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Ukraine War Talks Enter Critical Week; Trump's Approval Ratings Fall As He Nears 100 Days In Office; Canadians Will Vote On Monday, April 28th, In A Crucial Election Moment; At Least 11 Killed After Car Driven Through Vancouver Festival; 100 Plus Immigrants Arrested In Colorado Nightclub Raid; Israel Launches Air Strike On Beirut's Southern Suburbs; Congregation of Cardinals to Meet Daily Until Conclave; Talk of Truce Inspires Fragile Hope for Peace; Trial for "Grandpa Gang" Begins Monday in Paris; U.K. Equalities Watchdog Guidance on Single-Sex Spaces; Explosion Kills at Least 40, Injures 1k+ at Major Iran Port; Liverpool Equal Record with 20th Top-Flight Title. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired April 28, 2025 - 01:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello wherever you are in the world. You are now in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. And it is so good to have you with me. Coming up on the show, Donald Trump juggles peace efforts in Ukraine as trade wars around the world as he approaches 100 days in office with a shockingly low approval rating.

After a decade of rule by the Liberal Party and mounting threats from their closest ally, Canadians head to the polls to elect a new parliament.

And, an Equality's watchdog in the U.K. issues temporary guidelines for trans individuals using single sex spaces. We'll discuss with a former judge of London's high court.

Welcome. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the coming week will be very critical in determining whether Washington can still try to broke a peace between Russia and Ukraine before President Donald Trump walks away in frustration.

On Sunday, Mr. Trump couldn't say for sure whether the Russian president was serious about ending the war, but he does feel Ukraine's leader is more interested in a peace deal after their sit down inside the Vatican.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is your message to Vladimir Putin after your meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and how did that meeting go?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I think the meeting went well. We'll see what happens over the next few days. We'll probably learn a lot. I was very disappointed that missiles were flying by Russia, but that missiles were flying very disappointingly. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Russia says its foreign minister and Rubio, discussed Ukraine in a phone call on Sunday. It appears they spoke of preconditions to start negotiating a peace agreement. CNN's Betsy Klein has more from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Well, today marks two full months since that contentious Oval Office showdown between President Trump, Vice President Vance and Ukraine's President Zelenskyy. And it appears we are witnessing a significant messaging shift on Ukraine from President Trump in recent days compared to his tough talk for Ukraine in the past, parroting Kremlin talking points appearing to indicate that Ukraine was responsible for Russia's war.

The president met one on one with Zelenskyy for about 15 minutes while he was in Rome to attend the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday. And he posted on social media after that meeting expressing concern that Russian President Vladimir Putin, quote, may be just tapping me along to drag out negotiations, questioning whether Putin wants out peace deal. Listen to how Trump characterized that meeting.

TRUMP: He was very, you know, look, he wants to do something good for his country, thinks he's doing a good job and he's working hard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last meeting you had was pretty rough. Did you sense a different attitude now? And it's so wild.

TRUMP: I see him as calmer. I think he understands the picture and I think he wants to make a deal. I don't know if he wanted to make a deal. I think he wants to make a deal.

KLEIN: So a calmer Zelenskyy. President Trump indicated that Zelenskyy asked for additional weapons. He remained non-committal on that. He also continued to voice frustration with Putin, saying he wants him to stop shooting, sit down and sign a deal. He said, I want him to sign a deal and be done with it.

Of course, the president views himself as a dealmaker. He campaigned on ending this Russia, Ukraine conflict on day one. And he is approaching his 100th day in office. Of course, so much frustration that a deal to end this war has been so elusive.

The president's Secretary of State, Marco Rubio making clear that this is going to be a critical week ahead for these talks. And of course, some new hope and optimism that diplomatic solution could be possible. Betsy Klein, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: President Trump is watching his poll numbers tumble as he closes in on his 100th day back in office on Tuesday. A new CNN poll out on Sunday shows his approval rating dropping to just 41 percent. That is the lowest for any newly elected president at the 100 day mark in at least seven decades.

And it's not just his overall approval numbers that are on the decline. Approval over the president's handling of the economy now sits at 39percent, a career low for Mr. Trump.

