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Connect the World

CNN International: Trump's Contentious Cabinet Picks Could Test GOP Senators' Loyalty; Jared Kushner Expected to be Pivotal to Trump Administration's Middle East Efforts, but no Formal Role; Sources: Hezbollah Considering U.S.-Israeli Ceasefire Proposal; South African Officials Refuse to Help Hundreds of Illegal Migrants; Mike Tyson Returns to Boxing to Fight Jake Paul. Aired 9-10a ET

Aired November 15, 2024 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Hello and welcome to this edition of "Connect the World". I'm Erica Hill in New York. Just ahead here U.S.

President-Elect Donald Trump picking science and vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The

latest reactions and the possible impact of that decision.

Plus, the final major international engagement of Joe Biden's presidency. He's meeting today with world leaders at the APEC summit in Peru. Then the

South African government says it will not help hundreds of illegal miners running out of basic necessities inside an abandoned gold mine. You'll hear

directly from their families.

Thanks for joining me on this Friday morning. Basically flat. At this point, we're going to keep an eye on the market futures there, of course,

just about 30 minutes until the market opens here in New York. Go wild. That is Donald Trump's message to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., after picking the

prominent anti-vaxer to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Department oversees the regulation of food and medicine, as well as important Medicare and Medicaid programs. And in another break with

tradition, we're also learning that Trump's team is actually bypassing FBI background checks in some cases, choosing instead to use private companies

to vet some pics.

Let's take a closer look now. Molly Ball joining us is Senior Political Correspondent with the "Wall Street Journal". Molly always good to talk to

you, but there's a certain element of this that should not perhaps be surprising to anyone. Donald Trump has been telling us and signaling what

he planned to do for some time, looking at both these picks that are sort of outside the norm for a lot of people

And also, the path that Donald Trump would like to use to get them confirmed. How is Washington handling that this morning?

MOLLY BALL, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT AT WALL STREET JOURNAL: I think Washington is a little bit shocked. We, particularly with Congress coming

back into session this week, a lot of particularly Republicans, have a lot of questions about these nominations.

And so, you know, I think there's going to be -- continue to be, a lot of discussion about how this vetting process is going to go and how much

resistance the Republicans in the Senate want to put up at the very least. I think we're in for some pretty fiery confirmation hearings as these

nominees come before the Senate.

And Senators from both parties have the opportunity to ask them a lot of questions about their views, about their backgrounds, about their records

and about how they would intend to lead these agencies.

HILL: There's even the editorial board for the "Wall Street Journal" basically pushing back against this idea of overusing recess appointments

and calling the -- saying the idea is anti-constitutional. There has been a lot of discussion about how this could potentially be used by the

President-Elect when he gets into office, and what that could look like.

You mentioned Washington's in shock. Where do Republicans stand at this point? Because there's a lot of chatter behind the scenes. Publicly, it's a

little bit different in terms of pushback.

BALL: That's right. I mean, I think Republicans are still in the mode of talking amongst themselves and trying to figure out where they stand.

Frankly, they all know that, you know, Donald Trump just won a big election, and he takes credit for a lot of their elections as well.

In his point of view, you know, they sort of came in on his coattails, and they owe him a debt of gratitude for being there at all, and certainly for

being in the majority in the Senate and the House of Representatives. So, Republicans certainly want to appear supportive of the new president.

They feel he has a mandate, and they want to help him staff his administration. So, you have, for example, the newly elected majority

leader, the leader of the Republicans in the Senate, John Thune, saying, sort of, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, that all options are

on the table, was his phrase.

But Republicans would hope that they can do this in the normal way that it does not get to this point. But you know, it was clear throughout the

campaign that Donald Trump was not particularly interested in sort of the traditional norms and guardrails around executive authority, and his

opponents called him an authoritarian, in part for that reason.

So, he believes that he has a mandate to really smash through some of those guardrails in order to get things done, and he expects his party to be

behind him, and we'll see whether that's the case.

HILL: We will be watching. There's been so much talk about, of course, Matt Gaetz being nominated as his Attorney General. And some chatter back and

forth, or whether he maybe is, in some ways, almost a sacrificial lamb, right. Get Gaetz out of the way, maybe bring somebody else in who's less

controversial.

