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One World with Zain Asher
Ukraine Calls The Latest Russian Attack One Of The Deadliest Since Invasion 19 Months Ago; U.S. Senate Republican Greg Murphy Weighs In On Ukraine Aid; Illegal Crossings Surge Now At The U.S.-Mexico Border; Blinken, Mayorkas And Garland Together On A Trip To Mexico To Address U.S.- Mexico Border Crisis; Extreme Weather Events Becoming Much More Frequent And Much More Intense As Climate Crisis Accelerates; Iran's So-Called Morality Police Accused Of Assaulting A Teenage Girl For Not Wearing A Headscarf At A Tehran Metro Station; CNN Gets An Inside Look At Drug Manufacturer Eli Lilly. Aired: 12-1p ET
Aired October 05, 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: All right, terror in the heart of a Ukrainian village. Russia launching one of its deadliest civilian attacks in months.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA. CNN ANCHOR: ONE WORLD starts right now. Rescue workers are tearing through the rubble in hopes of finding survivors. At this
moment, everything we know about an attack on the village shop and cafAc, coming up.
ASHER: And about face. Joe Biden is doing something he said he would never do. What it means for migrants at the U.S. southern border.
GOLODRYGA: And it's one of the fastest-selling drugs on the face of the planet and CNN is the only organization -- news organization that's getting
to see how it's made inside the factory that makes one of the most popular weight loss drugs.
ASHER: Live From New York, I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. We do begin with scenes of carnage and chaos in what Ukraine is calling one of the deadliest attacks on
civilians since Russia's invasion more than 19 months ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: What you're looking at is auto carnage rubble and smoke. Pretty much all that remain after a missile strike on a grocery store and cafe.
Kyiv says that among the 51 victims -- 51 people killed in this attack was a six-year-old child. Ukrainian officials suspect short-range ballistic
missile was used here.
GOLODRYGA: Just horrific images there. Rescue crews are sifting through the wreckage and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the
attack as a demonstrably brutal Russian crime. He also warned against making, quote, "genocidal aggression", the new normal for the whole world.
Following the developments from London is CNN's Nic Robertson. And time and time again, it is so difficult to see these images specifically targeted
against civilians, Nic. And put this in perspective for us because this was a relatively small town that was hit.
NIC ROBERSTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: And it was quite a long way from the frontline as well, about 40 kilometers from the
frontline. It's in an area of the east of Ukraine where the north and east of Ukraine where the Russians have been putting a huge amount of military
pressure on the big town there, Kupyansk.
In fact, Ukrainian officials had asked elderly people, women and children to move out of that area recently but this village -- 40 kilometers away
from the frontline. The Interior Minister says about 330 people live in the village. So, when you hear that death toll of 51 people, you can understand
that about one in seven people in that village, as far as we know, have been killed.
He said that there was a funeral underway for a villager that everyone represented as families in that village have gathered in the cafe of a shop
nearby. They were hit by this missile and we've seen Russia do this before. It has hit in nearby towns, popular restaurant that have been full of
people.
This happened at about 1:30 in the afternoon. It's not clear why Russia targeted because this is a precision missile that would be carefully aimed
at a particular location so far from the frontline. It's not clear why Russia has done this. But the carnage that has been created as you say is
just absolutely horrific.
Interesting that the Prime Minister has, you know, called this Russian terrorism and said the only way to deal with this is -- and this, of
course, he's saying this in the light of the fact there's concern in Ukraine about the fact the United States
might be going a little softer on supplying weapons.
So, then, look. The only way to combat Russia's terrorism here is to be -- to do it in a coordinated and systematic way for all our allies and
partners to work together in a coordinated and systemic way. That really does seem to be subtext for -- please understand the cost of delaying
military supplies to us.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and this is coming as President Zelenskyy is meeting with European officials in Spain right now on this very issue -- the
significance for the country to receive more Western aid as soon as possible. Nic Robertson, thank you.
ASHER: All right, and the stepped-up fighting, these sorts of attacks that you were just talking about in Ukraine comes amid just a lot of concern in
Washington about funding the next round of military aid to Kyiv.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, these are live pictures at the White House where just this hour, President Biden is being briefed by his national security team
about the situation in Ukraine.
[12:05:00]
Biden says he is worried that the fight over who will be the next Speaker of the House could get in the way of his plan to send more help to Kyiv
now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: It does worry me and -- but I know there are a majority of members of the House and Senate in both parties who have said
that they support funding Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: So, the U.S. President's concern comes from a lot of the uncertainty over who Republicans will be picking to be the next Speaker of
the House. one of the leading contenders is Jim Jordan. He is a high-profile hardliner who is fiercely opposed to spending more military aid, more money on
Ukraine, which is obviously going to be a contentious issue here.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, he reiterated that yesterday. The paralyzed House has also made it impossible for the senate to get much down done and lawmakers
on both sides are expressing frustration at the political chaos brought about by their Republican congressional colleagues.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN CORNYN, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: Unfortunately, it means we can't do other things, which I would like to be doing.
