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One World with Zain Asher
Desperate Efforts Underway In Haiti To Evacuate Hundreds Of Trapped Americans; U.S. A.G Announces An Antitrust Lawsuit Against Tech Giant Apple; Apple Stock Down Nearly Four Percent, Dow Way Up; Donald Trump Faces A Monday Deadline To Post A $464 Million Dollar Bond From His New York Civil Fraud Case; Japanese Superstar Shohei Ohtani's Interpreter Fired By The Dodgers. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired March 21, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:00]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, desperate escape Americans embark on the long and certainly very hazardous journeys out of Haiti.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: ONE WORLD starts right now.
ASHER: Stranded in Haiti this hour, we'll speak with parents whose children are literally hiding under their beds to take cover from the gang
violence, their plea to bring them to safety.
GOLODRYGA: Also ahead, the clock is ticking. Donald Trump has just days to come up with $464 million for his bond. Sources tell us that he's in panic
mode.
ASHER: And right now, take a look here. All eyes on the Dow. At any moment, the stock market history could be made. The Dow could actually
surpass. It is very close, but it could actually surpass 40,000.
GOLODRYGA: Also, a huge lawsuit against Apple could stop the numbers in their tracks.
ASHER: All right, coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You are watching ONE WORLD. It is a race against time in Haiti, where desperate efforts are underway to
evacuate hundreds of Americans trapped amid the escalating violence there. The U.S. State Department says two more chartered helicopter flights from
Haiti are expected Thursday, two left from Port-au-Prince Wednesday, and the evacuees were taken to neighboring Dominican Republic.
ASHER: Yeah, Florida is actually organizing its own rescue flights. Governor Ron DeSantis says that 14 people, including families and children,
arrived in the Orlando area on Wednesday. But the state's emergency management director says that getting passengers to safely board the planes
in the gang-torn capital is certainly a complicated process as the situation on the ground remains very dangerous.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN GUTHRIE, FLORIDA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR: Our helicopter got surrounded today at the airport. So, after we after we dumped everybody off
and got them into the other plane, they tried to surround the helicopter. The helicopter had to take off in a manner that was just, you know, I don't
want to say unsafe, but again, the tower told him he may not be able to land there again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Florida has said it hopes to repatriate hundreds of American citizens from the island nation, but they certainly cannot do it alone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUTHRIE: We've got nearly 400, the number specifically 378 Floridians, 554 U.S. citizens that are trying to get back to the United States. We are
ready to meet that void and get them here. We just really need some help from the Dominican Republic. We really need some help from our State
Department, Diplomatic Affairs and so on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Our CNN's Jennifer Hansler has the latest from the State Department. So, Jennifer, just -- just walk us through just how much of a
complicated process this actually is. You've got Florida organizing its own chartered flights. You've got the U.S. government organizing their
chartered flights. Obviously, the main airport in Port-au-Prince is completely sort of overrun by gangs. Some flights are ending up leaving out
of Cap-Haitien. Just walk us through how difficult this is to coordinate.
JENNIFER HANSLER, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Well, Zain, it's an extremely complicated process. It starts at least on the State Department
end with U.S. citizens being able to register their interest in leaving the country through an online form. And they can know whether they just want
information at this point or if they are actively seeking assistance to leave.
Those who are actively seeking assistance to leave can then receive instructions from the State Department on where they should meet if there
are chartered flights available. And as we saw, there were two helicopter flights yesterday, two are expected today, and one chartered flight from
Cap-Haitien to Miami took off on Sunday.
So, they will meet either at that Cap-Haitien airport or in a specific spot to get on those helicopter flights, which will then take them from Port-au-
Prince to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic just next door. From there, State Department officials will meet them and help them register,
get acclimated there, and then they will be responsible for finding their own way back to the United States.
I should also note that Americans who are taking advantage of these U.S. chartered methods of getting out of Haiti are responsible for paying for
it. Under U.S. law, they are obligated to pay for those flights. Now, we've also seen others like Governor DeSantis in Florida, like Representative
Cory Mills and groups like Project Dynamo undertaking their own efforts to get Americans out of Haiti during this incredibly critical time, this very
dangerous time. But the State Department has welcomed, you know, any efforts to get Americans out of the country.
[12:05:00]
But I want to read to you what Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said about these private efforts. He said, we closely coordinate with Congress on a
number of issues. And I will note that operations like these that are done deviating from formal State Department operations can be high risk. So,
they are saying, be careful if you are undertaking these private efforts. Zain, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, this is impacting hundreds of Americans. Later on this hour, we'll speak with a couple who is in the process of adopting two
Haitian brothers who are now currently stuck in this crisis there. Jennifer Hansler, thank you.
