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Over 250 Rockets Fired from Gaza toward Israel; Pakistan Asks Army to Crack Down on Khan Unrest; Russian Regions Attacked with Drones; Japan in Talks to Open NATO Liaison Office; Jury Awards $5 Million in Trump Sexual Abuse Case; Title 42 Set to End; Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Invited to Arab League Summit; Paramount Networks Shutting Down MTV News. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired May 10, 2023 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
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CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello, I am Christina Macfarlane in London, filling in for Becky Anderson. This is
CONNECT THE WORLD.
Coming up this hour, sirens sound as Tel Aviv as rockets are fired from Gaza.
Protests erupt as former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan is indicted on corruption charges.
A jury finds Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll.
And it's the Champions League semifinals.
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MACFARLANE: It is another violent day along the Israel-Gaza border. Sirens blared in Israeli cities, as Israel's military reported more than 250
rockets fired from Gaza following a new round of Israeli airstrikes. Four people are reported killed in Gaza.
This all comes one day after airstrikes by Israel killed three Islamic Jihad commanders and 12 other people, most of them women and children.
Elliott Gotkine is watching developments from Jerusalem.
Israel had been bracing and expecting a response. It seems as though they had one but not before more rockets were fired into Gaza this morning.
Bring us up to speed.
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. It has been this uneasy calm that prevailed over Israel in the wake of those airstrikes that it
carried out on Tuesday, which killed three Islamic Jihad commanders.
In a separate airstrike, it killed two militants along with, as you say, a number of women and children believed to be members of their family. But
there was this calm that prevailed.
Then earlier today in Israel, we began to see the response. We saw rockets being fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel as far north as Tel Aviv,
some 70 kilometers to the north; about 1.5 million Israelis, we are told by the IDF, about a sixth of the population, had to take cover in bomb
shelters.
We are constantly receiving reports of sirens sounding in different parts of Israel, especially in those communities around the Gaza Strip, where
people are almost permanently in those bomb shelters.
More than 270 rockets had been fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel. And Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is prepared to expand the
campaign if necessary.
One wild card among this current round of fighting is that Israel says that it is only targeting the militants of Islamic Jihad. It's not targeting the
much larger militant group of Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip. But Hamas actually says otherwise.
If Israel does believe or start factoring that into its targeting, whether it is of the rocket launchers or launch pad or mortar launchers or weapons
storage facilities, if Israel starts factoring that in and believes that Hamas is indeed taking part in these rocket attacks on Israel, that could
lead to strikes on Hamas targets.
Then the situation could escalate quickly. We are not there yet. The IDF, as recently as 15 minutes ago, said that it is still adamant that Hamas is
not taking part in these rocket launches toward Israel. But like I said, Hamas says otherwise. And this is a very fluid situation. Things could
escalate from here. Christina.
MACFARLANE: It is a fast moving situation. I know you will keep an eye on this. Elliott Gotkine live from Jerusalem.
Tunisia's government says a gunman killed three security officers and two visitors near a synagogue. The attacker was later shot dead. The interior
ministry said he was a guard at the naval installation who used his weapon to kill another guard and steal his ammunition.
The synagogue, the oldest in Africa, is on the island of Djerba. Thousands of Jews were attending an annual pilgrimage there.
Tortured and beaten -- that is what Pakistan's former prime minister, Imran Khan, claims happened to him in police detention, where he will remain for
another eight days. The former cricket star is facing a new corruption charge, announced earlier at a special court hearing in Islamabad.
Pakistan was already on edge due to a dramatic arrest sparking deadly clashes between Khan supporters and police. The Pakistani government is
asking the army to crack down on the unrest. I want to bring in Ivan Watson for more.
Ivan, there have been scenes of such chaos, widescale clashes in major cities across the country. Today Khan has been facing trial. Walk us
through the reaction that we have been seeing and the range of corruption allegations he is facing.
[10:05:00]
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, well, his dramatic detention on Tuesday from a high court in Islamabad has touched
off basically a political firestorm.
You have two competing narratives here. The government and the armed forces are arguing, hey, we arrested a politician, who has been resisting arrest
and is charged with corruption.
