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Ireland, Norway And Spain To Recognize Palestinian State; At Least Nine Dead As Stage Collapses At Mexico Campaign Rally; Hostage Families Release Extended Footage Of Hamas Abduction; British PM Calls Snap Election For July 4; Thousands Bid Farewell To Iran's Raisi Ahead Of Burial; On the Front Lines of Ukraine's Fight in the North; Macron Calls for Return to Peace in New Caledonia Amid Deadly Riots; Videos Manipulated with A.I. Flood Chinese Social Media; Preserving the Driest Desert in North America; Court Rules Elvis Family Will Keep Control of Graceland; Filmmakers Gather to Debut New Films at 77th Cannes Film Festival. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired May 23, 2024 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:26]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Paula Newton. Ahead right here on CNN Newsroom. Terrifying images of a stage collapse at a political rally in Mexico. We'll find out what caused the tragedy that has killed six people.
Amid protests and pressure to free all the remaining hostages, shocking video of seven female IDF soldiers as they were kidnapped by Hamas. We'll hear from one of the family members about why she thought it was so important to release the terrifying images and the British Prime Minister calls snap elections hoping improving inflation numbers will keep him in office. Will the gamble pay off?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with Paula Newton.
NEWTON: And we do begin this hour with breaking news out of Mexico. Six people are dead and at least 50 injured after a stage collapse during a political rally there now it happened near the northeastern city of Monterrey late Wednesday.
Video from the scene shows presidential candidate Jorge Alvarez Maynez of the Citizens Movement Party holding a rally but then strong winds send pieces of the stage crashing down while he and his supporters scrambled to get away.
Now the candidate himself says he was briefly hospitalized, but his doing OK. We'll continue to bring you updates on that story as we get them now.
Meantime, final funeral ceremonies are now underway for a Ron's late president Ebrahim Raisi. Massive crowds are packing the streets of the city of Birjand at this hour to pay their final respects to Raisi ahead of ceremony in the northeastern city of Mashhad, where he will be buried later in the day. This comes one day after large crowds and Tehran did their final farewell to their president, as well as eight others killed in a helicopter crash over the weekend.
CNN's Paula Hancocks is following developments now, from Abu Dhabi. You know, Paula, we saw it for ourselves both yesterday and starting again today. The crowds have been substantial, they've been emotive, what more can we expect on this day of mourning?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So Paula today, what we'll see is the individuals that were killed on that helicopter crash going to their respective hometowns where they will be buried. Now we see that the late to the -- body of the late president, right you see in Birjand and as you say, this morning, where there's a funeral procession. This is where he was representing the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for many years, and then later, on Thursday, he will be transported to his hometown, where they will be the final funeral rites and then he will be buried later on Thursday.
The late Foreign Minister, for example, is having funeral rites just south of Tehran this morning as well with a ceremony within the Foreign Ministry building.
So, what we have been seeing over the past couple of days is really a nation in mourning. This is what the state TV and the state wants the world to see. Of course, this doesn't represent the full picture. There are many that do not support this government within Iran, but this is the three days of mourning that that Tehran has ordained to the supreme leader says there will be five days of mourning in all but at the same time as this is happening.
There is an investigation ongoing to try and find out exactly why the helicopter crashed. This is the latest that we know.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS (voice-over): As mourners gathered to pay final respects to Iran's President, Foreign Minister and seven others, an investigation is determining why the helicopter they were traveling in crashed into the side of a mountain on Sunday.
President Ebrahim Raisi and his delegation were at an inauguration event for a dam on the border with Azerbaijan alongside that country's president. Formalities over a convoy of three helicopters left the area. The president's chief of staff on board one of the helicopters that landed safely told Iranian state media what happened next.
Gholam-Hossein Esmaeili said weather conditions in the mountainous region Vezgon (ph) were fine when they took off at 1:00 pm.
[01:05:00]
GHOLAM-HOSSEIN ESMAEILI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT'S CHIEF OF STAFF (through translator): Around 30 to 35 minutes into the flight, Captain Seyed Mostafavi who was the pilot of the helicopter carrying the president and the commander of the helicopter convoy ordered the other helicopters to gain altitude and go above the clouds. After 30 seconds, our pilot noticed that the President's helicopter suddenly disappeared.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Esmaeili says that they circled back and looked for the aircraft, unable to decrease altitude because of the cloud. Repeated calls through radio devices went and answered. Rescue teams were also unable to fly a helicopter to help with the search due to the weather. It took them 16 hours to reach the mountainous location of the crash on foot.
