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Biden's Historic Visit to Ireland; Alexei Navalny's Health Deteriorating; Planned Cuts to Colorado River Water Usage; Elon Musk Cut 80 Percent of Twitter Staff. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired April 12, 2023 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I'm Eleni Giokos live from Dubai and this is CONNECT THE WORLD.
Coming up this hour, Biden calls for parties to keep the peace in Northern Ireland.
Ukraine opens a war crimes investigation over reported beheading videos.
CNN takes you inside Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem.
And later, why Manchester City's win over Bayern is being hailed as a major moment.
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GIOKOS: The U.S. President is celebrating a milestone anniversary of a landmark peace deal. But amid all the handshakes and smiles, some have
noted that Joe Biden's time in Northern Ireland feels a bit brief after a short meeting with British prime minister Rishi Sunak in Belfast.
Mr. Biden gave a speech, marking a quarter century of the Good Friday agreement, which ended a violent era known as The Troubles. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thousands of families have been affected by The Troubles. Losses are real. The pain was personal -- I
need not tell many people in this audience. Every person killed in The Troubles left an empty chair at that dining room table and a hole in the
heart that was never filled for the ones they lost.
Peace was not inevitable. We can't ever forget that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Mr. Biden is set to land shortly in Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland, for the second leg of his trip, a visit that's seen as
part politics and part pilgrimage. Earlier, I spoke to Ireland's former prime minister and current foreign affairs minister about the significance
of the visit.
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MICHEAL MARTIN, FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER AND FORMER TAOISEACH, REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: I believe it's very significant at this juncture, particularly as
we have had the resolution of the protocol issue in terms of the United Kingdom government and the European Union, something which we in Ireland
are very pleased about.
And also the need now for the restoration of the Good Friday institutions, the fact that we are remembering 25 years of peace in Ireland, on the
island of Ireland, as a result of the Good Friday agreement.
And in many ways, it's quite symbolic in that President Biden's family in County Louth, which is a border county, in many ways symbolizes much of the
dividend that has emerged from the Good Friday agreement.
I mean, his great-great-grandfather, Owen Finnegan, would have come from the Cooley Peninsula, which is really straddling the border between
Northern Ireland and the Republic.
And much of the good work of the International Fund for Ireland, which has been funded by the United States along with other governments, has been to
develop reconciliation along the border and between different traditions and different communities.
So President Biden's ancestral heritage, if you like, is right in the middle of the reconciliation process and the reconciliation agenda that has
been at the heart of the Good Friday agreement.
So I think his presence this week is --
(CROSSTALK)
GIOKOS: -- historical time --
MARTIN: -- from that.
(CROSSTALK)
GIOKOS: And you were part of the Irish government when the Good Friday agreement was signed 25 years ago. We know -- I mean, as you describe now,
it brought about peace.
But we've seen as of late, as we've seen the last few days, tensions are high. Brexit, of course, has complicated things. Now the question becomes,
if you're worried about the survival of the agreement in its current format.
MARTIN: I think the fact that the British government and the European Union has been able to arrive at an agreement, that will enable us to
manage the challenges and implications of Brexit, is important.
Although you are correct; the final chapter on that has to be written in respect of the restoration of the power sharing institutions to give an
assembly, to give a government to Northern Ireland. And that work is still underway.
Space has been given to the Democratic Unionist Party in particular to assess that agreement, in terms of the implications from their perspective.
[10:05:00]
MARTIN: But again, I believe that it is important that those institutions are restored for the people of Northern Ireland so that the basic issues of
the day, from health to education to housing, are debated by the people's representatives in parliament as determined by the recent assembly
elections.
GIOKOS: I want you to take a listen to what President Biden said before he left on his trip to Ireland and what his main goals are. Listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: What's your top priority on this trip, sir?
BIDEN: Make sure the Irish accords and the Windsor agreement stay in place. Keep the peace. That's the main thing. And it looks like we're going
to -- keep your fingers crossed.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: -- your family coming with you for the trip?
BIDEN: Just two of my family members hadn't been there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: I want to, you know, jump right into the Windsor framework, being, of course, a recently negotiated Brexit deal. And you've said this.
"The E.U. and the U.K. are natural partners in addressing the global challenges we face. Whether supporting Ukraine or addressing climate
change, it is in Ireland's interest that the E.U. and the U.K. have a positive, forward-looking relationship."