ASHER: All right. That was the sound or those were the sounds rather that key residents awoke to early in the hours of Thursday morning, sending
thousands of people to seek shelter in the city's underground metro. Military officials say that Russia launched its largest missile attack on
Ukraine's capital in weeks, just hours after a top American official visited the city. They add that about three dozen missiles were shot down
and debris damaged several of the city's buildings.
GOLODRYGA: And you can see the moment of impact on this flower shop. The main window was blown out, sending shards of glass into the air. The store
owner tells CNN that this is the second time her shop has suffered an attack. Also taking on damage, this apartment building where a fire broke
out on one of the floors. A large crater was discovered just meters away.
ASHER: All right, loudspeakers are blaring at Gaza's largest hospital, warning the people who are trapped inside that they would be shot if they
tried to leave.
GOLODRYGA: This is Israel's raid on the complex stretches into its fourth day now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Israel says it's continuing its precise operation at Al-Shifa and has eliminated more than one hundred and forty of what it calls
terrorists.
Gaza's civil defense describes the area as a battlefield and says Palestinians inside the complex are speaking about detentions,
interrogations and killings.
ASHER: Yeah, all of this happening as America's top diplomat is back in the Middle East. The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will actually
head to Israel specifically on Friday to discuss a potential ceasefire in Gaza and the release of more Israeli hostages who are being held there.
GOLODRYGA: He is now in Cairo where he met with Egyptian president and other officials. Blinken did sound optimistic, but one diplomat tells CNN
that although talks are progressing positively, a lot of differences still remain.
ASHER: Yeah, meantime, the Republican speaker of the House says that he will invite the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to address
Congress.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, this comes a day after Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Senate Republicans in a video conference. Listen to what Speaker Mike
Johnson told CNBC a short while ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE JOHNSON, U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: I would love to have him come in and address a joint session of Congress. We'll certainly extend that
invitation. He invited me and I've been invited to speak at the Knesset there. I would think I would be the third U.S. Speaker in history to do
that. It'd be a great honor of mine. We're just trying to work out schedules on all this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: You may recall that Republicans stirred a lot of controversy in 2015 by inviting Mr. Netanyahu to address Congress. The Israeli Prime
Minister railed against then President Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran, angering Democratic lawmakers.
GOLODRYGA: Meanwhile, Prime Minister Netanyahu says a ground operation into the city of Rafah would proceed and an evacuation plan for civilians
would be approved soon. Our next guest says this has this about Prime Minister's plan. Alon Pinkas says, quote, "Netanyahu is a lying coward. He
doesn't want to invade Rafah, but wants Biden to be the one stopping it."
Alon Pinkas is a former Israeli Consul General in New York, and he joins us live from Tel Aviv. Alon, always great to have you on. Everything I've read
and people I've spoken with seem to back up your assessment and view this as just political grandstanding domestically for Prime Minister Netanyahu.
And that can be just relayed, given the people, the team that he's sending to the U.S., including Ron Dermer, who's never -- I don't believe he's even
served in the IDF, along with the National Security Advisor.
So, if this is just what you described, sort of a mirage for Netanyahu to use politically, is President Biden playing into his hand unintentionally
here by continuing to stress on Rafah itself, as opposed to the other crisis on the ground there? And that is a humanitarian crisis and trying to
get more aid into Gaza.
ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL: Well, you summed it up beautifully, both your questions and basically my answers. So, I don't know
what I can add to that, but let me try. I wish it was just grandstanding because it looks more like deceit and manipulation, trying to set up Biden
as the fall guy, trying to expand what has happened from October 7th to this regional conflict in a Palestinian state that he heroically is
standing up against.
[12:10:00]
And he's, you know, he's like the Republican senator from West Jerusalem. He's speaking to his brethren, the Senate Republicans, again, driving a
deeper wedge that already exists between Democrats and Republicans and in Israel's status as a bipartisan issue, which is now a matter of history. It
no longer exists.
Now, the second part of what you said, of what you asked, pertains to, you know, an operation in Gaza. Look, an operation in Gaza can be defined as an
invasion, as a surgical incursion, as limited concentrated intelligence driven points. So, not everything that may happen in Rafah -- I'm sorry, I
said Gaza. In Rafah, in the southern tip of the Gaza, not everything would constitute an invasion.
The third and more important thing is, you asked the most important, I think, raised the most important issue, and that is, is Biden playing into
that? I wish he wouldn't. I think that he has allowed Mr. Netanyahu to manipulate and con his way for too long. Mr. Netanyahu has valid and
legitimate claims. He could have settled it with Mr. Biden had he behaved or his demeanor been more discreet, more honest, more forthright. He chose
-- he chose, I'm sorry, a public confrontation. And in fact, he's been setting that up since November.
