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Isa Soares Tonight

Thousands Protest Amid Nationwide Strikes in France; Police Investigate Motive in Nashville School Shooting; IAEA Boss Travels to Zaporizhzhia Power Plant Amid Nuclear Concerns; Pence Ordered To Testify On Trump Conversations Prior To 1/6; Dozens Killed In Migration Detention Center Fire; Prince Harry's Tabloid Lawsuit; Gwyneth Paltrow's Ski Accident Case Enters Second Week. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired March 28, 2023 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

LYNDA KINKADE, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Lynda Kinkade in for Isa Soares. Good to have you with us.

Tonight, thousands take to the streets in France on this year's 10th day of strikes over pension reforms. We're going to go live to the streets of

Paris.

Then Nashville reeling from Monday's mass shooting at an elementary school. Later, we'll be bringing you the dramatic new footage that shows the moment

police confronted the killer. Plus, I'll be speaking to the head of the IAEA, as he travels to the Zaporizhzhia plant in Ukraine amid fears for the

safety of the nuclear power plant there.

Well, the French government and unions are locked in a standoff that's only getting deeper. Hundreds of thousands of people have been marching again on

Tuesday against President Emmanuel Macron's unpopular pension reforms. Protests have been going on for weeks, but this is the 10th day this year

of nationwide strikes.

Train tracks, highways, both blocked right across the country, and there were also clashes with police in some cities. But the rallies for the most

part were peaceful. Hours ago, the government refused the unions' request to suspend the new pension law that's raising the retirement age from 62 to

64. So, it's not clear yet how or when this crisis will come to an end.

Well, we're joined by our senior international correspondent Sam Kiley, who joins us in Paris, where it's still unfolding there, Sam, just give us a

sense of the scenes you've witnessed today.

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda, here as we could have predicted towards the end of the demonstration day, we've got

now a standoff between many dozens of police and demonstrators, union supporters and others beyond them in the Place de la Nation, that is at the

end of this route that the demonstrators have taken now.

There have been in the last couple of hours, quite a lot of clashes between the police and a violent element within the demonstrators with them

chucking rocks and bottles at the police, and the police firing tear gas back. We've seen a number of arrests to the areas quite sour, or I would

say with tear gas.

And this is following concerns among the union organizers of today's demonstrations, and indeed of the government of a rising tide of violence

around these objections to the changing the pensionable age from 62 to 64 in France.

Not least, because in an unrelated matter at the weekend, there were very violent clashes with the police in environmental protests and not in Paris,

but outside in an agricultural area. But nonetheless, there now are large numbers of people bottled up in the square in this protracted standoff with

the police.

The area is actually getting -- becoming almost overpoweringly thick with tear gas because the wind is against me in terms of the -- where the

direction of travel of the tear gas is blown back over the police lines at the moment, Lynda. Now, the government has said it is prepared to have a

dialogue with the unions, but not on the matter of doing a U-turn, particularly not because of these street demonstrations.

Emmanuel Macron and his government in the National Assembly can't afford politically to be seen or even want to go anywhere near. They've ruled out

completely giving up on this legislation. The legislation is almost written, Lynda, it is only going to go through the constitutional council

before it becomes law towards the end of the year.

Now, the hope for its opponents is that there could be some turnaround, but the government really ruling that out, Lynda.

KINKADE: Yes, you're dealing there with the tear gas, Sam, thanks for staying with us. I just have to say that lifting the retirement age from 62

to 64 barely raises an eyebrow in many countries like here in the U.S., Australia, the U.K., where the retirement age is already above that. Why is

it such a big deal in France, and what are the protesters hoping to achieve if this legislation is pretty much going to go through axis?

KILEY: Well, the opponents here, Lynda, are arguing that it affects the poorer elements in society, particularly those who start working earlier in

life disproportionately, that it means that essentially working class people will be working for longer, particularly those approaching

retirement who have been looking forward to retiring at 62, I mean, to stay on for another couple of years.

