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Many Feared Dead After Israel Strikes Safe Zone in Gaza; Harris and Trump Set to Face Off in High-Stakes Debate; Legendary Actor James Earl Jones Dead at 93; Princess of Wales Completes Chemotherapy Treatment. Pope's Mass in East Timor Could Draw Half Its Population; CNN Meets Ukrainian Prisoners Recruited to Fight Russia. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired September 10, 2024 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[00:00:35]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, I'm John Vause, live in Atlanta. Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM.
A safe zone turns killing field. With the Israeli airstrikes in southern Gaza dozens feared dead or wounded, entire families gone in an instant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CATHERINE, PRINCESS OF WALES: I cannot tell you what a relief it is to finally completed my chemotherapy treatment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Back on message. The Prince and Princess of Wales released a slick, emotive video statement about Catherine's health and an end to her cancer treatment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES EARL JONES, ACTOR: I am your father.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Yes, you heard it right there, Luke. The unmistakable classic baritone voice of a generation goes silent. Remembering James Earl Jones, one the troopers.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.
VAUSE: Once again in Gaza, an Israeli declared safe zone appears to come under fire from Israeli forces. Dozens of people feared dead or wounded. Palestinian officials say entire families are still buried in the sand and debris.
Witnesses report at least five missiles struck the area at night, hitting a tent encampment and a humanitarian zone west of the city of Khan Younis, the territory's second biggest city and home to tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians. Israel says a senior Hamas terrorist operating command center was embedded in that humanitarian zone and attempts were made to mitigate civilian harm.
Hamas denies any fighters were in the area. A Palestinian official says there was no advance warning of the Israeli strike.
For more let's head to CNN's Paula Hancocks live in Abu Dhabi at this hour.
So, there are unknowns here, there are unknowns. So sort through what we do know, what we have confirmed, and what we don't know, I guess, as well.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, John. I mean, we're still having the information come through to us. What we know, though, is that this particular area, Al-Mawasi, is designated a humanitarian zone by the Israeli military. We know thousands of Palestinians had fled to this area, many of them following evacuation orders. And what has happened in the early hours of today is we understand that there were Israeli airstrikes on this particular area.
Now, Israel, for its part, says that it was, quote, "It struck significant Hamas terrorists who were operating within a command and control center embedded inside the humanitarian area." So they say that they were targeting Hamas operatives, saying that they had taken steps to mitigate civilian harm using precise munitions, aerial surveillance and additional measures.
What we're seeing from the images, though, on the ground is the Gaza Civil Defense and others in the area trying to retrieve bodies, trying to see if there are survivors with their bare hands. They are digging in the sandy areas of the Al-Mawasi. And we can see from those images, clothes, personal belongings strewn across the area. So what we're hearing from the Gaza Civil Defense they say that there were more than 200 tents in this area.
They believe some 20 to 40, according to them, have now disappeared. They fear that there are entire families that are buried beneath the sand. Now they say they have eyewitnesses who say there were five airstrikes. This is from the Gaza Civil Defense. We haven't heard specifics from the Israeli side at this point, but there are at least three large craters in this area. They say they don't have the equipment suitable to try and to find more survivors or to dig those out that have been buried because they simply don't have that. You can see people using their bare hands.
So this is a situation that has just emerged in the recent hours. It's now daylight in Gaza. They were trying to find survivors in the dark. The daylight has come, and we should get more information in the coming hours -- John.
VAUSE: Paula, thank you. Paula Hancocks live for us in Abu Dhabi with the very latest.
[00:05:00]
Seventy-four days since a history -- presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, a history-defining one in fact, Vice President Kamala Harris will come face to face with the Republican nominee in what has the potential also to be another election-defining moment. The Democratic presidential nominee arrived in Philadelphia on the eve of the debate. She spent days preparing for this moment.
In an interview Monday, Harris says she predicts Trump will lie and used his old tired playbook to attack her personally. The Trump campaign spokesperson says Trump is, quote, "going to be himself," while previewing some likely lines of attack including ones that Harris, quote, "owns everything from this administration."