ASHER: Yeah, Alon, just in terms of what is happening politically between the U.S. and Israel, I mean, obviously, you know, as we've talked about,
you've got Netanyahu addressing Senate Republicans. You've got Chuck Schumer saying that Netanyahu has lost his way and that he's an obstacle to
peace.
You've got former President Trump saying that Jewish Democrats essentially hate Israel and hate their religion. What are the risks here, just in terms
of Israel becoming a much more partisan issue in this country? What are the ramifications of -- what are the ramifications of that, though?
PINKAS: Huge ramifications, because Israel for decades has been worked, has been working, I'm sorry, tirelessly to make itself a bipartisan issue.
Now, bipartisan doesn't mean that the sources of support for Israel are identical. A Democrat supports Israel for reasons one, two, and three. A
Republican, certainly an evangelical Republican, supports Israel for quite a different set of reasons. What bipartisan meant was that Israel will do
everything in its power not to become a wedge issue, not to become a hyper- partisan issue.
What it has been doing since 2015, and you made that remark earlier, since Mr. Netanyahu's speech in Congress behind the President's back, Barack
Obama, and Vice President at the time, one Joseph Biden, what Mr. Netanyahu has deliberately done is turn Israel into a partisan issue.
Now, that affects everything that Israel does. You know, Republicans may be pro one day, they will be anti on a different day, and the same applies to
Democrats.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, I don't know why there are some in Netanyahu's coalition that are betting on Trump coming back and treating Israel the same way he
treated Israel his first term in office. He is very mercurial, and many note that he can turn on Israel on a diamond. And obviously his relations
with Netanyahu have only soured since Netanyahu acknowledged that President Biden was a legitimate President of the United States.
PINKAS: Yeah.
GOLODRYGA: Alon, you have said that Israel is on the fence, on bordering really, of being a pariah state, but it can be reversed if Netanyahu and
this government changes.
PINKAS: Yeah.
GOLODRYGA: And so that leads me to my next question. If he's so unpopular at home, if the stakes are so high, what ultimately will lead to new
elections being called in Israel? Is it when we see this deal come into fruition?
PINKAS: Yeah.
GOLODRYGA: Is it when we see hostages returned home?
PINKAS: Well, the deal is a prerequisite because the deal, the hostage deal that you're referring to, obviously is accompanied by a 45 day
ceasefire. During that ceasefire, there's no Operation Amalfi. It's inconsistent with the ceasefire. And when that begins, there will be mass
demonstrations.
Now, these demonstrations from a huge portion of the Israeli public will only happen if the coalition changes in terms of Mr. Gantz and Mr.
Eisenkot, two former IDF chiefs of staff who have joined the war cabinet, not the government per se.
[12:15:00]
Once they leave, there is legitimacy for these demonstrations to begin. Mr. Netanyahu, naturally, is averse to calling for an election because his
position and current position in the polls is abysmal. So, he's trying to extend that. The way to extend that, unfortunately, is to extend the war
and to prolong the war. And what we're seeing now is a very, very toxic and malignant status quo.
ASHER: All right, Alon Pinkas, always good to have you. Thank you so much. We appreciate it.
GOLODRYGA: Thanks a lot.
PINKAS: Thank you both.
ASHER: All right. Last hour, the U.S. Attorney General announced an antitrust lawsuit against tech giant Apple. The lawsuit comes after years
of allegations that Apple has actually restricted competition through its app store.
GOLODRYGA: Mayor Garland blasted the company for noncompetitive practices. We allege that Apple has consolidated its monopoly power not by making its
own products better, but by making other products worse.
Monopolies like Apple's threaten the free and fair markets upon which our economy is based. They stifle innovation. They hurt producers and workers
and they increase costs for consumers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right, Apple stock is down nearly four percent on that news but the Dow is way up. I am actually excited about that.
GOLODRYGA: Literally, it is still a big number.
ASHER: Let's bring in Rahel Solomon to talk more about this. So, Rahel, it wasn't so long ago, right, that the people were worried about a recession
in this country just a couple of years ago. People were worried about a recession in this country. We were just coming out of the pandemic. The Dow
had dipped below 20,000.
Now it's 40,000. Obviously, it is symbolic, but it's still a big deal. We are getting these milestones sooner and sooner. We're reaching them faster
and faster.
RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, the party just continues. Good to be with you, ladies. And Zain, you're dressed in green, the color
of money.
GOLODRYGA: It's all planned.
SOLOMON: Yes, but yes, as you said, the records just keep on coming. Yesterday, we saw the three major averages hit new highs. And today, at
least for the Dow, we are on record watch yet again, sort of to see if it hits and crosses that 40,000 threshold. It's not far off, about 150 points
as shares are up about eight tenths of a percent for the index.
