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Connect the World
Trump Surrenders in Georgia, Mug Shot Released; Kremlin Rejects Involvement in Prigozhin Crash; U.S. to Start Training Ukrainians for F-16s in October; Spanish Football says Luis Rubiales to be Suspended after he Refuses to Resign; TEPCO: Fukushima Seawater Samples within Safe Limits; Blackswan has no Korean Members. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired August 25, 2023 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, you're with us for the second hour of "Connect the World". I am Becky Anderson out of Abu Dhabi
for you now the time is 7 o'clock in the evening. Coming up, we all saw it coming. But it was still pretty shocking to watch Donald Trump but being
booked and fingerprinted.
The first U.S. President with a mug shot turns himself in remaining defiant as ever. Russia's President speaks out after the presumed death of the
Wagner Leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, pledging to conduct an investigation into Prigozhin's plane crash. This is spokesman Dmitry Peskov vehemently denies
that the Kremlin had any culpability.
Meanwhile, on battlefield in Ukraine, Ukrainian pilots will start cutting their teeth on F-16 fighter jets in the United States this October. And
Spain's defiant Football Chief says he will fight until the end after facing a week of fierce criticism over giving an unwanted kiss to a star
player following Spain's World Cup victory.
Well, it's the first photo of its kind in American history. Let that sink in for a moment, a Former United States President sitting for a mug shot.
Donald Trump booked a jail in Atlanta, Georgia for his latest criminal indictment. The Republican front runner in the 2024 Presidential race is
charged with 13 counts tied to efforts to overturn results of the 2020 election.
The defiant look on Trump's face, apparently intentional, he quickly posted the image on his truth social website and also on X formerly known as
Twitter, marking his return to that platform after he was banned from it following the January the 6th insurrection. CNN's Nick Valencia has more on
the unprecedented booking of the Former U.S. President.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A mug shot an inmate number p 01135809 will forever be associated with a Former President Donald J.
Trump was arrested on state charges related to election subversion in Georgia Thursday. He was booked and released on bond at the Fulton County
Jail. Former President took to the right wing network Newsmax to discuss his surrender.
DONALD TRUMP, 45TH PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Terrible experience. I came in I was treated very nicely, but it is, what it is I
took a mug shot which I never heard the words mug shot that wasn't didn't teach me that at the Wharton School of Finance. And I have to go through a
process since its election interference.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Ahead of his surrender, Trump agreed to a $200,000 bond and other release conditions including not using social media to
intimidate co-defendants and witnesses in the case. This is the fourth criminal case filed against the Former President this year.
TRUMP: What has taken place here is a travesty of justice. We did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong. And everybody knows that.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Trump continues to deny any wrongdoing in this case, and the others.
TRUMP: It should never happen. If you challenge an election you should be able to challenge an election. I thought the election was a rigged
election, a stolen election. And I should have every right to do that. As you know,
VALENCIA (voice-over): Trump shared his mug shot and his truth social and his ex-account formerly known as Twitter, with the words election
interference and never surrenders below it. It was his first tweet on X since January 8 2021. Two days after the insurrection, the Former President
was not the only high profile person to surrender on Thursday. Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows surrendered himself to the Fulton County
jail.
[11:05:00]
He has been charged with violating Georgia's RICO Act and soliciting a public officer to violate their oath. He denies any wrongdoing.
FANI WILLIS, FULTON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: A Fulton County grand jury returned a true bill of indictment.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Just last week, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis charged Trump and 18 co-defendants with meddling in the 2020 Georgia
Presidential election laws. On Thursday, the District Attorney filed the motion requesting a trial date of October 23, 2023.
That date was set after Kenneth Chesebro the co-defendant who was considered the architect of the fake electors plot requested a speedy trial
as his right. His trial was set to begin on that date. Trump's attorneys say he opposes the proposed trial date.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Nick Valencia back with us this hour. So just tell us a little bit more about what we now know. I mean, you clearly your report that
setting out just how unprecedented and historic this mug shot this inmate number have been for a Former President. What happens next, Nick?
VALENCIA (on camera): Yes, historic for all the wrong reasons, Becky. On Monday there is a federal court case for the Former Chief of Staff for the
Former President Mark Meadows. He is trying to get his criminal proceedings removed from a state court and pushed instead to a federal court where he
wants to try to get this case dismissed.
