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First Move with Julia Chatterley
Police: Unclear why School back door was Unlocked; Zelenskyy Accuses Russia of Genocide; Microsoft President: In a war you need to Evacuate Data as well as people; S&P 500 Bounces after Entering Bear-Market Territory; Volkswagen CEO Talks Long-Term Economic Concerns; Tom Cruise in "Top Gun" Sequel. Aired 09-10a ET
Aired May 27, 2022 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: --that hopefully we can prevent something like this from ever happening again.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: We'll learn more about from that services and to nominate something that you think should be a CNN hero, go to
CNNHeroes.com. And CNN's coverage continues right now.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN HOST, FIRST MOVE: You're watching CNN, I'm Eleni Giokos in Dubai and we begin with the latest on the tragedy in Texas. The police
response and the timeline of Tuesday's mass shooting are under intense scrutiny.
Authorities now say the 18 year old suspected gunman was not confronted by a school resource officer before he entered the building, contradicting
original police accounts.
Questions are also growing about why officers were not able to stop him sooner. The shooter was inside the school for about an hour before he was
killed by law enforcement.
Frantic parents arriving at the scene say that they were held back by police. Well, meanwhile, the mother of the alleged shooter was interviewed
by CNN affiliate Televisa; listen to what she has to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADRIANA MARTINEZ, MOTHER OF GUNMAN IN UVALDE SCHOOL SHOOTING: I have no words. I have no words to say. I don't know what he was thinking he had his
reasons for doing what he did. And please don't judge him. I only want the innocent children who died to forgive me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you tell their families?
MARTINEZ: Forgive me, forgive my son. I know he had his reasons.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What reasons could he have had?
MARTINEZ: To get closer to those children instead of paying attention to the other bad things. I have no words. I don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Building a timeline has been really important over the last couple of days. Shimon Prokupecz has more on the investigation and the details
emerging. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN REPORTER (voice over): Growing outrage as more details emerge about the crucial hour a shooter had barricaded him in a
classroom at Rob elementary school.
ROLAND GUTIERREZ, TEXAS STATE SENATE DEMOCRAT: You go in and that didn't happen here. I don't want a Monday morning, Monday morning quarterback this
thing. But at the end of the day, we have to find out for the future, so that this never happens again.
And what kind of failures happen and I feel in this situation, standing back was not the thing to do.
PROKUPECZ (voice over): 19 children and two teachers were killed in Tuesday's massacre. And new video reveals parents frantic outside the
school begging law enforcement to enter.
VICTOR LUNA, FATHER OF ROBB ELEMENTARY FOURTH GRADE STUDENT: I told one of the officers myself if he didn't want to go under let me borrow a gun in
the west and I'll go under myself to handle it up. And they told me no. I mean, they like if they say they were doing the job what they could have
done quicker before that man went in the school.
PROKUPECZ (voice over): Criticism over the police response is mounting.
ANTHONY BARKSDALE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Since Columbine, we've known that law enforcement has known that you don't have a second to waste
when you're dealing with an act of theater. Police engage. The teachers get the kids out of here and you hold that ground you bang it out with them
until heavier weapons arrive. Those parents were right.
PROKUPECZ (voice over): Further law enforcement is now backpedaling earlier statements made to the public in the hours after the shooting. On Tuesday,
the public was told that the shooter engaged with a school resource officer but that was not the case.
VICTOR ESCALON, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, SOUTH TEXAS: He was not confronted by anybody to clear the record on that.
PROKUPECZ (voice over): There was no school resource officer at the school when the shooter entered the building. Here's where the timeline of events
stands. According to law enforcement at 11.28 a.m. the gunman crashed his vehicle in a ditch near the school. Onlookers nearby saw the crash and the
gunman emerge weapon hand.
ALBERT VARGAS, EYEWITNESS: Came out with an automatic weapon shot at least twice, maybe three times at them. And then that's when he spotted me and
born I mean, I was already in motion to run and that's when he--
PROKUPECZ (voice over): At 11.40 a.m. the gunman seems to have walked into the school through an unlocked door inside the gunman entered a classroom
and fired more than 25 times. At 11.44 a.m. law enforcement entered the school.
They immediately received fire and took cover. Officers say the shooter was barricaded in a classroom and they were talking to him. They also called
for backup officials defending their response to the shooting.
