Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Congress Returns Today with Funding Fight Ahead; Ukraine's Military is Struggling with Low Morale; Pope Francis in East Timor; Police Handcuff Miami Dolphins Star Tyreek Hill Before Game. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired September 09, 2024 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Christina Macfarlane. And if you're just joining us, here are some of the top stories we're following today.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Philadelphia in the coming hours ahead of Tuesday's presidential debate with Republican candidate Donald Trump. This will be the first time the two politicians have ever met in person.

The United Nations started the third phase of its polio vaccination campaign in Gaza. The U.N. plans to vaccinate 150,000 Palestinian children in northern Gaza. Health workers vaccinated more than 400,000 in the south over the past week.

And a spectacular fireworks show illuminated the sky above the Stade de France on Sunday, closing out the Paris Paralympic Games. The 169 delegations paraded to the tunes of French classics before the DJs took over and transformed the stadium into an electro party.

The U.S. Congress will return to session today to a familiar standoff over funding the government. Lawmakers will have just three weeks to figure out how to keep the government's doors open before funding expires at the end of the month.

CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: After a long summer recess, Congress is back and they're facing a big task right off the bat, how to keep the government open and funded. Sources on both sides tell CNN that there is no desire on anybody's part to push the government into a shutdown, especially so close to the election. But they certainly have some real work to do to avoid this.

Still not settled is how long a stopgap bill known as the continuing resolution should go. Democrats, they prefer a short-term spending bill into December. They want to kick the negotiations until after the election.

And many Republicans, they want to fund the government into spring, pushing the fight until after the leadership races in the House, which would help Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. They will, of course, need to settle on spending levels. And there's a separate battle brewing over whether to include a noncitizen voting measure.

Now, this is a controversial bill that Republicans are pushing to include. It is already illegal, of course, for noncitizens to vote, but the legislation would require proof of citizenship to vote.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in a statement on Sunday said, quote: They will not let poison pills or Republican extremism put funding for critical programs at risk.

And the deadline to get this completed it's September 30th. So the government does not shut down on October 1st. That leaves just 13 days in session to find a path forward.

Sunlen Serfaty, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Ukraine's air force says it shot down six drones and two missiles launched from Russia overnight. The cross-border attacks have become an almost nightly occurrence as the war rages on. Ukraine's military says at least two people were killed and four others injured in the northeastern Sumy region on Sunday.

Russian media is reporting an attack in Belgorod wounded three people, including two children.

It comes as Ukraine's military is facing low morale and desertion. The situation is particularly dire among infantry units near Pokrovsk and elsewhere on the eastern front line.

Our Clare Sebastian is joining us here to discuss. Clare let's just begin with those cross-border drone attacks, because they're potentially more dangerous than we were just intonating there because they breached NATO airspace. And there's obviously now a lot of focus on that.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's believed certainly Latvia and indeed Ukraine's foreign minister have said that the drones over the weekend strayed into both Latvian and Romanian airspace, both of which, of course, NATO countries. The deputy secretary general of NATO is saying that we have no evidence at this point that they were trying to attack these countries, which would, of course, cross a different Rubicon here. But it has obviously raised tensions in the region.

It's not the first time we've seen this war sort of stray briefly into NATO territory. But it is something that, of course, everyone is on guard for. And especially now, as we see that really a central tenet, not only of this war in general, but in particular of the last sort of month or so of Russia's response to the Kursk incursion, has really been to step up these aerial attacks, drones, missiles, some of the very large indeed overnight into this morning, not so large, but still, you know, a reminder that this is happening on a very regular daily basis. And in fact, some of the launches are still happening from the Kursk region.

MACFARLANE: So obviously, this suggests that the Kursk incursion is not having the impact that Zelenskyy had hoped for, but also that these troops now are closing in on a key strategic town of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine. How significant is that?

SEBASTIAN: Yes, so Russia has been piling resources into that part of the eastern front even before the Kursk incursion started. But they have accelerated it since then, which I think lays bare their priorities. They are more concerned with taking territory in the Donbas than really piling resources into pushing Ukraine out of the Kursk region.

I think in terms of the success of that incursion, you know, it's still going on. We still don't know yet. Ukraine claims that it's being successful, that it's creating a buffer zone, that it's distracting Russian forces.