He's arguing that a federal statute protects him as a federal official who's alleged to have committed a crime while conducting that federal
business. He says that his criminal proceedings should be moved to federal court. There's also an October trial date proposed by the Fulton County
District Attorney here.
We should expect a slew of legal filings before that date hits here. We should also mention a major development just in the last hour Trevian Kutti
she's a publicist that is linked to artists like our Kelly and Kanye West. She's represented them in the past.
She's alleged to have intimidated a Fulton County Election worker Ruby Freeman driving down from Chicago area home to do so here in the Atlanta
area, telling Freeman that she was a loose end that needed to be tidied up. She has just surrendered within the last hour or so now just one
codefendant of the 19 remains.
Steven Lee is yet to turn himself in. He's a pastor who's charged in his role as well in this scheme to intimidate election workers in Fulton
County, Becky.
ANDERSON: Busy times in Fulton County, Thank you sir. Kristen Holmes is connecting us this hour from Bridgewater, New Jersey. Donald Trump
returning to New Jersey after what it was a quick stop off at the jail in Atlanta. What's next for the Former President?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, remember, he is still running for President, we are told that that is not going to stop.
And in fact, he's not just running for President. He is currently the front runner in the GOP primary. So he's going to continue that schedule.
Now as we get closer and closer to those debates. The next debate, of course, as well as those caucuses and primaries, you're going to hear more
arguments from not just the Former President, but from his legal team, that this is, "election interference". They want to say that this is going to
actually impact his campaigning and that this is going to hurt him in the election.
Now, whether or not that works, it's going to be unclear, particularly in a court of law. But much of what Donald Trump does is play things out in the
court of public opinion. And that's really also what you saw last night. Wasn't that his bit that he and his team wanted him to get a mug shot?
And in fact, I spoke to members of his team earlier in the day, who said that they didn't want that they couldn't control that they didn't know what
exactly would look like. But once they knew it was going to happen, they decided to take control of that and play this out again, in the court of
public opinion, immediately starting to fundraise off of this image.
And as you heard, Nick, they're talking about going back on Twitter or X formerly known as Twitter. This was a big deal. We know that Trump of
course, had been banned from the social media platform, it was something that he used routinely or even regularly to communicate with people.
He was nonstop tweeting when he was in the White House, really unprecedented as President. So there have been multiple questions about
when or if he would ever get back on the platform. Doing so again, gave Trump the opportunity to take control of the narrative but one thing is
very clear.
This is not something he enjoys doing. Didn't want to be arrested again, he didn't even want to have his mug shot taken. He wants to be focusing on the
campaign and polls and I'm told by people around him that he is increasingly agitated when it comes to talking about these legal matters.
He's increasingly annoyed and he is particularly angry when it comes to that case in Georgia where we saw him again yesterday being processed in a
jail.
ANDERSON: Kristen, good to have you. Thank you. Donald Trump has joined the ranks then of famous people in mug shots. This is Trump's official
Presidential photo and the mug shot from yesterday. He is the first Former President to have his mug shot taken but he is hardly the first prominent
figure in American history to have been memorialized.
[11:10:00]
As such from civil rights icons stock to Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and John Lewis to criminals and crime bosses like Al Capone, John Gotti,
Lee Harvey Oswald and Jeffrey Epstein. And as well as celebrities like O.J. Simpson, Robert Downey Jr., Nick Nolte, James Brown, for example. CNN
Correspondent Tom Foreman here to break this all down for us, Tom.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the President, the Former President may have wanted to appear defiant in this, I don't think that was readily
apparent when the picture first came out. And in a country where he has been something we've never seen before in this country, a minority
President at all times.
He's never had more than half the country thinking he's good at it or wanting him to be it. I'm not sure that it will come across much of the
country the way that they're spinning it to be that he's defiant. I think other people will see it in different ways. The thing is, Becky, as you
know, mug shots, and particularly in this country, can really become iconic, and they can hang with you a long time.
There have been other political leaders here who have had their mug shots taken who frankly look a lot more cheerful about it than he does here,
obviously. But there have been celebrities. There have been civil rights leaders, people whose images really stand out over the years.
And in some cases, like those civil rights leaders, they become iconic images of people standing up for rights and making good things happen. For
celebrities, sometimes they become iconic of the low spots in their lives. And sometimes for politicians, they become the thing that says, this person
is not purely on the straight and narrow, even if they're later acquitted, and all this.