LT. CHRIS OLIVAREZ, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: At that point they had the suspect contained inside the classroom if those officers weren't
there if they did not maintain their presence, there is a good chance that gunmen could have made it to other classes and commit more killings.
[09:05:00]
PROKUPECZ (voice over): There is still a crucial hour where details are sparse. As to why officers were not able to breach that barricaded
classroom and apprehend the gunman.
OLIVAREZ: We will be doing updates we will be doing eight days--
PROKUPECZ (on camera): You should be able to answer that question now, sir.
OLIVAREZ: What is your name?
PROKUPECZ (on camera): Shimon Prokupecz from CNN.
OLIVAREZ: Shimon, I hear you.
PROKUPECZ (on camera): Because we've been given a lot of bad information, so why don't you clear this entire up and explain to us how it is that your
officers were injured for an hour, yes, rescuing people, but yet no one was able to get inside that room.
OLIVAREZ: Shimon we will circle back with you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Well, President Biden is expected to visit evolve there to meet with the victim's families. Understandably, students who survived the
ordeal have been left shaken and scarred.
An 11 year old girl telling CNN the gunman said good night before killing her teacher. She also said the shooter played music during the massacre.
Adrienne Broaddus spoke to another student who survived the shooting as well.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Jayden Perez is better today.
JAYDEN PEREZ, ROBB ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENT: Still sad about some of my friends that die.
BROADDUS (voice over): And the 10 year old shooting survivor says talking helps.
PEREZ: It was very terrifying. Because I never thought that was going to happen.
BROADDUS (voice over): Inside a fourth grade classroom the 10 year old said he and his classmates hid near the backpacks. This photo of the classroom
was taken long before the shooting.
PEREZ: Five of us hiding there and then the rest under a table. But that didn't stop one of my friends getting hurt. The shooter shot through the
window and hurting my friend and my teacher like my teacher got hurt like on like I don't know which side but she got hit, like hit on the side.
And then and then my friend got like, shot through the nose. And they had and they both had to get surgery.
BROADDUS (voice over): For - officer helped him and his classmates escaped through a window. But not before the shooter had killed his friends.
PEREZ: McKenna test, Anabel - basically, almost some of them basically almost all of them.
BROADDUS (voice over): Jayden's pain, not physical, but emotionally paralyzing.
PEREZ: After what happened know?
BROADDUS (voice over): Do you ever want to go back to school?
PEREZ: I don't want to, no, because I don't want anything to do with another shooting and me in the school.
BROADDUS (voice over): You scared it might happen again?
PEREZ: And I know what might happen again probably.
BROADDUS (voice over): Jayden's mom Crystal shared these pictures taken about 90 minutes before the shooting. She's with her son at the school
celebrating Jayden's Honor Roll achievement. His mom said waiting, not knowing was tough.
BROADDUS (on camera): What did you tell your mom when you finally saw her?
PEREZ: I left my water bottle.
BROADDUS (on camera): Your water bottle? Did you hug her?
PEREZ: She hugged me versus you like--
BROADDUS (on camera): Well, she's so happy to see you.
Yes and my dad and my grandma.
BROADDUS (on camera): What are your parents mean to you?
PEREZ: A lot, because they brought me into this room.
BROADDUS (voice over): A world where schools are also crime scenes.
BROADDUS (on camera): Did you hear the gunfire?
PEREZ: Yes. They never know whenever you can lose someone close to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: And now Adrienne joins us live from Uvalde. I have to say, listening to the survivors listening to their experiences and thinking
about the harrowing moments as this was playing out.
And also trying to reconcile what the police are telling us right now in terms of building that timeline. Could you give me a sense of how the
parents are feeling about information flow, what the victims are telling you at this point?
BROADDUS: I'll start with the first question in regards to the parents and I'll just speak to Jayden's mom, I asked her how she was doing today. I
didn't want to say how were you doing?
It was clear to add the word today because it's evident though their feelings change from day to day. And she said she too was doing a bit
better. As you can imagine some of the parents in this community are frustrated.
There's almost a feeling of betrayal knowing their children were inside of the school. And they were they felt helpless, they were unable to get
inside to help them.
[09:10:00]
BROADDUS: And as far as the children, some of them are processing their grief in their own way. For Jayden, he wanted to talk. He said it helps him
get things off his chest. He told me, he doesn't remember much about that day.
But he does remember when the shooting started. He also remembers what was happening in that classroom moment before the shooting, they were preparing
to work on a class project, it was the end of the school year.
