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Thousands Missing in Libya Floods, at Least 2,000 Dead; Morocco Earthquake Rescue Hopes Fade as Death Toll Crosses 2,900; Putin Slams U.S. Sending Cluster Munitions to Ukraine; Israel Supreme Court Opens Hearing in Historic Case; U.S. v. Google Antitrust Case. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired September 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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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): I'm Becky Anderson, live from Abu Dhabi. Time here 6 in the evening. This is CONNECT THE WORLD.

Coming up this hour, at least 2,000 people are dead and 10,000 reported missing in catastrophic flooding in Libya.

Hopes for rescues fade in Morocco as the death toll there nears 3,000.

Israel's supreme court right now hearing an historic case on its own powers.

And the U.S. government takes on Google as the biggest anti monopoly case in decades goes to court.

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ANDERSON: We begin with another day filled with condolences and a desperate search for survivors. Only today, it is Libya that is coping with

a disaster. Several countries offering aid over what is being called catastrophic flooding and a huge death toll.

Here at CONNECT THE WORLD, we are not keen on the numbers game. Like you, we know it is all about human beings and a human cost. But in this

disaster, like Morocco's earthquake earlier this week, the death toll is a "stop you in your tracks" number.

Libyan officials say more than 2,000 lives have been lost after two dams gave way, destroyed by torrential rains and 10,000 people are also believed

to be missing. Let's start with CNN's Eleni Giokos with this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Chaos as volunteers from the Libyan Red Crescent scrambles to save residents.

"Put him in the car," one of the rescuers says; "bring him here."

A tireless effort but limited by the sheer scale of floods that swept Eastern Libya. The full scale of the disaster, visible in the daylight, the

Earth ripped apart, houses destroyed or completely washed away and thousands dead and missing. Apocalyptic scenes stretching farther than the

eye can see.

The culprit, Storm Daniel, the same that ravaged Greece and Bulgaria last week, it made its way back into the Mediterranean, picking up strength

before crashing down on Libya. The downpour several times higher than the rain Libya usually sees in the entire month of September, too much for the

wartorn country's infrastructure to handle.

In Derna, one of the hardest hit cities, two dams reportedly collapsed, wiping out a quarter of the city. Rescuers have been faced with a

catastrophic scene.

TAMAR RAMADAN, INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT SOCIEITES: Death toll is huge. It might reach 2000s really but we don't

have a definite number right now.

GIOKOS (voice-over): Aid has begun flowing in from nearby countries, food and much needed medical supplies; the issue now getting it to the hardest

hit areas.

IBRAHIM KHATR, AL ABRAM MUNICIPALITY OFFICIAL (through translator): Derna is a disaster by all means. The situation has cooled in Derna and Bayda

(ph) and Medej Abarak (ph) and (INAUDIBLE) clearly to be cut off entirely.

GIOKOS (voice-over): Many also fear aid could become a political issue in the divided country, split with two competing governments since 2014, a

disaster on top of another -- Eleni Giokos, CNN, Dubai.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: We want to bring in our senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman. He has reported from Libya for years and he knows the country

extremely well.

Ben, we have seen just how dire this situation is. Just explain what makes this particularly bad in Libya. Of course, this is a country of political

dysfunction at this point.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: First of, all Becky, this was a natural disaster, the likes of which Libya has never seen.

So even if it were a more developed, organized and politically stable country, it probably, this storm Daniel, would have caused massive damage

and loss of life. But it has been made worse by the fact that this is a country, let's keep in mind, that was convulsed in 2011 --

[10:05:00]

WEDEMAN: -- with the uprising against the rule of the late colonel Moammar Gadhafi, followed by civil war between the East and West and chaos in

general.

So the infrastructure, particularly those two dams in the Wadi Derna, that normally dry water bed that run through the city that was filled with

water, a tsunami of water, that destroyed so much of the city.

According to one of the spokesmen for the Libyan military that is loyal to the government in the east, simply washed entire neighborhoods out to sea.

It's also -- we are getting more information on the situation.

Some people are finally getting through and able to communicate out what the situation is. CNN was able to get through to a doctor from Benghazi,

who made his way to Derna.

He says that all hospitals are out of service. There are no emergency services.

And people are, in his words, "randomly" working at the moment to pick up rotting bodies.

So the death toll, at this point, we simply do not know. Libyan officials have been talking about 2,000, more than 2,000 dead already. But as we

heard, perhaps 10,000 people are missing.