Russia, meanwhile, claims that it is thwarting the enemy and taking territory in Pokrovsk. Ukraine says it's stalled the sort of main move towards Pokrovsk. That's what we heard from the commander-in-chief last week.

[04:35:00]

But if we're talking messaging here, I think it's critical that, you know, it seems that a part of the goal here was to send a message to the West that Ukraine still has what it takes to really put these weapons supplies to good use. And I think we are seeing support.

Take a listen to Bill Burns, the CIA director general, on this topic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL BURNS, CIA DIRECTOR: Yes, I mean, I think what you've seen first, as Richard said, is the Kursk offensive is a significant tactical achievement. It's not only been a, you know, boost in Ukrainian morale, it has exposed some of the vulnerabilities of Putin's Russia and of his military.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: Which it has, of course. I mean, they advanced very quickly across the border. Russia has now sort of slowed that advance.

But look, it's not -- this is not, we're not out of the woods yet. Russia, as we know, according to two sources in the U.S., has just taken delivery of Iranian ballistic missiles, which really crosses sort of a Rubicon in terms of that defense partnership. And Putin's grip on power, we see it today.

They're just having local and regional elections in Russia, and his party claims to be winning by a wide margin across most of those. So I think we can see that his grip on power is pretty stable.

MACFARLANE: At the moment definitely seems to be. All right, Clare, thank you.

Now Venezuela's opposition presidential candidate has landed safely in Spain, where he is seeking asylum. Edmundo Gonzalez has been in hiding since the day after the July 28th presidential election, where he ran against longtime leader Nicolas Maduro. Maduro claimed victory, despite overwhelming evidence he had lost, sparking massive deadly protests.

Since the disputed election, the Venezuelan government had charged Gonzalez with terrorism, conspiracy, and other crimes. Gonzalez's lawyer says the decision to leave Venezuela came last minute after threats to his safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE VICENTE HARO, EDMUNDO GONZALEZ'S LAWYER (through translator): Put yourself in his skin, in his mindset, in the situation he was facing with real fears for his life and that of his family. At that moment, the bare survival instinct prevailed over everything else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well, Gonzalez is thanking supporters for showing solidarity and says he hopes to continue the fight for freedom and democracy in Venezuela, even from exile.

All right, still to come, Pope Francis in on the next leg of his tour of Southeast Asia, what's planned for the Pontiff's stop in East Timor next.

Plus, Jannik Sinner is officially a U.S. Open champion. Ahead, we catch up with the world number one players fresh off his latest Grand Slam win.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:40:08]

MACFARLANE: Hi, welcome back. Pope Francis is in East Timor, the third stop of his tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania. The pontiff was greeted by a large crowd when he arrived and will be welcomed by the country's president, Jose Ramos-Horta, in the coming hours.

The pontiff's trip marks a significant shift for the Vatican as it places renewed focus on its congregations across Asia.

CNN's Christopher Lamb is traveling with the Pope, joining us now from East Timor. And Christopher, I understand that East Timor has very deep ties with the Catholic Church. So what do we expect to be on the Pope's agenda for this trip?

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. Pope Francis is here in East Timor in the most Catholic nation outside of the Vatican City State. Some 90 percent -- 97 percent, sorry, of people here identify as Catholic. The Catholic Church has deep ties to the country. It was instrumental in helping East Timor in its struggle for independence. And the signs of this as a very Catholic country were on display as we drove from the airport with Pope Francis. There were huge crowds, some of them 10 deep.

And tomorrow the Pope will be celebrating a mass in East Timor for people here. And it's expected that there could be as many as 700,000 gathering for that mass, which is more than half the 1.3 million population. So huge enthusiasm for the Pope here.

We should say that the scourge of clerical sexual abuse is also hanging over this visit. Bishop Bello, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, a bishop from East Timor who helped in the struggle for independence, has in recent years been accused of sexual abuse of minors placed under restrictions by the Vatican.

There's a question about whether or not the Pope will address abuse when he is here. Some people would like to see that. But really, at the moment, very much a joyful and enthusiastic welcome for the Pope in what is the third trip on his tour of Southeast Asia, or the third country on his tour of Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

MACFARLANE: All right, well we will continue to watch and see this play out. That mass, as you say, over half the population is going to be quite a sight to see, isn't it?

