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Isa Soares Tonight

Emmanuel Macron Addresses France After Signing Pension Reform Law; Nearly 100 Killed As Rival Generals Battle For Control In Sudan; Former Indian MP And Brother Shot Dead On Live TV; FBI Arrests Two Alleged Chinese Agents In U.S.; Prominent Kremlin Critic Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison; Russia Claims To Have Captured 2 Bakhmut Districts. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired April 17, 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]

ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Welcome everyone. French President Emmanuel Macron is giving international address. Let's listen in.

EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT, FRANCE (through translator): Absolutely necessary to guarantee everybody's pension and for any interests of the

economy. The reply couldn't be to lower expenditure or ask workers to pay more or longer. We cannot continue to do nothing. And we have to think

about the future generations.

This has meant an enormous effort on the part of government, and they are accompanied by justice measures, by improvement measures for those who have

had very long careers and those who are in arduous jobs. And in fact, we could have done more, especially if you look at our European partners in

order to increase our wealth and think of the future.

Clearly, this has not being welcomed or accepted. And a consensus has not been able to be found, which I regret. And we have to draw all the lessons

from that process. I have heard about the demonstrations and the oppositions to the pension reform, and also the will to try and find some

kind of sense, some kind of meaning in one's work.

To improve conditions, we have to have conditions so which allow people to live better. That is true. And despite a mobilization of the state, which

is unprecedented in Europe, the prices are still rising. This anger is there, I admit, because certain people do not wish to take part in it. This

anger which many French people have expressed in demonstrations has -- nobody can remain deaf to these claims for social justice.

The reply cannot be not to do anything or extremism faced by this anger, we have to act together over and above the divisions in society as I've always

tried to do. And to try and do that independently. We have to choose our own destiny. We do not wish to depend on anyone on the foreseen speculation

or foreign powers.

But the independence has to be at the level of our ambitions, our efforts and our national and European level in terms of research, attractivity and

the technology and defense, and its finance collectively through labor. This French independence and European independence is what will allow us to

obtain justice, and it will make sure that the inequalities are addressed.

[14:05:00]

And today, I want together with you to try and reconstruct the project, which is mine, and hold the road of our independence. And we have to

respond to three great challenges here. First of all, there's labor with unemployment and the transformations which we faced in the last couple of

years. It has been a tremendous effort.

And we have actually created six -- in six years, 1,700,000 jobs for our country, and we have tripled the number of apprentices -- apprenticeships

for our country in general, which has given the possibility of work for all our adolescents and teenagers. We will redouble those efforts in the

future. The work also has to be better paid.

And there are six years we've decided to increase the minimum salary, and we have to act even more vigorously now, and that is why I have proposed to

reach out to the two sides of industry as from tomorrow morning, and that in order to open up a series of talks without any kind of limits on

essential subjects, improve wages, progress careers, get a better distribution of wealth, improved working conditions and find solutions to

professional burnout.

This cannot be done overnight. It too, will have to be built up over the weeks and the months coming altogether and through social dialogue. And we

will find some kind of agreement between the two sides of industry. More broadly, it is through re-industrialization that we will be able to regain

our strength, and we will be able to create more jobs.

France has in two years opened more than 200 factories. We are the country which is the most efficient in terms of industrial employment, and we have

become the second most attractive country for investment. Our economy, more green, respect our country and our landscapes, and it's not a dream, but a

reality, which will allow us to engage more with the future.

The ecology, agriculture, building construction, circular economy, transport, energy and technology. All these are central areas, and this is

the kind of framework in which we will face the climate changes of the future. The second big project is that of justice and the rule of law.

There is no freedom without law. And to that end, we are continuing to recruit more and more people in order to improve our justice system.

There have been more than 200 brigades, chance d'annoire(ph) brigades which have been created in the country, and more than a 1,000 new magistrates,

who have been nominated. And we have to fight against delinquency, fraud, both social and fiscal, and that we will certainly concentrate on in May.

