Return to Transcripts main page
One World with Zain Asher
Spain's Suspended Football Federation President Faces More Repercussions Over His Behavior At The Women's World Cup; Rescue Mission Underway For American Caver Mark Dickey; Hurricane Lee Shaping Up To Be A Monster Weather Event; Xi And Putin, A No-Show At G20 Summit; Russian- Installed Authorities Holding So-Called Elections Today In Occupied Eastern Areas; Georgia Special Grand Jury Releases A Report On Efforts By Donald Trump And Allies To Overturn 2020 Presidential Election; New York City Deals With The Influx Of Migrants; Deadly Violence In Mali Sparks Fears Of Spiraling Insecurity After A Wave Of Attacks; Microsoft Says Suspected Chinese Operatives Are Using Images Made By A.I. To Spread Disinformation To American Voters; Climate Protesters Interrupt The Semi-Final Of The U.S. Open Tennis Tournament. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired September 08, 2023 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Zain Asher in New York and this is ONE WORLD. Spain's suspended Football Federation President is facing more
repercussions over his behavior at the Women's World Cup. Spain prosecutors have filed a sexual assault and coercion complaint against Luis Rubiales
over that unwanted kiss he gave Jenny Hermoso after Spain's World Cup win.
The complaint is step one, rather, in a process that could result in charges against Rubiales. Journalist Atika Shubert is tracking this story
for us. So, Atika, have we heard any kind of reaction or response from Luis Rubiales over the fact that he may indeed be facing criminal charges?
ATIKA SHUBERT, JOURNALIST: No, we have not. And CNN has tried to reach him and his lawyers. There has been no response. We also reached out to the
Spanish Football Federation, of course, which he is the president of, that has now been suspended by FIFA. And they say they have nothing to do with
the legal defense of Rubiales. So, they have distanced themselves from him as well.
I have to say that Rubiales has maintained his innocence throughout all this. You know, even when the scandal was just beginning to break, he
insisted that this kiss he forcefully planted on Jenny Hermoso was a consensual kiss. She maintains that it was unwanted and not consensual. The
end result is this filing by the national prosecutor.
Now, what this does basically is open up the way for national court to have an investigation. If that continues forward then this could lead to
possible charges and the complaint specifically says sexual assault and coercion. Now, the sexual assault part, we can see from you know, the World
Cup celebrations with that kiss. But the coercion part happened actually several days later as the scandal was breaking.
According to Jenny Hermoso, the player, she says that she was pressured into making a statement and that a number of people around her were
pressured by Rubiales and his associates. And this is what she told the prosecutor. And the prosecutor's complaint says that this could be
perceived as harassment. So, there's a lot more to this case file, Zain.
ASHER: All right, Atika Shubert, live for us there, thank you so much. All right, more than a thousand meters of dark, narrow, winding passages are
what rescuers are facing as they attempt to bring an American explorer out of one of Turkey's deepest caves. A rescue mission is underway for 40-year-
old Mark Dickey, who fell ill with gastrointestinal bleeding while deep inside the cave. The good news is that he is walking, he's talking, but
Nada Bashir is going to explain just how complex this rescue mission actually is. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: In the dark and cavernous depths of Turkey's Malka sinkhole, a welcome update.
MARK DICKEY, CAVE EXPLORER: Mark Dickey from nearly a thousand meters.
BASHIR: American Caver Mark Dickey now said to be in a stable condition after falling ill some three and a half thousand feet below ground almost a
week ago.
DICKEY: As you can see, I'm up and alert. I'm talking but I'm not healed on the inside yet so I need a lot of help to get out of here.
BASHIR: Rescuers say Dickey suffered gastrointestinal bleeding during his research expedition and required urgent medical attention at base camp.
According to officials, six units of blood had to be delivered to him. It's an operation which has drawn about 150 rescuers from across the globe to
Turkey's third deepest cave.
The Turkish Caving Federation says it typically takes a full 15 hours for an experienced caver to reach the surface in ideal conditions. But Dickey's
health is still in a delicate state, and the narrow, winding passages of the cave, as well as frigid temperatures, could pose a major challenge to
rescuers.
GRETCHEN BAKER, NATIONAL CAVE RESCUE COMMISSION: The team on the ground is very happy that Mark's condition seems to be improving so that it looks
like that he will not have to be in a litter the entire way out, but there may be portions of the cave that he has to be in that litter. So, the more
he can help, the faster the rescue can go. But even with him helping, we're anticipating that it will take days to get him out of the cave.
