Return to Transcripts main page
One World with Zain Asher
New Report From World Meteorological Organization Says The Richest Nations On Earth Should Be Doing More To Help Africa Cope With Climate Change; Putin Blames The West For Black Seal Grain Deal Collapse; Defense Minister Olexii Reznikov Turns In Resignation To Parliament; Cheers And Applause Greet The Military Coup Leader Sworn In As Gabon's Interim President; Over 70,000 People Stuck At The Desert Site In Nevada; China Indicates Xi Jinping May Be A No-Show At G20 Summit in New Delhi; Recent Study Attempts To Put A Number On The Unfair Impact Of Climate Change On Developing Nations; Chilean Mother Reunites With Her Stolen Son After 42 Years; Gender Reveal Celebration In Mexico Turns Deadly; Chinese Authorities Consider Placing Limits On Screen Time For Kids And Teenagers In A Bid To Curb Internet Addiction. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired September 04, 2023 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:01:08]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Hello everyone, I'm Zain Asher in from New York and this is One World. A new report from the World Meteorological
Organization says the richest nations on earth should be doing more to help Africa cope with climate change. The WMO says that Africa accounts for just
10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, but the floods and droughts that accompany climate change have taken a very heavy toll on the continent, as
you can see by some of these pictures here.
Reports come on the first day of the African climate summit in Nairobi. Kenya, leaders from across the globe are attending the three-day climate
gathering, organizers saying that their goal is to showcase Africa as a hub for climate investment instead of a victim of floods and famine. Opening
the event, Kenya's President William Ruto emphasized that Africa's rich natural resources can actually help the continent thrive as a source of
alternate energy. I want you to listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM RUTO, KENYAN PRESIDENT: For a very long time, we have looked at this as a problem. It is time we flipped and looked at it from the other
side. There are opportunities, immense opportunities as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Larry Madowo joins us live now from Nairobi. So, William Ruto wants Kenya to really be at the forefront of Africa's green energy
transition, Larry, but is Kenya really leading by example?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kenya tries to lead by example, and President Ruto since his election has been making very bold statements on
the need for climate action here. Kenya, for instance, gets a lot of its power from renewable sources. But he's also trying to rally other African
leaders to find a common platform going to COP28.
I want to get some quick reaction now from Tabi Joda, who's a climate security expert and ambassador for the Great Green Wall. What is Africa
asking for here in terms of the climate?
TABI JODA, CLIMATE SECURITY EXPERT: Africa is asking for its entitlement from the global north's long promises made on climate adaptation financing
and long not delivered.
MADOWO: Just to be clear, is Africa asking for a handout from the global north?
JODA: Africa is not asking for a global handout, and Africa doesn't need global handouts. Africa is asking for what it deserves because Africa has
contributed less to global emissions, and therefore it is -- and of course it is most hit and impacted by global emissions. So, it's only asking for
what it deserves as adaptation financing, which has long been promised and long not delivered.
MADOWO: Why is it not getting delivered? The commitments are all there, but the follow through does not seem to happen.
JODA: Yes, these are the reasons why these calls have to keep going on because we see climate fallouts increasing, the risk and disasters and the
droughts emanating from increasing emissions really spilling into communities and creating catastrophic convergence of risk across the entire
continent. So, this is why Africa at this moment is just being polite enough to ask for what it deserves, not to perhaps be too aggressive, but
to have a very responsible way of requesting what it deserves.
MADOWO: One of the real impacts already is around the Sahel region, we've seen the conflict there, the migration that this brought. Is this one of
the places that people should be paying more attention to?
JODA: Absolutely, and of course the climate security aspect is really huge and is acknowledgeably a very important thing to note because climate is
today a huge risk multiplier.
[12:05:00]
It's a trade multiplier and Sahel is an epicenter of this degradation.
MADOWO: Right.
JODA: You can already see the huge struggles and fierce competition over scarce resources which are resulting from decline as a result of climate-
driven degradations.
MADOWO: Right.
JODA: And of course, this should be the center of where the eyes and the hearts of these discussions today are directed.
MADOWO: Tabi Joda, thank you so much.
JODA: Thank you so much.
