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New Round Of Nuclear Talks In Geneva In Coming Hours; Cuba: Four People Killed In Shootout With Florida Speedboat; Chancellor Friedrich Merz Tours Beijing During Visit To China; Anthropic Drops Core Safety Pledge Amid Pentagon Fight; Citizen Scientists Discover World's Largest Coral Colony Off Australia's Great Barrier Reef; Indian PM Modi in Israel for Two-day Visit; Sinkhole Swallows Two Vehicles in Nebraska; Researchers Discover One of the Smallest Known Dinosaurs. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired February 26, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:35]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, crucial talks between the U.S. and Iran are set to begin as Washington puts pressure on Tehran for a nuclear deal.

Hoping to deepen ties, Germany's Chancellor is on a visit to China, working to close the trade deficit and the world's second largest economy -- with the world's second largest economy.

Plus, a remarkable discovery. Meet the mother and daughter team who found the world's largest known coral colony on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. They will join me live.

Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with me, and we begin in Geneva, where U.S. and Iranian delegations are expected to begin indirect nuclear talks in the coming hours. The Iranian foreign minister is already in Switzerland and has discussed Tehran's position with his Omani counterpart, who is mediating the nuclear talks. The U.S. says not discussing Iran's ballistic missiles is a big problem, but the current talks will focus largely on Iran's nuclear program.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: After their nuclear program was obliterated, they were told not to try to restart it, and here they are. You can see them always trying to rebuild elements of it. They're not enriching right now, but they're trying to get to the point where they ultimately can.

The other thing I would point you to, however, is that Iran possesses a very large number of ballistic missiles, particularly short-range ballistic missiles that threaten the United States and our bases in the region and our partners in the region.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The Trump administration has imposed new sanctions on more than 30 individuals, entities and shadow fleet vessels. It says they enabled Tehran's illicit petroleum sales, ballistic missiles and weapons production. Iran suggests it is hopeful about the talks, but the foreign minister says that a deal is, "Within reach," but only if diplomacy is given priority.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: We have learned lots of lessons from the last war, so we are even more prepared. And that means, by the way, that the aim is to prevent a war. When you are prepared for a war, you can prevent it, otherwise you are inviting it to your home. So, we are fully prepared, not because we want war, because we want to prevent the war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group joins us now from Geneva, Switzerland. Appreciate you talking with us.

ALI VAEZ, DIRECTOR, IRAN PROJECT, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: joins us now from Geneva, Switzerland. Good to see you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, these indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran get underway in Geneva in the coming hours on Tehran's nuclear program, Iran's foreign minister says a fair deal is achievable, but he says Tehran is not willing to give up the use of peaceful nuclear technology, meaning enrichment for energy and research, while the U.S. wants Iran to agree to zero enrichment. Given that divide, what do you expect to come out of these upcoming talks?

VAEZ: Well, Rosemary, I think today's talks are decisive, because if there is some sort of a breakthrough, then diplomacy might get a chance. But if there is a breakdown, I think the risk of war will increase significantly, even as early as this weekend.

What is required for a breakthrough is for both sides to soften the red lines. Iran is, in fact, already in a state of zero enrichment, because in the past eight months since the 12-day war, it has not spun a single centrifuge. It has not enriched a single gram of uranium.

So, zero enrichment is fact on the ground, and I think if the Iranians agreed to continue the suspension of uranium enrichment for a period of time, and then the U.S. would agree that eventually Iran would have a token laboratory size enrichment program for producing medical isotopes, then maybe both sides would have a narrow pathway to it.

CHURCH: And how likely is that agreement, do you think? VAEZ: Look, I think what we see on the ground, in terms of mobilization, especially on the military front, both given the degree of firepower that the U.S. has brought to the region, and also with the Iranians constantly doing military drills and being prepared for a fight with the U.S. The momentum is on the side of a military campaign, unfortunately, much more than it is on the side of diplomacy at this moment.

[02:05:19]

CHURCH: Right. And of course, the Trump administration has imposed new sanctions on Iran, in addition to the buildup of U.S. military force in the region, all designed to pressure Iran to agree to a deal.

But if one can't be reached, which is what you seem to think is going to be the situation, will President Trump strike and destroy nuclear facilities or try to perhaps bring about regime change? What do you think his objective might be? Because he's certainly not making very clear, is he?