BASHIR: For now, Turkey's disaster and emergency authority says the operation is running smoothly. And though this is a huge logistical
undertaking, there is cautious optimism for Diki's safe return.
[12:05:00]
Nada Bashir, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, in the Atlantic, Hurricane Lee is shaping up to be a monster weather event. The storm just weakened slightly to a Category-4
after skyrocketing to a Category-5 overnight. But the last report, maximum sustained winds hit 249 kilometers per hour. The northern Caribbean could
see dangerous surf and rip currents sometime today, and the U.S. East Coast could feel some effects in just days.
Let's bring in meteorologist Jennifer Gray. One of the reasons why this particular storm is so scary is because of how rapidly it intensified, just
how quickly it went from category one to category five. It has weakened to a Category-4, but Category-4 is still no joke. Will it hit at some point
next week the east coast of the United States? What's the trajectory?
JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, as of right now, it looks like it's going to stay off the east coast. However, there's a lot of
uncertainty, so this is still days and days away. So, we're going to be watching it closely. But with 250 kilometers per hour winds and gust of
305-kilometer-per hour winds, this is definitely a force. So, this one's going to stay just to the north of the of Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, the
Leeward Islands.
You can see Turks and Caicos in the Bahamas. Still out of the cone, this storm is expected to take a turn to the north. And that's really the
million-dollar question, Zain, is when will that turn occur? It's supposed to occur midweek next week, and that's really going to determine the
impacts that we see along the U.S. East Coast. We know we're going to get high surf. We know we're going to get ripped currents, but are we going to
see more than that?
So, here's the forecast satellite radar. You can see just some isolated showers across the Caribbean, but you can see the storm staying well away,
so we'll see high surf, high waves. Will see some rain, but this is that turn and you can see that red box. These are basically all the forecast
models we look for to determine the forecast and you can see the later turns could have more impacts along the East Coast. If this takes a turn
sooner, then we know that we're not going to see as many impacts.
So, the big synoptic features that we're looking at this going to determine where exactly the storm is going to go is this high to the east and the low
to the West. So, it's basically going to go right in between. So, some of the forecast models do have it close to maybe Nova Scotia or even Maine is
not out of the question. We know that Cape Cod and Massachusetts sticks out a little bit, so that's really going to be well. We'll be watching closely
over the next couple of days, especially by the time we get in to the end of next week.
But Zain, I would say, really, the time to focus on this is midweek next week. We'll have a much better idea of where this storm is going to go once
we're able to see when that turn takes place. And we see how close it could potentially get to the U.S. mainland. But this storm is huge and we'll see
if it can maintain that intensity going forward.
ASHER: Yeah, let's hope it. Let's hope it stays away, right?
GRAY: Let's hope. Yes.
ASHER: Let's just hope it misses us.
GRAY: Hopefully. Yes.
ASHER: Right, Jennifer Gray live for us there. Thank you so much.
GRAY: Thanks.
ASHER: Okay. The leaders of India and the U.S. are meeting ahead of the G20 Summit. President Joe Biden visited Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his
residence a little bit earlier. Mr. Biden has embraced India as a critical partner and a key ally in countering China's influence in the region.
Despite that, the White House has deep concerns about Mr. Modi's record on human rights and what's said to be democratic backsliding, like
restrictions, for example, on the press.
The summit is notable this year for two major absences. Chinese President Xi Jinping not attending. Neither is Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ivan
Watson joins us live now from New Delhi. So, Ivan, so much talk about here. I think one of the big things is whether or not the U.S. can fill the void
at the summit left by Xi and Putin not attending.
And also, what this summit actually means for India who, of course, has all sorts of human rights issues, been accused of democratic backsliding, but
at the same time, they're sort of using this summit to showcase themselves on the world stage. Walk us through it.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure. I mean, we've just seen that the bilateral meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and
the host, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that that just wrapped up at the prime minister's residence. Biden landed here in New Delhi and went
straight from Air Force One to meet with Modi.
And they've put out a lengthy joint statement where they kind of reaffirm the strategic partnership between these two countries, where Biden has
repeated his support for India getting a seat -- a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, where they talk about a whole host of
areas where they're trying to work together everywhere from science to telecommunications, microchip development to defense issues, as well.
And then, you know, there's this one expression that they use, from science to telecommunications, microchip development to defense issues, as well.