A few things that are at sort of play here. So, yesterday, of course, we heard from Fed Chairman Jay Powell at the conclusion of their two day March
meeting. And while he said that they were not cutting rates, he did the next best thing. He said, we're not cutting rates this meeting, but stand
by, stick by, because we still expect three rate cuts this year, sort of reiterating its rate outlook for this year.
So, investors love that because there had been this sense, Zain and Bianna, we had gotten two inflation reports this year that were hotter than
expected. We got two job reports that were hotter than expected. And so there was a fear. You started to see banks revising their forecast for rate
cuts.
You started to see banks sort of say, well, maybe we won't get any rate cuts this year. And essentially, what the Fed did yesterday is said, look,
we see the reports, but we still think we're going to be able to sort of get the three rate cuts this year. At least that's what they're signaling.
And not just that, they also signaled in their forecast, their summary of economic projections is what it's called, that they expect a rosier 2024 in
terms of unemployment. The unemployment rate was ticked down slightly in terms of their projections for this year. GDP was ticked up, so they're
expecting a stronger U.S. economic growth for 2024 and inflation as well.
And so, you still have those rate cuts. You put it all together and it's -- it's a party that the investors clearly like. They sort of -- it seems like
they are soon going to tackle this inflation problem, but also give us the rate cuts. Now, one thing I should point out is the Dow would be over
40,000 if not for Apple because of that antitrust lawsuit that you guys had mentioned.
There are a few stocks that are weighing the Dow, but nothing like the Apple stock, which is off about three point five percent on the back of
this news from the DOJ. So, the records keep coming. The Dow looks to be on set to hit another record today. And Zain, as I said, you manifested it
wearing the green today.
ASHER: I called it in. I called it in.
GOLODRYGA: Listen, my -- my enthusiasm is just a little more subdued, but it is there, Rahel.
SOLOMON: It's there, I know.
GOLODRYGA: And like you -- the stock market -- you know, it's important to relay to viewers that there is sort of, you know, a separation between the
Dow --
ASHER: Yes, and Main Street.
GOLODRYGA: -- and the overall economy.
ASHER: Right, right. That is important.
GOLODRYGA: Nonetheless, this is something that this administration, I would imagine, would tout and highlight, as well.
ASHER: Yeah. And it is important to know that people are not necessarily feeling, you know, the dramatic sort of economic expansion we're seeing. It
doesn't trickle down to Main Street, but --
SOLOMON: No, it's a great point, ladies. Wall Street and Main Street don't necessarily always align. About two thirds of Americans are invested in the
stock market, usually by their 401 K's. But you're right. There is still that inflation problems. People still feel that.
[12:20:00]
But if you were looking at your 401 K today, you're probably feeling pretty good, at least about this.
ASHER: Okay.
GOLODRYGA: But overall, the U.S. economy is faring far better than every other, you know, Western market in the world.
SOLOMON: Yeah.
GOLODRYGA: Rahel Solomon, thank you for joining us in the celebratory party today --
SOLOMON: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: -- on the verge of 40,000.
ASHER: All right. Still to come, Donald Trump is facing a Monday deadline to write a really, really, really big check. According to sources, he says
he just doesn't have that kind of money.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. Donald Trump is set to be in panic mode that his image, of course, as a very successful business person could actually be severely
damaged.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, he's facing a Monday deadline to post a $464 million dollar bond from his New York civil fraud case. Lawyers for the former
president and the New York attorney general's office have been volleying court filings back and forth at each other in recent days as the deadline
soon approaches.
ASHER: Yeah. If Trump fails to pay on time, the state could begin to seize his assets, including properties like the Trump Tower. An investigative
journalist who has followed Trump for years came up with a list of properties that if sold quickly could actually be used to pay the nearly
half billion dollar fine.
CNN's Katelyn Polantz is tracking this story for us. So, at this point, without an underwriter, what are the options for Donald Trump just in terms
of selling assets at fire sale prices, perhaps reducing the amount or getting the amount reduced to a hundred million, which is said to be a bit
more palatable for him, or even declaring bankruptcy, which I know that he's loathe to do?
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Those are some of the options. He has a lot of options. But at the end of the day, he's
either going to have to allow the New York attorney general, that state, to seize his assets, his real estate, his cash, freeze bank accounts, things
like that, so that they can collect on the judgment.
He doesn't want to do that. He would much rather appeal in the hopes of, in his words, overturn this judgment where he has lost this lawsuit. To do
that, though, he has to either tell the court or provide the court the money or get a bond, somebody to underwrite him so that he can assure the
court that he has that money in case he loses the appeal.