VAEZ: As you know, President Trump is notoriously unpredictable and everything is possible. I think he has different voices in his head, those who are warning him against the consequences of military action against Iran, which could not be in the category that he usually likes, small, limited, clean and high impact, but very low costs, like what he did in Venezuela.

But in this case, this might very well turn into a regional conflagration. There might be American fatalities, and it is also possible that U.S. weapons stockpiles would deplete at a critical moment when U.S. great power rivals could see -- could see an opportunity. So, that's -- those are the risks that he's hearing from some of the U.S. military leaders.

But there are also the more hawkish voices around him and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel, who see in this moment, a plastic moment of history in which the US can get rid of an arc Nemesis and change the balance of power in the Middle East. And again, it's anybody's guess what the President would decide at the end.

CHURCH: Right. And of course, new Sean reporting is looking into those military options that President Trump's considering while behind closed doors, his top general, Dan Caine, is warning the President about the risks involved in striking Iran you've touched on this, but the President still wants Caine to develop a range of military options. Where do you see all of this going and what are the likely ramifications of the regional war that you talk of?

VAEZ: Look, I think the president has been emboldened with all the military action that he has authorized in his first year in office, in his second term, which have almost been associated with no significant cost for the U.S. Not a single U.S. Marine has been killed in any of these operations, so he might feel that He's invincible.

The problem is that the Iranians also have every intention, given the fact that they face an existential threat from the U.S. and Israel, that they might also want to try to puncture that aura of invincibility. And it's in that balance that I think there's significant danger for miscalculation and escalation that could really spiral out of control.

And most importantly, Rosemary here, it is not even clear what the U.S. is, end objective is, as I said, Iran is not enriching uranium. Even Secretary Rubio says its missiles would not reach US territory anytime soon, and protests in Iran have been crushed. So, all in all, this is unclear what the President is even trying to achieve with all the risks associated with this.

CHURCH: Ali Vaez, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

VAEZ: My pleasure.

CHURCH: Well, Cuba says its border guard troops have shot and killed four people on a speed boat in Cuban waters who were trying to, "Infiltrate the island nation." The Cuban interior ministry says the boat was registered in Florida and was carrying Cubans who live in the United States, one of whom allegedly opened fire on those Cuban forces.

Six others on the speed boat were apparently wounded and are now detained. Havana accuses the group of trying to infiltrate the island for, "Terrorist purposes," and says another person from the US was arrested and confessed to the scheme. The incident happened Wednesday off Cuba's northern coast, and it comes amid weeks of simmering tensions between Cuba and the United States.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has confirmed that no U.S. government personnel were involved, but says the U.S. will do its own investigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: But we're going to find out exactly what happened here, and then we'll respond accordingly. Suffice it to say it is highly unusual to see shootouts in open sea like that. It's not something that happens every day. It's something, frankly, that hasn't happened with Cuba in a very long time and but we're going to find out. We're not going to base our conclusions on what they've told us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:10:11]

CHURCH: We get more details now from CNN's David Culver.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Cuban authorities say four people aboard a Florida registered speed boat were killed after they claimed someone on that vessel opened fire on Cuban border guards. Six others were injured. The Cuban interior ministry says the group intended to carry out what

it calls a terrorist infiltration. U.S. officials are not taking Havana's word for it. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. embassy in Havana is seeking access to anyone detained and working independently to verify who was on board and what happened.

This comes at a really sensitive moment. There's no question. I mean, this week marks 30 years since Cuban fighter jets shot down two planes flown by brothers to the rescue, killing four men and igniting one of the most explosive chapters in modern U.S.-Cuba relations.

Just last week in fact, I was with several South Florida lawmakers who are again calling for the indictment of Raul Castro, arguing that he ultimately gave the order in 1996 and they told me, had that happened today, under President Trump and with Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, they believe the United States would have responded with force.

Now, Rubio is being really careful here, saying that the U.S. will respond based on facts, not speculation, but the parallels are hard to ignore. You got a Florida registered vessel deadly force at sea and rising tensions between Washington and Havana.

And until the U.S. confirms who exactly was on that boat and what led to that exchange of gunfire, this incident is likely to add another layer of strain to an already fragile relationship.

David Culver, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Negotiators from the United States and Ukraine are scheduled to meet in the coming hours in Geneva, Switzerland. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he spoke by phone on Wednesday with President Trump, his son in law, Jared Kushner, and U.S. Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff.

