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Trump Stokes Fears on Immigration; Harris Feeling Good about Pennsylvania; Zelenskyy Urging Green Light for Deep Strikes on Russia; Area in Gaza Key to Ceasefire Deal; Funeral for Turkish American Activist Aysenur Eygi Killed in West Bank; American Becomes a Pro- Putin Propaganda Machine; Ukrainian Singer Draws Attention to Country's Abducted Children; Timberlake Pleads Guilty; LG Unveils Wearable Screens. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired September 14, 2024 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching here in the United States, Canada and around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
The latest from the campaign trail, Kamala Harris calls out Donald Trump for his divisive comments as he doubles down on threats to deport migrants.
As we examine the political information wars, how a 24-year-old former Bernie Bro became a social media influencer, embracing some pretty fringe ideas.
And verbal warning shots from Moscow as NATO defense chiefs meet in Prague. What the Kremlin says about letting Ukraine use weapons like these to target inside Russia. And what the head of NATO says about providing Ukraine with more military support.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Atlanta this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: Just days after his debate with Kamala Harris, Donald Trump is trying to change the topic of the presidential campaign from his debate performance to immigration.
He appears to be doubling down on his claim that Haitian migrants living in the U.S. legally are eating people's pets. In Nevada Friday night, he claimed without evidence that some undocumented migrants have assault weapons and are taking over parts of the country, like the town of Aurora, Colorado. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: When I return to the White House, I will launch a special task force of elite federal law enforcement and charge them with crushing and eliminating every foreign gang and organized crime network that is conquering our country.
We will deploy ICE, DHS and other federal officials to go in and liberate Aurora.
We're going to -- can you believe I'm saying?
Can you believe I have to say this?
We are going to liberate parts of our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Harris spent Friday campaigning in another battleground state, Pennsylvania.
She criticized Trump for spreading what she called hate and division. She also said Trump has no plan to address the needs of the American people.
Addressing supporters Friday night, Harris warned that American freedoms and rights are under attack. Here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are witnessing a full on assault on other hard fought, hard won, fundamental freedoms and rights, like the freedom to vote. The freedom to be safe from gun violence, the freedom to join a union and the freedom to love openly and with pride.
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BRUNHUBER: In comments likely intended for rural, traditionally Republican parts of Pennsylvania, Harris sought to clarify her position on gun ownership.
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HARRIS: And I am a gun owner and Tim Walz, my running mate, is also a gun owner.
We're not taking anybody's guns away. I support the Second Amendment and I support reasonable gun safety laws.
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BRUNHUBER: Thomas Gift is the director of the Centre on U.S. Politics for University College London.
And he joins us live from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Good to see you. Great to get your local knowledge of the state there. Harris has spent time in two counties that former president Donald Trump won in both 2016 and 2020. So tell us about where she was, what kind of folks live there and why she would spend time visiting those red counties.
THOMAS GIFT, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: Well, some of this is areas right in the middle of the state. Right now, I'm here visiting my family about a 45 minute drive south of Harrisburg in a place called Chambersberg, Pennsylvania, which is part of Franklin County.
It's absolutely Trump country. It's about 70 percent Republican. Lot of working class blue collar jobs, dairy farming and orchards are big here, lots of warehouse jobs along the interstate.
So these are the kinds of counties that Kamala Harris is trying to not flip but at least get some votes. I think it's going to be an uphill battle though for her. I mean, within blocks from my family's home, you see Trump flags. They're ubiquitous.
You see signs with Trump's face on it. You still see F Biden signs that have been up since 2020. So voters are kind of activated in this part of the state.
But of course, one of the big criticisms of Joe Biden in 2020 and particularly Hillary Clinton in 2016 was that she wrote off some of these areas. And I think that that's what Kamala Harris is trying to avoid.
I usually don't bring props, Kim.
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But these are the things that have come to my family just in the last week, eight of them.
"Kamala Harris' failed weak and dangerously liberal policies."
"Kamala Harris, extreme on abortion."