We shall reinforce the control on illegal immigration, at the same time as integrating those asylum seekers in our countries. We will renew the

Republican democratic order, and that means fighting together --

SOARES: You've been listening there to French President Emmanuel Macron addressing the nation, following, of course, those 13 weeks if you remember

that we have seen of pension report -- reforms and the violent protests that have come with it. Mr. Macron saying those reforms were necessary, he

said, to guarantee everyone's pension, as well as to the economy, he said, and to produce more wealth for our nation.

And he went on to say that he regrets the fact that consensus was unable to have been reached, of course, between the unions and of course, himself. He

went then to address aspects of the economy.

[14:10:00]

What -- where France has done very well, almost soundling(ph) -- sounding a bit like a political speech as well for him, a presidential pitch in many

ways. I want to get in our Nada Bashir who is listening to this for us. So Nada, I mean, I do wonder whether unions will be listening to this. Do they

care and what -- about what the president has to say here?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Absolutely, the unions will certainly be listening. This is the first time we've heard from President Emmanuel

Macron addressing the nation since that controversial and deeply unpopular legislation, raising the pension age from 62 to 64 was signed into law by

the president over the weekend.

And of course, we have heard those calls already from the unions for further demonstrations to take place, and you heard there from President

Emmanuel Macron, saying that he regrets that a compromise wasn't able to be reached by the two parties. We have seen attempts in the past by the

government and the unions to reach some sort of agreement around these talks.

And in fact, President Emmanuel Macron invited the unions for talks tomorrow, those haven't gone anywhere thus far because we've heard from the

unions already rejecting that invitation. In fact, one of the largest unions in France has already called for some protests, for further strikes

this Thursday as we have seen over the last 12 weeks, and also for historic strikes, for historic protests to take place on May 1st, which is

traditionally Labor Day here in France.

We would typically see people taking to the streets on May 1st, but this is set to be an even larger scale protests in response to these pension

reforms. And you heard there from Macron, acknowledging that this is a difficult situation that France has faced difficulty in the last few weeks

over labor, over wages, over working conditions, and these are huge concerns still for the unions.

I know you will stay on top of this for us. Nada Bashir for us in Paris, thanks very much Nada, appreciate it. I want to turn now to Sudan where

deadly fighting between rival military groups is raging for the third day. These are the scenes on the streets of major cities. Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(GUNFIRE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: You can see there, gunfire ringing out and it's civilians paying the price. Almost 100 people have been killed in the capital, Khartoum.

Eyewitnesses in the city tell CNN they woke up to the sound of artillery and bombardment by warplanes overhead. There are accounts of hospitals even

being targeted.

People are taking shelter as you can see right on your screen, hunkering down in their homes to stay safe. And the battle for control is between

these two men, Sudan's top two generals, the leader of the army and the head of a paramilitary group. They're refusing to negotiate a truce despite

international calls for a ceasefire.

To find out exactly what it's like on the ground right now, I want to bring in Arshad Malik, who is currently in Khartoum. He is the country director

for Save the Children. Arshad, just give us a sense what you've been seeing, what you've been hearing, you and your team, in fact.

ARSHAD MALIK, COUNTRY DIRECTOR, SAVE THE CHILDREN, SUDAN: I thank you very much. So as you mentioned, the situations in Khartoum particularly, but

across various parts of Sudan is quite grave, regardless, since this conflict started a couple of days ago, life is particularly on a standstill

in Khartoum city, particularly the capital of Sudan. And, we have heard or we got report to the doctors union and media that more between 6,200 people

-- civilians have lost life.

We do not have any visibility on the number of competence who have lost their lives. So that -- and in addition to that, people are particularly

confined to their houses, they cannot go outside (INAUDIBLE) -- in order to make sure that they are not harmed by any means because there is ongoing

fight in various parts of the city.

Access to water and food is particularly (INAUDIBLE) and across various parts of the country, especially Darfur, and a couple of other locations.

And we are really concerned about the situation at the moment, considering there are children and community civilians are facing production risk.

SOARES: Yes, so without water and without electricity, basically hunkered down for days. How is your team doing? How is your team? How are they all

doing?