According to Russian state media, the Kremlin says there are currently no plans for Vladimir Putin to speak with President Trump. A spokesperson went on to say that a meeting involving the Russian, U.S. and Ukrainian leaders is possible in the event of a peace deal. One veteran diplomat says the ongoing talks are a reason for optimism.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENS STOLTENBERG, NORWEGIAN FINANCE MINISTER: I think it's far too early to say when and how this war can end, but it is a positive sign that at least there are talks. We do not know when the war will end, but what we do know is that the stronger Ukraine is on the battlefield, the more likely it is that President Putin will realize that he cannot win the war and has to sit down and negotiate and accept an end to the war where Ukraine prevails as a servant independent state.

So, the important thing is to provide military support Ukraine to help to end the war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Now, to the Epstein files, the Department of Justice says it is reviewing whether documents mentioning Donald Trump were improperly withheld from public release, among them three witness interviews related to a woman who told agents that Jeffrey Epstein repeatedly abused her starting when she was approximately 13 years old. She also accused Trump of sexually assaulting her. The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee wants to know why the documents were omitted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): The documents related to her testimony with the FBI are not there. It's our question to the to the FBI and the DOJ is, why aren't the documents there? Why have they been removed? And Congress under the Transparency Act and the subpoena have a right to see them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: President Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with Jeffrey Epstein and the White House Calls the allegations false and sensationalist.

Hillary Clinton will testify in the day ahead before the House Oversight Committee investigating Jeffrey Epstein that will be followed Friday by testimony from her husband, former President Bill Clinton. Committee Chair James Comer says no one is accusing the Clintons of any wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reports that Bill Gates has apologized to his foundation staff during a town hall over his own ties to Epstein, Gates reportedly admitted he had two extra marital affairs that Epstein later discovered, but that they did not involve any of Epstein's victims.

Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers is retiring from his professorship at Harvard University, as he faces backlash over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

In a statement, some has said it was a difficult decision and that he is grateful to the students and colleagues he worked with. The former Harvard president has said he is deeply ashamed about about his relationship with Epstein.

[02:15:14]

Well, China is hosting yet another Western leader this week, this time it's German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who's looking to reset trade relations. We'll have a live report after the break.

And later, the largest coral colony ever seen is discovered on the Great Barrier Reef. I will speak with the mother daughter duo who stumbled upon the natural wonder. Don't miss it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [02:20:05]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz began the second day of his trip to China with a tour of the Forbidden City in Beijing. The chancellor has called for partnership and dialog with China aimed at resetting trade relations.

So, let's bring in CNN's Kristie Lu Stout who joins us live from Hong Kong. Great to see you, Kristie. So, this is Merz's first visit to China as Chancellor. What is he seeking from Xi Jinping?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: Rosemary, it's interesting. This was a long-awaited visit. After nearly what 10 months in office, the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is finally visiting China, the country that has recently overtaken the United States to become Germany's largest trading partner.

On Wednesday, Merz met with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping. And also told Xi Jinping how he wanted to, "Deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership." He also said that China had pledged to order 120 new aircraft from the European giant Airbus.

Look, trade is at the very top of the agenda. Here, joining Merz is a large business delegation executives from German companies ranging from BMW to Volkswagen, they're visiting Beijing, as well as the Chinese high tech hub of Hangzhou, where they're going to be seeing the unitary humanoid robots there.

But not everyone believes that China is the land of opportunity. You know, Germany's trade deficit with China has soared. In fact, it reached $106 billion last year, and a number of German business executives have accused China of unfair trade practices like massive subsidies and over capacity.

I want to share with you this statement a position paper on China that was released before Merz's visit to China. This was released by the Asia Pacific committee on German business, and they write this quote, let's bring it up for you. "Chinese competition, systemic risks, dependencies and distortions of competition have intensified significantly and become a key challenge for prosperity and security in Europe."

However, a statement that was it was a readout that was released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in China shortly after the medicine Xi meeting on Wednesday, had a much more optimistic tone, focusing on the strategic relationship being developed here. And this is what the readout said. "The greater changes and turbulence that the world faces, the more important is for our two countries to enhance strategic communication, strengthen strategic mutual trust, and work for new progress in China, Germany, all around, strategic partnership."

Look, China wants to present itself as a reliable partner, especially now when you have Germany and all of Europe navigating and struggling with just trying to deal with this very rocky relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, Rosemary. CHURCH: And Kristie, it's not just Merz, a full slate of Western leaders who have been visiting China. Why is that? Is this a hedge against the United States?

