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Zelenskyy Ready for Ceasefire if Conditions Are Met; Signs Israel to Expand Operations in Gaza; Warren Buffett Announces Plans to Retire. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired May 04, 2025 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of our viewers watching around the world and also streaming on CNN MAX. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York City.
And ahead here on CNN Newsroom, Ukrainian President of Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that he is ready for a cease fire in the war with Russia, but there have to be very specific terms in place. I'll tell you what they are.
And signs that Israel may be expanding military operations in Gaza, even as the humanitarian situation for Palestinian civilians remains dire.
And the end of an era famed investor Warren Buffett announcing that he plans to retire. So, what's next?
We begin with Kremlin officials who say that they're waiting for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's definitive response to its ceasefire proposal, Russia now offering to lay down its weapons for 72 hours starting on Thursday.
Now, that will coincide with Moscow's annual World War II Victory Day celebration. Mr. Zelenskyy has denounced that plan as, quote, a manipulation, he says. Well, he also added that Russia is simply trying to, as he put it, create a pleasant atmosphere for its parade, and also to show off foreign dignitaries who plan to visit Moscow for the event. But Mr. Zelenskyy says that he is ready to call a truce as long as certain terms are in place.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: At the same time, we are ready as soon as possible, even from today, to move toward a ceasefire if Russia is ready to mirror those steps for complete silence, for prolonged silence of at least 30 days. This is a fair period in which the next steps can be prepared. Russia must stop the war and cease the assault, cease the shelling.
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SANDOVAL: And those demands from Zelenskyy, they come just days after an extensive Russian assault on the city of Kyiv.
Melissa Bell with the latest there.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: President Zelenskyy has been speaking to the massive drone strikes that hit Kharkv on Friday night, injuring dozens, including an 11-year-old, setting many residential buildings on fire. He spoke to by Telegram to the fact that there had been no military targets and that the point of these strikes was specifically to target civilians as they were putting their children to bed, an important reminder of the urgent need to find a ceasefire deal, but also of the need for more pressure to be brought to bear on Russia.
President Zelenskyy has also been speaking this weekend of his view of progress that's being made on the diplomatic front. He spoke to reporters about his meeting with Donald Trump in the Vatican last week, saying that it had been their most useful so far, their best conversation so far. He said that progress had been made on a number of different issues. He spoke of his sense the American administration was growing increasingly frustrated with Moscow and its intransigence when it came to implementing or agreeing to that 30-day ceasefire that both Washington and Kyiv are calling for, that he had sensed that both Steve Witkoff and President Trump himself were growing increasingly impatient.
And he said that he believes that the mineral deal that's been struck this week with Washington will allow Ukraine now to look at purchasing those much needed air defense systems from Washington, air defense systems that have proven so crucial so far but whose future in terms of aid seemed to hang in the balance ever since President Trump took office with President Zelenskyy looking in a far sure position after that mineral deal than he was before.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
SANDOVAL: Onto another conflict now, Israel plans to mobilize thousands of reservists in the coming days in what appears to be an expansion of its offensive in Gaza. According to Israel's public broadcaster, Kan 11, the proposal will likely be approved by the security cabinet in a meeting that they are expected to hold just a few hours from now, the mobilization plan calling for an evacuation of Palestinian civilians in Northern and Central Gaza ahead of expanded operations there. Negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal, they have been stalled for weeks.
The meantime, sources telling CNN that U.S. and Israeli officials are working on a plan to get aid into Gaza that bypasses militant groups.
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Sources say that the delivery mechanism in the works would be managed by and unnamed private foundation. It's said to include safeguards to ensure that aid is not diverted to Hamas or Islamic jihad. A State Department official said in an announcement that it could be made in the coming days.
A total Israeli blockade of Gaza just passed the two-month mark and officials warning that a famine is looming in that enclave.
Israel says that it's blockade. It's aimed at putting pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages, but human rights groups say that starvation is being used as a weapon of war with thousands of civilians now suffering from severe malnutrition.
We're going to go now to CNN's Jeremy Diamond for a report, but, first, a warning that it does contain some images that are very difficult to watch.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Inside her fly infested tent, Iman Rajab (ph) is doing her best to keep her six children alive. Today, survival looks like this, sifting the half bag of flour she found on a garbage dumpster in Gaza City after all of its bakeries shut down. It is rancid, crawling with pests and clear signs of contamination. But Rajab hopes she can salvage enough to make bread for her children.