Call to the pilots mobile was answered however, by the Friday prayer Oman (ph) on board with the President's according to Esmaeili. He said they had crashed and he was in critical condition. He survived for at least three hours after the crash. Speaking to officials multiple times before he died, the others are believed to have died instantly.
For investigators this will be key evidence, they will look at the weather the possibility of technical issues, the aging helicopter is from the 70s possible human error and wondered the official Iranian line has steered clear off so far foul play.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS: Now, when it comes to the helicopter itself, Paula, there are many that are looking to the age of that helicopter questioning why the President and the foreign minister were using such a helicopter but we've had accusations from one former Iranian official saying that the U.S. is to blame because of the sanctions that the U.S. has placed on the aviation industry within Iran over the years. It is an accusation that that U.S. officials have reacted to and which they call baseless. Paula.
NEWTON: Yes. As we continue, obviously, to follow the investigation and the morning that continues at this hour. Paula Hancocks for us, thanks so much, appreciate it.
Now, it's been nearly eight months since the Hamas terror attack on Israel killed at least 1,200 people and we're seeing new evidence of the horror and brutality of that day. Video released by the families of seven female IDF soldiers kidnapped by Hamas and we want to warn you, it's very disturbing.
One of seven women in this video one, pardon me, one of seven video women in this video was rescued, another was killed. The family made the video public to try and pressure the Israeli government to secure the release of their loved ones. Now the footage had been previously released by Hamas and edited by the Israeli military.
19-year old Naama Levy was among those captured on October 7, cell phone video released by Hamas shows her being dragged by her hair at gunpoint. CNN spoke with her mother earlier. Listen.
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DR. AYELET LEVY SHACHAR, MOTHER OF HOSTAGZE NAAMA LEVY: We see the violence in that video. In those two videos, we see the implied maybe sexual violence in spoken words and in what we see. And we were just, you know, I feel like what more can we say, what was there to explain, how the situation is. They have no time. We need to bring them home now.
It should have been seven months ago. So I'm just, you know, I just cared. I'm hurting for her. And I'm frustrated, frustrated maybe the main word because we don't feel like the negotiations are being mobilized as they should be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now we go to the announcement from three European countries that are sending shockwaves through the Middle East and around the globe. The Prime Ministers of Ireland, Spain and Norway, said they will recognize a Palestinian state next week calling it the best way to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East.
More than 140 countries already recognize a Palestinian state but only a few are members of the European Union until now.
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PEDRO SANCHEZ, SPANISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): If one thing is clear to me, is that Prime Minister Netanyahu has no peace project for Palestine.
SIMON HARRIS, IRISH PRIME MINISTER: We believe that permanent peace can only be secured upon the basis of the free will of a free people.
JONAS GAHR STORE, NORWEGIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): This is an investment in the only solution that can bring lasting peace in the Middle East. It is a strong call to other countries to do the same as we are doing today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now the White House is pushing back against the move repeating its position that a two-state solution should come from diplomatic negotiations between the two parties and here's Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The intention of several European countries to recognize a Palestinian state is a reward for terror. 80 percent of Palestinians in Judea and Samaria, support the terrible massacre of October 7. We cannot give this evil a state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: More now on the Israeli reaction from CNN's Jeremy Diamond in Jerusalem.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Israel on Wednesday recalling its ambassadors to Spain, Norway and Ireland after those three countries chose to recognize a Palestinian state. The Israeli government's also summoning the ambassadors of those three countries to the Israeli Foreign Ministry for a formal reprimand wondering which the Israeli Foreign Minister said he would make these ambassadors watch videos of the taking of hostages on October 7.
The Israeli prime minister for his part has slammed this decision saying that it is tantamount to a reward for terror by recognizing a Palestinian state and he is also making clear that he firmly opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state saying that this will be a quote, terror state, which he believes will attempt to recreate the October 7 massacre over and over again, that is obviously a notion that these three countries have firmly reject, as does the Palestinian Authority, which is encouraging more countries to follow suit here.
Now, the Israeli Foreign Minister has said that there will be serious consequences for these three countries and potentially as well for the Palestinian Authority for this decision to recognize a Palestinian state. And so far, we haven't gotten a flavor from him of what those consequences will look like.
But we have heard from the Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far right member of Netanyahu who's governing coalition who has said that he will seek the approval of tens of thousands of housing units in Israeli settlements, he will also seek the approval of new Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
In addition to that, he's also saying that he plans to withhold Palestinian tax revenue collected by the Israeli government meant for the Palestinian Authority, which is already severely cash strapped, and that could certainly have some serious consequences on the ground in the West Bank. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now, Columbia has already recognized Palestinian statehood. You can see Colombians holding pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Bogota earlier this year. According to the foreign minister, its president is ordering the opening of an embassy in the West Bank city of Ramallah. The diplomat says it's not a move against Israel, but rather in favor of a two-state solution.