MADOWO: And one of the other consequences of that is as long as people's homes are becoming unlivable there will be a migration crisis, Zain, and
we've seen that happen, people crossing over across the Mediterranean into Europe because where they live can no longer be a place they can live in.
ASHER: I'm so glad you brought that up and I'm so glad you mentioned the Sahel and the link between competing for resources and conflict in the
Sahel and that is a really important aspect of all of this and that is where a lot of the investment should be focused on. Larry Madowo, live for
us there. Thank you so much.
ASHER: All right. Russia's president is blaming the West for the collapse of the black seal grain deal and it doesn't appear he plans to revive the
initiative anytime soon. Vladimir Putin hosted a three-hour meeting in Sochi earlier with Turkey's president. Recep Tayyip Erdogan was attempting
to convince Moscow to re-enter the agreement. But Putin said that won't happen until Western restrictions on Russia's agricultural exports are
lifted. CNN's Nic Robertson joins us live now from London.
So, Nic, not only did Russia leave the Black Sea grain deal, but they also bombed several Ukrainian grain storage facilities, as well. How likely
really is it that they would actually plan to rejoin the grain deal anytime soon?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONA DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: You know, I think what today gave President Putin was an opportunity to put his grievances writ
larger and louder on the world stage because he had the platform and the interest of President Erdogan's visit. In fact, President Erdogan was the
one who told him that the world is watching. Erdogan went in with the U.N.'s concrete proposals, but he did perhaps soften his own language a
little bit to reflect some of what Vladimir Putin was saying.
Indeed, he said that -- Erdogan said that Ukraine would have to soften its position if it wanted to get in step with Russia. In essence, what Putin
appears to be doing here, pulled out of the grain deal, up to the number of attacks on Ukrainian grain facilities, uses this platform to point out that
a lot of Ukraine's grain doesn't go to developing nations and the most needy around the world. And President Erdogan is saying, well, you know,
Vladimir Putin has got a point here. Where does this actually take the negotiations and the conversations?
Of course, we don't know what really happened behind the closed doors there. But Putin is saying, you know, we've had our agricultural spare
parts have been cut off to us, the fees, the financial transactions have been slow or incomplete in going through. Indeed, these are the Western
sanctions on Russia for its war of choice in Ukraine. But nevertheless, Putin is taking this argument and using it as leverage to get what he
wants, sanctions relief of some sort it appears, to rejoin the deal. That's what's on the table and that's why I think you're right that this isn't
going to happen overnight.
ASHER: All right, Nic Robertson, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, a major military shakeup is underway. Three months into Ukraine's
grinding counteroffensive and it's coming at a critical time. Defense Minister Olexii Reznikov has turned in his resignation to parliament,
paving the way for Rustam Umarov to take his place. It comes one day after President Vladimir Zelenskyy announced Reznikov's dismissal, citing the
need for quote, new approaches.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa says an independent investigation found no evidence that his country loaded arms and ammunition on to a
Russian cargo ship late last year. In May, the U.S. Ambassador to South Africa made the claim saying that he would bet his life on it. The South
African government has come under a lot of criticism from some Western powers for its stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Our Senior International Correspondent, David McKenzie joins us live now from Johannesburg. So, David, worth-noting that the investigation was
actually commissioned by Ramaphosa and that they're not releasing the full results of the inquiry, only sort of bullet points from it. But just walk
us through what the actual results of the inquiry have been so far and whether or not there's some healthy
skepticism here.
DAVID MCKENZIE, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Zain, they say they are not going to release the full report because this independent
inquiry run by a judge here in South Africa and two advocates was dealing with, in part, classified information.
[12:10:00]
Now, you'll remember that vessel that docked in South Africa in December leading to wild speculation as to what exactly was happening there. Now
according to this report, Ramaphosa says that that was, in fact, weapons coming into the country that were ordered in 2018 for the South African
military, but nothing went back on to that vessel. Here's South Africa's president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CYRIL RAMAPHOSA, SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT: All matters are considered. None of the allegations made about the supply of weapons to Russia have been
proven to be true, and none of the persons who made these allegations could provide any evidence to support the claims that had been levelled against
our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: Well, of course, without naming the U.S., he's obviously talking about the U.S. there in part. The U.S. government spokesperson here at the
embassy told me that they did give certain information to that panel, but it seems like they're trying to draw a line in the sand on this issue and
they say that they are appreciative of the seriousness of this particular investigation. Zain.