[01:05:05]

The president's ongoing trade war is raising fears of a global recession, but he's sticking by his aggressive tariff policies. Here's what he told reporters on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We're going to be taking in a tremendous amount of money. We're going to be taking in a lot of jobs, a lot of plants and factories. They're already coming. I mean, you see it. And we're going to make a lot of money and we're going to cut taxes for the people of this country. It'll take a little while before we do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: There's also mounting confusion on whether trade talks between the U.S. and China are even happening. President Trump says they are and that he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but China has denied that talks are underway.

Well, you know, I want to dig into this some more. So CNN's Kristie Lou Stout is joining us live from Hong Kong. Thank you for being with me again. Let's get straight into it. How are investors making sense of the conflicting statements we're seeing from Trump and China? Kristie, help me.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, very interesting moment we're in right now, Ben. You know, as we head into this new trading week, there is de facto trade war confusion with the U.S. President Donald Trump saying that high level talks of China are indeed underway. And then China saying, no, that's not true, that's not happening at all.

And then adding to this confusion, new comments from the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent. He spoke to ABC on Sunday. He did not back Donald Trump's claim. He said that he wasn't sure whether the U.S. President was talking to the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: I don't know if President Trump has spoken with President Xi. I know they have a very good relationship and a lot of respect for each other. But again, I think that the Chinese will see that this high tariff level is unsustainable for their business.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why would they deny that negotiations are going on?

BESSENT: Well, I think they're playing to a different audience now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump told Time magazine that he was indeed talking with China and that Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader, had called him. This is what Donald Trump said about Xi Jinping. He said this, quote, he's called, and I don't think that's a sign of weakness on his behalf, unquote. China has shot back repeatedly saying no such talks are underway.

In fact, over the weekend, we heard from the spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in the United States who took to social media posted this on X this from Liu Pengyu writing, quote, there have been no consultations or negotiations between China and the U.S. on the issue of tariffs, let alone any agreement being reached. If the U.S. generally seeks to resolve the issue through dialogue and negotiation, it must correct mistakes, abandon coercive tactics and remove all unilateral tariff measures against China, unquote.

Now, while there is this ongoing confusion about whether talks between the U.S. and China are underway, there are signs of deescalation between these major economic rivals and powers as reported by CNN. Import agencies tell CNN that China is rolling back retaliatory tariffs on some U.S. made semiconductors.

And on top of that, the American Chamber of Commerce in China is reporting that some U.S. made pharmaceutical products are indeed entering the Chinese market tariff free. Now, how are investors weighing all this? We've been watching the markets this day and if we bring up the data for you will see it's largely a positive picture.

As investors here in Asia focus on the positive, they focus on those signs of deescalation. Ben, over to you.

HUNTE: OK, thank you so much again scoring us as always. Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, thank you so much.

LU STOUT: Thank you.

HUNTE: Canadians will head to the polls in the hours ahead for an election that will determine which party will form the next government and who will lead the country amid very tense times with Canada's closest neighbor. Those tensions are building amid threats and tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump.

The vote will also come just two days after a tragedy in Vancouver where at least 11 people were killed when a car plowed into a crowd at a festival celebrating Filipino heritage. The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Kai-Ji Adam Lo, has now been charged with eight counts of second degree murder. Police are calling Saturday night's incident the darkest day in the city's history. CNN's Paula Newton has more from Ottawa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The details of this tragedy have been so hard to fathom for so many, not just in Vancouver, but also in Canada and also in the Philippines. Police say that a suspect deliberately drove his SUV into a crowd of people, killing 11 their range in ages from 5 to 65. And there are dozens that right now remain in hospital. I want you to hear now from the interim police chief of Vancouver.

STEVE RAI, VANCOUVER POLICE INTERIM CHIEF: This is the darkest day in our city's history. The actions of a single person shattered our collective sense of safety.

[01:10:03]

It is impossible to overstate how many lives have been impacted forever by this lone individual.