Now aid is on the way. Turkiye has sent three airplanes, according to president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with 167 search and rescue personnel as

well as relief supplies. The government based in Tripoli has sent an airplane with emergency first responders as well as body bags to help out

with the situation.

Italy is sending, is dispatching a team from its civil defense ministry to assess the damage, to see what else can be done to help. But really, the

details are only starting to emerge about how bad the situation is. And I, think unfortunately, we can expect more bad news as the situation becomes

clearer.

ANDERSON: Ben Wedeman is on the story. Ben, thank you.

Stay with us. Next hour I will be speaking with UNICEF's Libya country representative. They are scrambling to supply medicine to about 10,000

people there and clothing for hundreds of kids. The agency is joining us next hour from with the latest on how they are mobilizing.

It is a very tough situation at the scene of the other disaster that we've been reporting on this week, to hit Northern Africa in recent days. In

Morocco, hopes of finding more survivors from Friday's devastating earthquake have all but disappeared.

The death toll there now approaching 3,000. And that is expected to rise. UNICEF says 100,000 children have been impacted in some way. Nada Bashir

reports from a Moroccan village, where grief and frustration is running deep.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is one of the villages impacted by the earthquake, the village of Molerehimi (ph). And you can see behind me

just how high we are in the Atlas mountains.

This is a remote village but it has proven easier to get to for rescue workers on the ground. In other parts the Atlas mountains, including the

village we visited yesterday, Imi N'Tala, it has proven nearly impossible for rescue workers to reach those impacted.

And in fact, when we spoke to residents there, they told us that yesterday was the first day international rescue teams had made it on the ground.

Take a look.

BASHIR (voice-over): Stone by stone, hour by hour, a desperate search for survivors pushes on. The silence in this remote mountainous village

punctured only by the wails of those who survived, now left to mourn.

BASHIR: Well for the rescue team here, this really is a race against time. There is a woman and her 12-year-old daughter buried beneath the rubble.

And for their family waiting anxiously for news of whether they have survived Friday's earthquake, they are quickly losing hope.

BASHIR (voice-over): Berzika has already buried 19 members of her family. Now she fears she will soon have to bury her niece, Shaima (ph).

BERZIKA, MOROCCAN EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR (through translator): On Saturday morning, we could still hear her voice, she tells me. She was alive. Now we

can't hear her. They took too long to get here. Until now, we've been digging through the rubble with our bare hands. If help had arrived sooner,

we could have rescued them in time.

BASHIR (voice-over): Though small in size, the village of Imi N'Tala was among the hardest hit by the earthquake, the deadliest Morocco has suffered

in decades. But three days on, rescue teams have only just arrived.

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BASHIR (voice-over): The high mountainous range simply too remote. The roads, up until now, still obstructed by debris from the quake. And with

time running out, rescuers say this has now become a recovery operation.

SAAD ATTIA, INTERNATIONAL SEARCH AND RESCUE VOLUNTEER: I think they are all working, working very hard. But until now they don't need a dog for

search for life. So they confirmed to us that all the victims in this rubble has already passed away.

BASHIR (voice-over): Few lives in this close knit community have been untouched by death. Each body recovered, a gut-wrenching reminder of the

climbing death toll, already in the thousands.

It's unclear just how many in this village are still missing. But for those buried beneath the rubble, just like little Shaima (ph), rescuers fear it

is already too late.

BASHIR: International rescue teams are now on the ground in many of these impacted villages. We've been speaking to aid workers on the ground and

they tell us there are still villages across the foothills of the Atlas mountains that they have not been able to reach.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Nada Bashir reporting from Morocco for you.

The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is in Russia right now. And you can see him exiting his special, heavily armored train in this video. Kim is

expected to meet with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, though when and where is still unclear.

U.S. officials say they are worried that North Korea will provide weapons for Russia to use in its war on Ukraine. CNN's Paula Hancocks has been

covering Kim for years. She joins us now live from Seoul.

Images of Kim leaving North Korea are fascinating in and of themselves, Paula, given that this is a rare trip for the North Korean leader outside

of his country. But it is the intentions behind this trip that has many, including U.S. intelligence and, indeed, intelligence in the country that

you are on, on high alert.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky. The assumption from the U.S., from here in South Korea as well, is that there is going to be some

kind of arms deal that will be the result of this meeting.