[14:05:00]

But also much more profoundly, it really speaks to the changes that Emmanuel Macron has been trying to make the French society and the French

economy, which is one that has a long tradition of the state -- of a lot of state support for people, particularly for working people in this country,

and as far as Macron is concerned, that is no longer affordable in a modern economy.

But that is not a point that it's accepted by at least two-thirds of the population here. This is a very deeply unpopular piece of legislation in

France here. We're seeing the most extreme manifestation of its unpopularity. But there is a burning sense among many French people, that

this is a reform of the economy that has gone too far.

KINKADE: All right, Sam Kiley, we appreciate you staying out there all day on the streets of Paris for us amid those protests, we will talk again

soon. Thanks very much. Well, the battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut is grinding on. But the commander of the Ukrainian land forces says

that's working to their advantage.

He told defense fighters in the war torn city that their main task is to whittle down Russian forces, so Ukraine can launch a counteroffensive.

Russia is bombarding Bakhmut and the nearby city of Avdiivka, but have only made marginal gains there in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Russia continues its

campaign of drone missile and rocket attacks across the country.

This was a hospital in Kherson that was badly damaged by shelling. Well, I want to bring in our David McKenzie, he joins us from western Ukraine. Good

to have you with us, David. So, more military aid is arriving today in the forms of tanks while the President Zelenskyy continues his tour on the

frontlines.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Lynda, and this has been quite a tour by Zelenskyy. Today, he was in

Sumy in the northern part of the country, visiting soldiers, celebrating a famous victory in that area of the fight much earlier in this long dragon

conflict.

Now, you've had President Zelenskyy there in the north. He was a few days ago in right on the eastern frontlines in Bakhmut, he was in Zaporizhzhia

to talk about the nuclear safety. It's really been a whistle stop tour by the president. You feel that there's this deep breath being drawn in this

country, potentially as those western tanks come in, as other weapons come in, and volunteers get trained to figure out whether and if Ukraine will

muster a counteroffensive, something we've been anticipating and talking about for many weeks now.

You do the fighting, as you say, in the east is particularly fierce as it has been for many months now around Bakhmut and the other regions. They

repelled some 24 attacks, at least, in the last few hours, 24 hours or so, say the commanders there, Lynda. And in particular, two towns have the

Russians controlling at least three sides of those towns, but they aren't able to encircle it.

We have been talking about these parts of the eastern front in Luhansk and Donetsk for many months now, and it shows that the Russians, despite

throwing everything at Ukrainian positions and at their fortifications and trenches, they haven't been able to make sweeping successes. So as this war

drags on, it will be very critical to see whether Ukraine can soak up that pressure despite the losses and possibly strike back with a

counteroffensive, Lynda.

KINKADE: Yes, no doubt, we will continue the discussion on that battle. David McKenzie for us, good to have you there. Thank you. Well, the head of

the International Atomic Energy Agency is headed for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. It will be Rafael Grossi's second trip to the plant

since Russian forces (INAUDIBLE) from Ukraine more than a year ago.

On Monday, Grossi met with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who accused Russia of committing radiation blackmail. Rafael Grossi joins me

now from Dnipro, Ukraine. Good to have you on the program, thanks for your time.

RAFAEL GROSSI, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY: Thank you very much, pleasure to be with you. Hello.

KINKADE: So, you have a crucial job protecting Europe's largest nuclear power plant in a country that's at war. Just describe for us what the

status of the plant is right now?

GROSSI: Well, I have been saying, and unfortunately, I cannot say anything better. It's very precarious, still very dangerous. The situation as you

have been describing in your reporting is not getting any better. Military action continues. In fact, it is increasing. There are a growing number of

-- numbers of troops and military vehicles, heavy artillery.

[14:10:00]

More military action around the plant has been blacked out repeatedly, thereby losing its cooling capacity. So converging number of very

concerning factors that are making this plant in this situation a great risk. This is why the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency is

there. We have a permanent presence there and myself, I will be visiting it for the second time.