NEWTON: He went on to say that everyone was really in a state of grief, anger and disbelief as they answered questions about the security. Now, this was a joyful festival. It was just wrapping up. Police said they had made all the security arrangements and there weren't many. This actually took place on the grounds of a school and the SUV was actually approaching the crowds on an off street in that neighborhood.

They did say, though police, that this would be a watershed in terms of police operations in Vancouver going forward. And important to remember, in fact, that Vancouver will be hosting events like the World Cup next year in 2026.

This is taking place as Canada is going through the national election campaign. Sunday was supposed to be the last day official campaigning, and instead, throughout Canada, it was sobering to hear from those who had gone through this absolutely devastating tragedy. Listen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From over there, from like the start right there, he just pushed the gas all the way through the whole block right there, crashing into, like, everyone in his way.

NEWTON: Now, given the senseless nature of everything that happened, there were so many questions about motives. Police made it clear that the suspect was known to them and that the suspect had many interactions with them regarding a mental health crisis. They would not give us any more details, but vigils continue to pop up throughout Vancouver as so many Canadians try and bring their solidarity and their grief in support of the Philippine community that has lost so much in this incident. Paul Newton, CNN, Ottawa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: What incident in Vancouver, coming as the election campaign wrapped up ahead of Monday's vote. The election involves six national parties, though the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party are the frontrunners in this race. Prime Minister Mark Carney is vying for a chance to continue leading the country.

The former central bank over after Justin Trudeau stepped down last month. He's not ruled out continued talks with Trump, but has been moving to strengthen ties with more reliable allies. Carney's main competition is Pierre Poilievre, Canada's Conservative Party leader, though his political capital has declined as relations between the U.S. and Canada took a hit. And Poilievre appeared to distance himself from comparisons to Trump.

Well, let's dig a bit deeper on this. Joining me now from Ottawa is Lori Turnbull, professor in the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University and senior advisor at the Institute on Governance. Thanks so much for being with me. How are you doing?

LORI TURNBULL, PROFESSOR, FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT, DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY: Doing great. How are you doing?

HUNTE: I'm good. Thank you for asking. Let's dig straight into this. President Trump has loomed over this campaign with his tariffs and talk of making Canada the 51st state. How has all of that impacted this election?

TURNBULL: Do you think it is really directed the ballot question. I think it has really been a kind of a cloud over everything, but also a really focal point in the sense that the election has really become who is the person the election has become about? Who is the person to stand up to Trump? Who is the person to defend Canada, who is the person to lead Canada during a time of economic uncertainty, security uncertainty?

And so the smaller parties in Canada have had a harder time punching through. It's really about those two larger parties. Carney, Poilievre, who is going to be the prime minister.

HUNTE: And I want to talk about some of the other issues on U.S. based. What are the big things in Canada that people are concerned about right now?

TURNBULL: I mean, apart from the issue around the tariffs, the threats coming from Trump, what's going to happen with that relationship between Canada and the US. There are also issues like an affordability crisis, the cost of everything, the cost of gas, the cost of groceries and rent, anything. There's also a housing crisis in the sense that people are looking for affordable housing, people are looking for, you know, where is a good place to live?

Are there enough houses for people? No. Entwined with that is the fact that over the past 10 years, the Liberal government has really been focused on bringing a lot of immigrants into Canada.

And so looking at that flow, at the same time, as we haven't really figured out where everybody's going to live, there's a sense of that being a really complex policy issue. I think, other than -- I mean, health care is always a big issue in Canada. It's a provincial jurisdiction issue. But the federal government plays a big role because they fund a lot of health care costs.

[01:15:00]

And so lots of things to talk about, but it seems like the Trump issue, the relationship with the United States has really taken over.

HUNTE: Oh, yes, you can understand why. Talk to me about the current polls and what they're showing. The Liberals have been in power for almost a decade. Do you think there's an appetite for change or maybe not?

TURNBULL: Yes, there's definitely an appetite for change. And prior to the U.S. election in November and the result for Donald Trump, like prior to that and even after that, Justin Trudeau was still the Prime Minister. He was still the leader of the Liberal Party. And there was a really, really strong push to see change from that government.