Joining me now from Tel Aviv is Israel's former consul general in New York, Alon Pinkas. And I thank you for joining us. I mean, look taken together, these countries recognizing a Palestinian state and the International Criminal Court launching that prosecution of Israel.
I want to get your opinion on this. We heard echoes of this in Jeremy's report. Does this embolden Prime Minister Netanyahu make restraint in Gaza and Rafah, specifically even more unlikely?
ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL, NEW YORK: Well, good morning, Paula. He feels emboldened by because in his mind, in the alternative narrative that he has created for the horrific and catastrophic events of October 7.
This is all about a Palestinian state that the world is trying to foist or superimpose on Israel, therefore, you know, recognition of Ireland, Norway and Spain in a Palestinian state, which is symbolic, which is -- which it practically means very little, but politically means a lot.
All this, you know, makes him feel vindicated. Like I told you what this is all about a Palestinian state.
Now, this this emboldened him, as you suggested in terms of prolonging the war, because he's now you know, the added layer of his narrative is that this is Israel second independence war, et cetera, et cetera. You know, to cut a long story short, not many people even in Israel believe his narrative, but it is what it is right now. He's using it profusely for his PR.
NEWTON: But Israel's isolation or growing isolation around the world is undeniable. You just alluded to how some Israelis are feeling about it. But does it continue that sense of unity among Israelis that works in Netanyahu? Whose favor at least his political favor?
PINKAS: Well, yes, and no. First of all, you know, we have to be careful how we use the word isolation. Israel is not isolated in the sense that North Korea is isolated or not even Russia. It's not isolated like South Africa was during the apartheid days or some other pariah outcast country.
[01:15:02]
What the term isolation means for Israel is that it is not being supported. It is not being sympathized. It is not being backed by the world, and that leads to the conclusion that it is isolated. And indeed there are signs, you know, there are three countries that severed diplomatic relations. The U.N. just passed three weeks ago a resolution on Palestinian elevating or upgrading vows.
Now, in terms of the Israeli public, there is unity in the sense that people are buying into the world. The world is against us and the world is unfair, and the world doesn't get it and how on earth did we move from a the most justified of wars into broad global condemnation.
On the other hand, people also resentful and skeptical Mr. Netanyahu's mismanagement of the war. His failure as you had to interview the mother of one of the soldiers, his failure to secure the release of the hostages, which also is accompanied by a ceasefire.
So there's unity in the sense that people think the ICC, the International Criminal Court, warrants that impending warrants, wouldn't be warrants. You know, people feel bad about that, that does not translate, Paula, into support from Mr. Netanyahu. And the only way I can judge this is looking at the polls, and they are consistently showing him losing support.
NEWTON: I do want to get to that mother that we just heard from and of course, the video that was released of the woman hostages, obviously difficult to watch and to think of the fortitude that these families have had to endure, you know, they're willing to release this horrific video in this is in the words of the families, and it's because they want to highlight the nation's failure in bringing home the hostages who've been forsaken, they say they say in 229 days.
I mean, I directly questioned IDF spokespeople at least twice. And I've asked them your operations in Gaza, are they not forsaking the lives of the hostages? What do you make of all this, because if you're coming at this, from the perspective of the families, their loved ones are not home yet, and yet, the incursions into Gaza continue.
PINKAS: They feel betrayed, Paula, and they should feel betrayed. Because this is a violation and a breach of one of the central tenets of Israel. And that is taking care of our own, never leaving anyone behind making everything doing everything possible to secure their release.
Now, I have to, you know, I bow in humility in front of these families that it took them this long my daughter was in that unit, not on October 7, she's left the military three, four years ago. So I totally understand where they're coming from. And they see a prime minister that is selling them, you know, half-truths, enough lies in terms of his efforts to secure the release.
They haven't seen these efforts, and they feel betrayed. And you know, they look left and right. And they're saying even public opinion is just moving on. It's like, you know, I'm sorry to make the comparison, Paula, but it's like a climate change, you know, it's a bad thing, but people just move on with their lives. This is how these families feel about the fate of their loved ones that people think it's horrible, but they move on and they're no longer interested. Certainly no longer engaged and they feel betrayed deeply.
NEWTON: And at the end of the day, they want to hug their loved ones want to know that they can see them again and just rescued them from this horror. Alon Pinkas. We will leave it there for now as we continue to check in on the situation. Appreciate it.
PINKAS: Thank you, Paula.