[12:10:00]
And then, you know, there's this one expression that they use, talking about the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific. And that's kind of
code for this U.S.-led effort to keep this body of water open for trade. And it challenges China's claims to bodies of water like the South China
Sea, which China has claimed for itself. And it leads to friction points all throughout that area.
And as China's relationship with India has deteriorated, where the two countries fought in a disputed border area in the Himalayas in 2020, we
have seen the relationship between New Delhi and Washington growing. And perhaps that has contributed in some ways to the decision quite at the last
minute of the Chinese leader Xi Jinping to not attend this meeting, for the first time really since he became the leader of China, leaving people
scratching their heads wondering why exactly, since of course, the Chinese government hasn't really issued any explanation for why Xi Jinping is
sitting this out and sending his Premier to attend instead.
With the other G20 companies -- countries coming to this meeting with Narendra Modi really using this as an opportunity to promote India on the
global stage and also at home to show himself to his domestic constituents as a leader, we've also seen European leaders coming in and one of the
issues that they're hammering home is how important the war is Ukraine is to them. Listen to Charles Michel, the president of the European Council.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Charles Michel, European Council President: We support the efforts made by the Indian presidency, but it is very clear that the E.U. position is
crystal clear. And we condemn this Russian aggression. We support the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: And of course, that war in Ukraine, Russia's invasion, such a polarizing issue, leading to why Vladimir Putin is setting out his second
G20 in a row and could be contributing to Xi Jinping's absence from this meeting. Zain
ASHER: All right, Ivan Watson, life was there. Thank you so much. All right, Ukraine is taking steps to circumvent Moscow after Russia withdrew
from the U.N.-brokered grain deal in July. A senior Ukrainian official says a proposal has been submitted to Turkey to restore a corridor in the Black
Sea. The alternate route would allow ships to avoid international waters and travel close to the Romanian, Bulgarian and Turkish coasts. Just this
week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he wouldn't renew the grain initiative unless his demands were met.
Meantime, the Kremlin is trying to tighten its grip on regions in Ukraine it either fully or partially controls. Russian-installed authorities are
holding so-called elections today in occupied eastern areas. But Kyiv is slamming the vote, calling it a sham. They're calling it a farce. And
they're also calling on the international community not to recognize the results. The U.S. describes the process as nothing more than a propaganda
exercise.
CNN's Nic Robertson joins us live now from London. So, Nic, as I was just saying, this is all part of Russia's plan to tighten its grip on areas that
it essentially illegally annexed. Just walk us through that.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, it's not just a sort of propaganda aspect of it, the domestic propaganda that it can play
in Russia and in those regions, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, the parts that it controls, at least, to sell a message there that
it has legitimacy. But it is also, you know, a message to the those, you know, people who live in those areas, who don't support Russia's, you know,
who don't support Russia in those areas, that life can be made very uncomfortable for them.
And this is a point that the Ukrainian authorities are saying, because there have been house-to-house efforts by voting officials, and the voting
in different parts of those areas is extending over today, tomorrow, the day after, and in some particular areas, that these officials, election
officials are going around with military soldiers or with police officers knocking on people's doors and asking them if they're going to vote.
And for the Ukrainian authorities, that's clear intimidation of the population there, essentially being, you know, if you don't go and vote,
the implication is then you must be a collaborator with the Ukrainians. So, there can be particularly dire consequences for some of those residents who
may prefer not to vote. And I think as well, when you step back again and look at the legitimacy in any country of having an election during a war.
[12:15:00]
Again, it calls into question the validity of those results. And the Russians are actually holding some voting, having some voting stations open
extra territorially at St. Petersburg and several places for people from those areas to go and vote well. Certainly, from an international
perspective, deeply flawed.
ASHER: All right, Nic Robertson, live for us. Thank you so much. All right, coming up, they cross the U.S. southern border but end up in
northeastern cities. A look at how what started as a political game has turned into a crisis for New York City. We'll explain after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: A Georgia special grand jury report investigating efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 presidential election has been
released. The report recommended the indictment of 39 people, including current U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham and former senators David Perdue and
Kelly Loeffler, as well. The panel also recommended charges against Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn, but none of them were
actually indicted when Georgia prosecutors filed a sweeping criminal case against Trump and 18 alleged co-conspirators three weeks ago.