Meanwhile, Imran Khan's supporters are calling this an abduction and trying to rip up rule of law in Pakistan. What we know about Imran Khan himself is
that he was kept in custody overnight. He appeared before a judge at the police headquarters in Islamabad.
His lawyer said he has bruises on his head and that he claimed he had been beaten and tortured overnight. We can't independently confirm that. He
hasn't been seen in public. The police are saying they don't want people to see him because he is a very popular politician.
He taped a video statement before he showed up at court on Tuesday and he urged his supporters to come out and basically fight and struggle for
freedom, anticipating that he would in fact be arrested.
And that is really what we have seen, is serious unrest in Peshawar. At least three people were killed on Wednesday, according to hospital
officials there. The Radio Pakistan building was stormed and torched. The military has been called in there.
In another province and the capital, Islamabad itself, by local officials and by the national government. The home of the senior military officer in
the eastern city of Lahore was also stormed and looted and torched.
Tuesday, reports of at least 200 people were arrested in different parts of the country as well. Again, supporters of Imran Khan are accusing the
authorities of abducting him and torturing him. Meanwhile, you have government officials, who are accusing his party of fomenting chaos. Take a
listen to one government minister.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AHSAN IQBAL, PAKISTANI PLANNING MINISTER: PTI (ph) leadership are part of the provocation, incitement and violence which was seen yesterday across
the country. Obviously, they will be held accountable. If there are cases against them for inciting violence, police will arrest them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Imran Khan has been remanded into custody for another eight days. Meanwhile, the unrest continues in a country which is already mired in a
very painful economic crisis.
MACFARLANE: It is a fast-moving situation. One wonders where this will go next. Live for us with the latest details, thank you, Ivan.
For months, the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut has seen some of the fiercest fighting of the war. Much of the city is in tatters. But Ukraine is
claiming a win. The military says it attacked Russian positions along the southeastern outskirts of Bakhmut, forcing many Russian forces to flee.
Across the border, officials say the enemy attacked three regions inside Russia with drones. Nic Robertson is in Eastern Ukraine for us.
Given how contested the area of Bakhmut has been, I mean, this would signify a huge development for Ukraine. Walk us through the latest claims
of victories and how Ukraine are seemingly achieving this.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: There was great concern going into the weekend and early this week that Russia would mount a huge push on
Bakhmut to take the last remaining few square kilometers of the city.
That seemed to have been met with Ukrainian, many counteroffensive, a counteroffensive in Bakhmut itself. We were watching troops training late
last week. We did not know it at the time, they did not know it either. These were storm troops, as, they describe them, assault troops.
They were in that operation over the weekend. It is their units claiming the victory, claiming to have taken up to a couple of kilometers of
territory south of Bakhmut, significant because they are just trying to push Russian forces back and get control of the main access roads.
Right now, we understand that the Ukrainians are consolidating those positions. One senior officer we talked to, Ukrainian military officer we
talked to, said that they pushed back several companies of Russian military forces.
Indeed, he said they had intersected Russian communications, where the Russians themselves were surprised at the losses they were taking there. He
said the Ukrainians were also surprised but of course pleased. Now he said they are consolidating.
The question will be, he said, for higher command about what to do next. But in terms of all of this, we have heard from again the Wagner mercenary
boss.
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ROBERTSON: Yevgeny Prigozhin saying he lost 500 troops because another unit of Russian forces pulled out and gave up territory. I think
Prigozhin's word about what happens in Bakhmut is really in question. It certainly is for Ukrainian officials.
They don't take it at face value. But what seems to have happened in Bakhmut in the past couple of days is Ukraine has taken territory, perhaps
territory it did not expect to take. But because it made a major push.
Now it is for higher command to decide, OK, what does this tell us about the overall battlefront?
How should we respond?
How should we move from here?
MACFARLANE: All right, Nic Robertson live from Eastern Ukraine. Thank you very much.
The news agency Agence France-Presse says that it is devastated by the death of one of its journalists covering the war in Ukraine. French
journalist Arman Soldin was hit by rocket fire near the embattled city of Bakhmut on Tuesday. He was with four colleagues at the time of the attack
and no one else was wounded.