MALIK: So, we like our teams are doing OK at the moment. We have staff -- we -- like, from our safety perspective, we have checked on everyone, but

we have reports that staff who are living across various parts of the city, they had bullets hitting their windows and bullets falling into the their

houses.

[14:15:00]

We had other incidents where we heard that, the group -- one of the armed groups is actually occupying either the rooftops or using the apartments as

shelter. We also heard that parts of like our office in north Darfur is attacked by unknown armed actors, and they have looted all the assets and

supplies, particularly we are concerned about the medical supplies, which were kept as preposition throughout to this point to provide medical

services to the communities in north Darfur.

In addition to that, few of our staff are actually stuck. One of our colleague, female colleague, she's stuck in a school with her son since the

conflict started. She went there into the school to drop the son, but unfortunately, she got stuck there, she's still there.

We also have reports that children are stuck in various parts of the city in schools. We definitely know one particular case where close to 100

students and teachers were actually stuck in a school for more than 36 hours. Thanks to the local administration of the locality, they were able

to get them safe exit and unite them with their families. But we don't -- we don't have the visibility among other schools or how many kids are stuck

where the schools are being used for any other purposes apart from education.

Medical supplies are running short. We were in touch with the Ministry of Health, and they have reported that they need urgent support for blood

baths, and in addition to that other medical supplies like as I said, access to water and food is also quite difficult. So Sudan, which was also

already facing a dire humanitarian situation around 15.8 million people who are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance with this situation where

like between 5 to 7 million civilians who are actually residents of Khartoum, the capital.

They are not able to go outside, businesses are shut down. So yes, that's a -- that's the current situation here in Sudan.

SOARES: Very troubling indeed Arshad, do stay safe for you and your team, I really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us. We'll touch base

with you later this week. Hopefully, things will calm down. Thank you very much, Arshad there from -- of course, Save the Children. He is the country

director. Well, the military has been in charge in Sudan since a coup in 2021.

And this latest fighting has left hopes for peaceful transition to civilian rule in tatters. Our chief international investigative correspondent Nima

Elbagir is joining me now to help understand how we got here. And Nima, first of all, we heard what we heard there from Arshad is really troubling,

children in schools have been there for days, can't get out, hunker down, worried about coming outside, no water, no electricity. It's very

troubling.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: It's essentially a civilian population taken hostage by this fighting. We were

able to actually speak to General Burhan from inside army headquarters a few hours ago, right at the beginning of what was supposed to be a supposed

humanitarian pause, and as we were speaking to him, we could hear the sounds of the fighting.

One point, there was even the sound of an explosion in the background, and clearly a full scale attack. Full scale fighting around the army

headquarters was continuing and intensifying. But to your point of what is the way forward here? General Burhan was in great pains when I asked him,

of course, this is the question -- so many Sudanese are troubled by.

He said that he is committed to returning to the political process. He said that he believes that Commander Dagalo is currently a fugitive of the

state, has mutinied against the official offices that he was asked with as an auxiliary forces, a paramilitary force to the army. What complicates

that, of course, is that they were in partnership in the October 2021 coup that subverted Sudan's democratic process.

And I actually pushed him on that. I said to him, how can the Sudanese people trust you? You were the one who went into partnership. You were the

one who still birthed the democratic process, and he sent his apologies to the people of Sudan. He said he feels that now, he is even more committed.

The reality is that this is a fight for dominance --

SOARES: Yes --

ELBAGIR: Between the two. Whoever comes out of this will become the de facto officials.

SOARES: What do they want? What do they -- both sides want? Because the other general was saying he doesn't actually want to be in power.

ELBAGIR: He also committed --

SOARES: I mean to internal democracy --

ELBAGIR: Why so -- what they want is to decide who gets to be under who.

[14:20:00]

So, this is the sticking point that the armed forces -- the big boss, basically, you sound like what you are, which is the mother of two small

children.

(LAUGHTER)

Yes, who is the big boss? And people are stuck in their homes, unable to access food and water. It's about the dominance, whether the RSF comes

under the --

SOARES: Yes --

ELBAGIR: Military, and then goes into a regularized force and a regularized process as these negotiations with the civilians continue, or

whether the RSF is standalone, becomes like the Naval forces and is not under the commander of the army.