[09:05:00]

I was struck by the news of Todd Blanche being put up for deputy AG. This is also a role that holds a great deal of power within the DOJ.

BALL: That's right. But look, I think Donald Trump is very focused on the Department of Justice. It's very important to him. He believes that it was

weaponized against him during the Biden presidency, and he really wants to shake it up and clean House. Now that's going to be disturbing to a lot of

people who don't necessarily believe that the entire apparatus of federal law enforcement needs to be upended in this way.

So, in addition to a lot of the character questions and ethics questions that have been raised around Matt Gaetz. I think there's going to be a lot

of questions about the functioning of the Justice Department, not only whether he's qualified to lead it, but what his intentions are and how he

sees himself executing Donald Trump's plans for that agency.

But again, this is certainly something that Donald Trump campaigned on. He absolutely has been focused on changing the way the Department of Justice

operates, and he has clearly selected someone who he believes is in sync with his vision of really tearing up from the foundation an agency that he

believes is corrupt.

HILL: Molly Ball, always good to talk to you. Thank you.

BALL: Thank you.

HILL: So, looking ahead, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., if he were to be confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services, just what would that look like?

What is the potential impact on health in the United States, specifically public health, we'll keep in mind here. He's vowed to rid health agencies

of what he calls their corporate culture has threatened mass firings at the department that largely oversees health research in the United States.

And of course, he has often questioned vaccines, and says, while he will not remove vaccines from Americans lives, he is opposed to mandatory

vaccinations. I'm joined by CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Sanjay always good to see you. So, we know RFK Jr. has this history

of promoting false claims about vaccines, including this one, I just want to play it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., FORMER INDEPENDENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I do believe that autism does come from vaccines. I think most of the things

that people believe about my opinions about vaccines are wrong. I you know, all I've said about vaccines, we should have good science. We should have

the same kind of testing. Let's see the control trial.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: So, Sanjay, that was from Fox News interview earlier this year, just setting the record straight. I mean, vaccines go through a very intense

process in this country.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. I mean, there's no question. I mean, vaccines have been around a long time. We have a pretty

good sense of how much of an impact they have. If you look at, for example, the projected impact of vaccines for children who are born between 1994 and

2023 and you and I both have kids that fall into that, that age group, you can sort of project ahead like, what is the impact of those vaccines?

Probably a million lives saved, they say hundreds of millions of illnesses averted, tens of millions of hospitalizations prevented. So, there's a real

impact to vaccines, and there's a real impact to not vaccinating as well. You know, I got to say, Erica, that sound bite you just played.

He says, I do believe vaccines cause autism. And then he says, science, you know, I just want to see these things tested essentially. It's really

interesting because he has this preconceived notion about vaccines linked to autism. This was a question that was raised in the late 90s by a paper

that was subsequently retracted.

But since the late 90s, there's been a lot of studies done on this, huge studies, Erica, were you talking to millions of kids following kids who got

vaccinated, kids who did not get vaccinated, following them along for over a decade and a half to see if you see some sort of correlation between

vaccines and autism?

Many, many studies like this have been done, and they have not found that. So maybe it was a worthy question to ask, you know, 25 years ago, whatever,

a number of years ago, but now it's been answered. And, you know, he has seen a lot of these studies, and yet, as you point out, he just said what

he said in June.

He's -- he could be the guy who's going to lead scientists on issues like this, which is, I think, what's concerning so many people.

HILL: Well, and it's also, it's this sort of circulative, this double speak, in many ways, right?

GUPTA: Yes.

HILL: He wants to see the science. As you point out, there have been multiple studies since that first one was, of course, pulled because, in

fact, was not accurate. There have been multiple studies to show vaccines efficacy and safety. And he says he wants to see it, but then when he sees

it, he doesn't want to believe it. So, it's tough to wrap your head around.

GUPTA: It is, I mean, literally, sometimes from day to day, or even within the same interview, he seems to sort of change his position on this. And on

top of that, you know, he talks about something that I think a lot of people can get behind, and do get behind, which is the idea of making

America healthier.

[09:10:00]

You know, we're not a very healthy country. You know, we spend 4.5 trillion dollars on health care. We have some of the worst outcomes in the developed

world. Study came out today saying three quarters of Americans are either overweight or obese, and numbers are expected to go up significantly by

2050.