"Kamala Harris is lying about Trump's position on Project 2025."
So if you're in Pennsylvania, you just cannot avoid this kind of politics.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, obviously, so much at stake there in that state. I mean, we heard in the debate Kamala Harris sort of talking about the war on Ukraine and its effects on Poland, obviously calculated to appeal to Pennsylvania's large Polish community.
Will that resonate?
Do you think?
GIFT: It could, although I don't think that this is the number one issue facing most Pennsylvania. If you look at Pennsylvania, a lot of it in the rural areas is fracking and a lot of it is gun ownership. I think that those are two issues on which many voters cast their ballot singularly.
But on the margins maybe it could be a difference. But in general, we think about Americans not voting on foreign policy and ultimately stressing domestic policy issues when it comes to presidential elections.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. And we heard her talking there in that clip about gun ownership, something that you flagged as something that is important in that state.
And the state itself. I mean, it has more electoral votes, 19, than any other battleground state. And Pennsylvanians routinely pick winners, voting for 10 of the last 12 White House winners. So it underscores just how vital your state is.
GIFT: No, absolutely.
I mean, Pennsylvania is the biggest prize among the battleground states, as you said, 19 electoral votes. PA has voted for the eventual winner of the White House in 10 of the last 12 elections. It's a bellwether for other states.
The winner of PA has also won Michigan and Wisconsin, combining to form the so-called blue wall in eight consecutive elections. Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016, very close. It was about 48 percent to 47 percent. Biden won in 2020, 50-49, give or take.
But here's a statistic that really struck me. According to Nate Silver's election model, If Harris wins Pennsylvania, her odds of winning the White House are 91 percent. If Trump wins Pennsylvania, his odds of winning skyrocket to 96 percent. So that's really why Pennsylvania is the center of the political universe right now.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, the path to the White House clearly goes through Pennsylvania. I want to take a bit of a jog here. Ask you about this. The pope made headlines in the context of this election yesterday.
He said Catholic voters face a grim choice between the two candidates. He described it is coming down to a choice between what he called the lesser of two evils, referencing Trump's stance on immigration and Harris' stance on abortion rights. I want to play this.
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POPE FRANCIS, PONTIFF, ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): Both of them are against life. But let it be clear, sending away migrants, not allowing them to work, not sheltering them is a sin. It's serious.
The church doesn't allow abortion, not because it's closed minded but because to have an abortion means to kill. It is murder. It is murder. And we must be clear on this.
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BRUNHUBER: And also to be clear, the pope did add that it is important to vote. So I'd be curious to get your take on this. Being dissed by the pope, it's unusual move by him.
What effect might it have?
Who could it hurt the most do you think?
GIFT: That's really hard to tell?
I mean, typically we think about the pope is fairly apolitical or not weighing in on American politics that explicitly. But it could, on the margins, affect the Catholic vote. But it may affect the vote more generally. Already we know, probably about abortion is one of the biggest issues.
And I think there's every reason to think that that's going to favor Democrats. And we saw that in the 2022 midterms where the red wave never happened, in large part because voters came out for the abortion issue. We saw that in state referendums across the country.
And just anecdotally again, here in Pennsylvania, we get ad after ad after ad that is on abortion and how Democrats are now standing for freedom, for reproductive rights. I'm not sure ultimately if this is going to have a huge impact.
It is actually the first time I've ever heard those comments but it's super interesting that he's weighing in, in that explicit of a way.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. Well, listen now, we're sure of one thing that the candidates will be spending a lot more time in your state. Really great to get your take on all this. Thomas Gift, thank you so much.
GIFT: Thanks as always, Kim.
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BRUNHUBER: NATO's defense chiefs are meeting in Prague this hour as Russia ups the ante over the use of Western long-range missiles by Ukraine.
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On Friday, Russia's ambassador to the U.N. reminded NATO that his country is a nuclear power and that there will be consequences if Ukraine gets the green light to use Western made weapons for strikes deeper inside Russia.