Are you satisfied that this deal means the E.U. and the U.K. can now move on from Brexit?
Because that seems to be the sticking point.
MARTIN: I am indeed. And I think -- you know, I've been a part of this now for quite some time and particularly, as taoiseach over the last 2.5 years
before the changeover and now as foreign minister, I'm very conscious of the broader geopolitical environment in which we all operate.
The war on Ukraine, the energy crisis, hybrid warfare, the climate challenge: that requires countries, who adhere to the rules-based
international order, to be in sync together, to be aligned -- the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and other like-minded
states.
And as foreign minister, I'm particularly focused on that and I think the Windsor agreement does give that opportunity for that alignment and for
that constructive relationship between, in particular, the United Kingdom and the European Union.
And I believe British prime minister Rishi Sunak is very keen on this, is very committed to this, with the European Union, with Ursula van der Leyen,
the president of the commission.
Indeed, Vice President Sefcovic, who did a lot of good work in reaching out to the business and industry and political parties in Northern Ireland, to
get a stronger understanding and sensitivities of the issues around the trading relationship.
And we would have worked with Vice President Sefcovic in relation to that. And I'm satisfied that a lot of the issues that unionism raised, for
example, in respect of the operation of the protocol and of Brexit have now been addressed by the Windsor agreement.
GIOKOS: A recent poll showing that support for Sinn Fein is surging in the Republic of Ireland. It's clearly the largest party.
The two questions here, is it party -- is it possible that your party would go into government with them?
And do you have worries about a Sinn Fein government?
MARTIN: Well, there are a number of points. First of all in the current situation, my party happens to be the largest political party in the
parliament. And opinion polls are not general elections. And I never have ever accepted that basic idea, that opinion polls are. But that's it.
Thirdly, in terms of Sinn Fein's policies, they're not, in my view, ones that I can reconcile with in respect of the economy and enterprise, for
example, because they have an empty enterprise approach.
They have been anti European Union for a long, long time. And thirdly, I do believe in respect of the past, in respect of Northern Ireland did, they do
need to address the legacy issues and to give proper closure to the families of victims of IRA violence in the past.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: All right, CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson has been covering the Northern Ireland story for three decades. He's with us
now from Belfast.
I know that you listened to Micheal Martin speaking there. I guess one of the most interesting things is whether he would get into government with
Sinn Fein. He was brushing off the poll, saying, look, these are not general elections.
But that is going to be an interesting one to look out for. The other fascinating thing, saying the final chapter still needs to be written in
terms of what Brexit is going to mean and look like for institutions in Northern Ireland -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, it was interesting that he said that political space had been given to the
Democratic Unionist Party, essentially giving them time, because they've really taken a long time to come up with an answer on what they're going to
do about the Windsor framework.
And this is a diplomatic pause, really recognizing that there are local elections coming up.
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ROBERTSON: And that the Democratic Unionist Party finds itself in a difficult position if they say that they signed up to the Windsor
framework. There will be some of their supporters that feel that they have been sold out, that they're now going to be less British.
The party is unlikely to do that ahead of the election. So I think that's the political space that he is talking about there. Micheal Martin,
certainly, now as foreign minister, was the taoiseach, was the prime minister before, has to deal with international partners.
And it was interesting that he was talking about that alignment, whether it's climate, whether it's Ukraine, whatever it is. But it's important to
have that alignment in his assessment that Rishi Sunak really wants to be part of that alignment, along with the E.U. on all these global issues.
So I think, you know, outside of the context, the micro context, you might say, of the politics here in Northern Ireland, the consensus between
Ireland and the U.K., Dublin and Westminster, is right now in a relatively good place.
And, of course, the Downing Street declaration that gave way back in 1993 to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 was, at -- in its time, a symbol of
that goodwill between the two countries.
So the context has been created for a decision to be taken. And that gets to his point. It's so important to get the power sharing assembly back up
and running. Everyone really is waiting for the DUP right now.
GIOKOS: Nic, what do you make of the comments from Jeffrey Donaldson, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland, saying Biden's
speech, quote, "doesn't change the political dynamic."
ROBERTSON: I think this is what most people were expecting. President Biden came into his speech, understanding the sensitivities, that within
that Unionist community, the one that Jeffrey Donaldson represents, the biggest party, the Democratic Unionist Party, there's a perception that
President Biden is too much pro the other community, pro Irish, pro nationalist, pro a united Ireland, something that's an anathema to the DUP.