Both candidates are hoping to sway still undecided voters, if there are any, when they meet on Tuesday night in Philadelphia as the race for the White House remains incredibly tight.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more now reporting in from Philadelphia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have spent months talking about one another.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If Comrade Kamala Harris gets four more years, you will be living a full-blown banana republic.
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you got something to say, say it to my face.
ZELENY: On Tuesday night, they will talk to one another in a duel seen around the world but with one of the most important audiences here in Pennsylvania.
GINA OLD, UNDECIDED PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: And I don't know if I'll really know until it's time to actually vote.
ZELENY: This will be Trump's seventh debate, more than any nominee in history. Harris and her team have studied all of the previous six. Three with Hillary Clinton.
TRUMP: No puppet. No puppet.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's pretty clear --
TRUMP: You're the puppet.
ZELENY: And three with Joe Biden.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Will you shut up, man?
TRUMP: Who is your -- listen.
ZELENY: Which offer lessons for both sides. For Harris it's a marquee moment to show Americans she is ready to assume the presidency. A question very much on the minds of voters in pivotal Bucks County, just outside Philadelphia, where signs of support for all sides are inescapable.
OLD: By nature I'm a Republican, always voted Republican. Not sure this year.
JOHN BILLIE, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER FOR TRUMP: I'm going to go with Trump regardless. I don't know enough about Kamala, and big deals with the border and inflation is my main thing.
MARY SUE FRANK, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: My hope is that they're going to tell us what they're going to do, not what the other person has done wrong.
ZELENY: Pennsylvania is at the center of the presidential race with Harris, Trump, and their allies spending more than any other battleground. $82 million from Democrats, $74 million from Republicans. As a fight to define the vice president dominates the airwaves.
HARRIS: It's a very different vision than Donald Trump's.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dangerously liberal. Kamala Harris is no laughing matter.
ZELENY: Harris has spent the last five days in Pittsburgh preparing bring for the debate.
HARRIS: Look, it's time to turn the page on the divisiveness. It's time to bring our country together. Chart a new way forward.
ZELENY: In a weekend rally in Wisconsin, Trump argued he is the true candidate of change.
TRUMP: Kamala Harris and the communist left have unleashed a brutal plague of bloodshed, crime, chaos, misery, and death upon our land. And it's only going to get worse.
ZELENY: That rhetoric raises the question of what tone Trump intends to strike and whether it will be sexist as he often was against Clinton in 2016.
TRUMP: She doesn't have the look. She doesn't have the stamina.
ZELENY: Or seize upon policies of the Biden-Harris administration as he did in June.
TRUMP: We had the safest border in history. Now we have the worst border in history.
ZELENY: Trump has been familiarizing himself with old Harris debates, too.
HARRIS: Mr. Vice President, I'm speaking. I'm speaking. If you don't mind letting me finish, we can then have a conversation.
MIKE PENCE (R), FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: Please.
HARRIS: OK?
PENCE: Please.
HARRIS: OK.
ZELENY: Those stinging moments from a former prosecutor, now trying to make the case that she can turn the page to the presidency.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZELENY (on-camera): When Harris and Trump come together on that debate stage, it will be the first meeting that they've had. And that is because Donald Trump did not attend the inauguration in January 2020 when Harris, of course, was sworn in as vice president. That is why they have never met before. But they certainly have been sparring at long distance and they will come together at close range on Tuesday night.
There is no question this is the most important moment so far in their brief presidential campaigning.
Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Philadelphia.
VAUSE: Amie Parnes is a senior reporter for the news Web site, "The Hill," covering the 2024 presidential election, as well as national politics.
Thank you for being with us.
Thank you.
VAUSE: So back in 2016, you'll remember this, before each debate commentators would often debate, you know, which Donald Trump will show up. The Harris campaign it seems is now expecting mean, nasty, name-calling, schoolyard bully Trump, and so the news is that the vice president has been preparing for a range of potential insults, name calling, and derogatory comments from Trump, with Harris expecting attacks on her racial and gender identity.
Clearly that is one debate challenge. The other, Trump's superpower seems to be the ability to lie about pretty much anything and everything.
[00:10:02]
But instead of worrying about Trump's behavior, his lying and the insults, at the end of day, would Harris be, you know, better off presenting herself as a viable president to win over those conservatives who detest Trump but are not yet sold on her, sort of prove to them that the cure isn't worse than the disease?