He spoke a day after president Vladimir Putin raised the prospect of war over the issue. Meanwhile, the leaders of two of the countries that supplied long-range missiles to Kyiv, the U.S. and Britain, met in Washington now on Friday. U.S. officials said there would be no major announcements or immediate changes in Washington's policy.
In an exclusive interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, NATO's outgoing chief said the alliance needs to send a loud and clear message to the Kremlin. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: I think we need to be even stronger partly in what we do, as in provide more military support on top of the unpresent (ph) support, which is -- which has already been delivered.
But as important is actually that we communicate a long-term commitment. Because --
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So loud and clear?
STOLTENBERG: Loud and clear for long term. Because now, President Putin, I'm afraid that he believes that he can wait us out. And as long as he believes that he can wait us out, the war will continue.
So, we -- the paradox is that the stronger our military support is, and for the longer term we are willing to commit, the sooner the war can end. I don't think we can change the mind of President Putin but we can change his calculus.
So we need to make sure that he understands that he cannot win on the battlefield. He will pay a high price. It will be a lot of suffering if he continues to fight this war. And then he may be willing to sit down and accept a solution where Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent nation in Europe.
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BRUNHUBER: If Kyiv gets the go-ahead for strikes deeper inside Russia, possible targets could include airfields, missile launchers and ammunition depots. U.S. assessments show Russia has already moved some targets out of range of Western made missiles.
But as Clare Sebastian reports, some analysts say there are there are still many military assets left to strike.
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CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now Ukraine has been using Western long-range missiles on occupied territory for months. This believed to be a
British Storm Shadow, a long long-range stealth cruise missile hitting Russia's Black Sea fleet headquarters in Crimea last year. But Russian
territory has been off limits. Now a major reason for that is, of course, Western fears a Russian escalation.
But recently the U.S. has also been arguing that actually lifting those restrictions wouldn't make much difference on the battlefield because it
claims many high-value targets including aircraft that dropped those deadly glide bombs are out of range. But what exactly is in range?
Well, this map from the Institute for the Study of War suggests that there are well over 200 targets still in reach
of U.S. ATACMS. Those are the red dots you see there. And among them is also the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District in Rostov and
dozens of command centers, storage depots, weapons production facilities and military regiments, including, for example, the 52nd Guard Heavy Bomber
Regiment believed to be responsible for a deadly cruise missile attack on an apartment block in Dnipro last January.
President Zelenskyy warning that any further delay may mean the U.S. is proved right.
ZELENSKYY (through translator): Delaying this process leads to Russia moving these military targets deeper into the territory of Russia. So if our partners lift the restrictions, I really want it to be a strategy for Ukraine's victory, not a political strategy.
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BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, at the White House on Friday, Ukraine was at the top of the agenda during that meeting between President Biden and British prime minister Keir Starmer.
Again, no decision announced on using those Western missiles deeper in Russia. But the White House says they reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine in its fight against aggression.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: United States is committed to standing with you, to help Ukraine as it defends against Russia's onslaught and the aggression. Clear that Putin will not make it, clear that Putin will not prevail on this forth (ph) the people of Ukraine.
KEIR STARMER, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: But it's really important to scrape allies, that special relationship. It's half this time to talk about the global issues you have just identified, starting with Ukraine, where I think the next few weeks and months will be crucial and very, very important that we support Ukraine in this vital war of freedom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The Ukrainian president says he needs the go ahead to conduct those strikes without delay. He spoke with CNN's Fareed Zakaria about where and how the Western weapons could be used in Russia.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Everybody is looking the decision of the United States. Everybody is waiting for such decisions.
After that, they make decisions, it's true.
And so we wanted very much to use this weapon and just to attack these jets on the military bases -- not civilian infrastructure, military bases.
FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST: So you just want to be able to attack --
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ZELENSKYY: Yes.
ZAKARIA: -- the bases that are being used to launch these weapons, these planes, these -- ?
ZELENSKYY: Yes, because these jets, Fareed, these jets, these jets, from there, they use not only missiles. They use these jets and jets use per month 4,000 guided aerial bombs on -- just on the east of our territory, 4,000 bombs.