So, it's $464 million that he has been looking for to either post to the court so he can appeal or to have underwritten through an insurance
company. And he's not been successful. They've gone to the court. We're now waiting for the appeals court in New York to weigh in if they are going to
allow him some sort of leniency or some sort of out so he can continue his appeals without having to muster nearly a half billion dollars or more in
cash so that he can continue to appeal.
[12:25:00]
Trump just went on Truth Social just a few moments ago and wrote in all caps that this is going to be very expensive if he does pursue the appeal
because he would have to put up that money. Now he finds that to be very unfair. He does indicate he wants to appeal. He also indicates he doesn't
want to have to sell real estate properties so that he could get that money.
But that would be an option, as well. All of it is going to come down to what the Appeals Court says and then what happens by Monday when that
deadline comes into play, the judgment lands on the books and the attorney general's office decides what to do next.
ASHER: The last thing Trump wants at this point is for his bank accounts to be frozen, for his assets, his properties in New York to be seized. It
does certainly go against his reputation.
GOLODRYGA: Though it helps him politically, maybe.
ASHER: But it goes against the reputation that he's built over the past several decades of a really astute businessman. Katelyn Polantz, live for
us there. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Still ahead for us, evacuations from Haiti are underway as gang violence intensifies. Find out why Kenya's plan to help restore order in
Haiti is now on hold.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:30:00]
ASHER: All right, welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianca Golodryga. We want to dig deeper now on our top story. And that is the growing crisis on the streets of Haiti. Efforts have
ramped up to rescue those trapped amid the violence and neighboring Dominican Republic says that it helped evacuate nearly 300 people from the
country's gang-torn capital Wednesday. That includes personnel from the E.U, financial institutions, as well as the Canadian and Cuban embassies.
ASHER: All this as a deal signed weeks ago to reestablish order in Port- au-Prince is now on hold. It would have involved the deployment of a large police force from Kenya.
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Larry Madowo is now live for us in Nairobi, Kenya. So, what is the holdup, Larry?
LARRY MADOWO,CNN CORRESPONDENT: The holdup is that Kenya is waiting for a new administration in Haiti, Bianna, because according to President Ruto,
Kenya will not abandon Haiti in its time of need and it will remain involved in the situation.
That's according to recent calls that President Ruto has had with the Canadian Prime Minister, with the Bahamian leader, as well as Ariel Henry,
the former prime minister of Haiti, who was here at the beginning of the month to sign this reciprocal arrangement. That was a necessary legal
instrument required by Kenyan law to send Kenyan police to any other foreign country.
But he never made it back to Haiti because he resigned after the gangs took over Port-au-Prince and the airport. And so, all of those kind of cascaded
out of this development in Kenya. And there's still a lot of pushback here at home to this decision to send police there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MADOWO (voice-over): Kenyan President William Ruto marching ahead with a plan to send 1000 police officers to Haiti, despite strong opposition to
the deployment at home. Elite units of the Kenya police are expected to lead the U.N.-backed multinational force to crush Haiti's gangs and restore
order once a viable government is in place. Opposition lawmakers like Edwin Sifuna tried to block it.
EDWIN SIFUNA, NAIROBI SENATOR: Our police officers are going to harm's way in Haiti. This is not a situation that our regular police officers are used
to. They've never encountered something like that. Their training does not extend to, you know, operations in fields of war.
MADOWO (voice-over): Kenyan police have been involved in peacekeeping missions for the past 35 years, including in Cambodia, the former
Yugoslavia, Kosovo, Croatia, East Timor and Sierra Leone. Kenya currently has police serving in Somalia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of
Congo, according to a parliamentary report.
CHARLES OWINO, FORMER KENYA POLICE SPOKESMAN: In all those missions, Kenya has not lost a single police officer on any combat.
MADOWO (voice-over): They're ready for Haiti, this senior policeman believes.
OWINO: Kenya has well-trained paramilitary officers from the general service unit. They have well-trained officers from administration police,
special operations group. These are officers who have both local and international training. Some of the best institutions in Israel, in U.S.
MADOWO (voice-over): Haiti would be the most challenging deployment yet for Kenyan police, with criminal gangs and militias controlling the capital
Port-au-Prince and holding the nation hostage.
WILLIAM RUTO, KENYAN PRESIDENT: It is a historic duty because peace in Haiti is good for peace in the world as a whole.
MADOWO (voice-over): President Ruto should push for a well-armed military contingent to take over, says this security analyst.
FRANCIS MAINA, SECURITY ANALYST: Our police officers cannot and can never be able to contain the threat of the criminality in Haiti. You need to send
thousands of military personnel to come and disarm.
UNKNOWN: Honorable members --
MADOWO (voice-over): The Kenyan parliament approved the planned police deployment to Haiti after acrimonious debate in November.