ASHER: Yeah, that was going to be my next question. Will it sort of ease tensions between the U.S. and South Africa? There have been tensions
because of South Africa's relationship with Russia. Does that change things going forward?
MCKENZIE: I think they're trying to let it change things. That's if you read the various statements here. It does appear that South Africa and the
U.S. want to move beyond this. And this is a critically important relationship between the two countries, not just for the two countries, but
on broader issues when it comes to the African continent and relations with the global south. It depends on whether more revelations come out on this
particular incident.
And the broader issue still remains that South Africa's non-alliance stance on the war in Ukraine has been questioned by many. But we are having a
pretty significant meeting here in South Africa in the coming months on the AGOA relationship, but that's a critically important act that allows
African nations, including South Africa, to export its goods tariff-free to the U.S.
Now, I don't think either side would want any other issue playing into that discussion even after some U.S. members of Congress questioned because of
the issues around the Russia relationship, whether that meeting should even take place here. So yes, I think they're trying to move on from this, but
frankly some question marks still remain. Zain.
ASHER: All right, David McKenzie, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, it is the beginning of a new era in Gabon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Cheers and applause greeted the military coup leader who was sworn in as the nation's interim president earlier during a televised ceremony.
General Brice Oligui Nguema promised to hold quote free, transparent and credible new elections, but he didn't exactly say when. The ceremony comes
less than one week after Nguema led a coup that ousted Gabon's president whose family had ruled the Central African nation for more than five
decades.
CNN's Stephanie Busari joins us live now from Lagos, Nigeria. What's interesting is that he's referring to himself as the interim president, but
the fact that he plans to rewrite the electoral code and rewrite the constitution, that suggests that the transition period is gonna last quite
some time, Stephanie.
STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN AFRICA EDITOR: Well Zain, he's certainly solidifying his grip on power and he hasn't said when he's going to make this
transition to civilian rule. He's said that the nation's defense and security forces sprung to action and assumed their responsibilities during
the inauguration and called the recently concluded elections an electoral coup d'etat, which is quite ironic given that he himself staged a military
takeover.
But he's certainly under pressure to say when he will transition to civilian rule. The opposition leaders are making loud noises to calling for
recounts of the votes, which the main opposition leader has said that he won. They're keen to see a recount so that the power can be transferred
rightfully to them, they're saying. And, you know, we're seeing a lot of celebration in Gabon.
[12:15:00]
He's -- and Nguema is very popular as with recent military coups that we've seen on the continent. But are they the panacea that people are hoping for?
It was well understood that the Gabonese, the Bongo family had been there for too long. It was time was up. I know that Gabonese people wanted to see
the end to that rule.
But will the celebrations for Nguema's regime be short-lived? After all, he's said to be a cousin of Ali Bongo and was part of the inner circle of
President Bongo's -- Ali Bongo and his father before him. So, it looks like it will be more of the same Bongo family rule going here. But, you know,
Nguema has said that he will conduct free and fair elections. We just don't know when that is, Zain.
ASHER: Yeah, I mean, it's interesting, isn't it? You make a very good point. The fact that he is related to the Bongo's and also he was a
bodyguard for Ali Bongo's late father. So, how much change is there really going to be? Just because there's been a coup doesn't necessarily mean that
things are going to change all that much, given that he's still part of the Bongo family. Stephanie Busari, let's leave it there. Thank you.
All right, to the south in Zimbabwe, the country's president has been sworn in for a second five-year term following a disputed election. Eighty-year-
old Emmerson Mnangagwa took the reigns of power in a colorful ceremony attended by thousands, including regional leaders from South Africa,
Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mnangagwa was declared the winner of last month's contested election. The opposition party rejected
the results, alleging electoral fraud.