So Donald Trump is raising money off of this, he clearly wants to make this his first step back to the presidency. But it's important to remember, in
most cases and millions of cases, or at least in millions of cases, it has been the first step toward prison. So we'll see how it plays out for him.
ANDERSON: Yes, it's fascinating, isn't it?
FOREMAN: It really is.
ANDERSON: It's absolutely clear that there was a strategy here once it was clear that the sheriff would be taking prints.
FOREMAN: Yes.
ANDERSON: And that there would be a mug shot. This picture appeared on Donald Trump's social media channels almost immediately posted by Donald
Trump himself. And he's using this image as a rallying cry.
FOREMAN: Yes, he's using it to raise funds and to say to his followers, look, I'm like those fighters have other great causes. You know, stick with
me this is what they've done to me just like they did other people. But I will 100 percent agree with what Kristen was saying short while ago.
There is no way they're happy about this, because Donald Trump, more than anything else, it would seem has been somebody who is always obsessed about
how he's presented his appearance. I mean, look at his campaign events, look at his normal events, the degree to which he tries to stage directed.
And make sure that he's always in the best possible light with the flags behind them and looking as strong and presidential as he possibly can be,
no matter what he does with this image. This image is not something that he would have chosen or anyone else would have chosen to campaign on.
Can they successfully campaign on it? Maybe so their base is very angry. Their base is very convinced that he's been treated unfairly. They may be
able to spin this into gold. But at the moment, it is a piece of straw in their soup that they can't be really happy about.
ANDERSON: Tom, he's been arrested on election racketeering charges.
FOREMAN: Right.
ANDERSON: These are criminal charges. He's surrendered had his mug shot taken and now has an inmate number. Those are the facts as they stand.
FOREMAN: Those are the facts. That's true.
ANDERSON: And spin those as you will, as it were, Tom, thank you.
FOREMAN: You're welcome.
ANDERSON: Still to come, the Kremlin addresses speculation around the world that it's behind the apparent death of Russia's most notorious mercenary,
plus. New developments on the battlefield where Ukraine's counter offensive appears to be making some progress on the southern front line, a live
update from Kyiv just ahead for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:15:00]
ANDERSON: Well, you're watching "Connect the World", I'm Becky Anderson. It's 16 minutes past 7 here in the UAE This is "Connect the World" from
your Abu Dhabi programming hub in the Gulf, the Kremlin is rejecting speculation that it was involved in Wednesday's plane crash in Russia and
the apparent death of the Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Earlier Kremlin spokesman said any theories that it's responsible are "absolute lie". Well, it comes a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin
had this to say about Prigozhin as he addressed the incident for the first time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA: A new Prigozhin for a very long time since the early 90s. He was a man of difficult feats, and he made serious
mistakes in life. And he achieved the results needed, both for himself and when I asked him about it for common cause.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well CNN's International Correspondent Matthew Chance is in St. Petersburg outside the mercenary group's headquarters in the city. He found
a makeshift memorial to the group's leader. It gives a small insight into just some of the reaction there.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, he said that there was going to be an investigation underway and that that
investigation was underway. And it would be a full one to try and get to the bottom of what actually happened.
That the incident that brought that plane down where Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Wagner was apparently on board according to the passenger
manifest. And so there's not absolute confirmation yet officially, that he is dead. But clearly his name is on the list. Everybody on board was
killed.
But I mean, look at this makeshift memorial that sprung up here in St. Petersburg, which is of course where Prigozhin was from. It's actually
outside the building, which is the headquarters of the Wagner organization and people are a streaming through laying sort of flowers like this.
Putting photographs of Prigozhin there's one there it says in Russian it says in this hell, he was the best. And so people talking about him, of
course very much in the past tense over here if we look Wagner arm patches while Wagner chevrons here that are that have been put all over the place.
You're seeing a lot of people, family members of people who are in Wagner, Wagner soldiers themselves coming here to pay their respects this woman
here. I don't know whether she speaks -- she's not liking or don't want to speak to us. It's not a very it's quite a solemn situation.
It's another photograph of Prigozhin over there. This is very interesting because somebody here look as put this really heavy, really heavy sledge
hammer. Here with Wagner written on it. The sledge hammers of course, a potent symbol of the extreme violence that Wagner represented.
