Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Still No Ceasefire Deal; Tornadoes Slam U.S.; China's Panda Diplomacy. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired April 28, 2024 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:00:00]
ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all our viewers watching from around the world. I'm Anna Coren from Hong Kong.
Ahead on CNN Newsroom, no ceasefire deals so far, demonstrators are calling on Israel's government to do more to bring hostages home.
Tornadoes wreak havoc over parts of the U.S. The danger isn't over as millions are still under tornado watches.
And China's panda diplomacy, how the promise of pandas for San Diego could signal a warming of relations with the U.S.
An Israeli official tells CNN that Israel has rejected Egypt's ceasefire and hostage release proposal and presented its own conditions for an agreement. There's no word what those conditions are. On the streets of Tel Aviv Saturday, thousands of Israeli protesters demanded the government do more to bring home the hostages Hamas is holding in Gaza.
Well, some of those protesters clashed with police. At least seven people were arrested.
Well, there are no signs that Israel and Hamas are closer to an agreement. Israel's foreign minister said a ceasefire and hostage deal could delay the planned ground assault on Rafah.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ISRAEL KATZ, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: There will be a deal, we will halt the operation, we will do whatever is required to bring the hostages back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: The U.S. State Department says Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Saudi Arabia on Monday. They say he'll discuss the ceasefire hostage release talks and how, quote, Hamas is standing between the Palestinian people and a ceasefire, end quote.
Well, Journalist Elliott Gotkine joins us now live from London with more on the situation. Elliott, what is the latest on these seemingly stalled negotiations and also on these latest videos released by Hamas of Israeli hostages?
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Anna, as far as negotiations go, there is no deal. That is something that hasn't changed. In months of talks, we've seen high-level delegations meeting in Qatar, in Egypt and in Israel. We had Egyptian officials meeting with their Israeli counterparts to try to see if a deal could be done.
They were transmitting Hamas demands for a ceasefire. Israel has rejected those demands and instead offered a counterproposal, which it has handed to the Egyptians, which has passed it on to Hamas, which says it is now reviewing this counterproposal.
Now, as far as Israel and the United States is concerned, the main sticking point in these negotiations seems to be Hamas sticking to its guns and demanding that Israel agree to a complete cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of all of its troops from the Gaza Strip, something Israeli officials all the way up to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have said is a delusional demand and something that simply isn't going to happen.
And another reason why we kind of have had all of these hopes and optimism and only to see those hopes dashed when they meet up with reality is, according to a senior U.S. administration official, perhaps because of a disconnect between Hamas leaders inside the Gaza Strip and those outside. This senior official telling CNN, saying, at times, we hear things from leaders of Hamas outside of Gaza that do not reflect the Hamas leadership inside, which seems determined to simply sit underground holding hostages.
Now, two of those hostages, an Israeli-American Keith Siegel and an Israeli Omri Miran, appeared in the latest Hamas hostage video that was released, pleading with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the government to do a deal that would see the hostages free.
Now, they seem to be speaking under duress. We don't know the specifics of where they were in the Gaza Strip or after how many days, but they say they'd been there in captivity for 202 days, which would seem to mean it was Thursday that it was recorded.
They also said they were unable to celebrate the Jewish festival, ironically, of liberation of Passover, which is still ongoing in Israel, at least, is due to finish on Monday evening. So, that was another development.
The wife of the Israeli-American Keith Siegel, her name is Aviva (ph), she herself was kidnapped by Hamas and released in the one and only ceasefire we had after 51 days.
[03:05:02]
She said, Keith, I love you and we will fight until you return, something that all of those thousands of protesters we saw descending on Tel Aviv over the weekend a view that they seem to share they are demanding that Israel do a deal to get those hostages home after more than 200 days in captivity. Anna? COREN: Elliot, we know that Saudi Arabia are obviously a very important player in the region, Antony Blinken will be travelling there. What will he achieve? What is he hoping to achieve?
GOTKINE: I don't think he necessarily expects to make any concrete achievements, but certainly according to the statement, it says simply, the secretary will discuss ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza. That secures the release of hostages and how it is Hamas standing between the Palestinian people and a ceasefire.
He's also due to discuss ways to try to prevent the conflict from escalating, an escalation we've already seen with the Iranian attack on Israel and, of course, the ongoing war that isn't a war rumbling between Israel and the Iranian proxy militia of Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon.
So, they're going to be discussing ways to try to prevent the conflict from Gaza escalating for real, I suppose, into another all-out war elsewhere in the region, and also to discuss ways to try to achieve a lasting peace, not just between Israel and the Gaza Strip, but between Israel and the Palestinians.