CHUCK SCHUMER, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRATIC LEADER: The House can vote on no bills, no appropriations work can get done.
JOE KENNEDY, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: It's messy and there's no denying that.
DICK DURBIN, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRAT: We don't even know what's happening in the House of Representatives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right, let's bring in one of the people who will be deciding on the next Speaker. I want to bring in Republican Congressman Greg Murphy. Congressman Murphy, thank you so much
for being with us.
So, obviously the leading contenders here are Steve Scalise and also Jim Jordan. And just give us your best guess at this point who will become the
next Speaker. Who do you support and how does the person who does become the next Speaker avoid the same sorts of political constraints that led to
McCarthy's ouster?
GREG MURPHY, U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: Well, sure. I think to put this in perspective, Speaker McCarthy -- former Speaker McCarthy, when we began his
term as Speaker has handicapped several individuals, specifically Matt Gaetz and was under the microscope the entire time.
Remember, the Speaker of the House has to manage not only the different factions within the Republican Party but those in the minority party -- the
Democratic party. So, the new Speaker is going to have to be somebody that is going to be able to have to unite the Republican party because there are
many individuals that are upset with these few individuals, less than four percent of the caucus who essentially railroaded the party into expelling
McCarthy.
That's it, you know, as with the phoenix, it dies and then rises with the ashes and that's what we're hopeful for. And what we need is we need to
unite a front because, you know, guys, look at what's happening to our country. Look at the border. Look at the absolute invasion of what's going
on.
Inflation's out of control. Our interest rates are killing the average American and killing our economy, and then plus crime in the city, so many
different things that need to be affronted. You know, this is a demonstration of democracy, and democracy is messy, and this is how the
sausage is made.
But let's step back and look at what the destruction has been wreaked on the country in the last two and a half years, and we want to get together,
combine, and actually work to put us on the right path.
GOLODRYGA: Congressman, looking at the chaos within your own party, some describing it as a civil war. There is concern among some of your
Republican colleagues that it could mean that you lose the majority next year.
Max Miller of Ohio said as much to our Manu Raju just this morning. You heard Senator Cornyn express his concern, as well as Lindsey Graham in the
Senate.
Are you equally concerned, given the chaos within your own party and caucus, that you could indeed lose your majority?
MURPHY: Well, yeah, surely that's always a concern. There are a lot of external factors that go into it. But I still think the bottom line is that
the American people, despite seeing the infighting of the family sometimes, understand what's at stake. The country is at stake. Our southern border,
our absolute invasion.
I mean, sanctuary cities are now crying for help. And so, it's the content of what's going on and the destruction, in my opinion, of the Biden
administration of the very fabric of the country. We don't know who to call boy or girl. We don't know where inflation, where we're going to get our
food from. We don't know where housing is going to come from.
So, yeah, we have some fighting. Absolutely. But I have full faith in the American people that they know who the adults in the room are, people who
can manage the economy, who can manage our borders, and that will overcome any, you know, perception of conflict or true conflict seen within the
Republican Party.
ASHER: Congressman, I do want to talk about one of the things that you mentioned there, just what's happening at the southern border. President
Biden, as you know, has waived 26, I believe, federal laws to start constructing a border wall in terms of the U.S. southern border with
Mexico.
When you think about the fact that you know, Democrats said that this would never happen, President Biden himself said that he would absolutely never
do this, especially when Trump talked about it, as well.
[12:10:00]
I'm sure, the Republicans will say, look, this is too little too late, especially because only a small portion of this wall is getting built here.
But just give us your reaction to this development. Do you think that this represents some degree of progress?
MURPHY: Yeah, I do think it does represent progress. It is too little too late. And if you look at the reality and situation of our southern border,
we no longer have operational control at our southern border. I've been there.
I've actually worked as a surgeon in a lot of desperate countries. So, I understand the desire of people to come here. But once they come to our
southern border, the drug cartels have absolute control over the border, absolute control.
And so, we see human trafficking on a scale we've never seen before, drugs coming into our country on a number never seen before. And so, if you look
at what trying to piecemeal something right now that Biden's trying to pick a catch up, American people are just not going to buy it. Absolutely not
going to buy too little too late.
GOLODRYGA: Congressman, if I could get you to weigh in on Ukraine, I'm sure you saw the package and the reporting coming into you, yet another
horrific attack at the hands of Russians there, killing innocent civilians. I believe in the past, you have continued your support for providing more
aid to Ukraine.
In fact, the majority of members in Congress from both parties support providing aid to Ukraine. Why is that such a sticking point right now,
given what is happening, given the concerns coming from the president and from President Zelenskyy, why can't they get that money now?