Christopher Lamb there from East Timor, thank you.

Now, a deadly typhoon has been downgraded to a tropical depression after killing dozens across Asia. Yagi is the most powerful storm the region has seen this year, and officials say at least 35 people are dead in Vietnam alone. The storm tore through the country, destroying homes and disrupting electricity and communications. But the danger isn't over. Meteorologists warn flash flooding and landslides are still a threat as clean-up begins.

Now, police handcuffed one of the NFL's biggest stars just hours before a game. Ahead, questions about why it happened and the player's surprising reaction during the game.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: The wait is over for world number one Jannik Sinner who took home his first U.S. Open singles title on Sunday. He defeated American Taylor Fritz in three sets to win his second Grand Slam. The Italian won the Australian Open back in January.

Our Andy Scholes caught up with Sinner to talk about his historic win.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN WORLD SPORT: All right, Jannik, congratulations on an amazing tournament. You're the first Italian man ever to win the U.S. Open. How does that feel? JANNIK SINNER, U.S. OPEN MEN'S SINGLES CHAMPION: Yes, it feels amazing. Obviously, it's a huge achievement for me and my team. Just happy to hold this trophy.

I think the final today was a very high-level final. I'm very lucky or happy that I won the third set because potentially could change a little bit the balance of the match. But overall, I think me and my team, we can be very, very pleased about our performance for these two weeks.

SCHOLES: The first year since 2002 that none of the big three, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal won a Grand Slam, you and Carlos Alvarez won them all. Do you feel like this is the changing of the guard in men's tennis?

SINNER: Yes, it's tough to predict the future this year. But I think it's nice for tennis to see some new champions, some new favorites of tournaments. And yes, I'm happy to be part of this, at least this year. So let's see what's coming next year.

Obviously, there are all big, big challenges coming up. But you know, I'm just looking forward to improve as a player and then we'll see what I can do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Doesn't look very happy, does he? But I'll put it down to him being a little bit tired. And just one day prior, the women's world number two, Aryna Sabalenka, took home her first U.S. Open singles title. She defeated American Jessica Pegula in straight sets.

A police officer who handcuffed Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill ahead of Sunday's game is now on administrative leave. You can see Hill in this video lying on the ground with police holding him down.

Now, the team says Hill was pulled over for a traffic stop one block from the Dolphins stadium. But there are questions about why Hill was placed on the ground and cuffed at all. CNN's Don Riddell has more on what happened and what Hill's saying about it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: On the opening weekend of the new NFL season, arguably the biggest headline wasn't made on the football field. Instead, it was written face down on the street right outside the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

[04:50:00]

This is extraordinary video of the Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, one of the biggest stars in the league, handcuffed on the street by the Miami-Dade Police Department. Hill was driving into the stadium for Miami's game against Jacksonville. The team confirmed that their star wide receiver had been, in their words, briefly detained by the police, adding that some of his teammates who'd been passing by had stopped to lend their support.

His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, says that he was detained for a traffic violation.

DREW ROSENHAUS, TYREEK HILL'S AGENT: Apparently, he got a ticket for a moving violation entering the stadium. How things escalated into the situation that they were in, in handcuffs and being held on the ground with police is mind-boggling to me. I'm deeply concerned by that, very troubled. We will be looking into it. We will be investigating this. We will look out for Tyreek.

RIDDELL: Rosenhaus says that his client was rattled by the incident, physically OK, but mentally distraught. He said it was important for Hill to focus on the game, but that they would be dealing with it afterwards. He says he wants to make sure that his client wasn't mistreated.

Hill didn't seem to be too affected once the game was underway. In fact, he was defiant, scoring an 80-yard touchdown reception, outpacing the Jacksonville defenders in a thrilling come-from-behind win. And his celebration was rather topical.

He recreated the scene from earlier, thrusting his hands behind his back as a teammate mimicked handcuffing him.

A dramatic day ended in high drama for the Dolphins as they came from behind to win it, with the very last kick 20-17 for Miami. And afterwards, Hill spoke to the media about what happened before the game.