And its discipline because it was with a sledge hammer like that, that someone they regarded as a traitor was brutally executed with an on camera
and it really kind of like bolstered this reputation that Wagner had as being this completely ruthless organization that did whatever it felt it
had to fight for Russia.
[11:20:00]
And so you're seeing a whole stream of people. There's someone doing it right here look, all stream of people that are coming out now paying their
respects to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a man who was, you know, I think for lots of Russians, he said a lot of things about the incompetence of the Russian
military, that many people in Russia agreed with.
And so, I think one of the big questions right now is come a bit closer. One of the big questions right now is, you know, to what extent his death
when he's confirmed to be dead, will actually bolster his reputation? Or whether this will end up to be a forgotten chapter in Russia's recent
turbulent history. And so, that's a question we don't know the answer to yet.
ANDERSON: Matthew Chance reporting. Well, that is the story in St. Petersburg. On the battlefield in Ukraine there are signs of some progress
in the country's counter offensive against Russia. It appears Ukrainian forces have penetrated Russian defenses along part of the southern front
lines in the Zaporizhzhia region, besides reporting intense fighting around the village of Robotyne, which Ukraine says it secured earlier this week.
It comes as Kyiv steps up its attacks on Russian occupied Crimea. Meantime, the Pentagon says the U.S. will begin training Ukrainian pilots on F-16
fighter jets in October. They'll be learning to fly those jets at an airbase in Arizona, and we've got team coverage for you.
CNN's Oren Liebermann following the latest on the F-16s from the Pentagon, but it's about is in Ukraine's capital. And Melissa, let's start with you,
from the perspective where you are now sort of stepping back and having a look at the big picture, as it were, how does, what we are reporting today
now fit in?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was Becky along hoped for, a glimmer of hope on the Ukrainian side. This has been a grinding counter
offensive carried out, of course towards the east of the country and the southern front lines for two months and three weeks, we're just coming up
to the three month mark.
The point is that that village that you mentioned, Robotyne that has now been claimed by the Ukrainian side does represent a substantial advance
beyond the first line of Russian defenses. And that, of course, is important not just in so far as it allows Ukrainian forces potentially, to
begin expanding that wedge into the Russian defenses.
But it is of course important in terms of morale and momentum, the two things that we're going to be looking at over the course of the coming
hours and days as Ukrainian forces trying to consolidate those gains. What we understand is that there is a good deal of fighting further to the east
of that village as well where Ukrainian say they are also making advances.
And perhaps most importantly, what we're hearing from the Russian bloggers on the other side are tales of dispirited morale, poor defenses, and a lack
of manpower. And this is something that we're also hearing from independent voices, Becky. And I think that's important now to be the DC based
Institute for the Study of four who is that which is suggesting also a lack of manpower at those defenses on the Russian side.
And of course, the good news for the Ukrainians if this turns out to be true that at Robotyne and beyond it, they could now be heading towards the
second line of Russian defenses. So this is an important moment in the war. And what happens next will be important in telling us whether there's
degradations have been sufficient to turn that momentum that crucial momentum to the Ukrainian advantage, Becky.
ANDERSON: Melissa, thank you. Oren, let me bring you in because Melissa here talking about the morale and momentum on the battlefield itself on the
ground, both amongst Ukrainian forces who are pushing this counter offensive and the Russians on the opposite side.
Meantime, you have got more information on when Ukrainian F-16 pilots will start training on F-16 fighter jets. And what that will look like? Just
explain.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, if you're looking at morale, the big picture of morale for Ukrainian forces on Ukrainian
Independence Day a big announcement from the U.S. that they would conduct training of Ukrainian pilots on American fourth generation F-16 fighter
jets in the U.S. that had been an open question until now the U.S. said will help out if Europe's capacity is reached.
But according to the Pentagon, they realized that could and perhaps would happen. So they announced they would bring in several that wouldn't give a
specific number. But several Ukrainian pilots as well as dozens of maintainers to train them here. The first step of that which will begin
next month in September is language training, so they can all be proficient with English necessary to fly the F-16. The cockpit is in English, the
manuals are in English.
[11:25:00]
And then they'll go to more Air National Guard Base in Tucson, Arizona, where they learn to fly and maintain the jet. In terms of how long that can
take, that process will be months, perhaps six months or even longer. It's not just a function of learning to take off and land in the jet. It's how
best to use it across a number of different missions, air to ground, air to air suppression of enemy air defenses.
