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Isa Soares Tonight
Fierce Clashes In Sudan As Confusion Reigns Over Ceasefire; Russian Court Rejects Wall Street Journal Reporter's Detention Appeal; Fox News Versus Dominion Defamation Lawsuit Commences; Conflicting Statements On Sudan Cease-Fire; Missouri Shooter Said He Was Scared Of Teen's Size; China's GDP Grew Higher Than Expected In Q1; Holocaust Remembrance Day; Alec Baldwin To Resume "Rust" Production This Week. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired April 18, 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: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(GUNFIRE)
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SOARES: Gunfire and explosions ring out across Sudan for the fourth day amid conflicting reports of an agreed ceasefire. We'll have the very latest
for you. Then Moscow rejects the appeal of U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich against the terms of his pretrial detention. We'll have more on his court
appearance.
Plus, the hotly anticipated defamation trial between "Fox News" and U.S. voting technology firm gets underway. Those details coming up later this
hour. But first, tonight, rival commanders in Sudan had agreed to a ceasefire that was supposed to take effect. In fact, two hours ago after
facing pressure from Washington.
But it appears the fighting hasn't stopped. The conflict broke out between the country's army and the Rapid Support Forces, a powerful militia group
that happened on Saturday if you remember. Now, the risk of a humanitarian crisis couldn't be higher. Civilians in Khartoum are caught in the
crossfire, and they have been facing power as well as water cuts, and we brought you that in the show yesterday, and are struggling to get food.
The World Health Organization warning that medical supplies there are running low, and quote, "Sudanese officials say nearly 300 people have been
killed so far". The RSF and the army had worked together in the past to overthrow Sudan's former President, autocrat, Omar al-Bashir, four years
ago, if you remember, and again in 2021 to push out, the civilian government.
Well, our chief international investigative correspondent Nima Elbagir joins me now and Sir William Patey; a former British ambassador to Sudan
are with me now. Thank you, Sir William for joining us, Nima, great to have you back on the show. And it's so important that you are back because
in many ways, you are our eyes and our ears on the ground.
Let's start off with that ceasefire. Conflicting reports. What are you hearing? Is it holding?
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Well, all of those that we're speaking to in Sudan are saying that comparatively, it is
calmer, but they are hearing sounds of fighting. And I think Sir William can probably speak more to this, that you do tend to have this kind of
bleed over at the beginning of ceasefires.
WILLIAM PATEY, FORMER BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO SUDAN: Well, I think, you know, we had this four-hour ceasefire supposed to --
SOARES: -- Yes --
PATEY: Have taken place, which never took place. Four hours isn't enough time to get the orders out to your -- to your commanders and to your
troops. And even a 24-hour ceasefire, it's very difficult to have control. So it's all very well for the leaders to declare a 24-hour ceasefire. But
those sorts of ceasefires very rarely hold unless they're backed up by some longer term agreement.
SOARES: And I mean for civilians that they just -- you know, they -- given what you -- we've painted, what we've seen the last few days, they're not
going to believe this is going to hold. So what does that mean? I mean, yesterday, you and I were discussing this. We had also a head of NGO on the
show talking about people being, you know, held in schools --
ELBAGIR: Hunkered down --
SOARES: Hunkered down, medicine, you know, in hospitals -- they can't go to hospitals. They don't have the medicine. Will they be able then, even if
it's sporadic fire here, be able to get out, get help?
ELBAGIR: Well, people I'm speaking to are. One of the people we were speaking to in Sudan told me that because the water is -- there is no clean
running water --
SOARES: Yes --
ELBAGIR: They have no bottled water in the house, that the shops that were bravely staying open closer to the house have been completely sold out of
water. So whether he likes it or not, whether he trusts the ceasefire -- and this is the awful situation that people in Sudan are being put in. They
don't trust --
SOARES: Yes --
ELBAGIR: The warring parties. But they have no choice. He has three young children at home. He has no clean water, so he's going out onto the street
-- and when I get off air, I'm going to call him to check in on him. I mean, that's the situation -- I think I am just really interested in then -
- Sir William, then why push for it? Why was --
SOARES: Yes --
ELBAGIR: Secretary of State Blinken pushing so hard for the 24 hours?
PATEY: I think they're desperate. I think part of the problem with this is that, the U.S. doesn't have the leverage over the parties that are
required. The U.N. is in a sense, a busted flush. In a -- in days gone by, either had a U.N. Security Council convening that this is that -- clearly,
a threat to peace and security in the whole of the region, and the U.N. would have been passing a resolution, calling for ceasefire, threatening
sanctions against the parties who didn't -- who didn't abide by it.
[14:05:00]
That's not happening. It's not happening because the U.N. is not working because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and because --
SOARES: Yes --
PATEY: Of the rivalry between -- so there is no convening force. The U.S. alone does not have the influence over the two main parties.
SOARES: Who does?
