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Multiple People Dead, Several Others Injured in An Indian Religious Festival Crowd Crush; Judge Blocks Trump's Plan to Freeze Federal Aid. South Korean Plane Catches Fire, All Passengers and Crew Evacuated; Asian Communities Abroad Celebrate Year of the Snake. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired January 29, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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


[03:00:00]

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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

Just ahead, a sacred gathering descends into chaos. Multiple people killed in a crowd crush at a religious festival in India.

A judge blocks Donald Trump's order to freeze federal aid funding, sparking panic and confusion.

And a passenger plane catches fire at a South Korean airport, causing a mass evacuation.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Lynda Kinkade.

KINKADE: We begin with a massive crowd crush in India at the world's largest religious gathering. An official at a local hospital says at least 14 people are dead, several others are being treated for injuries.

Organizers believe the crowd crush began after a control barrier broke in the early hours of Wednesday morning in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Reuters and local media reported witnesses seeing several dead bodies near the riverbank where the incident occurred.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the victims on social media, calling the incident extremely sad. He says he is in touch with state officials.

These are some live pictures from the festival where about 400 million Hindu devotees are expected to gather over six weeks. Officials say extra safety measures had been put in place for the event.

More now from CNN's Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is what we know, a deadly crowd crush has taken lives. India's Maha Kumbh Mela, this is the largest religious festival in the world. The situation is still very fluid.

At this moment, we understand at least 14 people were killed. That's according to a local hospital.

And local authorities say that this crush, it took place after a barrier broke. And I want to show you video from Reuters in which you see the immediate aftermath of the disaster.

Devotees are climbing over the fence, some even through the fencing, to escape the throngs of people. And also emergency responders, they shortly later on arrived at the scene and there were scenes of ambulances just racing through, getting through the huge crowds to reach the injured and to take them to hospital.

Now pilgrims there on site, they've been speaking to media and they say that the crowd crush happened early on Wednesday. It happened about 1:30 a.m. local time. They describe harrowing scenes of chaos.

I want you to listen to this crowd crush survivor.

UNKNOWN (through translator): Suddenly there was a huge crowd and we got stuck somehow. People started pushing aggressively and we fell.

LU STOUT: Now this took place is about 100 million Hindu devotees were expected to visit the site on Wednesday and take a dip, this holy dip into the sacred waters in Uttar Pradesh state in India. This is according to local media.

Now this is a gathering that is so massive. You can see it from space and there are these images that have been taken from space by an astronaut. This is Don Pettit from the International Space Station which he shared on social media. You can see the Kumbh Mela underway.

Now Wednesday, this day is one of the most significant days of this massive festival. This is the day when devotees come to bathe at the rivers, at the confluence of the rivers.

Now after the crowd crush took place again 1:30 a.m. local time according to witnesses, security has been stepped up. We heard from the state chief. He says that situation is quote "under control" but despite this deadly crowd crush as you can see on your screen this video was taken after the incident.

Millions of devotees are still thronging the area. You know video that we have from the scene there, drone video as well shows massive crowds still there, still gathering near the river. So the threat very much remains after this sacred day turned deadly.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well Donald Trump's plan to freeze federal aid has run into its first challenge with the U.S. judge temporarily blocking part of the order while she considers a lawsuit brought by several non-profit groups.

The ruling came just minutes before the freeze was set to go into effect Tuesday potentially impacting thousands of federal programs and trillions of dollars in grants and loans.

Speaking with CNN on Tuesday, the president's deputy chief of staff for policy explained what motivated the Trump administration to push to freeze the funds.

[03:05:02]

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STEPHEN MILLER, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR POLICY: There were some bureaucrats in the federal government who tried to push out money, billions of dollars for wicked and pernicious purposes that had to be frozen. A guidance memo was written. OMB guidance memos are by their nature complicated to read because this involves the federal budget.