Now I don't think anybody is expecting any kind of statement or communique from either side. But certainly, what is going to be discussed behind

closed doors and what will be decided behind closed doors is of great worry to both Seoul and Washington and others here in the region.

So what we know at this point is that Kim Jong-un is in Russia. We have this footage where we can see him descending from the train in Khasan,

which is just across the border in Russia itself.

Now he was greeted by Russian officials. And you can see there he was greeted by the head of the ministry of natural resources. And he also went

inside for a meeting with these Russian officials.

So really, the first point of contact for this meeting that we are all expecting with Vladimir Putin. Now we don't know when this big meeting with

the Russian president will happen. We've heard from the Kremlin it will be within a few days and that has been what we've been hearing for a couple of

days now.

We also don't know exactly where it will be. We understand that the train is still moving northwards, not necessarily headed to Vladivostok,

according too speculation, but potentially to Vostochny (ph), which is where the space launch center is for the far east of Russia.

We also know that this is an area that Vladimir Putin himself has said that he will be going to next after he leaves Vladivostok, saying he has a

personal agenda there. So it does appear as though that may be one of the areas.

And if it is, it is significant, because U.S. officials have said that they believe what North Korea could get out of any kind of arms deal is

satellite technology. They have, a couple of times in the past few months, tried to put a military satellite into space and failed.

So certainly it would be very interesting for Kim Jong-un to visit the space launch center, to be able to see the technology that Russia is using.

And it would be that kind of interaction and that kind of giving up information that will worry Washington, Seoul and Tokyo greatly, because

this is the deal that they believe will be taking place.

U.S. officials also worry that Russia will give North Korea core missile and nuclear technology, which sanctions have prevented them from getting

for many years.

Now of course, when it comes to the other side, the assumption, again, from U.S. intelligence, backed up by South Korean intelligence is that Russia

wants ammunition and it wants small arms for its fight in Ukraine.

ANDERSON: Paula, good to have you. Thank you.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin slammed the united States for sending cluster munitions to Ukraine.

[10:15:00]

ANDERSON: Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum earlier today, Mr. Putin said that the U.S. recently called the use of cluster munitions "a war

crime."

The Russian president also sharing his opinion of the charges facing the former U.S. president, Donald Trump, calling them political persecution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): All that is happening with Trump is the persecution of a political rival for political

reasons. And this is done in front of the public of the United States and the whole world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Vladimir Putin's opinion earlier.

Coming up, an historic case for the Israel supreme court. We will be speaking with a former attorney general who has been critical of the

controversial law in question. That is coming, up just after this.

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ANDERSON: Israel's supreme court has been hearing an historic case on its own powers today. Sitting with a panel of all 15 judges, a first for

Israel, the court is considering challenges to a law that takes away some of its own powers.

The law, pushed through by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, has been controversial and has led to widescale protests for months. CNN's

Hadas Gold is joining us now from Jerusalem.

HADAS GOLD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky. It's incredible to see these pictures of all 15 of the supreme court judges hearing this

case that is essentially about their own power.

It is essentially a constitutional argument, because the law that was passed amended a basic law. Israel has no constitution, the closest thing

to it is this series of basic laws. And never before has a supreme court in Israel nullified a basic law or an amendment to a basic law.

And that's what's being argued here today. The law that was passed in July, the government, the Israeli parliament, took away the supreme court's

ability to nullify government actions they deem unreasonable.

Again, because there is no constitution, the supreme court could have said, hey, that government action, unreasonable. We decided it cannot go forward.

The premise is taking that power. The supreme court still has other avenues to take away government actions but this was a big one. And another really

interesting and historic part of this is that the government's own attorney general is not arguing on behalf of the government.

She is not a political appointee but it is unusual that she is not defending the government. She is on the other side of this argument. She

has said that this law should not stand.

So the government has private counsel. Now the crux of what we've been hearing so far today is whether the supreme court has -- whether they would

be able, how they would be able to affect government actions if they cannot deem them unreasonable. Now the plaintiffs in the case are the people who

are against this law.

[10:20:00]

GOLD: There have been several petitions against this. They say that this harms the authority of the judicial branch and the deals a severe blow to

the essence and existence of Israel as a democratic state.

The government argued, again, by private counsel, says that the supreme court has no authority to review these basic quasi-constitutional laws and

that only the people should have that authority; that is the democratically elected Israeli parliament.