So its spirit week, the kids are excited and having fun. And he said he really didn't want to do that project. They were creating sandals. And he
just wasn't into that kind of thing.
Then the shots rang out his teacher race to the door. He said she locked the door. And she told everyone to be quiet and high. And this is something
that these children are going to carry with them for the rest of their lives.
Jayden knows a majority of the 19 year or excuse me, 19 students who were killed. And if you think about that, at a young age, he's only 10. If his
mother allows him to attend, by the time he's an adult, he will likely have attended more funerals than any other type of celebration.
GIOKOS: Yes, it's a stark reminder of the reality that these victims are facing. But we're very grateful for them speaking out and sharing their
experiences, because it's so important to talk about this right now, especially as the investigation gets underway, Adrian, thank you very much
for your reporting.
We're going to a short break. We'll be back right after this. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Ukraine's military claims it continues to block a Russian advanced into Donbas from the North. But Russian forces have made gains in recent
days. The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is saying that, "At great cost to the Russian military, they are making slow but palpable progress".
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is accusing Russia of committing genocide in the east. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: In cities and communities closer to the Russian border in Donetsk and Luhansk, they gather every one they
can to fill the place of those killed and wounded in the occupation contingent.
[09:15:00]
ZELENSKYY: All of this, including the deportation of our people, and the mass killings of civilians is an obvious policy of genocide pursued by
Russia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Our correspondent Nick Paton Walsh traveled to East Ukraine, which has seen heavy fighting near the Russian occupied city of Izium, here's his
report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voice over): Putin would leave little of what he claimed to liberate. An artillery jewel has
been raging for days, torching around the vital Russian held town of Izium. Up on high in a position we were asked not to reveal these Ukrainian troops
dug in and buoyant, have a clearer view of the damage below, but also the enemy.
WALSH (on camera): So the Russians are just a kilometer on the brow of this hill in that direction.
WALSH (voice over): This unit only here two days but say they have already destroyed a Russian tank. Yes, they play to the cameras but it's pretty
clear up here. Their morale is sky high.
STAFF SERGEANT MAXIM, UKRAINIAN SOLDIER: Where is my armored hummer?
WALSH (voice over): They are exposed but ready keen to show off actually gleeful at the international menu of weapons they've been sent almost a
silly amount, the Swedish anti-tank munitions and of course a British end law.
Then from out of the grass a German one wish they particularly like a Polish grenade no training on them just practical use a joke giving them
the widest experience of anti-tank weapons in Europe.
Writing also what the Russians left thermal optics and a Soviet era anti- tank weapon that they wind up like a telephone. Yet still the Russians persist. Even as the prisoners these trips have taken have revealed how
young the soldiers they're fighting are.
MAXIM: They're children. They don't know any other kind of power. They say, Putin said so- he can't deceive us. We're doing everything right. It's like
the firmware in their brains was updated because they only quote phrases poor and unhappy sad to look at them.
WALSH (voice over): In the village below, the endless shelling is flushing the remaining life out. This woman said telling me her name would make no
difference.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There were eleven explosions around my house last night. Holes, Eleven, go and count them. I sat in the cellar, on my knees
asking God to put goodness in people's brains. Will the brain hold up? It will. See? I am here.
WALSH (voice over): They really don't know where they'll go or what, if anything, they can come back to just that life has no space left here. Nick
Paton Walsh CNN near Izium, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: As that grandmother's said to put goodness in people's brains but will the brain hold up wise words? Let's go now straight to Ukraine.
Suzanne Malveaux joins me from Lviv.
Suzanne, you know, we've been watching so much playing out this week. And we know that the Russians are making headway in the eastern part of the
country. President Zelenskyy warning of genocide, Human Rights Watch also echoing that they're seeing the hallmarks of genocide as well. What more do
we know?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you're right, not only Human Rights Watch, but different various Western intelligence sources also
indicating the same thing here that President Zelenskyy has been talking about since the beginning of the war.
And that is really carrying out acts of genocide, not only the mass killings of civilians by deportation and also a process that they are
calling filtration.
Now, this is a very specific and systemic process in which the people who are left who have not been killed who have not fled but the people who are
stuck in places like Mariupol and others under Russian occupation, they rounded up.