ASHER: All right, still to come here on One World. Stranded in the mud, thousands of festival-goers at Burning Man are stuck in the desert. We'll
talk about what happened and when exactly they might be able to leave. Also ahead, a child stolen and then sold from a country under dictatorship, was
being reunited with his mother 42 years later. And later, how a 93-year-old woman was fighting against a developer to save her family's land in a
historic African-American community. That story ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:20:05]
ASHER: Organizers say people can start leaving the Burning Man Festival in about two and a half hours from now. That's a big relief to the over 70,000
people stuck at the desert site in Nevada. As Camila Bernal reports, heavy downpours and the mud left behind have made leaving virtually impossible.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNKNOWN: We planned on leaving right after the Burn, which is Saturday night, and then it started raining on us like that night.
CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A dramatic washout at Burning Man, trapping tens of thousands at the festival and delaying the event's marquee
moment when a massive wooden effigy known as the man is set on fire. The decades-old gathering in the Black Rock Desert is no stranger to extreme
heat. But rarely like this.
UNKNOWN: We're sinking. I think barefoot is the way to go.
BERNAL: Two to three months' worth of rain falling in just 24 hours, turning the desert ground into thick cement-like paste. Festival-goer Dean
Zeller from Santa Monica, California shot this video with his ankle deep into the mud. And from the air, you can see the standing water, muddy
roads, and countless RVs, vans, trucks, and other vehicles parked and helpless.
ANDREW HYDE, BLACK ROCK CITY, NEVADA: When it was really wet, you couldn't do anything. You just lived here. There's really no way to walk miles, you
know, to get out of it.
UNKNOWN: We couldn't leave, like, we were stuck, basically. People could barely walk, let alone ride their bikes or drive out of here. And so, that
started getting a little scary.
BERNAL: Many of those who tried to drive away were stuck. The situation so concerning that even President Joe Biden was briefed on the matter. While
organizers have often described the festival as a self-expression event where harshness meets creativity, few expected it to be this bad.
HYDE: It's a survival event. Like, you come out here to be in a harsh climate, and you prepare for that.
BERNAL: Event organizers said roads remain, quote, too wet and muddy, and local authorities have told thousands of people to shelter in place, though
some attendees braved the conditions to make it out, including actor and comedian Chris Rock and another festival attendee, DJ Diplo. They posted a
series of videos as they trekked more than six miles in the mud before the two got a ride on the back of a fan's pickup truck.
Local officials are urging those still on site to conserve food, water and fuel. Still, some attendees downplayed fears, telling us they think they'll
manage just fine.
UNKNOWN: I don't think that it's gonna like people are gonna like starve or do anything over there. The community in itself would help each other and
there's a lot of people who overstock for this thing, too. It's really beautiful actually when you go into the camps. Everybody was helping each
other out.
BERNAL: And if the conditions improve, this is the main exit where we'll see thousands of vehicles exiting the festival, but it's not going to be
easy because it's still really muddy. A lot of the vehicles look just like the emergency vehicles you see here. People will probably have to walk
again and try to make their way out. So, officials again telling people to be careful coming. Camila Bernal, CNN, Black Rock City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, still to come here on One World, the impacts of climate change can be seen all around us. But who should pay to fix it? We'll have
that discussion when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:27:18]
ASHER: Hello and welcome back to One World. Let's catch up on the headlines quickly. China is indicating that Xi Jinping may be a no-show at the G20
summit in New Delhi this weekend. President Xi's likely absence from the gathering of the world's top economies comes as tensions simmer between
China and the host country, India, over their disputed border, along with New Delhi's growing ties with the United States.
Torrential rains in Spain have left at least two people dead and two others are still missing. It's all from the massive flooding left behind, storm
known as Dana. Storm warnings are still in effect for Monday for most of central Spain, including its capital, Madrid.
ASHER: And in Taiwan, typhoon Haikui lashed out on the island. Take a look at this video. You can see how fierce these winds really are, literally
pushing a car backwards. No deaths have been reported, but more than 40 people have been injured.
Thousands of people evacuated before the typhoon struck on Sunday. The storm knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses. Power
has now been restored to more than half of them.