These are real problems, for sure. And you know, people have been talking about them for a long time. He's not the first but they do need to be

addressed. The problem is when he says, at the same time, I'm going to essentially not do anything with infectious diseases for eight years, when

he keeps sort of promoting these subsequently demonstrably false claims about vaccines and autism.

It's just unclear where he takes all this. And HHS is a huge organization, as you know, it's the CDC, it's the FDA, it's the NIH, it's the Center for

Medicare and Medicaid Services. It's the largest agency in the country, $2 trillion budget, 80,000 employees, many of them are they're sort of

wondering what exactly he's going to do.

HILL: Yeah, that makes that will add me to that list too. It'll be interesting to see. Sanjay, always appreciate it good to see you. Thanks.

GUPTA: You too.

HILL: Republicans in the health ethics committee have canceled today's meeting where they were expected to discuss their report on now Former

Congressman Matt Gaetz. An hour each is growing over President-Elect Trump's choice of Gaetz as his Attorney General, before resigning this

week, the now Former Florida Congressman was still being investigated by the Committee.

He faces allegations of sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and accepting improper gifts. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing. It is not clear when or if

the committee's findings will be made public. Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, though, are insisting that those findings be

released.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): In timing of Mr. Gaetz' resignation from the House raises serious questions about the contents of the House Ethics Committee

report. We cannot allow this valuable information from a bipartisan investigation to be hidden from the American people.

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): I am going to demand release of the Ethics Committee report, all of its findings and recommendations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Some of the information in that report on Gaetz could come up in the FBI background check that is traditionally done for a president's cabinet

picks. It's important to note, though, that Donald Trump's transition team is using private companies instead of the FBI to vet at least some of the

posts that Trump is filling right now, that's according to some of the people involved in that transition planning.

CNN's Zachary Cohen, joining me now with more on this. So, some private companies being used instead of the FBI. What does that change?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah, certainly an unconventional way for the Trump team to go about vetting, at least some of

these picks for top cabinet posts, including national security jobs like the attorney general role and the defense -- the head of the intelligence

community role, both of which are very controversial picks by Donald Trump.

But this does seem to be a sad stepping of what has been a protocol that's been in place for decades now. It's one a background check that really

looks to make sure that there are no unknown foreign ties for these candidates, for these nominees, before they're put into these positions of

power.

And also making sure that there's no other issues that could cause national security problems down the line. And look Donald Trump, his disdain for the

FBI and disdain for the intelligence community is very well documented, and he's been very vocal about that.

So, in some ways, it's not a surprise that his team would not put a lot of stock in subjecting their nominees to this FBI background check process.

But at the same time, it does appear, given the controversy surrounding several of these nominees, it does appear to be an intentional effort to

maybe sort of smooth out the path for potential confirmation.

And also potentially, you know, suppress any potentially politically damaging information that could still come out. So, look, this is causing

criticism, or prompted criticism from Democrats and some Republicans that we've talked to saying, look, the only reason that you would not put your

nominee through this FBI background check process is because you're confident they would not pass one, which speaks to the kind of quality of

nominee that Donald Trump has put forward.

Again, Donald Trump says that this process is slow and it will prevent him from implementing his agenda at a quick pace. So those two kinds of

diverging viewpoints about what this means, but the end of the day, clearly not a conventional way to go about vetting your candidates.

HILL: No, certainly not. So, there's speed, and then there are the national security concerns, and we'll see how it all shakes out, I guess. Zachary

Cohen in D.C. today. Thank you. "The New York Times" is reporting, Elon Musk met with Iran's Ambassador to the U.N. this week.

The talks were apparently held at a secret location in New York and lasted over an hour, according to "The Times", Iranian officials said the

discussion was focused on how to diffuse tensions between the two countries. A U.S. official says the Biden Administration was not given a

heads up about the meeting.

Meantime, diplomats and Trump allies tell CNN Donald Trump's son-in-law, is expected to play a key role in Middle East efforts going forward, but he is

not likely to take a formal job in the incoming administration. Jared Kushner was, of course, a senior adviser to Trump during his first term and

developed close relationships with leaders in the region.

[09:15:00]

Critics point out Kushner also has significant financial interests there. In recent years, his investment fund, affinity partners received some $2

billion from Saudi Arabia's public investment fund. CNN's Kylie Atwood is following these developments for us.