AMIE PARNES, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, THE HILL: That's her greatest challenge right now, John, is that she has to introduce herself to some folks, reintroduce herself to other folks. And it is the biggest night in her political career and they know that, and that is why she has been hunkered down and preparing for this debate in a Pittsburgh hotel. They know that this is her chance.
There is some flexibility there right now in terms of elevating her status in the polls. She's plateaued as of right now, but they -- but according to voters who are surveyed in these polls, they indicate that there is some movement. There is some growth for her. They're looking to see who she is and they want her to talk about the future and how her policies will influence voters going forward. And I think she's going to do that.
VAUSE: Well, in the last few weeks, Trump certainly has turned up the volume on the insult. Here he is at a rally on Saturday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're run by stupid people. Stupid, stupid people. And we found that out at the debate with Joe. How did that work out? And we're going to find it out again on Tuesday night. Is anybody going to be watching?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Just a couple. And while cause and effect arguments can often be misleading, if you look at the recent polls, Trump has closed the gap. You mentioned this, that Harris has plateaued in these national polls, while in swing states either Trump and Harris have tied or Harris has basically a few points lead, no more than 3 percent. So is this proof, at least in part, that name-calling works with Donald Trump, which means we'll see a lot more of it come Tuesday night?
PARNES: I think he thinks that works with his base and certainly they're looking for it. But the big question is, for him, can he move beyond his base? Can he convince these few thousand voters in these key swing states that he is presidential, that he can do the job again, because Kamala Harris is going to stand on the stage and say, we don't want to go back to that. We want to move forward. We don't want the chaos of another Donald Trump presidency. And so he's going to have to contest that and prove that he is, you know, a viable candidate.
VAUSE: Just a quick follow-up to that. Have Democrats sort of behaving, you know, like Harris has this 20 percent lead in the polls and the election is in the bag? Have they sort of allowed the overwhelming relief that Biden withdrew from the race to sort of cloud their judgment of reality right now? Because this race is really tight.
PARNES: It is super tight and there was this elation, this moment of relief when Kamala Harris came in and became the nominee. And I think that it was inflated a little bit. And now we're seeing it come down to reality and people are looking and giving her a second look, and they want to know if she's prepared and she can handle this. Certainly, she made headlines as vice president that weren't the most flattering.
But we are seeing this right now and I think what's concerning to some Democrats is that she's performing lower than where Hillary Clinton was in 2016 and below where Joe Biden was in 2020.
VAUSE: Well, the Harris team released some new campaign ad Monday with former Trump White House aides denouncing their old boss. Here's part of it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's his vice president.
PENCE: Anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be the president of the United States. It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His Defense secretary.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you think Trump can be trusted with the nation's secrets ever again?
MARK ESPER, FORMER TRUMP DEFENSE SECRETARY: No. I mean, it's just irresponsible action that places our services members at risk, places our nation's security at risk.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His National Security adviser.
JOHN BOLTON, FORMER TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Donald Trump will cause a lot of damage. The only thing he cares about is Donald Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: You know, there's no (INAUDIBLE) Republicans willing to speak out and try and prevent Trump's reelection. Hundreds of workers from the George W. Bush campaigns as well as some from the McCain and Romney campaign. The problem here, it just doesn't cut through. MAGA supporters especially see them as sellout, you know, not part of the new Trump dominated Republican Party.
PARNES: Well, the big question here is, does it cut through with these undecided voters, these few voters that will make up this election in these key states? Does it cut through to them? And that's the big question. And certainly the Harris campaign is really trying to convince those voters that she is the best candidate. You saw that on the last night of the Democratic convention. She was speaking directly to those voters.
You had a lot of moderates speaking that night. Certainly they know that they have the Democratic base or most of the people in their party rallied, but they need to go beyond that.
VAUSE: Amie, thank you so much for being with us. I really appreciate it.
PARNES: Thank you.
[00:15:01]
VAUSE: The ABC News presidential debate will be seen here on CNN as well, live from 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. That's on Tuesday. Debate will then replay on CNN in its entirety I would say at 2:00 a.m. Eastern Time, that's 7:00 a.m. in London. How about that?