NWETON: OK, just ahead for us. Britain's political parties are firing up their campaigns after the Prime Minister made a surprise call for snap elections. But his own party, yes, it's facing an uphill battle.
Plus, a CNN crew follows Ukrainian fighters as they dodge Russian drones and artillery strikes in a brutal battle in the north.
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NEWTON: We're following severe weather here in the United States where the National Weather Service confirmed a tornado hit the town of Temple, Texas just hours ago. Pictures show downed trees and power lines from the strong winds. The twister also damaged roofs in the area had apparently shattered windows in a mall there and from the pictures you're about to see here. You will see that the rain is blowing into that building.
So far there have been more than 200 storm reports right across the U.S. Wednesday, including three tornadoes all of those in Texas.
Now Britain's Prime Minister has set a July 4 date for snap elections that his conservative party is widely expected to lose. Rishi Sunak stood in the rain at 10 Downing Street, and said now is the moment for Britain to choose its future. The Prime Minister admitted the Tories have had their struggles but said a vote for the opposition Labour Party risks going back to square one.
Over the latest polling shows Labour with a solid lead, it says the current breakdown of the British Parliament the Conservatives hold 344 seats with Labour at just over 200, 326 is the magic number that must be reached to have a majority government. Now CNN's Nic Robertson has a closer look at the timing of Rishi Sunak 's announcement.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, this sudden decision by the British prime minister to call a snap election for the Fourth of July does seem to be based on good economic numbers that came in on Wednesday. 2.3 was the inflation rate the lowest it's been for some time it was in double digits just over a year ago. And the Prime Minister pointing to that as a reason why the electorate should have trust and faith in his party and vote for them in the coming election.
RISHI SUNAK, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Our economy is now growing faster than anyone predicted outpacing Germany, France and the United States. And this morning, it was confirmed that inflation is back to normal. This means that the pressure on prices will ease and mortgage rates will come down. This is proof that the plan and priorities I set out are working.
ROBERTSON: The Prime Minister got absolutely drenched in the torrential rain they're standing outside of Downing Street giving his speech who spoke as well about the dangerous situation around the world about Putin's invasion of Ukraine of energy instability.
And this was the reason he said to vote for his party, a party that has a plan that is in essence, capable of handling these tough world changing events. On the other hand, Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, the main opposition party that looks poised to do exceptionally well in the coming elections. And especially if you look at the recent local election results, where they absolutely trounce the Conservative Party, Keir Starmer saying he is a party for change is going to bring that change, and that's why people should vote for Labour.
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH LABOUR PARTY LEADER: It will feel like a long campaign I'm sure of that. But no matter what else is said and done, that opportunity for change is what this election is about. A vote for Labour is a vote for stability, economic and political, a politics that trades more likely on all our lives a vote to stop the chaos.
ROBERTSON: And if you take a general look at what voters are saying across the country, the wide expectation is and has been now for many months, even years. Some people might say that Labour will win the election.
[01:25:00]
They will likely win it handily. That's their expectation, and that's what a lot of Booker's are saying to. Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now last hour I CNN European Affairs commentator, Dominic Thomas for his take on the mindset of British voters.
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DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN COMMENTATOR: Just back in 2019, the last time they held an election, right, because since then, both Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak were selected by members of the Conservative Party not actually elected by the people. And in 2019 it was a single issue election, Brexit Boris Johnson's slogan was, let's get Brexit done.
And since then, questions around COVID, Ukraine, Russia, et cetera, have in many ways, especially Brexit receded into the background. And it's a whole range of domestic issues that now concern voters with long standing question of the cost of living healthcare issues. We remember that under Rishi Sunak, historic strikes from nurses and so on. And another range of domestic environmental issues and social services and so on.
All of those issues are issues on which the Conservative Party has an appalling track record. So the context has changed. And ultimately, the party is going to be held accountable for its actions and decisions over the past 14 years. Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, and again, again, again and again in those local elections. It has been held accountable, but it has taken some time for voters to warm to Keir Starmer. Polls indicate though that of course, this is his election to lose, but well, what a Labour government under his leadership, what would it mean for Britain?
THOMAS: Well, it's a significant transformation because, of course, let's face it, you know, in the last 14 years, this sort of succession of prime ministers are highly divisive, kind of, you know, Brexit issue and, and the sort of difficulties of extricating themselves for the European Union tensions between of course Northern Ireland Republic and Ireland and so on. The question of the divisive vote on Brexit, where you have, you know, Scotland and Ireland voting to stay and Wales in the UK voted to leave.
So a lot of sort of divisions and so on that have not been resolved. And then these were exacerbated by a long standing crisis now. And so, remarkably, although the Conservative Party had its, you know, a historic performance, certainly the best in 30 plus years at the 2019 election, the Labour Party had its worst performance in over 80 years.