ASHER: Right. I want to return quickly to our top story now, that major climate summit that we were talking about at the top of the show that's
kicking off right now in Kenya. Dozens of leaders from Africa and elsewhere are attending as they're hearing a story, not just about the problems of
climate change, but also about opportunities for growth as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUTO: As a continent, we have the largest reserves of clean energy or renewable energy resources. And we want to see how these renewable energy
resources can be consolidated, can be packaged into bankable opportunities. Sixty percent of the world's renewable solar resources are in Africa. And
we want to use these resources to power our own growth in a responsible manner, that we are not using fossil fuels, we are using renewable energy.
And we want to do it not just for Africa, we also want to use these renewable energy resources to decarbonize the world economy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: But there is certainly an undercurrent of anger at wealthy nations for putting the world into a climate crisis. Protesters outside the
conference say that Africa is actually the victim here. A U.N.-sponsored report issued today says that even though Africa accounts for less than 10
percent of its greenhouse gases, it's disproportionately punished by the droughts and the floods that accompany climate change.
And then there is this. A recent study attempted to put a number on the unfair impact of climate change on developing nations.
[12:30:00]
That report says the U.S., Europe and other industrial powers owe the developing world close to $200 trillion in compensation. Time now for The
Exchange. Joining me live now is Columbia University's professor, Jeffrey Sachs. He's the Director of the Center for Sustainable Development and the
author of the book, The Price of Civilization. Professor Sachs, thank you so much for being with us.
JEFFREY SACHS, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Thank you.
ASHER: Let's start by just talking about what is the continent's most pressing need when it comes to adapting to the realities of more and more
frequent climate shocks. We talk about how much money Africa needs, over $100 billion annually according to the U.N. How exactly do you think that
money should be spent?
SACHS: As in all parts of the world, Africa is already suffering from human-induced climate change. Massive droughts have hit the Horn of Africa,
affecting millions of people in recent years. Massive floods have hit West Africa in recent years. This is like we're seeing all over the world. But
in Africa, there are many, many poor people who have no buffer.
And this means that the consequences are catastrophic. And as your report was emphasizing, these poor countries have contributed almost nothing to
the greenhouse gases that are warming the planet, and yet they're feeling massive consequences. And we are now in the 14th year of an empty promise
by rich countries to help finance the poor countries to face this crisis because it was 14 years ago that Hillary Clinton said, the rich countries
will give $100 billion of climate finance. And even 14 years later, it hasn't shown up yet.
ASHER: You know, one of the hardest parts of all of this for a lot of African countries is that they say, listen, you know, Africa is now
suddenly being forced to develop in ways that are much greener, much cleaner, much more sustainable in order to combat a climate crisis that,
quite frankly, they're not responsible for, really. And they sort of feel as though, and obviously I can't, you can't generalize with over a billion
people and you can't generalize with over 54 countries.
But there is this sort of feeling that, you know, this, that, will lead to sacrificing economic growth, that becoming more greener will lead to a
slowing down of economic growth. That is the sort of general consensus when you speak to different African presidents. What do you say to that concern
specifically?
SACHS: I think there are a couple of things that we have to keep apart to make clear. First, on the energy system, all countries of the world need to
move to renewable energy, to solar power, to wind power, to hydroelectric, to other forms of zero carbon energy. The United States has to do this.
Europe has to do this. Africa has to do this. Asia has to do this.
And Africa, as you heard from President Ruto, has vast resources of solar energy to do this. So, this could be a place for massive investment.
The problem with renewable energy is you invest a lot of capital upfront. Then the energy flow comes later on for free from nature, but the upfront
capital costs are very high. And these poor African countries cannot gain finance on any reasonable terms. And so, that's the first problem.
The second problem is the damages that are already underway and are going to get worse. Why should a part of the world that had nothing to do with
causing those damages, pay the costs of those damages, while the rich countries, the United States and others that caused the damages, just walk
away scot-free. That wouldn't happen if your neighbor wrecked your yard. You would sue them for a tort.
And this is the same point that the African countries are making. We face floods. We face droughts. Where are the rich countries that caused all of
this? My view all along is the rich countries ought to be paying according to the emissions that they have made and that they continue to make. And
they don't pay at all.
The United States says, not our responsibility. And that's really unfair. And more and more of the world is saying, where does this arrogance come
from? Of course, in one world, we have mutual responsibility. Those who cause the harms need to take responsibility for what they did.