SOARES: What you know, I fail to understand is why targeting hospitals, which was something that CNN has been able to confirm. What do they get out

of targeting hospitals, targeting civilian infrastructure? What is the point here?

ELBAGIR: Well, these are all violations of international law. And what was really clear is that the RSF moved their garrisons and their positions into

civilian neighborhoods to create this kind of situation where extracting them from Khartoum would come at this kind of cost, and they were allowed

to do it. The responsibility is so widespread, not just inside Sudan, but by the international community.

SOARES: You are Sudanese. You have family on the ground, I hope they're well, Nima, I hope they're safe, I think they do --

ELBAGIR: Yes, they're safe --

SOARES: How is your mother?

ELBAGIR: Oh, I just spoke to her before we came on air. They've lost running water. You know, like so many homes. They're losing running water,

at least, for now, they're able to have power in the house. But how long for?

SOARES: Yes --

ELBAGIR: Nobody is able to go to the bank, nobody is able to access food, so I mean, they're lucky, they don't have small children in the house --

SOARES: Yes --

ELBAGIR: People we're talking to were literally sheltering on the floor with their children lying alongside them while they spoke to us. You know,

I can't -- you know, as troubling, as worrying it is for those of us with family inside --

SOARES: Yes --

ELBAGIR: Sudan, the idea of being there at the moment with the young family, with your loved ones around you is just horrifying.

SOARES: Oh, I'm glad they are well --

ELBAGIR: Thank you --

SOARES: Nima, I just want to ask you very quickly, then how do you move? How do we move forward from this? I mean, diplomatically, pressure being

put on Sudan, African Union. How do you see this moving?

ELBAGIR: Because --

SOARES: It needs to find some --

ELBAGIR: Yes --

SOARES: Solution. The silence - the guns have to be silent --

ELBAGIR: Yes, the issue is that this is an existential fight. Whoever wins emerges victorious, and then we'll have to negotiate with the civilians,

with the international community. It's very difficult for the international community to have leverage, but I think the important thing we've been

hearing from so many Sudanese, so many of those who were in the civilian space, saying we were warning the U.S., we were warning the international

actors that this was coming to this point.

This was not a surprise to anyone. And yet, here we are, and nobody is able to tell us how this ends currently without at least, one of them winning,

but at what cost?

SOARES: Nima Elbagir, I know you'll stay on top of this, appreciate it, thank you --

ELBAGIR: Thank you --

SOARES: And still to come on the show tonight, a knock on the wrong door and a teenager shot and wounded. How protesters are responding. We have

that story just ahead. And an investigation is underway in India into the shocking murder of a former lawmaker on live television. You are watching

CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:25:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CROWD CHANTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: As you can see, this is what you call really a protest in France, a casserole protests of pots and pans there, people with their pots and

wooden spoons protesting Macron's address to the nation. We brought you that in the last 20 minutes or so, the first time, of course, that the

French President has addressed the country since signing the text into law.

What we heard in the last 20 minutes or so, was President Macron defending those pension reforms, of course, in a very unpopular bill was signed into

law, if you remember on Saturday, but he was defending his reforms from raising the pension age or time and age in France from 62 to 64. He said it

was necessary to guarantee everyone's pension as well as for the economy, and to produce more wealth for our nation, he said that in the last 20

minutes.

But as you can see, unions aren't at all happy with what he had to say or in fact -- or indeed, the fact that the reform has been signed. The text

has been signed into law. He talked about the anger that is being felt across the street for the last 13 weeks of protests by union. Says -- he

said it's an anger that was expressed, anger at work that for too many people, of French people doesn't allow them to live.

Well, we do know as we heard from our correspondent Nada Bashir in the last 20 minutes or so, that France's biggest union, the Ce Ge Te(ph), the CGT on

top of urging for massive turnout and as well as historic protests on May the 1st, has also called for two protests on April 20th and 28th. But as

you can see there, protests in Paris this hour where it's now 8:27 in the evening, and they are protesting with their pots and their pans and their

wooden spoons.