Israel's supreme court is the only check on the power, because, although Benjamin Netanyahu says that there are three branches of government, there

are really essentially two. The government, the executive, and the parliament, which is run by the same party, and the supreme court.

Now it is hard to ascertain how judges are going to rule just based off of what they say in court. They grill both sides but it has been interesting

to hear them sort of ask some of these questions.

One of the questions asked by one of the judges is, if only the people should decide, they're the ones in power, what if the government decides,

we won't have elections for 10 years?

We won't have elections for 20 years.

Then who can be the check on power?

And a key quote so far from the judges is democracy dies in a series of small steps. We will likely not hear a decision for some time. They have a

deadline by January 12th, Becky.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. "Democracy dies in a series of small steps." That is quite a statement. Thank you.

What is pointed out by Hadas, this legislation is controversial, so much so that a former attorney general of Israel has described his country as being

on the brink of dictatorship. Avichai Mandelblit is -- has frequently criticized the Netanyahu government's attempts to curb the judiciary. He

joins us now live from Tel Aviv.

It is good to have. You those are strong comments. Israel, my country, being on the brink of dictatorship. Please explain if you will

AVICHAI MANDELBLIT, FORMER ISRAELI ATTORNEY GENERAL: As a matter of fact, there were a lot of new laws and rules that they want to claim such as

changing the way that the judges would be elected, and especially relating to political (INAUDIBLE) of judges. So this is a very simple issue. Never

before it is correct.

In Israel, allegedly should have quite a weak democracy, liberal democracy, because we don't now have a constitution; we don't have Bill of Rights; we

don't have (INAUDIBLE) of parliament --

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: Right.

MANDELBLIT: -- international call that can supervise (INAUDIBLE). Nevertheless, we are a very strong democracy. It's only because of supreme

court and attorney general and their independence (ph). So judicial judges and the rules, the independence of our supreme court, then we have only one

institution, only the government.

Because of our (INAUDIBLE). So we don't -- so this is a --

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: -- and the government's argument here -- because let me stop you -- the government's argument here is that this supreme court has no

authority to rule on these laws.

You clearly don't agree with that.

What do you think the supreme court will decide at this point, given your experience?

MANDELBLIT: Yes. First of all, (INAUDIBLE) I think the supreme court itself said once again that (INAUDIBLE) its authority (ph). The (INAUDIBLE)

of this case which relates only to the issue of reasonability, it has -- it's the reason to decide (INAUDIBLE) should be abolished.

In my view, it should be abolished. I think the same as the current attorney general. And still, the most important thing, I trust all the

judges. I know they're professional. I know they're independent. And I will accept every decision that they will take.

I do not accept what the government plans, that (INAUDIBLE) decision. The only thing that they want is that let them make the decision and account to

them that they will take the right decision.

ANDERSON: I want to bring up a comment from Simcha Rothman from today. He's the chair of the Knesset Justice Committee and one of the architects

of the reasonableness law.

He said the supreme court justices, if they accept this challenge, are, and I quote here, "a group of people who will be authorized to cancel the word

of the public representatives without having to stand up to the public's judgment in elections."

Sir, there will be people who believe that he has a point.

[10:25:00]

ANDERSON: That the supreme court at the moment has too much power.

Do you believe that it needs to be reformed in any way?

MANDELBLIT: The way that it is established, our founding fathers did not think this way. They thought that the supremacy of law, supremacy of the

court is one of the basic principles of Israel's democracy, especially because of the lack of other checks and balances.

So what he says is quite the opposite for what Menachem Begin would say. It's totally the opposite. So I do not accept his point of view. I think

it's very dangerous and --

(CROSSTALK)

MANDELBLIT: At the end of the day, as I've said, the only important thing is the judges' independence. Let them take the decision independently and

if this -- if you take this basic rule, it's like you take a surgeon's scalpel. And you say he cannot use it?

(CROSSTALK)

MANDELBLIT: The basic truth (ph) of the supreme court to decide. And if you take it, then you affect (ph) its independence. And this is the most

important thing.

ANDERSON: Right. And it will be interesting to see whether the decision of the supreme court will be accepted if it goes against lawmakers.

You are the man who indicted Benjamin Netanyahu and you say this is, at least in part, an elaborate effort to get out of his own legal troubles.

You've seen what Benjamin Netanyahu's done since you indicted him.

With hindsight, would you have still indicted him?

And do you still believe and stand by what you said originally?