ELBAGIR: Yes --
PATEY: Well, I think collectively, nobody -- this is one of the most complex international problems facing, because you've got the UAE and the
Saudis who have some influence over Hemetti. They have a relationship with the RSF. You've got the Russians with a relationship with the RSF and the
Wagner Group. They also have a relationship with the armed forces. The Burhan, they want a port in Sudan. You've got the Egyptians supporting --
SOARES: Yes --
PATEY: Burhan and the armed forces. And you've got -- you've got groups like the Quad, the U.S., the U.K., Saudi and the Emirates, that could be a
convening force, but they'd have to bring in the Russians, they'd have to bring in the Egyptians because -- and collectively, they have to try and
exercise some force, some pressure on Burhan and Hemetti.
And they're not likely to be amenable, and to one of them thinks that they can't win or until they get exhausted or --
SOARES: Yes --
PATEY: Become -- the humanitarian situation becomes so great.
SOARES: What, Nima -- I mean, what would they be able to offer them that they may say, OK, we'll stop the -- you know, we'll silence the guns --
ELBAGIR: Yes -- no, exactly --
SOARES: With the intake --
ELBAGIR: I think the reality is that for both sides, this is existential. This --
SOARES: Yes --
ELBAGIR: Is about the dominance. Who emerges as the de facto armed forces of Sudan? Hemetti wants his army to be regularized similarly to the Navy
arrival in power to the armed forces under whoever the commander-in-chief is. He denies that he wants to be that commander-in-chief --
SOARES: Yes --
ELBAGIR: You don't set up a private army and become one of the richest men in the country, to not want to be the president, to not want to be the
commander-in-chief. So I don't believe it.
SOARES: You don't buy that.
ELBAGIR: He said it to our correspondent Larry Madowo --
SOARES: Yes --
ELBAGIR: On air, it's just impossible. Why do all of this --
SOARES: Why -- I was going to say, why go through this?
ELBAGIR: Why do all of it?
SOARES: If you don't want to be in control and in power?
ELBAGIR: And from the perspective of the army, how can you be the army and have a rival force with -- run by a man who is richer than all of you put
together. It's just untenable. So they in a way -- because people keep asking where are the -- where are the secrets? Where are the invisible
hands --
SOARES: Yes --
ELBAGIR: Pulling the strings? I don't necessarily think there need to be for both men. The stakes are so high that it is essentially kill or be
killed. I mean, and they both did try and capture each --
SOARES: Yes --
ELBAGIR: Other. This was launched with essentially an assassination attempt, an attempt by the RSF to go into the presidential palace, and they
say, capture the fugitive Burhan, but we don't know what could have happened when they --
PATEY: I mean, this is -- this is the basic --
SOARES: Yes --
PATEY: Problem here, because you've got -- it's existential for both, I agree --
SOARES: Yes --
PATEY: Absolutely now. If Burhan wins, Hemetti doesn't, and he has his forces --
SOARES: Yes --
PATEY: Get disbanded the RSF. If Hemetti wins, then Burhan disappears. I don't -- actually I can't see how Hemetti can win, because the RSF can't
replace the army. So there is an existential problem there. It's difficult to see where there's a compromise. How do you -- how do you buy Hemetti
off? What do you -- what do you see?
SOARES: Indeed RSF forces are quite significant in terms of numbers. Are they not, Nima?
ELBAGIR: Well, so in numbers, they don't outnumber the army --
SOARES: Yes --
ELBAGIR: But because they were a recipient of training and equipment from Russia --
SOARES: Yes --
ELBAGIR: Supported by Wagner in their garrisons, they are much more effective for years they have operated as the de facto infantry. They went
into Chad on behalf of the Sudanese government. They operated in Darfur. So these -- they're also used to street-by-street fighting in a way that a
regular army is not. And they have placed their garrisons inside civilian neighbors, which is --
SOARES: Yes --
ELBAGIR: As the ambassador knows, as Sir William knows, is a violation of international law. How do --
SOARES: Yes --
ELBAGIR: You fight someone who's hiding among civilians?
SOARES: So, Sir William, in this situation, that can continue deteriorating, it's already humanitarian crisis. It's getting worse and
worse. How do you then see this playing out? What needs to happen in the coming days?
PATEY: Well this is -- I've been giving some thought to this as a diplomat. You think, how does this end? How do you engineer a position
where it ends? Rather sadly, you know, because we have, you know, Nima has family in Sudan --
SOARES: Yes --
PATEY: And have friends there. And the reason this will come to an end relatively quickly is although Sudan has been used to conflict almost from
its inception in 1956, long-running civil war, it didn't really affect Khartoum. The civil war --
SOARES: Yes --
PATEY: Was fought somewhere else. This is happening in the middle of Khartoum, a population of 6 million people. When a civil war comes to the
capital, it can't last for very long. Unfortunately, the humanitarian crisis gets so great that something has to give. And why do I want this? I
don't know what can happen here. I'm at loss to find out what you could say to Hemetti to get him to stop what you could say to Burhan to get himself
other than neither of you can win. So --
SOARES: And that is not a place where neither of them want to start off in terms of negotiations. No one wants to lose their hand right from the get
go here.