I want to see what the situation is for myself, talk to the management there, which is a Russian management, as you know, because the plant which

is roughly on the frontline is on Russian-controlled territory, and it's controlled by Russia. So in a few hours, myself and my team, we are going

to cross the frontline again as we did last year, and we are going to be visiting the plant and continuing at the same time -- I think you mentioned

my meeting with President Zelenskyy.

I'm going to continue my consultations in order to try to establish a protection around the plant, and spare us all from a nuclear accident with

a potential catastrophic consequences.

KINKADE: Yes, I want to ask you a bit more about that in just a moment, but first, I just want to ask you about the risk level at the plant right

now. This is a plant that has six nuclear reactors. It's faced shelling since the war began, and we've discussed the risks in the past, given that

this is a plant --

GROSSI: Yes --

KINKADE: That's 500 kilometers from the world's worst nuclear accident at Chernobyl. What's the risk level at the plant right now?

GROSSI: Well, the risk level as I was saying is extremely high. And it's totally unpredictable. Precisely because we are in a combat zone. So any

time -- I mean, the previous shelling episodes that we had didn't come with a warning, of course. So that could be wittingly or unwittingly or as part

of some military action.

The plant has been hit -- has been hit in very sensitive areas of the facility, so we cannot exclude it. At one moment, we could be in a quiet

situation and two minutes later, facing something very terrible. So unfortunately, we cannot predict. This is why what we want to achieve is a

protection agreement of -- on which we have been working with both sides in order to try to have a bit more predictability, a bit more reassurance that

we do not turn a nuclear reactor, legitimate military target.

KINKADE: In terms of the operations at that plant, as you mentioned, Russia controls the plant, but it's essentially --

GROSSI: Yes --

KINKADE: Still operated by Ukrainians. How exactly does that work, from what you've seen, what your team is seeing on the ground. Because there

have been reports from Ukrainians that Russians at the plant have been retreating.

GROSSI: No, Russia is firmly in control of the plant, I may tell you more when I return tomorrow. But the Russians are in control of the plant. There

is no doubt about it. We have like you rightly say Ukrainian staff, a portion of the original staff of that plant, which was in the area of the

10,000 or something like that, and now it's been reduced to less than half of that.

Some left, some were fired. Some didn't want to continue working there, so the staff, the workforce is severely reduced. Still OK to run the plant,

but not in ideal conditions.

KINKADE: We wish you all the very best in your efforts to create this protection zone around the plant, and your work --

GROSSI: Thank you --

KINKADE: Tomorrow. All the best. Thanks so much Rafael Grossi from the IAEA --

GROSSI: Thank you very much, thank you.

KINKADE: Well, we are seeing some dramatic new video of the final moments in Monday's Nashville, mass shooting. You're about to see and hear the

body-cam footage. We need to warn you that some of you may find this disturbing. It shows police did not hesitate. They did not wait to see if

the shooter was barricading themselves in.

Instead they raced in, guns drawn to confront and kill an attacker who had murdered three children and three adults. And that choice not to wait

likely saved lives. Here's that video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, it's up! Go.

(GUNFIRE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just fired.

[14:15:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Watch.

(GUNFIRE)

I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Listen, LPDO. Listen, LPDO.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, as we learn more about how the shooting unfolded and ended, vigils are being held for the victims. People are laying flowers and gifts

and praying outside the scene of this massacre. Authorities have searched the home of the 28-year-old attacker, and they're still trying to piece

together what may be a motive. CNN's Amara Walker has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AVERY MYRICK, MOTHER TEACHES AT SCHOOL: I don't know how somebody could go through with doing something like that, and especially children, like just

-- it's disgusting. And I -- yes, I just I have no words.

AMARA WALKER, CO-ANCHOR, NEW DAY WEEKEND: Another community is in mourning after what police are calling a targeted attack by 28-year-old Audrey Hale;

a former student who showed up on campus to execute a pre-written plan.

JOHN DRAKE, CHIEF OF POLICE, NASHVILLE: And in a case that there was going to be shootings at multiple locations, and the school was one of them.