[12:35:00]
ASHER: Yeah, I mean, absolutely. And it's also worth-noting that the needs of the continent, I mean, even if you -- even if Africa receives the money,
the needs of the continent are so vast and varied and diverse. I mean, some countries, as you point out, are dealing with issues when it comes to
flooding for other countries. The major issue, especially in East Africa, is drought. So, a lot of these countries really do need to be on the same
page when it comes to figuring out a way to make each of their countries that much more resilient and able to adapt to some of these climate shocks
that are happening. Professor Sacks, thank you so much for being with us.
SACHS: Good to be with you. Thank you. Thank you.
ASHER: In Chile, a joyous ending to 42 years of sorrow. A mother who was told her son died at childbirth got a stunning phone call telling her that
he's actually alive. But as Rafael Romo tells us, many babies were stolen there in the 70s and the 80s. And this reunion is heartbreakingly one of
just a few.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNKNOWN: Hey, welcome! Welcome!
JIMMY LIPPERT-THYDEN, STOLEN AS A BABY IN CHILE: When I arrived in Chile, I felt like a lost puzzle piece, a piece that had been lost for 42 years.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN WORLDWIDE SENIOR AMERICAN AND LATIN AFFAIRS EDITOR: It's a birthday party that had to wait for more than four decades.
LIPPERT-THYDEN: They stole 42 years, but they will not steal 43.
ROMO: Jimmy Lippert-Thyden is celebrating with a family he never knew he had.
LIPPERT-THYDEN: I am blessed in the fact that I have a loving family on both sides of the equator.
ROMO: His story begins in 1981 in Valdivia, a city in southern Chile.
LIPPERT-THYDEN: My mother, my Ma, she gave birth to me one month premature. They told her, you know, oh, he looks jaundiced, you know, he looks yellow,
we need to put him in an incubator and they carried me out of there before she could hold me, before she could name me, they carried me out. And then
they came back and told her that I had died.
ROMO: Thyden says that it was all a scheme to make money out of unsuspecting foreign families looking to adopt children, especially
Americans who had no idea what was going on. Your adoptive family in the United States had no idea that you had been stolen as a baby?
LIPPERT-THYDEN: They never believed for one second they were buying a child. They never would have -- would have done that.
ROMO: During the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet in the 1970s and 80s, babies were funneled to adoption agencies, some from the upper classes
taken or given up to protect reputations of their mothers and some from the lower classes where children were simply stolen. Chilean authorities say
many priests, nuns, doctors, nurses and others conspired to carry out illegal adoptions.
Authorities told us the number of stolen babies could be in the thousands, but the investigation into the adoptions has languished over the years and
some of the hospitals where the children were born have shut down as we have found out over the years.
For many women in this country, what this hospital in ruins means is a place where their children were stolen, a place that became a nightmare for
them. They were looking for a place where they would deliver a healthy baby. Instead, they left empty-handed. Constanza del Rio, the founder of
Nos Buscamos, says that after Jimmy Titan got in touch with them, she recommended a DNA test.
LIPPERT-THYDEN: Hello, my name is Jimmy Thyden.
ROMO: When a match came back a few weeks later, she says she knew the next step was making a phone call to a woman who had believed for decades her
son had died shortly after being born. She couldn't believe it, she said. She thought it was a joke in poor taste because she had been told her
premature baby boy had died.
LIPPERT-THYDEN: She didn't know about me because I was taken from her at birth. And she was told that I was dead. And that when she asked for my
body, they told her that they had disposed of it. And so, we've never held each other, we've never hugged. And today, I'm going to get to do that for
the first time.
ROMO: After several agonizing months, Jimmy Thyden was finally able to travel to Chile to give Maria Angelica Gonzalez, his biological mother, the
hug that had to wait for 42 years. What would you like the world to know about what happened to you? What do you want people to know about your
case?
LIPPERT-THYDEN: I want them to know that there's tens of thousands of children like me. We tell our story, we do these interviews because we tell
these stories until every child is found.