[14:10:00]
PATEY: But until the international community gets serious about it, and I don't think they have yet.
SOARES: Why not? Why haven't --
PATEY: I --
(CROSSTALK)
SOARES: Because Nima was telling us yesterday -- pardon, that the writing had been on the wall for several --
PATEY: The writing on the wall for quite a long time. But the U.S. has interest in Sudan, but they're not vital. The Russians have interests in
Sudan, but they're not vital. The UAE and Saudi Arabia have interest, but none of them have vital interests in Sudan. And so, they -- what would
bring it together -- someone said, is there any chance of military intervention? Nobody --
SOARES: Yes --
PATEY: Is going to intervene militarily. The only people I could conceivably see intervening might be the Egyptian military if the RSF
mishandled the Egyptian troops they've captured. So --
SOARES: Yes --
PATEY: There's a possibility, but nobody's going to want to get involved in this. So they know that, the parties know that, there's no outside
military instrument eventually, there's no overwhelming international body of force, that is going to force them to do it. Even sanctions wouldn't
affect them in the short term. I think something will happen in terms of humanitarian crisis.
SOARES: Yes --
PATEY: That may force the international community to up their level of its engagement through reactivating the security personnel --
SOARES: And that seems to be the concern right now as we keep getting reports, of course, on the ground. Hospitals being attacked, children
without food, families hunkered down in schools and at homes without water and electricity, so increasingly a dire situation. Nima, Sir William,
really appreciate it --
ELBAGIR: Yes --
SOARES: Thank you very much. Now the U.S. ambassador to Russia is calling for the immediate release of a "Wall Street Journal" reporter who has just
been denied an appeal in Moscow against the terms of his detention. Evan Gershkovich, who is a U.S. citizen stood in a glass cage, as you can see
there, as a decision was made.
He had asked to stay under house arrest rather than in jail before his trial. Evan Gershkovich is the first American journalist to be detained in
Russia over espionage allegations since the cold war, and he faces 20 -- up to 20 years in prison. In fact, have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LYNNE TRACY, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA: I was able to meet Evan yesterday at Lefortovo Prison. It was the first time we were granted consular
access since his wrongful detention more than two weeks ago. I can report that he's in good health and remain strong despite his circumstances. The
charges against Evan are baseless, and we call on the Russian federation to immediately release him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, let's get more now from Georgetown University Adjunct Professor Jill Dougherty, she's a CNN contributor on Russian affairs and a
former CNN Moscow bureau chief, a well-known face here on the show. Jill, great to see you. Look, I think this was the first time we have seen him in
three weeks or so, while we saw him smiling there, incredibly hard to see him in a glass cage.
JILL DOUGHERTY, ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Oh yes, and his situation is not a laughing matter. This is very serious. He's accused of
espionage, that raises it to a level that's very serious. And just by the way he was treated today, you know, asking for bail, trying to get out of
pre-trial detention and refusing -- the judges refusing that, shows that they are the Russian government, Russian penal system and courts are intent
on really taking this to the max.
SOARES: And Jill, I mean, the whole proceeding I read at last, it's something like barely 90 minutes in fact. What we have seen are appeals
from the U.S., from "Wall Street Journal". Besides this, are there any other options for Evan here?
DOUGHERTY: I don't think at this point there really are. Some people have said, well, maybe there could be a trade. But the Russians have made it
very clear that the entire legal process will have to be completed before anything could happen. And even at that point, there's no guarantee that
they really want to trade Evan Gershkovich for anyone.
It's unclear exactly why they took him, but I think you know, if you pull back and really look at this, Isa, look at all the people who have been
arrested quite recently, and then over the past year or two, certainly, a lot of the arrests are connected with what is alleged to be espionage, and
also the invasion of Ukraine, which has brought in a whole series of laws that are very broadly written and can be interpreted almost in any way.
I think that you'd have to apply that to the Evan Gershkovich case, which is any journalist doing their job in Russia, could run afoul of that law
precisely because everything is written very broadly.
SOARES: I want to leave Gershkovich, if I could for a second, and focus on Alexei Navalny because the lawyer --his lawyer has been telling us that
he's been beaten, Jill, I mean, last week here on the show, we talked about concerns from his lawyer of possible poisoning.
[14:15:00]
DOUGHERTY: Well, the way I read that, albeit in the Russian media, but it appears that once again, the prison authorities have put another prisoner
in with Alexei Navalny, a person with some real problems, apparently. And it was -- It appeared to be an attempt to induce a fight, and some type of
altercation broke out, the guards come in, and allegedly, and the reports are that they beat up Navalny.