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BRUNHUBER: You can watch the full interview with Ukraine's president on "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS." That's on Sunday at 10 in the morning Eastern time or 5:00 in the afternoon in Kyiv.
Meanwhile, there's another fight taking place off the battlefield in Ukraine.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): A little later, the song meant to remind you that thousands of children abducted to Russia are still missing.
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BRUNHUBER: Plus control over Gaza's southern border is one of the main issues holding up a ceasefire deal. Still ahead, CNN gets rare access to the area known as the Philadelphi corridor. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: We're getting a new look at a part of Gaza that negotiators say is key for a ceasefire fire between Israel and Hamas.
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The Philadelphi corridor, as it's known, is a 14 kilometer or 8.5 mile strip of land in southern Gaza along the border with Egypt. The Israel Defense Forces currently controls it. CNN's Matthew Chance got rare access to the corridor.
CNN reported from Gaza under IDF escort at all times but CNN retained full editorial control over the report.
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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: They brought us to this place called the Philadelphi Corridor, which is a key bit of real estate in this conflict because it's emerged as a sticking point in the negotiations to get a ceasefire and get the hostages released.
As you can see, it's right up against the Egyptian border. That's the -- that's the border fence right there. And it's important because the Israelis say this is an area which has been used over the years and particularly over the past several months as a way of smuggling weapons into the Gaza Strip.
Some of the smuggling has taken place over land, through, presumably, holes in the fence and through other border crossings. But a lot of it has been taking place right under our feet.
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BRUNHUBER: Today family and loved ones will hold a funeral for the Turkish American activist killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank. More than a week after her death, the body of 26-year-old Aysenur Eygi is expected to be laid to rest in Turkiye, where her family lives.
The group she was with says she was peacefully protesting against Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank when Israeli forces shot and killed her. Israel claimed she was hit indirectly and unintentionally by IDF fire. CNN's Nic Robertson is following developments from Tel Aviv.
Nic, before we get to that funeral, another funeral taking place today as well.
What can you tell us about that?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: This is the funeral for somebody who worked for UNRWA, the U.N. agency that helps displaced refugee Palestinians. He was killed in the West Bank. We've become very used to a large number of UNRWA workers being killed by Israeli forces inside of Gaza.
Six were killed just a couple of days ago in a strike in an -- on an UNRWA school in Gaza, where there were displaced people. This particular person, according to UNRWA, was a sanitation worker for them at the al-Faraa refugee camp in the West Bank. His death is the first UNRWA death from IDF fire in the West Bank in 10 years. Now, it is disputed. UNRWA say that he was on the roof of his house at night, having a coffee when he was shot three times in the chest by an Israeli sniper.
The IDF says that he was throwing or preparing to throw explosive devices at the IDF who run a counter terrorism operation nearby at the time. The IDF, over the past couple of days, have killed 10 people in and around the West Bank, who they say were terrorist operatives.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad announced five of their operatives were killed in these particular strikes. But when it comes to this UNRWA worker, the IDF is saying that they have looked at their records and they believe that he has been connected with terrorist activity in the past.
So this is a dispute, if you will, between UNRWA and the IDF over the nature of what this person, who this person was. It is not uncommon to see that in Gaza.
But now we see it as the IDF is increasing its military operations in the West Bank, stretching into the West Bank. And this is a very worrying development for all the U.N. agencies and civilians inside the West Bank.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. Nic, I started off talking about the death of an American activist, who was killed, a death that resonated deeply here in the U.S.
What more can you tell us?
ROBERTSON: Yes, there really is very little advancement in the past couple of days it appears into the investigation into her death. The IDF has said that this was not a targeted death, that they were shooting at protesters where she worked, where she was.
And one of them was a ringleader who was presenting a threat to the IDF because he was throwing rocks. Now President Biden has toughened his language on her killing and has called it unacceptable.
Secretary of state Antony Blinken said, the IDF's approach to protests in this way must change. President Biden has described it as not only terribly unacceptable but that they require full accountability.