There was actually a map of the school detail and surveillance entry points, and how this was going to be carried out on this day.

WALKER: Metro Nashville Police releasing more than two minutes of surveillance video showing the moment Hale arrived on campus. In the video,

Hale is seen driving through the parking lot of the Covenant school in a Silver Honda Fit. The security camera footage then cuts to a video of Hale

opening fire on glass double-doors at an entrance of the school before climbing in.

As the video continues, you see Hale start roaming the hallways, officers say when they arrived on scene, Hale fired on them from a second story

window, one patrol car taking a bullet to the windshield. Police say two officers confronted Hale on the second floor, and Hale was killed. During

the shooting, Avery Myrick was texting with her mother, a teacher at the school.

MYRICK: And I texted her and I said -- just like what was going on, she said she was hiding in the closet, and that there was shooting all over.

WALKER: She later spoke to her mother by phone, and learned she was safe. This morning, we're learning more about the victims.

DON AARON, METRO NASHVILLE POLICE SPOKESPERSON: The three 9-year-olds who were killed, Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney, Hallie Scruggs.

WALKER: Also killed, 60-year-old Katherine Koonce, who according to the school's website, was the head of the school. Police also identifying 61-

year-old Mike Hill; a custodian, and 61-year-old Cynthia Peak, a substitute teacher. Police continue to investigate a motive, but say they have a

theory.

DRAKE: There's some belief that there was some resentment for having to go to that school. Don't have all the details to that just yet. And that's why

this incident occurred.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, for more on this. Amara Walker now joins us live from Nashville. Good to have you with us, Amara. So obviously, we know that guns

are now the number one killer of children here in the United States. And CNN did speak to the Tennessee lawmaker who represents Nashville a short

time ago. I just want to play that sound before I come back to you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ANDY OGLES (R-TN): I'm not banning AR-15s.

MANU RAJU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Why not talk about the real issues facing this country in regards to this shooting, which would be mental health?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: So when asked about guns, he said, guns are not the problem. Essentially, it's mental health. Yet, this shooter we're now hearing was

being treated for mental health issues, yet was able to buy guns legally. Tell us about what you heard from the police presser moments ago.

WALKER: Yes, so we just heard from the chief of police here at the Metro Nashville Police Department, John Drake, and what he learned in the course

of interviewing the parents of Audrey Hale. The shooter, Audrey Hale had purchased legally, and in the Nashville area, seven, I should say, seven

firearms at different gun stores.

Three of those firearms were used in the school shooting at Covenant Christian School here in Nashville. And, yes, the chief of police said that

in the course of the interview, the parents revealed their daughter, that is how they described her, their daughter has had an emotional disorder

that she was getting care for that emotional disorder.

And the parents didn't think, that their daughter was in possession any longer of any firearms. Here is what the chief had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DRAKE: She was under care, doctors care for an emotional disorder. Law enforcement knew nothing about the treatment she was receiving. But her

parents felt that she should not own weapons. They were under the impression that was -- when she sold the one weapon that she did not own

any more. As it turned out, she had been hiding several weapons within the house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:20:00]

WALKER: We also learned that -- from the police chief that, when Audrey Hale left her parents' house on Monday morning, the shooter left with a red

bag. The mother apparently stopped Audrey Hale and asked what is inside your bag? And the daughter dismissed it and drove off in that grey Honda

Fit, and we know what transpired thereafter.

And here in Nashville, I've been here all day, Lynda, I have to tell you, this community is broken. This is a community that is still grieving. There

was a makeshift memorial that has been growing with flowers and teddy bears for the littlest of those victims, and people are upset, they're angry, and

they're asking why?

KINKADE: Yes, the question we keep asking. Amara Walker for us in Nashville. Thanks so much for being there for us. Still to come, delayed

but not dropped. Despite a pause on contentious legislation in Israel, some protesters are still on the streets and the crisis is far from over. We'll

go live to Jerusalem in just a moment.