This I don't think is surprising. I mean, they have made his life -- and it's not an exaggeration, a living hell by putting other prisoners in with
him who are very difficult to live with, by giving him medication that they won't even describe to the family. We have no idea what exactly he has been
given. We know he has serious physical problems, so this is a dire situation.
And it really does appear, I mean, looking at it, from my perspective, it just appears that they are taking him to the edge of physical ability to
put up with this, and they're doing it deliberately.
SOARES: Very troubling indeed. Jill Dougherty, as always, thanks very much, Jill. Well, Russian President Vladimir Putin has just made his second
public trip to Ukraine since the war began. He visited troops at a military base in the Kherson region. State media says he was getting a report from
military officials on the situation in Kherson as well as Zaporizhzhia.
Parts of those territories are occupied by Russian forces. And the visit comes at a critical juncture in the war. Kyiv is preparing to launch a
Spring offensive, and Russian forces have been suffering serious losses. Well, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is trying to boil up
exhausted troops on the frontlines, earlier, he visited a hospital in Avdiivka, the town in the Donetsk region, which has seen intense fighting
now for months.
Mr. Zelenskyy awarded medals to injured troops and thanked them for defending the country. Some 800 civilians still live in the nearly
destroyed town, Russian attacks all along those frontlines have killed at least three civilians in the past day, and that is, according to Ukrainian
officials. And still to come on the show tonight, this information in U.S. politics, conspiracy theories and the fight for ratings in a fractured
society.
All of that on full display as "Fox News" gets its day in court. Plus, an update on the Missouri teen who was shot twice after ringing the wrong
doorbell. Hear what the alleged shooter is telling police.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:00]
SOARES: Well, after last minute delays and 11th hour twists, "Fox News" is now officially on trial. The U.S. media company is facing a high stakes
defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems, which is seeking $1.6 billion in damages. Dominion is accusing "Fox News" of broadcasting
conspiracy theories about its technology, theories, which were promoted by former President Donald Trump, who claimed Dominion Systems were used to
commit voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
Dominion says "Fox News" knew the claims were false, yet aired them anyway in order to retain their audiences. "Fox News" denies that. While the
trial is playing out in Wilmington, Delaware, that's where CNN correspondent Danny Freeman joins me now. So, Danny, I believe we now have
a jury. Just break down the make-up of this jury here.
DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that was the big news of this morning, that we have a jury, they've been sworn in and they are ready to
be seated now and start this trial off. So let me tell you exactly what the make-up of the jury is at this point. So we have 12 primary jurors and then
we also have 12 alternates.
That's more than normal in this particular court, but the judge wanted more jurors -- or rather more alternate jurors specifically because it's going
to be such a potentially long trial that anything could happen. People get sick, they wanted alternates at the ready. There are six men and six women
in this original pool of jurors, and then of that original 12, according to our court reporter who's been sitting inside this whole time, about nine of
them appear to be people of color.
So that's the make-up right now. And I should also mention that, the jury is made up of folks from here in New Castle County to the larger county
surrounding Wilmington, a more Democratic-leaning county, so the challenge will be to see if there are more or less "Fox" viewers, potentially in that
jury pool.
SOARES: And who are we expected to see, possibly take the stand here, Danny? I mean, will we see the chair of "Fox News", Rupert Murdoch, "Fox"
anchors, management take the stand, potentially?
FREEMAN: And that's a great question. I mean, certainly, Dominion has put forward that they would want folks like Rupert Murdoch; chairman of "Fox
Corporation", Suzanne Scott, who is the CEO of "Fox News" and others, including some of the big news personalities, Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson,
Laura Ingraham, those names have absolutely been floated as potential witnesses in this case.
We just don't know yet if they will officially be part of the witnesses for this particular trial. So again, we're hoping to get some more guidance
today at the end of court once opening statements start underway, but I should say, at this particular moment, court is back in session after lunch
recess and opening statements haven't started yet, so we're probably not going to see witnesses today, so maybe a bit of time before we know who
especially of those high profile folks might be appearing.
SOARES: Danny Freeman, appreciate it, thanks very much, Danny. Well, CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson joins me now from
New York. Joey, great to see you. Let me start off where Danny just left off. Let's start off with the make-up of the jury, the six men, six women,
nine people of color, he said. What do you make of it, is it balanced?
JOEY JACKSON, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It appears to be, it really does, Isa, good to be with you. What you're looking for in any part of this
equation, whether you're certainly Dominion and wanting your relief, indicating that you were defamed or whether you're the "Fox" people, you
want a receptive jury.
The question is, who would that receptivity be by? In other words, you know, will they listen to your message? You know the target audiences are
very important. You can make arguments, but if they're not hearing you, what's the value? And so, when you have six men and six women, the issue is
going to be, what is their psychological bent?
What is their ideological philosophy? What are their views? What do they believe? But we do know with that panel of 12, they have to be unanimous
and 12 alternates, nine people of color, that seems very diverse. They have to render a verdict that's just fair and appropriate. We'll see whether or
not that jury does that.