My kids are vomiting. After they eat it, it smells horrible, she says. I keep cleaning it and it won't get clean. But what else can I do, she asks, what will I feed my children if not this.
Rajab is one of hundreds of thousands of parents in Gaza struggling to feed their children, an entirely manmade crisis that is rapidly spiraling.
For nearly two months now, Israel has carried out a total siege of Gaza, refusing to allow a single truck of humanitarian aid or commercial goods into the strip. Israel says it is trying to pressure Hamas into releasing the hostages, but it is civilians in Gaza who are paying the heaviest price.
There is no food, no nothing. Death is easier than this life, this elderly woman says.
This soup kitchen in Central Gaza can now only provide one meal a day to those who are growing increasingly desperate. This man says he has been standing in line for hours hoping to feed his family.
These scenes an echo of last summer when hunger swept across Gaza killing 52 Palestinians, according to the ministry of health. The Biden administration pushed Israel then to let in aid. There is no such public pressure from the White House now, which says it backs Israel's tactics. Food warehouses are now barren.
YASMIN MAYDHANE, EMERGENCY COORDINATOR, WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME: We are in a position now where over 400,000 people that were receiving assistance from our hot meal kitchens, which is the last lifeline for the population, is in itself grinding to a halt.
DIAMOND: Cases of acute malnutrition are now spiking. United Nations said nearly 3,700 children were diagnosed in March, 85 percent more than the previous month. Five-year-old Usama Al-Rakab (ph) is among those most severely affected by Israel's blockade, which has exacerbated his preexisting medical conditions. He has lost eight pounds in the last month and now weighs just 20 pounds. His skin sticking to his bones, every movement is painful.
Because of this war, my son has reached this state, she explains. Now, he can barely walk. I have to carry him everywhere.
Every day, his condition worsens. Every day, Israel prevents food from getting into Gaza. Usama's life becomes more at risk.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
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SANDOVAL: And an ongoing tension stemming from the massacre in Kashmir on April 22nd. India has banned Pakistan flagships from its ports. Now, this is just the latest in a tit-for-tat measures between the two countries.
CNN's Nic Robertson reports from it Islamabad.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: The United States, in a huge way, has played a big public role in diplomacy here, not just Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaking with the Pakistan prime minister, his opposite member in India, Pete Hegseth on the phone with his Indian counterpart, J.D. Vance also speaking to both sides publicly by saying, do not or try find a way to avoid escalating this regionally.
The diplomacy may be going on in the background, but in the foreground, it looks and feels very different. The tensions remain. Pakistani officials still believe that India is poised to make a strike.
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That test firing of the Ababeel missile today, 450 kilometer range, that's about 280 miles, surface-to-air missile. They say it's got advanced functionality and maneuverability.
So, I spoke with a senior security official today about this, and I said, is this test firing of the missile a message to India? And he said, look, just look at the title of this military exercise, Indus, which refers to the Indus Water Treaty, that India has decided to withhold from which feeds water from three major rivers into Pakistan, which is vitally needed for power and agriculture, absolute fundamental to the relationship and tensions in the region. The message, the security source says to India, don't touch it.
These countries are still poised in a position that they are ready to respond to whatever the other does. And the perception in Pakistan is that the Indian military will do more. What India has done today, they've announced a ban on the input of all goods from Pakistan trade across the border, they've banned all Pakistani ships from entering Indian ports and have also cut the postal service from Pakistan as well. It points to the tensions still at a very, very high level.
SANDOVAL: CNN's Nic Robertson, thanks for that report.
Still ahead here on CNN Newsroom, it is time for retirement for one of the most famous businessmen in the U.S. as he's announcing his plans to step down, but not before, finally, and very directly criticizing Trump's tariffs.
And meanwhile, new tariffs are set to upend the auto industry. Just how much more could it cost the consumers at the auto lots, that's next.
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SANDOVAL: A big announcement from one of the biggest names in American business on Saturday.
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WARREN BUFFETT, CEO, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY: The time has arrived where Greg should become the chief executive officer of the company at year end.
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SANDOVAL: And a standing ovation followed after legendary investor Warren Buffet said that he will be stepping down as CEO of U.S. holding company Berkshire Hathaway at the end of the year. He's 94 years old. Pending board approval, Buffet will be succeeded by Greg Abel. He's the vice chairman of non-insurance operations for Berkshire.