Well, he was the legendary unmistakable voice of stage and screen. And now it's fallen silent. Actor James Earl Jones died Monday at age 93, according to his agent. Jones is known as a booming voice of Darth Vader in the "Star Wars" films and Mustafa in "The Lion King" as well as many roles, on-screen roles, and he gave voice to who we are here at CNN.
And CNN's Richard Roth remembers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): James Earl Jones was a physically imposing actor.
JONES: I take it back, you're not in trouble. You're dead where you stand.
Join me.
ROTH: But it will be Jones' voice that audiences will long remember. Luke Skywalker learned that in the "Star Wars" series.
JONES: No. I am your father.
It became a big mystery, who is that? Who is that inside the mask?
ROTH: A different actor played Vader, but director George Lucas realized he needed a villain with a more sinister voice.
JONES: He called me and said, you want to do a day's work? And I said, yes.
LARRY KING, FORMER TV HOST: A day's work?
JONES: Two and a half hours. Yes.
KING: That's all? All the Darth Vader languages in two and a half hours?
JONES: Yes. A few thousand dollars. Then I went home.
A city destroyed.
The key to Darth Vader is a narrow band of expression. No inflections. He's not human.
Father and son.
ROTH: Jones returned to the role of the Imperial villain throughout his career, even at age 91 in the Disney Plus series "Obi Wan Kenobi."
JONES: You will suffer.
ROTH: In another memorable voice-only role, Jones said just three words.
JONES: This is CNN.
What happened was that I did the Goodwill Games. They said, well, now can we do a CNN logo? And I came back for a set of session. It was so short. I mean, it took five minutes, right? And I forgot it.
ROTH: What is unforgettable is that this powerful actor with the deep, authoritative voice had a speaking disability.
JONES: Stuttering was so embarrassing and really painful. I went mute from the age of 8 to 14.
ROTH: Jones said a great teacher in high school who loved poetry helped him.
JONES: He discovered I wrote poetry and he got me to read my poetry in front of the class. And when I did, it didn't stutter.
ROTH: As a teenager, Jones wanted to be a military officer. He eventually ended up in an American nuclear bomber in his first movie role. The instructions, attack the Soviet Union in "Dr. Strangelove."
JONES: Bomb door circuits. Negative function.
ROTH: A long list of screen roles would follow, including "Roots."
JONES: I'll burn you, Kunta Kinte.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The guests are waiting, Your Majesty.
JONES: Let them wait.
ROTH: "Coming to America."
JONES: It'll be as if they dip themselves in magic waters.
ROTH: "Field of Dreams." "The Hunt for Red October."
JONES: Mother of God. We know he's escaped.
ROTH: "Patriot Games."
JONES: The sun will set on my time here.
ROTH: And "The Lion King." The stage, though, was his first love. Jones won a Tony Award in 1969 for "The Great White Hope."
JONES: This is your wish coming true, huh?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Never this. Never this.
ROTH: Nominated too for an Oscar in the movie version. Jones was part of an elite acting group. He won an Oscar, a Grammy, three Emmys, and three Tonys, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. Had he done it all in life? JONES: I'm not sure if I want to do it all because, you know, I --
death is OK. It is something that happens to all of us, and that's kind of glorious, isn't it?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Our thanks to CNN's Richard Roth for that report.
And around the world there have been tributes for James Earl Jones. Kevin Costner, who starred with Jones in "Field of Dreams," posted on social media, "That booming voice, that quiet strength, the kindness that he radiated, so much can he said about his legacy. So I'll just say now how thankful I am that part of it includes 'Field of Dreams.'"
And Mark Hamill who played Luke Skywalker in the early "Star Wars" film posted simply, "Rest in peace. Dad."
When we come back, was it a news release or a short film perhaps? An update on Princess Catherine's cancer diagnosis and the road ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CATHERINE: Despite all that's gone before, I entered this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:21:43]
VAUSE: Nine months after her cancer diagnosis, the princess of Wales says she's entering a new phase of recovery and her chemotherapy treatment is now complete.
The royal family released a video statement Monday offering a rare, intimate look at Catherine, Prince William, and their three children. In the highly produced video, Catherine talks about plans to return to public life, while also staying focused on her health.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CATHERINE: Doing what I can to stay cancer-free is now my focus. Although I finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long. And I must continue to take each day as it comes.