[09:20:00]
MALVEAUX: They are separated from their families, the men are stripped and they are interrogated. They are beaten into submission here essentially a
demoralizing, dehumanizing process to break their spirit of physically and emotionally here, they take their cell phones, they take all of their
contact information, they get gather this information of their family and their friends, and their pictures, their social media, everything that they
have.
And essentially use it against them to try to determine if there was any kind of sympathies that they have towards the Ukrainian government or the
Ukrainian military.
Now, if they pass this process of filtration, they get a certificate at that point, they're able to leave the area. They have permission to leave
perhaps reunite with some family members and, and return later.
But some are stuck in these areas because they never pass or get that kind of certificate, but it really is meant to, to beat them down. The people
who still remain and this is what Human Rights Watch and some of these other organizations are talking about.
This is what President Zelenskyy is talking about that these are war crimes that this is not in accordance with international law. And Eleni, you had
mentioned as well. There's still a fierce fight that is going on in the eastern part of the country, in the Donbas in the Donetsk and Luhansk
regions. We know that in Severodonetsk that is where there is a hotel called the near hotel, there is a battle a fierce battle that is taking
place in that city around that city.
Inside of that hotel is Russian forces stormed that hotel earlier today and Ukrainian military try to regain control of that area. There is street
fighting, and there is essentially a targeting of the civilian population in that key city as the Russians tried to advance, Eleni?
GIOKOS: Suzanne Malveaux, thank you so very much for that update. Right, Ukraine is being forced to defend itself against Russian attacks not only
on the battlefield but also in cyberspace.
Microsoft says there have been more than 200 separate cyberattacks launched against Ukraine by Russian linked actors since the start of the conflict.
The company calls what is happening in Ukraine a hybrid war and is helping key repel those attacks. Julia Chatterley spoke to Microsoft President Brad
Smith earlier this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRAD SMITH, PRESIDENT, MICROSOFT: We all think of the words beginning on February 24. That is the day when cruise missiles were fired. But before a
cruise missile was launched, the Russians literally sent code into battle the day before on the 23rd.
And we saw it light up at Microsoft against literally more than 200, 300 targets across Ukraine. The good news is we were already working with the
Ukrainian government in multiple ways.
And I think in many respects, defensive technology has held up well against cyber-attacks.
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Regarding the Russians, the hackers were going for critical information, data, strategic targets. Talk to me
about the role that you played there in trying to help defend the integrity of the systems in Ukraine.
SMITH: I think two things are really interesting to think about. The first is you cannot run a government, you can't run anything today without
digital infrastructure without data and digital services.
So the first thing we did with the Government of Ukraine was migrate them entirely to the cloud, out of their own data center and their own servers,
and then move that data outside of Ukraine.
So it turns out that in a war, you want to almost evacuate data, in addition to people if you will. The second thing is then begin to harden
defenses.
CHATTERLEY: Right.
SMITH: We have Windows Defender and it's almost like a radar system that identifies where attacks are coming in. And then we can develop code to
fight back against malware and send it back down. And I think that's been the great strength of the defensive side of this cyber war so far.
CHATTERLEY: So you literally have situations where you had strategic infrastructure data targeted in Ukraine. But the data is already gone,
because you lifted it out. And it was in the cloud.
SMITH: Exactly. I mean, when we were meeting with the Ukrainian government here a couple of days ago in Davos, one of the points they made was that
one of the first cruise missiles sent from Russia targeted their data center.
CHATTERLEY: Right.
SMITH: That's not a surprise. I mean, typically you go after communications infrastructure first so you get the data at least copied out and so you can
keep running.
CHATTERLEY: One of the other things that came from this report, too, was it's not just about Ukraine and strategic targets. The danger now is other
countries be they Finland Sweden through their decision over future NATO membership, the United States obviously the United Kingdom.
[09:25:00]
CHATTERLEY: I know you're in all of these countries, you're talking to these governments, how prepared are they? How concerned are they? And what
are they doing today to shore up defenses, whether it's through you or them?
SMITH: I think everyone is concerned.
CHATTERLEY: Enough?
SMITH: Yes, I think people are concerned enough, I think people are getting prepared. I think there are two kinds of problems that people have to worry
about. One would be some type of intentional cyber-attack on a country outside of Ukraine.
And the other is unintentional. When code malware is launched at say, one country, but it spreads that's happening before. And then in Ukraine
itself, in 2017, there was an attack called - now, the Russians have actually engineered their attacks, I think, to ensure that they are more
likely to stay in Ukraine. But every time we see an attack, we engineer a response. And we distributed worldwide so that if it does go beyond
Ukraine's borders, people are protected.