[12:40:00]
ROMO: How do you get back the time lost? You can't, Jimmy Titan says. In the end, he added, the wisdom about what happened came from one of his
daughters who told him if a bad thing hadn't happened, she wouldn't be here. And thanks to that, her father now has not one but two families who
love him deeply. Rafael Romo, CNN, Santiago, Chile and Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: A gender reveal celebration in Mexico turning deadly after the pilot hired to fill the air with pink smoke ended up crashing in front of the
guests on Sunday. In this viral video you can actually see the couple standing in front of a sign that reads "Oh, Baby". There it is surrounded
by balloons. Moments later there you see the aircraft flying over the couple. The aircraft is releasing smoke. And as it flies off you can
actually see the left wing basically break off and then the plane spirals towards the ground. Really difficult to watch this. Red Cross officials say
the pilot was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.
All right, turning to China now, where authorities are considering placing limits on screen time for kids and teenagers in a bid to curb internet
addiction. All devices would be required to have a built-in minor mode, which would restrict screen time based on age. CNN Correspondent Ivan
Watson has more on the proposed rules and reaction to that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's an all too familiar scene. A child begs his mom for one more minute on her phone. A daily battle over devices.
China's answer, "Minor Mode", a proposed law to order tech giants to limit children's screen time and shut off apps. For one tired parent, the
proposed rules would be a relief.
CRYSTAL GUO, MOTHER: This would be wonderful if it were true. There would be less anger between us, mother and son. He just can't keep his phone out
of his hands.
WATSON: Under the new mode, children under 18 will get a maximum of two hours on smartphones per day and will be locked out overnight. But
Beijing's top-down approach has its critics.
ANDREW COLLIER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ORIENT CAPITAL RESEARCH: The broader worry I have is that China, under the current leadership is imposing a very
strict cultural moralism on their citizens, which is not going to be necessarily helpful for their personal growth or for the future of the
Chinese economy.
[12:45:00]
WATSON: As part of China's broader digital crackdown, minors are already banned from gaming on weekdays. Social media apps have time limits, and
some parents ship their children off to boot camps to kick Internet addiction. Mengtai Zhang, who was sent to one of these camps at 16, says
Beijing's latest rules won't work.
MENGTAI ZHANG, ATTENDED INTERNET ADDICTION CAMP: Well, it's also structural changes. Limiting children's time from video game won't change anything for
the addiction. If they found a way to create a more meaningful space for children to spend their time together and have their parents relax from the
work, the situation would be much better.
WATSON: Children are also finding ways around Beijing's rules. This 10- year-old explains.
UNKNOWN (through translator): Some kids use their parents' I.D. to log in. They never put their phones down. They'll look at it until the battery runs
out.
WATSON: The new guidelines order internet providers to highlight socialist and patriotic content and promote family values. This mom hopes the rules
will also mean more outdoor play.
UNKNOWN (through translator): It takes away from your time to play, exercise and read. It takes away from your time to do more interesting
things.
WATSON: But her son says parents need to lead by example.
UNKNOWN (through translator): It's not easy to control myself, but adults can't either.
UNKNOWN (through translator): Don't speak about us, adults. Speak about yourself.
WATSON: A battle over screen time that's far from over. Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, still to come here, how a 93-year-old woman is fighting to save land she says her family has owned since the U.S. Civil War and she
is refusing to give up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEPHINE WRIGHT, HILTON HEAD ISLAND RESIDENT: I've never backed down on anything that was right.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Now, to a dispute over legacy and land on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Ninety-three year-old Josephine Wright is at the center of a
legal fight that's attracted national attention. CNN's Dianne Gallagher has more.
[12:50:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNKNOWN: -- this land, our blood runs through these trees.
WRIGHT: No matter what, we will keep this land. So, with this land is gonna be here with us if it's gonna be another 200 years. That's the way we look
at it.
DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN REPORTER: But not everyone has that same view. The Serene Marsh and sandy beaches in Hilton Head Island have been home to the
Gullah Geechee community since before America became America. But today, community members say development threatens those families who still call
it home.
WRIGHT: Why should we give up such a precious gift that God has given us?
GALLAGHER: Josephine Wright has lived in this house on Hilton Head Island for 30 years. But she says her family's home has been on this land since
the Civil War purchased by freed men and passed down for generations. Her husband, a Gullah descendant, wanted to be sure to keep the land in the
family after his passing.