SARAH KORERE PAULATA, RULING PARTY MP: When Haiti is not safe, we are not safe.
OPIYO WANDAYI, OPPOSITION MP: You cannot use our policewomen and men as guinea pigs at the altar of rent-seeking.
MADOWO (voice-over): Civil society and opposition groups here in Kenya maintain that President Ruto's plan to send 1000 police officers to Haiti
remains illegal and unconstitutional, even after his government signed a reciprocal arrangement with the former prime minister of Haiti. The
unelected Ariel Henry witnessed the signing of the legal requirement in Nairobi, but he never made it back to Haiti and resigned a few days later.
SIFUNA: That agreement does not hold any water because you signed an agreement with an entity that does not have the mandate to call itself a
government. Some of us think that it is because of the monetary incentive.
MADOWO: So, you think President Ruto is doing this for the money?
SIFUNA: Absolutely.
MADOWO (voice-over): Kenya says the police are in the pre-deployment phase as it awaits a new Haitian administration.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MADOWO (on-camera): If it goes ahead, one former opposition politician here has told us he will go back to court and he thinks that he will
convince a judge to block this deployment one more time. But you heard about the money there.
[12:35:00]
The U.S. is expected to contribute $300 million to that multinational security support mission led by Kenya, and that's why some in the
opposition and the civil society believe that Kenya is doing this for the money.
But there's been also criticism from here in the country, from Africa, and across the black diaspora. Those who call this an occupation, and they feel
this goes back to the Haitian revolution that ended in the 1800s that led to Haiti becoming the first independent black nation, and they think it's
ironic that another African nation is going to, quote, "occupy Haiti". And they think Kenya has no business doing that, especially because there's
been other foreign interventions that have failed in Haiti from the U.S. and Canada and other countries in the region.
ASHER: All right, Larry Madowo, live for us there. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Well, as we mentioned at the top of the show, Florida's governor and his team have been working to evacuate Americans from Haiti as
gang violence escalates. Yeah, one evacuee told the media that he is so grateful to be back in the U.S. and also spoke about some of the challenges
that he faced in Haiti. Take a listen.
GOLODRYGA: All right. While that evacuee is thankful, and we'll work on that audio there for you, while he is thankful to be back in the U.S.,
there is an Indiana couple that isn't as fortunate right now. Missy and John Tennant adopted these two boys from Haiti last year but are still
waiting for them to join their family. The ongoing unrest and gang violence inside Haiti has forced the boys to remain at their orphanage until they're
able to safely travel.
ASHER: Time now for The Exchange. Missy and John Tennant, the Indian couple that we just told you about, join us live now. Missy and John, thank
you so much for being with us. I mean, it is unbelievable to see some of the images that are unfolding out of Port-au-Prince right now.
When you think about just the level, the scary and frightening level of gang violence happening in that country, but on top of that, the lack of
resources, the lack of fuel, the lack of food, how so many people in that country are at risk of going hungry right now because of all the
instability and the chaos -- how hard is it for you to see how vulnerable your children are and feel so powerless to help them watching all of these
images unfold on your T.V. screens?
MISSY TENNANT, ADOPTED CHILDREN STUCK IN HAITI: It's very scary and disheartening. Our boys are scared as well, but they're trusting in the
Lord to protect them as we are, and we're just praying and reaching out to the Department of State and different representatives and senators asking
for them to help us.
GOLODRYGA: And, John, I know that if all had been according to plan, the boys would have been home. They would have been with you this month, and
obviously that is not the case. Talk to us about what legal process you have. I know you were just about to finish the process in finalizing the
adoption. There are over 100, I think, children in the current situation as well as your boys now. What, if anything, is the U.S. State Department or
U.S. officials telling you now about being able to bring them home?
JOHN TENNANT, ADOPTED CHILDREN STUCK IN HAITI: We've been actually getting a lot of conflicting reports. We've been asking for waivers for the visa
and Haitian passport, but at this point they're not allowing that. That would help if they would do that. They've done it in the past, but they're
reluctant to do it right now. So, we're just trying to put the pressure on and hope that they'll help us and get senators and stuff to put pressure on
them to help us out.
ASHER: Because you started the process of sort of trying to adopt these boys back in 2018, and any American who has tried to adopt a child from
another country knows how difficult and painstaking and lengthy the process is, just in terms of the interviews and the paperwork and the documentation
and the visas. The process can go on for years.
Obviously, given the crisis happening in Port-au-Prince right now, it is very difficult for bureaucracy to move in that country to get the paperwork
that you need. Did the State Department say why they're reluctant to issue any kind of waiver at this point? They know what's going on. We all know
what's going on in that country right now.