CHATTERLEY: It brings me back to multiple conversations that you and I have had in the past. And you wrote about it in your book, too, about the need
for a digital Geneva Convention.
Are we further away today from that than we were when you were writing the book and saying, this is what we need? If I think about Russia, I think
about the geopolitical tensions with China, we can throw in North Korea, if we like as well.
Does it work if we exclude those countries simply because we set some red lines and say, look, this is what's acceptable? This is how we will react?
Or does it not work if we're not all in this?
SMITH: I think that we've made some good progress during the past five years. But I think it's frankly, a more complicated and challenging world.
CHATTERLEY: In general?
SMITH: Yes, in every way, and at the heart of what we talked about that I talked about five years ago was that there was this critical principle that
emerged from the great calamity of the 20th century, the death of 50 million civilians during World War Two.
That said in times of war, governments have not just a moral obligation, but a duty to protect civilians. And what we are saying is look at all
these attacks on civilians in times of peace; we need a digital Geneva Convention to protect people.
Now we're in a time of war and once again we're seeing civilians not just being killed but in some cases being targeted with cyber weapons and other
weapons. Yes, and I think this is a time when for us in our generation our lifetime that principle is on trial and we have to stand up to defend it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Right you're watching CNN and we'll have the market open next, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:30:00]
GIOKOS: Welcome back. U.S. markets are up and running this Friday, the last trading day on Wall Street before the long Memorial Day weekend. Now stocks
are higher across the board.
Take a look at that the Dow Jones up a quarter of a percent NASDAQ also recovering 1 percent S&P looking good, seven tenths of a percent up. Dow in
fact is on track to snap an eight week losing streak it's through a - of losses in decades. U.S. stocks finished higher Thursday with texts rallying
more than two and a half percent strong earnings from retailer Macy's help boost the markets as well.
But retail earnings this week have come in quite mixed shares of GAAP are tumbling. In early trading after reported weak results as you can see down
over 12 percent.
The number suggests that well off consumers are still spending while others are becoming more cautious as inflation rises. Tom Porcelli joins me; he is
the Chief U.S. Economist at RBC Capital Markets.
So I'm really good to see you. I mean, I have to say, it has been a complete roller coaster ride in terms of the economic numbers that we've
been seeing the data, some of the results as well.
You've got so many exogenous factors, geopolitical issues that are completely out of our control. And investors are trying to figure out what
has already been priced in and what to price in at this point. What are the numbers telling you today?
TOM PORCELLI, CHIEF U.S. ECONOMIST, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS: Yes, look, so good to be with you. Thanks for having me. And yet, look, I think the numbers
have been pretty consistent, actually, with this idea that, you know, economic activity is slowing down.
Now look, I don't think that was a particularly heroic call at the beginning of the year. I mean, I think most forecasters expected it would
slow down. I think the bigger question was the degree to which it would slow.
And I think that's what's catching some people by surprise; I do think things are slowing down, not just more than people expected. I just think
it's also happening faster than a lot of people would have expected.
And of course, you know, as you highlighted, you know, earnings season, which, you know, we're still sort of in the thick of it. You know, that's,
I think, really one of the things that's brought to light this idea that, you know, some segments of the consumer are slowing down and slowing down
pretty abruptly.
So I think the challenge is to exist, you know, up and down the income spectrum. There are different challenges up and down the income spectrum.
But I think by the, you know, as we roll into the second half of the year, I think, you know, H2 will probably look pretty different than the first
half, which is to say, I think it's probably going to be quite a bit slower.
GIOKOS: Yes, I mean, this is really interesting point. Firstly, it's almost the end of May. So we are heading into the, you know, officially sort of
second half of the year. It is pretty incredible to see just how many more risks emerged in the first half that weren't anticipated.
When you're seeing a slowdown, I guess the word recession is coming up a lot more often. To what extent is inflation going to be tempered? These are
unknown factors, or do you think that we have a grip on what the outlook is going to be?
PORCELLI: Look, I think, I think the bigger question is, will it feel like a recession, right, because literally, at the end of the day, it's the NBER
right?
They all knowing NBR that dates recessions and says we're in a recession or not, I think a bigger question is will it feel that way? And I think for a
lot of people that probably will, I mean, I think about 1994, 95, you know, a lot of people, I don't know how many people remember sort of, you know,
living through that window in U.S. from an economic perspective, but it felt very recessionary.