And I suppose the big prize there is the potential for normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel as part of an agreement that would see concrete steps towards a two-state solution.
But, again, two big stumbling blocks there. Number one, Hamas rejects a two-state solution and so does the current Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. So, unlikely that any real progress is going to be made on that front either, Anna.
COREN: Elliott Gotkine London, many thanks for the update.
A new shipment of aid is heading to Gaza. The ship left Cyprus on Saturday and is scheduled to dock at the Israeli port of Ashdod sometime Sunday. It's a joint effort between the United Arab Emirates and aid agency Anera.
Aid shipments to Gaza were disrupted earlier this month after an Israeli military strike killed seven workers for World Central Kitchen.
In Rafah, meanwhile, a deadly Israeli airstrike on Saturday, these people prayed over the bodies of their loved ones killed in the strike. The Ministry of Health in Gaza says the total death toll in the enclave has now reached at least 34,388.
Well, as that death toll in Gaza rises and doctors struggle to treat the wounded. I want to bring in Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah. He's a British-Palestinian surgeon who worked in Gaza. He joins us now live from London. Doctor, thank you so much for joining us.
34,000, it is a staggering number. And one of those killed is baby Rua (ph), that miracle baby born by C-section from her dying mother. She survived some four or five days and then passed away to along with her mother, her father and her older sister.
I mean, countless children have been killed in Gaza, but how did this case affect you as someone who has worked there?
DR. GHASSAN ABU-SITTAH, BRITISH-PALESTINIAN SURGEON: These cases of what we call in war surgery post-mortem delivery, where the pregnant mother is dead and so your attention is diverted to trying to save the fetus regardless of the state of gestation, i.e. how fit they are able to live in the outside world, how premature they are because you've lost everything.
We were seeing it from the very beginning, and I remember assisting one of the obstetricians in the emergency department at the Shifa Hospital.
The number of children is now approaching 15,000. And we know that this is an underestimate because there are thousands still under the rubble. And what's even more devastating that the number of orphaned children now is around 20,000 and the number of children with limbs missing with amputation is around 4,000.
From the very beginning, it felt like a war against children. Half of the daily operating list that I was conducting was on children and the injuries were absolutely devastating. And from the very beginning, we were seeing this phenomenon of these wounded children who are being brought from under the rubble with no surviving family. And so a lot of these 20,000 orphaned children are going to be left trying to navigate a lifetime of surgery with no family to look after them.
[03:10:00]
COREN: Dr. Ghassan, from your friends and colleagues who are still on the ground in Gaza, what are they telling you about the conditions in the remaining hospitals in Gaza?
ABU-SITTAH: So, effectively, the only hospital left that is functioning is the European hospital with eight operating. So, everything else is destroyed. The two partially destroyed hospitals in the north, Lauda (ph) and Ali Hospital, can only do surgeries when they have enough fuel to switch on the generator and then they operate, they run out of fuel and they switch it off again.
And the other issue is that these health staffs, these doctors and nurses and paramedics, have been worked once off for seven months and have not been paid for seven months. I mean, with all of the aid coming in, this aid, which is critical, is not going to those people who have been dedicating their lives to trying to treat the wounded.
And after seven months of no payment, no salaries and seven months of continuous work, the toll is immense. When you speak to them, they're exhausted, both emotionally and physically. And they're worried about their families (INAUDIBLE) their own families.
COREN: Dr. Ghassan, this war has now been going on for more than half a year. Do you fear that the world is becoming desensitized to the scale of death and destruction that we are witnessing in Gaza? ABU-SITTAH: Absolutely. And what is even worse, we are having this process of humanitarianizing the genocide. We send food parcels and food aid and bombs at the same time. We send in medical teams while Israelis are destroying the hospital. And so we are kind of almost like in parallel, trying to save enough lives so that they can be killed by the Israelis in this war.
COREN: To think that there's only one remaining hospital functioning in Gaza right now.
Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah, it's so important to speak to you. Thank you for your time and for your perspective.
While pro-Palestinian protests continue to grip U.S. college campuses, dozens have been arrested at schools in Massachusetts, Arizona, Missouri and Indiana. Meanwhile, California State Polytechnic University Humboldt campus has closed. The university says anyone who enters campus without permission could be arrested. The University of Southern California says it has also closed its University Park campus temporarily over an undisclosed disturbance.