So it's a real uphill struggle I think for them to reclaim there's a lot to lose. The party does remain divided between the sort of former Corbin supporters and then this new figure of Keir Starmer, so there's a big risk for them moving forward, and they've got to pick up an awful lot of seats to make their way to a parliamentary majority here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now still held for us, videos popping up on Chinese social media of supposedly Russian women professing their love for China. Except it's all fake. Made with AI.
Plus, a company tried to sell Elvis Presley's Graceland in a foreclosure auction. But his granddaughter did to save her family's historic estate.
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NEWTON: And a warm welcome back. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Paula Newton.
Deadly Russian strike in northern Ukraine has been caught on video. Ukraine says it shows the moment a Russian drone hit a police car in Vovchansk on Wednesday killing one officer and wounding another.
It reportedly happened while the city was being evacuated. Now, Vovchansk now looks like a ghost town as you see there in that video. Ukrainian troops are fighting Russian forces house to house to keep them from advancing.
Ukrainian prosecutors say a woman in a wheelchair was shot and killed last week while her husband was actually trying to help her flee the town. They blame Russian troops and an investigation is underway.
Now, if Vovchansk were to fall, the Russian advance could then push ever closer to Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv.
But there's another crucial town also in Russia's sights, one which Ukrainian troops are desperately trying to defend but they're heavily outgunned.
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh got exclusive access to the battle firsthand and a warning some of the images in his report are graphic.
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Some towns, they can never let Putin take. And this, Lyptsi is one of them. Destroyed artillery on the streets, homes aflame from an airstrike. But they can only move at night.
Lights off.
It's a perilous grip they keep, but lose here and Russian artillery will be in range of Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv. You can still smell the smoke here from an airstrike that landed just in the last hour or so.
This is life under the drone. We're the first reporters into the heart of the town, only soldiers left here underground. The Khartiia 13th National Guard first tackled Russia's new offensive.
OLEKSANDR, KHARTIIA NATIONAL GUARD BRIGADE: You saw how it's all burning. It's like that every night.
WALSH: Do you think there were good enough fortifications here?
OLEKSANDR: Nothing was prepared here. Nothing. Just nothing. All the positions are being built by the hands of the infantry. The Russians are trained professional soldiers. You can see it from their equipment, from their tactics.
WALSH: There were eight airstrikes just in the last hour so we leave soon.
A buzzing noise near us, very close. And the only way they know who's drone this is, is if it attacks.
Is it your drone?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who knows?
WALSH: All around Kharkiv they don't have enough guns and the Russians have too many drones.
The 92nd Assault Brigade show us something that isn't even theirs.
Russian artillery piece that they capture in the first year of war and the fighting in Kharkiv region. And now, they use strangely French mortar rounds to fire from here. It's just a sign of how little appropriate ammunition they have available to them.
This wire is a protection from APV drones.
Above, he sees a drone with two battery packs, a long-range scout.
Run. Basement.
It is not friendly.
If you can tell it's an attack drone, hide. This seems to be a scout, so running is better before it calls in shelling.
Another artillery unit wants to show us something not even Russian, but Soviet. Made in the 1940s it can still fire new or polish shells. In the autumn, it was 100 a day. Now it is 10.
Extraordinary to see something here that's three times the age of either these two guys holding back a new Russian offensive in 2024. I said a metal so old that it limits the number of times. That sound warns another drone is incoming and back in the bunker, they show us the online board $30 gadget that is their best warning mechanism.
The team here embody Ukraine's exhaustion and resilience. Older guys, wounded infantry men.
[01:34:50]
WALSH: Arturos (ph) has drone shrapnel in his arms still.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Moving towards Lozova?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes.
Orlan. Don't go out at all for now.
WALSH: We just saw an Orlan Russian drone passing overhead, so he's saying to stay inside.
On the way back into the city, we see what fuels this defense. This was a lakeside resort -- football, cocktails, a beach.
Extraordinary devastation and they're here to collect the bodies.
A seven months pregnant woman was among the seven dead here. Another body found later, just fragments in the mulch.
Russia's advance looms over whatever life persists here, belching out over homes. The dark is little salvation. This may be a drone being hit, but they kill two when they crash in failure.
Flares breach the enforced blackout. Moscow is getting nearer again and there're always too many blasts before dawn.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN -- Kharkiv, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: French President Emmanuel Macron is calling for a return to peace in New Caledonia.