MANDELBLIT: Listen, at the end of the day, it's one of the most important thing of the rule of law in the state of Israel in (INAUDIBLE). If you have

evidence and if you have a public interest, then you must indict. You don't have any choice.

I said it like I think (INAUDIBLE) but I don't have (INAUDIBLE) any other choice when you have evidence and when you have public interest, then you

must fulfill your duty. And if they wouldn't do it, then Israel will lose its democracy and its rule of law, which is one of the basic things, maybe

the most important thing in the liberal democracy such as Israel.

And hopefully, the supreme court will make its duty and will keep its liberal democracy --

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: It's good to have, you sir. Your perspective is very important. Thank you so much.

Well, journalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa has been acquitted of tax evasion charges in the Philippines. She was smiling as she

walked out of court on Tuesday.

She was charged during the administration of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte. The charges were considered an attempt to intimidate her

and the rest of the media. She says that the acquittal is a victory for democracy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA RESSA, NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNING JOURNALIST: The acquittal now strengthens our resolve to continue with the justice system, to submit

ourselves to the court, despite the political harassment, despite the attacks on press freedom. It shows that the court system works. And we hope

to see the remaining charges dismissed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Our former colleague here at CNN, Maria Ressa.

Just ahead, there is a big question hanging over Google.

Did the tech giant abuse its power over online searches to stifle competition?

The U.S. taking Google to court to find out.

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ANDERSON (voice-over): You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD, I'm Becky Anderson. Welcome back. These are your headlines this hour.

Libya says hospitals in the northeastern city of Derna are out of service and malls are at full capacity. This is the worst hit city after a massive

flooding destroyed two dams and swept away neighborhoods.

Officials say that at least 2,000 people have died and thousands more are missing as we speak.

UNICEF says 100,000 children were impacted by the earthquake that hit Morocco on Friday. The U.N. children's agency is raising concerns about the

loss of schools and homes as temperatures drop at night. More than 2,900 people were killed in that quake and thousands more are injured.

ANDERSON: Today marks the start of that major showdown for a Big Tech giant in a Washington courtroom. Google facing off against the U.S.

government over accusations by the government that it tried to lock out rivals.

It's seen as the biggest U.S. challenge to tech power in decades. Observers say it could reshape one of the internet's most dominant platforms. I want

to bring in CNN's Anna Stewart, who is tracking this for us.

And the government's argument here is that Google's behavior has done harm to its competition and, by default, as it were, to consumers, it says.

How strong is its argument at this point?

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is pretty strong. The DOJ says Google accounts for 90 percent of general search engine queries in the United

States. I don't think it would surprise anyone that Google is the dominant search engine.

But the question is, has it been unlawful in a way that Google has created its dominance in the market?

And a lot of the focus is going to be on Google's lucrative deals with smartphone makers like Apple and browser developers like Mozilla, with

wireless carriers that effectively means the Google Search engine is the default option.

So when you buy, for instance an iPhone and you use the Safari app that is pre-loaded, you search for something and you use Google. It is easier to

opt in than it is to opt out.

Is that unfair to the competition?

So this is the DOJ's major argument here. Now Google, of course, says its business practices are legal, they are commonplace, that they are simply

the preferred option for many consumers around the world.

Now what happens at the end of this case, which could go on for a full 10 weeks, will be really interesting.

If Google were to lose this, what happens next?

Because the search business of Google provides more than half of the revenue for all of Alphabet. It is a huge part of their business. And the

options that we've been looking at in a separate trial, if they were to lose, would be do they get a mega fine -- I don't think that's what the DOJ

would go after.

Does the DOJ seek to break up part of Google?

That is certainly what happened with Microsoft in the late '90s, although it did not work. It got overturned.

A third option is, do they try and really curtail how Google promotes its search engine?

Which would fundamentally change its business and, you would suspect, would also impact that revenue.

[10:35:00]

STEWART: So a really big case and the biggest one we've had in terms of antitrust against Big Tech for about 25 years in the U.S.

ANDERSON: Yes, no, that is really significant. I do think it's slightly ironic that this case comes at a time where actually, Google and others are

facing quite some competition from the large language models in the ChatGPTs of this world.

It is, it feels, the first time that we're actually seeing some competition out there. And as consumers, I guess, that's a good thing. Thank you.

Well, time is running out to avoid a strike against America's Big 3 automakers. The contract between those companies and the United Auto

Workers runs out on Thursday. Now the union president says its members are prepared to go on strike.