French president Emmanuel Macron paid tribute, saying the nation shared the pain of his family and colleagues.
Japan is looking to take its cooperation with NATO to a new level in its talks to open a NATO liaison office, the first of its kind in Asia. In an
exclusive interview with CNN, the country's foreign minister says Russia's invasion of Ukraine has made the world less stable and it forced Japan to
rethink its regional security.
China responded angrily to this potential move, saying it would undermine peace and stability in the Asia Pacific region. Marc Stewart joins us live
from Tokyo.
This move would be a significant development not just for the NATO alliance but for Japan.
Why is this happening now?
What would this enable Japan to do?
MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, Christina. A lot of this is happening because of what is happening in the world. Even though
Europe really has been the focus of the war in Ukraine, the impact of that is transcending the world.
And it is really being felt here in Asia and very much taking attention, getting attention by Japan. So it is not as if Japan is looking to perhaps
join NATO. That's not on the table. But it has a relationship already with NATO.
The war in Ukraine is causing that relationship to get more examination. Now Japan wants to strengthen it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEWART (voice-over): The war in Ukraine and Russian aggression is prompting Japan to discuss opening a NATO liaison office, the first of its
kind in Asia.
YOSHIMASA HAYASHI, JAPANESE MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: The reason why we are discussing about this is that, since the aggression by Russia to
Ukraine, the world become more kind of unstable crisis (ph). And if it would like something happened in East Europe, it is not only confined to
issue in East Europe.
And that affects directly, too, the situation here in the Pacific.
STEWART (voice-over): Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi also highlighted North Korean missile launches and called China the greatest
challenge for security.
STEWART: Is this to send a message to perhaps China or to North Korea that there is strength in numbers?
What would the intention of this be?
HAYASHI: Yes, discussion is not intended to be sending a message to any specific countries but, as I said, you know, security embattlement (ph) we
are facing is becoming more and more severe and also complex.
STEWART (voice-over): His remarks come after Japan announced a new national security plan last year, which would see the country double its
defense spending, moving away from its pacifist constitution in the face of growing threats.
Even though an agreement between NATO and Japan is far from complete, NATO's potential presence in Asia is already drawing criticism from China.
A government spokesperson said, "Asia is an anchor for peace and stability and a promising land for cooperation and development, not a wrestling
ground for geopolitical competition."
Yet Japan's foreign minister reiterates that such a move would not escalate tensions in the region.
STEWART: Do you worry that the alliance building would create more attention in the Pacific region?
HAYASHI: We are not offending anyone. We are defending ourselves from any kind of interference and concerns and, in some cases, threats.
STEWART (voice-over): As allies convene in Hiroshima for the G7 summit next week, maintaining stability in an increasingly volatile region remains
at the top of the agenda.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[10:15:00]
STEWART: And on the topic of the G7 summit to be held here in Japan, starting next week, the foreign minister told me that Ukrainian president
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been invited and will likely appear in some kind of virtual video type setting.
MACFARLANE: Interesting. It is a fascinating development, when NATO's role is really evolving. Thank you very much for bringing us that.
Now she is taking in the moment: E. Jean Carroll reacts on CNN after a jury found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming her. What
she and the former U.S. president plan to do next.
Plus, tens of thousands of people are in northern Mexico waiting to enter the U.S. to find a safe future. How the U.S. is handling a growing migrant
crisis -- ahead.
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MACFARLANE: "The verdict really isn't about me. It is for all women."
Those words from E. Jean Carroll who tells CNN she is feeling a mash of overwhelming emotions after winning her civil lawsuit against former U.S.
president Donald Trump. Trump is vowing to appeal after a federal jury in Manhattan found that he sexually abused Carroll in a department store
dressing room in 1996.
Then defamed her by denying her claim. He has now been ordered to pay Carroll $5 million. She says it is not about the money but about getting
back her name.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
E. JEAN CARROLL, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR: There are no words. I just now saw the headlines. I am really sort of taking in the moment and the
overwhelming flood of a lot of hate. That is part of it.
But overwhelming amount of relief and joy and a feeling of "at last" and the surge. There's sort of a feeling of victory that at last somebody has
held him accountable in a courtroom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Paula Reid has more now on the trial and how the verdict is playing out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are very happy.
PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): E. Jean Carroll was all smiles walking out of a Manhattan federal courthouse
Tuesday after a jury awarded her $5 million in her defamation case against former president Donald Trump.
In a statement, Carroll said, "This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed."
NATASHA STOYNOFF, WRITER AND TRUMP ACCUSER: It is really hard to come forward about these things. And especially hard when the man you are
talking about is very powerful.
[10:20:00]
REID (voice-over): Natasha Stoynoff and Jessica Leeds both testified during the trial about their alleged altercations with Trump, which he
denies, and they both praised this verdict.
STOYNOFF: When I heard the verdict today, I felt that nothing is more powerful than the truth.
JESSICA LEEDS, TRUMP ACCUSER: I am very pleased for Jean. I'm very pleased for the whole situation.
REID (voice-over): Trump responded to the verdict by posting this video to social media.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: This was a very unfair trial. That's all you have to say. This was a very unfair trial.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID (voice-over): The civil trial lasted 10 days. But the jury deliberated just under three hours. Trump has denied all wrongdoing and
said he did not even know Carroll.
TRUMP: I have no idea who this woman is.
REID (voice-over): However, he made these comments during his pretrial deposition played for the jury.
TRUMP: She is a whack job. She's not my type.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What you are saying there is Ms. Carroll she fabricated her claim that you sexually assaulted her, correct?
TRUMP: Yes, totally, 100 percent.
REID (voice-over): That's the only time the jury heard from a Trump during the trial, other than clips from the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape which
surfaced right before the 2016 presidential election. Carroll's team used it to establish Trump having a pattern of this kind of behavior, playing
portions again during closing arguments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: You know, I'm automatically attracted to beautiful. I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when
you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's what you said, correct?
TRUMP: Well, historically, that's true with stars, not always, but largely true. Unfortunately or fortunately.
REID (voice-over): Trump's attorneys calling his loss a result of politics.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is firm in his belief as many people are that he can't get a fair trial in New York City.
REID (voice-over): Republican senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, also criticized the verdict.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I think the New York legal system is off the rails when it comes to Donald Trump.
REID (voice-over): But Republican senator Mitt Romney did not hold back.
SEN. MITT ROMNEY (R-UT): I hope the jury of the American people reached the same conclusion about Donald Trump. He just is not suited to be
President of the United States.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: CNN's Paula Reid there in New York.
Donald Trump will appear in the coming hours at a CNN town hall live from New Hampshire. He is certainly likely to get some questions about the civil
case. Kaitlan Collins moderates for us so be sure to tune in at 8 pm Eastern and you can catch the replay at 7 am here in London. That's 10 am
in Abu Dhabi.
Embattled congressman George Santos is now in U.S. federal custody. The Justice Department reveals the criminal charges against him. The New York
Republican faces a 13 count indictment, including charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to the
U.S. House.
Prosecutors say Santos solicited campaign funds under false pretenses and then used the money for personal expenses, like designer clothes. He is
expected to appear in U.S. federal court in a few hours.
The Biden administration is sending hundreds of troops to the southern U.S. border to help process a massive influx of migrants and asylum seekers. A
chaotic situation is unfolding in the day before Title 42 expires. That is the Trump era policy, which allowed U.S. officials to quickly expel
migrants who enter from Mexico.
A record number of people are now trying to enter the U.S. Authorities say they have encountered more than 20,000 in the past two days alone.
Officials estimate more than 150,000 others are waiting in shelters and on the streets of northern Mexico. Nick Valencia joins me from Brownsville,
Texas, which is right along the Mexican border.
Walk me through the scene there in Brownsville and how people are bracing for the lifting of Title 42 tomorrow.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christina, U.S. President Joe Biden said this is going to be a chaotic situation. In the short term, it's
going to be cities like Brownsville which feel the impact. They already are. Let me show you around here and what is going on.
This is one of the immigration buses which drops off those that have been detained and released on humanitarian parole. All of these individuals
right now are waiting for perhaps their wives or children, who may be on that bus. There are individuals who have been left off. I want to talk to
one of them.
(Speaking foreign language).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
VALENCIA: What country are you from?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Venezuela.