And many, many more that the Ukrainians will have to learn before they can take the F-16s and go back to Ukraine and employ them effectively, but that
process will begin here. And of course, Becky, that will happen concurrently with the trading that that the Danes and the Dutch will lead
in Europe.
So it is incredible to see how fast and how much the U.S. has moved on F16s from essentially then being not necessarily off the table, but not really
in the discussion to now the U.S. bringing in Ukrainian pilots and crews to learn to fly maintain the F-16 here in the United States.
ANDERSON: The perspective from the Pentagon and from Melissa, the story is on the ground. To both of you, thank you very much indeed. Well, as we've
been reporting the Wagner mercenary group appears to be without a leader now and that's leading to new speculation over its operations in Africa.
This week, just days before the plane that Yevgeny Prigozhin was allegedly on a Russian military delegation went to the Libyan city of Benghazi. It
met with the Libyan National Army, which has been supported by the mercenary group for several years.
Russia says the visit aimed at discussing joint actions like and I quote them here, "Cooperation in the field of combating international terrorism".
Well, it's a story that's gone well beyond the football pitch, a defiant message from Spain's football chief rejecting calls to resign over an
incident, let's call it.
We have news just in from higher sports counsel about a potential suspension that's ahead. Plus there's big news on U.S. interest rates
coming from the Fed Chairman, what it means for investors and markets around the world. My colleague Richard Quest joins us with the latest on
how it could affect you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
ANDERSON: Half past seven in Abu Dhabi. Welcome back. You're watching "Connect the World". I'm Becky Anderson for you. Your headlines this hour,
there will be no military action taken in Niger until it's clear, diplomacy has failed. That the word from ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West
African States.
Now, last week one of the blogs commissioners said a D-Day had been set for military intervention by standby forces. Niger's government was overthrown
by a military junta a month ago. Greek police say they have made 79 arson related arrests as wildfires rage in the hills above Athens.
Strong winds also playing a role causing a resurgence making it difficult for firefighters to contain the blazes. Thousands of hectares have burned
down at least 19 people have died from the wildfires. Officials say the fires in Alexandroupolis are officially the largest ever recorded in the
European Union.
Saudi Arabia says a recent report by Human Rights Watch is "False and unfounded". That report alleges that Saudi border guards killed hundreds of
Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers crossing the Yemen Saudi border since 2022.
On Thursday, Saudi state media -- an official source is saying that anyone violating border security was treated in line with international human
rights standards. Spain's football chief striking a defiant tone on Friday announcing he will not resign after forcibly kissing a player on the
Women's World Cup team.
Calls for Luis Rubiales to step down have gotten louder in the days since FIFA now opening a disciplinary case and in the last few minutes the
Spanish government weighing in on the matter. Let's bring in CNN's Andy Scholes joining us now from Atlanta, Andy.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, Becky so just moments ago Victor Francos, the Secretary of State for Sport and the President of the High
Council of Sport there in Spain, held a press conference and said they will suspend Luis Rubiales while starting the process to attempt to remove him.
Now this comes after Rubiales was just defiant this morning doubling down on his stance.
Rubiales says that kiss during the World Cup Trophy celebration was mutual. Despite the player, Jenni Hermoso saying she didn't like it didn't expect
it. And Rubiales well speaking at an extraordinary general assembly says he's going to fight this to the end, calling what was happening to him
unjust campaigns and fake feminism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LUIS RUBIALES, SPANISH FOOTBALL PRESIDENT: It was spontaneous, mutual, euphoric, and with consent, which is the key. This is the key to all the
criticism of all the campaign which has been mounted in this country that was without consent. No, it was with consent. I said a small pack. And she
said, OK, and then the pack happened.
During all of the celebration, with her patting me on the side a few times, and then excusing herself, with one more hand on the side, and going off
laughing. That's the whole sequence that the whole world understood that the whole world thought was an anecdote. And above all, she says was an
anecdote, and nothing more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Now Rubiales got multiple rounds of applause. During his speech, he actually got a standing ovation at the end from someone in attendance,
including some women that were there, but so many have continued to speak out, calling for Rubiales to be fired. And Jenni Hermoso's teammate and two
times Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas tweeted, this is unacceptable. It's over. I'm with you, Jenni Hermoso.