At issue is an immediate 20 percent raise and then four additional raises. CNN's Omar Jimenez explains that workers say this is a critical time in

their industry.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This fight feels different.

LARRY DAVIS, ACTING PRESIDENT, UNITED AUTO WORKERS LOCAL 22: It's different.

JIMENEZ: Why is that?

DAVIS: Because there's more at stake. We don't want to strike but you're leaving us no choice if you don't give us a fair contract.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are the union.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): It's what's on the minds of nearly 150,000 United Auto Workers, who are days away from a potential strike.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do we want?

When do we want it?

JIMENEZ (voice-over): As they work through negotiations, they say the world got more expensive but their wages got left behind.

RENE'E DIXON, AUTO WORKER: People used to aspire to be part of the, you know, automotive workforce. I can't remember the last time we went to the

grocery store and I was able to fill my cupboard and my refrigerator.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Rene'e Dixon says, even with 12 hour shifts, she sometimes has to work a second job just to keep up.

DIXON: And I don't think I should have to do that. If the pay rate and, you know, everything stays the same, there is no path. And, I'm not -- it's

just going to -- I'm just going to fall further and further back.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): It's why the union is pushing in part for at least a 40 percent raise over four years, cost of living adjustments, a return of

traditional pension plans and retiree health care and more. But the union and Big 3 automakers -- Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, are very far

apart on it all.

SHAWN FAIN, PRESIDENT, UNITED AUTO WORKERS: It's still slow. But we are moving. So you know, we have a long way to go.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Meanwhile, the countdown has gone from weeks to days. One analysis says a 10-day strike on all three automakers, for

example, would cost the U.S. economy more than $5 billion. But union leadership sees this fight as bigger than all of that, especially as GM saw

record profit last year and Ford saw near record profit.

FAIN: The talking heads, the pundits, the companies want to say that, if we strike, it will wreck the economy. It is not that we're going to wreck

the economy; we're going to wreck their economy, the economy that only works for the billionaire class. It does not work for the working class.

RANDY SANDUSKY, RETIREE: I was able to raise a family in the auto industry. And it was a different industry than it is today.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Randy Sandusky retired in 2005 after working in the auto industry for decades. Part of what has been lost in recent years is

retiree health care for those hired since '07. There are benefits that he knows can be crucial.

SANDUSKY: I know some that are crippled, that can't hardly walk and stuff. I used to build handicap ramps for them to get in and out of their houses.

And they're all retired from General Motors. A they don't get a lot. You know, it just is sad.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): It is part of why workers now hope to make more than just incremental progress.

DIXON: I'm raising my family. I'm doing. It I'm not crying. But I am not able to do what I should be able to do. Whatever is going to happen, I know

that our membership is not going to back down.

DAVIS: It's time for the average worker to be appreciated. Because, if you are more happy, you're willing to do anything to make the job work. And

when you feel appreciated, that is priceless.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: A day in court, the former head of Spanish football is scheduled to testify on Friday. Still ahead, the latest on the case against Luis

Rubiales.

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ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Welcome back.

A day in court for the former head of Spain's football federation. Luis Rubiales is being summoned to testify in Spanish court this Friday. This is

part of the investigation into his unwanted kiss of Jenni Hermoso at the Women's World Cup.

Spain's national court just admitted a sexual assault complaint from prosecutors. Amanda Davies is joining me now.

I have to say, suddenly, there feels like there is a head of steam in this once again. And we will see the man in question -- or at least hear from

him -- in court on Friday. Amanda.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think the key word here, Becky, of what has come out of the communication on Tuesday is that Luis Rubiales has

been called to testify as a suspect.

And as you rightly said, this is now the latest in a chain of events after the judge admitted the complaint to investigate him for crimes of sexual

assault and coercion on Monday.

It's pretty much exactly 24 hours later that we are now getting this latest development, which is quite something. The world for the last time seeing

him sitting down in that headline grabbing interview, giving his version of events, that the next time he will be seen publicly is in court. And the

legal process is very much now going on.

Now interestingly, this development has come just a few hours after Olga Carmona, the player who scored the winning goal at the World Cup final in

Sydney, has sat down for her first television interview. And we've got some of that coming up in just a couple minutes in "WORLD SPORT."

ANDERSON: Super. We're looking forward to it.

Amanda is back with "WORLD SPORT" after this short break. I'm back at the top of the hour. Stay with us.

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