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But I think at the moment, we're somewhere short of that full accountability.
BRUNHUBER: All right, appreciate those updates. Nic Robertson in Tel Aviv. Thanks so much.
Family and friends of Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei, who died after a brutal attack, are gathering for her funeral today. The runner competed in the recent Paris Olympics, finishing 44th in the women's marathon. Weeks later, police say her boyfriend attacked her at her home in
Kenya and set her on fire after a disagreement over land. Cheptegei is being laid to rest in her home in Uganda. She suffered burns over 75 percent of her body and died after a few days in hospital.
She's the third elite female athlete to be killed in Kenya in the last three years. Amnesty International Kenya says her death highlights the urgent need to address femicide in the country. She was 33 years old.
Lies and misinformation seem to be dominating the U.S. right-wing political landscape. Coming up, we'll meet a former progressive, so- called Bernie Bro, who took a hard turn and became a pro-Putin propaganda machine. That's coming up. Please stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
Donald Trump says he could change his mind and agree to another debate with Kamala Harris. Previously, he said he wouldn't debate her again. The former president also wrongly insists he is leading in all post debate polls. That is not true
Trump also doubled down on his anti-immigrant rhetoric during his rally in Las Vegas.
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He said he would deploy law enforcement to, quote, "liberate" our country.
Meanwhile, Harris spent Friday campaigning in Pennsylvania. She accused Trump of spreading hate and division and she said he has no plan to address the needs of the American people.
Debunked claims that Trump made at the debate are causing problems for a city in Ohio. During Tuesday's debate, Trump told a nonsensical story about how Haitian migrants were eating dogs and cats in Springfield.
And speaking to reporters Friday in California, Trump refused to admit the story was a lie or to acknowledge the problems it's causing for the people living in Springfield. Here he is.
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QUESTION: The mayor of Springfield, Ohio, the police chief, the Republican governor of Ohio all debunked this story about people eating pets and now there are bomb threats at schools and kids being evacuated. Why do you still spread this false story? TRUMP: No, no, no. The real threat is what's happening at our border because you have thousands of people being killed by illegal migrants coming in.
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BRUNHUBER: The mayor of Springfield spoke with CNN about the impact of Trump's lies.
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MAYOR ROB RUE, SPRINGFIELD, OHIO: we have to focus on making sure this rhetoric is dispelled, that these rumors are just, they're just not true.
We have a beautiful city and we need, we need the national stage to pay attention to what their words are doing to cities like ours. Legacy cities in Ohio, legacy cities in the Midwest that are working hard to be significant. And we are doing well at that.
We don't need this pushback that is hurting our citizens and hurting our community.
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BRUNHUBER: spreading lies and misinformation in-person and across social media platforms has become a way of life for some people. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan talked to one American man, who went from following mainstream politics to pushing an extreme, radical, right-wing propaganda.
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DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the pro- Palestinian movement, one of the biggest voices online isn't a former diplomat, regional expert or even a Palestinian. It's a 24-year-old white kid from California named Jackson Hinkle.
JACKSON HINKLE, AMERICAN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, at all. Just like you're not prepared to admit that Israel's a terrorist organization.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're wrong.
HINKLE: Kim Jong-un is a peace seeking leader.
We're going to de-NATO-fy Ukraine --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
HINKLE: -- and we're going to denazify you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You just sound completely bonkers.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): And the people in the established Palestinian movement just want him to stop. He and his followers call themselves MAGA communists. And that isn't supposed to be a joke.
The crowd here was mostly male and mostly white.
HINKLE: I will just say once and for all, so Piers Morgan never has to ask me again. No, I do not condemn Hamas. Very simple.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Jackson's social media following skyrocketed after the October 7th attack on Israel.
HINKLE: I've been to Russia, I've been to China. Their major cities are much nicer.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): But Jackson had barely started speaking about Gaza.
HINKLE: Now Russia's better and stronger than ever before and their leader has a very high approval rating.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Before he launched into pro-Russia and pro- China talking points.