But then once Trump came in, Trudeau ended up stepping aside. The Liberals get a new leader in Mark Carney. Now there's still a change momentum, but it's not clear who the change candidate is going to be. Pierre Poilievre is obviously, you know, not the Prime Minister. The Conservatives are not the government. In some ways, that's the obvious change candidate. But Pierre Poilievre has been a politician for over 20 years. Like, he's, in many ways, he's somebody that people are very familiar with.

Mark Carney, I think, is harnessing some of that change momentum in the sense that, I mean, he's taken over the Liberal Party in some ways. You know, the Conservatives are trying to say, look, you're just going to give the Liberals a fourth term. You know, let's not do that.

But Carney is a different guy. Carney is not a politician. He's an economist. He's a banker. He's been Bank of Canada governor, Bank of England governor. So he comes with a very different kind of skill set and set of experiences and so change momentum for sure, but not sure exactly who's going to harness that momentum.

HUNTE: Interesting. And once this election is over and the business of governing actually gets underway, can the next prime minister repair Canada's relationship with the U.S. or will it ever be the same again?

TURNBULL: I don't think it will be the same again. I mean, reparation, I think, is. Is a goal, and I think that's a very important one. But I don't think that we will see the same kind of approach, at least not in the foreseeable future. There's a sense that a vulnerability needs to be. We need to do something different. We need to, you know, continue a relationship with the U.S. but at the same end, there's no replacing that relationship. Given the closeness and how entwined our supply chains are, even like auto industry, for example, it's hard to imagine how any other partner could play a similar role.

However, I think part of the conversation is to think about how trade relationships could be diversified, how our own internal economy could be stronger, how internal trade could work better. So those sorts of conversations that frankly, Canada ought to have been having for a long time now are now kind of pushed up to the top of the pile so that we deal with those things.

HUNTE: OK. I just learned so much from that. Lori Tunrbull in Ottawa, thank you so much for it. We'll see what happens.

TURNBULL: We will indeed. Thank you so much for having me.

HUNTE: Still ahead, an immigration raid at an underground Colorado nightclub. We'll look at how the incident unfolded and who was arrested.

Plus, ordinary people in the Democratic Republic of Congo are hoping the talk of a truce can bring some results. Those stories and so much more when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:22:41]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exit the front door one at a time with nothing in your hand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: That was the scene in Colorado Springs over the weekend as more than 100 immigrants allegedly in the U.S. illegally were detained in an overnight raid at what authorities described as an underground nightclub. CNN's Julia Vargas Jones has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Significant drug trafficking, prostitution and crimes of violence. That's why the DEA said it raided an underground nightclub in Colorado Springs at around 3:45 Saturday morning. Inside, about 200 people, 100 plus of them immigrants now under ICE custody.

Also inside the club were about 12 active military members, all of them now under investigation by the Criminal Investigation Division of the Army. Listen to a little bit more of how this raid went down.

JONATHAN C. PULLEN, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, DEA ROCKY MOUNTAIN DIVISION: When the cops showed up at the door, most of the drugs hit the floor. And we did find cocaine. It looks like some pink cocaine or the tusi. And there was a little bit of other drugs, but we haven't had time to test everything. But there were dozens of small packages of drugs that they've recovered so far that I have personally seen.

JONES: In total, about 300 officers participated in the raid from 10 different federal agencies, including ICE, DEA, DHS, and U.S. Marshals, as well as two separate sheriff's department. Two individuals were arrested on outstanding warrants from the state. And we can expect even more arrests to continue as the investigation goes on.

Now, this has been going on for months, this investigation from the D.A. they said had been serving this one nightclub for months looking at that gang activity. But it's really difficult to separate the results from today's raid from the politics. Dozens of videos were posted online by the DEA account, including from

Attorney General Pam Bondi, who took to X posting a picture of the raid and saying that this is a direct result of President Trump's directives to, quote, make America safe again as he approaches his 100 days in office.

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Tensions in the Middle East are high as Israel intensifies attacks across Gaza and bombs the capital of Lebanon. An airstrike rocks southern Beirut on Sunday soon after the IDF issued an evacuation warning for the area.