He arrived in the French territory on Thursday amid deadly anti- government protests which have gripped the islands. Macron says, he'll stay on as long as needed even during the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Here's what he told reporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): On my arrival in New Caledonia and before heading for Noumea, I simply wanted to tell you how determined I am along with the ministers and the whole government to stand by the people and ensure that peace, calm and security return as quickly as possible. That's the top priority.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Protests began a week ago after the French government voted to approve changes to New Caledonia's constitution giving greater voting rights to French residents living in the islands. Those protests soon turned violent with some locals torching buildings and clashing with police. At least six people have died as a result.
Chinese social media is flooded with deepfakes, videos that have been manipulated with artificial intelligence to be deceptive. And the videos are only growing more deceptive as the technology advances. And as fake as the videos are, the danger posed by them is very real.
CNN's Will Ripley has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through graphics): I am really envious of you Chinese.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through graphics): China is the safest country in the world.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through graphics): Only in China can you sleep soundly.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: On Chinese social media, what you see --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am Chinese.
RIPLEY: -- may not be what you get.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through graphics): Single men in China, I have good news.
RIPLEY: The women in these videos supposedly Russian, with messages appealing to the romantic fantasies and nationalist pride of some Chinese men.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through graphics): I love this land. I love China.
RIPLEY: Below the videos, comments like this. "Welcome to China, Russian beauty."
OLGA LOIEK, YOUTUBER: This is so creepy.
RIPLEY: Olga Loiek is a student at the University of Pennsylvania. She claims in this video on her YouTube channel, someone cloned her image in China and is peddling products and propaganda with A.I.-generated deepfakes of her.
LOIEK: The narratives my clones were voicing sounded like blatant propaganda.
RIPLEY: Deepfakes designed to build a narrative of alliance and admiration between China and Russia, largely untouched by the government's heavy-handed censors.
CNN cannot independently verify the videos, which have now been taken down. But not before Loiek says they racked up thousands of views.
LOIEK: Here she already has 140,000 fans? And she has a ton of videos of my face. Where she likes saying how much she likes Russia, and how much Russia needs Chinese economic support.
As a Ukrainian, this has obviously been infuriating for me.
RIPLEY: How this happened? Loiek says she has no idea. CNN showed Loiek's real and fake videos to people in Taipei.
RIPLEY: Couldn't tell the difference?
How's your Chinese?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A.I.
RIPLEY: A.I. You can tell.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I have no idea.
RIPLEY: You can't tell which one is A.I.?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no.
RIPLEY: Artificial intelligence is advancing so quickly, experts say you need A.I. detection software just to identify some deepfakes.
TYLER WILLIAMS, DIRECTOR OF INVESTIGATIONS, GRAPHIKA: A general kind of undermining of a source of truth.
RIPLEY: Amplifying the power of disinformation and not just in Chinese.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- theatrics staged by the Filipino side --
RIPLEY (voice-over): Chinese state media is using A.I.-enhanced videos on TikTok, altering the reporter's voice and face. A disclosure on screen for just a few seconds, easy to miss.
[01:39:52]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Under China's jurisdiction.
RIPLEY: The video is pushing Beijing's narrative on the South China Sea.
Is this a threat to democracy?
FELIPE SALVOSA II, JOURNALISM PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS: Most definitely. I think China has found a more cost-effective way to get its message across.
RIPLEY: Turning today's digital landscape into a battleground for truth, where seeing is no longer believing.
Every time I do a story about these deepfake videos, what strikes me is the quality keeps improving. Our researcher (INAUDIBLE) spent hours putting these through algorithms to determine with 99 percent accuracy whether these videos are real, whether they're fake, whether the voice has been altered, the face has been altered. Who on social media has time for that and a lot of people don't take the time which experts say is dangerous, particularly in democracies when people are watching these videos and then potentially using the information they hear to make decisions about how to vote.
Will Ripley, CNN -- Taipei.
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NEWTON: Up next on CNN NEWSROOM, how collecting seeds could help preserve one of the driest places in North America.
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NEWTON: Now in the face of increased threats from a warming planet, the race is on to save precious ecosystems right around the world.
Today on "Call to Earth", we explore one way to preserve California's Mojave Desert with an idea that starts from the ground-up.
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BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: In the middle of the Mojave Desert, nothing is as it seems.
MADENA ASBELL, DIRECTOR OF PLANT CONSERVATION, MOJAVE DESERT LAND TRUST: Looks can be so deceiving in the desert.
WEIR): Here in Southern California, a team led by Madena Asbell is on the hunt.
ASBELL: This is what we're looking for.
WEIR: Madena is the director of plant conservation for a non-profit called the Mojave Desert Land Trust. And in 2016, she had an idea.