MURPHY: Well, if you've looked at our debt clock recently, we're at $33 trillion. Last year, we paid $475 billion in interest on our debt alone.
So, we're fighting a silent enemy, one that's actually killing the country from inside, one that you can't see, one that's not readily apparent. So, I
think --
GOLODRYGA: But funding for Ukraine -- funding for Ukraine, the spending, thus far, is less than one percent of total U.S. government spending. I'm
not saying that that's trivial. Ut given the bigger picture, and the threat posed to U.S. national security aside from the moral obligations that the
U.S. does have in defending a democracy that was illegally invaded, why hold up that money now?
MURPHY: Well, I don't think the one percent -- I'm giving you the counterpoint argument, and I'm not saying I necessarily agree with that.
That's why some individuals have a real hard time. One percent of our massive deficit is a huge amount of money. You know, our inflation right
now, because of all this throw money into the economy, is killing Americans.
And so, it's trying to be pro-America. Well, look at all the money, and I'll be very plain and simple. I don't think anybody can argue with this,
but Ukraine started with our disastrous withdrawal in Afghanistan. So, yeah, in some ways, we do have an obligation to clean up that mess that we
caused, I think, or lend the conditions to.
What we want, what we want is some plan, not just pouring money, pouring money. We want some plan, some pathway to victory. And that's what so many
of the individuals, right now, there's no accountability. There's no accountability. The money goes over there, and we hope it goes into the
right pockets and into the right hands, but there's no accountability.
If Biden was able to come up with a plan with the other countries that are giving money, too, I think the American public and many in Congress would
be a lot more palatable to be able to be giving aid to the country -- to Ukraine at this point in time. But right now, there's no plan.
ASHER: Many people saying that, look, the fact that Ukraine is such a major sticking point here makes it even more likely that we may indeed see
a government shutdown in 40 days from now.
MURPHY: Yeah, let me just throw one other point in. If you don't mind, Ukraine is really a proxy war now. It's a proxy war with Russia. And thank
God we found out then to be, by and large, a paper tiger. But in a bigger sense of things, Ukraine is a proxy war with China.
What China has seen since we were able to stand up against Russia in Ukraine has given the great pause about invading Taiwan and the southern
seas and some of their expansionism.
So, yeah, we're fighting against, I mean, we're helping fight against the war in Russia. But if you look, pull back on the bigger scope of things,
we're actually fighting against the greatest enemy that the United States has in present-day United States.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Republican Congressman Greg Murphy, thank you for your time.
MURPHY: Thank you.
ASHER: All right, the U.S. Homeland Security Chief calls the need acute and immediate. As we were just discussing, the Biden administration is
announcing some drastic action to address the migrant crisis as illegal crossings surge right now at the U.S.-Mexico border.
It says it will waive 26 federal laws and regulations to build more barrier walls in one Texas border county. A reminder, this is what then-candidate
Joe Biden said about border walls back in 2020.
[12:15:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: There will not be another foot of wall constructed on my administration.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: But this is now when the situation has reached a breaking point. Just last month alone, border agents say more than 2000 have crossed
into the United States. This new video shows people running and cheering as they cross into Texas despite increased security.
ASHER: And it's not just border cities feeling the strain. This is the scene right now in Chicago. It is so bad that the city's mayor says that he
actually plans to travel to Mexico to address this problem.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, this is New York's mayor already on the ground there trying to understand the crisis firsthand. More than 600 migrants per day
are arriving in New York in recent weeks. Many bus in from Texas.
CNN's Polo Sandoval joins us live from New York. And Polo, New York really getting a sense of what a lot of these border states and counties have been
experiencing as well now.
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bianna, this will tell you just about everything you need to know. New York City is about a year and a half into
its own migrant crisis and yet it was just last week that it saw one of the largest tallies of recently arrived asylum seekers here in New York City --
some 3700 people. That is going to certainly be added to the nearly 63,000 people that are still in the care of New York City in their network of
shelters.
The reason why we continue to see these numbers, according to officials, are multiple factors. Obviously, we have a recent surge that continues to
be noticed along the southern border, but also some of those border municipalities, including the city of El Paso, which has seen many of these
crossings, has resumed its offer to bus some of these asylum seekers into interior cities like Denver -- you mentioned Chicago, and certainly New
York City.
But then lastly, another factor here that's at play is politics. Republican Governor Greg Abbott in the state of Texas has resumed, at least really
intensified would be the better word, those efforts to bus migrants. This is According to the city. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAMILLE JOSEPH VARLACK, CHIEF OF STAFF, NEW YORK MAYOR'S OFFICE: Last week, Texas Governor Abbott centralized the dispatch, command and control
functions of the deployment of buses through the Texas Division of Emergency Management, and he has significantly ramped up the number of
buses that are being sent, not just to New York City, but other cities, as well.