Let me bring in Nick Valencia, joining us live now outside the Fulton County Superior Court. I mean, I think this is fascinating, just the fact
that three U.S. senators, I mean, two of them technically are former senators now, and one is still sitting, but at the time, it was three U.S.
senators that the grand jury, the special grand jury recommended charged against. Ultimately, they were not charged, but what does this tell us
about the grand jury's line of thinking and the investigation overall, Nick?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it gives us a lot of insight here. This full report finally being made public after months and months of
investigation by the special purpose grand jury. And really it's stunning, Zain, to see 21 names that were not on the official indictment. Of course,
the biggest names being those that you mentioned. Sitting Senator from South Carolina, Republican Lindsey Graham, and two former senators here
from the state of Georgia, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler.
And we have reported previously extensively about Senator Lindsey Graham's fighting tooth and nail to show up here to have to testify before the
special purpose grand jury. He had to ultimately get subpoenaed to show up here, and he tried to invoke the speech and debate clause with -- saying --
that protected him in his legislative role. He said he argued that his call to then Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, that his call was in an
official capacity as the president of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and that he was calling not to tell him to throw out votes, but to try to
strengthen voter I.D. laws.
[12:20:00]
In fact, he pushed back on these claims, disputed them to CNN when we caught up with him a couple of years ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDSEY GRAHAM (R) U.S. SENATOR: -- reach out and say how does it work? And that's what it is. Really, I thought it was a pretty good conversation.
VALENCIA: -- an implicit threat by what you just said.
GRAHAM: No, I categorically reject that. That wasn't my intent. And that wasn't the purpose of the conversation. To throw out ballots, we're talking
about an election we ain't even had yet, which is the Senate races.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: Brad Raffensperger testified to the January 6th Committee that he felt the call from Graham was asking him to do something that was
unlawful. Ultimately though, Fani Willis, a district attorney here who was leading this investigation decided not to charge Senator Lindsey Graham.
And we knew that it was going to be her discretion the whole time.
This special purpose grand jury was really an investigative, a new evidence gathering group that had subpoena power and they needed it to compel
someone like Lindsey Graham to show up. We have reached out to the district attorney's office to get comment on this latest full report from the
special purpose grand jury. They are not commenting. Zain.
ASHER: All right. Nick Valencia, live for us. Thank you so much. So, what started as a political stunt has turned into a major problem for New York
City. The city is having a lot of trouble dealing with the influx of migrants. Many of the migrants were sent to New York by Republican
governors in states like Texas, like Florida, who say that liberal big cities should share the burden of caring for asylum seekers. The city's
mayor says about 10,000 new migrants arrive in New York every month, and he issued this dire warning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC ADAMS, NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: Never in my life have I had a problem that I did not see an end into. I don't see an end into this. This issue
will destroy New York City. Destroy New York City.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: An immediate concern is New York City schools. The new school year began on Thursday with about 20,000 new migrant children packing already
crowded classrooms. New York is now granting immediate tenure to any teacher who is bilingual as they try to deal with the influx of Spanish
speaking students.
Lots to talk about here. I want to bring in Lawyer Raul Reyes. He's a frequent contributor to CNN.com, our opinion pages. Raul, thank you so much
for being with us. I mean, when you hear that comment by Mayor Eric Adams, when he said, you know, this is going to destroy, and he repeated it, by
the way, this is going to destroy the city. It was alarmist and it did make headlines. But is there an element of truth to that or hyperbole? What do
you think?
RAUL REYES, CNN OPINION WRITER: In my view, as someone who's lived in New York City for a long time, and there's a migrant shelter on my block right
now. I want to say that we need to look at this in terms of just cold hard reality, right? New York survived September 11th. New York survived
Hurricane Sandy. New York City survived being the epicenter of a global pandemic.
So, as far as I'm concerned, migrants or this influx of migrants and the crisis that it has caused, that is not going to destroy New York City. When
I heard Mayor Adams' words, what I hear is a complete abdication of leadership. This is a very complex, very nuanced problem.
It demands you know, a federal, state and national response. And what we're hearing from Mayor Adams is that he's saying he can't solve this problem.
And that, to me, is incredible, not only just as a New York City resident, but also considering this city is -- 38 percent of this city is foreign-
born. I believe something like 38 percent of the population is migrants.
ASHER: I'm one of them. I'm one of them.
REYES: Right.
ASHER: So --so --
REYES: Right. So, you're hearing the mayor say that he can't handle this? Now, maybe what the truth is, is that he's not the man for this job.
ASHER: I hear what you're saying about, you know, New York obviously being, I mean, this city's been through so much and it's a very resilient
bunch of people that live here. But the fact is there's only so much space in New York City. We're talking about a place that has 10 million people
already living here. When he said this is going to destroy the city, that's one thing.