Not prepared clearly to back down. And we'll stay on top of the story for you as soon as there are any more developments. Of course, we will bring it

to you, but clearly, the anger still very much being felt in the streets of Paris. I want to move over now, move to India, the state of Uttar Pradesh

is forming a pair of special task force to probe the killing of a former lawmaker on live television.

Atique Ahmed who was convicted of kidnapping was shot dead in a dramatic attack while in police custody. He was being escorted from medical checkup

when the attack took place. Here is CNN's Vedika Sud with more, and we warn you, the images you are about to see may be disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(GUNFIRE)

VEDIKA SUD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gunshots fired over and over again. Seconds later, police officers restrain two men chanting Hindu

religious slogans, they pinned down a third. These dramatic scenes of a cold blooded assassination in India's Uttar Pradesh state were broadcast

live on television. It all went down within minutes.

A former Indian lawmaker Atique Ahmed convicted of kidnapping, and his brother stepped out from the back of a police car. Police believe both men

were part of a local organized crime ring. Handcuffed and flanked by policemen, Ahmed was being escorted to a hospital when approached by

reporters. The attackers were hiding among the TV crews.

Ahmed paired questions from the journalists. His response brief and dismissive. Seconds later, the first gunshot went off knocking(ph) Ahmed to

the ground, and then more gunshots over a dozen killing him and his brother. Facing heavy criticism from opposition leaders, Chief Minister

Yogi Adityanath; a Hindu nationalist ordered a probe into the killings amid the media glare, Ahmed was laid to rest Sunday.

But this vicious attack on him raises several serious questions and state security broadcast for all to see. Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: And still to come on the show tonight, the Kremlin is trying to silence an outspoken critic of the war in Ukraine, but he's refusing to

stand down. That story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:32:58]

SOARES: Welcome back, everyone.

The FBI has arrested two alleged Chinese agents while dozens of others have been charged with working to silence, as well as harass, Chinese nationals

in the U.S. critical of the Beijing government. It's part of a crackdown by the Department of Justice on Chinese operatives, spreading propaganda in

the United States.

I want to bring in our Senior Justice Correspondent, Evan Perez, for more on this. So, Evan, what more are you learning? How long was this in

operation for?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): This has been going on, Isa, for many, many years. I've talked to

counterintelligence officials who told me that they were tracking some of these Chinese agents as they worked around the country going into Chinese

communities. The chief aim of the operation that they had was essentially to try to make sure dissidents were being kept an eye on. In some cases,

trying to push agents, threaten them to try to prevent them from saying negative things about the Chinese government, and in some cases to return

back to China, where they could be dealt with by the public security authorities there in China.

In this case, these two former -- these two alleged agents for the Chinese government were operating out of illegal police station in the Chinatown

neighborhood in New York City. It was ostensibly operated by the Fuzhou Municipal Police Department, and it was set up essentially as a way for

foreign Chinese nationals who are living in New York to come in and perhaps get their driver's licenses renewed and to get other kinds of services.

But in reality, according to the FBI, what these folks were doing was harassing dissidents, they were trying to make sure they would show up at

any protests that were against the Chinese government. For example, Falun Gong protests, they would show up to try to make threats and to record

people who were there. In one case, 2020 -- 2018, one of these two individuals was involved in helping to pressure a dissident to go back to

China where that person was arrested.

[14:35:09]

So, this is the activity that, according to the FBI, was happening not only in New York, in Los Angeles, around the United States, but around the

world. These illegal police stations have now been shut down by governments around the world as a result of the knowledge of this operation.

SOARES: That's a story that I know you'll stay on top of for us, Evan Perez. Good to see you, my friend. Thank you very much.

PEREZ: Great to see you. Thanks.