We had job losses, manufacturing was in recession, and housing was in recession, but it actually wasn't an official recession. But it felt that
way. And I think we were probably embarking on something like that here now.
I do think we'll have job losses. I think we could even have them before the end of the year. There are certain sectors that are sort of they seem
very sort of primed to have some job losses, housing is already struggling here.
I think CapEx could capital expenditures could be the next thing to slow. And as we said, at the top, you know, there are obviously a lot of
challenges on the consumer side. So again, frankly, whether it's actually labeled a recession or not, I don't know if that's, you know, all that
important.
[09:35:00]
GIOKOS: Yes, it's a definition, right? I have to quickly ask you, though, in terms of the markets just very quickly, there was a lot of cheap money
and free money flowing around because of stimulus that's been pulled back now.
Do you think where we are right now with 20 percent down on the NASDAQ is more realistic in your mind?
PORCELLI: You know, I'll leave that to the equity prognosticators to sort of answer that question. What I would simply say is, I think, you know,
north of 4000 on the S&P, I think that we were getting ahead of ourselves in the context of we've pulled forward an enormous amount of earnings.
And I think the earnings numbers now are a reflection of that. So I think we're more right sized than where we were certainly just a couple of months
back. But I think that there could be more room to run there.
GIOKOS: All right, Tom Porcelli, thank you so much. Good to see you. Have a great weekend.
PORCELLI: Thanks, you too.
GIOKOS: All right, now Europe is racing to end its dependence on Russian energy. One way it's responding is by turning to other suppliers of fossil
fuels, including Columbia.
But the rush for more oil and gas risks derailing Colombia's own plans for green energy. Stefano Pozzebon reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST (voice over): Deep in the bush lands of northeastern Colombia, something of a gold rush is taking place. Its
prospects are not minerals, but energy, clean power to lead the country's transition towards a sustainable future.
The desert swept by Sea breeze every hour of the day of - condition for wind turbines and investors are jumping in. This park is made up of 15
towers and should start producing power soon; at least a dozen more are on the way. The target is to increase renewables production a hundredfold.
POZZEBON (on camera): Colombia has invested millions over the last four years to try and become a leader in clean energy production in South
America. But that was of course, before the price of fossil fuels spiked up due to the war in Ukraine.
POZZEBON (voice over): As a consequence of the conflict in Europe and the energy crunched and as followed, Columbia's coal and oil export revenues
are up almost doubled compared to last year, while phasing out fossil fuels doesn't seem so inevitable anymore. President Yvan Duquesne also reneged on
a campaign pledge by allowing the first exploration license for fracking in March. This weekend, the choice between renewables and fossil fuels will
play out at the ballot. Left wing candidate Gustavo Petro is leading the polls on a decisively anti drilling campaign.
GUSTAVO PETRO, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They are three poisons. The ugliest one is coal taken out of our Caribbean coast, then its oil and the third
one is cocaine.
POZZEBON (voice over): His closest rival has other plans.
FEDERICO GUTIERREZ, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need to keep looking for new resources both for oil and gas.
POZZEBON (voice over): The war in Ukraine has already had an impact here, not far from the turbines lie Cerrejon, the largest open pit coal mine in
South America. Although its owner Glencore pledged to wind down production by 2034 as part of its climate commitment, it also requested permission to
partially deviate a stream to expand the mine.
When Germany announced it was banning imports of coal from Russia, Columbia quickly offered to increase production. Activists will oppose the expansion
of the mine believe the Columbia environment will pay the price for Germany's decision. LEOBALDO SIERRA, ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST: The Germans
said they were not going to use coal anymore. Lead this clean transition. But now there's a war up there and they want to buy coal here. So where
does that leave us?
POZZEBON (voice over): What we may be seen he's the so called butterfly effect, when a seemingly minor action in one place leads to enormous
consequences on the other side of the globe. Stefano Pozzebon, CNN - Columbia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Now as Russia faces a wave of condemnation over its conduct in Ukraine, officials in Washington suspect China is drawing lessons from
Moscow's military failures.