[01:25:00]

Israel claims they targeted a Hezbollah facility which stored precision missiles. Hezbollah has not yet commented on this incident. The Lebanese Civil Defense says it extinguished fires caused by the strike and no injuries were reported. Since a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect in November, the IDF has carried out a number of strikes targeting southern Lebanon.

In Gaza, the death toll has crossed 52,000 after more than 18 months of the Israel-Hamas war, that's according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Gaza officials say that number includes more than 16,000 children and 12,000 women.

And the U.N. is warning that Palestinians in the enclave are, quote, slowly dying from a lack of food supplies due to the Israeli aid blockade. Israel has previously denied that Gaza is facing a hunger crisis, but the U.N. says food supplies are dwindling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN WHITTALL, U.N. OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS: Coming days in Gaza are going to be critical. Today people are not surviving in Gaza. Those that aren't being killed with bombs and bullets are being are slowly dying. People here are being suffocated.

What we see around us is endless suffering under a total and complete blockade. A total closure that's now lasted for almost two months. While airstrikes, ground operations are intensifying and displacement orders that are pushing people out of their homes are increasing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: New guidelines on a controversial U.K. Supreme Court ruling on gender I'll speak of a legal expert about the implications for the trans community.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:32:01] BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back.

In less than two hours, the College of Cardinals will meet again in the lead up to their secretive conclave. That is when they'll choose the next pope. Preparations at the Vatican are ramping up after Pope Francis was laid to rest over the weekend.

This is a crucial decision that will dictate the future direction of the Catholic Church.

CNN Vatican analyst Elisabetta Pique explains one of the challenges facing this conclave, which is expected to begin as early as next week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELISABETTA PIQUE, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: Also, the big problem that they -- that they see everybody is that they don't know each other because this time, the big difference with the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis is that the College of Cardinals has been in -- has become more and more international. There are 71 countries represented. And so they don't know each other.

So this is a big problem. And so everybody thinks that this congregation could last more days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: There's talk of a truce between the government and rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo. And the prospect of some measure of peace is inspiring a fragile hope while the fighting and its devastation continues.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Whispers of the faintest prospect of peace don't stop the daily chores for this woman living in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But a lot more than laundry is hanging on the line in this war-torn nation.

The east of the country was plunged into violence when M23 rebels launched an offensive in January that led to the capture of two major cities in the DRC.

Thousands of civilians have been killed in the fighting. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced. But just last week, the Congolese government and M23 issued statements saying they would work towards a truce.

That's brought a flicker of hope to this cramped house where two families now live. This woman says she and her children were given shelter here after her home was destroyed in the fighting.

One child is an orphan taken in after his mother was killed. No one here has been spared the brutality of this conflict. MAPENDO M'WA BUSHENYULA, DISPLACED MOTHER (through translator): I want

god to bring peace for people to hear and for this war to end. We're dying. Two members of my family died, shot while fleeing. Where we hide, bullets reach us. That's why we ask for peace.

HUNTE: But she says, having a roof over their heads isn't enough, as its often a daily struggle to survive.

BUSHENYULA: Eating is a problem. She has her children and I have mine. We end up being 30 people around one plate. We eat just to calm our stomachs. It's not good at all.

[01:34:53]

HUNTE: And there are fears the violence could escalate into a regional conflict. Relations between the DRC and neighboring Rwanda are increasingly tense. The DRC says Rwanda backs the M23 rebels, which Rwanda denies.

But in Washington, in a sign of progress, both countries pledged to refrain from providing military support to armed groups and work on a draft peace deal by May 2nd.

It could be a step closer to a much-needed peace in the eastern DRC. A weary hope and a prayer from civilians who have little left to lose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: The U.K. Equality and Human Rights Commission has released interim guidance on a controversial ruling handed down by the Supreme Court this month. The court ruled that a woman is defined by biological sex under the 2010 Equality Act. That means transgender women are no longer protected from discrimination as women.

The new guidance points out other important implications about single sex spaces, or more simply, a space meant for people of the same biological sex. Notably, according to the guidance, trans people, women or men shouldn't be able to use bathrooms of their self- identified gender. Single sex bathrooms, and changing facilities will be required and enforced in schools.