But he did say something that I think is fair to say, which is that there's no real end in sight. That this is a problem that it's not like it's going
to just sort of end next week or next month. There really isn't an end in sight to it. He does have a point with that. And if you look at it from
that perspective, then how does this resolve itself?
REYES: Okay. He does have a point that this is -- this situation is not going away anytime soon. But the answer to that is not to throw up your
hands.
[12:25:00]
The answer to that is to seek as much help as possible from our governor and from the federal government. In both of those cases, Mayor Adams has
been -- has been -- feuding with the governor about placement of migrants in the New York City suburbs. He's been arguing with the federal government
about the amount of money that the city has received. And he's taking these -- sort of antagonistic positions with the officials and the people who are
in the very position to help him and New Yorkers, the most.
Now, Mayor Adams makes the point that these migrants will be costing the city a great deal of money. That's the truth. And yet, meanwhile, just
within the last year, he awarded a $432 million no-bid contract to a contractor to provide services to migrants and asylum seekers. And this
contractor has been credibly accused of harassment and all -- type of abuse of migrants.
So, there's been a real failure of leadership on this position. And what it comes down to is consistency. The mayor has been on every position on this
issue. A year ago, he was welcoming migrants and very proudly proclaiming that New York is a sanctuary city. At the beginning of the summer, he told
New York City residents to take migrants into our own homes that he even suggested that he might take a migrant into Gracie Mansion.
Now, he's done an about face and it's telling migrants don't come, they're a burden, they'll ruin the city. So, I think all of these failures that we
see around the city and the issues stem from a true lack of effective leadership. And the mayor himself is basically saying that.
ASHER: You know, it's interesting because in a lot, I mean, I see New York City as such a welcoming city for people who, like myself, are foreign-
born. But it is true that there has been a lot of tension in certain communities in the city. The people who, you know, are not as welcoming as
perhaps one might expect for New Yorkers.
But it is worth noting that these migrants were vetted at the southern border. They are absolutely here legally. They have status. And I just
don't know whether that is sort of coming across whether a lot of people in New York City and some of these communities who seem to be rejecting these
migrants are aware of that.
REYES: Right. Many people are rejecting these migrants and seem to think of them as quote unquote illegals, which is obviously a -- extremely
derogatory term. First of all, just being in the United States and claiming asylum, that is a lawful right under U.S. law and under international law.
And then as you mentioned, the migrants who are arriving specifically in New York and certain other cities around democratic-run cities around the
country like San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, they are generally migrants who have already been vetted by Department of Homeland Security.
The government knows they are here.
And so, what they are doing is waiting here until their asylum hearing dates. And that is their right. It may cause burdens on the community, but
the response of the community and our leadership is to deal with the problem, not to demonize some of the world's most vulnerable people who are
fleeing things like violence, poverty, dictatorships, and climate change. They are not the problem. The problem is that our state and local
governments have been unable to formulate an effective response.
I know it's not easy as you do, too, but you know what? That's one reason that I'm not running for -- to be the mayor of New York City. Mayor Adams
knew all of this, that he would be facing immense challenges in every area when he took on this job and competed for it. And now that he sees how big
the problem is, how sprawling, it's as if he's backing away from it and trying to shift blame and focus onto the migrants.
ASHER: Yeah.
REYES: That's not right. That's very harmful. It's divisive and very divisive.
ASHER: Now, listen. I love that you're so -- I mean, I'm very passionate about this story, as well. I've just given my background. But we do have to
go. I wish we had more time to talk about this, but we have to run. Have a great weekend and always good to have you on the program. Thank you, Raul.
REYES: Thank you.
ASHER: All right, coming up, it's been one year since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the rise of her son, Prince Charles, who's technically now
King Charles. We'll look at how he's doing on his pledge to make Britain that much more inclusive. That story, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Hello and welcome back to ONE WORLD. Let's catch up on the headlines. A human trafficking ring that allegedly recruited Cuban citizens
to fight for Russia and Ukraine has now been dismantled. That is according to Cuba's foreign ministry. The ring reportedly targeted Cubans in Russia,
as well as Cubans at home, as well. Cuban authorities say 17 people believed to be linked to the ring have been detained.
And a stunning end to what had once been a promising Hollywood career. An actor, Danny Masterson, best known for his role on "That's '70s Show" was
sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on Thursday for raping two women. It was the maximum penalty the court could give for the crimes.