VALENCIA: What are you running from?
He is running from the government. He says they are very corrupt over there.
How many days have you been here?
You have been traveling for 2.5 months?
He said he got here on Tuesday.
[10:25:00]
VALENCIA: Where are you sleeping at?
Your family is helping you out with some money, then, if you're sleeping at a hotel.
He said his brother is helping him with some money.
He's trying to get to Florida to reunite.
He says his brother bought him a ticket in order to arrive here, to actually get a flight to Florida.
Were you aware of Title 42 and that they were going to open the border up like it was before the pandemic?
He said he was not aware of Title 42 at all.
You have no information about Title 42?
He says he had no idea about Title 42. He's getting away from the crisis there in Venezuela and the government there.
You see that's just one of the stories here. Many of these people are from Venezuela. We've also seen other nationalities. Some appear to be from
Asian countries. Initially, we thought he might have been from a European country but he's just a light skinned Venezuelan.
This is the scene here at one of the NGOs. They were at capacity yesterday. They told me they processed over 700 migrants. We are trying to get
accurate numbers today. The City of Brownsville also said they are going through their own preparations.
They are working with buses and airlines as well, to try to get the migrants to their next destination. I spoke to the communications director
of the city. He told me that that is their goal. They want to take care of the migrants as best as they can.
They know this is going to be chaos as Title 42 ends. They are really bracing for the impact that is to come after the Thursday deadline.
Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yes, the picture you are painting is one of authorities already looking overwhelmed by the numbers of migrants they're having to
process. When we were hearing that the State of Texas was going to be sending border forces tomorrow, the White House deploying active duty
troops to address the issue.
It is going to be enough to handle what is expected to be an even greater deluge of migrants tomorrow?
VALENCIA: That is the big question. They have a plan in place.
But will that plan work?
President Biden is sending 1,500 active duty troops to join 2,500 National Guard members, who are already here. They will work in an administrative
role, not in a law enforcement role, to try to free up the Department of Homeland Security resources to handle scenes like the one you are seeing
here.
As we were on our report, as we started the report, another bus showed up here. It gives you a sense of the scale and the numbers of migrants that
they are dealing with here on a daily basis. Christina.
MACFARLANE: Nick Valencia live for us on the border, thank you very much for bringing us that and giving us the perspective of migrants on the
ground, ahead of this Title 42 lifting.
Coming up, Turkiye goes to the polls this weekend. The world is watching, wondering how a loss for the incumbent could change the country's foreign
policy. That is next.
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MACFARLANE (voice-over): Welcome back. I am Christina Macfarlane in London, filling in for Becky Anderson. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD.
Here are your headlines this hour.
Israel's military says Islamic Jihad fired some 270 rockets toward Israel after a second day of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. Israel says it was
targeting Islamic Jihad operatives and infrastructure. Four deaths are reported in Gaza.
Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan has been indicted on a corruption charge at a special court hearing in Islamabad. This comes a day
after Khan's dramatic arrest by paramilitary troops in a separate corruption case, a move which has sparked nationwide unrest.
Fighting continues in Sudan more than three weeks after it broke out. Members of the Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese army clashed violently
Wednesday in the capital of Khartoum. The RSF claims it shut down one of the army's warplanes.
Meanwhile, talks between the two sides continue in the city of Jeddah, mediated by Saudi Arabia and the United States.
MACFARLANE: This Sunday, Turkiye goes to the polls in what is one of the most highly anticipated elections of the year.
The big question, will the May 14th vote mean an end to president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's hold on power?
Turkiye's struggling economy has eroded his popularity and allowed opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu to put up a strong challenge. But
despite domestic challenges in recent years, many see Mr. Erdogan as strengthening Turkiye's position on the global scale.
During his tenure as president, Erdogan has focused on expanding the country's military and diplomatic influence. Jomana Karadsheh has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Turkiye closed down this waterway to Russian warships when the war in Ukraine started. It is through
here, the Bosphorus Strait, that Ukrainian grain now flows to the world.
It was Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ultimate balancing act, a stance some describe as pro Ukraine without being anti Russian, which
allowed him to play mediator and help broker a key grain deal between Turkiye's warring Black Sea neighbors, unlocking Ukrainian grain exports
and helping to avert a global hunger crisis.