The so-called Oracle of Omaha is also finally revealing exactly how he feels about Trump's tariffs, but he didn't mention the U.S. president by name.
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BUFFETT: Trade should not be a weapon. I do think that the more prosperous the rest of the world becomes, it won't be at our expense, the more prosperous will become and the safer we'll feel and your children will feel someday.
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SANDOVAL: And that message that's clearly going to be heard in Washington. He also called the trade wars, quote, a big mistake at Berkshire's annual shareholders meeting.
I had spoke in the last hour with Monsoon Pabrai, a partner at Drew Investment Management. She was at Saturday's shareholder meeting in Omaha, where Buffet announced his retirement. She said that she agrees with his thoughts about the future of the United States.
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MONSOON PABRAI, MANAGING PARTNER AND PORTFOLIO, DREW INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT: I run my fund with a similar framework to buffet long- term capital appreciation in the best businesses. And I would agree with Buffett's assessment that long-term the U.S. is still one of the best, if not the best place to invest your capital.
Our funds have the majority of its capital in the U.S. today. And he was very reassuring on his positive view towards America and the future outlook.
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SANDOVAL: And all of this is coming as a new round of tariffs is set to hit the auto industry hard. And Samantha Delouya with more,
SAMANTHA DELOUYA, CNN BUSINESS: A new 25 percent tariff on imported auto parts took effect overnight at 12:01 A.M., and no car is completely spared from this auto parts tariff. That's because there's no such thing as 100 percent American-made car. Last week, President Trump signed an executive order giving automakers in the U.S. the ability to partially offset those tariffs for the first two years that they're in effect.
Even with that offset, though, this tariff is expected to add tens of billions of dollars in costs for the auto industry, and for the consumer, it's expected to add an average of $4,000 to the cost of buying a new car. Investors and the stock market are still digesting the full impact of President Trump's tariff policy. In April, the stock market was incredibly volatile, but for the past nine trading days, the S&P 500 has closed higher. That's the longest winning streak in 20 years.
But many economists are warning that the full impact of the tariffs has not yet been felt. Take a listen to what Warren Buffet, one of America's most famous investors, warned about a brewing trade war at his investor conference this morning.
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BUFFETT: There's no question that trade can be an act of war, and I think it's led to bad things. Just the attitudes that's brought out in the United States, I mean, we should be looking to trade with the rest of the world and we should do what we do best, and they should do what they do best.
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DELOUYA: Those are stark words from Buffett who this morning said He believes that free trade has helped all nations, including the U.S., prosper.
SANDOVAL: Samantha Delouya reporting out of L.A. there.
Meanwhile, disastrous night for conservatives as Australia's labor prime minister secured a second term. This is a huge deal as it's the first reelection for an Australian prime minister in about two decades, and it comes against the backdrop of global turmoil.
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CNN's Ben Hunte with more.
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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): It was Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's night, a victory for the Labor Party that almost wasn't. Just a few months ago, it was his main rival, Conservative Liberal Party Leader Peter Dutton who was leading the polls. But the tide turned, driven in part by the disruptive trade policies of U.S. President Donald Trump, voters ultimately choosing stability over change.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: In this time of global uncertainty, Australians have chosen optimism and determination. Australians have chosen to face global challenges the Australian way, looking after each other while building for the future.
HUNTE: It was a clear message from voters.
ALBANESE: We are proud of who we are and all that we have built together in this country. We do not need to beg or borrow or copy from anywhere else.
HUNTE: Albanese is the first Australian prime minister to win a second consecutive term in two decades. And the Labor Party not only increased its majority in Parliament but also uprooted Dutton from his own parliamentary seat that he's held for more than 20 years.
Like the recent election in Canada, concerns over Trump's global tariffs and turmoil galvanized voters to reject the conservative opposition with many Australians wary of Dutton's rhetoric and policies that seemed way too similar to Trump's.
PETER DUTTON, LIBERAL PARTY LEADER: We've been defined by our opponents in this election, which is not the true story of who we are, but we'll rebuild from here.
HUNTE: For the next three years, Albanese has his work cut out for him. He has to tackle ongoing domestic problems with housing shortages and the high cost of living, issues he was widely criticized for not fixing in his first term. And he has to continue to navigate relations with the U.S. in unpredictable times.