I am, however, looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can.
Despite all that's gone before I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: To London now and joining us this hour is Kate Williams, a CNN royal historian and professor of Modern History at Reading University. Thank you for getting up early. I know it's 5:00 something, 5:00 in
the morning.
KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL HISTORIAN: Good morning.
VAUSE: It's good to see you. So it's easy to forget that this was a video message intended to provide an update on Kate's condition. Highly produced, very slick, at one point Catherine says her focus now is to remain cancer-free while adding this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CATHERINE: I am, however, looking forward to being back at work, and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can.
Despite all that's gone before I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: that line, despite all that's gone before, I presume that's a reference to her battle with cancer. It also seems she made clear that it will be a long time before she returns to her, you know, pre-cancer schedule of public appearances if she ever does.
WILLIAMS: Yes, John. What we saw in this really beautiful three-minute film, these shots of the family in Norfolk by the coast and in the forest and also the shots of Kate with her parents, Carroll and Michael Middleton, what we really saw here there was two main messages. Number one was her talking about but what she's been through with cancer, what the family has been through as she called the complex, scary, and unpredictable journey.
And number two was her giving us a heads-up about the future and what she was saying was, we shouldn't expect to see Kate back as she once was in terms of engagements for some time. She said it's going to be light engagements this year. Maybe, you know, a few local engagements. We'll expect to see her in November in the Remembrance Sunday, in December for her carol service.
But apart from that, it may not be that she returns to full engagements until well into next year and everything is done on doctor's orders. So the royal family superstar, who is Catherine, the princess of Wales, they're still going to have to wait some time for her to be back in full action because as she says her path to healing is long, even though she's through with therapy.
VAUSE: One thing that really struck me was sort of this message of how life-changing, you know, the past eight or nine months have been for Catherine. Listen to this soundbite.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CATHERINE: The cancer journey is complex, scary, and unpredictable for everyone especially those closest to you. [00:25:08]
With humility, it also brings you face to face with your own vulnerabilities in a way you've never considered before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Kensington Palace has declined to make public any further details about Catherine's cancer. There are no details on treatment apart from saying it's chemotherapy. It's all very broad. There's no specifics. But the way she's talking it sounds like the last, you know, eight, nine months weren't just difficult, it's life-threatening in a way.
WILLIAMS: This really is such a moving, moving film, and it's so different to the way that royals have normally done it in the past. As a historian, I've seen so many royal statements. This one was a film. It was narrated by Catherine. It's her words. She's speaking directly to us.
And although, as you say, John, we don't really know very much about what kind of cancer it is, what stage it was, what the prognosis is. But what she's said here is she's really had a very hard time. It's been incredibly tough. Those are her words. And she's -- we were talking about she's confronted her own vulnerabilities. This is clearly Catherine didn't know -- there was no warning she had cancer.
It was a planned abdominal surgery she had, John, in January, and then during that they found obviously at some point that needed cancer treatment. She started it in late February. She's been going through it until now. And it's been a long and hard road. And really, you know, she looks great. She looks vibrant. She sounds so full -- it's so full of hope. She talks about her hope, the light coming through.
But it's clearly, as she said, you know, that there has been darkness that those are her words. There has been darkness.
VAUSE: Yes. You mentioned this. The video statement itself, it was highly produced. It was shot by a cameraman who specializes in wedding videos, I think. It's very emotive. Clearly the Prince and Princess of Wales have chosen the narrative here that they want to get across and the image they want to convey.
I'm just wondering here, they ended it like Bonnie Gumball's short film in season six, episode 18 of "The Simpsons." Here's a reminder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't cry for me. I'm already dead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It seems they'd have a good chance at winning the Sundance Film Festival. But seriously, does it show how they've taken control of this message? It's a complete turnaround from when the story first broke. WILLIAMS: It is. It's taking control of the message totally as you say
because when the story broke there was all this -- well, there was this lack of information. We were given statements. We were told -- told anything else about the princess' illness, about what was happening, and so into that vacuum rushed all these really very upsetting and distressing conspiracy theories and all kinds of words on the internet.