Also a deadly fire at migrant detention center on Mexico's border with the U.S. What investigators are saying when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. Protesters in Israel are keeping up the pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite his decision to delay efforts to

weaken the courts and strengthen government powers. Some Israelis want the judicial overhaul bill scrapped altogether, likening them to a coup against

democracy.

But Mr. Netanyahu says parliament will schedule votes after the Passover recess, allowing time for what he calls real debate. Israel's president is

hosting negotiations between coalition and opposition representatives tonight. And opposition leaders are slamming Mr. Netanyahu's concession to

a far right minister to win support for the delay.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has been convicted of supporting terrorism and anti- Palestinian hate, will now oversee a new so-called National Guard. I want to get more on all of this. Our Nic Robertson joins us now live from

Jerusalem. Good to have you there for us, Nic. So what are the protests like now? Did Netanyahu's move to delay this judicial reform bring some

calm to the streets, at least for now.

[14:25:00]

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It did. It certainly did. You didn't have, for example, today, any of the pro-government

supporters out. They had been called out by government ministers yesterday. That was the first time they had come out. So they were absent today, and

over the weekend, particularly Sunday night after the prime minister fired his defense minister, there were thousands upon thousands upon thousands

out.

A different picture today. The protests that we saw were in their hundreds. There weren't as many across the country, but the passions are still there,

and that's because people just don't feel that they can trust the prime minister. When he puts this pause in, they're afraid that he's going to use

this pause to kind of divert them to sort of weaken their enthusiasm.

And for that reason, they want to come out and their issues are still the same. They do not want to see these judicial reform changes. We spoke to a

few of the protesters right there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of us really want to be -- to live in a democracy, and people are really divided. And we have families that people

in the same family have different opinions about what happened. And it's really taking a toll on the mental health of the whole nation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think our democracy should be strong. I have five months baby, and I want her to grow like I grow in a democratic country,

and that's what I'm here for.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are severely concerned about the situation here in Israel, and because things have happened without any control -- do not

really feel that we can trust our prime minister. Even though, the full meanings of things he said are yet to be clarified. We are here to protest

again any unexpected and irresponsible step that might influence our everyday life here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: So these people out there, because they just basically don't trust the prime minister. There's just so much they don't know.

KINKADE: Yes, exactly. And this move to delay this legislation, Nic, means a deal was brokered. The creation of a National Guard controlled by the

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. This is a man, of course, who was convicted for inciting racism and supporting terrorism. Critics are

saying this is akin to giving this minister a private militia.

ROBERTSON: That's exactly what we were hearing from the protesters today. And worse than that, they fear that this private militia, they believe that

the prime minister is buying time so that they can stand up this private militia, and then this militia will be used to sweep them off the streets

when they go back to protesting again because they don't trust that the prime minister will come to the accommodation with the opposition to

satisfy them, to dial back this judicial reform.

So, they know they'll be out protesting, but I think this militia is there to control them. Now Itamar Ben-Gvir has said that's not the case, this is

not a militia, this is not an armed group to go out and go after the protesters, but they know his track record, and therefore they don't trust

them. What he has said is, he's more likely to use this force to control issues with Palestinians than these protests. But his word doesn't count

for much with these protesters at the moment.

KINKADE: Yes, exactly. All right, good to have you there for us, Nic Robertson as always, very much we thank you. Well, still to come tonight, a

devastating fire in Mexico, nearly 40 lives lost at a migrant detention center near the U.S. border. We'll have the details on that story with a

live report next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:30:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

First on CNN, we're tracking new legal developments for former U.S. vice president Mike Pence. Sources telling CNN a federal judge has decided Pence

must testify about the conversations he had with former president Donald Trump leading up to the January 6th, 2021.

But at least one source says the judge has ruled Pence can decline to answer questions related to his own actions on the day of the Capitol

insurrection. Senior crime and justice reporter Katelyn Polantz is tracking this story and joins us now from Washington.

Good to have you with us. So it is federal judge has said that Pence must testify about his conversations with Trump in the leadup to the

insurrection.

Just what are your sources telling you about this?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Lynda. I mean, that's quite a significant ruling and our sources had been eagerly

awaiting this. It came pretty quickly out of the court in Washington.