ASBELL: So we started out collecting seeds to grow plants for plant sales and for restoration purposes. And what evolved was this realization that we really needed to be collecting seeds to conserve the biodiversity that we were finding on our properties. And the more we looked, the more we found.
WEIR: And so the Seed Bank Project was born.
ASBELL: All right. Ready, guys?
WEIR (voice-over): Land Trust staff and a fleet of volunteers meticulously comb the land, scouting, cataloging and ultimately collecting.
ASBELL: Plants are the foundation of most ecosystems.
And so when we protect these plants, we're protecting everything that depends on them, like desert tortoise and burrowing owls and pollinators.
[01:44:46]
KELLY HERBINSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE MOJAVE DESERT LAND TRUST: So the California desert region is a quarter of the state of California. So there's about 2,400 species of native plants here in the Mojave Desert, which is about 30 percent of what you'll find in the state.
WEIR: The Seed Bank currently operates out of the Land Trust headquarters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So this is the seed vault.
WEIR: At first, it might not look like much but remember what we said about the desert? Three full refrigerators hold over 5 million seeds. And according to the Land Trust, they represent nearly 250 different species and counting.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So our Joshua tree collections are in these jars here. And so this is an example of a collection of Western Joshua tree seeds.
HERBINSON: I'm really excited about the possibilities with our seed banking Joshua tree seeds and have that species survive the changing climate well into the future in a way that it wouldn't if we weren't doing that work.
WEIR: A close examination to make sure the seeds aren't too damaged and that the pods are filled. Everything is diligently recorded for a reason.
ASBELL: You can't just throw any seeds on the ground. You need to know where that seed has come from, what population, and what elevation and make sure that it's the right seed for the right place.
WEIR: Last year, the Land Trust received a nearly $3.2 million grant from the state of California to expand the Seed Bank.
There's an urgency to this work as California faces increased drought, wildfires and invasive species. They all threaten to wipe out a precious ecosystem that has stood for centuries.
ASBELL: This is an ancient landscape that we are standing in right now and that we're occupying.
This is a resource that is part of this ecosystem. And so we're very thoughtful and very careful about how much we remove because we want to make sure that there is enough to go around.
WEIR: Enough to go around for the wealth of biodiversity hiding here in plain sight, the flora and fauna that call the desert home.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now, let us know what you're doing to answer the call with the hashtag "Call to Earth".
We'll be right back.
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NEWTON: An update now on the deadly stage collapse in Mexico. New video just into our NEWSROOM shows the immediate aftermath following the accident.
Dozens of people, you see them there, injured with others seeking help. Now, presidential candidate Jorge Alvarez Maynez says six people were killed and at least 50 others injured after the stage collapsed. It's just such frightening video. This was during one of his political rallies.
Video from the moment of the collapse shows -- you can see them -- those strong winds that was sending pieces of the stage crashing down while the candidate and his supporters scrambled to try and get out of the way.
And we'll continue to update that story as we get more information.
Now, Wall Street ended Wednesday on edge, the Dow lost about 200 points and the S&P and the Nasdaq also closed lower after new record highs last week.
The latest slide comes after notes from the Federal Reserve policy meeting showed officials are worried about the lack of progress in curbing inflation.
[01:49:52]
NEWTON: Fed chair Jerome Powell said earlier this month that controlling inflation may just be a matter of giving high interest rates some more time to kick in.
Now, it appears that Elvis Presley's family will keep control of his Graceland mansion. A Tennessee court made that ruling Wednesday after Presley's granddaughter sued to block a mysterious company from selling the historic Memphis home. That company later saying its dropping all claims to the property.
CNN's Isabelle Rosales unveils the details.
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ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For decades, they've come to honor the king, to get a glimpse of where Elvis Presley lived and to be close to rock and roll royalty.
The Memphis home, hallowed ground for music lovers around the world and the resting place for Presley, his daughter Lisa Marie, and other family members. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, it should be in the Elvis's family always.
MAYOR PAUL YOUNG (D), MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: We hope that it stays with the family. Graceland means so much to our community. It does so much for our economy. We attract over 600,000 visitors each year.
ROSALES: But with the threat of foreclosure, the fate of Elvis Presley's fabled Graceland was all shook up.
The historic landmark front and center in court Wednesday morning.
CHANCELLOR JOEDAE L. JENKINS, SHELBY COUNTY CHANCERY: The real estate is considered unique under Tennessee law.
ROSALES: To determine who is its rightful owner, after the iconic 14- acre property was put up for a foreclosure auction to be held Thursday. Until the singer's granddaughter and heir Riley Keough filed suit and a judge granted a temporary restraining order against any sale.