The choice here is simple. It is very simple and I want to state it clearly. Either Donald Trump gets political control over this government and ends the waste abuse and fraud on the American people or we let bureaucrats autopilot federal spending.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well some lawmakers are expressing their disapproval over the move including Minnesota governor and former Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz.

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GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN): This is not Trump's stakes. This is the state of Minnesota and it's people's lives. These are children in there expecting to come here, parents expecting to put them there and now to be put at risk over this just reckless, reckless proposal or whatever this is.

It was not even well thought out but again the folks behind it, they know what they're doing. So my words on this are going to be simple to the Trump administration. We'll see you in court.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well programs dependent on federal aid are continuing to operate as usual though they're unsure about the future. CNN's Brian Todd spoke with volunteers in Maryland about the potential loss of funds and how it would affect them.

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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Anthony Velasquez, a chef at this Meals on Wheels facility in Takoma Park, Maryland preps for tomorrow's deliveries. This is one of 5,000 Meals on Wheels programs across the U.S. serving

more than 2 million elderly and homebound people which have been worried that they could be affected by the federal freeze on grants and loans.

RUTH MASTERSON, MEALS ON WHEELS OF TAKOMA PARK, MARYLAND: The memo that came out from the White House is causing a great deal of anxiety and confusion and chaos. It puts a lot of our programs at threat and at risk.

TODD (voice-over): The White House later tried to clarify implying that Meals on Wheels may not be at risk but Meals on Wheels does get much of its funding from a grant and the freeze does affect grants.

JOAN ALKER, CENTER FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: There are many, many programs serving infants, toddlers, mothers, families all across the country that are being affected today. Head Start programs, child care funds, maternal and infant home visiting programs. There are seniors impacted by this, people living with chronic disease.

TODD (voice-over): The Trump administration later tried to clarify that. Social Security and Medicare are supposed to be exempt. Also said not to be affected, Pell Grants, Head Start, funds for small businesses, farmers, rental assistance, and other similar programs.

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: People who are receiving individual assistance, you will continue to receive that.

TODD (voice-over): But still uncertainty about Medicaid and other grant programs.

UNKNOWN: No individual now on Medicaid would see a cutoff because of the policy.

LEAVITT: I'll check back on that and get back to you.

TODD (voice-over): Non-profit advocates tell CNN school meal programs, programs to combat domestic violence, and suicide prevention hotlines are also at risk. As is the home heating assistance program that helps people pay their heating bills.

MARK WOLFE, NATIONAL ENERGY ASSISTANCE DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION: The timing's terrible. You know, this is a very, very cold winter. It's also an expensive winter. About a million and a half families have yet to apply. Those families, if the freeze continues, we won't be able to help.

TODD (voice-over): The uncertainty over what's affected taking a toll.

ALKER: We're already hearing of panic spreading across the country, particularly in programs that are serving moms and babies.

TODD: Tell me what your clients have called and what are they saying?

MASTERSON: Clients are afraid that they're not going to be receiving their meals.

TODD (voice-over): Other organizations and agencies quick to feel the pinch.

ALKER: These programs, they have very small operating margins. They can't manage without funding. Even for a short pause of two weeks, this will create chaos in the lives of many families.

TODD: What would a pause in funding for maybe just a day or a few days really mean? Well, Ruth Masterson of this Meals on Wheels program says here it would have a ripple effect.

Not only would people go without meals for that period, but a lot of this food being prepped would go bad. So they would have to use their volunteers to throw out rotten food rather than serve people meals.

Brian Todd, CNN, Takoma Park, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well joining me now is Daryl Twerdahl, the Executive Director of Meals on Wheels California. Thanks so much for your time.

DARYL TWERDAHL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MEALS ON WHEELS CALIFORNIA: Absolutely. Thank you for having me.

KINKADE: So President Trump announced that he had paused trillions of dollars in federal assistance pending a review to determine if the funding aligns with his priorities. Just take us through the reaction over the past 24 hours.