TYREEK HILL, MIAMI DOLPHINS PLAYER: No idea, man. It's crazy. No idea. I wasn't disrespectful, you know, because my mom didn't raise me that way. Didn't cuss. Didn't do none of that.

So, like I said, I'm still trying to figure it out, man. But I do want to say, I do want to be able to use this platform to say, like, what if I wasn't Tyreek Hill, bro? Like, worst-case scenario, you know because it's crazy.

Like, I want to be a cop one day. I got a state troop ahead, all that, you know, so I got a lot of respect for cops, man. But obviously, you know, everybody has bad apples in every situation, you know, so I want to be able to, you know, use this platform, you know, to figure out to figure out a way to, like, flip this and, you know, make it a positive on both ends.

RIDDELL: Meanwhile, one of Hill's teammates trying to de-escalate the situation says that he was also placed in handcuffs. And after the game, the director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, Stephanie Daniels, said that an internal affairs investigation was underway and that one of their officers had been placed on administrative duties.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KENDRICK LAMAR, RAPPER, SONGWRITER: How you doing, everybody? My name's Kendrick Lamar, and I'll be performing at Super Bowl 59. Will you be pulling up?

I hope so. Meet me in New Orleans, February 9th, 2025. Wear your best dress, too, even if you're watching from home.

(END VIDEO CLIP).

MACFARLANE: So, who saw the announcement? Because it's official, musician Kendrick Lamar will headline the halftime show at Super Bowl 59 in February. He made the big reveal in this video on Sunday.

The NFL's head of music, adding, the rapper has proven his ability to create moments that, quote, resonate, redefine, and ultimately shake the very foundation of hip-hop. It will be a return to the Super Bowl stage for Lamar. He first performed in the 2022 halftime show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige.

Now, you could own a piece of K-pop history if you're willing to pay enough. K-pop superstar G-Dragon has opened up his collection of jewelry, designer clothes, art, and more to the public with the help of the musician and digital auction house owner, Pharrell.

CNN's Mike Valerio has more now on the push to draw a new type of collector.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHARRELL WILLIAMS, MUSICIAN AND JOOPITER FOUNDER: They're called possessions for a reason, and it's not just because you possess them, but sometimes these things and there's the weight of the memory possesses you.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pharrell Williams and G- Dragon have come together, not in a song, but for a sale of the K-pop legend's treasured possessions.

WILLIAMS: This guy has opened up his trove of things that were very close to him, from the things that he's customized to the jewelry that he's created.

VALERIO (voice-over): Since 2022, Pharrell's Jupiter auction house has teamed up with numerous celebrities, those who not only shape culture, but voraciously collect it.

WILLIAMS: Your possessions, they actually hold energy. The beautiful part about it is, is that as you're parting ways with it, somebody else is taking on this energy.

VALERIO (voice-over): The auction market is fast evolving.

[04:55:00]

Whereas major artworks and jewelry once dominated record-breaking headlines, nontraditional objects are also fetching high sums. CAITLIN DONOVAN, GLOBAL HEAD OF SALES, JOOPITER: What we consider

collectible and who we consider a collector has completely shifted and changed.

WILLIAMS: You know, the traditional and institutional auction house consumer and space could have been perceived as a bit stuffy. The average collector now are into designer sneakers, they're into collectibles, they're into a whole lot of things that they probably wouldn't have been into in the 90s. They're all walking in wearing their Yeezys, right?

So that space has transformed that customer and consumer is much more curious about culture and subcultures.

VALERIO (voice-over): Mike Valerio, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: And finally, it wouldn't be Monday without us setting you up for the week with a cute dog story. Because with temperatures soaring, dozens of dogs hit the waves in San Diego as part of the longest running canine surf competition in the U.S. the Helen Woodward Animal Center hosted its annual dog surf-a-thon on Sunday. As you can see, some wore goggles and costumes as they tried to hang 10, either with or without their owners on board. And all of the proceeds from the event helped support pet shelters and programs.

I bet Max Foster is so grateful he is not here for this one, but this one is of course right up my street.

Thank you so much for joining us here on CNN. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London. CNN's "THIS MORNING" is up after a quick break. Stay with us.