The equalities watchdog says they'll issue further guidance concerning sports clubs in the future.

Well, you know, I want to dig straight into this. So joining me now is Dr. Victoria McCloud, a litigation strategist at W Legal and a retired judge of London's high court.

Thank you so much for being with me. How are you doing?

Victoria, can you hear me?

We're just going to go to a commercial break and hopefully we'll be (INAUDIBLE) with that. Thank you.

[01:36:45] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNTE: Welcome back.

In a 2020 interview, Kim Kardashian publicly reflected on the moment she feared for her life when she was robbed at gunpoint in a Paris apartment. As the long-awaited trial begins in Paris, her words underscore the lasting impact of that ordeal.

CNN's Saskya Vandoorne brings us the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KIM KARDASHIAN, MEDIA PERSONALITY: I didn't know who he was, and I'm like, what is happening? Are we going to die? Just tell them I have children, like I have babies, I have a husband, I have a family. Like I have to get home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kim Kardashian West was held at gunpoint.

SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: She's built an empire on fame and luxury. But one night in Paris left scars that lasted years.

Now, nearly nine years later, Kim Kardashian will soon face the men accused of tying her up and robbing her at gunpoint.

Disguised as police, they allegedly made off with about $10 million in cash and jewels. The men, most over 60, now nicknamed the "Grandpa Gang". Three of them escaped on bicycles.

Kardashian spoke about the violence on "Keeping Up with the Kardashians".

KARDASHIAN: Then he duct-taped my face. I think like my mouth to get me to, like, not yell or anything. And then he, like, grabs my legs and I wasn't, you know, I had no clothes on under. So --

VANDOORNE: But not everyone felt sorry for Kardashian.

KARL LAGERFELD, FASHION DESIGNER: You cannot display your wealth and then be surprised that some people want to share it with you.

VIRGINIE MOUZAT, LE FIGARO JOURNALIST: There's just one expression that comes to my mind, femme fatale.

VANDOORNE: Journalist Patricia Tourancheau wrote of the robbery in her book.

PATRICIA TOURANCHEAU, JOURNALIST (through translator): In France, it's still very badly perceived when people flaunt their wealth so much. And what was heavily criticized, for example, is Kim Kardashian's selfie.

So, they knew she had jewelry on her, but she's showing off. And her way of exhibiting her wealth in France is quite insufferable.

VANDOORNE: That selfie, now entered into evidence.

According to court documents, the thieves tracked Kardashian's social media and knew exactly when and where to strike.

In a strange twist, one of them, Yunice Abbas, has since turned the heist into a publicity tour. Now 70, he wrote a memoir titled "I Kidnapped Kim Kardashian" and promoted it on French television.

GABRIEL DUMENIL, ABBAS LAWYER, YL AVOCATS: Since his arrest and his imprisonment, he read such nonsense about the case, such violation of his privacy, that he felt that he had to speak his truth.

VANDOORNE: Abbas has downplayed the crime, and some in the French media have portrayed him more as a cheeky anti-hero than a criminal. He's pleaded guilty to armed robbery but denies kidnapping.

YUNICE ABBAS, GRANDPA GANG: I'm very happy for her. I ask her to forgive me. If she can't, too bad. I'll live with that.

VANDOORNE: After years of delays, partly because of big cases like the Paris attacks, the trial will open here on Monday. Ten suspects are facing charges of kidnapping, armed robbery and more.

They're not in custody, though, because of detention limits, and many are in poor health. Most say that they will plead not guilty, but if convicted, some of them could face up to 30 years behind bars.

Saskya Vandoorne, CNN -- Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:44:37]

HUNTE: Ok. Well, you know, I want to dig deeper into the fact that the U.K.'s Equalities Commission, the equalities watchdog, has released guidance around a controversial ruling handed down by the U.K. Supreme Court, effectively stating that trans people should not be able to join and use single sex spaces according to their acquired gender.

Back with us now is Dr. Victoria McCloud, a litigation strategist at W Legal and a retired judge of London's high court. Thank you so much for being with me. How are you doing?