While before, we may have received a few hours' notice that buses were coming through back channels in different organizations, even including
information on the manifest numbers of how many people were going to be on those buses. This change means that we no longer get even a scanned heads
up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: New York Mayor Eric Adams, as you mentioned, currently in Mexico City. His next stop will actually be in South America, Ecuador, eventually
to Colombia, beyond some of his staffers have told me that they hope that he will at least get as close as possible to the infamous Darien Gap, which
is that treacherous stretch of jungle that many asylum seekers have to cross before making their way into Mexico and eventually into the United
States.
The whole goal of this, amid some criticism for the trip, the mayor says, is to try to tell some of these asylum seekers what expects them in New
York City -- crowded shelters and no guarantees.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Polo Sandoval, thank you so much.
ASHER: He's saying, please do not come. We are at capacity. And efforts to tackle the migrant flows are also expected to top the agenda at high level
U.S.-Mexico security talks beginning today. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the Homeland Security Chief, others, all of them discussing the
most urgent threats facing their countries, such as drug trafficking.
And just moments ago, we actually heard from the Mexican president. He said that constructing a new border wall is a regression that will not solve the
immigration problem. CNN's National Security Correspondent, Alex Marquardt is tracking this meeting. He joins us live now from Washington.
So, the fact that you've got Blinken, Mayorkas, and Garland in Mexico, it's rare to see so many people from the administration on this type of trip,
going on this type of trip together, but it makes sense when you think about what's happening at the U.S.-Mexico border, and also the fentanyl
crisis as well, because that's going to be a big part of the discussions.
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: It does, Zain. It makes sense on a number of different levels, of course, because this is
one of the U.S.' most important partners on a number of different issues.
It is the biggest economic trading partner for the United States, but there are also significant issues right now that both countries are dealing with
-- the surge in migration, the fentanyl crisis, guns going from the U.S. into Mexico.
And so, you have these top American officials meeting with their Mexican counterparts, as well as the Mexican President. And you noted that this
trip may be off to a rocky start with the President of Mexico saying that the news from the Biden administration today, that they would be building
new barriers along the southern border is irresponsible and a regression. Certainly, the surge of migration to the U.S. will be at the top of the
agenda.
[12:20:00]
It is something that the Biden administration has struggled to deal with. I want to play a little bit of what Secretary Blinken had to say yesterday
about that partnership with Mexico, why it's so important. This was in Texas as he was on his way to Mexico. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Mexico, of course, has to be and is our closest partner in this for obvious reasons. And here I have to say,
we probably have more cooperation with Mexico now than at any time since I've been doing this.
They too, very much want to get a grip on this because they're now the country that has the third largest number of asylum seekers in the world.
This is affecting them. This is hitting them. So, we're working to do that.
MARQUARDT: And the other issue that U.S. officials mentioned repeatedly when it comes to Mexico is the scourge of fentanyl coming across the
border. It is the biggest killer of American adults, 18 to 49 years old. So, migration, guns, fentanyl just among many issues that will be addressed
by the most senior members of both the Mexican and U.S. governments today. Zain, Bianna.
ASHER: All right. Alex Marquardt, live for us there. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Well, still to come on CNN, 2013 is expected, 2023 is expected to be the warmest year on record across the globe. A look at why climate
scientists are alarmed.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, scientists have been crystal clear about this. Extreme weather events are becoming much more frequent and much more intense as the
climate crisis accelerates.
GOLODRYGA: And to make matters worse, 2023 is now on track to be the warmest year on record. That's according to newly-released data by the
European Union's climate change service. The report says September was the fourth consecutive month this year to break temperature records. For more
on this, let's bring in CNN's Chief Climate Correspondent, Bill Weir in New York.
Bill, we seem to be setting all these records for all the wrong reasons. It goes without saying September was the hottest on record, too. What more do
we learn from this report?
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you just have to look at the anomaly, Bianna and Zain. It is so striking when you look at
September's going back to the very beginning of measurements in around 1940.
This is the European Space Agency Copernicus there. And for decades it was, September's were below average, cooler than average. But look at where we
are right now.
[12:25:00]
That hockey stick line on the right side there of your screen. That is September and it hasn't stopped. The first three days of October, according
to a historian, one of the most extreme climate events in European history.
It feels like July in the Northern Hemisphere and it is October. So, this is not unpredicted. Science has been warning of this for a very long time.
But the speed of these jumps is really striking right now.
ASHER: Yeah, you point out it's October. I mean, just today alone, it is expected to be 78 degrees in the afternoon in Manhattan. That is the first
week of October.
It is extraordinary. I do want to talk about an IAEA report, or IAEA report rather, that says that because there's been this explosion of cheap
renewables that there is some progress on the climate front. Bill, walk us through that.