So, there is a real focus on what this could be, even if he doesn't have an official role in the government, whether that could sort of influence, of

course, some movement, if you will. Where are these relationships strongest for Jared Kushner in the region?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Really, across the board, Erica, he has a relationship with the Prime Minister of Israel, Prime

Minister Netanyahu, that goes back to his childhood actually. There were reports of that during the first Trump Administration.

He's maintained that relationship with the prime minister and those close to the Prime Minister, Ron Dermer, who is one of the prime minister's

closest aides, met with Jared Kushner in recent weeks in Florida, demonstrative of maintaining that relationship.

Then you have Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, who Jared Kushner developed a really deep relationship with during the first Trump

term. They were known to text one another to stay up late into the night in Saudi Arabia, trying to figure out strategy for the region.

And then you also have President Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed of the United Arab Emirates, who Jared Kushner is known to have a good relationship with.

Really, across the board, he developed these relationships during the first Trump term, and he has maintained them over the last four years, even

though Trump hasn't been in office.

And Jared Kushner is obviously now a private citizen. And the expectation is that he would be a pivotal part of Trump's Middle East policy, because

he's able to tap into those relationships. When you talk to diplomats in the region, they say that trust is critical, and that's one thing that

Jared Kushner has in the region.

That's not something that the new members of the incoming Middle East team for a second Trump term have, at least not yet, right? And so, one thing

that we'll be watching for is how all of these players work together. We know that Mike Huckabee, the Former Arkansas Governor, is going to be the

ambassador to Israel for Trump.

We also know that Steve Witkoff, who is a real estate developer and a close friend of Trump, he is going to be the Middle East envoy for Trump. Those

were named earlier this week, and a key question is, you know, how those guys from the inside interact, rely on Jared Kushner on the outside.

And if that's a useful dynamic, or if that is a dynamic that is tense, we'll have to watch and see. But according to a source familiar, a lot of

these nominees have already read or are reading Jared Kushner's book that he wrote in 2022 about his time in the White House. And he's also briefing

a lot of these folks on the dynamics in the region and the critical players that he has those relationships with.

HILL: Kylie, I also want to ask you about this meeting. "The New York Times" is reporting about Elon Musk meeting with Iran's envoy to the U.N.,

the Biden Administration was not made aware apparently. There are further questions about Elon Musk's role here with Donald Trump when it comes to

foreign policy moving forward. Of course, also joined in on that call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine.

ATWOOD: Certainly. I mean, across the board, it's becoming clear that Elon Musk is going to have some sort of a role in foreign policy of the Trump

Administration. Now, obviously, earlier this week, he was appointed to the government efficiency agency, officially by the Trump transition team.

But when you look at the relationships, first of all, that Musk already has with the U.S. government and with world leaders around the world, they're

quite significant. You talk to U.S. officials currently in government, and they talk about the fact that Elon Musk has been intimately involved for

quite some time.

You know, conversations with U.S. government officials about Starland, conversations about SpaceX, you know, it really runs the gamut the way in

which he has had to have conversations with U.S. officials. But the difference here is going to be, presumably, that it appears he could be

involved in the actual policy making.

Not just conversations with U.S. government officials, but potentially shaping where the Trump Administration goes on policy questions of

engagement, of the larger strategy that they pursue with these countries, overseas, Iran, Russia, and potentially others. So, this is one area that

we'll be watching incredibly closely.

Particularly as you know, the report from "The New York Times" just this week is that Elon Musk met with Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations, as

you said earlier in the week. And of course, this is not someone that U.S. diplomats are able to meet with face to face. U.S. does not officially have

diplomatic relations with Iran.

HILL: Yeah, it's an important reminder. Kylie, really appreciate it. Thank you.

[09:20:00]

We are going to dive a bit deeper into that reporting on Elon Musk just ahead in the next hour of "Connect the World" to get a better look at how

Iran. May be looking at this, what Iran may be trying to achieve. Stay with us for that. Still to come this hour, more Israeli airstrikes hitting

Lebanon's capital, increasing optimism that a cease fire could be near.