And that really is why Kate had to give that statement in early March where she -- on Friday night when she came out and she said, I have cancer, she sat on the bench on her own in Windsor and it was such a sad video. And this is a total contrast. She's with the family. She's full of hope. She's full of joy, but in the same way I think that the Wales have now decided that the way to speak directly, the way to stop all this speculation, the way to stop people from saying, oh, what's really happening, is to have this direct message in this very beautiful video.
And I think they feel that if they put out a statement of Kate saying I finished chemotherapy, I'm still healing, you might not see me for, you know, a couple of months because I'm still working on my health, people might not have received it in the same way. And this is a huge transformation in the way that the royals addressed this. And I think the Wales are going to continue doing this going forward.
VAUSE: In terms of news releases or video messages or whatever you want to call it, it is a new bar, a very high bar from this point on.
Kate Williams in London, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.
WILLIAMS: Thank you. Good to see you.
VAUSE: Still to come here on CNN, Pope Francis speaks out against sexual abuse while in East Timor. The significance of his speech on that issue after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause.
[00:31:35]
Pope Francis will preside over public mass in East Timor in a few hours with more than half the country's population expected to attend.
A day earlier he arrived to much fanfare, with crowds lining the streets. The pontiff spent his morning in meetings with the church officials but made time to visit a school for children with disabilities.
But so far, the highlight of his visit was a call to action for government leaders to protect children from abuse.
Let's go live to Hong Kong. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is following the trip and all the developments there. And this speech on child abuse particularly relevant, given what -- the role of one Catholic official has had in East Timor when it comes to child abuse.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: Extremely relevant. He did not address that scandal in particular, but he did make a call to protect children and young people.
Look, Pope Francis is continuing his visit to East Timor, the deeply Catholic country. This morning, we know he visited children with disabilities. He met with religious leaders.
And when he arrived for that meeting at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the capital of East Timor, Dili. He was greeted by throngs of well-wishers, who filled the streets.
And this afternoon, he'll be presiding over an open-air mass. That, according to the Vatican, could draw more than half of the entire population of East Timor. It has a total population of 1.3 million.
The country has deep ties to the church, which has been very influential in its decades-long brutal and bloody struggle for independence, which it won in 2002.
But the church's role in the country's history has been overshadowed by these accusations of abuse, of clerical sexual abuse.
Two years ago, the Vatican said that it secretly disciplined East Timor bishop and a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Carlos Jimenez Bello, after he was accused of sexually abusing boys in East Timor decades before.
So, he addressed this, Pope Francis. He was speaking yesterday in Dili. He did not directly address the scandal, but instead, he issued a call to do everything to prevent the abuse of children.
Let's listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE FRANCIS, LEADER OF CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): We should not forget those children and adolescents that have their dignity violated.
This phenomenon is happening across the world. In response, we are all called to do everything possible to prevent every kind of abuse and guarantee a peaceful growth for all young people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: Also hanging over this visit is the price tag. There has been criticism about the $12 million at East Timor paid for the papal visit.
East Timor is one of the poorest countries in Asia. It's one of the most impoverished countries in the world. In fact, according to the World Bank, it says some 47 percent of children in East Timor are stunted because of malnutrition. That's one of the highest rates in the world.
The pope did address the country's economic challenges. He said that there was a need for collective and wide-ranging action. And this has been a challenging trip for Pope Francis. Eighty-seven years old, he has been on this 12-day, four-nation tour across Southeast Asia, across the South Pacific. His longest and farthest journey yet.
Back to you, John.
VAUSE: Kristie, thank you. Kristie Lu Stout, live for us there in Hong Kong. Appreciate it.
STOUT: Thank you.
VAUSE: At least seven Ukrainian drones headed for Moscow have been intercepted according to Russian officials. Images on social media appear to show what appears to be the -- a fire in a residential building in the Moscow region.
[00:35:07]
Local officials say some of the drones landed just 38 kilometers South of the Kremlin, while a governor of Russia's Southwest Bryansk region says 59 Ukrainian drones were intercepted with no damage or injuries reported.
This information coming from Reuters, which says it cannot independently verify the reports from Russian officials.