And Spanish soccer star Hector Bellerin meanwhile, posting on Instagram, saying it's a genuine embarrassment what's happening. He went on to say the
narcissist never thinks he's made a mistake. He's capable of lying, manipulating the truth and converting the victim into the perpetrator, with
the aim of maintaining his power over others.
Now, Becky, you know, this now is a situation where we have to wait and see because Rubiales decided to not step down on his own. It's now up to the
process. And they're going to have to go through a lot of steps in order to remove him from office.
ANDERSON: It's fascinating. I mean kind of beggar's belief, his response I have to say. I mean, you have the wonder what century the guy is living in.
I'm going to hold my hands up and say, I'm taking me aside on this one, I really am.
[11:35:00]
What to say, Andy, thank you. The U.S. Federal Reserve is ready to hike interest rates and keep them there in order to lower inflation, says Jerome
Powell, the Fed Chair made the remarks at the annual Jackson Hole economic symposium in Wyoming. That's where the world's top economists meet and
global investors look for clues on the broader economic outlook.
Well Powell speech last year, which was under 10 minutes, was enough to send financial markets reeling. Well here to walk us through what we've got
on the table as it were, is CNN Business Editor-at-large and the host of Quest Means Business and a good mate of mine, Richard Quest.
It's fascinating, I can't remember how many Jackson Hole speeches you and I have or certainly I've listened to over the years. What did you make of
what he said? Well, what was new and different in this new thing?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: The underlying message, the underlying message remains the same. This is the rock with which he is
anchoring himself to, that will be very difficult to move away from. You're going to hear him say, and I've just said you before, the Feds job to bring
down inflation to our 2 percent goal, and we will do so. So he's not giving any quarter on that.
Which then begs the question, does the medicine that the patient has received so far do that? Or like, you know, have a listen to Powell. And
I'll give you another analogy that might sort of clarify where I think he's going next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEROME POWELL, U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIR: Although inflation has moved down from its peak, a welcome development, it remains too high. We are
prepared to raise rates further, if appropriate, and intend to hold policy at a restrictive level, until we are confident that inflation is moving
sustainably, down toward our objective.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: So you've got the patient who says suffering from cancer, and you've got Dr. Powell and his team, administering the chemotherapy to get rid of
the cancers. But at some point, they say, well, now hang on, we've given a lot of chemo, and the tumors and the council is overreacting.
Do we need to give one more or two more doses? Or will that be too much? And I'm guessing from what he said the way he said it, there's probably one
more to come at least.
ANDERSON: Yes, I feel the same way. Just very briefly, I mean, the guy's you know, he's in charge of monetary policy, right. So you would expect him
to be fully focused on inflation. I just wonder whether this, you know, absolute intention to stick to this 2 percent is really what the U.S. and
global economy really needs at this point. I mean, I'm just chucking it out there.
QUEST: No, that's' the point.
ANDERSON: Right.
QUEST: A whole host of economists are now saying; stop tying yourself to this mythical number of 2 percent. During Reagan's time, it was 4 percent.
And they are 2; have to because it's now a credibility issue. And if they've tied themselves to 2, and if they move too far from 2 their
credibility, it goes out the window.
ANDERSON: Yes, it's fascinating, isn't it? Well, we'll keep an eye on it. Thank you, sir. Good to have you as ever. Before we take a break, I'm going
to get us back to our top story tonight. And this week, frankly is probably going to be our top story for some time.
Former President Donald Trump booked a jail in Atlanta, Georgia for his latest criminal indictment. While we consider this story, it's important to
step back for a moment and absorb what has happened this week. Not just in the U.S. but in Russia as well. It's reminiscent of a classic mobster film.
Look that is one of the most iconic scenes of mob movie history. But we are seeing flashes more than flashes it seems of mafia style panache in our
real world politics or are we do you buy that? Well, in the U.S. this mug shot tells you all you need to know.
A former president and current Republican front runner for re-election as President of the United States along with his lawyers facing racketeering
charges normally reserved for prosecuting criminal gangs back in the day it was all about the mafia of course.