And of course, they were asked a series of questions, really fair it out, whether they had any partiality and were really wedded to one side or the
other. So you can only hope that they're fair, they listen to the evidence as it's presented over what should be a five or six-week trial, and they
ran their verdict which is appropriate to the facts and to the law.
SOARES: Potentially, I mean, you're saying 5-6 weeks, that's potentially quite long, and it's expected to be quite a blockbuster trial, Joey. I
mean, how do you imagine this will play out? Imagine this would be quite a spectacle. But you know, I was talking to my team earlier on today, and we
thought we wouldn't even get here.
I would have imagined in many ways, Joey, that "Fox" would have settled to avoid any of the executives taking the stand. Are you surprised?
JACKSON: So it still could settle interestingly enough. In cases I've seen before where for example, even though the case is slated, you're about to
begin and even sometimes during the course of the trial, if you can believe that, it's not uncommon, particularly in civil cases. There's a distinction
between civil and criminal, this is a civil case, meaning it's about money, right?
[14:25:00]
It's about the issues of you defamed me. What is defamation? You said things that were untrue, and as a result, the consequence was a loss to our
business reputation. People believe these election lies. That's the accusation. And so, yes, I think that it's compelling at least, the
evidence in terms of what "Fox" knew and really what they didn't know, right? Which was not a lot.
The fact is, is they knew was the allegation that what they were spending with regard to the election lies of 2020 -- oh, this Dominion, they were
stealing votes and they were reporting inaccurately. They were reporting that day after day, right? There's 20 different defamation counts that are
alleged, and the accusation by Dominion is, you knew it wasn't true, and if you didn't know it wasn't true --
SOARES: Yes --
JACKSON: It was certainly reckless. And so, that's what they have to make a determination of, but it could still settle at any time, so let's look
for that.
SOARES: And for our international audience here, Joey, I mean, the legal bar for defamation in the United States is pretty high. They have to prove
from what I understand that "Fox" acted with intent and malice from you know, the text, the depositions that we have seen. Does Dominion have a
strong case here?
JACKSON: Yes, so Isa, that's a very good point. And let's talk about why briefly. We talk a lot about -- in the United States about the issue of the
First Amendment. About the fact that you can say anything, it's protected. You have freedom of speech? But there are limitations to that. And that
limitation is, you can't fire in a movie theater, can you? It impairs other people.
And you certainly can't defame people, that is utter false remarks about them that injured their reputation. To your actual point and question, the
standard itself, it was the case the United States Supreme Court case years ago, which talked about the actual malice. So in order for you to be found
to be responsible, if you're "Fox", it has to be established that you had knowledge of the falsity of these statements and said them anyway, or you
were at least reckless with respect to the statements that you made.
And if you passed that hurdle, then of course, there's liability. I should also mention briefly that once the jury concludes as to whether there's
liability, and it does appear that the case is very strong, based on what we know, we haven't seen any evidence, but what's been out there --
SOARES: Yes --
JACKSON: If they reach, that is the jury, unanimously on the issue of yes, there was defamation, you then pivot to the question of damages. How much
was Dominion damaged as a result of these falsehoods, and they are -- that is Dominion, fully prepared to indicate what those damages were or what
they lost.
Evaluation of the business, the reputation, economic injuries, et cetera, so we're in for quite a brawl in the event that the case proceeds
throughout the five or six weeks as it's noted to --
SOARES: And it's been quite clear in terms of where Dominion -- what Dominion's argument is here, Joey. But what is a defense from "Fox",
because, like you said, you know, they're being sued by $1.6 billion here.
JACKSON: Yes, and you know, the -- it's interesting you mentioned that, the defense, because under normal circumstances the defense would be hey,
we were just reporting the news, and as a result --
SOARES: Yes --
JACKSON: Of that, we are a news outlet, we have an obligation to report what's out there. The judge said, no, not going to allow you to do that.
Why? Because you knew it was false, and there was compelling evidence and information to establish it was false. And so, really, the critical inquiry
is going to be around the issue of, did they know? Did they have intent in really conveying night after night this information about the falsehoods of
the 2020 election?
Were they reckless? They're going to have to really respond in defense, saying we didn't do anything intentionally on -- or recklessly with respect
to knowing about, it's stolen, not stolen. We reported what we believed in good faith was true. That's a hard bar to climb --
SOARES: Yes --
JACKSON: If you're "Fox", because we've seen right? Anchor after anchor talk about a lot of things --
SOARES: Yes --
JACKSON: And then we get these --
SOARES: On air --
JACKSON: Text messages that say, I really don't believe that. So we'll see.
SOARES: Yes, look, fascinating, we could talk for many more hours. Joey, I've learned so much. Joey Jackson, thank you very much, appreciate it.
JACKSON: Always.