The latest developments there. Plus, Joe Biden joining other world leaders in Peru at the APEC Summit. His presence, though largely overshadowed by

questions about what comes next in a Trump Administration.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: Sources tell CNN, a ceasefire talks for Lebanon are intensifying, with Hezbollah now considering a U.S.-Israeli proposal. It was apparently

submitted to the Lebanese government on Thursday night by the U.S. Ambassador. One official says the Lebanese Government is optimistic that

Hezbollah will accept the agreement.

And that diplomatic efforts are, quote, on fire now. On the ground, though, the violence is not letting up. Lebanese state media reporting Israeli war

planes hit targets in southern Beirut for a fourth straight day. That blast there leveling a building some 50 minutes after an Israeli evacuation

order.

Lebanese authorities report dozens of people killed in attacks over the past few days. The death toll since the Hamas terror attacks is nearing

3400. CNN's Nada Bashir joining us now from London. So as this is ongoing, this fourth straight day there. There are also this -- there is also,

rather this uptick in terms of optimism about these ceasefire talks, but more can you tell us about those, Nada?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, we're seeing the devastating impact of Israel's airstrikes across Lebanon, in particular, in Beirut, in

these areas that are densely populated with civilians, and that has certainly led to mounting pressure on those parties concerned to secure

some sort of ceasefire agreement.

Of course, there had been concern that the killing of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah would -- any hopes of securing a renewed cease

fire proposal or agreement between Hezbollah and Israel. Now we are learning from sources and Lebanese officials familiar with the talks that

Hezbollah is considering a new ceasefire proposal on the table.

We've heard from one Lebanese official who has said that this proposal was relayed orally by the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon to the Speaker of the

Lebanese parliament, who is known to have close ties with Hezbollah, and that according to sources, Hezbollah is considering that there is some

optimism that this ceasefire deal could potentially garner support from Hezbollah officials.

And of course, we've been hearing as well around what the aims are behind this ceasefire agreement. The details of the proposal currently on the

table. At this stage, according to sources, this cease fire proposal would stipulate a 60 day pause in fighting in the hopes that this would then lead

to a lasting ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.

[09:25:00]

But it's also calling for removal of all Hezbollah forces south of the Litani River in southern Lebanon, essentially only allowing the Lebanese

Armed Forces and U.N. peacekeepers to be present in this territory. Of course, the Israeli government has continuously reiterated its aim to

remove all Hezbollah presence from southern Lebanon, particularly in this territory south of the river.

So that could certainly fulfill some of those demands from the Israeli government. Whether or not that is feasible, whether or not we do see a

pause in fighting, of course, that remains to be seen. But as you mentioned, we continue to see these devastating airstrikes now across

Lebanon, a huge mass displacement crisis now in the country, not only in southern Lebanon.

Of course, warnings again from the Israeli Defense Ministry that they are expanding their ground operations in southern Lebanon. There are no details

as to what this may look like, but again, troubling developments on the ground. Fourth straight day of air strikes, but it's some optimism that

perhaps there is a renewed impetus for some sort of cease fire agreement to be struck.

HILL: Yeah. Nada, really appreciate it. Thank you. President Joe Biden being joined by other world leaders at the APEC Summit in Peru this hour

for what is likely to be one of his last major international trips as America's Leader before Donald Trump takes control of the oval office in

January.

The White House says Mr. Biden is expected to highlight U.S. economic leadership in the Indo-Pacific region. But APEC insiders say his visit is

frankly overshadowed by concerns about Donald Trump's America First agenda and how that could impact the global economy and the political landscape

over the coming year.

CNN is Kayla tau. She is following all of this. She's traveling with the president and joins us now from Lima. So, Kayla, President Biden scheduled

to hold private meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, also the Leaders of Japan, South Korea and Peru, all of us on the sidelines of the

summit. What is the White House hoping will come out of those meetings?

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the White House has a few goals for those meetings Erica, and they are different depending

on who the president is meeting with. For the leaders of the host countries, it's merely to thank them for their leadership, for both the

APEC and G20 summits that are being held here.

For the leaders of Japan and South Korea, it's to really affirm the friendship that's developed between those nations over the last four years.

And then when he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Biden is expected to try to chart any progress that's been made over the last

four years.

Whether it's on goals as simple as keeping the competition from spilling over into conflict or tangible goals that they've set in recent years on

establishing military level communication or curbing illicit fentanyl trafficking. But in speaking with China experts, they say that President Xi

Jinping is likely to withhold any deliverables from that meeting as essentially negotiation, bargaining chips for when he eventually faces an

incoming Trump Administration 2.0.