TWERDAHL: I think the reaction has been rather shocking in some ways, but also to be expected. The surprise of this announcement and this executive order really took community-based organizations, including Meals on Wheels programs, by surprise.

And as one of your prior speakers said, these programs operate in communities throughout the country and they operate on very small margins.

[03:10:06]

In Meals on Wheels programs, we already have wait lists for seniors getting meals. If the funding flow is interrupted, that will only increase. And the idea that it is only going to be certain programs that are affected is unclear what those certain programs are.

So the seniors really don't know what's happening. They're calling in. They're asking, will they get their meals? Their families are calling. And unfortunately, we don't have a definitive answer for that.

KINKADE: So just break it down for us, Daryl, how many meals delivered to seniors each day and how much of that is covered by federal funding?

TWERDAHL: Federal funding in general probably covers about 33 percent of the meals. Last year in California, we delivered over 29 million meals.

So the shortfall is raised individually by different programs from philanthropy within the community and other kinds of grants. But that 33 percent is essential.

KINKADE: Yes, exactly. And of course, Trump's plan was meant to go into effect. A federal judge temporarily blocked it. But the future is uncertain. What would the future look like for those who rely on your service if funding is just stopped?

TWERDAHL: If funding is stopped, we're going to see many more seniors who are going onto the street. The homeless population in California is very big in the senior population in the over 55's. That's the largest growing population of unhoused people in California.

We will see a lot more of that. People won't have the food. They don't have family near in many cases. Meals on Wheels isn't just about delivering a meal.

It's about being the family of the person we're delivering to. It's about being their connection to the community. It's about being the disruptor of loneliness and isolation.

So there are many things that delivering a meal does, and all of those things will fall apart once food insecurity really takes hold.

KINKADE: And talk to us about the wider implications, because it's not just the vulnerable seniors you're serving. Like many organizations, a pause in funding could also affect payroll and rent and other expenses, right?

TWERDAHL: Yes. In other organizations that are providing rent assistance, children's programs, et cetera, it's going to create chaos in the communities because suddenly people who are the most vulnerable have nobody to lean on and know where to go, know any kind of support.

And here in California, of course, we've just in Southern California, we've just had these horrific fires. We already have people at risk, heightened risk, and this just adds to the chaos and the confusion and the fear that the seniors have that they really are going to be sort of tossed out.

KINKADE: Yes. Well, we wish you and your organization all the very best, and hopefully you get some clarity soon. Daryl Twerdahl, thanks so much.

TWERDAHL: Thank you.

KINKADE: Well, the Trump administration is clamping down on the arrest and deportation of undocumented immigrants in the U.S., U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Officials say they arrested 969 people Tuesday.

ICE field officers have been ordered to make at least 75 arrests every day. White House official Stephen Miller says that figure is expected to be a quote, "floor, not a ceiling." Well, still to come, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s cousin Caroline makes a

rare personal plea against making him the top U.S. health official. We'll have the details on that next.

Plus, Israel says it is moving forward with its ban on the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. The move the U.N. warns will be disastrous for Palestinians in the region. More on that next.

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KINKADE: Welcome back.

A U.S. Senate confirmation hearing will be held later today for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. His cousin Caroline Kennedy is urging senators to reject his nomination for Health and Human Services Secretary.

The daughter of the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy says RFK Jr. is, quote, "a predator and addicted to attention and power." CNN's Arlette Saenz reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Caroline Kennedy issued a personal and scathing rebuke of her cousin Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., urging senators to oppose his nomination to become the next Secretary of Health and Human Services.

It marked a rare moment where Caroline Kennedy has spoken out to criticize Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. amid his political ambitions over this presidential campaign and now his pursuit of this position.

She posted a lengthy video on social media where she outlined many of her concerns directly to senators, saying that she has seen troubling behavior in his past, accusing her cousin Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. of taking hypocritical stances on vaccines and also saying that he is addicted to attention and power.