President Biden, in his speech, tried to lay that to rest a little, talking about his English roots, going back to a relative, Captain George Biden, he
said, who was born in either 1828 or 1842. The president wasn't quite sure.
So I think he tried to play down or play up, if you will, his English roots to say that he is not being partisan. So what we've heard from Jeffrey
Donaldson is not a surprise. I think that he didn't want to be pressured by the president.
The president didn't pressure him, chose some sensitive diplomatic language. And Jeffrey Donaldson also seemed to recognize that when he said,
look, I agree with President Biden that the economy is important here. But I see it through a slightly different light, in essence is what Jeffrey
Donaldson said.
I see the importance of the economy. And simple trade between Northern Ireland and mainland U.K., the way that it used to be, the way it was
before the Northern Ireland protocols, Brexit and the Windsor framework.
Of course, Donaldson's party was the main party here that voted for Brexit and the majority of people in Northern Ireland didn't vote for Brexit. So
there's a lot of political pressure and focus on Donaldson right now.
But his immediate answer to Biden, what you've said doesn't shift me, doesn't shift my party at all, the local elections in a few weeks, early
May, the dynamic may shift for Donaldson, may shift then.
GIOKOS: Yes, absolutely. And I guess you're the right person to ask in terms of the mood on the ground in Belfast with this Biden trip. And I
guess with a lot of the conversations, you know, becoming a lot stronger, we've seen issues playing out, tensions very visible.
What are you seeing?
ROBERTSON: It's fascinating when you get somebody --
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GIOKOS: -- live in Dublin. President Biden -- one second. Yes, we've just seen Air Force One arrive in Dublin. This was after a very short trip to
Northern Ireland in Belfast where Nic is at and, of course, we will be monitoring President Joe Biden's arrival in Dublin.
Nic, please go ahead.
ROBERTSON: No, I was just saying, look, it's very big when President Biden or any U.S. President comes here. It does, you know, even when he's being
diplomatic and sensitive, the very fact that he is here, it brings in a lot of media attention.
It brings in a lot of outside media attention and it stimulates not just the media being here, of course, but the other politicians focusing here.
It stimulates conversations that are sometimes here not had.
We've talked to various people, youngsters, the peace babies born after the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement.
And some of them say, look, we need to talk about our identity. The issue here has always been of identity politics, a sort of tribalism.
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ROBERTSON: You're either pro British or pro Irish. We need to have those conversations, the younger generation says. So when you get the president
coming here, it generates more conversation in that area around the issues that some in the younger generation -- it was interesting -- President
Biden at the university today chose to speak about the potential of the younger generation here.
That idea, that there is a need to speak about identity and the future identity of Northern Ireland within Ireland as a whole and within the
United Kingdom, these are the issues that bringing a United States president into Ireland generates, that the conversations that are
generated.
So just in that way, that pushes conversations that wouldn't otherwise perhaps have happened. And it's those conversations that begin to generate
and be the ground for change.
GIOKOS: Nic Robertson, thank you very much for those insights.
We are looking at live pictures of Air Force One arriving in Dublin. President Joe Biden visiting Northern Ireland a short while ago and now in
Dublin to continue his state visit.
All right. Well, Ireland's nationalist Republican Party, Sinn Fein, is likely to take power in the next election. And the next hour I'll be
speaking to the leader of Sinn Fein, Mary Lou McDonald, about the future of Northern Ireland. Stay tuned for that.
We move to Ukraine and the growing outrage over gruesome videos posted on social media this past week. One is said to show the headless bodies of two
Ukrainian soldiers. Another purportedly shows a Russian fighter cutting off a Ukrainian soldier's head with a knife. Kyiv has opened up a war crimes
investigation.
And the Kremlin responded by questioning if that video is authentic. CNN's Ben Wedeman is in Eastern Ukraine for us.
Ben, great to have you on.
What can you tell us about these videos?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, Eleni, we should warn our viewers that some of the details with --
regarding these videos are fairly graphic and grim. There are two videos.
One of them, which appears to have been shot fairly recently and purportedly in the area of the city of Bakhmut, was posted on pro Russian
social media channels. That video shows the beheaded bodies of two Ukrainian soldiers on the ground next to a destroyed military vehicle.