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KARADSHEH (voice-over): Over the years, Turkish foreign policy has come to resemble the country's president. It is combative with a personal touch.
Erdogan has carved out a central role for himself and his country on the world stage.
He meted out soft power with Turkish soap operas and launched a spree of diplomatic missions in capitals long ignored by the West. Erdogan backed
that with large investments in a growing defense industry, which made Turkiye one of the world's top drone manufacturers.
This key NATO member has had an uneasy alliance with its Western partners. Erdogan's leveraged NATO membership for domestically important issues. Most
recently, he has held up Sweden's accession to NATO in an attempt to secure cooperation from the Nordic nation on groups Turkiye considers terrorists.
Turkiye's ongoing economic crisis has forced some diplomatic U-turns which were once unthinkable. Erdogan mended ties with oil-rich regional foes,
bringing in billions of dollars of investment and much-needed hard currency.
Turkish foreign policy under Erdogan has been full of dramatic twists and turns, crises which may at times have been exacerbated by the president's
personality.
But at the heart of these disagreements with allies are national interests that will remain unchanged, no matter who emerges victorious in these most
consequential of elections for a country which wields power and influence far beyond its borders -- Jomana Karadsheh, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: You can learn much more about Erdogan's foreign policy in the next hour. We will speak with a former Turkish diplomat, who's now a senior
fellow with Carnegie Europe in Brussels. We will talk about the Turkish president's motives in NATO, the Middle East and any pivot to Russia and
China which may be on the cards.
Stay tuned for that.
Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has received an official invitation to attend the upcoming Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia.
[10:35:00]
MACFARLANE: Saudi king Salman extended the invitation. It comes days after the Arab League lifted its more than 11-year suspension of Syria imposed in
the early months of Syria's civil war.
Up next on CONNECT THE WORLD, two football superpowers meet on the pitch. We will tell you what it means in the quest to find the best team in
Europe, when we come back.
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MACFARLANE : Today marks the first day of Beyonce's Renaissance World Tour in support of her seventh album of the same name. The tour starts with two
shows in Sweden before continuing around Europe to mostly sold-out venues and then on to the U.S.
"Forbes" reports Beyonce could take more than $2 billion from the tour. Ticket sales alone -- that's actually more than the projected earnings
from Taylor Swift Eros Tour. The singer-songwriter's tour has stayed only in the U.S. so far and could earn Swift more than $1.6 billion.
Well, the media industry has been hit hard by layoffs and cutbacks lately. But the latest one marks the end of an era. Paramount says it is shutting
down MTV News, founded in 1987.
MTV news became the go-to news source for young people, who ordinarily did not watch much news. It was a crucial part of MTV's role as a cultural icon
in the 1990s and notably broke the news of the death of Nirvana's lead singer, Kurt Cobain.
MTV News even reached the point where presidents had to pay attention, including this famous moment with Bill Clinton.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, the world is dying to know, is it boxers or briefs?
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Usually briefs.
I can't believe she did that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: I kind of remember that one. Let's bring in Oliver Darcy with more.
I guess it kind of depends what generation you are. My generation might be quite devastated by this news. Tell us why this is happening.
OLIVER DARCY, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: It is really the end of an era. It's sad to see MTV News go. I think for so many people, it
was this cultural force. It is happening as there is really turmoil in the news industry.
In the past month, we've seen BuzzFeed news shut down; Vice has shut down. Vice News Tonight and now you are seeing Paramount Media Networks shutter
MTV News. This is part of a broader layoff happening at Paramount Media Networks, which owns channels like Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV.
[10:40:00]
DARCY: So they are restructuring the company over there, this division. So they are making the decision to shut down MTV News. That really was, to
some extent, a shell of its former self in recent years. I mean, it really had been really scaled down. It was not the force that it was a couple of
decades ago. Still, sad to see it go.
MACFARLANE: Yes, absolutely.
How many years was it, 36 years?
Oliver, thank you very much. Like I said, I will certainly be sad to see it go. That very much informed my youth, I will say. Thanks, Oliver.
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END