SOARES: And still to come tonight, the aunt of the teen boy who was shot twice for ringing the wrong doorbell is speaking out. Hear what she is
telling CNN. Plus, filming will resume on the set of "Rust" this week after a deadly shooting in 2021 forced its halt. We'll have the details next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
SOARES: Welcome back to the show, everyone. And we return to our top story tonight.
There are reports of gunfire and some fighting persisting in Sudan after the beginning of a ceasefire that happened, what, 2.5 hours ago but the
situation is said to be relatively calmer as United Nations urges both sides to stop the hostilities.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights says the U.N. is pleading with rival forces to consider the impact on the civilians living in Sudan, who crave a
peaceful life, because it's civilians who are caught in the crossfire.
We've been hearing from them. We've been showing you the images, trapped in their homes with no electricity and running out of food as well as water.
The U.N. reports at least 270 deaths in fighting and, of course, CNN will stay across this story and we'll continue to update you throughout the
hours.
Now to the U.S. state of Missouri, where a Black Kansas City teenager was shot twice after he ran the wrong doorbell. And we are just learning that,
according to the Clay County, Missouri, sheriff's department, the suspected shooter has now turned himself in and is in police custody.
The teen's aunt spoke to CNN after the alleged shooter said he was scared to death of the 16 year old's size and shot him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAITH SPOONMORE, RALPH'S AUNT: There's a major part of Ralph that died on Thursday. What Ralph went through, like he lost a part of himself that day.
I doubt Ralph is even 170 pounds. Ralph is not even 6 feet. Like Ralph, when you see Ralph in all of the pictures that you have seen on social
media and everywhere else, I don't see how you see fear. I don't know how you can see here when you look at that kid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, CNN's Lucy Kafanov tells us what charges the homeowner is facing after shooting 16 year old Ralph Yarl.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZACHARY THOMPSON, CLAY COUNTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEY: The defendant, Andrew D. Lester is charged with a class A felony assault in the first degree. The
defendant is charged with armed criminal action.
LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two felony counts filed after a Black teenager is shot and seriously wounded in Kansas City,
Missouri.
THOMPSON: I can tell you there was a racial component to the case.
KAFANOV (voice-over): It was on April 13th when 16 year old Ralph Yarl intended to pick up his younger siblings and rang the doorbell at 115th
Street instead of 115th Terrace, one block difference with major consequences.
[14:35:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's still -- even today is complete shock that anybody would do that.
KAFANOV (voice-over): According to a probable cause statement, Lester told investigators he was scared to death by Yarl's size and his inability to
defend himself at age 84.
He also told investigators he was in bed when he heard his doorbell ring and grabbed a handgun before answering the door. He stated he believed
someone was attempting to break into the house and shot twice through an exterior storm door within a few seconds of opening the main door, a police
detective writes in the court document.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The fact that you open the door and then shoot the person on the other side. And it's a kid.
KAFANOV (voice-over): In an interview with a detective on Friday, Yarl said he pressed the doorbell and waited. He stated the male inside took a
long time but finally opened the door, holding a firearm.
He stated he was immediately shot in the head and fell to the ground. Yarl was shot twice, with bullets striking him in the left forehead and right
arm, according to the probable cause statement.
SPOONMORE: My nephew is alive.
(CROSSTALK)
SPOONMORE: It is not the story that that individual intended for us to tell.
KAFANOV (voice-over): Yarl was released from the hospital and is recovering at home. A GoFundMe page set up by his aunt had already exceeded
a $2.5 million goal. Anger and cries for justice have spread in the community. And the prosecutor says his office is looking forward to
obtaining a just result.
If convicted on the assault charge, Lester could spend the rest of his life in prison, the prosecutor says.
THOMPSON: We understand how frustrating this has been. But I can assure you that the criminal justice system is working and will continue to work.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAFANOV: And Isa, the family here is demanding answers. The community has been demanding justice. Although this teenager, 16 years old, is lucky to
have survived two gunshot wounds, he is home recovering.
Relatives say that life is understandably going to look a lot different now. The road to the emotional recovery from the trauma of being shot at
for doing nothing, according to his aunt, is going to be a difficult, a difficult journey -- Isa.
SOARES: Appreciate it. Thanks very much, Lucy.
And President Biden was speaking shortly in the White House in the Rose Garden in fact, he just tweeted this. Let me read it out to you. So you can
see there.
"Last night, I had a chance to call Ralph Yarl and his family. No parent should have to worry that their kid will be shot after ringing the wrong
doorbell. We've got to keep up the fight against gun violence.
"And Ralph," he tweets on, "We'll see you in the Oval Office, obviously, once you feel better."
We do hope he makes a speedy recovery.
In the U.S. State of New York, a 20 year old woman is dead after she pulled into the wrong driveway, looking for a friend's house. Police say Kaylan
Gillis and her three friends were shot -- were shot at by a 65 year old man -- pardon me -- after they turned around in his driveway in a rural town in
upstate New York on Saturday.
The man fired two shots from his porch and struck Kaylan, who was a passenger. The shooter is charged with second degree murder.