DR. VICTORIA MCCLOUD, LITIGATION STRATEGIST, W LEGAL: Hi. Great to be here, Ben.

HUNTE: Thank you so, so much.

So in 2022, I released an investigation exposing how Britain's equalities watchdog was planning to issue guidance that would block trans people from single sex spaces, such as toilets and changing rooms.

And at the time, this was called fake news. It was called dramatic. But now, three years later, it has literally happened.

What was your immediate reaction when you saw the EHRC's new guidance?

MCCLOUD: Surprised in the sense that the guidance goes far beyond the scope of the legal judgment that actually led to it. The law as it presently stands is actually inconsistent with that guidance. The Supreme Court ruled recently that under certain circumstances trans people can be excluded from single sex spaces.

But the Equality and Human Rights Commission apparently has interpreted that as carte blanche for it to say that there is a blanket ban. And, that would mean, for example, that I would not, according to them, be allowed into any female restroom, for example.

HUNTE: I've been hearing from trans people across the U.K. who, to be honest, are panicking. What are your trans friends and trans people online saying right now, and what are they planning to do?

MCCLOUD: Well, I mean, I personally will be going to court over it. Obviously, I was one of two victims of a breach of what's known as Article Six of the Human Rights Convention which is the convention that guarantees the right to a fair trial.

All trans people were excluded by the Supreme Court from being heard including myself. And there were only two applicants to, as it were, represent trans people. We were excluded and no reasons were given, which is a hugely constitutionally-significant change because generally courts hear both sides and give reasons for their decisions.

In terms of what happens next, well, I don't think trans people are in a great position in the United Kingdom. I now live in Ireland. I got out of the country because I could see something like this coming.

But the trans community, broadly so-called, goes back a long, long way. And we have a lot of experience in dealing with this sort of thing and in making sure that we can redress this loss of rights.

The U.K. is now in absolutely plain breach of a case called Goodwin which is what led to the legislation permitting people to change their legal sex.

So the United Kingdom is going to have to address that. And I believe that the Strasbourg Court, the European Court of Human Rights, is going to tell it that it must.

HUNTE: Both the U.K. and the U.S. are currently, almost leading, on rolling back trans rights internationally. I just wonder what sort of impact do you think that these nations doing something like this is going to have on the rest of the world?

MCCLOUD: I think Europe in particular is looking on in horror. Most of the Europe has liberal rules on this subject. And the changes that are proposed here factually means that every person, not just the trans person, every person has to be in a position to prove their quote, "biological sex".

That is in fact impossible because birth certificates get changed under the current law of the United Kingdom (INAUDIBLE) if you change your legal sex for purposes outside the equality act.

So you can't produce your birth certificate to prove your sex anymore. This is having important repercussions, including, for example, the police strip searching trans women using men.

So I may be anatomically female and I am. And yet if I was strip searched, I'd be searched by a police officer who's male.

Europe will be horrified because there are agreements between the United Kingdom and Europe in relation to privacy. And we will be in breach of the privacy adequacy decision that exists between us and the E.U.

So E.U. citizens would be well advised not to come here because, of course, their recognition in their countries as well effectively has been revoked.

So it'll have an effect on tourism, and I think it will probably strengthen the resolve of liberal European states to add further protections for their own people against what's actually happened in the United Kingdom.

HUNTE: And just quickly, if I can ask, how does this guidance actually reflect the broader societal attitudes towards trans people in the U.K.?

I mean, how are you feeling? I know you're in Ireland at the moment, but how are you feeling about what people genuinely think about trans people?

[01:49:45]

MCCLOUD: Well, I mean, I regularly visit the U.K. on my (ph) work and it's completely unrepresentative. I was at an event for Lesbian Visibility Day at the London Stock Exchange, last week and to a person, everyone was supportive.

I've had nothing but love and support from the LGBTQ community. This is really a case and a guidance that's been promoted by a very tiny minority of British people.

It's not reflective of the basic decency of British people. It's simply that there's been a disproportionate voice from a very well- funded lobby. And it has the ear of government. It has the ear of the press, a lot of it.