SOARES: Now a Russian court has sentenced a prominent Kremlin critic to 25 years in prison for speaking out against the war in Ukraine. Vladimir Kara-

Murza was found guilty of treason and of spreading fake news about the Russian army. CNN's Clare Sebastian has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR KARA-MURZA, RUSSIAN DISSIDENT: Today, the whole world sees what the Putin regime is doing to Ukraine, the cluster bombs on residential

areas, the bombings of maternity wards, and hospitals, and schools.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was this speech before the Arizona State House that Russian prosecutors used as part of the case against

Vladimir Kara-Murza with Russia's war in Ukraine just a few weeks old, he didn't hold back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARA-MURZA: The war crimes. These are war crimes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: Less than a month later, the prominent human rights activist was arrested in Moscow, charged with spreading false information about the

Russian army, and working with an undesirable organization. A charge of treason added later. In court Monday, Mara-Murza appeared calm and

collected. Outside courts, international alarm was immediate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LYNNE TRACY, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA: Criminalization of criticism of government action is a sign of weakness, not strength. We support the right

of Mr. Kara-Murza and every Russian citizen to have a voice in the direction of their country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: In an international show of force, more than 40 foreign diplomats were at the sentencing according to the Moscow court.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALISON LECLAIRE, CANADIAN AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA: Today's verdict is a sad testament to the dark turn this struggle has come to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: The U.K., where Kara-Murza is a dual citizen, also summoning the Russian ambassador over what it called a politically motivated conviction.

Amnesty International calling the verdict reminiscent of Stalin era repression.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA ESMONT, VLADIMIR KURA-MURZA'S LAWYER (through translator): It is very unlikely that this maximum sentence could be appointed if the court

followed the law. Vladimir is a father of three children. This is a mitigating circumstance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: Kara-Murza's lawyers plan to appeal. His wife in a tweet saying his quarter century sentence means he got an A plus for his courage,

consistency, and honesty. And while the Kremlin declined to comment, the message is clear. The crime of criticizing Putin's regime and his war is

bringing ever tougher punishment. Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Well, Russia, as usual, is claiming only victories in Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense, as it has captured more districts inside Bakhmut with

heavy fighting in the Donetsk region. Government officials are urging civilians on the frontlines to get out.

Ben Wedeman joins me now from eastern Ukraine. So Ben, let's start then on the frontlines in eastern Ukraine where, of course, Russia claims have

captured two districts in Bakhmut, what are you hearing?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, what we know, Isa, is that the fighting in Bakhmut has intensified in recent

weeks. The Russians do seem to be gaining ground slowly at a very high cost in terms of men and material. But this intensity of the fighting along the

front is making the need to get those civilians out of those areas all the more urgent.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WEDEMAN (voice-over): Another family is moving out, leaving the frontline town of Krasnohorivka with the help of the police. Perhaps to lessen the

blow to his children, Yevgen equips, "We'll be back. It's just a vacation."

84-year-old Raya doesn't sugarcoat it. "It's like torture," she says. "But don't worry, we'll survive." Raya has lived in Krasnohorivka all her life.

Rustam and his colleagues venture out to these frontline villages several times a week, trying to convince people to move to safer ground. It's

dangerous work, but for Rustam, it's worth the risk to get these children out of harm's way. "Looking into those eyes," he asks, "What else can you

do?"

If friendly persuasion doesn't work, there are other means. There's an order from local government meant requiring that children be evacuated from

areas close to the fighting. This is how Vasily goes about the job of Friendly Persuasion, sitting, talking, trying to convince those who remain

that their lives are in peril.

[14:40:05]

The people in this basement-turned bomb shelter have been down here for more than a year. And clearly, that has taken a toll. Their homes are here.

Everything they know is here. They refuse to leave the eastern end of Krasnohorivka is the hardest hit. Yet even here, there's a stubborn

holdout.

They've come to this building to try to convince an old man to leave. They've already evacuated his wife. As you can see, this area has been

seriously smashed by incoming rounds. The Russians are just five kilometers around three miles from here.

He didn't want his face to appear on camera. "I'm not going anywhere," he says. "I was born here and I'm going to die here." The chances of that

happening here are perilously high.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WEDEMAN (on camera): And what makes it even more dangerous for people like that is that the Russians are now using what's called Guided Aerial Bombs.

These are bombs that are launched from about 50 kilometers away. And by all accounts, the Russians have plenty of those weapons, Isa.