This case was just argued a couple days ago and the judge is saying, yes, Pence is going to have to talk about his conversations with Donald Trump.

As testimony. he'll have to present to the grand jury and answer their questions.

And those conversations he had with Donald Trump are considered to be some of the most crucial things that may have happened leading up to January 6th

in many ways. Mike Pence was the ultimate victim on January 6th. He was the person that Donald Trump was pressuring to block the election, that Donald

Trump's supporters were trying to find inside the Capitol. He had to be evacuated.

And some of those calls that we know of, just from others but not from Trump or Pence himself, what was said on that call, we know that that some

of those calls Trump was berating him, calling him names.

But there hasn't been direct testimony from Pence himself. So it's quite a crucial thing that the special counsel investigation, looking into possible

criminal charges around January 6th, is going to be able to get this testimony now.

Pence could always appeal and it does appear, as you noted, there could be some things that he could decline to answer if they relate directly to his

work as the presiding officer of the U.S. Senate on January 6th.

But this is really something that gives the special counsel quite a leg up. As the grand jury pursues this case.

KINKADE: It's quite incredible.

Given that that Pence refused to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden's win, he refused to heed Trump's call, why wouldn't he testify?

POLANTZ: Well, actually, that question is one that is specific to this argument, in that he's trying to invoke the same thing that members of

Congress say, that their speech and their debate in particular cannot be used in a criminal proceeding.

And so what he's done in court is said, you know, you can't put that into the grand jury. The executive branch, this other branch of government,

can't use the core function of Congress against us.

And so Pence is trying to say in court that, as the vice president, when he was acting as the chief person overseeing that Senate, that that shouldn't

become part of any grand jury testimony or any criminal case.

[14:35:00]

POLANTZ: And it sounds like the judge did agree to him to a certain extent and give that power to the vice presidency quite a significant legal

decision in and of itself in that this is the sort of thing that hasn't really gone the full way through the courts ever before.

KINKADE: Fascinating. Katelyn Polantz, good to have you on the story for us. Thanks very much.

POLANTZ: Thank you.

KINKADE: The International Olympic Committee is now recommending the graduate town of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international

competitions but only as individual neutral athletes, who don't actively support the war in Ukraine.

The committee, however, did not make a decision on allowing or banning Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2024 Olympics.

(SPORTS)

KINKADE: North Korea says it has simulated a tactical nuclear missile launch. It says it launched two ground to ground ballistic missiles Monday

using non nuclear dummy warheads, which intentionally blasted 500 meters above the target.

South Korea says two short range missiles landed in the waters of the Korean Peninsula's east coast. It has repeatedly warned that North Korea

exaggerates its claims and cannot be trusted.

Well, heartbreaking scenes from Mexico after a fire at a migrant facility claimed 39 lives. Relatives of the victims waited in horror for news of

their loved ones after the deadly blaze.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking foreign language).

KINKADE (voice-over): Well, this Venezuelan woman escaped the fire, later finding her husband receiving treatment in an ambulance.

"I am here, don't hit him," is what she's yelling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Mexico's president says detainees started the fire during a protest after finding out that they were going to be deported. CNN senior

national correspondent Ed Lavandera joins us now from Dallas with more.

[14:40:00]

KINKADE: Good to have you with us, Ed. So 39 people killed, all hoping to cross into the United States to seek asylum.

What more can you tell us about this tragedy?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, as you mentioned, the government, the president of Mexico is saying that it was

the migrants inside this facility that set fire to mattresses and then it spiraled out of control, killing 39 people, injuring dozens more.

But as we speak with migrant activists who have crossed over from El Paso into Juarez, they say they've been speaking with migrants, who were around

that area at the time the displays erupted. There's some skepticism as to whether or not the fire was actually started inside or just outside of the

facility.

And a great -- obviously a great deal of distrust between Mexican immigration officials and these migrants.