M. TENNANT: Mainly, they just want to follow the Hague Convention Law, and this is a special circumstance. Our adoption is final. We have our adoption
decree. We just need passports and visas. We need an Article 23 letter, and the Haitian government is not really functioning right now. Another thing
that Department of State wants is they want an exit medical appointment, and that takes place in Port-au-Prince.
[12:40:00]
And so, there's lots of families, in addition to ours, that still need that exit medical appointment, but it does not make any sense. It's absolutely
absurd for the Department of State to want children to travel to Port-au- Prince for this kind of an appointment. It makes no sense. I
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, it doesn't seem to make sense, especially given their young ages. John, can you tell us about your boys? I mean, when was the
last time you spoke with them? How are they doing? Do they comprehend the chaos and the violence around them right now?
J. TENNANT: They are -- I don't know if they totally comprehend, but they do hear where they're at gunfire. So, they have, at times, hidden under
their beds and stuff because it scares them. Bet they're --we talked to them, I think, about a week and a half ago.
They seem like they were in pretty good spirits, but obviously they're scared and they're ready to come home. They ask, you know, always ask when
we're coming -- when we're coming home. So, it's always heart-wrenching when they're asking that and you can't give them a real answer. So --
ASHER: Yeah, I mean, listen. Children in Haiti have been forced to grow up very, very fast. You think about what that country has gone through just
over the past few years. Just in terms of being able to keep in touch with them, you talked about just speaking to them a week and a half ago. How
hard is it to be able to get hold of them every single day at the orphanage?
M. TENNANT: We generally can just speak with them if somebody is there or an employee there has a phone. So, it is very hit or miss. We might be able
to speak with them maybe three to five times a year.
GOLODRYGA: And Missy, as I noted earlier, there are about a little over 100 children that are currently in the process of finalizing adoption, as
well. Have you been able to get in contact with some of these other parents who find themselves in this terrible position that you and John are in
right now? How are they doing?
M. TENNANT: Yes, they're feeling much the same, very prayerful. They are - - we're all gathering together, communicating about what each family has done and just working together to try to bring our kids home.
ASHER: It must be so helpful to have that sense of community. So, when they ask you, when you speak to your boys and they tell you how desperate
they are to come home, how desperate they are to come to Indiana, what do you actually tell them?
M. TENNANT: We've been telling them just keep praying. Pray that the paperwork gets done fast. That's what we're waiting on. And we've also been
able to do video chat. So, we'll show them their room, we'll show them the house and their pets and different things like that so they can kind of
start to see what it's going to be like when they're able to come back home or come home.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and I know, John, you and Missy both said once they do come home, you want to give them a sense of quiet, normalcy. Obviously,
they deserve that and need that right now. But as you speak to us, before we let you go, what is the message that you want to convey to U.S.
officials, to anybody watching here and sensing your frustration and wanting to do whatever they can to help expedite this process?
J. TENNANT: Yes, we just plead for the State Department, who's in control there, and all the senators. There's already a request out for -- what is
it -- a petition?
M. TENNANT: Congressman Blake Moore has a letter out to the senators and representatives and he's asking for support to sign that letter along with
him so that we can get these passport waivers, get the visa waiver and be able to bring all of our children home.
J.TENNANT: So, we just ask for whoever's watching this or whoever can to put pressure on their senators to call them, to email them, to put pressure
on them to help.
ASHER: Yeah, we're really hoping that things change, right? That not just the situation on the ground in Haiti, but that there is some movement in
terms of the bureaucracy here and getting the boys back home to Indiana where they belong. You know, they were looking forward to this brand new
life.
And it must be must have been so exciting for them to know that they were going to move to the States and get this brand new life. And then to have
it put on hold amid so much violence must be so terrifying for them.
[12:45:00]
But we are praying. We wish you all the best. And please do keep us updated, Missy and John.
M.TENNANT: We will. Thank you.
J. TENNANT: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you.
ASHER: Thank you so much. We'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Well, now to a wild start to the Major League Baseball season. It's a story everyone's talking about today. Japanese superstar Shohei
Ohtani made his Los Angeles Dodger debut this week, but amid a major scandal. The Dodgers fired his longtime interpreter for allegedly stealing
millions of dollars to play sports bets, that's according to reports.
ASHER: You cannot make this up.
GOLODRYGA: No.
ASHER: On Wednesday, the pair was seen talking and smiling in the dugout during the Dodger season opener in South Korea. The interpreter was fired
shortly after that. CNN Sports Andy Scholes has more.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Zain and Bianna, the explanation of how this all went down, it changed pretty quickly. So,
Shohei Ohtani's spokesman originally told ESPN that Ohtani sent money to cover the gambling debts of his longtime interpreter and friend Ipe
Mizuhara. But then Ohtani's lawyers on Wednesday said Ohtani was the victim of massive theft.