Take a listen.

CAROLINE KENNEDY, COUSIN OF ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.: While he may encourage a younger generation to attend A.A. meetings, Bobby is addicted to attention and power.

[03:20:02]

Bobby preys on the desperation of parents of sick children, vaccinating his own kids while building a following, hypocritically discouraging other parents from vaccinating theirs.

Even before he fills this job, his constant denigration of our health care system and the conspiratorial half-truths he's told about vaccines, including in connection with Samoa's deadly 2019 outbreak of measles, have cost lives.

SAENZ: It's unclear whether this message from Caroline Kennedy will hold any sway with senators on Capitol Hill as they begin to weigh Kennedy's nomination, but it likely is an attempt to not just get Republicans to the no column, but also ensure that Democrats remain united in opposition to Kennedy's nomination.

Now, we have heard from some Republican senators who have said that they want to hear some public commitments from Kennedy on issues like his past vaccine skepticism and also past support for abortion access.

Kennedy is set to face a grilling up on Capitol Hill on two different occasions. He will have his first hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday and then a second hearing before the committee that deals with health issues on Thursday.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, The Capitol.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well Germany's chancellor is firing back against controversial comments from billionaire Elon Musk. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO told a far-right rally over the weekend that Germany should move on from its past guilt over the Holocaust. He also regularly posted his support for the party and called the German chancellor an incompetent fool.

Olaf Scholz responded in an interview with CNN's Frederik Pleitgen. He is openly advocating for the AfD.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He has said that Germany needs to get over its historic guilt for the Holocaust, and he's attacked you personally. Are you going to raise this with Donald Trump?

OLAF SCHOLZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR: I disagree completely with Elon Musk and what he's doing. What is new is that he is intervening in favor of right-wing politicians all over Europe, and this is really disgusting.

And I'm absolutely critical about what Elon Musk said about the history of Germany. This is the week where we are remembering the freeing of the last people in the concentration camp of Auschwitz.

And I'm absolutely clear there is a responsibility of Germany that will continue to be a responsibility. We are very happy about the United States that freed our country and helped us to become a democracy again.

And this is why I'm so angry about Elon Musk intervening for the far- right and Elon Musk also not acting adequate to this killing of so many Jews and other people in Europe done by Germans in the past.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KINKADE: Well U.S. envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today. That is according to an Israeli official.

Israel announced it will cease all cooperation with the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees beginning Thursday. On Tuesday, Israel's U.N. ambassador notified members of the Security Council that the agency must halt its activities and vacate all its facilities in Jerusalem.

The head of the U.N. agency slammed Israel's decision and warned of the ban's ramifications.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILIPPE LAZZARINI, UNRWA COMMISSIONER-GENERAL: In two days, our operation in the occupied Palestinian territory will be crippled as legislation passed by the Israeli Knesset takes effect. At stake is the fate of millions of Palestinians, the ceasefire and the prospect for a political solution that brings lasting peace and security.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Israel's parliament voted to ban the agency from Israel and bar all communication one year after the October 7th Hamas attack.

The U.N. says there is no alternative to the agency which serves as a critical lifeline to Palestinians in the region and that it would be Israel's responsibility to replace its services, a claim Israel rejects.

Well, still to come, the Trump administration is carrying out mass deportations, how it's impacting undocumented immigrants in the U.S. That story, next.

Plus, as violence intensifies in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, embassies are now being attacked in the nation's capital. But there may be hope for a diplomatic resolution.

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[03:25:00]

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KINKADE: The Trump administration says it wants to deport as many undocumented immigrants as possible. Some families in New York are now living with a heightened sense of worry as they try to keep to their daily routines.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino spoke with some of them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fear and uncertainty in New York City's immigrant community as federal law enforcement agencies launch immigration enforcement operations expected to last several days.