But the high stakes of this election didn't dampen the spirits of some voters. Many Australians participated in some colorful voting day traditions, from feasting on barbecues, including democracy sausages sold by volunteers at polling stations, with some wearing tight fitting swim trunks, known as budgie smugglers to cast their votes. With so much uncertainty ahead, there were at least some things Australians can count on.
Ben Hunte, CNN.
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SANDOVAL: Those pictures.
All right, onto another election now, Singapore's People's Action Party, it is extending its six-decade rule with a 14th election win. The party won decisively, capturing 87 of the 97 parliamentary seats set for grabs. The People's Action Party, it has ruled since before Singapore's 1965 independence. Voters delivered a strong mandate to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, addressing high living costs and a shortage of housing. Those are among some of the top issues for Mr. Wong to address. Singapore also faces the risk of recession and job losses if the economy takes a hit from U.S. tariffs.
Still ahead here on CN Newsroom, CNN embedding with the Mexican military and gets an inside look at the government's attempt to crack down on the notorious Sinaloa Loa cartel that's locked in a deadly drug war for months now. Plus, I'll be speaking with a former Sinaloa resident who fled the area because of those safety concerns. Why he says the new level of violence has been normalized.
This is CNN.
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SANDOVAL: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York.
Let's check on today's top stories. Ukraine's president is slamming Russia's proposal for a three-day ceasefire to take place next week. Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Ukraine is ready for an immediate ceasefire if Moscow agrees to lay down its weapons for 30 days instead. He says U.S. President Donald Trump agrees that a long-term ceasefire is, as he describes it, the right first step to peace.
And Israel says that it's planning to mobilize thousands of reservists in the coming days. It's an apparent expansion of its offensive in Gaza. Israel's public broadcaster says that the plan calls for evacuating Palestinian civilians from Northern and Central Gaza ahead of expanded operations there. Israel security cabinet expected to approve it just a few hours from now.
And famed investor Warren Buffett says that he's ready to retire, planning to step down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway later this year. The man known as the Oracle of Omaha also criticized the U.S. president's tariff plan, calling the trade war a big mistake.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says that she has declined an offer from Donald Trump to have American troops fight drug cartels on Mexican soil. Here's what she told supporters on Saturday.
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CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, MEXICAN PRESIDENT: In one of the calls, US President Donald Trump said it was important for the US Army to enter Mexico to help us in the fight against drug trafficking. And I want to say that's true. In some of the calls, he said, how can we help you fight drug trafficking? I propose that the U.S. Army come in to help you. And you know what I told him? No, President Trump, the territory is sacrosanct. Sovereignty is sacrosanct. Sovereignty is not for sale. Sovereignty is loved and defended.
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SANDOVAL: Sheinbaum's comments come as President Donald Trump continues to pressure Mexico to crack down on cartels.
CNN traveled to an area once ruled by the notorious drug lord, El Chapo. We're talking about the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Now, sure, Chapo has been behind bars for nine years, but now at least two of his sons still maintain at least partial control of the drug organization.
Our Isobel Yeung shows us exactly what it's like there now.
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ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): We are with the Mexican military in the state of Sinaloa, the heartland of the infamous Sinaloa cartel. Soldiers find and burn acres of marijuana and poppies that would otherwise be turned into heroin.
They're just looking for a place to land now, which isn't easy given that it's just hills and trees everywhere.
But it's synthetic drugs, like fentanyl and meth, that are produced by the cartels in enormous quantities, generate huge profits and are responsible for most overdose deaths in the U.S.
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They're often made in remote rural areas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
YEUNG: This is pretty tough work. I mean, they're wearing full of hazmat suits. They have to wear masks because these drugs, obviously, and the chemicals are very, very potent, but they're just trying to make sure that the cartels don't come back and finish making the drugs here.
Over a six-month period, thousands of suspected cartel members have been arrested across Mexico, and more than 140 tons of drugs have been seized. But the reality is more than 1,200 people have also been killed in Sinaloa in the past year. Hundreds more have disappeared, fueled by a vengeful war between two rival factions of the Sinaloa cartel.
In downtown Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa, the military's narrative that they are fully in control begins to unravel.
Very stark reminders here of people who are missing, who've been disappeared as part of this cartel war between the two factions that's playing out right now, all very recent cases. This was last week, a 23-year-old went missing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those, you cannot say if they are real.