With Trump threatening a sweeping increase in tariffs against China and other countries, with Xi wanting to retain some of that leverage and not

give it away to the Biden Administration as it goes out the door. That's really a dynamic that's overshadowing a lot of Biden's interactions with

these world leaders.

And U.S. officials acknowledge that while they're physically here in South America. All anyone can think about is what's happening in Palm Beach,

Florida and what is happening in Washington, with a feeling or a sense that these world leaders are discussing amongst themselves, how to prepare for a

second term and to insulate their own economies from some of the threats that Trump has put forward.

Of course, the Biden Administration is excluded from those conversations, and so it's a fairly awkward dynamic here in South America, even as the

president tries to burnish his legacy in re-establishing and fortifying some of those relationships. He's going to be talking about some of the

climate goals that they've set and reached during his term when he speaks from the Amazon.

But of course, some of that may be irrelevant by the time January 20 rolls around and a sea change awaits the United States, Erica.

HILL: Absolutely. Kayla, really appreciate it. Thank you. Families anxiously waiting for their loved ones who are deep underground in a South

African gold mine. Why officials are refusing to help. Plus, pollution is so bad in parts of India, some classes have been moved online. The latest

details barely make that out there, the latest details for you just next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:30:00]

HILL: Welcome back. I'm Erica Hill joining you from New York today. Thanks for joining me on "Connect the World". In South Africa, families of illegal

miners in an abandoned gold mine are now waiting for news after the government cut off supplies and said it would not help them.

It's actually not even clear how many are underground at this point. Some police reports indicate several 100, but it could actually be as many as

4000. They are all believed to be running out of food and water after police closed off the entrances used to deliver supplies, authorities have

been trying to crack down on illegal mining, which has been a widespread problem in South Africa for decades.

CNN's Victoria, with dairy joining me now live from Nairobi. So, the fact that they are now trapped underground there just gives a sense. How much do

we know about the situation underground?

VICTORIA RUBADIRI, CNN CORRESPONDENT OF CONNECTING AFRICA: Well, Erica, if we are to go by the state of many of the miners who have managed to

surface, many of them came up weak and sickly. You have to remember they have been working underground for weeks now.

They have had no access to food, water or any kind of medical attention in the last few days. This, of course, is after, as you mentioned, police had

cut off supplies to try and flush them out. So far as of yesterday, over 1000 illegal miners made their way up to the surface.

Of course, some bad news. Yesterday, a body -- decomposing body, was retrieved from the mines. And so, this, of course, has concerned. Many of

the families who are wondering, will we see our kin alive? This is what one of them had to say earlier on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSELINA, MINER'S RELATIVE: I come from chipping -- in Zimbabwe. I'm here waiting for young people who are underground, who are dying, young people

from my home in Zimbabwe. It's better South Africa hands over those young people, so we can take them back home and bury them. That's all we're

asking for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RUBADIRI: What we've witnessed for the better part of the day, Erica, is a standoff between the local authorities and these illegal minors. They've

been given, really, one of two options, either they remain underground and risk death, or they surface and get arrested. And for obvious reasons, many

of them do not want to get arrested.

But interestingly, in the last hour or so, we've seen a change of tune from the government in a press briefing I was listening to earlier on, the

police minister, who's been touring the area, said they will be getting into an OPS' meeting with the police government officials and mine rescue

experts.

Now they haven't given any specific timelines as to when this rescue operation will begin, but the police minister is saying that he hopes to

have some good news by the end of the week.

HILL: Yeah, a lot of folks hoping for that good news as well. Victoria, appreciate it. Thank you.

[09:35:00]

Let's take up to speed on some of the other stories on our radar at this hour. North Korean state media says Leader Kim Jong Un is ordering the mass

production of so-called suicide attack drones. Those drones carry explosives and are being widely used in the wars in Ukraine and the Middle

East.

That order, of course, coming against the backdrop of Pyongyang's growing military cooperation with Russia. Argentina, the only country to vote

against United Nations resolution calling for the end of all forms of online violence against women and girls. That happened on Thursday.