Now to the state of Georgia, where CNN's Rafael Romo has the latest following Thursday's violent arrests at Emory University.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: More than protesters, we've seen many students here at Emory University wearing their caps and gowns this weekend. Commencement ceremonies are still at least a couple of weeks away for most graduating students, but many were already taking their pictures to mark the occasion.
It's a sharp contrast with the violent arrests that happened here on campus on Thursday when police from three different agencies descended on campus. The decision to call police is being strongly criticized by many students and some faculty here at Emory University, including by one student who was one of those arrested and says their focus remains on what's happening in Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTIN BERG, STUDENT WHO WAS ARRESTED: That's why we were there. And that's what we talked about when we were in jail, when we were there, sitting and talking about why we were there, talking about if we regretted it, none of us did. We talked about how the people who are dying in Gaza right now, the tens of thousands of men, women, mothers, fathers and children, are being displaced.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: We also had an opportunity to talk to a Jewish student who says even when she supports the right of her fellow students to express themselves, they have often crossed the line between free speech and threatening behavior.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From the river to the sea, globalize the Intifada. All of those things are calls to violence. The House has even stated that from the river to the sea is condemned and it is anti-Semitic. So, do not follow that on a private university campus, to me is alarming and troubling.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: Emory University President Gregory Fenves said in a statement that the administration is committed to working with students and faculty, open expression observers, and the EPD to facilitate their peaceful expression.
However, he said, the university will not tolerate vandalism, violence, or any attempt to disrupt campus activities, including the construction of encampments.
Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.
[03:15:01]
COREN: Pro-Palestinian protesters also rallied in Washington, D.C. outside the venue where U.S. President Joe Biden and thousands of journalists and celebrities attended the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
The crowds chanted at people who were entering the event, demanding they, quote, report the truth about what's happening in Gaza.
Thousands of people in Spain are showing support for the country's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez after his surprise announcement this week that he may quit. This comes after a court began a corruption investigation into his wife's private dealings. Mr. Sanchez denies the allegations against his wife, saying it's part of a sustained campaign against him by political opponents.
Pau Mosquera spoke to his supporters.
PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the voice of the hundreds of people that this Saturday morning gathered around the Spanish Socialist Party headquarters in Madrid to show their support to Pedro Sanchez and ask him to remain in power.
Many were sharing chants like Pedro, stay in office, and Pedro, we do support you.
We are talking about a protest that has mainly been organized on social media and has attracted people from many different parts of Spain. Though it started as a rainy day, it didn't stop many to come from different parts of the country, like the best country in the north or Andalusia in the south.
Most of them endorsed Sanchez work over this few months of legislature, but they do not share the same bills on how should it continue from now on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If he quits, democracy loses. If he resigns, everything we have fought for goes away. Not just the social advances we have achieved in this country and the advances for the LGBTI community and for all groups with needs that have problems. No, democracy in general loses.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope he decides not to resign. I hope he thinks about it, that this rally helps him continue in office. I hope he stays and that this decision makes a difference in politics as a turning point.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he has already reached the limit and that we deserve him to resign. We deserve it. I think we deserve it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What scares me the most is the result of a possible general election. That's what scares me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's it, any right party option seems scary to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOSQUERA: Now, to know how the Spanish politics future may look like, we're going to have to wait until Monday. Some political analysts believe that if he announces that he remains in office, this may weaken him politically. But if he resigns, some believe that this could lead the socialist party to an internal crisis.
Pau Mosquera, CNN, Madrid.
COREN: Still to come, Ukraine's president says Russia launched a massive missile strike on Saturday as his country waits for crucial US aid to arrive. But Ukrainian forces are not slowing down either, ramping up attacks on Russian oil refineries.
Those details after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:20:00]
COREN: Kyiv's military says Russia targeted Ukraine with dozens of missiles on Saturday, but its air defenses took down 21 of them. One strike almost hit a hospital in Kharkiv, leaving a huge crater. The mayor says one person was injured, but it could have been much worse.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack, which he says mainly targeted energy infrastructure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: The trajectories of the missiles and the nature of the strike were calculated by Russian terrorists in a way to make the work of our air defense system as difficult as possible. Each downed rocket today is a significant result. (END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Sources tell CNN Ukraine attacked a military airfield and two oil refineries on Russian territory on Saturday. It was described as an explosive operation using drones. A source says Ukraine is successfully targeting Russian military and infrastructure facilities, hoping to lower the potential for warfare.
Well, CNN's Clare Sebastian takes a closer look at how these increased attacks on Russian oil refineries are impacting the global oil supply.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Flying straight for Russia's biggest money maker. This precise hit one of more than a dozen Ukrainian drone strikes reported on Russian oil refineries since the start of the year.