[03:30:00]

SARAHI MARQUEZ, DACA RECIPIENT: I feel scared, I feel nervous, I feel anxious.

PAZMINO (voice-over): Sarahi Marquez, a DACA recipient, was brought to the United States by her parents when she was six years old.

She has degrees in psychology and biology and helps run the family restaurant here on Staten Island. For the past two weeks, workers have become increasingly panicked.

MARQUEZ: We work long days, we're just trying to make a better place and I wanted to speak out and not let fear intimidate me.

PAZMINO (voice-over): Since Trump signed his executive orders, Marquez has instructed her workers to memorize her phone number. Some are arranging transportation to and from work to avoid walking on the street.

MARQUEZ: It feels like we're hunted down and I say to myself, what more can I do to prove myself?

TOM HOMAN, ACTING DIRECTOR, U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT: We're sending a message, it's not okay to be in this country illegally, it's not okay to enter this country illegally, it's a crime and there's going to be consequences.

PAZMINO (voice-over): More than 200 federal law enforcement officers fanned out across the city on Tuesday. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem joined early morning enforcement operations.

Fear is also spreading across the city's migrant shelters. Parents declined to speak on camera, but some told us they've kept their children from school in recent days, out of fear ICE could show up at school or that they will be picked up in any operations. Others told us they have no choice.

Genesis Romero says she takes her daughter to school so she can go to work. She feels some comfort thanks to her temporary protected status after fleeing Venezuela, but she worries some bad apples will ruin the American dream of many.

It's selfish, she says, of President Trump's directive. We're here to work and provide for our families and the future of our children, she says.

PAZMINO: Now today's ICE operation here in New York City resulted in at least 24 arrests, including the arrest of a well-known Tren de Arangua gang leader wanted for violent offenses here and in Colorado.

Now many of the migrants I spoke to today told me that they agree people like him should be arrested and deported, but they worry that this administration will not differ between criminals and people trying to make an honest living. Gloria Pazmino, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: U.S. President Donald Trump had vowed to lower grocery prices during his campaign, but will that be possible given the mass deportation of immigrant workers?

CNN asked a top Trump official how immigration raids may impact prices given a large percentage of agricultural workers are undocumented.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN MILLER, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR POLICY: Only one percent of alien workers in the entire country work in agriculture. The top destination for illegal aliens are large cities like New York, like Los Angeles and small industrial towns, of course, all across the heartland.

The illegal aliens that Joe Biden brought into our country are not full stop doing farm work. They are not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: However, that is not correct. According to the government's own data from the Department of Agriculture, about 40 percent of farm workers in the U.S. are undocumented.

Manuel Cunha Jr. is the president of the Nisei Farmers League and joins us now. Good to have you with us.

MANUEL CUNHA JR., PRESIDENT, NISEI FARMERS LEAGUE: Yeah, thank you very much for having me on this evening.

KINKADE: So you represent some 500 growers in California. What's been the reaction there to Trump's mass deportation plan?

CUNHA JR.: Well, what happened on what we've seen on January 6 caused a lot of disruption in the San Joaquin Valley when they started down in Bakersfield. The Border Patrol, ICE and DHS just came in.

And yes, they're trying to apprehend criminals and those folks. And we get that. But what it did is they came into our town, the towns and started arresting people at various stores and areas.

And that has caused nothing. But the next day and the days after, as the Border Patrol proceeded north to other towns, workers not coming to work at all, very much feared.

KINKADE: So we just heard from the president's deputy chief of staff saying that undocumented migrants make up just one percent of the workforce in agriculture. And that is far from the truth. During Trump's last term, the U.S. Labor Department said 49 percent of the workforce in agriculture was undocumented migrants.

That figures down to 40 percent now, still a huge percentage for a country that, along with China and India, rank among the top three agricultural producers in the world. How are the fears of deportation impacting the day-to-day operation on farms?