Also it appears that their hands have also been cut off. Now in that first video, you can hear a voice off camera saying, "They killed them. Someone
came up to them. They came up to them and cut their heads off."
Now the second video appears to have been shot in a different season, perhaps in the summer. And of course, in both -- the case of both videos.
CNN cannot verify the location where these occurred.
But what you see in the second video -- and it's somewhat blurred -- but there is a Ukrainian soldier and somebody, a Russian soldier, we believe,
takes a knife and cuts off his head.
Now, from the sound of the video, it appears that the Ukrainian soldier was alive when he was being beheaded. Now reaction, obviously, has been one of
horror and anger at this.
We heard the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying, "How easily these beasts kill."
Now the Ukrainian human rights commissioner says they're going to be investigating. this. This is obviously not the first incident of this kind.
There have been other incidents, where the dead or prisoners have been executed on camera.
Now the Kremlin has denied, has said, basically -- we've heard from Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Kremlin -- has said that the video is
terrible but they cannot verify that are -- its very -- its authenticity should be verified.
GIOKOS: Yes. Yes, Ben, horrific story there. Thank you very much.
Well, let's connect you now to developments from Russia, where parliament has voted in favor of electronic military callup papers. That means it
would be harder for Russians to avoid being called for military service.
The law would also ban those liable to serve from traveling abroad. Russian officials are denying suggestions the bill is paving the way for a new wave
of mobilization.
And in new concerns, the health of jailed Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, appears to be getting markedly worse. In a Twitter post Tuesday, a
spokesperson said Navalny has had severe stomach issues and has lost eight kilograms or about 17 pounds over the past two weeks.
According to that tweet, Navalny is not receiving any treatment in prison.
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GIOKOS: Journalist Christo Grozev spoke to us a little earlier about the worries about Navalny's welfare.
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CHRISTO GROZEV, JOURNALIST: We cannot exclude that there is motivation for that. I mean, we know that Navalny was definitely poisoned with Novichok by
none other than the state of Russia.
We know that he went back to Russia against the wishes of Putin, because Putin really wanted him out. He made everything possible to prevent his
return. And of course, now from within jail, Navalny continues to essentially ridicule Putin and the war effort by being a very vocal
opponent of the war.
So of course, there is the motivation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: And this just in to CNN: Buckingham Palace says Prince Harry will attend the coronation of his father, King Charles III. Harry's wife,
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will remain in the U.S. with the couple's two children.
The palace confirming the Duke of Sussex will be in Westminster Abbey on May the 6th for his father's big day, despite family fallout over Harry's
memoir, "Spare," and the couple's Netflix documentary.
Coming up several hundred more migrants are spotted in boats in the Mediterranean that need immediate help. We're live in Rome as Italy faces
controversy over how it is handling the crisis.
And --
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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is where the friction is. This is where the controversy lies.
GIOKOS (voice-over): The Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem is supposed to be a place of peace and prayer. But at times in the past week, it has been a
battleground. We will show you.
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GIOKOS: Welcome back.
U.S. President Biden has just touched down in Dublin, Ireland, after visiting Northern Ireland, where he met with British prime minister Rishi
Sunak in Belfast. He is there to commemorate the 25 year anniversary of the Good Friday agreement.
His main goal, he says, is to focus on keeping in place the Irish and Windsor agreements and also big focus on the economy, he says more so than
the sort of the fragile sense of peace that might be playing out on the ground.
This is a historic visit, of course. This is a peace deal that was brokered partly by the United States 25 years ago and President Joe Biden in Ireland
to meet with leadership. And, of course, he says, to also visit family, focusing on his part Irish heritage, which, of course, is creating quite a
bit of excitement on the ground.
We've been covering the story for you to look at the political dynamics, the economic dynamics playing out in Northern Ireland and the Republic of
Ireland and how Brexit, in a sense, has complicated the issues surrounding --
[10:25:00]
GIOKOS: -- what we've been seeing specifically in Northern Ireland and the institutions. We are waiting -- we are waiting for President Biden to exit
Air Force One that touched down in Dublin. He's the eighth U.S. president to visit Ireland.
This is a tradition that started with John F. Kennedy. And continuing -- and, of course, important ties here since the U.S. was instrumental in
brokering the Good Friday agreement in 1998, 25 years on.