HINKLE: The more America supports real terrorist entities like Israel, real terrorist countries like Ukraine, the more that we strengthen our actual enemies.
Most of what is said about Vladimir Putin in the mainstream press is just factually not true.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Jackson has become a darling of the Kremlin and Russian state TV. He's made multiple trips to Russia this year.
HINKLE: We're in Tokmak, which is just a few kilometers away from the front line in --
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): But Jackson wasn't always like this. Just a few years ago, he was a soft spoken Southern California kid, a Bernie Sanders supporter, who even ran for city council as a progressive.
O'SULLIVAN: Why do you think the Russians like you so much?
HINKLE: I speak truth.
O'SULLIVAN: You are, in some ways, the quintessential American man, right?
You're a surfer guy, California. So for the Russians or the Chinese to have somebody like you, to go over there and basically shit all over America --
HINKLE: No, no, no. No shitting on America. I love this country. I love the people. I just want it to be better.
O'SULLIVAN: Is there not a way to do that without having to fly back and forth to Moscow and seem to be embracing authoritarian regimes?
HINKLE: Well, they're far less authoritarian than the United States. O'SULLIVAN: Come on, man.
HINKLE: Ultimately --
O'SULLIVAN: You'd come --
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): -- we are -- no, no, ultimately, I live in the generation where for the first time there's going to be a lower standard of living than the previous generation. That's not good and it's --
O'SULLIVAN: And, I mean, I get -- I hear all that. You can't genuinely say that people in Russia and people in China have more liberties than people in the United States.
HINKLE: Well, there's no free speech.
O'SULLIVAN: You have a lot of free speech.
HINKLE: Really?
O'SULLIVAN: You do.
HINKLE: You think I have free speech?
O'SULLIVAN: You don't think you have free speech?
HINKLE: No. I mean, what's the public square today?
[04:35:00]
It's obviously social media.
O'SULLIVAN: You have 3 million followers on X. You can post whatever you want. You're hosting events here. How do you not have free speech?
What part of your speech is being curtailed?
HINKLE: Well, it's very simple. It's very simple. It's very simple. Yes, I have 3 million followers on X.
But what about Instagram?
I've been banned. YouTube, I've been banned. I was banned from Raya, a dating site.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Jackson's bans might have something to do with his repeated sharings of hateful posts and his celebrations of violence.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes and, just a few years ago, Jackson Henkel was a Bernie Sanders supporter. He was a Bernie BROWN: . He's not the only person who has made this sort of political transformation in just a few short years.
We have met other young American men, who feel disillusioned or aggrieved or left behind by America and American politics in some way, who have also gone from Bernie Bro to very far right down these rabbit holes of extremism and hate and radicalization.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Well, there's a fight in Ukraine right now, not getting the attention it perhaps deserves. And one singer is working to change that. I'll speak with Ukraine's Jerry Heil about her new song and what she says, it's time to put all eyes on kids.
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BRUNHUBER: One of Ukraine's top recording artists is lending her voice to a fight taking place far from the front line, dividing her country.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): That's the new song by Jerry Heil, entitled #AllEyesOnKids. The aim is to draw attention to the untold number of children abducted by Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This gives you a sense the scope of the problem.
[04:40:00]
Ukrainian authorities estimate that around 20,000 children have been forcibly displaced from their homes and possibly deported. But only a few hundred have been returned.
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian president Vladimir Putin and the Russian commissioner for children's rights for their alleged role in all of this.
Now Russia denies it's doing anything illegal, claiming it's bringing Ukrainian children to safety.
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BRUNHUBER: And Ukrainian singer Jerry Heil joins me now from London.
Thank you so much for being here with us, such an important issue that you're singing, singing about. Tell us about the song and the girl that inspired it, the girl we see in the video.
JERRY HEIL, UKRAINIAN SINGER: Hi, thank you so much for inviting me. It's a very, very important topic which isn't discussed enough. And understand that having my music heard after Eurovision, after people from all the world pay attention to my music.