STOUT: Yes, we've been reporting on this in recent months. We have the big visit by the largest economy in Europe, the leader, Chancellor Merz in Beijing and in Hangzhou today. But just last month, you had the leaders of Canada, of Finland, of the U.K., these are all Western allies of the United States visiting China. And then December, you had Emmanuel Macron, the French leader, there as well.

So, why is this happening? Well, a lot of it has to do with how the United States has changed under U.S. President Donald Trump, how he continues to push ahead, especially with his tariffs, despite that recent Supreme Court ruling and a number of these Western leaders say that they are praising the relationship with China at this time because it's good for stability and their own national security, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right, our thanks to Kristie Lu Stout joining us live with that report from Hong Kong. Appreciate it.

A.I. firm Anthropic is rolling back its core safety principles in response to competition. And the change comes as Anthropic is in the middle of a dispute with the Pentagon over red lines in its A.I.

CNN's Clare Duffy has more now from New York, right?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: A source familiar with the matter is now telling CNN that this move by Anthropic to change its core safety principles is unrelated to its ongoing discussions with the Defense Department.

But of course, the timing here is really interesting. It was Tuesday that Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei met with defense secretary Pete Hegseth. Pete Hegseth has given the company a 5:00 p.m. Friday deadline to acquiesce to the Defense Department's demands, which are essentially that Anthropic shouldn't put limits on how the Defense Department can use its technology.

Anthropic, meanwhile, does not want the department to be using its A.I. models for automated weaponry or for mass surveillance of U.S. citizens, and we have no indication that Anthropic plans to back down on that red line, but the company did this morning, scale back its core safety principles. About three years ago, the company committed to pausing development of its A.I. models if it worried that there was a risk that it couldn't control or control the safety of those models, the company now doing away with that commitment.

[02:25:14]

And it explained this by saying that it had hoped that policy would encourage other A.I. model makers to take a similar approach. It wanted to create a race to the top, rather than a race to the bottom for this development of this technology. But that is not what's played out here. And Anthropic said it believes it's actually safer for it to continue moving forward with development in light of the fact that other model makers are surging forward with their development.

Now, I do think that this fight with the defense department puts in really stark relief what the stakes are here. You know, you've got a company saying we're not going to pause development of our technology, even if we have safety concerns.

Meanwhile, the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has threatened to use the defense production act to require Anthropic to hand over its technology and essentially let the Defense Department use it however it wants.

And so, you see how we could end up in a really, potentially dangerous place if the companies are moving forward with this development of their technology, and then a government, the U.S. or otherwise, forces them to hand over that technology and let go of control over how it's used.

Now, we should say that Anthropic is certainly not moving away from safety. The company framed this as a progression of its safety policies. It talked about how it's going to continue to have testing and benchmarking and transparency measures in place.

But certainly, I think we'll look back on this moment and this conflict with the DOD as something that is very consequential in the development of this technology, and we'll be watching closely as the company figures out how to respond ahead of that 5:00 p.m. Friday, deadline. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Michael Horowitz is a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense. He spoke with CNN about Anthropic decision to roll back what was once its flagship safety values. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL HOROWITZ, FORMER U.S. DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR FORCE DEVELOPMENT AND EMERGING CAPABILITIES: If you compare where Anthropic was a couple of years ago, when they were thinking about first getting involved in the Pentagon, to where Anthropic is now, you see growing interest in engaging more deeply with the national security community, with the Pentagon. Because Anthropic believes that their technology is essential for American national security. That's why they were the first company in the door, frankly, when it came to operating in a classified environment of the various AI z giants.

And I think these changing -- the changing safety guidelines in some ways are a reflection of Anthropic's understanding of the way that AI technology is changing rather than that specifically being a result of the ongoing debate with the Pentagon.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: Our thanks to Michael Horowitz for his perspective there. Well, meanwhile, tech giant Nvidia beat expectations again in its quarterly results. The chip maker reported $68.13 billion in revenue, nearly two billion higher than expected. Earnings per share also came in above analyst expectations.

The company, at the backbone of the A.I. industry, also reporting record quarterly and full year revenues. It's raising guidance for the current quarter as well. The report comes at a critical time for tech investors. Tech giants like Meta and Amazon are planning to spend billions this year on their A.I. expansions, even as investors in other key industries are fearful over the potentially disruptive force of A.I.