His team waiting; a very brief visit to Northern Ireland earlier, an important meeting, of course, with British prime minister Rishi Sunak
there, talking about economic ties and, of course, where to from here in terms of Brexit and the Windsor and Irish agreements.
President Joe Biden is expected to take a short visit to the Republic of Ireland, will be meeting with a few diplomats and leadership, of course.
And also on the agenda, to meet with family that is there.
This is expected to be a brief visit. Of course, we've -- we also saw him spending a little bit of time in Belfast. Many people questioning, you
know, around the timing, on how much time he spend in Belfast versus what he'll be doing in Dublin.
But these are very important conversations he will be having. We're still waiting for him to exit Air Force One. We will be continuing to monitor
these live images that we're getting through, coming from Dublin at this hour.
All right. Let's move on. A rescue operation is urgently needed after two more boats, carrying around 400 people each, was spotted in waters near
Malta. That's according to Sea Watch International, which runs search and rescue operations in the central Mediterranean.
On Tuesday, Italy declared state of emergency to handle the latest influx of migrants; so far this year more than 31,000 migrants have arrived in
Italy. Barbie Nadeau joins us now live from Rome.
These images, of course, creating a lot of concern in terms of the fate of these migrants, the safety. Give me a sense of how authorities are dealing
with this.
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, the state of emergency that was declared by the Italian government yesterday really is a
complicated affair, because it gives the government more power. It involves the civil protection authorities.
Now that would be something that would happen in a sort of earthquake or a natural disaster. And we've heard from some human rights groups, including
Amnesty International Italy, which said today that they thought it was dangerous to equate migrants with an emergency, that that sends a message
to the population.
Yet we do have an emergency here in Italy on the ground. There is just a real sense of panic, as these boats continue to come about, with it -- that
it had at one time 800 people on it, has just arrived in Catania. About 100 of those people were offloaded during a very treacherous journey in high
seas.
There's another boat that's arriving in Calabria in the coming hours. And then these two other boats that have been spotted. No emergency operation
has been, as far as we know, launched to save those people.
But this is about four times the number of people that usually arrive by this time this year. You know, April-May, this is when the weather starts
to get nice. This is when actually you start to see numbers increase.
Everybody's a little bit concerned about what's going to happen here on the ground in Italy -- Eleni.
GIOKOS: All right, Barbie Nadeau, thank you very much.
We have live images now of President Joe Biden in Dublin. He has just arrived for his visit to the Republic of Ireland. And there we go. He's
meeting with various leadership there.
He says that his big focus is going to be making sure that the Irish accord and Windsor agreements stay in place and talking mostly about economic
prosperity. Despite the issues that we're seeing playing out in terms of the complexity that --
[10:30:00]
GIOKOS: -- Brexit has created for Northern Ireland and, of course, the politics that underpin what we're seeing on the Good Friday agreement as
well. All right, we'll be keeping a close watch on the movements from President Biden in Dublin. Right. We're going to a short break, stay with
us.
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GIOKOS: Welcome back. I'm Eleni Giokos in Dubai, in for my colleague, Becky Anderson, and you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD.
Now the Colorado River provides water and electricity to more than 40 million people in seven Western U.S. states. But the future of that water
supply is in question. Under two scenarios, states, tribes and farmers could be forced to cut about 684 billion gallons of water. That's
equivalent to what the entire state of Arizona uses in just one year.
I want to go straight to Colorado for more information. Lucy Kafanov is joining us to explain what this could mean for the Western U.S.
I want you to give me a sense of these two potential scenarios.
What are the probabilities of them playing out?
LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, these are, in some ways, the worst case scenarios. What you have to understand is the Colorado River literally
powers the American West. Life here wouldn't exist as we know it without this majestic body of water.
It quenches the thirst of some 40 million people. It waters the farms that provide most of America's winter greens. And even though the Western region
has seen an unusually wet and snowy winter, that hasn't been enough to overcome decades of drought, climate change, as well as water overuse.
Now what the Federal government is trying to do is effectively scare states or encourage states to come up with voluntary cuts to how much water they
use. Otherwise, the crisis could get so bad that the government will have to step in with some very painful choices.
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KAFANOV (voice-over): As water levels for the Colorado River's major reservoirs remain at alarmingly low levels, exacerbated by more than two
decades of drought and chronic overuse, the federal government releasing a dire assessment of the painful choices facing the American West.