Argentina's representatives arguing that the resolution contained ambiguous terms, which could be used to restrict freedom of expression. And India

introducing stricter measures to combat toxic air pollution. New Delhi has now banned non-essential construction work as the air quality, there

plummets to severe levels.

All primary schools in Delhi are shifting to online classes due to the rising pollution levels. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A canopy of toxic smog hangs over the skies of northern India, blotting out the

country's color, choking its people. Across Delhi, people go to hospital with serious respiratory problems.

DR. GAURAV JAIN, PULMONOLOGIST: Within last 15 days, there has been at least 25% rise in my OPD full of patients.

STOUT (voice-over): Many like 65-year-old, Adithya Kumar Shukla (ph) tried to stay home. So many others in Delhi are forced out into the pollution

each day, to work often menial jobs for little pay, people like auto driver Mohammad Ibrahim.

MOHAMMAD IBRAHIM, AUTO RICKSAW DRIVER: It feels like chili in my eyes with the pollution. When I go home in the evening and wash my hands and face,

black stuff comes out of my nose. If I don't go to work, how will I fill my stomach? How will I pay my rent? How will I pay my autos rent? I'm a poor

man. How will I eat? Only if I earn can I eat.

STOUT (voice-over): Delhi is in its dry period when emissions from cars and factories hang in the winter, air smoke from farmers burning their fields

after harvest lingers all day.

LALITA KUMARI, NURSE: I use a mask. I use a cloth to cover my face when I feel the problems acutely, I do deep breathing and exercises. That is what

I do.

STOUT (voice-over): This month, the particulate matter in Delhi's air has hit levels 40 times over the WHO safety levels, and many say government

efforts to reduce air pollution are not working.

ASHA MISHRA, DELHI RESIDENT: There is no question. We're getting better. Last year it was not this bad. This year, it's worse. Next year, it will be

even worse than now.

STOUT (voice-over): In Delhi, some outdoor work has been stopped, and schools have moved classes online, flights have been diverted for poor

visibility, but so many throughout northern India must struggle through the haze. Kristie Lu Stout. CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Still ahead, Mike Tyson returning to professional boxing 19 years after his last bout, a preview of that highly anticipated fight against a

much younger opponent.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:00]

HILL: The Pentagon seeing a drastic rise in accounts of UFO sightings, hundreds coming in over the past year, and those latest numbers are coming

to us in the annual report from the office, which is dedicated to reviewing sightings of UFOs, or to use the government's term, unidentified anomalous

phenomena.

UFOs -- let's be honest, that report finds that investigations have concluded many of those sightings can be explained as everyday items,

things like balloons or drones, but there are still several 100 which they're looking into. And the Pentagon admits a few of the outstanding

cases have not been plausibly explained, but says there's no evidence of alien activity or technology that has been found.

Boxer Mike Tyson coming out of retirement to fight Jake Paul. Tyson, who is more than twice Paul's age, is going to step back into the ring. He's 58

it's been 19 years since his last bout competing in pro sport. Of course, at an age when both athletes are taking it easy.

It's always a major challenge, but in boxing, it's really something. Amanda Davies joining me now, there is a lot of attention on this fight, I guess,

to put it mildly, Amanda.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah. I mean, do we call it boxing? Do we call it a fight? Do we call it a --

HILL: -- yes.

DAVIES: Or is it entertainment? I have to say, I am really disappointed about it, because this is being billed as a co main event, alongside two of

the greatest women's boxers we have ever seen in Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor, and they are competing for a world title. This is not this is a

show.

This is somebody who has long retired, who has been to prison having served rape, who was famously bit the ear of one of his opponents, who should be

sitting at home watching boxing, supporting boxing on television, up against a YouTube star turned amateur boxer for $40 million, but they are

putting on a show the fighting has started already.

Mike Tyson slapping Jake Paul the pre-fight weigh-in on Thursday night in Texas. They're expecting to sell 60,000 tickets for the event, but I'm not

sure I'm going to be watching. I've got to be honest. Netflix hoping to make a whole lot of money about it -- from it. But we've got some real

sport and some great sport coming up in just a couple of minutes on "World Sport". So, I hope everybody can join us for that.

HILL: I will be there for that. I will happily be joining you for the real sport and for all of "World Sport". And just like you, I will not be

watching the entertainment match, but that's what I'll leave that there. We'll see you after a quick break, Amanda, thanks.

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END