Next on CNN NEWSROOM, a mother and daughter discover the largest known coral colony in the world. I. We'll speak with both of them about being part of this historic time back with that in just a moment.

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[02:33:37]

CHURCH: Two citizen scientists have discovered the world's largest known coral colony off Australia's coast. This mother and daughter duo stumbled upon the colony late last year. They were working as part of the Great Reef Census, collecting images to help scientists better direct their conservation efforts.

Data collected by the team was used to create a model of the massive colony. It will allow experts to track how the coral changes over time. The discovery comes at a critical time for coral, especially in the Great Barrier Reef. More than 80 percent of the ocean's reefs have suffered the effects of bleaching due to high marine temperatures.

And joining me now are the women responsible for that incredible discovery. Sophie-Kalkowski Pope is Marine Operations Coordinator at Citizens of the Reef and Jan Pope is a conservationist and photographer. Welcome to you both and congratulations on discovering the world's largest-known coral colony on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Well done.

SOPHIE-KALKOWSKI POPE, MARINE OPERATIONS COORDINATOR, CITIZENS OF THE REEF: Thank you so much for having us.

JAN POPE, CONSERVATIONIST & PHOTOGRAPHER: Thank you.

S. POPE: It's an exciting time.

CHURCH: Very -- incredible. Sophie, let's start with you. It is an extraordinary find. So, how did it feel when you realized what you had discovered and the significance of what this means?

[02:35:00]

So what was that moment when you realized that? S. POPE: Yeah, absolutely. It's been a journey. There's been a lot of different steps involved. But I knew from the moment that I hopped in at this reef that we were witnessing something truly extraordinary. And, you know, full credit to my wonderful mum. She actually was out there at this site about a week earlier because we'd been exploring through the Great Reef Census.

And she had discovered something unusual. She said, look, you've got to come have a look at this. I think there's something really unusual here. And as soon as we were both in the water together, we knew that we'd discovered something really, really significant. I'm sure mum can speak to that more.

CHURCH: Yeah, absolutely. And of course, as we're talking, as you were talking, we're looking at this incredible video. And Jan, you took that, didn't you? So, how big is this coral structure? And why do you think it hasn't been found before? I mean, the water is so incredibly clear, isn't it?

S. POPE: Yeah, absolutely. So --

(CROSSTALK)

J. POPE: It's possible that people have -- oops.

CHURCH: Jan, yeah.

S. POPE: You go.

J. POPE: It's possible that it has been seen before. But you have to have a certain amount of knowledge to understand what you're looking at. Both Sophie and I have dived in tropical areas around the globe. And we've both been involved in surveying reefs in the past. So, we have to bring that knowledge to the table in this moment.

I'm always taking photos. Of course, I videoed what I saw the very first time. And when I sent the images to my daughter, she just said, wow, wow, this is really amazing. And I had never seen anything like that before. So, I was pretty excited about this discovery.

CHURCH: Yeah, I mean, the size is just extraordinary. And Sophie, what happens --

S. POPE: Yes.

CHURCH: -- next in terms of studying this coral structure? And perhaps more importantly, protecting it? Because, of course, as we mentioned, the Great Barrier Reef has suffered damage in recent years from mass bleaching events, as well as from vessels and pollutants.

S. POPE: Absolutely. Some really important questions in there. So jumping back to those dimensions quickly, it's 111 meters long, and at its base, it's 60 meters wide. The perimeter is over 400 meters. You know, it's this absolutely extraordinary place.

In terms of the next steps for protection, one of the reasons that we haven't shared the specific location is because that information has been passed on to the Reef Authority here in Queensland. And it's under their jurisdiction to manage and support the stewardship of that site moving forward.

In terms of the next steps for research, though, we would absolutely love to go and do some genetic studies on this coral, maybe figure out how old it is. Is it 100 years old? Is it 1,000 years old? So we would, obviously, this is quite a costly and involved process. And we would really welcome any organization or research group that wants to support with those next steps. It's a very exciting time to be involved.

CHURCH: And Jan, your video of this is just amazing. It's almost like another planet that we're looking at. And as Sophie mentioned --

J. POPE: Yeah.

CHURCH: -- the location is not being made public, and that's to ensure the coral structure's protection. Do you worry, though, about what might happen if more people realize where this is located?

J. POPE: Yes, of course. And just to go back to the filming, there is some of my video in there, but also the main video is taken by Biopixel. So just to correct you on that one. I do have a lot of my own personal video as well.