And now to a hiring story from China, where at least 21 people have been killed in a fire at a Beijing hospital.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES (voice-over): You are looking at amateur video, showing people clinging to the outside of the building, as you can see there. And we must
make it clear we cannot verify if those people were safely rescued or not. But Chinese state media says that more than 70 patients were evacuated in
time and that the fire has now been extinguished.
It is one of the worst disasters of its kind in Beijing in years. And an investigation has now been announced.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, let's turn to other developments from China and lamely business news. The country's economy appears to be shaking off the legacy
of COVID 19. GDP grew by 4.5 percent in the first quarter of this year, higher than expected. Steven Jiang has more on what's driving the rebound
and what's not.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER, BEIJING BUREAU: There's certainly a few points worth noting beyond the headline grabbing economic figures
highlighted by Chinese officials on Tuesday.
One is the baseline. We are -- what we are comparing these latest figures against, that was the first quarter of 2022, especially March 2022.
Remember, that was when Shanghai, the country's biggest city, its economic and financial hub, was headed into a brutal two-month lockdown amid the
government unrelenting zero COVID policy.
So it's against that kind of abysmal economic picture that we are seeing this kind of strong rebound now, better than many had expected but not
entirely surprising. And this rebound is also not evenly distributed across different economic sectors and across different segments of the population.
A lot of the investment still come from the state, not from the private sector.
[14:40:00]
JIANG: And consumer spending, for example, a very healthy trend, especially in the month of March. Even anecdotally, we're seeing hotels,
flights, resorts being filled again after being empty for years now.
Even prices, fares and the prices shooting through the roof in many cases. But the same thing cannot be said about big ticket item purchases. People
are not buying new cars. There are certainly not buying new homes. And the housing sector was the driver of economic growth for decades in this
country.
But now this sector is in a slow motion crash and with developers running out of cash to not only unable to start new projects but even having
difficulties finishing construction of already presold apartments.
And also perhaps the most sensitive economic data point, youth unemployment. That is the rate for people between the age of 16 and 24.
That number increased to 19.6 percent in March 2023. That's the second highest figure in -- on record.
And that's very worrisome because this is closely related to the issue of social stability, especially at a time when we are going to see hundreds of
thousands more new college graduates flooding the job market in the coming months.
So a lot of underlying challenges, a lot of undercurrents despite these robust figures released by the government on Tuesday -- Steven Jiang, CNN,
Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And still to come tonight, Israel marking Holocaust Remembrance Day in memory of the 6 million Jews killed during World War II. We will
have more after this break.
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SOARES: Israel is observing Holocaust Remembrance Day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES (voice-over): The country paused for two minutes to the sound of sirens blaring in memory of the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis during
World War II.
And the March of the Living was held at the site of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp in Poland. Holocaust survivors and their families were
taking part. Well, one Holocaust survivor in the United States is sharing her painful memories of the past so future generations will never forget.
CNN's Dana Bash has her story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EDITH GROSS, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR: I fulfilled my sister's wish.
[14:45:00]
GROSS: Because she always said, you must survive, because otherwise, we never lived.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Edith Gross is a survivor. She beat unimaginable odds, endured the horrors of the
Holocaust and lived to tell her story.
GROSS: In 1944, we heard that the Nazis are coming.
BASH (voice-over): Edith was 15 years old, living in occupied Czechoslovakia with her older sister and brothers.
GROSS: In the first week, we had to wear a yellow star. If you didn't put it on and you were caught, they killed you right away.
BASH (voice-over): As the Nazi grip on the country tightened, Jews were forced into ghettos and not allowed to run businesses. Then the transports
to concentration camps began.
GROSS: They told us, pack everything you can -- you can carry. And you have to leave everything behind. We went for days. It seemed like for
years. It was a nightmare, terrible. But finally we arrived in Birkenau- Auschwitz.
BASH (voice-over): Many did not even survive the journey to the camps.
GROSS: When we arrived, we did see a smoking crematorium and the smell was terrible. I remember lining up and walking from the train into Auschwitz.
And there sat Mengele, with a little stick in his hand, first for women and then for men.
And he directed the people. This way went to work and this way went to -- went to the crematorium.
I ran over to my brother and I gave him a big hug. And I could see his eyes. He was so frightened.
BASH (voice-over): Edith managed to follow her sister to the line. She never saw her brother again.
After Auschwitz, Edith and her sister were moved to a forced labor camp.
GROSS: It was very, very hard labor and there was a quota. And my sister always had back pain. So I was very fast. I always made sure that I made
the quota.
BASH (voice-over): As the Russians began to close in on their location, the Nazis moved them again, this time to Stutthof concentration camp.
GROSS: Stutthof was a very, very rough place, waking us up during the night. And watching somebody being hung.
BASH (voice-over): Edith's sister became very ill. Her condition deteriorated rapidly.