WEIR: Yeah, there absolutely is. The International Energy Agency which long poo-pooed renewables over the years now says that the world economy's
humanity will peak in terms of planet cooking pollution sometime before 2030, maybe as early as 2025, just a couple years away, and then we'll have
bent that curve of too much pollution for the first time in a couple hundred years.
And if you look at adaptation of solar energy and of electric car sales and of residential heat pumps and of battery storage additions, you can see the
lines are all on a rocket ride because prices for these renewables have really come down so dramatically.
They're so much cheaper in the developing world. They can skip past coal and natural gas and go right to clean renewable energy right now. The
question is how much of the old fuel this is replacing.
We've yet to see Saudi Aramco or Exxon Mobil hold a press conference to talk about all of the, you know, deposits, oil and gas deposits that
they're leaving in the ground for the betterment of humanity. They're still the most profitable companies in the history of humanity right now.
So, I think the story of the rest of our lives is that tension. We're beyond the point, sort of the way, there was a certain point when we
weren't going back to horses when the automobile came along.
We're not going back to the internal combustion engine the way we used to depend on it. The question of how long it takes and how much damage is done
because ecosystems and people are dying of this heat right now.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and in the meantime, we continue to break record after record after record. A silver lining there, but bottom line is we do still
need to step up our game.
WEIR: It shows that we have it in our hands, Zain. It's all a matter of the technologies there.
GOLODRYGA: And how do we make it scalable?
WEIR: Exactly.
GOLODRYGA: Bill, we're always great to have you on. Thank you.
WEIR: You bet.
ASHER: All right. Time now for a quick break. When we come back, Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines on the constant fire from Russian forces. How
they're coping with a shortage of ammunition. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zayn Asher. This hour, U.S. President Joe Biden is being briefed on Ukraine by his national security team. We actually heard from
him just a short time ago, a few moments ago, he answered a question on the border wall. I want you to listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: On the border wall, the border wall. The money was appropriated for the border wall. I tried to get them to reappropriate it, to redirect that
money. They didn't. They wouldn't. And in the meantime, there's nothing under the law other than they have to use the money for what it is
appropriated. I can't stop that.
REPORTER: Do you believe the border wall works?
BIDEN: No.
UNKNOWN: Okay. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Interesting. He said what he said in the past and he doesn't believe a border wall works. But yet, as we've been reporting today, he's
continuing to build it. We'll continue to follow that top story for you, but we also want to recap something else we brought you.
A blast that Ukraine is calling one of the deadliest attacks on civilians since Russia's invasion more than 19 months ago.
ASHER: All right, Kyiv says that 51 people were killed in this blast. I mean, this is the aftermath here. You see just pretty much rubble and
destruction is what's left of a cafe. Six-year-old child was also killed. This is a Russian strike on a grocery store and a cafe in a village in the
eastern Kharkiv region.
A wake for a fallen soldier was happening at the time. A senior Ukrainian official says that preliminary indications show that a short-range
ballistic missile was used in this attack and he's describing the scale of destruction in the aftermath as extensive.
And the attack comes as Ukraine's president is issuing a stark warning at a meeting of European leaders in Spain today. Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that
if Ukraine fails, if Ukraine fails, the Baltic nations could be next. He added that Moscow would rebuild its military and then attack other
countries in the future if Europe wavered in its support for Kyiv.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and an emotional Zelenskyy also said that he's hoping for continued European and U.S. aid. Fears have been ignited by the Republican
political turmoil in Washington. The future of U.S. aid is in limbo right now after this week's ousting of the House Speaker and the hard-right
opposition to additional Ukraine funding. Listen to one Republican lawmaker.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM JORDAN, U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: At some point, we're going to have to deal with this appropriation process in the right way. We're going to try
to do that in the next, probably 41 days. The most pressing issue on Americans' minds is not Ukraine. It is the border situation and it is crime
on the streets.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: U.S. President Joe Biden said repeatedly that he's standing with Ukraine and that is vital for American interests.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: I'm going to make the argument that it's overwhelmingly in the interests of the United States of America that Ukraine succeed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Meantime, Ukrainian soldiers on the frontlines are anxious to get their hands on whatever weapons they can fight off the Russians with.
CNN's Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The artillery troops need to move fast. Russian drones might be in the air. Line up,
calibrate, fire. Three rockets, that's it, even though this Grad launcher would be more effective firing large salvos.
[12:35:00]
It's not very precise, the soldier named Alex says. It also depends on the weather and the range. It would be good to have more precise rockets or
guided ones. But the Ukrainians are running short on even these unguided Soviet era rockets. and ammo shortages are a problem across the battlefield
here in eastern Ukraine.