Well, after two and a half years of war, Ukrainian forces are losing morale. Many of them are also losing their lives. Right now, Ukraine is trying to repel Russia's advance on the key military supply hub of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region.
But they are not having a lot of success, as Fred Pleitgen reports. The latest now from the embattled city. And a warning: his report contains graphic images.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Ukrainian troops sweeping into a village on the Eastern front.
But these aren't career soldiers. They're ex-convicts who volunteered from prison, got some basic training, and were thrust into battle.
Vitali (ph), 41 years old, ten years in jail for theft and violent assault. Now assaulting Vladimir Putin's army.
VITALI (PH), UKRAINIAN SOLDIER: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: We have a goal. We have a task, and we must do it. We're never confused, always focused. You need to be very quick there. PLEITGEN (voice-over): The ex-convicts are part of Ukraine's 59th Brigade, their camp near the front line rudimentary but a lot better than jail.
Our conversations remain basic, about survival or death.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: He who has a strong spirit wins. He who has a weak spirit dies.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Many are dying here on both sides.
The 59th Brigade gave us this video, showing Russians fleeing a burning house as the ex-convicts attack. But Vitali (ph) admits they're suffering casualties, as well.
VITALI (ph): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: We were moving into a position as soon as we went to the field. He was dismantled. It's hard to watch, but what can you do? You can't help.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Their deal is simple. Fight, survive, and become free men.
VITALI (ph): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: I need to turn the page of my life. I have five children, after all. I need to think about my kids a little bit, and about myself. My life was a mess.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Company commander Oleksandr says my men perform some of the most dangerous assaults around here. Oleksandr was a jail warden, and many of those here, his inmates.
He recruited them and says the traits that put them in jail now keep them alive.
OLEKSANDR, COMMANDER OF SHKVAL COMPANY, 59TH BRIGADE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: The convict subculture is used to surviving. They survived in very harsh conditions. And they will make every effort to survive.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): This unit is part of Ukraine's force defending the key logistic hub Pokrovsk.
PLEITGEN: Pokrovsk is now one of the main frontline towns in the war in Ukraine. As you can see, the streets here are virtually deserted.
At the same time, the Russians are hitting this place with really heavy munitions: everything from artillery shells to large rockets.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): After major advances, the Russians are knocking on the door here. Shells and rockets constantly impacting, especially in the evenings.
And that's when the medics (ph) group 68th Mountaineer Brigade start receiving most of the heavy casualties.
They show us this video of a U.S.-supplied max pro armored vehicle hit by a Russian drone. Two killed, four severely injured, casualties Ukraine's military, already badly outmanned, can not afford, the medic who goes by the call sign Barbarian tells me.
BARBARIAN, MEDIC, 68TH BRIGADE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: There are fewer of us. One of us matches 20 Russians. But we lack training. The training period is very short. We lack equipment. They took the initiative in the sky. I mean drones.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): And Russian drones are also lethal at night, so we leave Povrovsk as darkness falls. Ukrainian troops heading towards the front, hoping to keep Putin's army away from this key city.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Pokrovsk, Ukraine.
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VAUSE: With that, a brief pause now. We'll be back in a moment. You're watching CNN.
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VAUSE: Apple has unveiled its first iPhone purpose-built for a generative -- generative artificial intelligence. OK, from an enhanced Siri personal assistant to a new camera control with visual intelligence.
The iPhone 16 and 16 Pro will come with an array of new A.I. capabilities.
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UNIDENTIFIED MAEL: In mail, it will be easy to quickly survey your inbox. Instead of seeing the first couple lines of your emails, you'll see summaries that convey the most useful information.
And you'll be able to create new emoji simply by typing a description, giving you the perfect response for your group thread.
If you come across a bike that looks exactly like the kind you're in the market for, just tap to search Google for where you can buy something similar.
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VAUSE: Can it make a call?
Selling for just shy of 800 U.S. dollars, the phones will be available for pre-order coming this Friday.
Already up for grabs are Apple's latest AirPods and Apple Watch. Their upgrades include a clinical-grade hearing aid feature and a tool to detect sleep apnea. Those features are still awaiting FDA approval.
I'm John Vause back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM. But first, WORLD SPORT starts after a break.
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