SOARES: Ben Wedeman for us in eastern Ukraine with that report. Thanks very much, Ben.

And still to come tonight, and knock on the wrong door in the United States leads to a teenager's shooting. Why the shooter is walking free. That's

next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Well, a shooting in the U.S. State of Missouri is sparking protests. Police say a 16-year-old was shot twice when he mistakenly went

the wrong house to pick up his siblings in Kansas City.

CNN's Camila Bernal has a story for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The Kansas City community protesting on Sunday after 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shocked as he was

trying to pick up his siblings last week.

Police say Yarl accidentally went to the wrong address where he was shot and seriously wounded by the homeowner. Officers arrived at the scene after

a neighbor called 911 and took the homeowner immediately into custody.

MAYOR QUINTON LUCAS, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI: Our heart goes out to the juvenile victim, and more than anything, to make sure that this child and

this child's family knows that there are people working hard, a number of people working hard, to make sure there is justice for this person.

BERNAL: The homeowner, who has not been identified, was released after 24 hours pending further investigation. The Police Department says they're

waiting to obtain a formal statement from the victim and further forensic evidence.

STACEY GRAVES, KANSAS CITY POLICE CHIEF: I want everyone to know that I'm listening. And I understand the concern that we are receiving from the

community.

[14:45:00]

The information that we have now, it does not say that that is racially motivated. That's still an active investigation. But as a chief of police,

I do recognize the racial components of this case. I do recognize and understand the community's concern.

BERNAL: Yarl's aunt says her nephew loves music and is a section leader in his marching band. She says his goal is to attend Texas A&M University to

study chemical engineering.

Civil rights attorneys Lee Merritt and Benjamin Crump are representing the victim and his family and demanding swift action, and are calling the

shooting horrendous and unjustifiable.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As a mother of three children, this enrages me.

BERNAL: And protesters gathering Sunday outside the home where Yarl was shot, demanding justice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is alive. He is healing. So, I just want to tell you thank you for being here because my nephew is alive.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Let's get more now from CNN's Camila Bernal. And Camila, what more are we learning at this hour about the shooter here?

BERNAL: Well, look, the shooter is an 80-year-old white man and that has been confirmed by CNN. Authorities are not releasing that at the moment.

And so that's why a lot of people are pointing to this racial factor of a white man who shoots a teenager, a black teenager here. He was held for

less than two hours and then he was released. So, he has not been charged yet. And authorities say they need more time, they need more evidence, they

need to talk to Ralph before they make a decision on the charges here. That is why this man is free at the moment.

There is also this component of the Stand Your Ground law that is currently in place in Missouri and the law in that state essentially says that you're

allowed to use force if a person reasonably believes that they should use that force. So, the keyword there being reasonable. And so later on, that's

what investigators and really prosecutors are going to have to look at to decide whether or not this man is going to be charged. But at the moment,

he is free, Isa.

SOARES: Yes, various ways to interpret that law. Very vague indeed. But what is what is Raph Yarl doing? How is he doing? What are doctors saying?

BERNAL: Thankfully, he is OK. We just heard that he was released from the hospital, the Kansas City Star, the local newspaper there, saying that they

spoke to the Father and he said that he spent three nights in the hospital, was released. It is now his mother who is taking care of him. She is a

nurse and what they're saying is that he is responsive and making progress. So, good news there.

But the family has also said, look, yes, he's doing well physically, but this is a long road ahead for him in terms of his emotional and mental

health and healing process. So, they are concerned and they are demanding answers from authorities. They're also joined by so many people that you

saw there in the story protesters who say more needs to be done here and accountability is what they're asking for. The attorneys that are

representing the families say that this shooting was unjustifiable, Isa.

SOARES: Camila Bernal, appreciate it. Thanks very much, Camila.

Well, in Alabama, the coroner has released the names of four people killed in a shooting at a teenager's birthday party that also left 28 people

wounded, and it happened Saturday night in the city of Dadeville. Among the victims was the birthday girl's brother, a high school football player, was

getting ready to go to college, and another senior who was remembered and always smiling and looking forward to attending university. Authorities

have asked for help in identifying the suspect. And motive is not known. We'll stay on top of that story for you, of course.