Of course, we want to ensure that this place is protected because we all know that things can become loved to death. It's a very significant reef because of its survived many bleachings. It's in a high current area. So this is important as a source reef for allowing other parts of the reef to recover from bleaching or other weather events.

So yeah, it's something that I'm sure -- it's not an easy site to dive. So I suppose that's going to make it difficult for people to get there in the first place.

CHURCH: Right. And Sophie, as we look at these incredible pictures, because you and your mother found this, you discovered this, do you get to lead the team going forward to ensure that the study gets done properly and that this does get protected?

[02:40:00]

S. POPE: Obviously, we'd love to be involved.

(LAUGH)

S. POPE: Of course, there is going to be people that have more expertise in certain areas than myself. So I think, just in this process in general, we had a great team supporting us. Citizens of the Reef, Biopixel Oceans Foundation, the QUT Center for Robotics, all of these people had to come together to make this happen. And I think it'll be a really collaborative project in future as well, I hope.

And I think this just really shows the power of citizen science and when people care, when people can get out in the water, when people can contribute using A.I. and online analysis. We're launching our analysis campaign in April this year. So you from anywhere in the world could hop online and help analyze photos of the Great Barrier Reef and maybe even in future, the other areas that we're expanding to in the Coral Triangle and in the Red Sea.

So it's a really great people power story. And it's really what the reef needs these days with some of the big pressures that the reef is facing.

CHURCH: It really is. And it's really marvelous, as an Australian myself, to be able to have you come on and tell this really happy story about the Great Barrier Reef, because unfortunately, we have to report so many times negative stories. But the colors in the video, the fish, the coral, just extraordinary. Thank you so much, Sophie- Kalkowski Pope and Jan Pope, for talking with us. And congratulations again for your incredible discovery. Thank you.

S. POPE: Thank you so much for having us.

CHURCH: Absolutely. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:46:19]

CHURCH: Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi is in Israel for a two- day visit. He and his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, are attending a ceremony at Israel's Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. They describe themselves as friends.

Modi was the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel in 2017. During the visit, Modi and Netanyahu are expected to discuss artificial intelligence and defense. The trip comes as the U.S. builds up naval forces near Iran. It has raised fears of wider conflict in the region, where millions of Indian nationals live and work.

Nigeria has the largest publishing market in Africa, with an estimated annual value of more than $200 million. With a wealth of prize-winning authors, it's still a challenge getting local books into the public's hands. This week's Africa Insider shows us how independent publishers are changing the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KHADIJA GEORGE SESAY, WRITER AND PUBLISHER (voice-over): Before, the only books that you would find in Africa that were being published were maybe textbooks and things like that, books for schools. But now, publishers are more bold and they are publishing literary works.

OTHUKE OMINIABOHS, FOUNDER, MASOBE BOOKS: There's some sort of renaissance going on in terms of writing currently in Nigeria, probably in Africa, but mostly in Nigeria. Eighty percent of our submissions come from Nigerian writers, and that means there is a lot they want to see. We're privileged to get these voices out there. Masobe Books was founded in 2018, but we didn't publish our first novel until 2020. And for bookstore sales, we've done over 170,000 books. Romance has topped the charts from our inception. We have 15 titles that dominated the sales by over 50 percent over all the other books.

To succeed, we need to have partners in terms of bookstores. We have brands like Roving Heights. As they grow, it also means we're growing as well, because for every outlet they open, we have our books stocked there and accessibility to these books increases.

GEORGE SESAY: There are a lot of different ways now for African writers to be published. Literary magazines are now becoming stronger, because as well, you can have those online too, not just in print, so they will be online. And they are being used really well in terms of also getting African writers' names out there.

AINEHI EDORO, FOUNDER & EDITOR, BRITTLE PAPER: Brittle Paper is a news platform, a literary news platform, but we also publish original fiction, poetry, essays. Where you really see growth is in the debut writers, the new writers that you are getting, the influx of new voices.

Nigerians just have this kind of way of driving culture and driving innovation. Nigerians are the most published Africans in the U.S. and the U.K. And what that means is that it trickles back home. Their influence actually affects the success of Nigerian publishing in Nigeria because, one, it just creates a space for Nigerian books. This, I think, has been really good for the Nigerian literary space.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The housing market in New York looks very different depending on the buyer's budget.

[02:50:00]

Still to come, a view of the New York real estate market from Billionaires' Row.