And London police are confirming a man fitting the description of a fugitive terror suspect has been spotted. They are searching the city's
Richmond Park. They also released this image of a truck they say was used to help the man escape from a London prison. Officials say 21-year-old
Daniel Khalife explained -- escaped, rather, on Wednesday while just dressed as a chef, as well.
All right, it has been one year since Britain's Prince Charles became King Charles III, following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. He
ascended to the throne in a very different world compared to his mother back in 1953. Britain still technically had an empire ruling over dozens of
territories around the world, many of them across Africa.
Another change over the past few decades, Charles has made diversity and inclusion a priority for his reign. When he was crowned, he added a new
pledge that welcomed people of all faiths and beliefs to the United Kingdom, and MPs of four different faiths actually took part in the
ceremony. Then in his first Commonwealth Day speech, he spoke about its defining values, including peace, justice, and tolerance.
Despite that, though, memories of Britain's brutal colonial past have prompted some Commonwealth countries to consider cutting ties. King Charles
is head of state in 15 countries, but at least six of them want out. Protesters in Belize and Jamaica, for example, are demanding a formal
apology and reparations for the enslavement of Africa.
[12:35:00]
So, what does this mean for the future of Britain's monarchy? Time now for The Exchange. We will tackle that very question. We are joined live now by
Journalist, Bidisha Mamata, who frequently talks about these types of issues. Bidisha, thank you so much for being with us.
So, I guess the question is, how does King Charles, who is 74 years old and the oldest monarch to ascend the throne in Britain's history, how does he
sort of send a message to a very diverse Britain and a very obviously diverse Commonwealth that the monarchy represents all types of people,
people from all races, all backgrounds and all religions. How does he do that realistically?
BIDISHA MAMATA, BROADCASTER AND JOURNALIST: It's a very difficult and tricky position for him to be in because of course, he is the head of an
incredibly eye-wateringly privileged, wealthy, famous background. I'm not sure the populace would really accept it if he suddenly turned around and
said, well, I'm an activist now.
So, he needs to recognize that he should stay in his lane. And I think he's done that very admirably. I don't think he's saying that he has the power
or even the authority to change British hearts and minds. But he can at least provide a gentle steer by saying that this is something that he cares
about as a king.
He's not allowed to be directly political. He's not allowed to be seen to be party-political, working over much with the government of the day rather
than any other party. So, every little word, every sentence he has, has to be very loaded. So, even using words like tolerance, inclusion, variety,
that's powerful coming from him.
ASHER: You know, what I think is interesting and also, it's always struck me as bizarre, right? When you take a country like Jamaica. Jamaica, the
land of Bob Marley, the land of Rastafarianism, reggae, the land of just sort of that free Jamaican Caribbean spirit that we all love and admire.
It's always struck me as quite bizarre that a country like that would still have King Charles technically as their head of state. I mean, you know,
it's no surprise to me that a country like that wants to sever ties with the monarchy in that way. What does the Commonwealth look like 10 -- 15
years from now?
MAMATA: I think that exactly the trend that you've outlined is going to continue. I no longer want to see a colonial -- post-colonial hangover
where people are saying, yes, well, there was the empire and then he's still basically the boss of the company, even though the boss of the
company doesn't visit very often. I think a diplomatic, conscious uncoupling is exactly what will happen. It doesn't need to be rancorous. It
doesn't need to get ugly. We have seen other countries divesting from these last symbols of empire.
So, looking ahead to 10, 20, 30 years, more of that is going to happen as we very slowly address the reality of colonization and enslavement and
settling and annexation and occupation. These are uncomfortable words, but that movement has already begun and it's working. It doesn't need to be any
more disturbing than we are willing to tolerate because that era has got to come to an end.
The reign of Elizabeth II was very clearly, the post-war, post-colonial Commonwealth era. Charles III, I think, would very much accept that we are
not in that position anymore. We have to move forward, especially given the fact that young people in Britain are not really monarchists. They may not
be rabid anti-monarchists, but if you ask them, okay, what's the King for? They might say, well, I don't know what he's for.
ASHER: I mean, you know, another thing that I think is worth talking about is just, you know, as you were talking about the juxtaposition of the
environment in which King Charles became King compared to his mother back in 1953 after her father died. Back then, you know, it's sort of post-
second World War. Britain is beginning to sort of lose its hold on its colonies. The sort of empire is beginning to crumble, but it still exists,
at least for another sort of five to ten years.