[11:40:00]
One of those accused former New York Mayor and Prosecutor Rudy Giuliani, on the other side was the justice system this time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR: I'm being prosecuted for defending an American citizen who I do as a lawyer and five other lawyers are indicted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: He is being prosecuted on racketeering charges. Well, in Russia a high profile Kremlin critic has met -- and we don't know the cause of the
Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's plane crash. But two months to the day since his failed coup attempt in Russia, he can't help but sort of consider
other Vladimir Putin adversaries who have met their end prematurely or have been detained on questionable charges.
And that's the best of it, it seems these days from accidental falls from windows to hangings, poisonings, health issues, the fates of some of those
who dared to challenge the Kremlin are myriad. Well, here are just three names you might recognize. Alexander Litvinenko, former Russian agent
turned Kremlin critic poisoned at a London hotel bar in 2006.
Alexander Navalny, the most prominent voice of dissident, voice of dissidents in Putin's Russia jailed and languishing in a cell. And Anna
Politkovskaya, a vocal critic over Mr. Putin's war in Chechnya gunned down outside her Moscow apartment, on both sides of the Atlantic, prominent
figures in politics with accusations of mob behavior.
Well, coming up next on "Connect the World" as Japan begins releasing, treated radioactive waste water into the ocean, we talk to a nuclear expert
who says human rights are at stake.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Seawater samples are within safe levels so far after radioactive wastewater was released from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. That's
according to the Tokyo Electric Power Company. On Thursday, the company began releasing the treated wastewater into the Pacific Ocean sparking
controversy within Japan and around the region.
Well, my next guest says and I quote, "The Japanese government has opted for a false solution. This is an outrage that violates the human rights of
the people and communities of Fukushima and the wider Asia Pacific region. Well, Shaun Burnie is a Senior Nuclear Specialist at Greenpeace, East Asia
and he joins me now live. Let's just be quite clear about it. Greenpeace has always fought and will continue to fight, it says vigorously against
nuclear power.
[11:45:00]
I've got in my hand, surely here, what the IAEA calls its comprehensive report. And it finds, and I quote, "Based on its comprehensive assessment,
the IAEA has concluded that the approach to the discharge of ALPS treated water ALPS water into the sea, and the associated activities by TEPCO, NRA
and the Government of Japan, are consistent with relevant international safety standards". Just explain to me, if you will what about this doesn't
satisfy you.
SHAUN BURNIE, SENIOR NUCLEAR SPECIALIST, GREENPEACE, EAST ASIA: Yes, so you need to understand the primary function of the International Atomic Energy
Agency, is to promote nuclear power. The IAEA was established in the late 1950s. And ever since then, it's not seen a proposal to dump nuclear waste
that it's not endorsed.
And that includes nuclear submarines, nuclear reactors that were dumped by the nuclear powers in the 1960s 1970s, and even the 1980s. So the IAEA's
job is not to protect the environment, it's not there to protect the human rights of in this case, Fukushima citizens or the wider Asia Pacific
region.
In fact, the IAEA was an early advocate of the discharge option that the Japanese government has unfortunately opted for and started as of
yesterday, as early as 2013. The IEA was saying to the Japanese government, you need to consider discharge of this nuclear waste. So it's not a
surprise. But it's clearly not a serious assessment. They made their decision many years ago before even their task force got a chance to
report.
ANDERSON: All right, this is your perspective. What else then to your mind, given your experience, what else can they do with this water?
BURNIE: So what's really interesting is there was a process established shortly after the start of this disaster in 2011. And one of the things
that this government task force in Japan and under the Ministry of Economy, was to look at the options because this groundwater was accumulating from
day one of the disaster on March 11.
And that's particularly to do with the structure of the site. They moved very close to the Pacific Ocean. And so the groundwater that comes from the
mountains basically enters the site. Now basically, that's the main reason why there's so much contaminated water.
The taskforce identified a number of options injecting underground, evaporating into the atmosphere. They also looked at the storage of the
wastewater and the processing of that wastewater, all of those options were ruled out, largely because of cost. They've gone for the cheapest option,
which is to pollute the Pacific Ocean.
ANDERSON: What's the environmental risk to animals and humans?
BURNIE: So it's important to understand this is low level radioactive material, which means that it's not an acute radiation exposure, you will
not suffer from direct radiation sickness when exposed to the Pacific Ocean. What we're talking about are a whole range of different
radionuclides such as tritium, carbon 14, but also plutonium, strontium-90.