VASYL MALYUK, HEAD OF SECURITY OF UKRAINE: We have already reduced both production and processing by 12 percent, so we continue to work while the gas station country continues to burn.
SEBASTIAN: Attacks like this, which CNN has geolocated to the high- capacity Ryazan oil refinery many experts say do more harm than sanctions to Russian energy.
HELIMA CROFT, HEAD OF GLOBAL COMMODITY STRATEGY, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS: From the beginning of the war, the U.S. made the decision to try to keep Russia on the market because no one would support Ukraine in a winter of discontent. Does this mean that Ukraine has a limited window to try to change dynamics on the ground?
SEBASTIAN: Russia has admitted oil refining output is down and it's temporarily banned gasoline exports to preserve supplies. Meanwhile, global oil prices have risen around 12 percent since the start of the year. The U.S. official telling CNN these attacks are now being discouraged.
CROFT: If it wasn't an election year, there might be more willingness to endure this. Like that's why Washington is calling Ukraine right now.
SEBASTIAN: Two years ago, Ukraine would not have had the technology to do this. Some of the refineries hit are over a thousand kilometers from its territory, a big leap in terms of range. This puts around three quarters of Russian refinery output in Ukraine's reach, according to RBC Capital Markets.
As to their ability to avoid this fate, being downed by Russian jammers, a source close to Ukraine's drone program telling CNN artificial intelligence is now in use in some of the refinery attacks.
NOAH SYLVIA, RESEARCH ANALYST, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: They have this type of thing called machine vision, which is a form of A.I. to our understanding. All you have to do is you take a model and you have it on a chip and you train this model over time to be able to identify images, geography and the target.
SEBASTIAN: It also allows for a high degree of precision. Look at this strike, geolocated again to the Ryazan oil refinery. A second hit on one specific tower.
SYLVIA: From what we've seen, some of it is they're striking targets that need a lot of western technology, and Russia has a much more difficult time procuring this technology.
SEBASTIAN: And yet experts say Ukraine is still exercising some restraint. These blue dots are Russia's key western oil export terminals. Around two-thirds of its oil and oil product exports pass through these ports, according to RBC.
CROFT: If we simply had one major export facility hit, I think the impact on markets would be substantial.
SEBASTIAN: For Ukraine, the risk here is not just U.S. disapproval but Russian revenge, amidst signs, Ukraine's own energy sector is once again in its sights.
Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke to CNN about the billions of dollars the U.S. pledged to Ukraine this week and what's most needed on the battlefield. Here is what he told Christiane Amanpour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, when you fight a war, you need everything.
[03:25:00]
There is no detail that you do not need in fighting the war. But when I look at the announced package and at the law that was passed, and we appreciate, by the way, that Congress included reference to ATACMS long range missiles into the law, of course, everything long range and everything related to artillery and air defense is more than welcome. And this is the top priority.
We need air defense to protect our cities and we need artillery ammunition and artillery systems to protect our soldiers and to liberate our territories. These are the two key elements.
What we do not see on this package is a battery of Patriots, but we keep working with the U.S. administration on mobilizing more batteries from from other countries in short, short perspective.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Iraq's parliament is cracking down on the LGBTQ community. On Saturday, it passed a bill that punishes same-sex relations with up to 15 years in prison. The bill amends an anti-prostitution law that covers acts that include promoting homosexuality. It also punishes transgender individuals and doctors who perform gender reassignment surgery.
However, the law excludes cases of medical intervention to treat birth defects to affirm the sex of the individual following a court order. Human rights activists are condemning the new legislation.
Well, after a number of recent health scares, Pope Francis is in Venice for his first trip outside Rome this year. The 87-year-old pontiff is visiting Venice for the first time since his 2013 election.
This is also the first time a pope has visited the Venice Biennale, a prestigious art show with exhibitions placed in many different spaces. The Vatican's exhibit features nine artists and has been set up inside a women's prison. Pope Francis kicked off his trip by flying directly to the jail in a helicopter to see the exhibition.
While a multi-day severe storm system is still wreaking havoc across the U.S., storm-hit communities are picking up the pieces as millions face an increased threat of tornadoes and floods.
And other parts of the world are dealing with their own severe weather, while scientists are blaming climate change.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: More than 6 million people across parts of the central United States are under tornado watches, while other storm hit communities are picking up the pieces after severe weather moved through.