I tried to show down what's going on. And you told that it's an untold number of children that being kidnapped by Russia.
But it's like 10,000.
I just need you to understand that. It's so many of children's lives that has been taken, of childhood that has been taken because Russia knows that children are the future of the country. And cynically stolen -- stealing the children because they know that, without them, we won't have the future.
So that's why we're fighting for them and we need you people from abroad, people from all the world, to bring your attention to this topic, too, because only together we can change it.
And I'm sure that music can change it because it's the softest way to talk about something really important.
Kira (ph) is a girl. She's 14 years old girl. She's from Mariupol and when where we were occupied -- it was occupied, her father was killed by Russians. And they kidnapped Kira (ph). She tried to escape. She was blown on land mile (ph). And it's horrible.
There are so many of such stories. And just by miracle, thanks to her grandfather, they brought her back to Ukraine. But it's a miracle.
BRUNHUBER: It is a miracle. I mean, after her father was killed, I understand the only thing she had while she was in hospital in Donetsk was her father's cell phone, which she used to contact her family.
I mean, if she hadn't had that, it could have a very different ending. I mean, she could still be away from her family right now.
HEIL: Yes.
And imagine how many this endings we already have. And we cannot let this happen. But I see that people in the world -- we only in our own bubbles. Of course. It's OK, I guess. But it's also OK to take one minute and do something for the -- for the good.
So that's why we created this hashtag, #AllEyesOnKids. And you can post the story of these children. You can post the story of the child that resonates with you. You can pause this video because it's about Kira (ph) and you can raise your voice and be the voice of these children. That's why I created this.
BRUNHUBER: Yes.
And the girl we're talking about, I mean, she was, as we say, one of the lucky ones. It's just important to, again, emphasize the scope here. According to Ukraine, almost 20,000 children have been deported or forcibly displaced. And only about 400 had been returned.
And that's one of the reasons that Putin has been charged by the ICC for the unlawful deportation of children. I mean, it still is an issue that isn't talked about enough. You're trying to mobilize just normal people to sort of participate in all of this.
But certainly it needs more than just, you know, you and I, really more powerful forces have to be brought to bear to this.
What more do you think that countries and others can do to help these children?
HEIL: Well, I think we underestimate the power of ordinary people, because small step will make the way.
I mean, we learned this with Eurovision. When people are bringing the power, all the power together, and they just post, our estimate -- and not you but like people in general -- we underestimate the power of social media.
When you post it, you make people see and they post it, too, and it's become -- it's becoming bigger and bigger and bigger. That's my mission. That's why I talk to people through music, because I know this will impact them.
[04:45:00]
I'm trying to get the attention of bigger organizations and I see that music is working because, even like, look at us now. I'm working and I'm talking to you and through your source, a lot of people, millions of people will see this.
And hopefully will take actions. So all we have to do is small step, take action, post all eyes on kids and be the voice of the children. There has to become -- they has to come back home.
BRUNHUBER: Do you hear from sympathetic Russians, from people inside Russia and those in occupied areas?
HEIL: Well, actually, I don't look that way. I'm trying to -- we're being, trying to work with them before the invasion. We've been trying to be like, rather something like that. And that didn't come out.
Nothing really good came out of that. So now I'm with my music, with the culture. We're trying to bring this all to you or bring this all to the world and to exchange our cultural -- our culture is with them because I see that that works better.
BRUNHUBER: You're talking about culture. You were a finalist in the Eurovision contest. You say you've been fighting to keep Ukrainian culture alive.
Do you still feel that it's under threat?
I've talked to some Ukrainians who've said that it's actually stronger now, that the response to Russian aggression has made people in Ukraine and Ukrainian ex-pats around the world more interested and passionate in their history and culture.
HEIL: Yes, it's, it's another miracle how people under attack, they somehow -- they get together. They try to produce even more of -- more of songs because Ukrainian pop industry is growing more art.
That's strange. I was thinking, what if, like, if that would be another country, for example, not Ukraine, another country.