When you think about what the world looks like in a sort of, with King Charles ascending to the throne, it is a very, very different world. And
even though the Commonwealth was designed as a way to kind of draw a line under Britain's sort of brutal past.
[12:40:00]
The world has really woken up since then. Does Charles really understand just how much the world has really changed compared to 70 odd years ago?
MAMATA: I absolutely hear what you're saying and who could not realize that the world has changed. Perhaps someone who was brought up in very,
very privileged circumstances will feel it a bit less than we do. We work in current affairs. It's our job to politically analyze what's happening.
But even he couldn't have failed to have noticed, not just the end of the post-colonial era, but what you say about these changes in the wider world
completely.
We're in the middle of a war situation. Russia has invaded Ukraine. You have got Rishi Sunak going over to India to try and beg India for a trade
deal. You've got the rise of China. You've got the breakdown of the idea that democracy is a norm. It might be that 20 years into the future,
democracy is not the norm at all. Dictatorships are the norm.
So, what role can King Charles of Merry Old England play within that? He has to realize with humility that times are changing and he may have a
relatively limited role. What he can do, however, is stand up for his long- standing beliefs, things about the environment, things about agriculture. All of the issues that we made fun of him for when he was a younger
gentleman. And now we're thinking, oh my gosh, you were absolutely right.
ASHER: Yeah, I mean, back in the '70s, he was one of the first, the first public figure is to openly talk about climate change. And look where we
are. Bidisha Mamata, live for us. Thank you so much. All right, still to come. Mali has declared three days of national mourning after a deadly wave
of attacks while the escalating violence is triggering so much concern. Straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Deadly violence in Mali is sparking fears of spiraling insecurity after a wave of attacks over the past 24 hours killed more than 60 people.
They happen in the country's volatile northern Gao region. And the interim government says Islamists militants are to blame.
CNN's Stephanie Busari joins us live now from Lagos, Nigeria. I mean, this violence obviously coming in the aftermath of two coups, Stephanie, that's
why there is so much concern about the future of Mali here.
[12:45:00]
STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN SENIOR EDITOR, AFRICA: Yes, things are seeming to spiral out of control in terms of the insecurity in the country. And some
analysts are saying that since the coup which happened first in 2020 and then in 2021, led by the same general who now runs the country, Mali has
effectively turned its back on its Western powers.
First, France left -- the French troops left, and now the U.N. peacekeeping troop, which has been in the country since 2013 -- excuse me -- they're on
the way to leaving. The Minusma have been leading the peacekeeping efforts in Mali, trying to keep the insurgents at bay. We're not only talking about
Al Qaeda-linked insurgents, but we're also talking about ISIS, who are trying to gain ground in this region.
So, some are saying that Mali is going to be in trouble as all these peacekeeping forces leave and they find themselves somewhat isolated. And
of course, Wagner, the Russian mercenary group, has been present in Mali since that second coup happened in 2021. But of course, Wagner is in flux.
We don't know really where that organization is and what is happening with the fighters who were deployed to Mali.
So, there's this kind of geopolitical backdrop that these attacks are happening. The passenger boats that was attacked on Thursday was actually
attacked again previously last week and local media reporting that a 12- year-old died in that previous attack. So, things are looking very bleak kind of security wise right now in the country's end.
ASHER: All right, Stephanie Busari live for us there. Thank you so much. The U.S. military is shifting forces in Niger six weeks after a military
coup there. U.S. military officials says that Some American troops and military equipment will be repositioned, moving from a base near the
capital to one in central Niger. And some non-essential personnel are going to be told to leave the country. Officials say the move was done out of an
abundance of caution following that July coup.
The U.S. has 1100 troops stationed in the country. Oren Lieberman joins us live now from the Pentagon. What I find interesting about this, Oren, is
just the timing of this. The fact that the U.S. didn't make this move immediately, but instead waited six weeks after the coup to make this
change. Just walk us through the thinking.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Correct. And Niger is obviously an issue we have repeatedly pressed the Department of Defense on
to find out what the thinking is, what the reasoning is, and what's coming in the future. And for six weeks, the answer was that nothing has really
changed.
Yes, the troops and other personnel there are essentially on lockdown, confined to the bases. That includes the embassy, which has some troops and
the Airbase 101 near the capital of Niamey and Airbase 201 in Central Niger near city or inner city called Agadez (ph).