YEUNG: What do you mean?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those flyers are old?
YEUNG: No, this is the post, the date here.
It's the 22nd of March, they went missing, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE). This is a copy. Who put this, we don't know.
YEUNG: As we're talking, a soldier blocks our camera.
You mean it's not verified? Yes. Presumably, people aren't just putting up posters for the fun of it. They're look putting them up because they're missing family members, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know.
YEUNG: What's that? You don't want us filming it?
The military steer us off and invite us to film something else. But we call the number on the poster of the missing woman. Her name is Vivian Aispuro. Her family tells us she disappeared 17 days ago. We promised to follow up on her story.
But who are the men running this criminal network wreaking havoc on people living here? We part ways with the military.
So, we've just entered an area of the city that is still very dangerous. After weeks of trying, our contact here on the ground has managed to secure a meeting with a member of the cartel who's involved apparently in the production of drugs. And so we're meeting him now somewhere around here, in an undisclosed location.
This man is talking to us on the condition we hide his identity and location.
Can I pull up a chair?
He says he produces fentanyl for the cartel.
How safe or dangerous is this area to be in,
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
YEUNG: And the Mexican military making a big effort to crack down on the drug production here, how are you responding to that and how does that impact your work?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
YEUNG: I mean, according to the Trump administration, you are a terrorist, meaning the cartels have been labeled a foreign terrorist organization. What do you make of that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
YEUNG: What's your message to Donald Trump if he's watching this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
YEUNG: There is a lot of violence playing out on these streets here at the moment, every day, right? I mean, people are dying on a daily basis. Children are afraid to go to school. Do you have any sense of remorse over your role and your involvement in this group?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
YEUNG: His phone is pinging someone is nearby. He tells us we need to leave for our own safety.
But it's because of the action of cartel members like these that civilians too are caught up in the violence. Vivian Aispuro, the missing woman from the poster we saw two days ago, was one of them. Her body has just been found.
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I'm so sorry for your loss. I really am. Are you able to tell me a little bit about your sister?
ALMA AISPURO, SISTER OF VICTIM: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
YEUNG: Vivian's sister believes she wasn't directly involved with the cartels, but the conflict here has broken all norms, she says, and violence has come for everyone, including women and children.
I mean, the authorities are saying that they're going after the bad guys. They're making a lot of arrests. They're going after the drugs. They're going after the weapons. Do you feel like they're not doing enough?
AISPURO: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
YEUNG: Thank you for talking with us. I mean, you are being so strong. She'd be so proud of you.
AISPURO: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
YEUNG: Thank you.
AISPURO: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
YEUNG: For Vivian's family, the authorities' efforts amount to nothing more than anguish.
Isobel Yeung, CNN, Sinaloa, Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE) SANDOVAL: Let's stay on the topic of the Sinaloa and drug war. We go live now to Ryan Storr. He's the CEO of Alcanza Language Consultants in Sinaloa. In 2018, he moved from the U.S. to Mexico to start a business. Ryan, thank you so much for staying up late with us to share your story.
RYAN STORR, CEO, ALCANZA LANGUAGE CONSULTANTS: No, thank you so much for having me. I appreciate the time.
SANDOVAL: Of course. So, Ryan, as you told me this year, you yet to move your family from Culiacan to the relative safety of Mexico City. I remember visiting Culiacan a couple of years ago. I felt safe on the streets day and night. But last year, things changed. So, from your perspective, I wonder if you could just remind our viewers around the world, when did this indiscriminate level of violence begin.
STORR: Well, that's a really good question, and that's absolutely true. Before this, the previous five years, six years I spent in Culiacan, living in Culiacan, working in Culiacan and set up my business there, we're extremely safe. There were things that you knew not to do and people you knew not to spend to get involved with, but life was very, very safe, organized, and was never felt in danger. I never had any negative incidents any of that time. And then starting last September, we've been in a war. The city, the entire state has turned into a war zone. I think the numbers speak for themselves.
But it's the violence, the level of violence is considerable. And right now many of us are terminated (ph) calling it basically living under a narco pandemic. It's like going back into the pandemic for us over here, of what you can do and what you can't do, when do you wake up, when can you go to work, when can you come back from work, when you can't go out at night, you can't go out in the morning, there are certain places you can't go. It's restructuring every aspect of everyone's lives to adapt and, really, to survive.