Soldiers from the 80th Airborne Assault Brigade have a quick snack, then get ready to fire their Western-donated howitzer. The American 105-
millimeter shells, a valuable but increasingly scarce commodity. The Ukrainians call this the sniper rifle of their artillery because it's so
accurate, but it also illustrates one of the big problems they have. They have plenty of barrels to fire from, but not enough ammunition to fire.
Battery Commander Miron (ph) telling me the lack of shells means his forces are badly outgunned here. It's hard to give precise numbers, he says, but I
think they fire 10 times for every round we fire. Sometimes it's one to 100.
The Russians are constantly taking aim at this area, though the Ukrainians say they're making gains pushing Vladimir Putin's army back, even using
combat helicopters close to the front line. Kyiv says it needs more ammo to sustain its offensives both here in the east and in the south. The U.S.
budget impasse could mean further delays. On top of that, NATO is warning its members are running dangerously low themselves.
ROB BAUER, NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE CHAIR: GERALD NEUMANN, NATO Spokesman, Ukraine National Security Council We started to give away from half-full or
lower warehouses in Europe. And therefore, the bottom of the barrel is now visible.
PLEITGEN: For the Ukrainian artillery troops, that means rationing will probably continue, all while trying to support their advancing soldiers on
the ground. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Eastern Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Time now for The Exchange. For more on this subject, joining us now is Mark Esper, former Defense Secretary under President Trump.
Secretary Esper, it's good to have you on the program. So, as we noted, the CR passed without $6 billion in funding for Ukraine.
The Pentagon has warned that there is no more money to train Ukrainian soldiers and just $1.6 billion left to replenish stocks of U.S. weapons.
Ammunition supply is running low around the world with U.S. and Western allies.
How concerned are you that this continued hold-up in Congress will deprive Ukraine of the weapons that they need right now, especially given that it
takes time to even procure these weapons?
MARK ESPER, FORMER U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Well, thank you, Bianna. I am concerned on a number of levels. You know, first of all, on the practical
matter. You cited some numbers.
There are other numbers that say that the United States has about $5.4 billion left to provide for Ukraine, which could get Ukraine through the
rest of the year. They're burning about $2.5 billion a month, and the United States provides about half of that or so.
So, that is in the process, in the pipeline, if you will. But I'm really concerned about the bigger issue. That's the political issue of dwindling
United States support, at least from the Republican party in the House of Representatives, with regard to funding Ukraine.
If you look at vote after vote over the last few months, you see that the number of Republicans opposing aid to Ukraine continues to increase. And
that's what troubles me more, because look, the United States is like the big block in the bottom of a Jenga tower.
And if you pull out our assistance, then I'm afraid Western support crumbles or at least collapses over time. And that can't happen because
Ukraine's success is important, very important to our own security. And that's really what concerns me.
ASHER: I mean, you bring up the House of Representatives. There's a possibility, I don't want to say a strong possibility, but a possibility
that someone like Jim Jordan could become the next Speaker of the House. He has come out openly today, yesterday, and said, listen, if I am the next
Speaker of the House, I do not support any more funding to Ukraine. Just walk us through what Vladimir Putin is thinking. If you're Vladimir Putin
watching the chaos unfold in the House of Representatives and the dwindling support for Ukraine, also knowing that Europe cannot fill the shortfall or
the gap left by the United States -- if you're Vladimir Putin, you're sitting there and you're thinking what?
ESPER: If I'm Vladimir Putin sitting in Moscow right now, I'm thinking life looks a lot better than it did a few months ago when Prigozhin was
sending troops north of Moscow. I mean, just in the last few days alone, the United States passed a continuing resolution, which doesn't do much for
United States military or Ukraine, because there's no funding for Ukraine. We almost faced a government shutdown. That will happen in a few more weeks
now, mid-November.
We see that we had a pro-Russian prime minister come to power in Slovakia. We have a grain dispute between Poland and Ukraine. We have Serbia, a
country sympathetic to Russia, massing troops on the Kosovo border where NATO exists.
From his perspective, Putin's perspective, it looks like the West is fracturing. And that's exactly what he wants. That's why he has a
disinformation campaign, and he's poking at the seams constantly. And now, we face in the House, it's like the West is fracturing.
[12:40:00]
And that's exactly what he wants. That's why he has a disinformation campaign, and he's poking at the seams constantly. And now we face in the
House of Representatives a pick for a new Speaker. Jim Jordan is one, you're correct. He has said that he does not support Ukraine funding.
But we have Steve Scalise, the other one, who I think is a stronger candidate who is supportive of continued Ukraine funding. So, I think what
happens in the next few weeks is very, very important to where this goes in the long run.
And look, I have to pause for a moment, too, and not -- I don't want to make this sound partisan but the President of the United States has to
continue to do his part by getting out there frequently, often.
And talking about why this is so important to the American people, to the United States, that we support Ukraine, because at the end of the day, all
these lawmakers are responding to their own constituents. So, we need to continue to make the case at the national level as to why supporting
Ukraine is important to the United States of America.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up and what more President Biden can do because we've spent a lot of time and rightly so focusing on
dwindling support among some factions within the Republican Party.