[03:35:03]

CUNHA JR.: Yes, it is impacting our farm operations. Workers not coming to work, when they don't come to work, then the job cannot get done.

And that delays the process for the continuing months, especially in California, where we're picking citrus and where we're doing a lot of pruning for tree fruit and vineyards. And it has caused a lot of problems.

I hear it every day. And right now I'm in D.C. and on this issue of immigration, it is causing problems.

KINKADE: What sort of problems?

CUNHA JR.: The worker is not taking their children to school. Number two, the workers are not able to go to work. So that means how do they live? How do they support themselves?

The problem of that farmer knowing that he is going to get that crop harvested or not, unknown to that, and that problem just continually acerbates in the rural communities.

And when you do that, then you have problems. The gangs and those types and the cartel types start influencing those workers by giving them money to do things. So it's a bad situation. It is very bad.

KINKADE: Overall, undocumented workers account for over 5 percent of the U.S. workforce, and they paid almost $60 billion in federal taxes, almost 14 billion dollars in state and local taxes in 2022 using individual tax identification numbers.

Is that at odds with what we're hearing from politicians who claim that migrants are criminals and that these undocumented workers are simply taking welfare?

CUNHA JR.: No, they do not get welfare. They work very hard. They've been here for 20 to 30 years. Congress has failed to take care of this issue for our farm workers. Even when they fed the world during COVID, they put their life on the line along with the growers to feed the world.

The farm workers are absolutely a dependable source of our labor for our farmers and for their families. They are not taking the workforce away at all.

KINKADE: Most undocumented workers we know come from Mexico, Central and South America and Central and Eastern Asia. What would happen to the agricultural industry and prices for produce if there were no undocumented migrant workers?

CUNHA JR.: The grocery stores would be worse than Covid with toilet paper run. There'd be no food in stores at all. If you shut my farmers down today and they continue the rates and the disruption, then maybe it's time for the farmers and the (inaudible) not to produce anything, to shut it down.

And then let's see where Congress goes. Let's see where the world goes without our farm workers.

KINKADE: So what is your message to the government?

CUNHA JR.: Take care of the criminals. Don't disrupt our rural communities. And farm workers are not criminals, nor are the other industries that have workers that are undocumented.

Congress, you failed for 30 years. You haven't gotten this done. You use it as an election tool to get reelected.

You as Congress and you as senators and even the president, you have to take care of this problem. It's not right. They've paid into Social Security. The employer has paid into Social Security.

And they're not going to get it, but they've paid for it for 30 years and they work very hard and they create a tremendous opportunity for their families.

So I ask you to please get this done and take care of these workers. They are not criminals. Stay out of the farms, stay out of our packing houses, take care of the criminals.

KINKADE: Manuel Cunha Jr., we appreciate your time and perspective today. Thanks so much.

CUNHA JR.: Thank you.

KINKADE: Well, the U.N. says many dead bodies are lying in the streets of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels are continuing their advance and now have control of the city's airport, according to a French intelligence source.

Officials from the DRC and Rwanda are due to meet in the coming hours to discuss the violence. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heavy fighting was seen around Goma Airport just a couple of days after the M23 rebel group claimed that it had full control of the city in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Now, M23 has been advancing for weeks on Goma, and this lightning fast offensive has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee. At least a dozen U.N. peacekeepers and foreign soldiers are dead.

[03:39:53]

Hospitals are overwhelmed with the wounded, and now the tensions have spread to Kinshasa, the capital where protesters were setting fires around Western embassies, including the French embassy, the American embassy, the Belgian embassy, angry at what they see as Western intervention in African affairs.

Now, why is all of this happening? Well, it may have something to do with your cell phone. The M23 rebel group, this militia group, which is accused of really terrible human rights violations, is backed by a neighboring country, Rwanda. That's according to the United Nations and other AIDS groups, although Rwanda denies this.