SANDOVAL: And from the perspective of a small business owner, how have you been able to safeguard your interest and most importantly, your employees who still live with that threat every day in Culiacan?
STORR: So, most of my most of my clients are also small business owners, and we've all talked considerably at length about this. The number currently is that, as of this January, 850 small businesses closed. I think the number now is at a thousand small businesses. And doing some research over here, I have some context to track things down, I think we're at about 1,500 cars stolen on 1,500 businesses that have been broken into and robbed. So, it is incredibly difficult.
I've been -- I've moved my company to being remote and put everything online, just like we did during the pandemic, because in many cases it was and still is too difficult, it's too dangerous to send employees to the office, it's too dangerous to send individuals to cross the city and individuals across the city at different times for different reasons. We get notices on our phone. We all are in groups, and, sorry, you can't go to work today. Just go back home now.
SANDOVAL: And it's important to remind viewers what happened last summer when Mayo Zambada, one of the last remaining Sinaloa cartel elders, was detained by authorities in Texas after he was flown to the U.S. And what we've reported on, and I'm sure you and your colleagues have discussed the realities of what happened, that now the result has been this sort of splintered cells of the Sinaloa cartel, warring each other, and picking up your concern, business owners, the everyday people getting caught in the crossfire.
[03:40:16]
This weekend, and we mentioned that just now, President Claudia Sheinbaum said that she declined an offer from President Trump to receive U.S. troops on Mexican soil to assist in the drug war. Now, without getting into the politics, what do people in Culiacan, this major city home to over 800,000 people, what do they want to see done by both governments?
STORR: Well, there's a couple of things there, and I'm going to pick up one thing over here that the conflict that has happened over here won't hear reported frequently, but the conflict between both parties over here has opened up all the other criminal elements in the city to do what they'd like to do. So, because of those two antagonistic groups fighting, there hasn't been police control. We they actually took the municipal police away for a couple months. So it's a lot of the indirect violence that's also happening now is also smaller criminal groups, petty criminals, thieves. There's no control. They break into buildings, they steal cars. Because there's so much concentration, the two major groups that are fighting, everything is really opening up here. Just one point I wanted to jump in here really quickly with the level of magnitude, things have really opened up.
And on the other hand to your question over here about U.S. intervention and what people think about that, it's very different opinions. To be honest, there's many business owners right now that simply feel helpless. There is no plan, there is no support, and almost many of them either welcome or almost welcome direct intervention because at least it's some solution, because as of right now, there is none. No one -- Sinaloa is -- the individuals and the people I've worked with are very honest, very good, very hardworking, very extremely resilient people. But now it's at a point where they don't see an end to this, and it's becoming normal. It's a normalization of violence. So, there's a lot of individuals that honestly want some solution. Even if it's a bad solution, they'd almost prefer it for any solution, any intervention,
SANDOVAL: Yes. Ryan, thank you so much for this perspective. You're absolutely right, this feeling of helplessness and frustration for so many people. Thank you so much for shedding some light on that and let's stay in contact.
STORR: Absolutely. Thank you so much.
SANDOVAL: All right. So, the Catholic Church is making its final preparations ahead of next week's conclave. Coming up, we take you inside Vatican City for a closer look at the process behind picking the new pope.
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SANDOVAL: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom.
In the coming hours, the Vatican is set to hold the final mass to mourn the death of Pope Francis. It is among the last remaining preparations before the papal conclave begins on Wednesday.
CNN's Christopher Lamb is at Vatican City with more on what lies ahead.
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: I am here in the Vatican where preparations are underway for the forthcoming conclave.
Now, I'm very near to the Sistine Chapel, and there, they are preparing the tables and the chimney for the conclave. The chimney, of course, is where the white or black smoke will billow out when a pope has been elected, or if there hasn't been a decision, black smoke will come out of the chimney.
Now, we've just been inside the Vatican museums and we've heard about some of the history of the conclaves. It was Alexander VI who was the first pope in the 15th century to have been elected in the Sistine Chapel, and it's in his apartments that cardinals for many conclaves used to stay.
And we were told that cardinals used to sleep in sort of dormitory- style arrangements. They'd have to live, sleep, and eat in these quite cramped rooms, very close to the Sistine Chapel, until 1978, when John Paul II was elected and he decided to build the Casa Santa Marta, which is where the cardinals will stay today.