But if you look nationwide, even a recent CNN poll shows that the majority of Americans do not support continued aid to Ukraine. As President Biden is
about to make a speech to the American public on this issue, what specifically does he need to say to make that point more effective?
ESPER: Look, I think you see American support going back and forth in the polls, and much of it has to -- depends on what how Ukraine is doing, as
well. So, we can talk about that also.
But look, I can't recall the last time President Biden has spoken to the American people about this topic. And so, when he does so, again, he needs
to do so more frequently. He needs to talk first and foremost about what the end state is. What are we trying to achieve? What's the timeline?
All we keep hearing is we'll stand by you as long as possible. But I think the American people are looking for more. They deserve more to understand
what this commitment is and really why it is important to the United States of America, as well, not just what the end state looks like. So, I think
those are two or three of the things that he must hit and do so frequently.
ASHER: I just want to quickly touch on, before I let you go, just what's happening at the U.S. southern border. I mean, you have got Blinken
traveling to Mexico. There is a crisis right now at the southern border. In addition to building a war, which obviously President Biden has now begun
to construct, President Trump, former President Trump, talked about this idea of using military force against drug cartels in Mexico -- Mexico, a
sovereign country.
That is the idea that Donald Trump had embraced and a lot of GOP hopefuls in terms of people throwing their hand into the ring to become president
are also embracing that idea, as well. What do you make of that?
ESPER: Let me say a few things at first. You know, my view has always been the border security is national security. Both parties share that view, by
the way, and the importance of having a fence or a barrier on the border for years. This divide is only a recent one coming over the last five, six,
seven years because I worked in Congress for, for a period of time.
And so, it's interesting to see President Biden reversing core person now wanting to build more wall. And I think a lot of it is politics, but it
also in some ways, helps address concerns of Republicans on Capitol Hill who seem to be making a false distinction between border security and
support for Ukraine.
Now, set that aside. Look, I -- President Trump mentioned that issue of attacking the cartels with missiles to me privately. I talk about it in my
memoir. I push back on it. I thought it clearly is an act of war. I didn't think it would solve the problem in the long term. And we need to work,
rather, with our neighbor, Mexico, to the south.
And I have often cited a plan that I knew fairly well, which was Plan Colombia in the early 2000s, where we worked with the Colombian government
and others with DOD supporting an effort led by State Department and the DEA to curtail the flow of drugs coming in.
In my view, that's the way they approach it because if you really militarize the situation and take actions without Mexico's cooperation, it
just bleeds into so many other issues we have with Mexico, not least of which is the immigration, the illegal immigration problem on the southern
border.
So, I think it takes really careful diplomacy. You got to focus on it. And you got to -- you need to take a whole-of-government approach, working with
our partners to the south. I'm glad to see Blinken and Mayorkas and Merrick Garland down there this week to do just that.
ASHER: Yeah.
GOLODRYGA: It comes as both countries, incidentally, are facing presidential elections of their own next year, the U.S. and Mexico, that
is. Secretary Mark Esper, always great to have you on the show. Please come back. Be a friend of the show. We'd love to have you.
ASHER: Please.
ESPER: Thank you.
ASHER: Thank you.
ESPER: Will do.
GOLODRYGA: We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Iran's so-called morality police have been accused of assaulting a teenage girl for not wearing a headscarf at a Tehran metro
station. She's now in hospital. The circumstances surrounding her injuries are extremely murky.
ASHER: All right. This comes a little more than a year after Mahsa Amini died in Iranian custody after being arrested for allegedly wearing her
hijab improperly. Her death sparked nationwide protests that lasted many, many months.
For more on this, let's bring in CNN's Jomana Karadsheh. So, Jomana, just walk us through. what actually happened here. You know, I was watching the
video earlier today and it just seems -- it's bizarre because you can't actually see what happens on the train. You sort of see her being carried
out of the train, just sort of not being able to move. What more do we know at this point?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And that's exactly it, Zain. People want to see what actually happened inside the train, more of what happened
inside the metro station rather than these edited videos that have come out through Iranian state media.
As you mentioned, details are very murky. We don't really know what actually happened. We haven't been able to independently verify the details
of this incident. What we do know is the 16-year-old, Armita Geravand -- she was hospitalized on Sunday.
She is in a coma. And what you have is two narratives. You've got the activist groups, opposition groups, human rights groups in Iran who are
saying from Iran, who are saying that she was assaulted by the morality police or the enforcers of the mandatory hijab in that metro station in
Tehran for not wearing the hijab and that she was admitted into hospital according to one of these groups with head trauma.