JENKINS: The court will enjoin the sale.
ROSALES: Ruling the iconic Memphis home can stay in the hands of the Presley family for now.
The creditor behind the sail Naussany Investments and Private Lending LLC presented documents claiming Lisa Marie Presley defaulted on a nearly $4 million loan, with Graceland as collateral.
Keough claims not only are the documents fake, but that her mother never borrowed money or used Graceland as collateral.
Keough also claims Naussany isn't even a real company.
JENKINS: It appears that you must (INAUDIBLE) to be successful on the merits (INAUDIBLE).
ROSALES: The chancery court deciding to delay the foreclosure until a hearing can determine the facts.
The notary swearing she never met Lisa Marie Presley or notarized her signature on the loan paperwork.
JENKINS: Which brings into question as to the authenticity of the signature and indeed, this trust as being fraud.
ROSALES: Today, the company says it will not move forward with the foreclosure and will be withdrawing all claims with prejudice. According to a statement released by a person identified as a representative.
So for now, for fans and for the family, Graceland remains a good luck charm.
Withdrawing all claims with prejudice. That means that the decision is final. So it sounds like this lender will abandon any future efforts to foreclose on Graceland.
We have also reached out to the attorney of Riley Keough to inquire as to the status of the lawsuit against this company in light of this news. We've also reached out to Tennessee banking regulators, the D.A.'s attorney's office and also the U.S. attorney's office to see whether they will play any role in this legal battle, considering the accusations of fraud.
Isabel Rosales, CNN -- Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Ok. Apple Music has released its list of the 100 best albums of all time.
Lauryn Hill's "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" was named, yes, the number one album. Also making the list, if you're interested: Michael Jackson's "Thriller", The Beatles' "Abbey Road", Prince's "Purple Rain"; Beyonce's critically acclaimed "Lemonade" was in that tenth spot.
There is so much debate about this list. Check it out. Play some of the tunes.
Now, there are just a few days left until the end of this year's Cannes Film Festival. The 77th year of the festival has already created buzz around films set to make their theatrical debut soon with fans on the edge of their seats to see what's next.
CNN's Saskia Vandoorne wraps up the highlights so far.
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SASKIA VANDOORNE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's that time of year again when Hollywood glamour comes to the French Riviera.
[01:54:50]
VANDOORNE: The 77th annual Cannes Film Festival is underway. This nearly two-week event has been full of starlet moments, extraordinary fashion, and show-stopping red-carpet events, including the arrival of the Olympic flame.
The torch was carried up the famous steps of the Palais des Festival for the viewing of the documentary "Olympique", a film featuring Olympic and Paralympic champions.
However, the real stars of the festival are the films themselves, including Francis Ford Coppola's "Megalopolis", "The Substance" starring Demi Moore, and the new buzzworthy "Mad Max" saga from Warner Bros Pictures, which shares a parent company with CNN.
CHRIS HEMSWORTH, ACTOR: That wasn't hope, that was instinct.
VANDOORNE: Mexican drug lord musical "Emilia Perez", by French director Jacques Audiard starring Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldana, and Karla Sofia Gascon received a nine-minute standing ovation.
JACQUES AUDIARD, DIRECTOR OF "EMILIA PEREZ" (through translator): It's that when you show your film here, it's really seen by the whole world. And that's it. I know that I'm very anxious every time I come. I'm very, very, very anxious. And it doesn't get easier with the years.
VANDOORNE): Japanese animation Studio Ghibli, became the first group to be awarded the honorary Palme d'Or, which usually goes to an individual.
Another film causing a stir is "The Apprentice", a biopic about former U.S. President Donald Trump. A spokesperson for the Trump campaign said it would be filing a lawsuit over the film.
Director Ali Abassi said the former president should watch the movie before taking any legal action.
ALI ABBASI, DIRECTOR OF "THE APPRENTICE": I don't necessarily think that this is a movie that, you know, he would dislike. I don't necessarily think he would like it. I think that he -- I think he would be surprised.
VANDOORNE: The film depicts prominent lawyer Roy Cohn and Trump in his early years as a real estate mogul.
Jurors for this year's festival include director Greta Gerwig and actresses Lily Gladstone and Eva Green.
PIERFRANCESCO FAVINO, ACTOR (through translator): It's an honor. It's a pleasure for me. As a film lover and also a cinema goer, it's like being a kid in a candy store. And being surrounded by people I admire and respect is marvelous.
VANDOORNE: The International Film Festival will end this weekend when the Palme d'Or is awarded.
Saskia Vandoorne, CNN -- Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: I'm Paula Newton. I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment. Stay with us.
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