Now, not all conclaves have taken place in the Vatican. They took place in different parts of Italy, including one in Viterbo, which lasted 18 months. I imagine the cardinals are hoping they can make their decision in a little bit quicker time than that one.
But preparations are feverishly underway for this 2025 conclave.
Christopher Lamb, CNN Vatican.
SANDOVAL: A crane ship has already been brought in to raise a sunken super yacht that sunk back in August. The boat went down off the coast of Northern Sicily during a storm. 22 people were aboard that day. Seven of them died, including British Tycoon Mike Lynch and his daughter.
The 56-meter yacht weighs 534 tons. The 72-meter mast will be pulled up first in the hope of keeping the hole intact, along with any evidence that it may contain about what led to the tragedy.
So much more ahead here on CNN Newsroom, including the most exciting two minutes in sports. It did not disappoint today. And also a look at the winner and the competition in this year's Kentucky Derby.
CNN Newsroom continues after the break,
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SANDOVAL: Rio's officially gone Gaga. Global Pop Icon Lady Gaga marking her triumphant return to Brazil on Saturday. Organizers estimating that more than 2 million fans were there for her free concert on the famed Copacabana Beach. That would make it one of the biggest shows of her career.
Our Christopher Ulloa was there.
CHRISTOPHER ULLOA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They had to wait more than ten years to see her perform live again. But as many fans had told CNN, the wait was worth it.
The super pop star, Lady Gaga, perform in front of 2.5 million people, according to the singer, here at the Copacabana Beach, one of the most popular here in Rio De Janeiro. Lady Gaga also had special words for the LGBTQ-plus community, giving a special thanks to them for teaching her and also for always being a support in her whole career.
The show ended with fireworks and this Oprah Palace full of joy, full of music, and also the promise of Lady Gaga of coming back soon.
For CNN, Christopher Ulloa, Rio de Janero, Brazil.
SANDOVAL: All right, thanks to Christopher there.
And there was also some mud on the ground, but excitement in the air at the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. One of the odds on favorites took the crown in the run for the roses. Patrick Snell recapping this year's race.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: With dubbed the greatest two minutes in sports, always huge interest around the Kentucky Derby, one of the most famous and prestigious horse races in the world, a crowd of over 147,000 in attendance. Plenty of rain there in Kentucky, muddy, muddy conditions at Churchill Downs ahead of the big race.
This, the 151st running of the Derby, just an absolute quagmire there for the 19 horses taking part. The early pay set by Bob Baffert's Citizen Bull, but in the end, it will be Sovereignty powering forward to the finish line. Sovereignty ruling the roost, finishing clear of the pre-race favorite, Journalism in second, Journalism coming off three straight winds, but the horse here would be denied.
The three-year-old Sovereignty trained by Bill Mott, entered the races, one of the favorites at 9-1 odds to win.
And what a moment too for Junior Alvarado, the winning jockey from Venezuela, a wonderful, wonderful moment for him and his family, Alvarado's first Kentucky Derby victory.
[03:55:05] Much focus ahead of the race had been on the legendary trainer, Bob Baffert, who, until last year, was banned from running horses at Churchill Downs. After his horse, Medina Spirit, failed drug test back in 2021. Baffert has trained six Kentucky Derby winners and his horse this year, Citizen Bull, who I mentioned off the top there coming in the end in 15th place.
The Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown. The Preakness follows next in two weeks. And then it's the Belmont Stakes in early June. You know, 2018 was the last year we had a Triple Crown winner and that was Justify, trained by Bob Baffert. Only 13 horses have ever won the Triple Crown. So, in terms of that Triple Crown, next stop for Sovereignty is the Preakness on May the 17th in Maryland.
Back to you.
SANDOVAL: So, summer may be more than just a month away, but India is going through a spring heat wave, and one elephant is planning to stay pretty cool. The pachyderm splashing around a pool at an Indian temple in Southern Rameswaram, India's government meteorologists saying that at least they're predicting that most of the country will experience an intense heat wave this summer. India normally has a very hot summer and a mostly temperate winter, so barely any relief in sight unless you're this guy.
I want to thank you for joining us in the last hour. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York.
Another hour of CNN Newsroom starts in a few moments with my colleague, Kim Brunhuber, as he picks things up from Atlanta after the break. Don't go anywhere.
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