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TOMMY BEAUDREAU, U.S. DEPUTY INTERIOR SECRETARY: We cannot kick the can on finding solutions and the women and men responsible for managing the system
for the benefit of 40 million Americans and countless ecosystems.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAFANOV (voice-over): Snaking across the Southwest and into Mexico, the Colorado River is the lifeblood of the region. It waters booming cities
while nourishing some of the nation's most fertile fields and generates hydroelectricity for the Southwest.
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KAFANOV (voice-over): But without massive changes to how the water is used and distributed, all that could soon be at risk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a lot of hard work and difficult decisions ahead of us in this basin. But those paths have dire consequences in some
cases and may spur opposition or even litigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAFANOV (voice-over): The options presented by the Interior Department, to cut 2 million acre feed and water usage in 2024, are grim. One prioritizes
the needs of thirsty farming regions in California, which, along with native tribes, have a higher water priority claim.
But that could devastate major Western cities, like Las Vegas, which gets 90 percent of its water from the Colorado River, as well as Los Angeles and
Phoenix.
Option two: spread the pain evenly among all the users, which could lead to lengthy court battles.
A third option: doing nothing at all might have the highest cost if the river continues to dwindle.
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CAMILLE CALIMLIM TOUTON, U.S. BUREAU OF RECLAMATION COMMISSIONER: There's no action alternative. We will see the most impacts to the system. We can
expect water levels to continue to decline, threatening the operations of the system and the water supply of 40 million people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAFANOV (voice-over): While an unusually wet winter is providing some relief, it's not enough to solve the Colorado River crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEAUDREAU: Everyone who lives and works in the Basin knows that one good year will not save us for more than two decades of drought.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAFANOV (voice-over): For some communities in Arizona, the dire future is a present reality. Part of Maricopa County, about an hour's drive from
downtown Phoenix, the Rio Verde Foothills community was a slice of paradise until it began to ran (sic) dry. Too many homes, too little water.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think everybody thinks the government or somebody's going to take care of it and, unfortunately, I think that's what most of
the U.S. is thinking. And they need to wake up and people need to start conserving water now, before it's too late.
WILL THELANDER, ARIZONA FARMER: We lost all of our water.
KAFANOV (voice-over): Drought has already pushed farmers like Will Thelander to the brink.
KAFANOV: Do you fear that the future of farming in Arizona is under threat?
THELANDER: Yes. No one can produce it like the Colorado River can for food. It's just, nowhere on Earth is it done like that. So, yes, I'm really
worried; 50 years down the road, unless we come up with solutions, farming won't be here.
KAFANOV (voice-over): But time to come up with those solutions is running out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAFANOV: And that time is running out. States have had quite a lot of time actually to come up with these voluntary cuts. They have not been able to
agree on water use reductions that keep everyone happy.
And so what the federal government is trying to say, with this dire report, this grim report, is, effectively, if people don't come up with some sort
of a consensus on how to use less water, the federal government is going to step in. And no one might like that outcome.
GIOKOS: Yes, it's sobering. I think that people are really experiencing the impact of the drought. And thank you so much for that report, really
fascinating to see how we need to think ahead.
Lucy Kafanov there for us.
Ahead in sport, a statement win what Manchester City's convincing victory over Bayern Munich means for the club's Champions League hopes stay with
us.
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GIOKOS: Twitter owner Elon Musk says he's cut Twitter's staff from about 8,000 to 1,500 since buying the company last October. Musk says Twitter
needed the deep cuts to survive.
In a rare interview, he was asked about his tweeting habits and, now that he is the Twitter CEO, and offered up some self advice.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you feel like you're an impulsive person?
ELON MUSK, TWITTER OWNER: I mean, have I shot myself in the foot with tweets multiple times?
Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you feel like --
(LAUGHTER)
MUSK: -- I need bulletproof shoes at this point.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, you've definitely done that. The issue is that you're now Twitter owner.
Do you -- do you feel like you should be -- look at your tweets more?
You have more -- a higher responsibility when you tweet something out for it to be accurate.
MUSK: I think I should not tweet after 3:00 am. That's the rule.
(LAUGHTER)
MUSK: Yes, well, maybe 2:00. That's the new rule.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
GIOKOS: We should all not tweet after 3:00 am. Musk says after facing a huge financial shortfall, Twitter is now roughly break even.
(SPORTS)
[11:00:00]
END