And I don't know, for example, Great Britain, and another and another country invaded.
Would artists here be still here, not going anywhere and produce, produce, produce?
I don't know.
But what I know about Ukraine is that it's a country of very brave people who know what they're standing for. And but of course, we wouldn't make it all alone and we are very thankful for all the attention, for all the help. And that's why I'm talking to you again, because we need that and we feel that you can help us in doing that.
Thank you so much.
BRUNHUBER: Well, listen.
Thank you. You're bringing attention to a really great cause. Those children certainly need everyone's help. I certainly hope that it bears fruit. Ukrainian singer Jerry Heil, thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it.
And we'll be right back. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:50:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: A contrite pop star Justin Timberlake has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of driving while impaired, saying he failed to achieve a high standard of behavior. The actor appeared in a Long Island New York court on Friday following his arrest in June.
Timberlake was sentenced to 25 hours of community service, a $500 fine and a license suspension in New York. He must also make a public safety announcement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, POP STAR AND ACTOR: This is a mistake that I made but I'm hoping that whoever's watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake. I know that I certainly have. And like I said, even one drink, don't get behind the wheel of a car.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The defense and prosecutors agreed to the softer sentence, much to the judge's dismay. He called the plea deal "surprisingly favorable" to Timberlake. The singer avoided a potential one year jail sentence.
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who flew to the International Space Station aboard that Boeing Starliner capsule, say they aren't upset about having to stay at the ISS months longer than they expected, even if it did mean an awkward family conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUTCH WILMORE, ASTRONAUT: The things that I can't control. I'm not going to -- I'm not going to fret over it. I mean, there's no benefit to it at all. There's nothing we can do. There's nothing we can do. So we march forward.
SUNI WILLIAMS, ASTRONAUT: I have to say, though, in the back of my mind, you know, there's folks on the ground who had some plans, right?
Like my family. And so to spend some time with my mom and I think I was fretting more about that, like the things that we had sort of all talked about and planned for this fall and this winter. And I think I was a little bit nervous to be honest with you to say like, OK, I am not coming home for it.
But you know what, like we both mentioned in the very beginning, everybody was on board.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: They went on to say that they are lucky to have the option to stay, that the mission teams made the right decisions and, with more time, they believe they could have returned on Starliner, which they were very happy to see land safely.
And also in space, the Polaris Dawn mission specialist Sarah Gillis lead a worldwide musical concert on her violin. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): The composition is called "Ray's Theme" and it was written by legend John Williams. It was beamed back to Earth via the Starlink satellite network. It was played with groups of young musicians around the world.
It supported children's charities, St. Jude's Children's Hospital and El Sistema USA. And she did it after taking part in the first ever civilian spacewalk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Well, you could say a new clothing style unveiled at Seoul Fashion Week is truly visionary.
[04:55:00]
Thank electronics giant LG, which is turning high-tech into high fashion. It showed off garments made with wearable fabric, like video screens. CNN's Mike Valerio got a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) (MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Technological fashion, something new that I've never seen before.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Futuristic and really inventive.
MIKE VALERIO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These panels created by LG can twist, bend and fold.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).
VALERIO: The South Korean tech giant says, this is a world's first when it comes to displays that are not only high-res but also stretchable.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, very good, very good.
We're going to show some patterns are like the shape of the bodies and then we changed like faces in the graphics so that people recognize, oh, it's a display.
VALERIO: Created from cutting technologies such as flexible interconnects, film and micro LEDs, LG envisions the screens molded onto gadgets, displayed on skin and orn (ph).
Possibilities explored on this Seoul Fashion Week runway.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought amazing because, as a designer, we have a lack of many huddles to describe some ideas. Thankfully, like IT, techniques to the fashion.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was amazing to see how technologies can do to pixel (ph). The patterns were very cool.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like in the future, yes, that's what we'll be.
VALERIO: LG debuted the technology in 2022 but it's fast evolving.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a small first (ph). I think it's like first step to change their like design world.
VALERIO: Mike Valerio, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in a moment.