And on the other side, you've got the government that appears to be pushing this narrative that her blood pressure dropped and she fell, hit her head
and that's how she ended up in a coma and in hospital. And they seem to be really trying to push this hard.
We have seen over the past hours or so, these interviews being released, including with her parents coming out on state TV saying that they believe,
they've been told that this is what happened, that her blood pressure dropped, that they hadn't seen an altercation. We also saw state media
releasing interviews, they say, with friends of Armita who were there, that there was no assault, no physical assault there.
But people are finding this very hard to believe. There's a lot of skepticism, Zain, and it's understandable when you look at the history of
the regime, especially over the past year, as well. You know, they've been accused in the past of really putting pressure on families, on parents, of
protesters who were killed to come out and make these -- sort of statements under pressure.
We don't really know what the conditions were under which her parents gave this interview, but there's a lot of questions that remain unanswered. And
when you consider the history of the regime, you can understand why so many people are asking questions and they still don't really know or believe the
government's narrative about what happened.
ASHER: All right, a lot of people taking what the Iranian authorities are saying with a grain of salt. Jomana Karadsheh, live for us, thank you.
[12:50:00]
All right, still to come here on ONE WORLD. CNN takes you inside a top medical manufacturer for an exclusive look as it struggles to meet high
demands of a popular drug used for weight loss.
GOLODRYGA: And join me in the next hour on Amanpour for a first look at CNN's exclusive interview with Hillary Clinton.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Right now, to a CNN exclusive. CNN is getting an inside look at drug manufacturer Eli Lilly as it ramps up production of Mounjaro, the
popular diabetes drug being used for weight loss. The drugs are some of the most in-demand medicines in the world.
As the company grapples with a severe shortage and also skyrocketing demand, there are also growing concerns about the drug's safety. Knock-off
versions of the medicine are being sold at spas and wellness clinics on the cheap. CNN's Meg Tirrell reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNKNOWN: Wegovy helped us lose weight.
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: They're some of the most in demand medicines in the world. Wegovy, FDA approved for weight loss. Diabetes
drugs Ozempic and Mounjaro being used off-label also for weight loss.
UNKNOWN: People taking Mounjaro lost up to 25 pounds.
TIRRELL: In the final three months of last year, there were an estimated nine million prescriptions for drugs like these, a 300 percent increase
since 2020. Without insurance, a one-month supply of one of these drugs can cost more than $1000.
All three are on the FDA's list of drugs in short supply. And by the end of the year, Mounjaro's manufacturer, Eli Lilly, expects FDA approval to treat
obesity and potentially millions more people seeking it out.
UNKNOWN: I feel a strong responsibility that we have to scale these as fast as we can.
TIRRELL: We got exclusive access to this Mounjaro manufacturing plant in Durham, North Carolina, where the company is ramping up supply. In this
room, plant manager Dan VonDielingen shows us how it takes only milliseconds to fill the drug into syringes.
TIRRELL: How many can this do within an hour?
DAN VONDIELINGEN, MOUNJARO PLANT MANAGER: This line -- this is a high- speed filling machine. So, on an annual basis, this will fill millions of syringes.
TIRRELL: They're running this factory 24 seven, tracking every step of the operation along the way.
VONDIELINGEN: You're able to see again, every batch as it flows through the facility.
TIRRELL: Is it common for manufacturing sites to run 24-7?
VONDIELINGEN: It is for us.
[12:55:00]
The demand is very high and we're doing everything that we can to stand up and supply.
TIRRELL: Eli Lilly is pouring $4 billion into this plant and another one it is building just two hours southwest in an effort to double output by
the end of the year.
EDGARDO HERNANDEZ, EVP AND PRESIDENT OF MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS, ELE LILLY: It's a massive scale of what we're trying to do. I don't think we
have never done this as a company and I think probably nobody else in the industry has scaled this as fast as we are trying to scale.
TIRRELL: Can you move any faster than you're already going?
HERNANDEZ: We're going as fast as we can but we have to follow certain controls to make sure that the final product meets our safety and quality
expectations.
TIRRELL: In recent weeks, Lilly and one of its competitors, Novo Nordisk, have both filed lawsuits against med spas, clinics, and compounding
pharmacies for allegedly selling unapproved, unsafe versions of their drugs. Both were also recently sued over claims that their drugs can make
the stomach empty food too slowly, resulting in abdominal pain and severe vomiting. In response, they say they closely monitor the drugs for safety.
Back on the Mounjaro line, VonDielingen says the team knows the importance of bringing the shortage to an end.
VONDIELINGEN: It's truly a privilege to be able to make medicine -- medicine that's life-changing for our patients.
TIRRELL: As the demand for weight loss drugs shows no signs of slowing down. Meg Tirrell, CNN, Durham, North Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, thank you so much for watching ONE WORLD. "AMANPOUR" is up next with my good friend, Bianna Golodryga. I will see you tomorrow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