And still to come tonight, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is hardly more than trash. We'll explain how there are tiny creatures surviving on the

plastic debris. That story next wit Bill Weir.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. U.S. lawmakers are back in the capitol after a two week recess. And they're staring down a possible economic

crisis if they can't agree to raise the debt ceiling in the next few months.

The Republican House Speaker has just proposed a one-year debt limit increase along with major cuts to domestic spending. In a speech to the New

York Stock Exchange, Kevin McCarthy blasted President Joe Biden and Democratic lawmakers saying they're unwilling to negotiate. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN MCCARTHY, U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: Make no mistake. The longer President Biden waits to be sensible to find an agreement, the more likely it becomes

that this administration will bumble into the first default in our nation's history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, that is in United States. Here in the U.K., Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under investigation for the possible failure to declare an

interest according to parliament's standards watchdog. It is focused on his wife shareholdings, specifically in a childcare firm called Koru Kids. The

MP Code of Conduct says members must be open and frank in declaring interests. Downing Street says Mr. Sunak will clarify how the shareholding

was declared.

Japan's Prime Minister's promising next month G7 summit will be secure after an alarming incident at a campaign speech. CNN's Marc Stewart has

video from that dramatic moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As soon as the risk of danger became apparent during the campaign stop, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's

security team immediately sprang into action. It's a moment that was caught on camera and posted on social media.

The video shows a member of the security detail kicking away a pipe bomb that appears to have been thrown in the Prime Minister's direction. That

officer then uses a protective board to shield Kishida as he's rushed away from the scene. And then moments later, the sound of an explosion.

Over the weekend, police raided the home of the 24-year-old suspect. They removed several items including a computer, a mobile phone, tools, and what

appears to be gunpowder, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said. The scare occurred as international leaders converge on Japan this week ahead of the

G7 conference next month in Hiroshima and less than a year after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The Prime Minister

addressed questions about safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FUMIO KISHIDA, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER(through translator): For event schedules like the G7 summit where dignitaries from around the world

gather, I believe Japan nationwide will have to work together to make the utmost effort to provide security in safety.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: In Japan, local campaign events like the one attended by the Prime Minister, are very common, and often without extensive security

restrictions. Marc Stewart, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Well, it's a remarkable find. In the middle of the ocean, hundreds of miles of garbage floating in the Pacific Ocean, but teeming with life.

Scientists are finding that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is now so huge in fact, and permanent that it's developed a coastal ecosystem. Dozens of

creatures like tiny crabs and anemones.

Bill Weir joins me now for more. And Bill, I know, we are celebrating in this whole new ecosystem, but we shouldn't read this as a good thing.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I don't think so. I don't think the idea that human waste has created something so big and permanent

that it's full in crabs and sea anemone.

[14:55:06]

But that is the case. There's an estimated 170 trillion pieces of plastic in our oceans, most of them put in since 2004. Most of them, tiny little

micro plastic as they degrade. But this is stunning. This new science that shows that there's enough permanence out there to mimic a coastal ecosystem

for these creatures.

But long-term, this is a crisis that needs addressing because petrochemical companies are on record saying they want to increase production of plastics

two or three times in the next decades. And obviously the oceans can't handle that.

SOARES: Yes, it's not just about cleaning them, but actually policy action, maybe getting these companies to be involved in some way.

Bill Weir, appreciate as always, my friend. Thank you very much.

WEIR: You bet. Thanks, Isa.

SOARES: And before we go, a quick programming note, Christiane Amanpour sat down with Ireland's former Premier Bertie Ahern, former British Prime

Minister Tony Blair, and former U.S. President Bill Clinton for an exclusive reunion interview in Belfast 25 years after brokering the Good

Friday Agreement and bringing peace to Northern Ireland.

If you missed it in the last hour, that interview will air again at 5:00 p.m. in New York, 10:00 p.m. if you're watching here in London.

And that does it for me. Thank you very much for your company. Do stay right here. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is next. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye-bye.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END