[03:30:03]
One of the hardest hit areas is around Omaha, Nebraska, where a strong storm Friday destroyed multiple homes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's my son's bedroom, yes, and I told him to go to his mom's house, and I'm glad he did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Several large tornadoes were reported on the ground Saturday evening across parts of Oklahoma. State officials say there are initial reports of damage and injuries in several counties and around 45,000 customers are without power.
The U.S. Storm Prediction Center has increased Sunday's severe storm threat to a level three out of five, impacting the region from Eastern Texas to Southern Missouri.
While others will be waiting for daylight to assess the damage, our Lucy Kafanov reports from one already devastated Nebraska community as it begins to rebuild the lives they once knew. LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I am standing in Elkhorn, a suburb of Omaha, Nebraska, and you can see the utter devastation that destruction that this twister left behind after touching down at 4:30 P.M. on Friday. Homes over there missing their roofs, floors destroyed.
Right here, this was a large family home. The family, as well as friends, neighbors, volunteers, they've been here all morning picking up the remaining pieces of their lives, trying to salvage what they can because, of course, they're not going to be able to live in this property for a long time, even if they rebuild, that is going to take a lot of time.
And you can see the destruction here. This area where we are standing right now, this was a home to a family of four. We talked to the father and we talked to a family friend. Nothing, nothing was left of this structure.
You can see the white vehicle there flipped on its head, crushed by the power of this massive twister. Nothing remains. They were trying to salvage them. Some things are simply nothing.
Over here where I'm standing, and we're not going to go anywhere closer to it, stairs going down. There is a basement. The basements are how so few lives -- no lives, in fact, were miraculously lost in this area. People sheltered in the basements. That's how they found safety. But in this particular family's case, the wife, she saw the news. She saw what was heading here. She said, you know what, I don't feel safe, let's get out of here. And what a good call that was because, again, so much of this property is flattened.
And, finally, I'll just flip over here to show you the rest of the street utter devastation. And we haven't seen a lot of official help here yet. No power crews cleaning up. A lot of the cleanup efforts are from neighbors, church groups, religious groups, volunteers trying to pitch together and help everyone.
Lucy Kafanov, CNN in Elkhorn, Nebraska.
COREN: A deadly tornado tore through Southern China on Saturday. According to state media, five people were killed and 33 were injured after a tornado ripped through a major metropolis in Southern China. Authorities say close to 150 factory buildings were damaged in the storm, but no residential housing was hit. The tornado followed multiple days of heavy rain and flooding in the region.
With temperatures rising around the globe, climate change is adding to the dangers of more and more severe weather events, and as recent reports indicate, those dangers are growing.
CNN's Michael Holmes has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): A terrifying moment in Kenya, when a truck attempting to cross a rushing river is swept away by the strong currents. Its passengers toppled into the water, as horrified people watch from the bank. Rescuers are still searching for survivors, but at least seven bodies have been found.
It's painstaking work, looking for the missing and the dead. And it's happening across Kenya, after deadly floods deluged the country. In one of Nairobi's biggest slums, people dig through thick mud and debris with their hands, looking for any trace of their loved ones, or anything salvageable.
The Kenyan government says at least 70 people have died in the floods. The military helping with recovery efforts, but for some residents like this man who lost his mother, there is little left to save.
COLLINS OBONDO, FLOOD SURVIVOR: These are her house and office keys. Her office was just up there. This is her handbag. She used to keep her iPhone in here. iPhones are waterproof. I hope we find it in one piece.
HOLMES: It's been an especially active rainy season in East Africa, with torrential rains also soaking neighboring Tanzania, where flooding and landslides have killed more than 150 people. Forecasters say more heavy rain is expected in the region over the weekend.
[03:35:00]
Some residents of Dar es Salaam say they've already had too much.
ABDALLAH MUHAMMAD, DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA RESIDENT: It has reached a point where water is going through the windows and doors, which has led to many people losing their property. When people go to work in the morning, then it rains in the afternoon, when they return in the evening, they find all their property has been carried away by water.
HOLMES: And while floods are wreaking havoc in East Africa, it's the heap that's disrupting daily life in South Asia. In parts of India, people sweltering and temperatures reaching 44 degrees Celsius.
MANZURUL HAQUE, KOLKATA, INDIA RESIDENT: Simply unbearable this heat. We have not witnessed this last 50 years or something like that. It's tremendous, the scorching heat.
HOLMES: The heat almost as bad in Bangladesh, where schools are closed to protect children from falling ill in stifling classrooms, although some people say it's just as hot at home.
RUMANA ISLAM, DHAKA, BANGLADESH RESIDENT: Every year summer comes but the heat has become too much in the past few years, especially this year. It's unbearable. I can't stand by the stove when I cook. I don't feel like cooking anything. But, again, I have to do the cooking as I have children. I sweat when I cook. My head starts spinning.