Now, this came to light because federal investigators are looking into an illegal California gambling operation. That's first reported by the "Los
Angeles Times"". Now, according to ESPN, Ohtani sent millions of dollars in wire transfers from his bank account to the alleged bookmaking operation.
And Mizuhara originally told ESPN in an interview Tuesday that the transfers were to cover his losses.
He said Ohtani had, quote, zero involvement in the betting and none of the bets were on baseball. Mizuhara told ESPN he didn't know gambling was
illegal in California and Ohtani -- he wasn't happy about his debts, but he decided to pay them off for him.
Well, as ESPN was getting ready to publish their story on Wednesday, Ohtani's lawyers sent out this statement saying, "In the course of
responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft and we are turning the matter over to the
authorities."
On Wednesday, Mizuhara also walked back much of what he told ESPN, saying Ohtani had no knowledge of his gambling activities, debts or efforts to
repay them. Now, CNN is attempting to contact Mizuhara.
We've reached out to local authorities and Major League Baseball has declined to comment at this time. Mizuhara was in the dugout for
Wednesday's MLB season opener against the Padres. He was seen smiling and talking to Ohtani, but Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers after the story
came out.
[12:50:00]
And, you know, Zain and Bianna, this is going to be a big change for Ohtani. Mizuhara has been his interpreter and basically his comrade ever
since he came to the U.S. You know, he's been by his side, you know, whether it was working out promotional events at every single game. So,
now, Ohtani is going to move forward without him. And it'll be interesting to see what Ohtani eventually says about this, considering how quickly that
story changed.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, it is fascinating and obviously we'll be waiting to see what, if anything, he says in the coming days.
ASHER: What a breach of trust, though.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah.
ASHER: What an awful breach of trust.
GOLODRYGA: To think he had time to gamble on the side. I mean, he's his right-hand man, translator, now gambling millions of dollars.
ASHER: Fascinating.
GOLODRYGA: We'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: OK, so not everyone likes a party. To be more precise, some just don't like the attention on their birthday. I can understand. I can
relate to that. I mean, the cake, the decorations, so much fuss.
ASHER: One baby in Florida just couldn't take it. Couldn't take it. After everyone started singing, Teddy's unimpressed reaction to his first
birthday party has gone viral. Jeanne Moos has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was Teddy Pearson's first birthday, but he didn't like the cake. He seemed oblivious
to the baseball-themed decorations, including his "Rookie of the Year" high chair. And Teddy just couldn't take it anymore when everyone sang happy
birthday at him.
MONICA PEARSON, TEDDY'S MOM: Happy birthday to you.
MOOS: His mom, Monica, says --
M. PEARSON: He was overwhelmed. He had just had it.
UNKNOWN (singing): Happy birthday, dear Teddy.
MOOS (voice-over): Other kids check out due to exhaustion. But Teddy was in denial, trying to block out all the birthday attention.
UNKNOWN: Get it, Teddy, get it.
MOOS (voice-over): Get lost, lady.
M. PEARSON: I feel like he's just a grumpy old man that's been reincarnated.
MOOS (voice-over): His Florida parents have created an Instagram account called Teddy Unimpressed.
COLLIN PEARSON, TEDDY'S DAD: He's just got this very unimpressed look on his face at all times.
MOOS (voice-over): Unimpressed in his hat, unimpressed with pumpkins, with his baby carrier, with everything. Watch it, Teddy. You'll spoil your image
with this interview.
[12:55:00]
MOOS: You're not shy today.
PARENTS: Yeah.
MOOS (voice-over): After going viral, Teddy has become a hero to millions of birthday-hating introverts. I was that kid, and to this day, can't stand
attention. Teddy's even going head-to-head with Jim Carrey. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
UNKNOWN (singing): Dear Teddy --
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: If that is not extreme boredom -- boredom. Mom and dad, please get me out of here.
GOLODRYGA: Right.
ASHER: I am done with this.
GOLODRYGA: There's no such thing as a poker face when you're one, right? You've had it, and that's it. You have a face plant on your table. But I do
have to say, he has exquisite taste in reporters. Because did you see him light up when Jeanne was talking to her parents?
ASHER: Oh, yes, yes. How could anyone not love Teddy?
GOLODRYGA: I know, I know. You just have to get him in the right circumstances. Jeanne Moos has to go to all of Teddy's birthday parties in
the future. I think I've solved the problem.
ASHER: That reaction was actually not what I was expecting -- when his head hit the table, that wasn't what I was expecting.
GOLODRYGA: I thought he was going to cry and scream. No, that's it. Doesn't need to have the energy to cry and scream. We've all been there.
Well, that does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. Thank you so much for watching. "AMANPOUR" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