Now, after six weeks in which the U.S. simply didn't carry out its CT operations, its counterterrorism operations or its recon operations out of
Niger, the defense department and officials here say they will move some troops from the base in Niamey towards the base in Agadez as you point out
of an abundance of caution.
This is not in response to a new threat, according to the Pentagon, and there's no new threat to U.S. troops in the region instead. This was simply
after a look at the situation and a decision to move those troops and that personnel and equipment to Air Base 201 there.
Now, it does not indicate the U.S. will restart the operations that it has suspended or put on pause there. That's an announcement or a decision we're
still waiting for. So, the troops that are, that will remain there and those that are moving around, essentially remain on lockdown restricted to
the bases they are at. A U.S. official says the move from one air base of the into another from 101 to two 201 was done in coordination with the
Nigerian military even as the cooperation exercises and training with the Nigerian military have been paused ever since that coup.
Still, Zain, worth pointing out the Biden administration has not called it a coup yet because that would trigger a number of follow-on steps and
perhaps force the U.S. to pull out its troops, but the U.S. is essentially still waiting and hoping, it seems, for some sort of diplomatic resolution
to what's happening there in some way out of what is quite clearly a mess from the outside.
ASHER: All right, Oren Liebermann, like it's interesting that they're still not calling it a coup. We were reporting that at the time that it
happened. They were reluctant to call it a coup, and six weeks on, they're still not calling it a coup.
LIEBERMANN: Still not.
ASHER: And as you point, that would force so many changes in terms of financial assistance and economic aid and that sort of thing.
[12:50:00]
Oren Liebermann, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, still to come here, we'll look at how China is using artificial intelligence in an
effort to influence U.S. elections. That story, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Microsoft says suspected Chinese operatives are using images made by artificial intelligence to spread disinformation to American voters and
fan the flames on divisive issues ahead of the 2024 U.S. election. Steven Jang reports from Beijing.
STEVEN JIANG, CNN CHIEF BEIJING BUREAU: This latest finding doesn't really come as a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention. Back in
February, we reported the discovery of China-based bot accounts planting fake newscasts on Twitter and Facebook using A.I.-generated avatars to read
stories focused on America's shortcomings and flaws while amplifying narratives in line with Beijing's strategic ambitions and goals.
Back then, experts told us those videos didn't gain too much traction, but fast forward to this latest finding, the A.I. technology and A.I.-generated
contents have become a lot more sophisticated making it even harder for average users to tell the difference between what's real and what's fake
and that's why this time it seems these contents have generated a lot more engagements from real social media users.
Now, that's something of course that has been long been warned by U.S. officials and experts especially in the current U.S. political climate so
divisive and polarizing making Americans easy prey. Now, the Chinese government has pushed back on the latest allegation calling this report
full of prejudice and again as an example of malicious speculation against China.
But the matter of fact is ever since Russia adopted this playbook during the 2016 U.S. elections, U.S. officials really have seen this coming with
the FBI, for example, pointing to both Russian and Chinese state actors getting involved in influence campaigns during the 2022 midterm elections.
And just last month, the apparent of Facebook Meta actually took down thousands of China-based accounts that the company says are tied to Chinese
law enforcement targeting not just Americans but also people in Taiwan and elsewhere as part of quote, unquote, "cross-platform covert influence
operation."
So, this case is definitely not the last time we're going to be hearing about this with the fast growth of the A.I. technology and the
proliferation of A.I.-generated contents.
[12:55:00]
The worry, the concern, of course is, this is going to deepen the threats posed by cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns aimed at not only
interfering with U.S. democracy but also stealing U.S. data and infiltrating into American society. Steven Jiang, CNN, Beijing.
ASHER: The semi-final of the U.S. Open's tennis tournament was interrupted Thursday night by climate protesters. Four protesters began shouting at the
start of the second set of the match between Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova. One of the protesters actually glued his feet to the floor of the
stadium, resulting in a delay of 45 minutes while medical personnel got him unstuck. Here's what Gauff had to say after the match.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COCO GAUFF, U.S. OPEN FINALIST: You know, I always speak about preaching, you know -- you know, preaching about what you feel and what you believe
in. And it was done in a peaceful way, so I can't get too mad at it. Obviously, I don't want it to happen when I'm up, winning up 6-4-1-0. I
wanted the momentum to keep going. But hey, if that's what they felt that they needed to do to get their voices heard, I can't really get upset at
it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: So mature. What a mature response. All right, Gauff won the match to reach her first U.S. Open final. All right, thank you so much for
watching ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher. "AMANPOUR" is up next. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