GROSS: I remember she was on the other side of the electric wire and I was yelling, "Dwartijja," my sister's name. I wanted a last glance, because I
knew we were never going to see each other again. And that was one of my saddest days, of course.
BASH (voice-over): The Nazis, becoming desperate amidst Russian advances, started forcing the Jews on so-called death marches.
GROSS: We didn't have any warm clothes, of course and no food. No nothing. And we started to march. People would just bend down. They were shot.
BASH (voice-over): They marched from Stutthof to Danzig, finally reaching Konigsberg, now known as Kaliningrad in Russia, where they were liberated
by Russian troops.
GROSS: Russia tanks arrived and they said to us, You are liberated.
BASH (voice-over): Edith slowly made her way back to Czechoslovakia but there was nothing left for her in her hometown. She eventually ended up in
America, where she enrolled in school and learned English.
Edith now has seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Today, as more and more Holocaust survivors pass away, Edith has made it her mission to continue to tell her story. She says even if she changes one
mind, she's accomplished something.
GROSS: Stop hate and take people the way they are. That's my aim, too, because I have never, never thought that in my life I would see anti-
Semitism again. And I'm shocked.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There we go.
BASH (voice-over): Through the Habad Organization in the town of Islip, Long Island a community center was dedicated in Edith's honor. She recently
took a trip to Israel, where she visited the Western Wall and Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial.
Though it has been 80 years since that horrible time, all that she has lost will always remain.
GROSS: When I hear Holocaust survivors saying, I'll forgive and forget. No, there is no such a thing. I will never forget, forgive and definitely
not forget.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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[14:50:00]
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SOARES: Well, filming for the movie, "Rust," will resume this week. Production, if you remember, came to a halt back in 2021 after its
cinematographer was fatally shot by a prop gun held by the movie star, Alec Baldwin. A wrongful death lawsuit was filed and Baldwin settled in October.
As part of the agreement, the movie is to be completed. Baldwin has confirmed he will return to his role in the film. Let's bring in our CNN
entertainment reporter, Chloe Melas, for more.
So it's going to start filming, back to start next week but in a different location from what I understand.
CHLOE MELAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, so, actually, filming is going to start on Thursday. And the original filming before Halyna Hutchins was
unfortunately fatally shot on the set, when Alec Baldwin had a prop gun with lime -- live ammunition go off.
Remember there was never supposed to be live bullets on the set and he is facing criminal charges, with a trial that is expected to start this
summer. The movie is going to be now filmed in Montana at Yellowstone Ranch, so a beautiful location.
Alec Baldwin is expected to be back to film; same with the director, Joel Souza. Now Joel Souza was also injured when that live round of ammunition
came out of the bullet and went through Halyna Hutchins and actually into the shoulder of Joel Souza. But he's going to be back.
So how did this all come about?
You might be wondering, why would they want to go back to film something where such a sad and awful tragedy took place.
This is all part of a settlement that was reached between Alec Baldwin in a wrongful death suit filed by Halyna Hutchins' widower, Matthew Hutchins.
And they filed this against Alec Baldwin and members of production.
And they decided all right, we're going to dismiss this wrongful death lawsuit and as part of that we are going to go back, film the movie, give
the profits to Halyna Hutchins' widower.
And he actually serves as an executive producer on the film, so it's all a lot of things coming together. And I don't know when the movie is going to
come out. But they're going to be filming in just a couple of days.
SOARES: Meanwhile, we were still waiting for Alex Baldwin's criminal trial.
What are you hearing?
MELAS: Well, look, I mean, he faces two counts, two felonies. And there is a preliminary hearing is set for May as looks like a trial could
potentially start as early as June. Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who was the armorer, the one in charge of the bullets, I mean, well, the dummy rounds,
you know, they weren't supposed to be live rounds on the set.
[14:55:00]
MELAS: And all of the guns and the armory, that was her job and she also faces the same charges. But there was a significant moment about a month
ago, when the special prosecutor, Andrea Reeb, she stepped down from this; same with the district attorney.
And we also know that the ammunition and the firearms enhancement charge was dropped. So the most that Alec Baldwin could face is 18 months maximum
in prison. So we'll see what happens. But that is going to be a trial that everyone is going to be glued to their TVs watching.
SOARES: And I know you'll stay on top of that for us, Chloe Melas. Thank you very much, indeed. Appreciate it.
They say the camera never lies. But one artist is proving we shouldn't always believe what we see.
This photo we are showing you here actually won a prestigious Sony World Award Photography Award. There is just one problem. This photo here isn't
real.
German artist Boris Eldagsen turned down the price, revealing that the image was actually created using artificial intelligence and he hopes the
stunt will spark a discussion about the future of photography. This is what he said.
"I applied -- I applied as a cheeky monkey to find out if the competition are prepared for AI images to enter. They are not," proving the point. That
is, of course, our quote of the day.
Thank you for your company tonight. Do stay right here. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is next. Have a wonderful day. I shall see you tomorrow. Bye-bye.
END