WRIGHT: I feel so much pride and comfort in knowing that this is where I will be for the rest of my life.
GALLAGHER: But the 93-year-old great-great-grandmother has felt little comfort here over the past few months.
WRIGHT: This is when we start hearing the trees, then boom, boom.
GALLAGHER: Wright is being sued by a company with plans to build 147 three- story town homes along this Jonesville Road community. Historic Gullah Geechee neighborhood.
UNKNOWN: Our blood, sweat and tears are in this land. My ancestors are buried here down at the end of the road.
GALLAGHER: Today, construction is closing in around Wright's modest home. Has the developer, at any point, come to you to speak face to face about
this?
WRIGHT: No, I've never spoken to any one of them. They have never knocked on my door.
GALLAGHER: She says about five years ago, a woman did ask her about selling the land to an interested anonymous buyer for $39,000.
WRIGHT: And I said you insulted my intelligence and would you give them that message?
GALLAGHER: She says her first communication with the company, Bailey Point Investment LLC, was being served legal notice, which alleges a satellite
dish, a shed, and a portion of rights screened in back porch are sitting outside of her property line, encroaching on theirs according to their land
survey. The lawsuit seeks removal, plus just an adequate compensation for its loss of the use and enjoyment of their property and expenses related to
delays in development. Bailey Point says that the corner --
WRIGHT: --that little corner is on their property.
GALLAGHER: So, the issue is that corner.
WRIGHT: Yes.
GALLAGHER: Wright has filed a counter suit alleging Bailey Point and their affiliates are using harassment and intimidation tactics to pressure her
off the land. Bailey Point has filed a response denying any harassment as well as any previous offers to purchase her land. She has received an
outpouring of support and donations even from celebrities like Tyler Perry, Snoop Dogg, Fantasia and NBA player Kyrie Irving.
The town of Hilton Head just announced it is pausing all construction in line with their town code refusing to issue Bailey Point building permits
until the lawsuits are resolved. But Josephine Wright isn't alone in her fight.
LUANA GRAVES SELLARS, FOUNDER, LOW-COUNTRY GULLAH FOUNDATION: She speaks to the Gullah culture and the Gullah desire to fight back.
GALLAGHER: Luana Graves Sellers runs a non-profit called the Low Country Gullah Foundation, focused on helping prevent land loss in the Gullah
Geechee community. Her non-profit estimates that since Hilton Head Island became a vacation destination after Mainland Bridge was built in the 1950s,
the Gullah Geechee have lost nearly two thirds of their acreage. Mostly due to rising property taxes and problems with something called heirs property.
How pervasive is that on this island now?
GRAVES SELLARS: It's pervasive here, but it's pervasive throughout the South. And unfortunately, heirs property is the primary way that black
people in America are losing their land. Heirs property is a type of land ownership where a single property may be inherited by multiple members of a
family for generations after the original owner passes away. But there's often a lack of clear legal documentation, making families vulnerable to
land loss when there are disagreements within the family overselling. Some of these cases here, the land is being purchased by developers.
WRIGHT: Just look at this. This is one of the most peaceful areas.
GALLAGHER: And lost by the Gullah Geechee. But in the case of Josephine Wright, she's standing firm on her ground.
WRIGHT: Well, let me put it to you this way. I've never back down on anything that was right.
GALLAGHER: For the past couple months up through this week, CNN has repeatedly reached out to Bailey Point Investments and really anyone we
could find who was associated with this project.
[12:55:00]
Now, one named organizer did respond to us, saying that they are not the developer of the project, but rather an investment company that financed
the deal. But look, we've also reached out to lawyers for Bailey Point, the architect, even the engineer for the proposed subdivision. No one has
responded to us. We, of course, would love to speak with them and welcome any comment on this story.
As far as Josephine Wright goes, she tells me that this is a fight she is in for the long haul. She hopes that her 40 grandchildren, 50 great
grandchildren, and 16, soon to be 17, great, children will be able to enjoy all of her property until they themselves are 93 years old. Dianne
Gallagher, CNN. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: And thank you so much for watching One World. I'm Zain Asher. Amanpour is up next. You're watching CNN.
END