And this is really, you know, based on what has been happening for months there in this border city, as Juarez has been filled with migrants, mostly

from Central and South America, who have been waiting to be able to get into the United States to seek asylum.

We were told by one activist that, yesterday, Mexican immigration officials were picking up people, migrants there in Juarez. And they had been told

they were going to be deported. So clearly causing a great deal of frustration.

They believe that there was some sort of altercation, perhaps between the migrants and the immigration officials at this facility. But they're --

these activists are calling for a full investigation, not just from Mexican authorities but they're hoping U.S. authorities will do the same as they

try to figure out where and exactly how this fire started.

And a great deal of skepticism, we're hearing right now, Lynda, based on what the Mexican president said earlier today.

KINKADE: Yes, that's interesting.

And of course, Ed, for the survivors of this fire, what happens to them, those who need treatment and also those who simply need maybe some other

sort of shelter right now?

LAVANDERA: Well, right now, many of them are being treated -- the survivors are being treated in hospitals there. And what is -- you have to

remember also that Mexican shelters there in the Juarez area have been filled to capacity for many months now, as many people there have either

tried repeatedly and been deported from the U.S. or they're waiting for some sort of paperwork to come through that would guarantee their ability

to request asylum in the U.S.

You know, it's been a very confusing, very contentious time for many of these migrants, who have been waiting there in these border communities in

Mexico, just on the southern edge of the U.S. border.

But so exactly what happens then, we've heard stories; kind of runs the gamut. We've heard stories of some migrants, who have been kicked back to

Mexico City or deported back to their home countries. You know, a wide array of scenarios that have been playing out for some time there in these

border communities.

But right now there are dozens who are severely injured because of this fire and the witnesses are describing some harrowing scenes. One activist

told us they could hear screaming coming from this facility as the flames were shooting out of the building last night when they when they happened

upon the scene.

So a very tragic event unfolding there in Juarez last night. And the ramifications of that being felt very strongly today, Lynda.

KINKADE: Yes, horrific. Ed Lavandera, stay on this story for us. Thanks very much.

Well, still to come, an ancient way of life gets a 21st century upgrade. How a startup is helping Bangladeshi farmers finance their future.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

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[14:45:00]

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KINKADE: Welcome back. The global population is growing, making it future food security a major concern. In a new series, "Growing Bangladesh," CNN

joins a tech startup in Dhaka to see how they're helping the nation's farmers work smarter and keep up with demand. Kristie Lu Stout has the

story.

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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here along the banks of the Jamuna River, around 100 miles northwest of Bangladesh's

capital, Dhaka, Hanufa Bibi farms chili peppers and corn.

Yield is low recently, she says, due to changing weather conditions. But the 35 year old farmer is looking to technology for solutions. And app

called I Farmer.

HANUFA BIBI, FARMER (through translator): After I Farmer's help, we've had a good experience. We've got a good yield of corn, a good harvest and we

are profiting well.

STOUT (voice-over): I Farmer hopes to further the livelihoods of Bangladesh's 17 million farming households.

FAHAD IFAZ (voice-over): I Farmer is an agreed tech company that provides farmers with access to finance, access to advisory services. And we help

farmers to take their produce to the markets.

STOUT (voice-over): Established in 2019, the startup scaled rapidly from a team of four to over 250 employees today, facilitating more than $19

million in small loans for farmers across the country so far, they say.

Agriculture is a vital part of Bangladesh's economy. Nearly half of the country's population is employed in the industry, with more than 70 percent

of its land used for farming.

However, farming's contribution to GDP is in decline. And pressures from climate change means the sector urgently needs to adopt modern practices,

according to the World Bank.

This 25 year old corn farmer Jahido Islam (ph) says the startup helped him set up a bank account and apply for a loan of around $470 and new soil

sensors to give him personalized information about his crops.

At the nearby I Farmer center Islam (ph) can also get advice on farming and purchase seeds, pesticides and fertilizers. I Farmer opened 100 of these

centers, which it says supports more than 87,000 farmers using its platform.

The startup plans to launch 1,000 centers by the end of the year with the hope of supporting half a million farmers by 2025.