And the accusation from those groups is that Rwanda and the M23 are after valuable minerals, precious minerals that are in the eastern part of the DRC that are used to build our phones and to build our computers.

Now, there is one sign of hope, one sign of progress. Kenya says that it is bringing both Rwanda and officials from the DRC to a negotiating table to try and find a diplomatic solution. Of course, the U.N. is appealing for calm.

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, officials are investigating what caused a passenger plane to catch fire in Busan, South Korea, while preparing for its flight to Hong Kong.

Take a look at these pictures. You can see crews working on the burned out fuselage of the Airbus jet, which belongs to South Korean budget operator Air Busan. All 169 passengers and seven crew members evacuated with three sustaining minor injuries.

The emergency slides are deployed on both sides of the single aisle plane. South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reports that the fire began in the plane's tail.

Well, the scare comes less than a month after the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil, when a Jeju Air plane flying in from Bangkok crashed at Muan Airport's runway. All but two of the 181 passengers and crew on board were killed.

Well, tech stocks are bouncing back after that sell-off over China's new A.I. model. But there are questions growing over DeepSeek's lofty claims and its censorship.

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[03:45:00]

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KINKADE: Well, U.S. tech stocks have bounced back after a major sell- off over the new AI model from the Chinese company DeepSeek. Chipmaker NVIDIA gained nearly 9 percent after losing about $600 billion in market value the day before. DeepSeek shocked the tech world Monday with its R1 model, which offers similar results to AI assistants like ChatGPT. The company claims it operates at just a fraction of the cost and with less powerful chips.

Well, a number of tech analysts say they want to see more proof that DeepSeek actually lives up to the hype. There are also questions about restrictions on the app from the Chinese government. CNN's Ivan Watson has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Celebration erupts across Chinese social media at the surprise success of Chinese A.I. startup DeepSeek. The launch of DeepSeek's latest AI chatbot triggered a sell-off in American tech stocks, while the app surged to the top of the Apple App Store, beating out higher profile A.I. competitors like ChatGPT and Google Gemini.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: The release of DeepSeek A.I. from a Chinese company should be a wakeup call for our industries that we need to be laser focused on competing to win.

WATSON: I've just installed DeepSeek on my phone. I'm going to ask it a question. How much did it cost to develop DeepSeek?

As an A.I. assistant, I don't have access to internal company information. For more details about DeepSeek, please visit the official website.

WATSON (voice-over): The company claims it cost just $5.6 million to develop this model, a fraction of the investment spent by much bigger American rivals.

DeepSeek's founder is Yang Wenfeng, a 40-year-old CEO who emerged from relative obscurity last week when he was invited to address the second most powerful man in the Chinese government.

Yang studied information and electronic engineering at China's prestigious Zhejiang University. He founded the hedge fund High Flyer Quant in 2015, aimed at using mathematics and A.I. for quantitative investment.

Less than two years ago, he launched the A.I. company DeepSeek, employing young, homegrown talent. Yang described DeepSeek as an accidental disruptor in this interview last week, adding there's a gap of one or two years between Chinese A.I. and the United States.

But the real gap is the difference between originality and imitation. If this does not change, China will always be a follower.

ZACH KASS, FORMER HEAD OF GO-TO-MARKET, OPENAI: The success of open source models wherever they come from, in this case, China, is great because it actually means that better technology will be available to more people at less, at lower costs.

WATSON (voice-over): But it's when you ask DeepSeek about China that you see glaring limitations.

WATSON: I'm asking DeepSeek, has Chinese leader Xi Jinping ever made a mistake? I am sorry, I cannot answer that question. I am an A.I. assistant designed to provide helpful and harmless responses.

[03:50:00]

ISAAC STONE FISH, CEO, STRATEGY RISKS: DeepSeek as the leader in A.I. would be catastrophic, but it would also be incredibly dangerous for free speech and free thought globally.