HOLMES: Experts say climate change is intensifying weather conditions around the world, turning up the heat in some places, boosting the strength of storms in others, both extremes bringing misery, with the expectation of more to come.
Michael Holmes, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Coming up, the San Diego Zoo is about to receive two very special new residents. What this could mean for the relationship between the U.S. and China, that's ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: The U.S. and China aren't exactly on the warmest terms right now, although they seem to be working on it. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken just wrapped up a three-day trip to Beijing this week and China is about to reopen a very important diplomatic channel.
Starring its panda ambassadors, China has made it official, confirming that it is sending two pandas to the San Diego Zoo.
As U.S.-China relations have soured in recent years, several pandas in U.S. zoos have been returned to China, the last pair scheduled to go back sometime this year.
The San Diego agreement marked something of a reversal as the first new panda loans to the U.S. in two decades.
Well, Chee Meng Tan is an associate professor at the University of Nottingham, Malaysia. He's an expert in Chinese foreign policy and in panda diplomacy. He joins me now from Kuala Lumpur. Great to have you with us.
The restarting of panda diplomacy with the United States, obviously significant planning has gone into this, but the official announcement comes off the back of Antony Blinken's visit to China this week.
What do you read into that?
[03:40:00]
CHEE MENG TAN, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM MALAYSIA: There's definitely an attempt at least from Beijing to normalize relations with the U.S., and it's pretty simple because the Chinese economy has been pretty weak and ailing in the last year or so. In June 2023, the youth unemployment was over 20 percent, and towards the end of the year last year, it was around 14.9, 15 percent.
So, it's obvious that the Chinese need investments and the investments have to come from the U.S., but unfortunately, because of souring ties between Beijing and Washington and many parts of the western hemisphere, it's definitely been a real challenge for China to actually rebuild its economy.
So, the kind of diplomacy portion of the Chinese foreign policy is Beijing's attempt actually to rebuild some form of ties with the west once more.
COREN: Do you see this as a thawing or a warming of relations between the U.S. and China or are we getting ahead of ourselves? TAN: I think we are getting ahead of ourselves. I mean, for sure, the Chinese are very interested in building bridges with the U.S. once more. And this is the reason why President Xi Jinping actually attended the APEC meeting in November 2023.
And we had, you know, President Biden showing President Xi a photo of a much younger President Xi in front of the Golden Gate Bridge and so on.
So, it's obvious, at least to me, that the Chinese are very interested in building ties to the U.S., but I think the U.S. is a little skeptical about what the Chinese actually want. And so maybe it's a little one-sided at this moment. We'll have to wait a little bit to see what happens.
COREN: Explain to us the history and importance of panda diplomacy, because this is really soft power at play, isn't it?
TAN: It is. So, it all started with -- well, legend has it that the Empress or Emperor Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty actually gifted pandas to the emperor of Japan. But in more recent times, it happened in the 1940s when Madame Chiang Kai-shek, who was the wife of the leader of the Kuomintang-led Chinese government of mainland China, sent a pair of pandas to the U.S., thanking the Americans for aid during the Sino-Japanese War.
And then a little later, a couple of decades later, we had Pat Nixon and Richard Nixon attending a state visit in China. And then from there onwards, the Americans started having pandas going forward.
COREN: Last year, I believe it was something like three pandas in the United States were sent back to China. There were accusations of mistreatment of these animals, especially in the case of the very well-known Yaya.
I mean, her case went viral, but I guess it wasn't really about the welfare of the animal, but rather a fallout in relations between the U.S. and China.
TAN: That's true because the pandas are seen as national treasures. They're pretty rare, and they're seen with a great degree of importance. Many people consider pandas to be Beijing's second ambassador to any other country that actually hosts them.
So, when pandas are perceived to be mistreated, obviously, there would be an uproar not just from the Chinese government itself, but from the Chinese people. So, there were issues related to Sino-U.S. relationship because of that. And I'm sure the U.S. zoos were not mistreating the pandas at all. It was a misunderstanding, but that definitely created a lot of tension between Beijing and Washington after the incident.
COREN: Well, we certainly hope that this panda diplomacy continues into the future and that we do see a warming of relations between the U.S. and China.
Chee Meng Tan in Kuala Lumpur, thank you for your analysis and explaining it to us.
TAN: Thank you very much.
COREN: Well, U.S. researchers have discovered a trove of documents inside a computer server housed in North Korea. Evidence in those files suggests U.S. studios unknowingly outsourced animation work for popular cartoons to those in enemy territory.