IFAZ: The next generation of farmers has to be more efficient tech enabled. They have to use smart technologies to get more out of the same

piece of land.

STOUT (voice-over): Farmers like Bibi and Islam (ph) technology is offering smarter ways to farm, helping them to ensure future food security

for the nation and sustain their livelihoods.

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KINKADE: Incredible. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

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KINKADE: Welcome back to our top story. Take a look at these pictures from Paris after a day of major protests across the city, across the country on

a nationwide day of strikes.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been marching, demonstrating against president Emmanuel Macron's unpopular pension reforms, which raised the

retirement age from 62 to 64. And we will continue to follow this story next hour.

Prince Harry is back in the U.K., has high court for a day two of a lawsuit involving the British tabloids. It's the second day of hearings into his

claim against the publisher of the "Daily Mail."

The plaintiffs say the media group used phone tapping and other invasions of privacy to gain information into their private line -- lives. The

newspaper group argues the case should be dismissed because too much time has passed since those alleged actions.

In a Utah court, a skiing expert called by Gwyneth Paltrow's attorneys took to the stand today. His testimony is arguably less dramatic than the key

players, Paltrow and her accuser, who have shared diametrically opposed versions of what happened on the ski slope back in 2016. CNN's Veronica

Miracle is in Park City with the details.

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VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Actress and businesswoman Gwyneth Paltrow back in court today for a civil trial, as the

man suing her over 2016 skiing accident took the stand.

TERRY SANDERSON, PLAINTIFF: Something I've never heard of the ski resort and that was a blood curdling scream. It was like somebody was out of

control and going to hit a tree and was going to die.

MIRACLE: Terry Sanderson insists Paltrow skied into him on a beginner ski slope at a Utah ski resort, causing him severe brain damage and other

injuries.

But Paltrow vehemently denies this. She's countersuing Sanderson and claims he crashed into her.

GWYNETH PALTROW, ACTRESS AND ENTREPRENEUR: I said, you skied directly into my effing back. And I apologize for my bad language.

SANDERSON: I'm like living another life now. I can't ski anymore. I was told that if I did and had another crash, that I could wind up full time --

full time in a nursing home.

MIRACLE (voice-over): Animations produced by Paltrow's legal team were shown to the court to illustrate where Paltrow family ski instructor, Eric

Christiansen, alleged the parties were on the slope that day.

Christiansen, who was with Paltrow's children at the time of the accident, testified about what he heard and saw.

ERIC CHRISTIANSEN, SKI INSTRUCTOR: The first, he was apologizing. Then he also just made a statement about, she just appeared in front of me.

MIRACLE: Christiansen also denied Sanderson's accusation that he and Paltrow skied away without offering any assistance to Sanderson.

CHRISTIANSEN: The whole time, I'm removing skis and getting ready to help them up, I'm asking, are you OK?

He was affirmative. He said yes.

MIRACLE (voice-over): Last week, Paltrow described the crash in an entirely different way, even recalling she had first thought she was being

sexually assaulted.

PALTROW: I was skiing.

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PALTROW: And two skis came between my skis, forcing my legs apart. And then there was a body pressing against me. And there was a very strange

grunting noise. I thought, am I -- is this a practical joke?

Is someone like doing something perverted?

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MIRACLE: Paltrow's husband and two kids were supposed to take the stand today but this trial is running behind. In fact, the defense says they may

not have time to get to Paltrow's family and get them on the stand -- Veronica Miracle, CNN, Park City, Utah.

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KINKADE: Well, it's a once in a lifetime find. An amateur gold digger has found a nugget in Australia with a six figure price tag. He was armed with

only a budget metal detector and the man, who asked to remain anonymous, stumbled upon the rock in an area of Victoria known as the Golden Triangle.

Shop owner Darren Camp (ph) has valued the lucky strike nugget at $US160,000. He says. It's the biggest you've seen in his 40 year career.

What an amazing find.

Thanks so much for watching tonight. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Stay with CNN. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is up next.

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