But it isn't in accordance with the basic with basic British values. And I think any government that continues in the direction that its going may well face difficulties, frankly.

HUNTE: Well, thanks for waking up early for me, Victoria McCloud, I appreciate it.

MCCLOUD: Thank you.

HUNTE: Thank you so much. We'll see what happens next. MCCLOUD: Thanks, Ben.

HUNTE: Thank you.

We'll be right back.

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HUNTE: Take a look at this video. It shows members of the Iranian Red Crescent Society in a helicopter, dropping what appears to be fire retardant onto a massive fire.

This was after a huge explosion killed at least 40 people and injured 1,000 more at Iran's biggest port on Saturday.

CNN's Larry Madowo has the latest on the search for what caused that deadly blast.

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LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're learning a bit more about this massive explosion in southern Iran, in the Bandar Abbas Port, including from this new CCTV video that appears to show the moment this explosion took place.

What appears to be a warehouse explodes, some people can be seen running from the scene and a fire ignites. This fire we now know spread a thick gray smoke, rose up in the sky, and was up there spreading for hours.

Authorities were forced to declare a state of emergency, ask people to stay indoors and lock their windows, avoid any outdoor activities because of the risk of the pollution from the air.

The main question is what was the cause of this fire?

Iran's national oil refining and distribution company said none of its facilities were involved here. None of its pipelines or fuel tankers were involved.

One theory is that it could have come from a section where chemicals -- sulfur was being stored. That is still under investigation. And authorities in Iran have been scrambling to correct what they see as misinformation.

On Sunday, just after Iranian officials said that the fire was 80 percent contained, some containers are reported to have exploded, reigniting a part of that fire.

Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, says he has sent several aircraft with experienced professionals to help put out the fire.

The big investigation will be about what caused this fire, and this is especially important because of the speculation about the timing of this explosion happening as the United States and Iran had begun a third round of talks about the country's nuclear program in neighboring Oman.

Larry Madowo, CNN -- Nairobi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Liverpool have clinched the Premier League title in convincing fashion. They'll be crowned champions for a record equaling 20th time.

CNN World Sport's Don Riddell has the story.

[01:54:47]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: It was a party that has been at least five years in the making. Liverpool are celebrating the Premier League title after a decisive home win at Anfield, meaning that they have clinched the title with a full month to spare.

There is no place like home for Liverpool and their passionate supporters. And Sunday's home game against Tottenham felt like a celebration even well before kick-off.

All the Reds needed from this game was a draw, but they got so much more than that coming from behind against Spurs and just pouring in the goals all afternoon in a -- in a day that will live long in the memory.

Now, at the start of the season, the new manager Arne Slot took over from the legendary Jurgen Klopp and at that point expectations were modest. But as Liverpool found their rhythm, they began to dominate the campaign and with four games to spare, they're now an unassailable 15 points clear.

Five years ago, they won the Premier League in an empty stadium as COVID kept the fans away. This time, the place was packed to the rafters to cheer an emphatic five-one win, and the celebrations were absolutely epic.

ARNE SLOT, LIVERPOOL MANAGER: I think that's what makes it special. Three or four years ago they won the league as well. Amazing. Amazing accomplishment.

But the fans weren't there so you could feel how important it was for them to be here. You can feel it before the game. You can feel it during the game. And the boys did an outstanding job today, including our fans.

MO SALAH, LIVERPOOL FORWARD: It's incredible, incredible feeling to win the champions, the Premier League here with Liverpool, with the fans. It's incredible.

VIRGIL VAN DIRK, LIVERPOOL CAPTAIN: It's special. It's something that we don't take for granted. It's amazing. It's amazing. Today was obviously a lot of emotions before the game. During the whole week.

We got the job done and we truly deserve champions of England.

RIDDELL: What a day. So Liverpool are now English champions for the 20th time, which ties them with Manchester United. But if you speak to any Liverpool fans today, they will tell you that they're the best team in England because they've won far more European titles.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: OK, that's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me. And the team has been so real.

I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. Let's do it all again next weekend.

CNN NEWSROOM continues with Rosemary Church up next.

[01:57:00]

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