Alex Marquardt has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Invincible is a popular animated show streaming on Amazon Prime with a third season on the way.
It's based on a comic book about a superhero teen. While its main character is all-American, some animation in the new season may come from one of America's biggest foes, North Korea.
Martyn Williams is a North Korea analyst at the Stimson Center. He shows us what was inside a recently discovered North Korean internet server.
MARTYN WILLIAMS, SENIOR FELLOW, STIMSON CENTER: There's a bunch of working files in here.
MARQUARDT: Files including sketches and video from North Korea, which resemble the animation from two shows produced and streamed by American companies.
[03:45:02]
Amazon's invincible and another coming soon called Iyanu, Child of Wonder, set to stream on MAX, which along with CNN is owned by Warner Brothers Discovery. There's no evidence that the studios knew that any proprietary work was on a North Korean server.
WILLIAMS: At some stage in this production process, these files appear to be being worked on by the North Koreans.
MARQUARDT: There's a clip of Iyanu, which hasn't been released yet.
Williams says a lot of American production work is outsourced, particularly to China, where it could then be subcontracted to North Koreans without the American company's awareness.
WILLIAMS: It's very common. Numerous Chinese companies have been sanctioned by the U.S. for working with North Korea, not just in animation but in other areas as well.
MARQUARDT: A draft of one animation has Chinese instructions translated into Korean.
There's also this production sheet in English for Invincible.
Is there any evidence that the American studios knew about this?
WILLIAMS: We didn't find any evidence that they had any direct knowledge of any of this. We found the names of some animations, we found the names of some U.S. companies, but nothing that concretely tied that back to the U.S. companies.
MARQUARDT: Using North Korean labor would be a violation of U.S. sanctions. MAX and the producer of Iyanu, Lion Forge Entertainment, declined to comment. Unique Studios, which co-created the graphic novel series, did not respond.
Skybound Entertainment, which produces Invincible, told CNN it never approved outsourcing and would investigate.
WILLIAMS: It's just something that's very difficult to kind of figure out who you are working with because once stuff starts getting outsourced, once stuff starts moving through the system, actually finding out who the person is at the other side of the keyboard is very, very difficult.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUARDT (on camera): The U.S. government does give American companies advice and guidance on what to look out for, how to do their due diligence to make sure they know who they're working with, but that can be a lot of extra work, which is difficult, especially for small companies, the kind that may need to outsource animation and programming work. And it is high stakes for these companies because the Treasury Department can file lawsuits if the sanctions are violated.
Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.
COREN: Among G7 nations, Japan isn't known for a high number of female business leaders, but the new head of Japan Airlines is helping to shatter that glass ceiling.
CNN's Hanako Montgomery talked to the new president and CEO about her rise to the top and safety issues plaguing their partner, Boeing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): An entire plane swallowed by flames. Smoke and fear filled the cabin. These are the dramatic scenes from Japan that unfolded on screens across the world when a Japan Airlines flight collided with a Coast Guard aircraft on the runway.
But mass tragedy was avoided that January night. Five Coast Guard crew members were killed, but all 379 aboard Commercial Flight 516 escaped unscathed. A miracle Mitsuko Tottori, Japan Airlines' incoming president, attributes to passenger cooperation and a well-trained crew.
MITSUKO TOTTORI, PRESIDENT AND CEO, JAPAN AIRLINES: We are constantly updating our operations based on the lessons we have learned from past case studies. I think we were able to put these lessons to the test.
MONTGOMERY: But for Tottori, safety isn't just a priority, it's instinct. Starting as a flight attendant, she rose through the ranks in a country where women hold less than 13 percent of senior and leadership roles, the lowest among G7 nations, according to the World Economic Forum.
She's now the first woman and former flight attendant to become JAL's president. But her rise, she says, shouldn't come as a surprise. She's now the first woman and former flight attendant to the United States, according to the World Economic Forum.
TOTTORI: I hope that Japan will soon become a place where people are not surprised when a woman becomes a president.
MONTGOMERY: Tottori's remarkable career began in 1985, just four months before the deadliest single aircraft accident in aviation history. JAL Flight 123 crashed and killed 520 people on board, leaving just four survivors and Tottori with the haunting reminder that safety is irreplaceable.
TOTTORI: Safety must be a priority for everyone working at JAL. That important value has been engraved in my heart.
MONTGOMERY: But her dedication to safety faces another critical test. Boeing, long a jowl partner, now grapples with mounting allegations of neglecting aircraft safety and quality following alarming plane incidents and this month's Senate whistleblower hearing.
