

I'm John Vause, back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM. But first, WORLD SPORTS starts after a short break. See you back here in a little more than 18 minutes.

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