Concerns are growing that Beijing may use that knowledge in a future invasion of Taiwan. Ivan Watson has that story for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Russia and China enjoy a friendship with no limits. This announcement made by the
Russian and Chinese presidents when they met on February 4 on the eve of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
20 days later, soon after the end of the Olympics, Moscow invaded Ukraine. Russia's unprovoked war sparking fears China could have similar plans for
Taiwan. Beijing claims the self-governing island belongs to China asked if he would get involved militarily to defend Taiwan against China. The U.S.
president had this explicit warning.
[09:40:00]
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Yes, that's the commitment we made.
WATSON (voice over): Beijing has long called for peaceful reunification with Taiwan, but it has also never ruled out using force against Taiwan's
democratically elected government. And when it comes to military force, China dwarfs Taiwan, boasting the largest Navy in the world, and the
largest air force in the region.
But if Russia's deadly adventure in Ukraine taught strategists anything, it's that size doesn't always matter.
BONNIE GLASER, GERMAN MARSHALL FUND OF THE U.S.: The country may clearly have a conventional military advantage over an adversary. But that doesn't
mean that it would necessarily achieve easy military or political victory.
WATSON (on camera): The war in Ukraine highlights another potential challenge for China to attack Ukraine; Russian troops simply drove across
the border from Russia and from neighboring Belarus.
But to reach Taiwan Chinese forces would have to cross the Taiwan Strait within 100 miles, a 180 kilometers of open water.
PHILLIPS O'BRIEN, PROFESSOR OF STRATEGIC STUDIES, ST. ANDREWS UNIVERSITY: Well, amphibious assaults are the most difficult complex operations in
warfare. If the Chinese tried to send an invasion force from the mainland to Taiwan, they would have to contend with salvos of anti-ship missiles.
And what we would see is a massacre of shipping probably in the waters around Taiwan.
WATSON (voice over): The Russian Navy has suffered major losses from suspected Ukrainian anti-ship missiles, first losing this landing ship in
the Russian occupied port of - and then losing the Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Analysts say Taiwan has a much larger arsenal of anti-ship missiles at its disposal, and its military has been training for 70 years against the
threat of a Chinese invasion.
KEN JIMBO, PROFESSOR, KEIO UNIVERSITY: China is learning the lessons from Ukraine both in a positive and also in the negative manner.
WATSON (voice over): Early in his Ukraine war, Vladimir Putin publicly put Russia's nuclear weapons on alert, a thinly veiled threat to the west.
JIMBO: Probably that the China will bring in the kind of advantage of the nuclear threats in the early phase of the scenario that will potentially I
think the change or calculation of the Washington D.C.
WATSON (voice over): As a warning to the U.S. China's Foreign Ministry declared this week that no force in the world can stop China from achieving
reunification with Taiwan. Ivan Watson CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: And still to come, VW Group CEO says the company has shown resilience to recent economic challenges, more on his interview from Davos
after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:00]
GIOKOS: Welcome back. Supply chain issues hit the auto industry hard during the pandemic. Earlier this week, Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess spoke with
CNN's Julia Chatterley in Davos about managing in challenging economic times. His concerns about the global economy and his thoughts on sanctions
on Russia, take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HERBERT DIESS, CEO, VOLKSWAGEN GROUP: I think it's challenging now and in automotive is complex supply chains. It's probably one of the more
complicated areas. And some of the effects which are produced currently we don't see yet no, we have really soaring raw material prices. And we have
inflation.
And some of them will only come into place probably half a year in a year's time. So it is really tough times. But we have managed crisis, we have
shown resilience. We have our quarterly results are not too bad.
So yes, I'm convinced that we can manage. What's more of a concern for me are the long term tendencies. What we now experienced also here in Davos
now that we're talking a lot about new block building about self-sufficient regions, this is a concern for me, because an open world is just much, a
much better world.
CHATTERLEY: Important question, a huge question to be asking at this stage. I mean, we have this conversation every year when we get to come here in
Davos that actually globalization didn't work for a huge chunk of the world.
DIESS: Well, that's not true. That's not true. No, I think the world improved so much. Now thinking back in the 70s, 80s, knowing when we still
had those blocks; you couldn't travel to Moscow or to Beijing, or to many parts of the world.
So the world is so much better. So many people came out of poverty now so many people have increased their wealth significantly. Yes, there are
concerns now because the disparity between the rich and the poor is increasing.
So there are concerns and things to the world and open world, a free market world, a world where we have - competition, where competition is a much
better, it moves faster. It's friendly. It has less conflicts and a block building.