Are you concerned at all about the whistleblower complaints regarding the gaps in quality and safety of Boeing airplanes?
[03:50:00]
TOTTORI: Well, it seems that the CEO has just changed, so I'm not particularly concerned. I believe they will overcome this and I will continue to support, communicate with them.
MONTGOMERY: Her faith in Boeing strong, but the manufacturer must prove that its aircrafts live up to her indispensable value.
Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, 70 years after Japan unleashed Godzilla onto the world, spectators celebrate the anniversary with a show that's larger than life. More ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: It's been 70 years since Godzilla first roared onto movie screens around the world and the monsterverse has never been the same.
In honor of the anniversary, spectators in Tokyo are being treated to a 100-meter tall projection of the famous lizard. It's earned a Guinness World Record for the largest display of its kind.
Since the enormous reptile debuted in 1954, Godzilla has become a global phenomenon, spawning 38 movies, making it one of the longest- running film franchises.
Last hour, I spoke to Norman England. He's the director of the documentary, Bringing Godzilla Down to Size, and author of the book Behind the Kaiju Curtain. I asked him how he first became introduced to the famous monster.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NORMAN ENGLAND, DIRECTOR, BRINGING GODZILLA DOWN TO SIZE: I became kind of fascinated by the culture, which really wasn't that popular, you know, with Americans like it is today. And Godzilla is one of these things that -- you know, Japanese thing that I really enjoyed.
So, you know, I moved to Japan. I began writing for Japanese, I began writing for American magazines, like Fangoria and Starlog and visiting Japanese sets. And I started to go to the Godzilla set, which was, you know, blast.
And I wound up getting along very well with the staff, so they kept letting me come in. I spent about 150 days of my adult life watching them shoot explosions and miniatures.
And I have to say that's the thing that kept me involved as an adult was, of course, I love Godzilla. I love the shape of Godzilla, the design of Godzilla, but it's the artistry that I witnessed on the movie sets.
I know a lot of Americans, you know, poo-poo it and they call it cheesy. But, I mean, if you had seen what I've seen and the talent I've seen and the dedication and the hours spent, you know, I've been on sets with Godzilla. They don't have really good things like they do in the U.S., but it would go 30 hours until they got it right.
And it was just an incredible experience of my life. I mean, it's all gone now because C.G. has taken over, but I'm really...
COREN: The Japanese, they are perfectionists. Sorry, (INAUDIBLE) if I could just say, yes. Well, that attention to detail, absolutely.
The first Godzilla movie made in 1954 was, in fact, deeply upsetting for many Japanese. Explain to us, I guess, the traumatic backstory and the original message that they were trying to send.
ENGLAND: Yes. The first film is really unique in the whole series.
[03:55:00]
The first film was basically an anti-war film. And when I say anti-war film, it isn't like who's right and who's wrong or anything. The director, Ishiro Honda, who himself was in China during the war, he really hated war. And he was really disgusted by what he saw. And it was -- you know, of course, it's anti-war, but what the film is really about is it's about what war does to the people who are caught between the decisions made by their governments. So, it's not really -- he's trying to show it from what Godzilla -- what war does to the populace, you know, people who are very innocent of the decisions that lead to war.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Director Norman England speaking to me earlier about Godzilla.
Well, the century-old White House Correspondents' Dinner is affectionately called the Nerd Prom, meant to be an annual celebration of political journalism and a free press. Nearly 3,000 celebrities, journalists and politicians gathered in Washington on Saturday for the black tie event.
Despite its lofty goals, it was also a chance to make fun of each other themselves and notably the elephant not in the room, Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump.
Well, Saturday Night Live's cast member Colin Jost was the event's comedy headliner. He pointed out where Trump is right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN JOST, HOST, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' DINNER: I'll be honest with you, I don't have a lot of time. I need to get back to New York because I'm juror number five on a big trial. Trump's lawyer took one look at me and he's like, he's got to be on our side.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: President Joe Biden also cracked jokes at his own expense, but also at his opponents.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: It's been a year since I delivered this speech, and my wife, Jill, who's with me tonight, was worried how I do. I told her, don't worry. Just like riding the bike. She said, that's what I'm worried about.
Of course, the 2024 election is in full swing. And, yes, age is an issue. I'm a grown man, running against a six-year-old.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Grown man, indeed, but plenty of material to work with.
Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Anna Karen in Hong Kong. Kim Brunhuber is up next with another hour of CNN Newsroom. Please stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:00:00]