All of these behave differently in the environment and in the marine environment. What we're concerned about is how these radioactive materials
concentrate or bio-accumulate in marine life. We know from the science including on tritium, that tritium has a particular characteristic where it
concentrates in cells of plants and animals. And that damages the cell structures including the DNA, and therefore increases the potential for
cancer is a long term problem.
ANDERSON: Are there any bio remediation efforts that could help treat this water?
BURNIE: So we've been advocating as other scientists have been advocating that actually the solution is there, there's no risk free solution. The
storage long term storage of this radioactive water is also hazardous.
However, it's least hazardous to store it on land in robust tanks, and to apply the best available technology for processing that reducing the volume
of the water but retaining that nuclear waste on land. That is really the only environmentally sound option that the Japanese government should be
pursuing.
[11:50:00]
ANDERSON: Some have suggested it could be used to make concrete for special uses. How does that work?
BURNIE: So basically, it's water. If you bind that water into concrete, mixing it with concrete as you normally require a large amount of water,
the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi site and this is also one of the bigger contexts of this discharge. The decommissioning of the Fukushima
site is going to go on for decades, if not centuries.
It's way beyond what the Japanese government is talking about at the moment. They need a lot of concrete; the least environmentally damaging
option would be to store that on land. And if you incorporate into concrete, not to spread it around and buildings in Tokyo, but to actually
use it on the site that may well be a viable option.
ANDERSON: Just to be quite clear, because those watching this that may have real concerns about what's going on, and they're watching in the region,
you've said, you know, very small risk to humans, correct.
BURNIE: It's an accumulative problem. The main concern we have is to the long term effects on the marine environment, of course, humans and in
particular, the communities of Fukushima that have suffered the most from this disaster.
ANDERSON: OK.
BURNIE: The communities, they're the ones most at risk from this exposure.
ANDERSON: Good to have you sir, thank you, taking a short break, back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: A new K-Pop band gaining a lot of attention but not necessarily because of its music. None of the members are actually Korean. Paula
Hancocks is with the story from Seoul.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Water bomb 2023 a K-Pop concert in the heart of Seoul, where staying dry is not an option. And the
key gig for Blackswan, a K-Pop band with no Korean members. They're not the first to try it. But Blackswans are hoping they will be the act to break
through.
HANCOCKS: Some of the obvious question, you're a K-Pop group. There's no K there's no Korean, does it matter?
FATOU, MEMBER, BLACKSWAN: Actually, there's K because we think in Korean and K-Pop is Korean pop. So as long as the language is there, it is still
K-Pop.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Singing in Korean Blackswan members say they also draw on influences from each of their cultures. Their recent song Karma was
filmed in India where band member Sriya is from the music video and has been viewed over 5 million times on YouTube.
SRIYA, MEMBER, BLACKSWAN: It has been really, really great because it's a first ever MV to be shooted in India. And also it shows like a proper
Indian culture, Indian dresses outfit and then the dance.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Blackswan members are also from Brazil, Senegal and the United States, a global band for a global movement, the band says.
FATOU: And if they see us, like we're all different colors, different backgrounds, cultures, and if they see us achieve it, it's going to put
more fire underneath or behind them.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): One difference the members did not start as young teenagers undergoing brutal K-Pop training as other young hopefuls do, two
members only signed up two years ago.
YOON DEUNG-RYONG, CEO, DR MANAGEMENT: They're usually four to five years of training period as they need to learn the Language dance moves singing.
Even though they're being trained within the K-Pop system, we need to respect the cultures of these members and we can't just tell them what to
do.
[11:55:00]
HANCOCKS (voice-over): The group says training was still tough, but what about the Korean public reaction to this different brand of K-Pop?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are other famous bands such as Twice and -- who are considered K-Pop bands, even though they have foreign members from
Japan and elsewhere.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's more like a mindset for me like K-Pop is not just because you're Korean and making music in South Korea.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As there are no Koreans in the group, I've always looked at the group with doubts about them being K-Pop although they
technically are.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): A number of non-Korean K-Pop groups have emerged over recent years.
LEE GYU-TAG, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, CULTURAL STUDIES, GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY, KOREA: I believe there may be a possibility to have, let's say,
American K-Pop, British K-Pop or Japanese K-Pop, why not. But it may also make K-Pop lose their specific identity as K-Pop.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Paul Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And that's it from us. Thanks for joining us. CNN continues of course, after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