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CHURCH: Two vehicles unexpectedly fell into a sinkhole in Nebraska, unbelievable footage there. The roadway collapsed Wednesday, taking the commuters by surprise. Omaha police say bystanders saw the incident and jumped in to help the drivers out of the cars. They also directed traffic and kept other cars away from the sinkhole. First responders eventually made it to the scene. Authorities say no one was hurt.

Well, a small but mighty discovery was found in Argentina. Researchers have uncovered a fossil of one of the world's smallest known dinosaurs. It was found in Argentina's Patagonia region. The fossil, nicknamed 'Alna,' is about the size of a crow. She was a four-year-old female that lived in the desert. Her body was likely covered by a sand dune when she died, which accounts for the exceptional preservation. Alna was distantly related to birds. Researchers believe she probably hunted lizards, snakes, mammals and invertebrates.

Well, finding an affordable place to live in America's most populous metropolis is not easy. High mortgage rates are keeping many potential buyers out of the New York real estate market. At the same time, some ultra-high-end properties are being sold before they've even listed. CNN's Paula Newton has this report.

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PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It stands like a trophy, exquisitely perched.

MICHELLE GRIFFITH, REAL ESTATE AGENT, DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE: It is a seamless, elevated experience.

NEWTON (voice-over): 53 West 53rd in the heart of Manhattan's Billionaires' Row sweeps you in, if not off your feet, definitely to new heights.

GRIFFITH: There isn't your traditional concierge desk. It almost feels like you are entering part of your living space. The double- height ceiling, the floor-to-ceiling windows, the views are exceptional.

NEWTON (voice-over): And yes, as you already guessed, so is the price. This unit listed for just over $20 million. We're here for the eye candy, of course, the views, the opulence.

NEWTON: Oh, wow.

GRIFFITH: I know.

NEWTON: It is really a pretty oasis here. You just kind of sink into the views and --

GRIFFITH: I know. It somehow feels calming.

NEWTON: Yes. It really is.

GRIFFITH: Right? Very Zen.

NEWTON (voice-over): And we're getting a look, too, at the state of New York real estate.

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GRIFFITH: Many of these trophy properties are all going into contract prior to ever hitting the market, and we're talking $7,000+ plus on a price per square foot basis.

NEWTON (voice-over): Michelle Griffith is talking up to $7,000 a square foot. NEWTON: You've been at this for 15 years. What has surprised you about where the market is today?

GRIFFITH: The resiliency of the market is what surprises me every time. Taking the pandemic into consideration, a lot of uncertainty, a lot of, you know, cautious buyers. But the way that market turned so quickly post-COVID, I find that to be one of the most surprising things.

NEWTON (voice-over): At this end of the market, the sky-high end, demand is actually outstripping supply. But property starting at about $1 million, yes, that's what a modest apartment costs in New York.

GRIFFITH: Rates. That market is really waiting for rates to come down.

NEWTON (voice-over): Mortgage rates have stayed stubbornly high for too long.

MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI, (D) NEW YORK: Good afternoon.

NEWTON (voice-over): And then there's New York's new mayor, threatening a 9.5 percent hike on property taxes to wrestle a runaway city budget.

GRIFFITH: I received a lot of text messages on that, Paula.

Tale of two ends. So the higher end of the market, they're not necessarily talking about that. But will that affect first-time buyers and other people that are just considering dipping their toes into the market? Absolutely.

NEWTON (voice-over): But not the toes dipping into these waters.

GRIFFITH: This is probably one of our most requested amenities in Manhattan.

NEWTON: This must really drop some jaws when you bring them in here.

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GRIFFITH: Absolutely. This is a complete oasis starting, Paula, with the living green wall, which is on either side of your 65-foot lap pool, floor-to-ceiling windows.

NEWTON (voice-over): In the competition between ultra-luxury buildings, wellness is a key distinguishing feature -- the pool, the gym, the whole concept of a curated health conscious life in the heart of a city. The exodus from New York post pandemic was real, but so is its comeback.

GRIFFITH: The diversification of New York, whether it's finance, tech, fashion, media, couple that with the culture and the energy of New York City, it is bringing so many buyers back to New York.

NEWTON (voice-over): At this price tag, maybe not everyone all at once, but if mortgage rates edge down, there are plenty of renters ready to be minted as new New York City homeowners.

Paul Newton, CNN, New York.

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CHURCH: Amazing. Thank you so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I will be back with more "CNN Newsroom" after a short break. Stay with us.

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