WATSON (voice-over): DeepSeek appears to have revolutionized the A.I. space race and opened many unanswered questions about the company and its founder.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: CNN reached out to DeepSeek, its founder and Chinese hedge fund high flyer for comment, but is yet to hear back.

Well, the wait is finally over for Madison Keys. CNN catches up with the Australian Open champ and asks about the tough ride to her first major title.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Well, the doomsday clock is ticking closer to midnight, 89 seconds to be exact, the closest the world has ever been to a symbolic point of mankind's annihilation.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists created the clock in 1947 during the Cold War tensions after World War II to warn about how close humanity is to destroying our planet.

They take into account political tensions, climate change, advances in science and regulations on technology and the lack of progress in those areas led them to move the clock forward another second on Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL HOLZ, BULLETIN SCIENCE AND SECURITY BOARD CHAIRMAN: In setting the clock closer to midnight, we send a stark signal every second of delay in reversing course increases the probability of global disaster.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: The group says the U.S. and China and Russia have the main responsibility to turn back the clock and urges international dialogue.

It's been a long road to victory for Madison Keys, the 29 year old American nabbed her first major title at the Australian Open 15 years after turning pro.

CNN World Sport's Don Riddell caught up with the newly minted champ to talk about her big breakthrough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MADISON KEYS, AUSTRALIAN OPEN CHAMPION: I had a little bit of time on the plane, you know, 14 hours to get back to the States. It gives you a little bit of time to think about things, but I'm still kind of riding the high and just so incredibly happy and still kind of living in that pinch me moment.

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: You have been waiting a long time for this, right? You turned professional just after the age of 14. And I think a lot of people thought you would have won one of these by now. How have you navigated that journey? Because it's been a bit of a roller coaster, right?

[03:54:59]

KEYS: I think I also kind of thought that I should have won one of these by now, and I think that it was slowly starting to become a little bit of a mental block for me and a burden.

And it was, you know, finally freeing myself of that burden that I was able to actually finally win one. But I think I finally was able to separate my self-worth from winning and losing tennis matches.

I think before I was so kind of wrapped up in that. It was really kind of debilitating at times, especially in the big moments and big tournaments that mattered.

So I think being able to kind of separate that and be proud of my career and what I've done so far gave me the freedom to really kind of just go after it and being able to win a slam.

RIDDELL: I can only imagine having waited so long for a major trophy that you wouldn't have wanted to let it out of your sight. And as you've just acknowledged, you had a very long flight back from Melbourne. So where did the trophy go on the plane?

KEYS: The trophy had to go under the plane. It's a little too large to go in the overhead bins and there weren't enough seats to actually put it on the plane with us. But it made it in one piece. Happy to have my eyes on it again.

RIDDELL: You've spoken quite openly about the therapy that you've had and benefited from. Can you give me an example of the kind of thing you've learned that has allowed you to make this adjustment?

KEYS: Well, I think for me, it was -- it really started with being vulnerable and kind of working through feelings by actually feeling them. I think in the past, I never really wanted to actually be in them. I always kind of try to think my way through them.

And by doing that, I was kind of always suppressing them and doing that. I was so lost in actually suppressing them that I couldn't really focus on playing tennis.

So just being really honest and vulnerable and it kind of started bringing up things that I didn't even know that had become beliefs that I was holding within myself. So being able to find those and speak them and kind of work past them, I think was just such an important piece for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, Asian communities around the world are celebrating the Lunar New Year and the beginning of the Year of the Snake.

In Sydney, Australia, they brought in the new year with the traditional lion dance. Celebrations include gifts -- giving gifts and visiting friends and neighbors and family.

Beijing residents started the Year of the Snake with prayers at the Lama Temple. Lunar New Year festivities will last for 15 days, ending with the Lantern Festival.

Happy Chinese New Year. Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Stay with us. "CNN Newsroom" continues with my friends and colleagues, Max Foster and Chrissy Macfarlane, after a very short break.

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