CHATTERELY: Where there aren't we, we're sort of at the point of your real concerns and worst fears where we have blocks where we've got the
geopolitical environment, China, the West, escalating, escalated tensions.
We've now got Russia, we're looking at an axis of perhaps China and, and Russia versus, versus the rest of the world.
DIESS: Lot of talk about so far, China is not joining let's say Russia any are supporting Russia in any case now, whereas India as a democracy, still
is against the sanction. So I think it's we have to accept this world today is also not unified. We cannot expect and many countries are not behind the
sanctions.
We are imposing we think the sanctions are the right way to go. But the concern is that this leads to a situation where we have a new block
building now we try to get the rest against the new East also, which would be bad.
CHATTERELY: You sort of stepped into the middle of that, though, and been criticized for suggesting that a negotiated solution is the answer to
address and I think the whole world, most of the world let's be clear, we'd love a negotiated solution to the war in Ukraine.
I mean, you've met Putin, you've operated in Russia. And let's be clear, you were one of the first to say, look, were suspending operations.
DIESS: Thank you for mentioning.
CHATTERELY: It is important.
DIESS: Yes.
CHATTERELY: This is important.
DIESS: Definitely. And I was very--
CHATTERELY: What did you mean, because --?
DIESS: No, you know, and I'm really ready to repeat that. I think no, I was we were the first to ceasing operations in Russia shutting it down. We have
7000 people there now.
They are all loyal to our brands, and they are a Volkswagen people. And we sent them home and we ceased our operation and I always advocated for
sanctions, that sanctions should, we should achieve something assumptions.
So far we going basically from escalation to escalation and we have no change. So I think sanctions yes, but then how are we going to end this
because every war has two losers, the winner and the loser.
CHATTERELY: How do you negotiate with Putin?
DIESS: That's difficult, you know, there were some attempts they failed. I think we need some strong intervention; some of the great political leaders
would make a difference, Xi Jinping, President Biden or the European leader. So I think we should try, yes.
[09:50:00]
CHATTERELY: Just because it's something - so far doesn't mean you should stop trying.
DIESS: Not either or not either or being tough, but talking.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Right. And still to come 36 years later and the need for speed is still real at the box office, and much anticipated sequel to Top Gun flies
and to get us today, we'd have the details next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Welcome back. Tom Cruise is flying high at the box office once again. Top Gun Maverick opens in theaters today kicking off Memorial Day
weekend with aerial stunts made for the big screen. Chloe Melas joins me now. Chloe, firstly, good to see you and thank you for breaking in with all
this bad news we've had. It's good to discuss something a little lighter. What are we expecting over this weekend?
CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Wow. Well, let me tell you, this is an escapism type of weekend. And Tom Cruise, he was adamant about
postponing the premiere of this movie, the launch in theaters until we were in somewhat of a post pandemic world because he has been very vocal against
streaming.
So that's why you're seeing so many headlines saying is Tom Cruise, the last movie star. And what they mean by that is that perhaps this movie as
silly as it may sound it made quite honestly save the box office.
Now I'm actually going to be seeing the movie tonight from some of my colleagues. I know that they're expecting massive numbers here in the
United States and then eventually all over the world.
One of the things that's really interesting though is that Tom Cruise he does his own stunts. You have the seventh Mission Impossible movie coming
out later this summer that he stars in.
He famously does the stunts in those movies for that franchise, but he doesn't hear in Top Gun. And from what I'm hearing, it's the nostalgia also
does Tom Cruise age he's approaching 60.
And it looks like he's been like hiding out in ice --all of these years. You have Val Kilmer Jennifer Connelly Miles Teller and you are going to see
some aerial stunts you're going to feel patriotic.
[09:55:00]
MELAS: And they're saying it's just one of those movies where you're high fiving the person next to you and people are cheering. And you're walking
out of that, that theater with so much, much pride and patriotism.
Now recently, somebody asked Tom Cruise at the Cannes Film Festival about why does he do his own stunts and puts him into these dangerous situations?
And I just want to tell you what his response was.
It was would you ask Gene Kelly, why he does his own dancing? And that I think is a really great point here.
GIOKOS: Yes. Well, yes, it's going to be escapism. Much needed, I think for so many people. Bob Cookson in my ear who's my producers going to watch the
movie this weekend as well, you guys better enjoy it. Have a great weekend. Chloe Melas, thank you so much. And that's it for the show, take care.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
